DVDpedia : Library : Title : D

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: SONY PICTURES

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 174

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


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

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 92

Summary: There are some good laughs to be found in "Daddy Day Care", especially if you're a preschooler with energy to burn. This romper-room comedy shamelessly exploits its high concept idea--dropping Eddie Murphy into a seething den of rugrats--but kids will have plenty of vicarious fun as Murphy and his fellow laid-off colleague (Jeff Garlin) battle unemployment by opening a day-care center in Eddie's home. In partial "Witches" mode, Anjelica Huston hams it up as a day-care competitor bent on closing Eddie down, while doofus extraordinaire Steve Zahn is recruited as a third partner in "Daddy Day Care," trying his best to entertain a pack of hyperactive kids who've stopped taking their Ritalin. Zahn makes a funny "Star Trek" fan (even when the script contains bogus Trekkie trivia), and Murphy deserves credit for giving his all in a comedy that mostly squanders his talent. Indeed, is "Daddy Day Care" a comedy or every parent's nightmare? Daring viewers can decide for themselves. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical:

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Drama

Duration: 581

Summary: Hot new legal thriller on FX! Set in New York's world of high stakes litigation, "Damages" follows the lives of Patty Hewes, the nation's most revered and most reviled litigator, and her bright, ambitious protégée Ellen Parsons as they become embroiled in a class action lawsuit targeting Arthur Frobisher, one of the country's wealthiest CEOs. As Patty battles Frobisher and his attorney, Ellen learns what it takes to win at all costs, and that lives, not just fortunes, are at stake.

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 98

Borrowed By: Alberto Aldrete

Summary: Steve Carell’s best film performance to date can be found in the fitfully engaging "Dan In Real Life", where his long-suffering persona suits a character who lets his long-dormant hopes rise for a moment, only to be shot down again. Carell plays Dan Burns, a newspaper columnist who writes about family issues and relationships. As a widower with three growing girls to raise, however, the difference between Dan’s printed wisdom and his struggles with fatherhood and loneliness is often vast. He’s put to a severe test when he packs up the kids for a cabin holiday with his parents and siblings, then falls for the exotic, if elusive, Marie (Juliette Binoche) during a solo excursion to a bookstore. Stirred by a woman for the first time since his late wife, Dan is shocked to find that Marie is actually dating his brother Mitch (Dane Cook), and that she’ll be spending the vacation with him in the midst of his family. From that point, the script, co-written by director Peter Hedges ("Pieces of April"), pretty much becomes a parade of difficult circumstances under which both Dan and Marie have to keep their attraction to one another secret. Certain scenes work better than others, but there is an overall monotony to the movie that isn’t helped by a lack of onscreen chemistry between Binoche and Carell. Both actors are fine on their own terms, but whatever is supposed to be clicking between Marie and Dan isn’t compelling enough to make one truly care that they get together somehow. Still, this is a film with plenty of moments to like, especially when Carell gets to broaden his previous range of emotions in a movie. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Image Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 181

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

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 103

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

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 965

Summary: One of TV's more interesting tough-girl action shows, "Dark Angel" is a distinctive blend of the personal, the adventurous, and the politically aware. Cocreators James Cameron and Charles Eglee present a complex scenario of biological super-science and social collapse in which their gene-manipulated heroine and hacker-journalist hero can genuinely make a difference. In this first season they also provide an adversary who is a lot more than just a conventional villain.
Jessica Alba is impressive as Max, bred and trained as a super-soldier but reclaiming her individual humanity; Michael Weatherly is scruffily attractive as Eyes Only, who sits semi-paralyzed in his eyrie above Seattle uncovering crime, corruption, and other skullduggeries and assigning deadly errands to the woman he hopelessly loves. Jon Savage has real authority as Lydeker, a man who has stretched his conscience to the breaking point, but is not personally corrupt. Some of the best episodes--"Prodigy," for example--are ones in which Lydeker and Max are forced into temporary alliance. Early on, the relationship between Max and the other workers at Jam Pony--the courier firm that provides her with a cover identity--is a little forced, but later on the two parts of Max's life are more successfully integrated: "Shorties in Love," for example, is a genuinely touching tale about Diamond, the doomed criminal ex-lover of Max's lesbian roommate. "Dark Angel" was never a perfect show, but at its occasional best it manages to be simultaneously funny and dramatic. "--Roz Kaveney"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 118

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

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 111

Summary: If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from "The Crow" (1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you might be tempted to call "Dark City" an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly enough to grab your attention ("Blade Runner" is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that "Dark City" has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional characters are no match for the film's abundance of retro-futuristic style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly cinematic terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German expressionism) were built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of director Alex Proyas and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world depicted in the film required the largest indoor set ever built in Australia. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1982

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 93

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

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 152

Summary: The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralyzed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne.
In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director-cowriter Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--The Dark Knight is a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi
On the Blu-ray disc
The Dark Knight on Blu-ray is a great home-theater showoff disc. The detail and colors are tremendous in both dark and bright scenes (the Gotham General scene is a great example of the latter), and the punishing Dolby TrueHD soundtrack makes the house rattle. (After giving us only Dolby 5.1 in a number of big Blu-ray releases this fall, Warner came through with Dolby TrueHD on this one.) One of the most interesting elements of The Dark Knight was how certain scenes were shot in IMAX, and if you saw the movie in an IMAX theater the film's aspect ratio would suddenly change from standard 2.40:1 to a thrilling 1.43:1 that filled the screen six stories high. For the Blu-ray disc, director Christopher Nolan has somewhat re-created this experience by shifting his film from 2.40:1 aspect ratio (through most of the film) to 1.78:1 in the IMAX scenes. While the effect isn't as dramatic as it was in theaters, it's still an eye-catching experience to be watching the film on a widescreen TV with black bars at the top and bottom, then seeing the 1.78:1 scenes completely fill the screen. The main bonus feature on disc 1 is "Gotham Uncovered: The Creation of a Scene," which is 81 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage about the IMAX scenes, the Bat suit, Gotham Central, and others. You can watch the film and access these featurettes when the icon pops up, or you can simply watch them from the main menu. A welcome and unusual feature is that in addition to English, French, and Spanish audio and subtitles, there's an audio-described option that allows the sight-impaired to experience the film as well.
Disc 2 has two 45-minute documentaries on Bat-gadgets and on the psychology of Batman, both in high definition. They combine movie clips, talking heads, and comic-book panels, but aren't the kind of thing one needs to watch twice. More engaging are six eight-minute segments of Gotham Central, a faux-news program that gives some background to events in the movie, plus a variety of trailers, poster art, and more. The BD-Live component on disc 1 is more interesting than on some earlier Blu-ray discs, which could be simply a matter of the content starting to catch up with the technology. There are three new picture-in-picture commentaries, by Jerry Robinson (creator of the Joker), DC Comics president Paul Levitz, and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.--he's a Batman fan who's made some movie and TV cameos), plus you can record your own commentary and upload it for others to watch. There are also three new featurettes ("Sound of the Batpod," "Harvey Dent's Theme," and "Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard") and two motion comics ("Mad Love," featuring Harley Quinn, and "The Shadow of Ra's Al Ghul"). No longer available is the digital copy of the film (compatible with iTunes and Windows Media, standard definition, download code expires 12/9/09). --David Horiuchi
Product description
The follow-up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves effective, but soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Heath Ledger stars as archvillain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast as Rachel Dawes. Returning from Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Stills from The Dark Knight (click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1974

Studio: VCI Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 83

Summary: The "Dark Star"'s crew is on a 20-year mission to destroy unstable planets and make way for future colonization. The smart bombs they use to effect this zoom off cheerfully to do their duty. But unlike "Star Trek", in which order prevails, the nerves of this crew are becoming increasingly frayed to the point of psychosis. Their captain has been killed by a radiation leak that also destroyed their toilet paper. "Don't give me any of that 'Intelligent Life' stuff," says Commander Doolittle when presented with the possibility of alien life. "Find me something I can blow up." When an asteroid storm causes a malfunction, Bomb Number 20 (the most cheerful character in the film) has to be repeatedly talked out of exploding prematurely, each time becoming more and more peevish, until they have to teach him phenomenology to make him doubt his existence. And the film's apocalyptic ending, lifted almost wholly from Ray Bradbury's story "Kaleidoscope," has the remaining crew drifting away from each other in space, each to a suitably absurd end. Absurd, surreal, and very funny. John Carpenter once described "Dark Star" as ""Waiting for Godot" in space." Made at a cost of practically nothing, the film's effects are nevertheless impressive and, along with the number of ideas crammed into its 83 minutes, ought to shame makers of science fiction films costing hundreds of times more. The DVD contains both the original 68-minute release and the director's full version. "--Jim Gay"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 83

Summary: Bring home the UNRATED DVD that lets you go all the way on the first date! With outrageous extras and footage not shown in theaters, here's the ruder, cruder version of the no-holds-barred comedy from two of the twisted minds behind Scary Movie.
Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan from the American Pie series) is looking for love in ALL the wrong movies, until she snags the man of her dreams! But now, a devious ex, a farting feline and eccentric in-laws threaten her perfect Hollywood wedding!

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre:

Duration: 88

Summary: Tina Fey and Steve Carell are two of the most charming performers in entertainment today. Their goofy attractiveness makes them a perfect couple in "Date Night": an unremarkable husband and wife from New Jersey, they get mistaken for crooks in Manhattan, sending them on a wild night replete with snooty wait staff, crooked cops, glitter-specked strippers, a shirtless superspy (Mark Wahlberg, as buff as ever), and a preposterous car chase. The movie makes no effort to be remotely plausible and the last third really goes off the rails, and it would probably be better served by less familiar faces in minor roles (bit parts are played by Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wiig, Common, James Franco, Mila Kunis, William Fichtner, and Ray Liotta). It's disappointing that the dialogue doesn't crackle the way it does on "30 Rock" or "The Office". But Fey and Carell carry the movie along through sheer nerdy pluck. Rarely does a couple in a movie seem genuinely devoted to each other, not out of wild passion, but for all the things that a real marriage is built on: patience, shared humor, a willingness to deal with day-to-day annoyances, and simple affection. Fey and Carell seem like a couple you'd actually enjoy going out to dinner with. In today's world, that's more romantic than sunsets and bouquets of roses. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 101

Summary: Are you ready to get down with the sickness? Movie logic dictates that you shouldn't remake a classic, but Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" defies that logic and comes up a winner. You could argue that George A. Romero's 1978 original was sacred ground for horror buffs, but it was a "low-budget" classic, and Snyder's action-packed upgrade benefits from the same manic pacing that energized Romero's continuing zombie saga. Romero's indictment of mega-mall commercialism is lost (it's arguably outmoded anyway), so Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn compensate with the same setting--in this case, a Milwaukee shopping mall under siege by cannibalistic zombies in the wake of a devastating viral outbreak--a well-chosen cast (led by Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, and Mekhi Phifer), some outrageously morbid humor, and a no-frills plot that keeps tension high and blood splattering by the bucketful. Horror buffs will catch plenty of tributes to Romero's film (including cameos by three of its cast members, including gore-makeup wizard Tom Savini), and shocking images are abundant enough to qualify this "Dawn" as an excellent zombie-flick double-feature with "28 Days Later", its de facto British counterpart. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1983

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 127

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

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 124

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

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 104

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

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

 
 

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 132

Summary: The dizzying supernatural Russian epic started in "Night Watch" continues with "Day Watch", in which once again the battle between the forces of Light (the Night Watch) and Dark (the Day Watch) threatens to crack open the world as we know it. The plot centers around Anton (Russian superstar Konstantin Khabensky), an Other (one of many beings with varied supernatural powers) whose son, Yegor, has joined the Day Watch, who are grooming him to be their superpowerful savior. Anton's protoge, Svetlana, also has high-capacity power, and if Yegor and Svetlana come into conflict, the resulting devastation could shatter everything. The key to success seems to lie with the Chalk of Fate, a simple piece of chalk that can rewrite reality. "Day Watch" is full of plotholes and underdeveloped story points (at one point, to keep him safe, Anton's consciousness is switched into the body of his Night Watch colleague Olga--but mere moments later the Day Watch knows what's happened, before any suspense could be mined from it; as a result, this promising plot twist seems only to exist to allow for some girl-on-girl action), but it's forgivable. As with the first film, "Day Watch" bubbles over with its wildly imaginative world, its ravishing style, and its fantastic visual effects. If a Hollywood blockbuster had half as much creativity, it would be praised to the skies and be the hit of the year. Don't let the subtitles put you off (particularly since even the subtitles reflect the movie's wit and imagination)--"Day Watch" is a cinematic feast that any movie fan should devour. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Lionsgate

Genre: Thrillers

Duration: 98

Summary: While Daybreakers presents vampiric traits that distinguish its vampires from others in the many films that have ridden 2009's vampire movie wave, there is a lack of humor here that makes this film sour compared to sweeter ones like Cirque du Freak: A Vampire's Assistant. Maybe that's because the plot in this horror feature from Peter and Michael Spierig (Undead) is more akin to zombie films like 28 Days Later. The year is 2019, and nearly all humans are converted vampires searching in vain for blood during a blood shortage, as they drain remaining humans into extinction. Nightly, CNN airs segments about the Blood Crisis, while vampire citizens around the globe attack each other like cannibals. Humans are farmed like cattle while tied to blood-draining machinery in the top-secret pharmaceutical corporation run by evil CEO Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). Sound like a heavy-handed metaphor for our oil wars? Daybreakers can definitely be viewed in that light, as a story about greed and consumption. Stylistically, it looks like a cross between Alien and Batman, with its Giger-esque set design and blue-tinted hue to represent night fallen on society. The lead actors help to salvage this movie. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), chief hematologist at Bromley, straddles the vampire and human worlds, with the aid of humans Lionel "Elvis" Cormac (Willem Dafoe) and Lisa Barrett (Harriet Minto-Day), to search for a blood replacement to placate the starving masses. These three protagonists carry the film, though not well enough to call Daybreakers any sort of genre breakthrough. --Trinie Dalton

Stills from Daybreakers (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 96

Summary: There are several occasions when this rousing Australian thriller from 1987 should have ended with a well-placed shot from a speargun or a stronger knot of rope, but you don't think about these nit-picky details when you're being scared out of your wits. In a role that catapulted her to international stardom, Nicole Kidman plays a young wife who's joined her husband (Sam Neill) on a yachting trip to recover from the tragic death of their son. Far out to sea, they encounter a sinking ship with one survivor (Billy Zane, ten years before "Titanic"), but inviting him aboard turns out to be a very bad mistake. While Neill attempts to salvage the sinking boat, Kidman is fighting for her life against the psychotic Zane--a villain so creepy that you eagerly look forward to his demise. By the time that moment arrives director Phillip Noyce has resorted to a typical slasher-movie climax (proving that no boat should be without a flare gun), but until then "Dead Calm" is a nail-biting thriller that's guaranteed to keep you in a state of nail-biting suspense. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 627

Summary: Pay cable's "other"show about life and death, Dead Like Me takes a darkly comic look at mortality through the eyes of someone stuck between this life and the afterlife. "Bail bondsmen for the disembodied" is how Rube (Mandy Patinkin), the often exasperated Reaper foreman, explains it to disaffected 18-year-old George (Ellen Muth) after she’s vaporized by a falling toilet seat from the Mir space station and drafted into the ranks of the Reapers. It's now her job to take the souls of the doomed, preferably before their mortal coil is damaged beyond recognition by the devilish machinations of the gremlin-like gravelings.
You wouldn’t mistake George's fellow Reapers for the do-gooders of Touched by an Angel, but they are anything but grim. Charming British shyster Mason (Callum Blue) always has some scam brewing, high-living, fun-loving former flapper Betty (Rebecca Gayheart) treats death as a cabaret ("Reaping Havoc"), and one-time starlet and wannabe actress Daisy (Laura Harris) still nurses her dreams of stardom. Even hard-bitten meter maid Roxy (Jasmine Guy) manages to find a way to let loose.
Dead Like Me puts a light touch on black comedy, but it has a sneaky way of using humor to explore loss, loneliness, and regret, as well as kindness, and courage, and responsibility. George gets a hard lesson when she tries to wriggle out of her assignments like some overgrown kid, only to see the damage of her (in)action in "Reapercussions." And as George's angry, tightly-wound mother (Cynthia Stevenson) and withdrawn little sister Reggie cope with death, she breaks the rules to watch over them: their own pouty, glum guardian angel. There's nothing like your own death to put your life into perspective.
The four-disc set features all 14 episodes of the debut season of Showtime's witty black comedy. The feature-length pilot includes optional commentary by cast members Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, and Callum Blue. Other supplements include the nominal documentary featurettes Dead Like Me: Behind-the-scenes and The Music of Dead Like Me (with theme song composer Stewart Copeland), 32 deleted scenes, and a still gallery. --Sean Axmaker

Stills from Dead Like Me - The Complete First Season (Click for larger image)

 

 

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 104

Summary: This 1992 black comedy by Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", the Back to the Future trilogy) features some of the most eye-popping special effects of the '90s in its story of a narcissistic star (Meryl Streep) who steals the husband (Bruce Willis) of another woman (Goldie Hawn) and continues her rivalry with her even after death. A magic potion keeps both women going despite the punishment of murderous bullets and fatal plunges, and the joke is that even as they rot they remain vain about appearances. Though he's fashioned a one-note movie, Zemeckis gets a lot of mileage out of such impressive sights as Hawn walking around with a hole in her chest the size of a basketball, and Streep--her head and arms twisted 180 degrees--moving like a broken crab. It's weird, it's sick, it's hilarious, and the stars push the whole project to a classy entertainment. Isabella Rossellini is great as a scantily clad witch who sells the immortality brew. The DVD release has a full-screen presentation, optional French and Spanish soundtracks, optional Spanish subtitles, and Dolby sound. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 111

Summary: Mayhem rules in Death Race, a head-over-heels remake of the Roger Corman cult classic Death Race 2000, in which cars become lethal weapons. The strength of this new version is its total single-mindedness about vehicular homicide; it has the virtue of no cluttering subplots or simpering sentimentality. And banish all memory of the original's wild satirical comedy: Death Race is as grim as a dinner tray to the face (a reference that will be explained in a key sequence). In a slightly futuristic maximum-security prison, cons take part in brutal races around the island prison, their violent deaths watched live by millions of viewers. Jason Statham, possibly cast because of his driving dexterity in the Transporter movies, plays a man wrongly imprisoned for murder. Joan Allen provides her brittle cool as the warden, who recruits Statham to assume the masked persona of a legendary driver called Frankenstein. Tyrese Gibson is Frankie's main rival, Natalie Martinez provides the fetching eye candy, but the acting honors go to Ian McShane, as the philosophical prison mechanic. One misses the cross-country race from the original film, as the setting here is claustrophobic and the cars are largely colorless and indistinguishable from each other. Director Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) continues to display the sensibility of a video-game addict, which will either be a recommendation or a turn-off, depending on your own tastes. At least it doesn't have the hypocritical moral blathering of something like the somewhat similar Condemned--who knew you could be so grateful for simple, straight-forward head-bashing? --Robert Horton


Stills from Death Race (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 109

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

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: Good neighbors can be hard to come by and when the flighty Buddy Hall (Danny Devito) moves in across the street from the conservative Dr. Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick), it quickly becomes apparent that the two men are complete opposites. While Finch methodically plans out every minute of the coming Christmas season for his family, Buddy craves freshness and excitement and is seized by an impulsive desire to decorate his house so brightly that it can be seen from space. While the men's wives Kelly (Kristin Davis) and Tia (Kristin Chenoweth) and their children revel in one another's differences and form solid friendships, a rivalry of personalities and Christmas spirit ensues between the two men that will wind up testing the patience and love of every member of both families. This is fun, comical holiday entertainment for the entire family ages 9 and older. --"Tami Horiuchi"

Beyond "Deck the Halls"
The Holidays on DVD
Matthew Broderick Films
Danny DeVito Films


Stills from "Deck the Halls"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 120

Summary: A great big rock hits the earth, and lots of people die. That's pretty much all there is to it, and most of that was in the trailer. Can a major Hollywood movie really squeak by with such a slender excuse for a premise? The old disaster-movie king, cheese-meister Irwin Allen ("The Poseidon Adventure", "Earthquake"), would have made a kitsch classic out of this, with Charlton Heston, rather than a resigned and mumbly Robert Duvall, as the veteran astronaut who risks several lives trying to blow up the comet that's "headed right this way"! As stiffly directed by Mimi Leder, this thick slice of ham errs on the side of solemnity. It may the be most earnest end-of-the-world picture since Stanley Kramer's atomic-doom drama "On the Beach". There are a couple of classic melodramatic flourishes: an estranged father and daughter who share a tearful reconciliation as a Godzilla-sized tidal wave looms on the horizon; and an astronaut, communicating on video with his loved ones back on Earth, who follows whispered instructions from a buddy lurking just off camera--so that his little boy won't realize that he's been struck blind. With Morgan Freeman as the president of the United States. "--David Chute"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: Live / Artisan

Genre: Horror

Duration: 103

Summary: Deep Star Six is a fun monster movie. I am really surprised that it got a DVD release. Too bad the DVD is not up to the high standard. Full screen only, no subtitling option, no Dolby 5.1 but the picture quality is OK better than the old image entertainment LD. The story is about an underwater research facility attacked by a giant sea monster. Nothing special about the story and the special effects also not very good but is has enough suspence for this genre. Worth a look.

Theatrical: 1991

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 112

Summary: Albert Brooks proves there's laughs after death with this almost heavenly comedy--almost heaven as in Judgment City, where recently perished Daniel Miller (Brooks) learns whether he is worthy of advancing to a higher plane of existence or will be sent back to earth for another incarnation.
His fate will be determined in a very special trial, during which scenes from his life are replayed on a giant screen. "Isn't it realistic?" a judge asks. "It makes some people nauseous." While the steely prosecutor (Lee Grant) will try to prove that Daniel failed in life to face his fears and insecurities, his glad-handing, reassuring defender (Rip Torn) will argue on behalf of this hapless "little brain" (a Judgment City term for residents of earth).
As Woody Allen did for the future in "Sleeper", so does Brooks create an original vision of the afterlife. In Judgment City, white-robed residents can eat as much as they want without guilt or fear of gaining weight. They can also visit the Past Lives Pavilion, where they are greeted by a hologram of--who else--Shirley MacLaine.
Daniel finds himself touched by an angel. Meryl Streep gives an enchanting performance as Julia, whose exemplary life is in stark contrast to his. During her trial, the court watches in rapture as she saves not only children, but a cat from a burning building.
Daniel and Julia are a match made in Judgment City, but first Daniel must summon up the courage to express his true feelings for her, or she will surely advance without him.
"Defending Your Life" is Brooks's most ambitious film and, with "Mother", his most accessible. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 137

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

Stills from Defiance (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 578

Summary: Set in the very near future, eight astronauts from five countries undertake a mysterious six-year international mission on the spaceship Antares. This sexy and provocative sci fi thriller follows 4 men and 4 women through the solar system where their pasts reveal intimate and interconnected secrets that have a strange effect on the present and mysteries yet to be revealed.

DVD includes 5 episodes never seen on television.

Audio: English: 51 Dolby Digital EX Language: Dubbed: English / Subtitled: English, French & Spanish Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 1.78:1

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 115

Summary: Searching for new directions, Sylvester Stallone starred in this farcical, 1993 SF piece about an ex-cop (Stallone) freed from 36 years of forced hibernation to help catch a criminal (Wesley Snipes) who released himself from a similar incarceration. The futuristic story finds Los Angeles a sea of Taco Bells and enforced peace, and within that satiric overview Stallone's character becomes a gun-toting fish out of water. The film plays like a live-action cartoon, and while there is nothing particularly wrong with that, "Demolition Man" is a rather flat experience. The irony of a peaceable society that both requires and despises its bloody saviors has been captured far more profoundly in movies like "Dirty Harry". Sandra Bullock costars. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, production notes, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound, optional Spanish soundtrack, and optional French and Spanish subtitles. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Hbo Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 60

Summary: Dennis Miller rolls out a highly polished new act in this HBO special, taped before a live Chicago audience on March 1, 2003. While Miller's social commentary remains rigorously middlebrow, it's his typically loquacious, often elegant, occasionally anachronistic (one wonders what the young, Windy City audience makes of Miller's coiffure reference to "the harmonica player from the J. Geils Band") delivery that makes "The Raw Feed" worth visiting. Surreal esoterica abounds from the moment the comedian takes the stage with references to the "sequin mines of L.A.," the India-Pakistan conflict as understood through the filter of "Jonny Quest", the length of purchase receipts from Circuit City, and suck-up Saudi royalty described as "the Eddie Haskells of the Middle East." The occasional killer line emerges, including Miller's prescription for peace in Israel (give Palestinians the casinos) and a hard truth about nature: "It's like Nick Nolte with a clogged Eustachian tube." "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 151

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

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Weinstein Company, The

Genre: Drama

Duration: 108

Summary: With a nasty villain and a plot twist that will take many viewers by surprise, "Derailed" is the kind of potboiler that's enjoyable in spite of its flaws. It's basically two-thirds of a good movie, with a convincing set-up and a barely plausible payoff that... well, you've just got to see it and decide for yourself. Like "Fatal Attraction", it's a good-enough thriller that turns infidelity into every man's nightmare, beginning when Charles (Clive Owen), a well-to-do Chicago advertising director with a sickly, diabetic daughter and a slightly troubled marriage, has a chance encounter with Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston), a lovely and quick-witted financial advisor who's also stuck in a marital rut. Their chemistry is instant (between both characters and stars), but their eventual hotel tryst is interrupted by a mugger (French actor Vincent Cassel at his vile, despicable best) who's out to milk Charles for every dollar he's got. Of course, one phone call to the police would solve everyone's problems, but as he did with "Collateral" (albeit more convincingly), screenwriter Stuart Beattie turns up the tension with such manipulative skill that you're willing to skate past the plot holes and go along for the ride. With lively supporting performances by rappers Xzibit and RZA, "Derailed" marks a commercially slick American debut for Swedish director Mikael Håfström, whose 2003 thriller "Evil" was a Best Foreign Film Oscar®-nominee. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Touchstone / Disney

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 88

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

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 144

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

Theatrical:

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 494

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

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Animation

Duration: 30

Summary: After being fired from UPN's primetime line-up, this animated series based on Scott Adams's nationally syndicated comic strip has received a well-deserved promotion to DVD. Dilbert, the bespectacled potato-shaped engineer with the upwardly mobile tie, is the poster boy for the corporately disenfranchised. Though Adams's cynical, cubicle eye-view of corporate culture was somewhat co-opted by "The Drew Carey Show", animation gives the series a surreal flourish not possible in a live-action series. In the first episode, for example, we can see the devastation wreaked by an "all-natural" anthrax lozenge, and an interoffice riot sparked by budget cuts. Co-executive producer Larry Charles, whose resume includes "Seinfeld" and "Mad About You", wisely preserved Adams's Kafka-esque comic vision. Dilbert may "just want to make the world a better place," but that is difficult in a workplace where the Pointy-Haired Boss insists his employees first come up with a name for an as-yet-undeveloped product, employees literally give their souls to the company, and an evil cat reigns as an evil director of human resources loathe to help employees. As the old saying goes, it's funny because it's true. The voice cast are excellent hires, with Daniel Stern as Dilbert, Larry Miller as the clueless Boss, Kathy Griffin as sardonic co-worker Alice, and Chris Elliot as Dogbert. You don't have to have a refrigerator, cubicle wall, or computer festooned with yellowed "Dilbert" strips to appreciate the series. It will strike a beleaguered chord in fans of "Office Space" and "The Office", or anyone toiling for a company that loves misery. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical:

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Genre: Animation

Duration: 98

Summary: Fans of Robert Zemeckis's brilliant special effects, and of Jim Carrey's transformative acting abilities, will be swept away by their collaboration in the stunning A Christmas Carol. Perhaps more surprising is that Charles Dickens purists will also be impressed and captivated by this version of the oft-told tale--which is dark, complex, and in its way, uncompromising. Which is all to say that this Christmas Carol is an instant holiday classic, easily taking its place alongside the Alistair Sim version, the Patrick Stewart version, and even the Mr. Magoo version of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his ultimate holiday redemption. Carrey is dazzling as not only Scrooge, the most miserable, and miserly, man in 19th-century England, but as the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. As with The Polar Express, Zemeckis animates the film over the actors' physical performances onscreen, but here, the emotion is intact--even heightened by the spiffy effects. Joining Carrey in the cast are terrific players, including Gary Oldman (Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and the ghost of Marley), Cary Elwes, Bob Hoskins, and Robin Wright Penn. But the heart of the film is Carrey, whose dramatic acting has shone in films like The Truman Show and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. The emotional connection Carrey makes with his characters is what brings Dickens's classic alive--and what connects the viewer with the true spirit of the holidays. "God bless us, every one." --A.T. Hurley

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Mystery & Suspense

Duration: 112

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



"District 9" downloadables (Click for pdf file)

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 101

Summary: Get ready to chase across rooftops, shatter plate-glass windows, and vanquish the enemy with a priceless van Gogh canvas (explanation forthcoming): the agile battlers from "District B13" (a.k.a. "Banlieue 13") are back. As played by David Belle (one of the inventors of the building-hopping practice called parkour) and Cyril Raffaelli, the two expert head-knockers from the first film return to fight yet another serious threat against the walled-off neighborhood in a slightly futuristic Paris. This time some corrupt government officials have a devious plot to raze the slum and funnel the rebuilding contracts to their payoff-happy corporate pals at Harriburton (a name that bears absolutely no resemblance to any real-life corporate behemoth). Wisely delaying the reunion of our heroes, the movie opens with Raffaelli's epic throw-down against a gang of desperadoes, which he executes while wielding the van Gogh painting as a shield/weapon. Nice. Then Belle gets onstage for a typically graceful parkour workout across various buildings. This action, especially in its overblown, belief-defying later stages, has more than its share of "fromage", but isn't that what we expect from writer-producer Luc Besson? "Ultimatum" isn't as sleek and effective as the first movie, but it has enough deft action and buddy-picture one-liners to justify its existence--and Belle and Raffaelli bristle with real movie-star appeal, especially when doing their Butch-and-Sundance routine. The ending suggests another sequel will need to have a very different setting, but that might not be such a bad thing. "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical:

Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 84

Summary: For eye-popping kinetic thrills, "District B13" tops the class. In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris have been walled in and left to rot. When a neutron bomb gets stolen by a criminal kingpin in seedy "District B13", Damien--a cop who specializes in deep cover assignments (Cyril Raffaelli, a stuntman turned actor)--has to team up with Leito (David Belle), who grew up in the district and has his own reason for going back: the kingpin kidnapped his sister (tough yet adorable gamine Dany Verissimo). The plot takes a few preposterous turns, but it's beside the point--every turn serves only to maintain the relentless flow of sheer physical prowess. Belle is one of the inventors of a sport called parkour, which treats a city's architecture like an obstacle course; while running from gun-toting thugs, Leito leaps, bounds, and scrambles up and down buildings with astonishing grace. The fight sequences are just as down-to-earth yet over-the-top as Damien whirls, kicks, and crunches through armies of bad guys. Just as important is the tongue-in-cheek tone that never turns smirky; the movie doesn't take itself seriously, but doesn't mock itself or its basic cinematic pleasures. Anyone looking for a break from the overbearing CGI and self-important pomp of Hollywood action movies should watch "District B13". "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 84

Summary: This paranoia-fueled thriller, more intelligent and imaginative than you would have reason to believe, owes a huge debt to "The Stepford Wives" with its premise of a goody-good high school clique programmed by an evil doctor to be wholesome, academically driven, and shining examples of clean living. Unlike its predecessor, though, David Nutter's film opts to open up its premise for everyone to see, diluting the scares but amplifying the creepy atmosphere. There's never any question of what's happening to the students of Cradle Bay High, who go from being druggies and sex fiends to the academically excellent Blue Ribbons, but it's a lot of fun to see these programmed teens run amok--and start killing people--when their hormones kick in. And considering they're all horny teenagers, this happens, oh, at least a few times a day. Model-perfect James Marsden, with stunning cheekbones and piercing blue eyes, is the new kid in town who stumbles on the plot with a little help from metalhead Nick Stahl. Moody Marsden stirs up trouble when he refuses to join up with the Blue Ribbons, prompting his concerned parents to consider signing him up for the program, especially after it turns Stahl into a vest-wearing, pep-rallying brainiac. The satire isn't entirely fulfilled (the evil kids hang out at the yogurt shop and spout inspirational platitudes), but once the action kicks in it's quite an enjoyable ride, thanks primarily to Bruce Greenwood (of "The Sweet Hereafter") as the mad scientist behind it all and Katie Holmes ("Go") as Marsden's love interest. Refusing the advances of the star football player and fighting gamely alongside Marsden, Holmes manages to deck a few bad guys with a fervor that squarely puts her in Linda Hamilton and Jamie Lee Curtis territory. With Steve Railsback as the colluding chief of police and Dan Zudovic as a janitor with a penchant for getting rid of "rats," rodent and otherwise. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 1991

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 104

Summary: At first glance, this 1991 comedy looks like another formulaic fluff-piece with a standard fish-out-of-water scenario--in this case a hotshot young doctor (Michael J. Fox) whose cross-country drive to become a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon is interrupted when he crashes in the rural hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. But as Fox's character is urged by the folksy locals to stay--an offer made tempting by his romance with a law student (Julie Warner)--this unassuming little movie just gets better and better thanks to a sharp script and a splendid supporting cast. Well, okay ... maybe Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda aren't used to the fullest of their abilities, but for the most part this is a charming and surprisingly intelligent comedy that's good enough to compare favorably to "My Cousin Vinny", a film with which it shares much in common. Fox has all the right moves to make his character both bullish and ultimately agreeable, and Julie Warner's performance may leave you wondering why this fine actress didn't immediately rise to stardom. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 92

Summary: How's this for impressive trivia: "Dodgeball" faced off against "The Terminal" in opening-weekend competition, and 29-year-old writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber aced Steven Spielberg by a score of $30 to $18.7 in box-office millions. That's no mean feat for a newcomer, but Thurber's lowbrow script and rapid-fire direction--along with a sublime cast of screen comedians--proved to be just what moviegoers were ravenous for: a consistently hilarious, patently formulaic romp in which the underdog owner of Average Joe's Gym (Vince Vaughn) faces foreclosure unless he can raise $50,000 in 30 days. The solution: A dodgeball tournament offering $50K to the winners, in which Vaughn and his nerdy clientele team up against the preening, abhorrently narcissistic owner (Ben Stiller) of Globo Gym, who's threatening a buy-out. That's it for story; any 5-year-old could follow it with brainpower to spare. But Thurber, Vaughn, Stiller, and their well-cast costars (including Stiller's off-screen wife, Christine Taylor) keep the big laughs coming for 96 nonsensical minutes. With spot-on cameos by champion bicyclist Lance Armstrong, David Hasselhoff, Hank Azaria, Chuck Norris, and William Shatner, and a crudely amusing coda for those who watch past the credits, "Dodgeball" is no masterpiece, but you can bet Spielberg was unexpectedly humbled by its popular appeal. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 88

Summary: Interview with the director of "A Dog's Breakfast", David Hewlett
Tell us about your background and how it prepared you for the making of this film.

I have been making films from the other side of the camera (as an actor) since I was 14. My friends and I used to spend our entire summer vacations causing chaos running around Toronto, Canada armed with an 8mm Cine film camera making short films. They were entirely self-funded and we would beg, borrow or steal equipment, locations and post-production time to get them finished. They were the best "vacations" I ever had. Those experiences were the reason I became a professional actor. Being on Stargate Atlantis has afforded me the time and the money to try to relive those fantastic experiences. This time with me at the helm!

What or who was your inspiration for writing and directing "A Dog's Breakfast"?
My biggest influences for the script were "A Fish Called Wanda", "Fawlty Towers" and the original "Pink Panther". In order to stand out and get noticed, many first time filmmakers go to extreme lengths to be dark, twisted and edgy. Rather than trying to shock people into taking notice of my work, I just wanted to make people laugh. I wanted it to be enjoyably silly. I really liked the idea of all the different aged members of a family being able to sit together and share a giggle. Making those early short films with my friends was the biggest inspiration. But, I also read a lot of books and watched a lot of DVDs in preparation for "A Dog's Breakfast". "Garden State" was a fantastic first film by another actor-turned-director (Zach Braff) that really inspired us to get on with making our own movie. Robert Rodriguez was another huge inspiration. Here is someone who just went out there and made a movie, all on his own. His book "Rebel Without A Crew" is like a road-map to your first film and made it sound so do-able. He had to sell himself for medical research to get the money to fund his work. I just have to save the universe, on Stargate Atlantis. I didn't think we had any excuse not to spend our hiatus making "A Dog's Breakfast".
Is this the first project in which you've starred and directed? How was that experience?
This was the first time I'd ever done two of the three jobs I ended up with on "A Dog's Breakfast"! Directing was completely new to me and it was the skill-set I was most worried about. I have done a fair amount of writing over the years, but this was the first complete script to make it to camera. And then on top of that the fact that I'm actually acting in just about every scene as well -- I don't know what I was thinking! Well, actually I do. It was two less people to feed and schedule around! I would definitely re-think trying to do them all simultaneously again. I kept forgetting to call 'action' or remembered and then forgot my lines, I was a mess! That said, once I got into the swing of it, writing and directing was a dream come true! I was finally able to take part in every aspect of filmmaking. I'd been privy to aspects of it over the years, but seeing a film through from conception to release and even dabbling in the marketing side of things was incredible. I can't wait to do it again! I'm half way through the script for the next project which I'm hoping to have someone else pay for this time! Over 20 years later and I'm still making films during my holidays, and they're still the best "vacations" I could wish for!
You chose to cast several cast mates from Stargate:Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 in your film (your sister Kate, Paul McGillion, Christopher Judge, Rachel Luttrell). What prompted the decision and were you worried it may mislead people about the content of the film (thinking it was sci-fi or associated with Stargate)?
I just worked with my friends and family, it's always worked for me in the past. I know how tough it can be for first time directors and I wanted to surround myself with top-notch and supportive talent. I'd be crazy not to take advantage of those connections! One of the reasons we chose to make Ryan a "sci-fi" actor was to be able to give a little nod to the Stargate fans with his "Starcrossed" clips. So far "A Dog's Breakfast" hasn't been mistaken for a sci-fi movie, so I think we're good, there. The reality is that I knew Stargate audiences were going to be interested in the project so I tried to make a humorous film that would appeal to them. But people outside of the sci-fi world are also enjoying this movie, and it's certainly not exclusively for Stargate fans. If you own a dog you're going to like this as you're in what I call our "Pet-Nerd" audience. That said, the film (and even more so the DVD) certainly has a few giggles that will appeal to those "in the know".
What about the DVD: will there be any extras that you can tell us about?
I can't wait to see the response to the DVD! We've complied a ton of extras that adds a whole new level to the film. We've got a number of "deleted scenes" that are really funny, but just had to go in order keep the running time down. I really miss them, and I'm so glad that now they'll see the light of day. The big seller to me is what Jane has done with the Behind-the-Scenes. Jane Loughman is "A Dog's Breakfast" producer and her background was producing at E! and for Entertaiment Tonight. She's used all those skills to put together a series of mini-documentaries that are so much fun! One of the things that I hate on many DVD's are these repurposed marketing pieces that are dumped on the DVD. You end up having to watch half the film again! We set out from the beginning to have these designed specifically for the DVD and it really shows. This is the kind of DVD that I would buy for the extras!
What do you want your audience to get out of this movie?
I love to make people laugh. I suppose it's the product of being the eldest and only boy in a family of 5 sisters, I'm just desperate for that kind of attention! I made this movie as pure silly entertainment. I wanted to make a new, old-fashioned comedy and I really hope that's how people see it. One of the most rewarding things that happens with "A Dog's Breakfast" is people like it enough to want to quote my own film back to me! That's the kind of response I like to see, because that's how I am about the movies I love.
The big climax, how did you film that?
Very carefully! Jane is such a stickler for detail and she made me re-write that ending section a number of times. She was adamant that there be no "cheats" -- no holes where people could question the timeline and people's motives. When it came to actually shooting it, I was so strapped for time. As it turned out the necessity to jump around with the shots in order to preserve make-up and costumes etc. made it a lot more dynamic than it would have been had I been given all the time I needed. I just wanted a nice spooky reveal that was "tainted" by Patrick's confused and paranoid state-of-mind. I like to think of it as my David Lynch "Murder She Wrote" episode.
What are your favorite movies? What DVDs do you have on your shelf at home?
Wow! There are loads, but here are a few faves, off the top of my head... "A Fish Called Wanda" "Withnail and I" Blake Edward's "The Pink Panther", "A Shot in the Dark" Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi", "Desperado", "Sin City" The "Evil Dead" trilogy "Mad Max 2, The Road Warrior" "Garden State" Anything with Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd or Charlie Chaplin in it! "Arsenic and Old Lace" "Sid and Nancy" "Fitzcarraldo" "Blade Runner" Danny Boyle's "Shallow Grave", "28 days later", "Trainspotting", "Millions" "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" "Breakfast at Tiffany's" Steven Soderbergh's "Out of Sight", "Solaris"... and just about anything he gets up to!

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 130

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

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 694

Summary: Stills from Dollhouse: Season One (Click for larger image)




 

Theatrical: 1991

Studio: Hbo Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 102

Summary: "Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead" aspires to be a cross between "Home Alone" and "Risky Business", with Christina Applegate as an inadvertent scam artist who gets in over her head and somehow pulls it off. When her mother goes to Australia for two months, Sue Ellen (Applegate) thinks she's going to be in charge--until an elderly tyrant of a babysitter arrives. But on the very first night the old lady has a heart attack and keels over. Sue Ellen and her siblings leave the body at a mortuary, only to discover afterward that all the money their mother had left for the summer was in the babysitter's clothes. So Sue Ellen has to get a job. Thanks to a trumped-up resume, she ends up as an executive assistant at a clothing manufacturer. For a while she keeps her head above water by skillfully exploiting a friendly coworker, but her brothers and sisters are running amok at home and a venomous receptionist has it in for her at work. The role-reversal humor of Sue Ellen having to mother her siblings is unsurprising, but Applegate is unexpectedly appealing; her scenes with Josh Charles ("Dead Poet's Society", "Threesome") have a sweet chemistry. Joanna Cassidy ("Blade Runner", "The Laughing Policeman") plays Sue Ellen's boss and a young David Duchovny ("The X-Files", "The Rapture") is a weaselly clerk. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical:

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Drama

Duration: 113

Summary: This unclassifiable but stunningly original film obliterates the walls between teen comedy, science fiction, family drama, horror, and cultural satire--and remains wildly entertaining throughout. Jake Gyllenhaal ("October Sky") stars as Donnie, a borderline-schizophrenic adolescent for whom there is no difference between the signs and wonders of reality (a plane crash that devastates his house) and hallucination (a man-sized, reptilian rabbit who talks to him). Obsessed with the science of time travel and acutely aware of the world around him, Donnie is isolated by his powers of analysis and the apocalyptic visions that no one else seems to share. The debut feature of writer-director Richard Kelly, "Donnie Darko" is a shattering, hypnotic work that sets its own terms and gambles--rightfully so, as it turns out--that a viewer will stay aboard for the full ride. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 113

Summary: Grab your BFG and get ready to kick some Martian-demon butt in "Doom", another entry in the increasingly crowded videogame-to-movie genre. The Rock plays Sarge, the commander of a squad of Marines sent to investigate a disturbance at a scientific research facility on Mars. Among the squad is John Grimm (Karl Urban, who played Eomer in "The Lord of the Rings"), who turns out to have had a previous relationship with Samantha (Rosamund Pike, "Die Another Day"), the scientist who's accompanying the Marines in order to retrieve some vital data from the facility. Based on id Software's legendary first-person shooter, "Doom" tries its best to look like a game, with dark, angled corridors, ferocious creatures appearing out of nowhere, and a variety of lethal weapons that will, like the aforementioned BFG, warm the cockles of a gamer's heart. There's also one memorable sequence that actually turns the movie into a first-person shooter; the good news is that in the context of the whole film, it's not quite as goofy as it might have been. And that's not a bad frame of reference for the film in general. Considering the game-to-movie field includes such duds as "Wing Commander", if you go into "Doom" with low expectations, you'll probably find it a surprisingly respectable horror/sci-fi thriller in the "Resident Evil" vein (including its somewhat obligatory subplot of corporate wrongdoing). Also in its favor is that it's unabashedly R-rated, for the extreme gore that is a trademark of the game. After all, the purpose of the movie is to pack scares and thrills into a setting that gamers will quickly recognize. In that sense, it qualifies as a success. "--David Horiuchi"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 105

Summary: Loud, violent, and proudly derivative, the post-apocalyptic action-thriller "Doomsday" is the latest from UK cult director Neil Marshall, who impressed horror fans with his previous efforts, "Dog Soldiers" and "The Descent". Both pictures established Marshall as a director with a knack for reinventing well-worn genre pictures, but here, he seems more interested in stitching together favorite scenes and elements from established horror and science-fiction films. "Escape from New York" is the main source for "Doomsday", though there are plenty of nods to "The Road Warrior" and its multitude of Italian-made carbon copies, as well as the zombie/plague subgenre; the lovely but impassive Rhona Mitra is the Snake Plissken-esque loner sent by police (represented by Bob Hoskins) to infiltrate Scotland, which has descended into anarchy following a viral outbreak. The disease has surfaced in London (now a walled city), and Mitra is dispatched to find a scientist who may possess a cure. Marshall's vision of Scotland in ruins brings together the punk/modern primitive costume design of George Miller's "Mad Max" trilogy with some eclectic homegrown elements (knights on horseback defending a gang leader's castle), and while these touches are novel, the picture as a whole should ring overly familiar to any viewer who's spent time in the exploitation trenches during the past 25 years. Younger and less discerning audience members will undoubtedly enjoy the plentiful violence and gore, as well as the unbridled performances of the supporting cast, especially stuntwoman/actress Lee-Ann Liebenberg as the heavily tattooed Viper. --"Paul Gaita"


Beyond "Doomsday" on DVD
More from Universal Studios
"Doomsday" on Blu-ray
More from Director Neil Marshall


Stills from "Doomsday" (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 105

Summary: Young Libby Parsons (Ashley Judd) is happy as a clam, and why not? She's got a loving, successful husband (Bruce Greenwood), an adorable son, and an island home to die for. One morning, after a romantic sailing expedition with her husband, Libby finds herself covered in blood. Her husband's missing, the boat resembles a murder scene, and there's a knife on the deck. One might stop right there and call for help; Libby, however, takes matters--or, more specifically, the knife--into her own hands, and the moment she does, there's the Coast Guard. Faster than you can say frame-up, Libby's been charged with murder and jailed, with her young son stripped from her custody. It's all cut-and-dried, except for one thing: Libby's husband isn't dead, and she's about to track him down. And thanks to the Fifth Amendment's double jeopardy rule, she can't be charged twice for his murder.
"Double Jeopardy" has a singularly seductive revenge premise and, in Judd, one of the most seductive leading ladies to grace the silver screen in recent years. So then why does this thriller feel like it came from the bottom of the Lifetime television movie barrel? Instead of taking a gritty, hard-boiled approach, the film plays up all of Libby's mushy emotions--tellingly, the director here is Bruce Beresford, whose best film, "Driving Miss Daisy", is as far from thriller territory as you can get. No matter how stoically or deviously Judd plays her, Libby comes across as a soccer mom with a slight taste for blood. Only in a few scenes, specifically when she tracks her wily husband to his new identity in New Orleans, does Judd get to strut her stuff, stealing an evening gown and crashing his charity auction. Most of the time, though, this thriller offers only a smattering of suspense. Well, at least like Libby, the filmmakers can't be condemned twice for the same crime. With Tommy Lee Jones duplicating his "Fugitive" role, as Libby's conscientious parole officer. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 87

Summary: A tepid reworking of Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait" (itself a remake of 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"), "Down to Earth" tries to mold comedian Chris Rock into an amiable romantic lead, but it softens the scathingly observant humor that made Rock a standup successor to Richard Pryor. Rock's aggressive style is bracingly expressed in a few good scenes, but through most of this movie--from the directors of "American Pie"--he struggles with dialogue that would barely pass muster in a low-rated sitcom. Edgy potential loses out to crowd-pleasing with the familiar body-switch formula: by way of premature death and bad timing on the part of heaven's Vegas-styled gatekeepers (played by Eugene Levy and Chazz Palminteri), Rock--as struggling comedian Lance Barton--is reincarnated as a 55-year-old white billionaire with a nasty reputation.
Adjusting (too easily) to his racial transition, Lance charms a hospital administrator (Regina King) who's amazed to see the selfish white billionaire turning into romantic philanthropist. This allows plenty of black/white-contrast jokes (did you ever see a fat, middle-aged white guy who's into hip-hop?), and Rock, who cowrote the screenplay, still manages to work some pointed politics into the movie's good-natured tone. It's guaranteed that some will find "Down to Earth" quite entertaining, but others will wonder how potent this comedy could have been if Rock had been more willing to confront the harsher truths that lurk beneath the humor. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: NEW VIDEO GROUP

Genre: Documentary

Summary: Conceived as an "online miniseries event" during the 2008 writers' strike, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 42-minute musical romp that bears the distinctive stamp of Joss Whedon. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) plays the title character, who video-blogs about his twin goals to join the Evil League of Evil and to woo the fair Penny (Felicia Day, of Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Web series The Guild), a woman he met at the local laundromat. Dr. Horrible is foiled on both fronts, however, by his arch-nemesis, the self-absorbed superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion, Whedon's Firefly).
Dr. Horrible was written by Whedon, his brothers Zack and Jed, and Jed's fiancee Maurissa Tancharoen, and the songs were written by Joss and Jed (who also produced, orchestrated, played, etc.) with some lyrics by Tancharoen. (Jed and Tancharoen have backup singing roles.) The offbeat, off-the-cuff humor is laugh-out-loud funny, and just like Dr. Horrible wants to take over the world, the songs will take over your head: they're engaging ("My Freeze Ray'), stirring ("My Eyes"), and sweet ("Penny's Song"). "So They Say" is particularly evocative of Jonathan Larson's Rent, but as with Joss Whedon's musical episode of Buffy, "Once More with Feeling," the influences are diverse. It's hard to imagine a better cast. Harris, who's sung Sondheim on Broadway, is a great lead and clearly the best singer, Day is completely charming, and who better than Captain Tightpants to play the pompous superhero? One could argue about the ending, and the independent budget shows, but Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a complete hoot for people who enjoy musicals with quirky humor. Plan on watching it multiple times. --David Horiuchi
On the DVD
If you've already watched or downloaded Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, a number of bonus features might entice you. There are two commentary tracks: Harris, the three Whedons, Tancharoen, Day, and Fillion recorded a spirited track discussing the movie, and there's also "Commentary! The Musical" in which they ignore the movie and sing about the writers' strike and each other (e.g., Fillion sings "I'm Better than Neil")--the songs aren't as good as the Horrible songs, but it's good silly fun. A 20-minute making-of discusses the cast, the recording sessions, and how the movie became a phenomenon, and 10 videos (a half-hour total) were recorded by fans who want to join the Evil League of Evil. And when's the last time you wanted to pause the FBI warning? --David Horiuchi

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 87

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

Theatrical: 1964

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 93

Summary: Arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick's cold-war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. "Dr. Strangelove" is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with "the purity of precious bodily fluids," mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so- called "Doomsday Device," and the world hangs in the balance while the U.S. president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about "acceptable losses." With dialogue ("You can't fight here! This is the war room!") and images (Slim Pickens's character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick's film regularly appears on critics' lists of the all-time best. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

Summary: As a director, Wes Craven has been able to infuse his horror movies with humor and some smart, often genuinely creepy, thrills, even on his lowest-budgeted films. As a producer of horror movies, well, his record has been spotty at best. Craven tapped his longtime editor Patrick Lussier to direct "Dracula 2000", and the movie ends up with all the good and bad of "a Wes Craven production." A modern-day update of the Dracula legend, the script has some genuinely good ideas. Christopher Plummer ("The Insider") takes a relatively juicy role as Van Helsing, owner of an antiques shop specializing in ancient weapons. He takes exception to how his namesake was portrayed in Bram Stoker's classic novel, which he's more than happy to tell his assistant (Jonny Lee Miller, "Sick Boy" from "Trainspotting") without telling him the whole story. When Omar Epps leads a band of high-tech criminals to break into Van Helsing's high security vault (thinking that with so much security there's got to be something extremely valuable in there), what they end up stealing is the body of Dracula, who of course awakens from his slumber. When the story shifts to New Orleans, where Van Helsing's estranged daughter is working for the local Virgin Megastore (here metaphor is replaced by product placement), Dracula is drawn to her. The undead start to multiply, and the vampire hunt resumes. Another excellent idea deals with a new origin to Dracula, flashing back to biblical times to explain his aversion to silver and crosses. But there is a downside. Under the inept direction of Lussier the movie is never scary, inspiring instead an occasional feeling of pity for the actors. Overall, this a vampire movie for the mind, not the heart. "--Andy Spletzer"

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 106

Summary: The line between parody and tribute can be hard to draw, but any marginally hip baby boomer who ever watched Jack Webb's straight-laced Detective Joe Friday caught a glimmer of the comedic vein waiting to be mined beneath "Dragnet"'s gritty Los Angeles streets. In 1987 moviegoers had yet to be crushed under the weight of the 1990s TV remake mania, and "Dragnet" comes off as fresh and funny. Dan Aykroyd plays Joe Friday, the straight-arrow nephew of Webb's iconic cop. This part was made for him (in fact, he's given top writing credit), and under his steely exterior you can tell he's having a ball delivering those rapid-fire recitations of regulations and deadpan expressions of moral outrage. Tom Hanks plays Pep Streebek, the laissez-faire narco agent who is Friday's new partner. Their assignment: bust the Pagans, a wild-and-woolly gang of dope fiends, deadbeats, and beatniks behind a bewildering array of bizarre robberies. Hilarity ensues. Friday and Streebek outfox a corrupt televangelist (Christopher Plummer), bicker over chili dogs and cigarettes, alternately revile and fawn over a porn millionaire (Dabney Coleman), wrestle a 30-foot-long anaconda, and rescue the virgin Connie Swail--the only girl capable of stealing Friday's heart. "--Grant Balfour"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 90

Summary: Stunning computer-generated special effects are the main selling point of "Dragon Wars: D-War", a Korean-made fantasy about ancient monsters wreaking havoc in modern Los Angeles. The complex plot, based on legend, pits an evil serpent and its demonic army against a young woman (Amanda Brooks) who is the reincarnation of a young woman imbued with the heaven-sent power to transform the creature into an all-powerful dragon. Jason Behr ("The Grudge") is the reporter who discovers that he too is a reincarnated warrior bound to prevent Brooks and her power from falling into the wrong hands. The elaborate premise isn't helped by the script, which delivers absurd dialogue and situations with child-like naivete; thankfully, the presence of Robert Forster (as another reincarnated hero) and solid actors like Elizabeth Pena, "The Office"'s Craig Robinson, and Chris Mulkey, help smooth over the frequent moments of unintentional humor. But this won't matter much to fantasy fans and (especially) younger viewers, who will tune in for the film's riot of special effects; director Shim Hyung-rae and his talented team offer scene after scene of exceptional CGI creations, most notably a aerial dogfight between helicopters and winged lizards in the skies above downtown L.A., and a climactic battle which makes good on the title's promise. The DVD includes a making-of featurette which outlines Shim's four-year struggle to complete the project, as well as storyboard galleries and an animatics display. "-- Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 753

Summary: One hopes that at the annual HBO characters Christmas party, Larry Sanders, Carrie Bradshaw, and Tony Soprano make a point to raise a toast to Martin Tupper, the hapless hero of "Dream On". This groundbreaking 1990 sitcom from future "Friends" creators David Crane and Marta Kaufman ushered in a bold new era of original cable programming not bound by broadcast network content restrictions. Hence, the profanity and nudity (you didn't see "that" on "Knott's Landing"!), which distinguished the series and helped put HBO on the pop culture map. Brian Benben stars as Martin, a New York book editor still reeling from the breakup of his marriage. The show's gimmick is that baby boomer Martin, a member of the first television generation, flashes on vintage TV clips that express his innermost feelings and desires. When his wife, Judith (Wendie Malick), visits Martin in "The First Episode," he fantasizes reconciliation, but she wants him to sign the divorce papers so she can remarry. The scene is punctuated by clips (from an old "Twilight Zone" episode, perhaps?) in which boxer Lee Marvin is pummeled in the ring and knocked out. But the clips and the language and the sex would get old fast if we didn't like the characters. Benben has the Everyman charm of a young George Segal, and he wears his anxiety to hilarious effect. He is devoted to his young teenage son, and still loves Judith, who is marrying a paragon, never seen, but described at one point as a "Ghandi for our times." His dating relationships spectacularly crash and burn (cue clip of disabled aircraft). In one episode, he comes undone when he discovers his new lover was a porn star. At the office, he is at the mercy of his caustic secretary (Denny Dillon). "Dream On" is of more than prurient interest. This was one of those lightning-in-a-bottle series blessed with a fresh vision, a seamless ensemble, and smart writing. To finally have it on DVD is a Dream come true. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1984

Studio: Image Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

Summary: Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid) is a talented young psychic who's frittering his gifts away betting on the ponies. That is, until he's coerced by his old pal and mentor Dr. Paul Novotny (Max von Sydow) into taking part in a dream research project in which his psychic abilities make him indispensable. The project concerns "dreamlinking," whereby talented individuals like Alex hook up via electrodes and project themselves into some troubled subject's nightmares, in which they not only observe but participate in the dream, hopefully effecting some remedy. Alex is by nature a feckless guy, a charismatic scoundrel sporting a Cheshire cat's grin. But he warms easily to his new role as dream-dwelling psychotherapist, having a core of decency. Not so his nemesis, Tommy Ray Glatman (David Patrick Kelly), a dreamlink prodigy and pawn of Bob Blair (Christopher Plummer), who runs the research project for the government (he's described as the "head of covert intelligence"). Blair is worried about the President (Eddie Albert), whose nightmares of nuclear holocaust cause him to escalate disarmament talks with the Russians, much to Blair's dismay, being your basic evil, slick, smarmy covert kind of guy. Turns out Blair's real aim is to use the project to train dreamlink assassins, his star pupil being psycho Tommy Ray and his test case the President. Only Alex is there to stop them.
"Dreamscape" is all business, with a well-structured screenplay that lays the groundwork for the film's many admirable performances. Kate Capshaw in particular is very dreamy as a research scientist and Dennis Quaid's love interest. And David Patrick Kelly is likely to become your worst nightmare, especially when he's the Snakeman, giving an often fantastical performance. But what you're most likely to remember from this wonderful thriller is the many vivid dream sequences, aptly surreal images from the troubled psyche. "--Jim Gay"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 489

Summary: After the release of a six-episode Television Favorites sampler, "The Drew Carey Show" has earned a well-deserved promotion, DVD-wise, with this complete first-season set. Few television workplace comedies so keenly or hilariously captured the mind-numbing drudgery and soul-crushing despair of cubicle culture as "The Drew Carey Show", a kindred spirit to the "Dilbert" comic strip. The pilot episode introduces the bespectacled, buzz-coiffed Everyman, a "go-getter" in his seventh year as the assistant director of personnel in a Cleveland department store, a position, he notes, "of indirect respect and oblique power." The giddy delights of "The Drew Carey Show" are many, from the smile-inducing theme song, "Moon Over Parma" ("We're going bowlin' / So don't lose her in Solin") to one of TV's most likeable ensembles: Ryan Stiles as goofy Lewis (or, as Jason Alexander joked on Comedy Central's Drew Carey roast, "Kramer-lite"), Diedrich Bader as Oswald (less of a doofus here than in later seasons), Christa Miller as tomboyish Kate, Drew's lifelong platonic friend and unrequited crush, Kathy Kinney as Mimi, Drew's office nemesis, who is Bluto to his Popeye. The appealing Katy Selverstone is also featured as Lisa, with whom Drew has a secret inter-office romance that will last but this one season.
After the enormously telegenic "Friends" cast, Drew and company are "a cold little splash of reality," portraying relatable, regular people. In this first season, the series is still finding its feet (enjoy them while you can: Drew's hillbilly neighbors, and the voice of Kevin Pollack as Drew's abusive boss, Mr. Bell). But by season's end, as guest star Jamie Lee Curtis (as Drew's hard-partying barber) polkas with Mimi in the hilarious episode "Playing the Unified Field," the series has established its spontaneous, off-center niche. While there are no episode commentaries, this set puts in some valuable overtime with "Life Inside a Cubicle," a retrospective in which cast and series creators reflect on the series' rocky beginnings. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 97

Borrowed By: Alberto Aldrete

Summary: Subtle is not the word to describe "Drop Dead Gorgeous", a mock documentary purporting to cover the Sarah Rose Cosmetics Teen America Beauty Pageant in Mount Rose, Minnesota. Ellen Barkin ("Sea of Love") and Kirsten Dunst ("Interview with a Vampire", "Dick") are perfectly cast as a mother and daughter whose only ambition is to use the pageant to get out of their claustrophobic small-town lives. Opposing them are Denise Richards ("Wild Things", "Starship Troopers") and her mother, Kirstie Alley ("Look Who's Talking"), who just happens to be the pageant's organizer. The plot, which centers on contestants being murdered (mostly by flaming explosions), is clearly secondary to the backstage shenanigans and satirical portrayals of vanity, small-town corruption, and family dysfunction. There's not much suspense to the pageant itself, but Dunst is an endearing protagonist and along with the broad jokes are some excellent acting turns from the cast, particularly Barkin, Brittany Murphy ("Clueless"), Nora Dunn (a "Saturday Night Live" alumna), and the great character actress Allison Janney, who's played small roles in countless movies but finally gets a chance to shine as the supportive neighbor of Barkin and Dunst. In fact, for all the jokes and satirical jabs, in the end it's the characters' relationships that stay in your mind. A bonus: the soundtrack features a hard-rocking version of the theme from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", performed with cool aplomb by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 96

Borrowed By: Alberto Aldrete

Summary: AFTER YEARS OF DRIVING THE TOWN CRAZY, MONA DEARLY DROVE HERSELFINTO A RIVER. NOW, THE CHIEF OF POLICE FINDS HIMSELF DROWNING INSUSPECTS. THE BIG MYSTERY ISN'T WHO WOULD WANT TO SEE MONA DEAD,BUT WHO WOULDN'T. SPECIAL FEATURES: TALENT FILES, THEATRICALTRAILERS, INTERACTIVE MENUS, SCENE SELECTIONS AND MUCH MORE.

Theatrical:

Studio:

Genre: Action & Adventure

Summary: dvd

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Television

Duration: 95

Summary: "Due Date" is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Director Todd Phillips ("The Hangover") lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Galifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. "Due Date" is like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" meets "Nine Months" with a little of "The Odd Couple" thrown in. The writing of "Due Date" is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But "Due Date" gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, who's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to date--slovenly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of his first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situation is somewhat predictable, the comedic moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers may wonder if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --"A.T. Hurley"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 107

Summary: Delivering exactly what its title promises, this celebration of stupidity was Jim Carrey's 1994 follow-up to "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "The Mask". The film pairs the rubber- faced wacky man with Jeff Daniels as the not-so-dynamic duo of Lloyd and Harry, dunderheads who come into the possession of a briefcase containing ransom money that is intended for Mob-connected kidnappers. Lauren Holly costars as the woman who lost the briefcase, and with whom Carrey falls in love (both in real life and as his moronic on-screen character). As Lloyd and Harry make a mad dash to return the briefcase (never aware of its contents), the bumbling buddies attract Mobsters, cops, and trouble galore. This lowbrow laugh-a-thon scores some solid hits for hilarity, but with gags involving ill-fated parakeets, buxom bimbos, and an overdose of laxatives, be prepared to put your brain--and good taste--on hold. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: New Line Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 85

Summary: A passable comedy for delinquent kids and unambitious teens with time to kill, "Dumb and Dumberer" does for prequels what Jerry Springer did for daytime television. With only faint connection to the 1994 hit starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, this ill-conceived prequel follows the Carrey/Daniels characters, Lloyd and Harry, as they bungle their way through high school. The principal and his demented lunch lady (Eugene Levy and "SNL" alumnus Cheri Oteri) have hatched a scheme to embezzle funds intended for students with "special needs," and Harry & Lloyd unwittingly recruit a few "intellectually challenged" classmates to fuel the plot. Veteran TV director Troy Miller prefers to keep the humor low and lowerer: Scatological jokes, puerile double-entendres, and juvenile sight gags ensure that "Dumb and Dumberer" lives up to its title. As Lloyd and Harry, respectively, Eric Christian Olsen and Derek Richardson deliver a few laughs, but they're stuck in a movie with special needs of its own. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1984

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 137

Summary: Even more than most of David Lynch's deliberately bizarre and idiosyncratic movies, "Dune" is a "love-it-or-hate-it" affair. An ambitious, epic, utterly mind-boggling--and, let's admit it, all-out weird--adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel, "Dune" remains one of the most controversial films in the director's exceedingly provocative career. The story (if "Dune" can be said to have just one story) is complex and convoluted in the epic tradition; it has
Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Usul Muad'Dib Atreides something to do with political intrigue and a planet that is home to a precious spice and gigantic sand worms. Think Shakespeare's "Henry IV" with a dash of "Tremors", and set in another galaxy. But despite plenty of strangely whispered voice-overs that explain the characters' thoughts (and endlessly detailed exposition), storytelling is not really among the film's strong points. There are, however, a lot of memorably fantastic/grotesque images, an extraordinary cast, and a soundtrack featuring Toto. I told you it was weird. Among the stars are Kyle MacLachlan, José Ferrer, Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, Sting, Kenneth McMillan, Patrick
Sting as Feyd-Rautha Stewart, Sean Young, and Linda Hunt. "--Jim Emerson"
DVD features
Melange fans have a lot to be excited about with this impressive edition of "Dune", though the "Extended Edition" label is a bit misleading. If you are expecting the mythic 4 hour "David Lynch preferred" version that is rumored to be sitting in a vault, don’t get your hopes up. This isn't it. In an attempt to quickly sober spice-fueled giddy fans, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis (daughter of Dino De Laurentiis) immediately reveals in the 'Deleted Scenes' introduction that the rumored 4 hour version is just that; a rumor. What this DVD set does contain is the 2 Hour 17 Minute original theatrical release digitally remastered, available for the first time in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 surround sound. The presentation on this edition is a drastic improvement from the original letterboxed release. On the flipside of the DVD
Knife fight! is the alternate 2 hour 57 minute version cut for television. As many fans know, this 'extended' version was disowned by Lynch, who insisted his name be replaced by that famous Hollywood pseudonym "Alan Smithee;" the name used by directors whose film was taken away and recut against their wishes. There is some new material in the 14 minutes of deleted scenes offering a bit more background into the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, the Kwisatz Haderach prophecy and the Fremen culture and their struggle. All other extras focus on the international production crew of "Dune" including the design team, special effects, and short documentaries on the miniature models and wardrobe designs. Disappointingly, there are no appearances in the bonus features by any of the original cast or Lynch himself. However, many of the production crew members talk openly about working with David Lynch and his artistic involvement in the visual process. To cap it off, this edition comes in a very stylish and sturdy DVD tin that opens like a keep case. "--Rob Bracco"
Further Explore the World Of Dune

"Dune" (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)

"Dune Messiah" (Dune Chronicles, Book 2)

"Children of Dune" (Dune Chronicles, Book 3)

Sci-Fi Action Films on DVD

The "Dune" TV Series

David Lynch Essentials

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 89

Summary: Anyone who's lived in an apartment will understand the mounting frustration of Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore as they grapple with the upstairs neighbor of their worst nightmares in "Duplex", directed by Danny DeVito. Stiller and Barrymore play a young couple who think they've found the home of their dreams when they buy an astonishingly spacious Brooklyn duplex. Unfortunately, the second floor comes with a tenant, a seemingly sweet little old lady (Eileen Essell). Her petty demands and manipulative ways drive Stiller and Barrymore to desperate attempts to oust her--and when she breezily resists their worst efforts, the hapless pair begin to consider more serious (and final) measures. "Duplex" might be called a comedy of anxiety; it constantly pricks at your expectations of disaster, sending you into a nervous state that demands laughter as a release. Also featuring Wallace Shawn, Harvey Fierstein, and Swoosie Kurtz. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Capitol

Genre: Music Video & Concerts

Duration: 195

Summary: "Greatest" is a Duran Duran fan's biggest wish come true (next to a live concert, of course)--all their groundbreaking videos together in one place. More than radio, MTV made mega-stars out of the photogenic group, and few took better advantage of the medium, particularly in the 1980s. Just as their music combined the sophisticated pop of Roxy Music with the electro-funk of Chic, each video is as immaculately styled and conceived as the band itself. Like 1998's "Greatest" CD collection, this two-DVD set features all their big hits, including uncensored versions of "Girls on Film" and "Come Undone." Directors include Godley and Creme, Julien Temple, and "Vogue" photographer Ellen Von Unwerth and years covered range from 1981's self-titled debut to 1997's "Medazzaland". All told: more models, more hair spray, and more mascara than a Paris fashion show--but it's got a better beat (and you can dance to it). "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"