DVDpedia : Michael Fuchs : DVDs in Glastonbury

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Fanatsy

Duration: 89

Summary: What would you wish for if you were granted a new wish every day? That's the delightful situation five children face when they're sent to live with their eccentric uncle in his moldering mansion while their father fights in World War I. There they discover It, a fairy who makes their wishes come true! This exuberant adaptation of E. Nesbit's beloved classic features young Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland), Kenneth Branagh and Zoe Wanamaker (both veterans of the Harry Potter film series), comedy star Eddie Izzard as the voice of It, and the film wizardry of the Jim Henson Creature Shop.

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: MGM Home Ent. (Europe) Ltd.

Genre: Drama

Duration: 125

Summary: Sean Penn and Benecio Del Toro, two of the most gripping actors around, play wildly different men linked through a grieving woman (Naomi Watts) in 21 Grams. Del Toro delves deep into the role of an ex-con turned born-again Christian, a deeply conflicted man struggling to set right a terrible accident, even at the expense of his family. Penn captures a cynical, philandering professor in dire need of a heart transplant, which he gets from the death of Watts' husband. 21 Grams slips back in forth in time, creating an intricate emotional web out of the past and the present that slowly draws these three together; the result is remarkably fluid and compelling. The movie overreaches for metaphors towards the end, but that doesn't erase the power of the deeply felt performances. --Bret Fetzer

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Horror

Duration: 113

Summary: Anti-vivisection activists make a very bad judgment call and release an experimental monkey infected with "rage". 28 Days Later..., as the title has it, bicycle messenger Cillian Murphy wakes up from a post-traffic accident coma in a deserted London hospital, ventures out to find the city depopulated and the few remaining normal people doing everything to avoid the jittery, savage, zombie-like "infecteds" who attack on sight.
Our bewildered hero has to adjust to the loss of his family and the entire world, but hooks up with several others--including a tough black woman (Naomie Harris) and a likable London cabbie (Brendan Gleeson)--on a perilous trip northwards, to seek refuge at army officer Christopher Eccleston's fortified retreat. However, even if they survive the plague, the future of humanity is still in doubt.
Directed by Danny Boyle and scripted by novelist Alex Garland, this is a terrific SF/horror hybrid, evoking American and Italian zombie movies but also the very British end-of-the-world tradition of John Wyndham (Day of the Triffids) and Survivors. Shot on digital video, which gives the devastated cityscapes a closed-circuit-camera realism, this grips from the first, with its understandably extreme performances, its terrifyingly swift monster attacks and its underlying melancholy. Deliberately crude, 28 Days Later is also sometimes exceptionally subtle. --Kim Newman

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 127

Summary: Andy at the age of 40 still hasn't had sex. He lets his secret slip at a poker game with his buds from work. After the revealing all his friends are on a mission to help get him laid. Along the way Andy meets a nice mom: Trish who fall head over heels for each other.

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Entertainment in Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 120

Summary: While confirming Jack Nicholson's status as an American national treasure, "About Schmidt" is sure to provoke polarized reactions. Stoked by the success of "Election", director Alexander Payne and cowriter Jim Taylor have altered Louis Begley's novel to suit their comedic agenda, turning Nicholson's titular character into a 66-year-old, newly retired Omaha insurance actuary, weary from decades of drudgery and passionless marriage. When his wife suddenly dies, he attempts to reclaim his life in a king-sized Winnebago, desperate to convince his daughter (Hope Davis) not to marry the Denver dimwit (Dermot Mulroney) whose mother (Kathy Bates) has her own baggage of peculiar peccadilloes. Nicholson perfectly (and often hilariously) nails the seething anger beneath his character's façade of resignation, but Payne and Taylor convey cold-hearted contempt for these Midwestern malcontents. Think of this as "Ikiru" with bleaker humanity, until Schmidt finds meaning--and some small reward--in a quiet gesture of goodwill. Love it or hate it, "About Schmidt" is a movie you won't soon forget. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entert.

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 171

Summary: James Cameron war nicht nur schon immer ein Mann der aufwändigen, sondern auch der langen Filme. Seit Terminator betrug die Laufzeit seiner Kinowerke stets etwa zwei Stunden und 20 Minuten, wobei mit den 192 Minuten der Titanic der Höchststand erreicht zu sein scheint. Cameron ließ es sich aber nicht nehmen, für eine spätere Auswertung den bereits erschienenen Filmen noch weiteres Material zuzufügen. So gibt es Langfassungen von Terminator 2 - Tag der Abrechnung und Aliens - Die Rückkehr. Doch rundeten diese zusätzlichen Minuten jene Filme nur ab und waren ein Bonbon für die Fans, so schaffte es Cameron bei The Abyss durch eine halbe Stunde mehr Material, der Geschichte eine völlig andere Qualität zu geben.
Mit 171 Minuten ist The Abyss - Special Edition, entstanden 1993, nicht allein länger als die vier Jahre ältere Version, sondern besitzt -- ohne ein Wortspiel im Sinn zu haben -- wesentlich mehr Tiefe. Personen und Handlung können sich weiter entfalten und das etwas aufgesetzte Ende der früheren Fassung bekommt einen Sinn. Camerons Gespür für die Balance zwischen ruhigen Dialogsequenzen und wilden Actionszenen sorgt dafür, dass sich keine Längen einschleichen.
Die Besatzung einer kommerziellen Tiefseestation muss sich mit einer Handvoll Militärs herumplagen, die Hilfe bei einem Einsatz auf einem gesunkenen Atom-U-Boot benötigt. Doch in dem untermeerischen Abgrund, an dessen Rande sich das Unternehmen abspielt, scheint Unergründliches vorzugehen...
Mit einem hervorragenden Ed Harris (The Rock - Fels der Entscheidung, Apollo 13) und Michael Biehn (Terminator), sowie Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Robin Hood - König der Diebe) stehen sich drei energiegeladene Charaktere gegenüber, die es schaffen, nicht von den großartigen Bauten und den Spezialeffekten in den Hintergrund gedrängt zu werden. Interessant ist die weitläufige Verwandtschaft zum im gleichen Zeitraum entstandenen Roman von Michael Crichton Die Gedanken des Bösen, der später unter dem Originaltitel Sphere verfilmt wurde. --Alexander Röder

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Genre: Period

Duration: 129

Summary: Something a little different to the norm, "Across The Universe" is, in its simplest form, a collection of Beatles songs that have been strung together into a musical. But "what" a musical, and ultimately, what a fascinating film too.
"Across The Universe" follows Jude, played by Jim Sturgess, who travels from Britain to America in the 1960s, and eventually meets Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). The film then picks up the story of their romance, with the likes of Vietnam war protests sitting in the background, along with a strong-yet-unknown supporting cast who more than hold their own.
"Across The Universe" progresses its narrative through a mix of Beatles numbers, and it's a method that sometimes works exceptionally well, and at other times feels a little bit shoehorned. Nonetheless, more of it succeeds than fails, and there's no denying the quality of the musical work, even though it's not the Fab Four whose vocal talents are used.
Sometimes a bit uneven, "Across The Universe" is nonetheless a brave and bold screen musical, with a striking visual style. Director Julie Taymor--who previously directed the musical of "The Lion King" on Broadway--has fashioned a gleefully unusual movie, that's a bit risky, sometimes a bit stretched, but very, very watchable. One of the most interesting little gems of 2007. --"Jon Foster"

Theatrical:

Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment (UK)

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 89

Summary: Like the animated series it's based on, Aeon Flux is the kind of sci-fi that's best appreciated by the MTV generation. It's a serious attempt at stylized, futuristic action/adventure (the title character, played by Charlize Theron, is essentially a female James Bond for the cyberpunk era) and taken for what it is, it's not all that bad. The action takes place in the year 2415, four centuries after a virus nearly decimated the human race, leaving only five million survivors in a utopian city called Bregna. Aeon belongs to the Monicans, a secret rebel resistance force that is struggling to destroy the Goodchild regime led by its namesake, Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas), the ruler of Bregna and a descendant of the man who found a cure for the deadly virus. As instructed by the Handler (Frances McDormand, gamely playing along in ridiculous sci-fi regalia), Aeon is assigned to assassinate Goodchild, but there are deeper secrets to be discovered, and conspiracies to be foiled. This leads director Karyn Kusama (who fared much better with her debut feature Girlfight) to indulge in all sorts of routine action and fast-paced gunplay, but the elusive pleasures of Aeon Flux are mostly found in the sleek athleticism of Theron and costar Sophie Okonedo (as a fellow Monican), who commit themselves 100% to roles that are dramatically flat yet physically dynamic.
Other highlights include Aeon's high-tech gadgetry (including an eyeball that doubles as a microsocope) and the amusing sight of Pete Postlethwaite in a costume resembling a construction-site disposal tube, but Flux fans may wonder what happened to the surreal, chromium sheen future that gave the MTV series its visionary appeal. As a live-action feature, Aeon Flux is a miscalculated exercise in cheesy style and dour tone, but it's entertaining enough to earn a small cadre of admirers. --Jeff Shannon

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action

Duration: 167

Summary: If you're determined to spend three hours with Oliver Stone's take on the personal and military struggles of ancient Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great, you should know that Alexander (Colin Farrell, in blonde disarray) is not half so much fun as mom Olympias (Angelina Jolie) or his future wild bride Roxane (Rosario Dawson). Indeed, it's the women in Alex's life who provide the movie's most satisfying action: Jolie, sporting some kind of Russian accent, wraps herself in snakes while hissing promises of Farrell's destiny; Dawson disrobes and threatens to cut Farrell's throat before shtupping his brains out. The rest is leaden history, supposedly novel because it showcases epic battle sequences and addresses Alexander's great love for his buddy Hephaistion (Jared Leto). But the man-on-man romance is limited to teary hugs, and the battles are indecipherable messes-you have to wait for Anthony Hopkins' narration to tell you what happened (in fact, you have to wait for Hopkins' narration to tell you everything that happens). There's some spectacle on display but, alas, not much that is truly spectacular. --Steve Wiecking, Amazon.com

Theatrical: 1951

Studio: Walt Disney Home Video

Genre: Family

Duration: 75

Summary: Disney version of Lewis Carroll's Children's story. Alice becomes bored and her mind starts to wander. She sees a white rabbit who appears to be in a hurry. She chases it into its burrow and then a most bizarre series of adventures begins.

Theatrical: 1986

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 461

Summary: The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc box set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here the films have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and vision. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "Special Edition" form.
Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 Director's Cut is fiddling for the sake of it. Watch once then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely the Special Edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice finally to have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered and finished-off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to the story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien Resurrection (1997) was always a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the Special Edition just makes it eight minutes longer.
On the DVD:Alien Quadrilogy offers all films except Alien3 with DTS soundtracks, the latter having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here--and there are subtitles for hard of hearing both for the films and the commentaries.
Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented at 4:3 with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including a Channel 4 hour-long documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. Exhaustive hardly beings to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set which establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and which looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S Dalkin

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 97

Summary: In delivering non-18-rated excitement, Alien vs. Predator is an acceptably average science-fiction action thriller with some noteworthy highlights, even if it squanders its opportunity to intelligently combine two popular franchises. Rabid fans can justifiably ask "Is that all there is?" after a decade of development hell and eager anticipation, but we're compensated by reasonably logical connections to the Alien legacy and the still-kicking Predator franchise (which hinted at AVP rivalry at the end of Predator 2); some cleverly claustrophobic sets, tense atmosphere and impressive digital effects; and a climactic AVP smackdown that's not half bad. This disposable junk should've been better, but nobody who's seen Mortal Kombat or Resident Evil should be surprised by writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson's lack of imagination. As a brisk, 90-minute exercise in generic thrills, however, Anderson's work is occasionally impressive... right up to his shameless opening for yet another sequel. --Jeff Shannon

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 97

Summary: For those who found 2004's "Aliens vs. Predator" too lightweight in the gore-and-guns department, "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" offers a marked improvement in both categories, as well as a respectable amount of rumbles between the title extraterrestrials. Set in the 21st century (which predates the story to all of the "Alien" features), "Requiem" sends a crippled Predator ship crashing to Earth in a small Colorado town; unbeknownst to the locals, the craft is loaded with H.R. Giger's insectoid monsters, which make quick work of most of the population. As the human cast is slowly whittled to a few hardy (if unmemorable) souls, a Predator warrior also arrives to complicate matters and do battle with the Aliens, as well as a ferocious Alien-Predator hybrid (dubbed a Predalien by the sci-fi and horror press).
Visual-effects designers and music-video helmers The Strause Brothers (who make their feature directorial debut here) keep the action on frantic throughout, which is wise, since the dialogue and characters are threadbare at best; that should matter little to teenage male viewers, who are inarguably the film's key audience. Fans of the "Alien" franchise, however, may find the offhanded nod to the series' mythology given during the finale its sole saving grace. "--Paul Gaita, Amazon.com"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: DreamWorks Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 285

Summary: "Almost Famous" is the movie Cameron Crowe has been waiting a lifetime to tell. The fictionalization of Crowe's days as a teenage reporter for "Creem" and "Rolling Stone" has all the well-written characters and wonderful "movie moments" that we expect from Crowe ("Jerry Maguire"), but the film has an intangible something extra--an insider's touch that will turn the film into "the" ode to '70s rock & roll for years to come. We are introduced to Crowe's alter ego, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), at home, where his progressive mom (Frances McDormand, just superb) has outlawed rock music and sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) has slipped him LPs that will "set his mind free." Following the wisdom of "Creem"'s disheveled editor, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman in an instant-classic performance), Miller gets on the inside with the up-and-coming band Stillwater (a fictionalized mixture of the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, and others). A simple visit with the band turns into a three-week, life-altering odyssey into the heyday of American rock. Of the characters he meets on the road, the two most important are groupie extraordinaire Penny Lane (Kate Hudson in a star-making performance) and Stillwater's enigmatic lead guitarist (Billy Crudup), who keeps stringing Miller along for an interview. From the handwritten credits (done by Crowe) to the bittersweet finale, Crowe's comedic valentine is an indelible, heartbreaking romance of music, women, and the privilege of youth. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Universal/Polygram

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 102

Summary: In the midst of a nasty public breakup of married movie stars, a studio publicist scrambles to put a cap on the escalating situation as the couple's latest film has found it's only print kidnapped by the director.

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 105

Summary: A sadly muddled and unsatisfying film, American Dreamz is beset by an identity crisis it never manages to answer.
On paper, it's promising, if hardly radical. Hugh Grant plays the host of a top-rated American talent show. On his quest for ratings, he casts his net far and wide hunting for hopefuls, bringing in the likes of Mandy Moore as he does so. And a wannabe terrorist too. Which doesn't really make too much sense when you watch it either. Throw in an insecure President of the United States--played by Dennis Quaid--who finds himself, thanks to his key adviser (Willem Dafoe) as a guest judge on the show, and you have something of a mess.
What's most surprising is that behind the camera is Paul Weitz, who's of late built upon his initial success with American Pie and brought us the excellent About A Boy (which again starred Grant), and the woefully-underrated In Good Company (which starred Quaid). Yet he's simply unable to work his magic here, as the film simply fails to gel. As a satire, it's targets are too soft and obvious, as a broad comedy it lacks laughs, and even as a straight hour and a half of easy entertainment, it's far too jumbled to be able to relax and enjoy.
There may be an argument that in the midst of all of this is a decent enough movie struggling to break through. But the point is that it doesn't, and given the calibre and curriculum vitaes of some of those involved, American Dreamz has to be classed as a crushing disappointment. --Simon Brew

Theatrical: 1981

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: With an ingenious script, engaging characters, nerve-shredding suspense, genuinely frightening set-pieces and laugh-out-loud funny bits An American Werewolf in London is a prime candidate for the finest horror-comedy ever made. Americans David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are backpacking in northern England when Jack is killed by a wild beast and David is bitten. Back in London David finds himself falling in love with a nurse, Alex (played with winning charm by Jenny Agutter), and turning into a werewolf. Adding to his problems, an increasingly decomposed Jack keeps coming back from the dead, and he is not a happy corpse. The Oscar winning make-up and transformation scenes still look good and rather than send itself up Werewolf plays its horror seriously, the laughs coming naturally from the surreal situation. Naughton is engagingly confused and disbelieving, desperately coping with the ever more nightmarish world, while Landis delivers one absolutely stunning dream sequence, an unbearably tense hunt on the London Underground and a breathtaking finale. Gory, erotic, shocking and romantic, this unforgettable horror classic has it all. Tom Holland's Fright Night (1985) remixed the formula with vampires, as did Landis himself in Innocent Blood (1992). A disappointing sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris, followed in 1997. --Gary S Dalkin

Theatrical: 1999

Studio:

Genre: Comedy

Summary: Cast Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal together in a film and it should be a sucker's bet as to who's going to be funnier and who's going to give the more nuanced performance. Somehow, though, De Niro walks away with most of the laughs in "Analyze This", a buddy action-comedy about a mob boss (De Niro, natch) suffering from panic attacks who makes a nebbishy shrink (Crystal, natch) an offer he can't refuse--actually, it's not really an offer, it's a command. The good doctor is forced to help the gangster get in touch with his feelings. Had the brilliant TV series "The Sopranos" not underscored how thin and watery and shticky director-cowriter Harold Ramis's approach to such potentially rich material actually is, the movie--a hit in theaters and De Niro's biggest film ever--would seem more fresh and kicky. De Niro's definitely a hoot as the ever milder menace, and Crystal actually concentrates on giving a credible performance opposite the acting legend (alas, he doesn't turn his character's fear of his patient into inspired comedy, as Alan Arkin did in "Grosse Pointe Blank"). The conclusion devolves into the requisite gunplay, and Chazz Palminteri and Lisa Kudrow are criminally wasted as an opposing mob boss and Crystal's fiancée, respectively, but overall, it's breezy fun. "--David Kronke"

Theatrical:

Studio: Dreamworks Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 90

Summary: Will Farrell followed up his star-making vehicle Elf, which matched his fine-tuned comic obliviousness to a sweet sincerity, with a more arrogant variation on the same character: Ron Burgundy, a macho, narcissistic news anchor from the 1970s. Along with his news posse--roving reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd, Clueless), sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner), and dim-bulb weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell, Bruce Almighty)--Burgundy rules the roost in San Diego, fawned upon by groupies and supported by a weary producer (Fred Willard, Best In Show) who tolerates Burgundy's ego because of good ratings. But when Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate, View from the Top) arrives with ambitions to become an anchor herself, she threatens the male-dominated newsroom. Anchorman has plenty of funny material, but it's as if Farrell couldn't decide what he really wanted to mock, and so took smart-ass cracks at everything in sight. Still, there are moments of inspired delirium. --Bret Fetzer

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Fanatsy

Duration: 150

Summary:

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 958

Summary: Taking the Spin-off genre to the extreme, Angel attempts to replicate the success of Buffy by taking the heartthrob as the lead. Spin-off shows rarely match the success of their parent programmes, especially in the superhero/fantasy genre (cf. The Girl From UNCLE, The Bionic Woman, The Green Hornet--Frasier being the notable exception). Characters who were perfectly useful as supporting figures dwindle when forced in the spotlight, and Angel takes a special risk by building an entire series around a character who is: (a) supposed to be a mystery man; (b) a vampire who once spent half a season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a dastardly villain who killed without remorse; and (c) played by David Boreanaz, who is well up on handsome and broody but still can't do an Irish accent to save his life and is visibly learning this acting lark as the series progresses.
The premise is that Angel, the vampire with a soul, has finally admitted he'll never get it together with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), unless a reunion crossover episode or two are scheduled. He moves to Los Angeles, a city haunted not only by demons and vampires but lawyers and agents. Angel sets up as a private investigator and solves cases with a supernatural aspect, partnered with Doyle (Glenn Quinn), a half-demon with a proper Irish accent and the useful psychic ability to know when someone is in trouble (thereby predicting any given week's plot), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), another Buffy refugee here trying to reinvent herself as a struggling big-city single girl.
Far less consistent than its parent show, but also not saddled with quite so much of a continuing story arc, Angel has a very different feel, cued by its effective semi-Goth violin theme tune and lots of film noir-ish LA street scenes, with a dose of cynical inside-the-entertainment-industry stuff. It has its share of familiar ideas (such as a Fight Club episode) and simply daft premises (a demon-centred show which allegorises the debate about female circumcision , for example). Angel alienated a lot of initial fans by killing off its most appealing regular a third of the way into the run, dusting off hideous English comic stereotype Wesley the Watcher (Alex Denisof) as a replacement. However, it also comes up with some ingenious moments: in a two-parter guest-starring sometime Buffy villainess Faith (Eliza Dushku), the show finally delivers something scary and emotionally powerful as Angel proves he can solve cases his ex-girlfriend can't. Meanwhile, the last couple of episodes--which beef up a satanic law firm as regular foes and resurrect a long-dead character as a major troublemaker for the future--go from promising to delivering. --Kim Newman
On the DVD: the DVD set is only moderately generous with features, compared to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series DVDs. There are two episodes with commentaries--creators Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt discussing the series' genesis and "City Of ". Added to this Jane Espenson, the resident queen of farce, talks us through the haunted apartment episode "Rm w/a Vu". Also included are four featurettes--introductions to the characters of Angel and Cordelia, a series one overview and a discussion of the show's demons--scripts for the two Faith episodes, cast biographies and a gallery of stills and blue-prints. Most importantly, given the way Angel was butchered by Channel 4 for an inappropriately early time slot, the show's violence and strong language are offered uncut. Presented in English and French Dolby Surround Sound 2.0 and with an aspect ratio of approx 1.33:1 --Roz Kaveney

Theatrical:

Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 104

Summary: The 2004 Appleseed feature is a reworking of the earlier video based on the manga by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell). In 2131, most of humanity has withdrawn to the glittering city of Olympus after a devastating war. When the curvaceous Deunan Knute comes to Olympus, she encounters her former comrade Briareos, now a cyborg, and the lovely android Hitomi. The fate of Hitomi, Olympus, and humanity rest on the lost "Appleseed" technology that Deunan's mother helped to develop. A standard series of chases, mecha battles, and confrontations leads to a predictable ending. When the original Appleseed appeared in 1988, it felt like a summary of anime's past, while Akira pointed the way to the future. This new version feels like a mishmash of Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Jin-Roh, Evangelion, and other, more exciting works. The motion-capture CG is typically weightless, and the mecha look oddly squat. --Charles Solomon

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 90

Summary: If you don't think Austin Powers is one of the funniest movies of the 1990s, maybe you should be packed into a cryogenic time chamber and sent back to the decade whence you came. Perhaps it was the 1960s--the shagadelic decade when London hipster Austin Powers scored with gorgeous chicks as a fashion photographer by day, crime-fighting international man of mystery by night. Yeah, baby, yeah! But when Powers' arch nemesis, Dr. Evil, puts himself into a deep-freeze and travels via time machine to the late 1990s, Powers must follow him and foil Evil's nefarious scheme of global domination. Mike Myers plays dual roles as Powers and Dr. Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley as his present-day sidekick and karate-kicking paramour. A hilarious spoof of 60s spy movies, this colourful comedy actually gets funnier with successive viewings, making it a perfect home video for gloomy days and randy nights. Oh, behave! --Jeff Shannon

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 95

Summary: "I put the grrr in swinger, baby!" a deliciously randy Austin Powers coos near the beginning of The Spy Who Shagged Me and if the imagination of Austin creator Mike Myers seems to have sagged a bit, his energy surely hasn't. This friendly, go-for-broke sequel to 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery finds our man Austin heading back to the 1960s to keep perennial nemesis Dr. Evil (Myers again) from blowing up the world--and, more importantly, to get back his mojo, that man-juice that turns Austin into irresistible catnip for women, especially American spygirl Felicity Shagwell (a pretty but vacant Heather Graham). The plot may be irreverent and illogical, the jokes may be bad (with characters named Ivana Humpalot and Robin Swallows, née Spitz), and the scenes may run on too long, but it's all delivered sunnily and with tongue firmly in cheek.
Myers's true triumph, though, is his turn as the neurotic Dr Evil, who tends to spout the right cultural reference at exactly the wrong time (referring to his moon base as a "Death Star" with Moon Units Alpha and Zappa--in 1969). Myers teams Dr Evil with a diminutive clone, Mini-Me (Verne J Troyer), who soon replaces slacker son Scott Evil (Seth Green) as the apple of the doctor's eye; Myers and Troyer work magic in what could plausibly be one of the year's most affecting (and hysterically funny) love stories. Despite a stellar supporting cast--including a sly Rob Lowe as Robert Wagner's younger self and Mindy Sterling as the forbidding Frau Farbissina--it's basically Myers's show, and he pulls a hat trick by playing a third character, the obese and disgusting Scottish assassin Fat Bastard. Many viewers will reel in disgust at Mr Bastard's repulsive antics and the scatological jokes Myers indulges in, including one showstopper involving coffee and--shudder--a stool sample. Still, Myers's good humour and dead-on cultural references win the day; Austin is one spy who proves he can still shag like a minx. --Mark Englehart

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 924

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

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 329

Summary: Has Hollywood produced many more rounded, enjoyable trilogies such as this? We think not, and it’s real testament to the quality of the Back To The Future trilogy that it all holds up so spectacularly well over twenty years since the first film appeared.
The films, as you probably know, following the time-travelling antics of Marty McFly, played by Michael J Fox, and Dr Emmett Brown, brought wonderfully to life by Christopher Lloyd. Across the three films, Marty and the Doc head back to the old west, meet Marty’s kids in the future, nearly ruin the meeting between his parents in the past, and all the while deal with the unwelcome interference of Biff Tannen and his family tree.
Bluntly, for sheer excitement, these movies are hard to beat. Mixing in tightly woven scripts with good effects, lively direction and an endearing set of performances from a superbly-chosen cast, the whole trilogy is just tremendously good fun. Fox and Lloyd must take a good chunk of credit for that, as their on-screen partnership is in many ways the glue that sticks everything so firmly in place, but conversely, it feels odd singling them out when so much else has gone right.
A worthy addition to any DVD collection, the Back To The Future Trilogy is what can happen when Hollywood really works. From the carefully layered screenplays through to the proliferation of standout moments, you can only hope that the occasional rumours of a fourth instalment continue to prove false. After all, how can the filmmakers possibly match their achievements with these three?--Simon Brew

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Fantasy

Duration: 134

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

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

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Pictures UK

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 1115

Summary: Okay, before I purchased this item I was trying very hard to work out why purchasing the box sets individually would come to 17 discs (Miniseries: 1 disc; Season One: 4 discs; Season Two: 6 discs; Season Three: 6 discs), but this collection has only 16 discs. No matter how many sites I looked on I was unable to find the question answered about what had been cut. I can now tell you.



The 'missing disc' of this collection is the sixth disc of Season Three. The Miniseries is still one disc, Season One is still 4 discs, Season Two is still 6 discs, but Season Three is only 5 discs. If you buy Season Three separately, you will receive a sixth disc containing so-called 'bonus material'; you do not receive that disc with this collection.



But that is fine, because in fact the only 'bonus material' on the sixth disc is "Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far" - a 43-minute special program that was aired on the Sci Fi Channel several times before the season three premiere, summarizing the previous two seasons and the miniseries, to try and get people who'd missed them interested in watching season three.



This feature is entirely irrelevant for anyone who has seen the miniseries and first two seasons, hence the makers felt no need to include it in this complete box set - just the one for season three only, in case some people who buy it have not seen any previous seasons.



All the footage in "The Story So Far" is clips from the miniseries (for roughly the first 20 minutes), season one (roughly the next 10 minutes), and season two (the remaining 10 minutes). The only original material is the narration, by Mary McDonnell in her character of Laura Roslin - and no new information is imparted in this narration that the viewer would not have picked up anyway from watching the miniseries and the first two seasons (indeed, to fit everything into 43 minutes, several major story arcs are left out of "The Story So Far" - such as Helo getting marooned on Caprica, the arrival of the Battleship Pegasus, and the military coup that temporarily splits the fleet).



In conclusion, buying the Complete Seasons 1-3 in this handy £40 set is far preferable to buying everything individually for £75. Apart from the missing 'Story So Far' disc, you'll get everything you would from buying the sets individually: the audio commentaries for the second season, the 'making of' feature for the miniseries, etc. A real bargain for an excellent series.

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 103

Summary: The revival of "Battlestar Galactica" has proven not just to be a roaring success with viewers, but one of the most critically-acclaimed science-fiction series too. "Battlestar Galactica: Razor"'s place is as an introduction to the events that take place in the fourth season of the show. Yet it's also a terrific feature-length TV movie in its own right.
The story of "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" actually focuses quite a lot on a different Battlestar, the Pegasus. Throughout the movie, we see it under the command of the love-to-hate Admiral Helena Cain, while we also follow Lieutenant Kendra Shaw under her tutelage, and Lee Adama's first mission in charge of the Pegasus.
Naturally too, "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" isn't shy of Cylons, as we see them in the infancy of their attack on humankind. And all of these ingredients make for some interesting back story to the main show, and a great one-off piece of entertainment too. It doesn't pull its punches when it comes to the action sequences, and there's some worthwhile character work in there too.
While clearly intended as an appetite-whetter for the fourth season of "Battlestar Galactica", "Razor" nonetheless has enough in the tank to more than hold its own. It proves to be yet another example as to why "Battlestar" is the show that's been topping science fiction fans' favourites lists for some time. --"Jon Foster"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: MGM Home Ent. (Europe) Ltd.

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 119

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

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Period

Duration: 97

Summary: When a young American (Ethan Hawke) traveling through Europe by train meets a beautiful French student (Julie Delpy), he convinces her to spend the day with him in Vienna so the two can get to know each other better. They spend their day exploring the city and before they know it, they find themselves falling in love. Richard Linklater's romantic daydream is a warm and witty comedy that uses the beautiful streets of Vienna as a perfect backdrop for the characters' youthful, budding romance.

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Period

Duration: 77

Summary: In 1994, director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused", "Waking Life") made "Before Sunrise", a gorgeous poem of a movie about two strangers (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) wandering around Vienna, talking, and falling in love. Ten years later, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have returned with "Before Sunset", which reunites the same characters after Hawke has written a book about that night. Delpy appears at the final book reading of his European tour; they have less than two hours before Hawke has to catch a flight to New York...and in that time, they walk around Paris, talk, and fall in love all over again. It sounds simple, perhaps dull, but it's written with such skill and care and acted with such richness that it's a miracle of filmmaking. On its own, "Before Sunset" is moving and wonderful; seen right after "Before Sunrise", it will break your heart. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 98

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

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 120

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

Theatrical:

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 113

Summary:

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 113

Summary: The Big Lebowski, a casually amusing follow-up from the prolifically inventive Coen brothers (Ethan and Joel), seems like a bit of a lark and the result was a box-office disappointment. It's lazy plot is part of its laidback charm. After all, how many movies can claim as their hero a pot-bellied, pot-smoking loser named Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) who spends most of his time bowling and getting stoned? And where else could you find a hair-netted Latino bowler named Jesus (John Turturro) who sports dazzling purple footgear, or an erotic artist (Julianne Moore) whose creativity consists of covering her naked body in paint, flying through the air in a leather harness, and splatting herself against a giant canvas? Who else but the Coens would think of showing you a camera view from inside the holes of a bowling ball, or an elaborate Busby Berkely-styled musical dream sequence involving a Viking goddess and giant bowling pins?
The plot--which finds Lebowski involved in a kidnapping scheme after he's mistaken for a rich guy with the same name--is almost beside the point. What counts here is a steady cascade of hilarious dialogue, great work from Coen regulars John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, and the kind of cinematic ingenuity that puts the Coens in a class all their own. --Jeff Shannon

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 175

Summary:

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Entertainment in Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 100

Summary:

Theatrical: 2002

Studio:

Genre: Fantasy

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

Theatrical: 1982

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 113

Summary: To call this cut of "Blade Runner" `long awaited' would be a heavy, heavy understatement. It's taken 25 years since the first release of one of the science-fiction genre's flagship films to get this far, and understandably, "Blade Runner: The Final Cut" has proved to be one of the most eagerly awaited DVD releases of all time.
And it's been well worth the wait. Director Ridley Scott's decision to head back to the edit suite and cut together one last version of his flat-out classic film has been heavily rewarded, with a genuinely definitive version of an iconic, visually stunning and downright intelligent piece of cinema. Make no mistake: this is by distance the best version of "Blade Runner". And it's never looked better, either.
The core of "Blade Runner", of course, remains the same, with Harrison Ford's Deckard (the Blade Runner of the title) on the trail of four `replicants', cloned humans that are now illegal. And he does so across an amazing cityscape that's proven to be well ahead of its time, with astounding visuals that defied the supposed limits of special effects back in 1982.
Backed up with a staggering extra features package that varies depending on which version of this "Blade Runner" release you opt for (two-, four- and five-disc versions are available), the highlight nonetheless remains the stunning film itself. Remastered and restored, it remains a testament to a number of creative people whose thinking was simply a country mile in advance of that of their contemporaries. An unmissable purchase. --"Jon Foster"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Warner Home Video - DVD

Genre: Action

Duration: 105

Summary: Blade finds himself alone surrounded by enemies, fighting an up hill battle with the vampire nation and now humans. He joins forces with a group of vampire hunters whom call themselves the Nightstalkers. The vampire nation awakens the king of vampires Dracula from his slumber with intentions of using his primitive blood to become day-walkers. On the other side is Blade and his team manifesting a virus that could wipe out the vampire race once and for all. In the end the two sides will collide and only one will come out victorious, a battle between the ultimate vampire whom never knew defeat, facing off against the greatest vampire slayer.

Theatrical: 1980

Studio:

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 133

Summary: After building up the duo's popularity through popular recordings and several performances on "Saturday Night Live," John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd--as "legendary" Chicago blues brothers Jake and Elwood Blues--took their act to the big screen in this action-packed hit from 1980. As Jake and Elwood struggle to reunite their old band and save the Chicago orphanage where they were raised, they wreak enough good-natured havoc to attract the entire Cook County police force. The result is a big-budget stunt-fest on a scale rarely attempted before or since, including extended car chases that result in the wanton destruction of shopping malls and more police cars than you can count. Along the way there's plenty of music to punctuate the action, including performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, and James Brown that are guaranteed to knock you out. As played with deadpan wit by Belushi and Aykroyd, the Blues Brothers are "on a mission from God," and that gives them a kind of reckless glee that keeps the movie from losing its comedic appeal. Otherwise this might have been just a bloated marathon of mayhem that quickly wears out its welcome (which is how some critics described this film and its 1998 sequel). Keep an eye out for Steven Spielberg as the city clerk who stamps some crucial paperwork near the end of the film. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: New Line Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 155

Summary: Even if the notorious 1970s porn-filmmaking milieu doesn't exactly turn you on, don't let it turn you off to this movie's extraordinary virtues, either. Boogie Nights is one of the key movies of the 1990s and among the most ambitious and exuberantly alive American movies in years. It's also the breakthrough for an amazing new director, whose dazzling kaleidoscopic style here recalls the Robert Altman of Nashville and the Martin Scorsese of Good Fellas.
Although loosely based on the sleazy life and times of real-life porn legend John Holmes, at heart it's a classic Hollywood rise-and-fall fable: a naive, good-looking young busboy is discovered in a San Fernando Valley disco by a famous motion picture producer, becomes a hotshot movie star, lives the high life and then loses everything when he gets too big for his britches, succumbs to insobriety and is left behind by new times and new technology.
Of course, it isn't exactly A Star Is Born or Singin' in the Rain. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (in only his second feature) puts his own affectionately sardonic twist on the old showbiz biopic formula: the ambitious upstart changes his name and achieves stardom in porno films as "Dirk Diggler". Instead of drinking to excess, he snorts cocaine (the classic drug of 70s hedonism); and it's the coming of home video (rather than talkies) that helps to dash his big-screen dreams. As for the britches, well, the controversial "money shot" explains everything. And the cast is one of the great ensembles of the 90s, including Oscar nominees Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg (who really can act--from the waist up, too!), Heather Graham (as Rollergirl), William H Macy, John C Reilly and Ricky Jay. --Jim Emerson

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 83

Summary: It takes a certain kind of comic genius to create a character who is, to quote the classic Sondheim lyric, appealing and appalling. But be forewarned: "Borat" is not "something for everyone." It arrives as advertised as one of the most outrageous, most offensive, and funniest films in years. Kazakhstan journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen reprising the popular character from his "Da Ali G Show", leaves his humble village to come to "U.S. of A" to film a documentary. After catching an episode of "Baywatch" in his New York hotel room, he impulsively scuttles his plans and, accompanied by his fat, hirsute producer (Hardy to his Laurel), proceeds to California to pursue the object of his obsession, Pamela Anderson. "Borat" is not about how he finds America; it's about how America finds him in a series of increasingly cringe-worthy scenes. Borat, with his '70s mustache, well-worn grey suit, and outrageously backwards attitudes (especially where Jews are concerned) interacts with a cross-section of the populace, catching them, a la Alan Funt on "Candid Camera", in the act of being themselves.
Early on, an unwitting humour coach advises Borat about various types of jokes. Borat asks if his brother's retardation is a ripe subject for comedy. The coach patiently replies, "That would not be funny in America." NOT! "Borat" is subversively, bracingly funny. When it comes to exploring uncharted territory of what is and is not appropriate or politically correct, "Borat" knows no boundaries, as when he brings a fancy dinner with the southern gentry to a halt after returning from the bathroom with a bag of his feces ("The cultural differences are vast," his hostess graciously/patronisingly offers), or turns cheers to boos at a rodeo when he calls for bloodlust against the Iraqis and mangles "The Star Spangled Banner."
Success, John F. Kennedy once said, has a thousand fathers. A paternity test on "Borat" might reveal traces of Bill Dana's Jose Jimenez, Andy Kaufman, Michael Moore, "The Jamie Kennedy Xperiment", and "Jackass". Some scenes seem to have been staged (a game Anderson, whom Borat confronts at a book signing, was reportedly in on the setup), but others, as the growing litany of lawsuits attests, were not. All too real is Borat's encounter with loutish Southern frat boys who reveal their sexism and racism, and the disturbing moment when he asks a gun store owner what gun he would recommend to "kill a Jew" (a Glock automatic is the matter-of-fact reply). Comedy is not pretty, and in "Borat" it can get downright ugly, as when Borat and his producer get jiggly with it during a nude fight that spills out from their hotel room into the hallway, elevator, lobby and finally, a mortgage brokers association banquet. High-five! "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 113

Summary: Freely adapted from Robert Ludlum's 1980 bestseller, The Bourne Identity starts fast and never slows down. The twisting plot revs up in Zurich, where amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), with no memory of his name, profession, or recent activities, recruits a penniless German traveler (Run Lola Run's Franka Potente) to assist in solving the puzzle of his missing identity. While his CIA superior (Chris Cooper) dispatches assassins to kill Bourne and thus cover up his failed mission, Bourne exercises his lethal training to leave a trail of bodies from Switzerland to Paris. Director Doug Liman (Go) infuses Ludlum's intricate plotting with a maverick's eye for character detail, matching breathtaking action with the humorous, thrill-seeking chemistry of Damon and Potente. Previously made as a 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, The Bourne Identity benefits from the sharp talent of rising stars, offering intelligent, crowd-pleasing excitement from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon
On the DVD:
Created to take advantage of the sequel playing in cinemas at the same time as this release, the "Explosive Extended" edition of The Bourne Identity is neither. Unlike many special editions, this is a still a single disc and several of the original DVD features--like the DTS and commentary tracks--are jettisoned for more extras, most of which are lightweight 3- to 6-minute featurettes. The new beginning and ending is incorrectly advertised as an extended edition--the feature is the same as the theatrical, and the new footage is seen à la carte, with explanations. These "bookend scenes" were shot after 9/11, an insurance policy for the filmmakers who were unsure how a spy film would play. Fortunately, the scenes were dropped and the results here are more a curio than anything else. The new featurettes are ordinary filler, pumped up with film clips and hooks for the sequel. A nice exception is a sound-mix segment and an all-too-quick recollection of author Robert Ludlum. Funny that "explosive" would be word chosen to represent a film that was quite proud of going out of its way not to be just a dumb, explosion-filled action film. --Doug Thomas

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 104

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

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Pictures Video

Genre: Romantic

Duration: 108

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

Theatrical:

Studio: Momentum Pictures Home Ent

Genre: Drama

Duration: 101

Summary: Don Johnston is an empty man. He’s not short of money, thanks to his considerable success with computers, but he is short of emotion, and very much alone. Yet as the latest woman in his life exits stage left, he receives a mysterious note. In it, he learns of a son he never knew he had, with no clues whatsoever to his identity. And so begins Broken Flowers.
Primarily a road movie, it follows Johnston as he tracks back over his past romances and flings, in an attempt to find out who mothered his child, and ultimately, to meet his son. It’s not a task he’s too keen on, and one primarily undertaken at the urging of his next door neighbour. Yet it does make for a compelling film, anchored by yet another superb performance from Bill Murray, as Johnston.
The equal of his work in Lost In Translation, he’s very much the heart of this slow, diligent movie, that doesn’t answer the majority of the questions it poses, yet proves to be something well worth seeking out. And he’s well supported too, not least by Sharon Stone, who turns in lively, yet measured, work as one of Johnston’s exes.
Still, Broken Flowers is clearly not a movie for everybody, with its relaxed pace and willingness to not worry about ticking every box unlikely to earn it truly mass appeal. But it is a little gem in its own right, and a strong addition to an already weight back catalogue for indie moviemaker Jim Jarmusch. It’s worth it alone for Murray, yet Broken Flowers is a movie with plenty else going for it too. Perhaps you might like to give it a try…?--Simon Brew

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Vision Video Ltd.

Genre: Fantasy

Duration: 157

Summary: If you crave an over-the-top historical kung fu-fantasy epic with a good dose of voluptuous nudity, bravura machismo, and passions so intense they verge on ridiculous, then Brotherhood of the Wolf is for you. Based (loosely) on an 18th-century legend, this French film follows a hunky scientist (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Iroquois sidekick/spiritual partner (Mark Dacascos) as they pursue a monstrous wolf ravaging the French countryside. Along the way Le Bihan gets entwined with a beautiful noblewoman (Emilie Dequenne) and a gorgeous prostitute (Monica Belluci) with secrets to tell. The plot grows more and more incomprehensible, but the mix of torrid emotions, outrageous action sequences, and lurid titillation is really what the movie is about. Ignore the highbrow philosophising and confused political intrigue; just enjoy the sensual images.--Bret Fetzer
On the DVD:Brotherhood of the Wolf is a film which revels in excess, yet the extra features on the disc are surprisingly sparse. The DVD boasts a programme on the legend of the Beast of the Gevaudan, as well as the original theatrical trailer, which was obviously geared towards an American audience--all action, no (French) dialogue. Unfortunately, though the DVD gives the viewer the option of watching the film in French (with English subtitles) or dubbed in English, only the dubbed version has Dolby 5.1 sound. Viewers who want to watch this film in its original language are forced to settle for 2.0. --Rob Burrow

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Genre: Action

Duration: 114

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

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Fantasy

Duration: 150

Summary: