DVDpedia : Library : Title : S

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 103

Summary: In the real world, drug use is unimaginably boring to watch--but it inspires spectacular visuals in movies like "Trainspotting" and "Drugstore Cowboy". To this list add "The Salton Sea", a moody thriller starring Val Kilmer as a musician who goes undercover into the world of speed freaks to find the men who killed his wife. Though that plot summary may sound trite, creative direction, strong performances, and a solid script that shifts to and fro in time make "The Salton Sea" worth a look. Kilmer has an erratic track record but he's always an intriguing on-screen presence; Vincent D'Onofrio has a field day playing a noseless speed dealer called Pooh Bear. The cast is full of excellent character actors, including Anthony LaPaglia ("Lantana"), Peter Sarsgaard ("Boys Don't Cry"), B.D. Wong ("Jurassic Park"), Deborah Kara Unger ("Crash"), Adam Goldberg ("Saving Private Ryan"), and Luis Guzman ("The Limey"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1955

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Foreign

Summary: Toshirô Mifune defines the quintessential samurai in Hiroshi Inagaki's 1954 "Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto", the first feature in a trilogy based on the epic novel by Eiji Yoshikawa. As in Kurosawa's classic "Seven Samurai", which appeared the same year, Mifune plays a brash and ambitious peasant who desires fame and power as a swordsman. His dreams of glory in war sour when his army is routed and he becomes hunted by the authorities, but the "tough love" attentions of a kindly but severe monk help him develop from a hot-tempered outlaw to a thoughtful swordsman. Inagaki's somber color epic is very different from the energetic action of Kurosawa's films. The sword fights and battles are practically theatrical in their presentation, staged in long takes that emphasize form and movement over flash and flamboyance. Mifune brings a sad, almost tragic quality to the samurai warrior Musashi Miyamoto, whose dedication proscribes him to a lonely life on the road. Though the film stands well on its own, its stature takes on greater significance as the first act of Inagaki's stately, contemplative epic of the professional and spiritual development of Musashi, whose training and adventures continue in "Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple". "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1967

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Foreign

Duration: 104

Summary: Picking up where "Samurai I" left off, Toshirô Mifune's samurai in training Musashi Miyamoto is a wandering swordsman who hones his skills in a succession of duels. When he defeats a succession of students from a local school of martial arts, he becomes marked for death by the school elders and is attacked in a series of cowardly ambushes. Romantic threads from the first film become further complicated when the virginal Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa) and the sad courtesan Akemi (Mariko Okada) meet and discover their rivalry and Musashi earns himself an archenemy, an ambitious young swordsman named Sasaki Kojiro (Koji Tsuruta) who vows to defeat Musashi to make his name as the finest fencer in all of Japan. Inagaki ably manages the rather complicated plot with unexpected ease (subtitles are employed to help English viewers make a few narrative jumps) while he charts Musashi's education in compassion and humility and his internal struggle with his conflicted love for Otsu. The direction is still as distant and unostentatious as in the first film, while the color and settings become richer and more pronounced: studio-bound locations take on the quality and delicacy of paintings. The dramatic centerpiece of the trilogy, an epic pre-dawn battle where 40 swordsmen ambush Musashi, uses darkness and landscape to great dramatic effect as figures seep in and out of the picture. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1967

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Foreign

Duration: 105

Summary: Toshirô Mifune is confidence supreme and humility incarnate as the mature samurai master Musashi Miyamoto in the final film of Inagaki's sprawling trilogy. Now a legendary swordsman whose latest quest is to save an isolated village from rampaging brigands (shades of "Seven Samurai"), he remains haunted by the memory of Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa). Meanwhile the ruthless and increasingly jealous Kojiro Sasaki (Koji Tsuruta) plots his battle royal with Musashi to prove who is the finest fencer in Japan. Inagaki weaves the web of subplots into a series of grand confrontations, among them the most exciting battles of the trilogy: Musashi's skirmish with the army of cutthroats while the village erupts in a fiery inferno around him, and the sunset duel between Musashi and Kojiro on an isolated beach, the two warriors taking on mythic dimensions silhouetted against the sun setting over the surf. Inagaki's delicate use of color throughout the series becomes most pronounced in this final sequence, where the glow of orange and red adds dramatic flourish to the twilight battle. Inagaki's reserved, restrained style and Mifune's melancholy performance--his granite face and stocky stance the very essence of somber wisdom and sad assurance--bring a gravity and seriousness to the drama that ultimately illuminates the personal cost of Musashi's supreme skill as his story ends on an elegiac but hopeful note. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical:

Studio: Adv Films

Genre: Anime

Duration: 510

Summary: Nineteenth century Japan: a land torn by warfare and rebellion, where small bands of soldiers seek to overthrow the tyrannical Tokugawa Shogunate. Enter Kenshin, a young orphan whose fighting skills were honed by the great swordsman Hiko. But Kenshins so

Theatrical: 1963

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Foreign

Duration: 20

Summary: Akira Kurosawa's sequel to "Yojimbo" is more lighthearted and less cynical, a rousing adventure with Toshirô Mifune reprising his role as the scruffy mercenary who becomes an unlikely big brother to a troupe of nine naive samurai. Shuffling into a secret meeting where the proud young men discuss the graft choking their clan, Mifune's Sanjuro scratches his scraggly beard and distractedly rubs his neck like some common peasant while giving them advice on appearances and truths: "People aren't what they seem," he warns the dubious lads. "Be careful." Naturally they aren't, and Sanjuro grudgingly adopts the well-meaning but hopelessly ill-equipped heroes, giving the starry-eyed youths a series of lessons in real-world honor and respect while saving their skins from reckless attacks and impulsive plans. It isn't the subtlest of Kurosawa's films--the repetitious lessons and speeches delivered to the thickheaded samurai are rather obvious--but it's one of his most entertaining. Mifune, gruffly at ease with the boys, is hilariously discomforted in the presence of a cultured lady, who sees through his shaggy exterior and imparts a little wisdom of her own. Mifune bounds into action in a number of impressive sword fights--wonderfully choreographed lightning-quick battles in which Mifune leaps all over the widescreen image--but an increasing sense of waste, of futility, hangs over the action scenes, culminating in a tense but meaningless duel of honor. The accompanying trailer on the DVD features brief behind-the-scenes glimpses of Kurosawa directing Mifune through an action sequence. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1963

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 96

Summary: Akira Kurosawa's sequel to "Yojimbo" is more lighthearted and less cynical, a rousing adventure with Toshirô Mifune reprising his role as the scruffy mercenary who becomes an unlikely big brother to a troupe of nine naive samurai. Shuffling into a secret meeting where the proud young men discuss the graft choking their clan, Mifune's Sanjuro scratches his scraggly beard and distractedly rubs his neck like some common peasant while giving them advice on appearances and truths: "People aren't what they seem," he warns the dubious lads. "Be careful." Naturally they aren't, and Sanjuro grudgingly adopts the well-meaning but hopelessly ill-equipped heroes, giving the starry-eyed youths a series of lessons in real-world honor and respect while saving their skins from reckless attacks and impulsive plans. It isn't the subtlest of Kurosawa's films--the repetitious lessons and speeches delivered to the thickheaded samurai are rather obvious--but it's one of his most entertaining. Mifune, gruffly at ease with the boys, is hilariously discomforted in the presence of a cultured lady, who sees through his shaggy exterior and imparts a little wisdom of her own. Mifune bounds into action in a number of impressive sword fights--wonderfully choreographed lightning-quick battles in which Mifune leaps all over the widescreen image--but an increasing sense of waste, of futility, hangs over the action scenes, culminating in a tense but meaningless duel of honor. The accompanying trailer on the DVD features brief behind-the-scenes glimpses of Kurosawa directing Mifune through an action sequence. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 170

Summary: When Steven Spielberg was an adolescent, his first home movie was a backyard war film. When he toured Europe with "Duel" in his 20s, he saw old men crumble in front of headstones at Omaha Beach. That image became the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan", his film of a mission following the D-day invasion that many have called the most realistic--and maybe the best--war film ever. With 1998 production standards, Spielberg has been able to create a stunning, unparalleled view of war as hell. We are at Omaha Beach as troops are slaughtered by Germans yet overcome the almost insurmountable odds.
A stalwart Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier, who takes a small band of troops behind enemy lines to retrieve a private whose three brothers have recently been killed in action. It's a public relations move for the Army, but it has historical precedent dating back to the Civil War. Some critics of the film have labeled the central characters stereotypes. If that is so, this movie gives stereotypes a good name: Tom Sizemore as the deft sergeant, Edward Burns as the hotheaded Private Reiben, Barry Pepper as the religious sniper, Adam Goldberg as the lone Jew, Vin Diesel as the oversize Private Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as the soulful medic, and Jeremy Davies, who as a meek corporal gives the film its most memorable performance.
The movie is as heavy and realistic as Spielberg's Oscar-winning "Schindler's List", but it's more kinetic. Spielberg and his ace technicians (the film won five Oscars: editing (Michael Kahn), cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), sound, sound effects, and directing) deliver battle sequences that wash over the eyes and hit the gut. The violence is extreme but never gratuitous. The final battle, a dizzying display of gusto, empathy, and chaos, leads to a profound repose. "Saving Private Ryan" touches us deeper than "Schindler" because it succinctly links the past with how we should feel today. It's the film Spielberg was destined to make. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Mca Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 195

Summary: Steven Spielberg had a banner year in 1993. He scored one of his biggest commercial hits that summer with the mega-hit "Jurassic Park", but it was the artistic and critical triumph of "Schindler's List" that Spielberg called "the most satisfying experience of my career." Adapted from the best-selling book by Thomas Keneally and filmed in Poland with an emphasis on absolute authenticity, Spielberg's masterpiece ranks among the greatest films ever made about the Holocaust during World War II. It's a film about heroism with an unlikely hero at its center--Catholic war profiteer Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who risked his life and went bankrupt to save more than 1,000 Jews from certain death in concentration camps.
By employing Jews in his crockery factory manufacturing goods for the German army, Schindler ensures their survival against terrifying odds. At the same time, he must remain solvent with the help of a Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) and negotiate business with a vicious, obstinate Nazi commandant (Ralph Fiennes) who enjoys shooting Jews as target practice from the balcony of his villa overlooking a prison camp. "Schindler's List" gains much of its power not by trying to explain Schindler's motivations, but by dramatizing the delicate diplomacy and determination with which he carried out his generous deeds.
As a drinker and womanizer who thought nothing of associating with Nazis, Schindler was hardly a model of decency; the film is largely about his transformation in response to the horror around him. Spielberg doesn't flinch from that horror, and the result is a film that combines remarkable humanity with abhorrent inhumanity--a film that functions as a powerful history lesson and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the context of a living nightmare. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Touchstone / Disney

Genre: Television

Summary: The sitcom may be flatlining, but as long as there are fresh and original series like "Scrubs", the prognosis isn't entirely negative. Created by Bill Lawrence, "Scrubs" is an interns'-eye view of hospital life and the torturous, tragic, and triumphant route to becoming a doctor. The eminently likeable Zach Braff heads the cast as "newbie" J.D., whose years of medical school haven't quite prepared him for chaotic Sacred Heart Hospital. "Family Guy" has nothing on the live-action "Scrubs" when it comes to surreal asides and fantasy sequences (for example, J.D. literally becomes the proverbial deer in the headlights when he cannot answer a medical query), pop culture references, and TV Land casting (John Ritter guest stars as J.D.'s negligent father in "My Old Man," and "St. Elsewhere" veterans William Daniels, Ed Begley, Jr., Stephen Furst, and Eric Laneuville appear as Legionnaire's-stricken doctors in "My Sacrifical Clam"). With surgical precision, this inaugural season charts J.D.'s growth as a doctor and a human being, and the close-knit bonds he forms with his equally overwhelmed peers and colleagues, including best friend and surgeon Chris Turk (Donald Faison), beautiful, but raw-nerved and by-the-book Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), and supportive nurse Carla Espinoza (Judy Reyes'), who affectionately nicknames J.D. "Bambi." But at the heart of the series is J.D.'s relationship with his mentor, Dr. Cox (an Emmy-worthy John C. McGinley), a cross between Obi-Wan Kenobi and a pit bull. Giving "Scrubs" a further shot of adrenaline are recurring characters Jordan (Christa Miller Lawrence), Dr. Cox's satanic ex-wife, and Neil Flynn as the Janitor, who torments J.D. just as Larry Miller menaced Jerry in the "Seinfeld" episode "The Doorman."
"Scrubs"' animated sensibility allows for inexplicable cameos by Jimmie Walker or, at one point, an impromptu "West Side Story"-esque dance-off to convey the schism between the surgeons and other doctors. But while hilariously funny, "Scrubs", too, can break your heart, as in the two-parter "My Occurrence"/"My Hero," with guest star Brendan Fraser as Jordan's spontaneously spirited brother, who is diagnosed with leukemia, and "My Old Lady," in which J.D., Elliot, and Chris experience for the first time losing a patient. "Scrubs" is one of NBC's few remaining "Must-See" series, but it has not been well-served by the network. Whether you're a "newbie" or devoted viewer, this DVD release is just what the doctor ordered. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Turner Home Ent

Genre: Television

Duration: 11

Summary: It is the year 2021. In this mind-bogglingly distant future, Sealab rises imperiously from the ocean's floor, her crew charged with exploring the possibility of underwater colonization. That is, when they're not fighting giant squids over a toy oven.* Or running pirate radio stations. Or trying to put their brains into robot bodies. Or going back in time. Or being attacked by flesh-ripping aliens. Or becoming addicted to scorpion venom. Or getting stuck in a storage closet. Or going back in time again. Captain Murphy. Marco. Debbie. Stormy. Doctor Quinn. Dolphin Boy. They're all inside this box, screaming to get out so they can live inside your television. So buy the damn thing and set them free. You'll be ridiculously glad you did. Promise. *Makes real cupcakes! With a 40-watt bulb!

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Turner Home Ent

Genre: Kids & Family

Duration: 145

Summary: The second season of "Sealab 2021", the Cartoon Network's certifiably bizarre reworking of Hanna-Barbera's earnest 1972 animated series "Sealab 2020", surfaces in a two-disc set that includes an unaired episode and supplemental features that place a strong emphasis on "mental." For series devotees, season 2 is a must-have, thanks to its lineup of memorable episodes, including "Stimutacs," which fans voted as the series' best episode; the behind-the-scenes chaos of "Swimming in Oblivion"; "Hail, Squishface," which tosses jabs at "Star Trek"'s "Trouble with Tribbles" episode; and the aptly named "Bizarro," which pits the Sealab crew against their evil doubles.
As with most Adult Swim programming from Cartoon Network, viewers will either "get" "Sealab 2021", or find its kitchen-sink loopiness indigestible, but one has to admire the producers' ability to spin this recycled footage into the most outlandish plots with such regularity. Said producers (co-creators Adam Reed and Matt Thompson) are present on some freewheeling commentary tracks for all 13 episodes in the set, though viewers hoping for some insight into the show might find the chatter mostly dispensable; however, the inclusion of a rough cut of "Ronnie," the series' only unaired episode, more than makes up for the commentaries, as do hilarious interviews with the cast (which includes Erik Estrada and Brett Butler), and a tour of the production company, both of which are dominated by girls in bikinis (who also give a read-through of the script for "Der Dieb"). The sole sober note on the set is struck by an affectionate tribute to voice-over legend Harry Goz, who provided the voice for the addled Captain Murphy before passing away in 2003. It's rare for a DVD's supplemental extra to match the same tone as the main feature, but the season 2 set manages to stay nearly 100% Bizarro from start to finish. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Turner Home Ent

Genre: Television

Duration: 145

Summary: It's almost too dramatic to say that the third season of Cartoon Network's supremely silly animated series "Sealab 2021" was controversial, but there's no denying that it's a hot-button issue for the show's legion of devoted fans. The crux of the problem is the untimely death of voice actor Harry Goz, who played Sealab's questionable "leader" Captain Murphy; without Goz's contributions to anchor the show's free-wheeling and frequently surreal adventures, the third-season episodes were deemed by fans to be in a freefall, and Murphy's replacement, ex-football coach "Tornado" Shanks (voiced by Goz's son Michael), was greeted with something less than enthusiasm. Regardless of which side you choose in the great "Sealab" debate, there are still laughs to be had in the 13 episodes compiled in this double-disc set, especially in "Tourist Season," which has Murphy turn Sealab into a tourist trap; "Red Dawn," with Murphy leading the crew in a Communist revolution (which inspired the set's striking cover art); and the doggedly weird "Return to Oblivion," which sends a tentacled Cartoon Network rep to the lab to see if it can be saved from its own self-destructive ways (it can't). Extras for season 3 are somewhat slight: there are two early pilots from creators Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, rough versions of an unfinished episode and "Dearly Beloved Seed" (these are billed as unaired episodes), a featurette on "Stormy" Waters, and a clutch of commentaries, most of which are gags save for one from toonzone.net's Karl Olson, who discusses "Tornado Shanks." "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Turner Home Ent

Genre: Television

Duration: 187

Summary: "Sealab 2021" fans still reeling from the untimely end of the Adult Swim animated series in 2005 can relive every demented moment from the show with this double-disc set, which compiles the show's final episodes, including its retrospective finale, "Legacy of Laughter." Story-wise, it's business as usual for the crew of Sealab, with new captain Tornado Shanks (Michael Goz), who replaced Hank Murphy (Goz's father Harry, who passed away during the previous season), shepherding the team into all manner of disasters, including the mutant shark/human son of the late Marco (Erik Estrada) in "Joy of Grief" and "Sharko's Machine"; an attempt to rescue the Sealab by turning it into a Native American gambling parlor ("Casinko"); fan favorite "Shrabster," which unfolds in reverse; and the series conclusion, "Legacy of Laughter," which reunites all of the characters from the entire show's run. Longtime viewers may argue that the series declined in quality after the passing of Harry Goz, but it can be argued that while the show changed, its offbeat style and stories remained largely intact and still quite funny, if not always up to the standards of the earlier seasons.
The Season 4 extras are largely hit-or-miss. "Shrabster Forward" retells the episode in its correct chronological order, while the deleted scene from "Joy of Grief" is a middling comic tidbit. More amusing is the alternate ending for "Legacy of Laughter," which asks what the cast will do now that the show is over, and the unaired mini-episode "Nightshift," which takes a look at the lives of the crew that keeps Sealab running while the main characters indulge in adventures. A "Best of "Sealab"/Sunken Treasures" clip compilation, which serves up some of the series' funniest moments, is an appropriate wrap-up for this deliriously clever show. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Mca Home Video

Genre: Television

Duration: 60

Summary: Travel to the spectacular undersea world of seaQuest DSV as all 23 groundbreaking episodes from the epic first season surface on DVD. The amazing adventure begins in the mid-21st century, as humankind expands its undersea colonization efforts and a tenuous world peace is enforced by the United Earth Oceans (UEO). In order to protect the fledgling underwater colonies from unknown dangers and hostile invaders lurking in the depths of Earth’s last frontier, the UEO recruits Captain Nathan Bridger (Roy Scheider) to command the high-tech battle submarine seaQuest and its diverse and eclectic crew. Along for the ride are a roster of stellar guest stars, including Charlton Heston, William Shatner, Seth Green, Kellie Martin and Kent McCord.

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 1012

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

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 109

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

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Drama

Duration: 104

Summary: This kinky love story features a standout performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an offbeat young actress in her first starring role. Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a nervous girl who compulsively cuts herself, who gets a job as a secretary for Edward, an imperious lawyer (James Spader, an old hand at tales of perverse affection). Edward's reprimands for typos and spelling errors begin with mild humiliation, but as Lee responds to his orders--which are driven as much by his own anxieties and fears as any sense of order--the punishments escalate to spankings, shackles, and more. "Secretary" walks a fine line. It finds sly humor in these sadomasochistic doings without turning them into a gag, and it takes Lee and Edward's mutual desires seriously without getting self-righteous or pompous. Certainly not a movie for everyone, but some people may be unexpectedly stirred up by this smart and steamy tale of repressed passion. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 119

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

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]

Genre: Anime

Duration: 24

Summary: Disturbing, perplexing, sometimes infuriating, Ryutaro Nakamura's "serial experiments lain" covers some of the same themes as "The X-Files" and the films of David Lynch. When introverted 13-year-old Lain receives an e-mail from a dead classmate, she gains access to "the Wired," a virtual world that promises unlimited power to those who can exploit it. Gradually the borders between the real and the virtual blur, and Lain's own identity begins to fade and fragment. Her parents tell her that she is not really their child, her online self grows in power and independence, and shadowy organizations pursue her in both worlds. Finally she begins to realize that she is either reality's only hope, or its worst enemy.
Nakamura keeps the pace of "serial experiments lain" deliberately slow, imbuing the early episodes with a sense of mounting dread that pays off as the plot develops. The anime technique of panning across static images creates a meditative stillness that works perfectly, and the repetition of certain key images gives them a dreamlike significance. Viewers will either love or hate the complex plot, which seems intent on incorporating every possible paranoid conspiracy, from sinister nanotechnology to alien plots. However--unlike many other anime--it somehow hangs together, and frankly "not" understanding everything is part of the pleasure of this kind of story. Fans of action-heavy anime and people who like every loose end tied up should steer clear, but those who surrender themselves to the slowly unfolding mysteries of the plot will be amply rewarded. "--Simon Leake"

Theatrical: 1954

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Foreign

Summary: Unanimously hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of the motion picture, "Seven Samurai" has inspired countless films modeled after its basic premise. But Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set in the 1600s, when the residents of a small Japanese village are seeking protection against repeated attacks by a band of marauding thieves. Offering mere handfuls of rice as payment, they hire seven unemployed "ronin" (masterless samurai), including a boastful swordsman (Toshiro Mifune) who is actually a farmer's son desperately seeking glory and acceptance. The samurai get acquainted with but remain distant from the villagers, knowing that their assignment may prove to be fatal. The climactic battle with the raiding thieves remains one of the most breathtaking sequences ever filmed. It's poetry in hyperactive motion and one of Kurosawa's crowning cinematic achievements. This is not a film that can be well served by any synopsis; it must be seen to be appreciated (accept nothing less than its complete 203-minute version) and belongs on the short list of any definitive home-video library. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1958

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Foreign

Summary: Ingmar Bergman's 1956 film has been parodied by everyone from Woody Allen to "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey", but it remains one of the strangest and richest classics of world cinema. Max Von Sydow plays a knight returning from the Crusades to encounter an apocalyptic scenario inspired by the Book of Genesis. He plays chess with Death (Bengt Ekerot), sees a manacled witch, watches a band of flagellants go by--all of it foretelling an inevitable end to life. Unabashedly allegorical and lyrical and existing in a world unto itself, the film is enormously mesmerizing no matter what one thinks of the weighty meanings Bergman has attached to it all. The DVD release has English subtitles, audio commentary by critic Peter Cowie, theatrical trailer, and Bergman's filmography. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Miramax

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 89

Summary: Computer generated special effects have seldom been so giddy as in "Shaolin Soccer", a gleeful fusion of kung fu and a classic "Bad News Bears" sports story. A former soccer star--whose "golden leg" was broken by a hired mob--assembles a team of former students of Shaolin martial arts, whose assorted skills (indicated by their nicknames, like Mighty Steel Leg and Iron Head) lend themselves to the swift interplay of the world's most popular game. Along the way, the team's leader (Hong Kong comic superstar Stephen Chow) meets a sticky bun baker (Vicki Zhao) whose kung fu is the equal of any of his teammates. "Shaolin Soccer" is supremely silly--in the final match, their opponents are called Team Evil--but that's part of the fun. American movies rarely achieve this perfect balance of the absurd and the sincere. A delight. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Drama

Summary: This tearjerker by Australian filmmaker Scott Hicks is a surprising story about real-life classical pianist David Helfgott, an Australian who rose to international prominence at a very young age in the 1950s and '60s, and suffered a psychological collapse after enduring years of abuse from his father (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Hicks has three very fine actors portraying Helfgott at different stages of his life, including the adorably wry and goofy Noah Taylor ("Flirting"), who takes up the character's teen years, and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, giving a great performance playing the musician as a schizophrenic adult. Despite the Helfgotts' compromised psychological health, "Shine" is hardly a depressing experience. If anything, the story is really about how long one person's life can take to make glorious sense of itself. Sir John Gielgud, in golden form, plays Helfgott's teacher. The DVD release presents the film in its widescreen format, and also includes a Q&A with director Hicks and Rush's Golden Globes acceptance speech. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical:

Studio: Adv Films

Genre: Foreign

Duration: 320

Summary: Kageru is strong, fast and extremely intelligent-the best in his ninja class. But his low birth relegates him to the lower clan of Shinobi. His friend Aoi finds herself in the same situation, and together they challenge some the very foundations of the Shinobi hierarchy!

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 124

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

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

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Television

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

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 1122

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

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Horror

Duration: 96

Summary: With laughs and gross-outs aplenty, "Slither" is the best horror comedy since "Shaun of the Dead". Having written for the jubilant trash-mongers at Troma Films before scripting 2004's well-received remake of "Dawn of the Dead", writer-director James Gunn crafted this hilarious splatter-fest as an homage to the comically violent horror films of the 1970s and '80s, and he gets it just right with a low-budget look, perfect casting, grisly make-up effects and judicious use of CGI gore. The story's a deliberate monster-mash, borrowing from a dozen other movies with its plot about an invasion of slithery slug-like parasites from outer space, arriving (via meteorite) in the redneck town of Wheelsy, South Carolina, where they turn most of the local yokels into flesh-eating zombies. The first victim (played by Michael Rooker) turns into a squid-like, multi-tentacled host monster (kill him and you kill 'em all), and his terrified wife (Elizabeth Banks) teams up with Wheelsy's sheriff (Nathan Fillion, from "Firefly" and "Serenity") and mayor (comedic scene-stealer Gregg Henry) to eradicate the alien threat before Wheelsy turns into Slugville. Gunn handles comedy and horror with exuberant flair, and "Slither"'s greatest strength is that it never aspires to be anything more than it is: 96 minutes of good laughs and gruesomeness, served up with the kind of gleeful abandon that only true horror buffs can fully appreciate."--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Weinstein Company

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 122

Summary: To celebrate his 37th birthday, Kevin Smith took to the stage. Anyone else might've thrown a party, but the man who bankrolled "Clerks" with maxed-out credit cards has never been one to follow convention. Filmed in his native New Jersey, "A Threevening" features jokes, stories, and questions from the audience. Instead of a suit, Smith's apparel consists of long shorts, checkered sneakers, and a sweat-inducing overcoat (hence, the pile of towels to wipe his face). It may sound like the ingredients for a stand-up routine, except he wrings more humor from biographical incidents than pre-written punch lines. Aside from the movies with which he's been involved, like "Clerks II" and "Live Free or Die Hard", he relates the history of Saint Kevin, a delicate medical dilemma, and the sexual proclivities of dogs Shecky, Mulder, and Skully. Naturally, there's name-dropping--Harvey Weinstein, Hayden Christensen, Bruce Willis, etc.--and more profanity than a Richard Pryor record, but Smith's appeal lies in his honesty and humility. When he says, "Throw a rock, you'll hit a better filmmaker than me," he's calling it as he sees it; not asking for pity or praise. And if he has little patience for the "whiny" and "emo," as he describes "Superman Returns", he's just as generous with the praise, describing favorite flicks, like "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan", as "pimp." The Q&A continues in the deleted scenes, in which the director sets the record straight about a rumored "Dogma" sequel and the "Clerks" sitcom. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

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

Theatrical: 1933

Studio: Turner Home Ent

Genre: Classics

Duration: 70

Summary: In this sequel to "King Kong," Kong's exhibitor takes off on a cruise, ends up back on Kong's island, and make friends with the adorable Little Kong.

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 81

Summary: OK, let's get all the disclaimers out of the way first. Despite its colorful (if crude) animation, "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" is in no way meant for kids. It is chock full of profanity that might even make Quentin Tarantino blanch and has blasphemous references to God, Satan, Saddam Hussein (who's sleeping with Satan, literally), and Canada. It's rife with scatological humor, suggestive sexual situations, political incorrectness, and gleeful, rampant vulgarity. And it's probably one of the most brilliant satires ever made. The plot: flatulent Canadian gross "meisters" Terrance and Philip hit the big screen, and the South Park quartet of third graders--Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman--begin repeating their profane one-liners ad infinitum. The parents of South Park, led by Kyle's overbearing mom, form "Mothers Against Canada," blaming their neighbors to the north for their children's corruption and taking Terrance and Philip as war prisoners. It's up to the kids then to rescue their heroes from execution, not mention a brooding Satan, who's planning to take over the world.
To give away any more of the plot would destroy the fun, but this feature-length version of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Comedy Central hit is a dead-on and hilarious send-up of pop culture. And did we mention it's a musical? From the opening production number "Mountain Town" to the cheerful antiprofanity sing-along "It's Easy, MMMKay" to Satan's faux-Disney ballad "Up There," Parker (who wrote or cowrote all the songs) brilliantly shoots down every earnest musical from "Beauty and the Beast" to "Les Misérables". And in advocating free speech and satirizing well-meaning but misguided parental censorship groups (with a special nod to the MPAA), "Bigger, Longer & Uncut" hits home against adult paranoia and hypocrisy with a vengeance. And the jokes, while indeed vulgar and gross, are hysterical; we can't repeat them here, especially the lyrics to Terrance and Philip's hit song, but you'll be rolling on the floor. Don't worry, though--to paraphrase Cartman, this movie won't warp your fragile little mind. Unless you have something against the First Amendment. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Television

Duration: 308

Summary: To quote "Bad Day at Black Rock", a man is as big as what'll make him mad. By this criteria, "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are giants. Fanaticism of any stripe, steroids, vapid pop culture icons marketed as role models for impressionable youth, and mass merchants encroaching on small town life are just some of the hot button issues tackled in "South Park"'s eighth season. Of course, "South Park" is not above (or beneath) stooping to conquer, as witness "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset," which climaxes in a "whore-off" featuring--you guessed it--Paris Hilton. Sure, Paris is an easy target, as is Michael Jackson (portrayed in the episode "The Jeffersons" not as a child molester, but as an infantile parent who needs to grow up). But just as a segment of the population tunes in to "The Daily Show" to get Jon Stewart and company's satirical take on the day's news, so do "South Park" fans eagerly await Parker and Stone's perspective on the zeitgeist. Which brings us to the season's most infamous episode, "The Passion of the Jew," in which Kyle is devastated by Mel Gibson's brutalizing epic, Cartman is transformed into Gibson's Hitlerian apostle, and an unimpressed Stan and Kenny try in vain to get their money back from Gibson himself, a loony toon with a penchant for torture. And while Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction is old news, "South Park"'s response, "Good Times with Weapons," remains a relevant satire of misplaced parental priorities, not to mention an anime-stylized tour-de-force in which the boys purchase martial arts weapons at a county fair and imagine themselves as ninja warriors.
In one of Stone and Parker's candid mini-commentaries, available as a listening option on each episode, the duo grade this season a B+. Give them extra credit, then, for such seriously (or hilariously) twisted episodes as the one (whose title cannot be printed here) that sends up the film "You Got Served", and the instant holiday classic "Woodland Critter Christmas," with its Satan-worshiping forest creatures, and a brilliant surprise ending that echoes Chuck Jones's classic cartoon "Duck Amuck", in which the unseen animator tormenting poor Daffy is revealed to be none other than Bugs "Ain't I a stinker?" Bunny. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Comedy Central

Genre: Television

Duration: 308

Summary: All fourteen uncensored episodes from South Park's eleventh season are now available in this exclusive three-disc collector's set. Join the boys as they attempt to rescue Imaginationland from nuclear annihilation discover the secret behind the Easter Bunny and get head lice. For them it's all part of growing up in South Park!System Requirements:Running Time: 308 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097368534148 Manufacturer No: 853414

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Television

Summary: Comedy, Lenny Bruce once said, is tragedy plus time. Less than two months--hardly any time at all--had elapsed after September 11 when "South Park" broadcast an episode that addressed the tragedy. Wit and satire have their place, of course, but in the aftermath of epochal upheaval, sometimes good old-fashioned ridicule can diminish an enemy and help to heal a grieving nation. The Emmy-nominated episode "Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants" does the cathartic trick, as Cartman plays Bugs Bunny to Osama's Elmer Fudd with a series of humiliating pranks, one of which reveals Osama's miniscule Bin Laden. "This is how we deal with stuff," creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone remark during the "commentary-mini," a listening option on each episode. In this fifth season, "It Hits the Fan," to quote the title of the notorious season-opening episode, in which the "S" word is uttered a staggering 162 times. In another series milestone, "Kenny Dies," and actually stays dead (at least until season 6). One of "South Park"'s best characters gets his own half hour in "Butters' Very Own Episode," while one of the series' absolute worst, "Towelie," also gets his. Over the course of these 14 episodes, many life lessons are learned about sex education ("Proper Condom Use"), prejudice ("Here Comes the Neighborhood") and stereotypes ("The Entity"). But perhaps the most valuable lesson is: "Don't tick off Cartman," as witness his diabolical revenge against the unfortunate ninth grader who rips him off in "Scott Tenorman Must Die."
The genius of "South Park" is its uncanny ability to make satiric hay with such otherwise sure-fire comedy killers as aborted fetuses, concentration camps, and cancer (which becomes instantly funny when the words "up the a**" are added to it, and funnier still when spoken by actual members of Radiohead). 2001 was a rough year for America, and while this country's "problems" provide Stone and Parker with a fount of material (most of it objectionable), we can take odd comfort that they remain vigilant in rooting for their "team." "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Television

Summary: "South Park" exploded on the pop culture landscape like a dirty bomb in 1997, and the 13 episodes that comprise the groundbreaking first season have lost none of their subversive impact. If "Seinfeld" was a show about nothing, then "South Park" is a show about everything, from important moral lessons in compassion and tolerance to good old-fashioned animated character assassination (Kathie Lee Gifford in "Weight Gain 4000" and Barbra Streisand in "Mecha-Streisand"). Like an After School Special gone quite mad, profanity-spewing third-graders Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and the ill-fated Kenny navigate childhood in their mountain town. Nothing in "South Park" is sacred, and each episode has something to offend, from "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" (featuring George Clooney as the voice of Sparky, the homosexual dog), to the Halloween episode "Pink Eye," in which Cartman dresses up as Adolph Hitler. Best not to even get started on Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Pooh, or the season finale cliffhanger, "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut."
Each episode is preceded by a faux introduction by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who proclaim every episode to be their favorite. Their incarnations as Rootin'-Tootin' Trey Parker and Pistol-Slingin' Matt Stone indicate that after "South Park" runs its course, they'd be great hosts of their own children's show, which--and this cannot be stressed strongly enough--"South Park" is "not". Other extras include the "South Park" boys' appearance on the CableAce awards and "A South Park Thanksgiving," featuring Jay Leno, which aired exclusively on "The Tonight Show". A minor annoyance is the slapdash packaging that mislabels the episodes ("Damien," for example, is on disc 3, not 2 as indicated). "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Television

Duration: 60

Summary: In the episode "Chef Goes Nanners," Cartman is left standing alone in the snow after Wendy blithely proclaims her improbable attraction for him to has suddenly vanished. Cartman heaves a heavy sigh, and exits Chaplinesque stage right. But any concerns that "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone had gone soft, or that Cartman would undergo a more sympathetic, Louie De Palma-like makeover are abated in nearly every other episode of "South Park"'s pivotal fourth season. From the "downright immature" trashing of Phil Collins (whose "You'll Be in My Heart" from "Tarzan" had emerged victorious Oscar night over Parker and Stone's "Blame Canada") to an episode in which Cartman becomes the unwitting poster child for NAMBLA, "South Park" gave its viewers much shock value for its basic cable dollar. This was the season that introduced the show's most unlikely breakout star, the wheelchair-bound Timmy, who, despite being only able to say his own name (or perhaps because of it), carried the pathos in his own holiday special, "Helen Keller! The Musical." This was the season in which Parker and Stone somehow were able to comment with "Daily Show" immediacy on the Elian Gonzales incident ("Quintuplets 2000") and the presidential election debacle ("Trapper Keeper") within days of the actual events. This was the season in which other "statement shows" skewered the South Carolina confederate flag controversy ("Chef Goes Nanners") and hate-crime legislation ("Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000"). This was also the season in which the "South Park" kids graduated to the fourth grade, we got a harrowing look inside Cartman's brain ("Helen Keller!"), and estranged lovers Saddam Hussein and Satan were reunited (in a two-parter, no less!).
Episodes not appreciated in their time can now be seen with fresh eyes. "Pip," hosted by Malcolm McDowell, and featuring none of the "South Park" regulars, is a faithful abridgement of Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations", monkey robots notwithstanding. As in the season 3 set, Parker and Stone provide brief, "fun-size commentary" that address their censorship skirmishes with Comedy Central and illuminate the inspiration and backstory for each episode. To quote the pro-commercialism holiday episode, "A Very Krappy Christmas," "If we all buy presents, everyone benefits." For "South Park" fans, this boxed set is an excellent start. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Comedy Central

Genre: Television

Duration: 308

Summary: A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere. The tiny mountain town of South Park, Colorado has proven that beyond a doubt for the last eight seasons. Fortunately for fans of this Comedy Central pillar, series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker obviously had no lack of ideas for their ninth season. Over the course of fourteen episodes, Mr. Garrison gets a sex change, Cartman thwarts a hippie music festival that threatens to destroy the town, the boys (Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny) start a talent agency, Kenny leads angelic forces in an epic battle against Satan’s minions at the gates of heaven, and the boys become really bad at losing at baseball. And that’s just the first half of the season. The most notable episode from this season is definitely the controversial "Trapped in the Closet," where Stan is "recognized" as the reincarnation of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and a dejected Tom Cruise locks himself in Stan’s closet. Naturally, over the course of the episode, TV reporters get to decry that "Tom Cruise still won’t come out of the closet." It's funny enough on its own, but when John Travolta and R. Kelly end up in the closet as well (all singing together "Now I’m trapped in the closet. I’m trapped in the closet too"), that’s worth the price of the set on its own.
After nine seasons it’s also nice to see that one of the series key running gags, the perpetual cluelessness of the adults, still isn’t getting old. It's as if the adult townspeople only know how to behave based on movies they’ve seen (this season’s cinematic targets include "Rocky" (in "The Losing Edge"), "The Day After Tomorrow" ("Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow"), and "Pet Cemetery" ("Marjorine"), and their inevitably clichéd over-reactions still provide many of the show’s best moments. The commentaries from Parker and Stone are once again typically short; they usually last only a few minutes into each show before they end it with "Ok, onto the next show now" not even trying to conceal that they really want to get through the recording session as quickly as possible. That might seem lame on other shows, but on "South Park"--a show where 8-year-olds send a talking killer whale to the moon through the Mexican Space Agency for $200,--somehow it’s totally fitting. "--Daniel Vancini"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Television

Duration: 158

Summary: Now that enough time has lapsed, we can all have a good laugh over "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone's amusing little April Fools prank, in which they kicked off the show's second season not with the conclusion to season one's cliffhanger that would reveal the identity of Cartman's father, but with an all-Terrance, all-Phillip, all-farting episode, "Not Without My Anus." The ensuing outcry illustrated just how seriously its devoted fans take "South Park". There is little evidence of sophomore slump in this three-disc collection of 18 episodes that continue the coming-of-age trials of third graders Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. There is considerable shock value just in the episode titles alone, among them "Cojoined Fetus Lady," "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson," and the infamous "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut." But mostly, the episodes are just--in Cartman's words--hella funny. "Spookyfish" is a creepfest about a killer fish, possessed animals, and alien alter egos (in which the so-called Evil Cartman is much nicer than the real Cartman) presented in Spookyvision, with pictures of Barbra Streisand framing the screen. "Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls" is a hilarious send-up of the Sundance Film Festival and the indie film scene that marks the return of Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo, and ends with the burial of Robert Redford in excrement.
As always, hard-earned life lessons provide "South Park" with fertile territory for skewed and subversive social commentary. In "Chicken Lover," Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" is an argument against literacy. "Underwear Gnomes" makes a strong case for corporate takeover of local family business. It is difficult to respect Warner Bros.' "authoritah" with the scant DVD extras. There are no commentaries, but Parker and Stone are present to introduce most of the episodes, each of which they proclaim to be their favorite. But their incarnations as abusive retirement center entertainers and as the hosts of an all-bacon cooking show fall flat. Bring back Rootin'-Tootin' Trey Parker and Pistol-Slingin' Matt Stone from the "Season One" set! "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Television

Duration: 330

Summary: There is nothing in "South Park"'s seventh season to offend Tom Cruise (nothing about Scientology, at any rate; that will come in season 9). However, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Rob Reiner, the Queer Eye guys, Christopher Reeve (!), war supporters and anti-war protesters, and Mormons, do not get off so easy. But, "Who cares?" as the townspeople sing in "I'm a Little Bit Country." What matters is that with this particular episode, "South Park" attained the precious, syndication-ready 100-episode mark! Another milestone: "Raisins," in which Wendy breaks up with Stan, who falls under the influence of the "Goth kids" ("If you want to be one of the non-comformists, all you have to do is dress just like us and listen to the same music we do").
Even by "South Park" standards, season 7 is pretty hardcore. In "Christian Rock Hard," Cartman is so determined to attain platinum album status before Kyle and his band that he forms a Christian rock group. The band's repertoire makes Tom Lehrer's once-scandalous "Vatican Rag" sound like "Oh, Happy Day." But mostly, "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone take Cheney-like potshots at pop-culture notables. In "South Park Is Gay!", we discover what is really behind the "metrosexual" phenomenon and the true identity of the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" quartet. In "Butt Out," Rob Reiner is portrayed as a corpulent goo-filled "fascist" willing to the sanction murder (of Cartman) to further his anti-"Big Tobacco" agenda. As you can guess from the title, "Fat Butt and Pancake Head" is a merciless deconstruction of "Bennifer," as Cartman's Jennifer Lopez hand puppet dethrones the real thing, and attracts the amorous attention of Ben Affleck. "All About Mormons" anticipates the Scientology episode, "Trapped in the Closet" (not included here, and if lawyers have anything to say about it, might not be included in a season 9 set, either) with a straight-faced musical dramatization of the Joseph Smith story. "Everyone thought we were making stuff up to be funny," Parker and Stone relate in their mini commentary (optional for each episode). "But we're not. We're not making this stuff up in this show." Which is perhaps why the episode "Cancelled," which posits that Earth exists only as reality-TV fodder for aliens, doesn't seem so farfetched. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Comedy Central

Genre: Television

Duration: 374

Summary: Sit back and enjoy all 17 episodes of the sixth season of the show that makes you laugh your @$$ off, now available for the first time in this exclusive 3-disc collector's edition. This season tackles such issues as child abduction, animal rights and early mammary development and its effects on society. Also, Cartman wears a dress on national television and Butters goes out of his mind. For them, it's all part of growing up in South Park.

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount Home Video / Comedy Central

Genre: Television

Duration: 308

Summary: For those "South Park" fans who have wondered if their beloved animated series would lose its satirical edge after a decade on the air, the "Complete Tenth Season" boxed set provides a resounding negative. Creators Matt Park and Trey Stone come out swinging with the season opener, "The Return of Chef," which addresses both the media frenzy churned up over the headline-grabbing "Trapped in the Closet" episode from the previous season, as well as the departure of Isaac Hayes, who voiced the well-loved Chef (and netted the series its highest ratings for a debut episode in years). Not content to leave one religion alone, the show tackles the 2006 riots over the depiction of Mohammed in Dutch newspapers (and delivers a much-deserved zing to "Family Guy") in the two-part "Cartoon Wars" (the revelation of "Family Guy"'s "real" writers is among the funniest notions ever penned for "South Park") and intelligent design in "Go God Go" (Mrs. Garrison is up in arms over being forced to teach evolution until the arrival of Richard Dawkins changes her mind). Also in the show's firing line are such sacred cows as Oprah Winfrey (Towelie pens a faux memoir a la "A Million Little Pieces" in "A Million Little Fibers"), Al Gore (who attempts to drum up interest in his hunt for the mythical "ManBearPig"), environmentalists (who create a new form of pollution with their hybrids in "Smug Alert!"), the popular online game World of Warcraft ("Make Love, Not Warcraft," which earned the series an Emmy nomination) and George W. Bush (who tangles with Kyle over 9/11 in "Mystery of the Urinal Deuce"). Of course, "South Park" wouldn't be "South Park" without moments of jaw-dropping bad taste, and viewers are treated to not one but two jokes about the death of Steve Irwin (including his appearance at a Halloween party thrown by Satan in the critically reviled "Hell on Earth 2006), children with terminal diseases, teacher-student sexual relations, and a whole host of bodily functions and absurdly graphic violence (the latter is provided by a trio of serial killers in "Hell on Earth 2006"). Supplemental features on the three-disc set are limited to a brief introductory commentary track on each of the episodes by Parker and Stone; while short, they underscore the duo's irreverence and highlight some of the trials they underwent to produce the season (in particular, the network's concern over "Cartoon Wars"). "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Television

Summary: The third time's the, for want of a better word, charm for "South Park" on DVD. Instead of mere episode intros as on the first two boxed sets, Trey Parker and Matt Stone finally oblige us with actual episode commentary, or, as they call it, "commentary-mini." On this optional audio track, Trey and Matt goof for about five minutes or so at the top of each episode, certifying some as favorites ("Tweek vs. Craig," "Jewbilee," and "Worldwide Recorder Concert," which is described as "a reverse after-school special from hell"), championing others popularly dismissed by "South Park"'s otherwise loyal fans ("Jakovasaurs," "Sexual Harassment Panda"), and provocatively dismissing all of season 2.
The third season was frantically produced simultaneously with the feature film, "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut". This was the season, Trey proclaims, "where "South Park" turned the corner... and became good (as far as we were concerned)." Among their most inspired conceits is the so-called "Meteor Shower Party" trilogy, three episodes that unfold over the course of one night, each focusing on a different kid. "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery" pays homage to Hanna-Barbera-style animation and "Scooby-Doo", recasting Korn as the Mystery Inc gang. "Rainforest Shmainforest," featuring a game Jennifer Aniston, cuts rainforest crusaders down to size. "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" takes its irreverent cue from the album of the same name, and contains an outrageously obscure reference to the 1978 made-for-TV "Star Wars Holiday Special". Throughout the season, "South Park" is, as usual, a gleeful equal-opportunity offender, but the show's true gonzo spirit is truly illustrated in such surreal touches as the employment of live action in "Tweek vs. Craig," the singing of "The Morning After" backwards to save Chef from the spell of "The Succubus," and the "Seinfeld"-worthy argument over whether the term should be "pirate ghosts" or "ghost pirates" in "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery." "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Comedy Central

Genre: Animation

Duration: 308

Summary: All fourteen uncensored episodes from "South Park"'s twelfth season are now available in this exclusive three-disc set. In this collection, "South Park" follows the new President-elect from his acceptance speech to his first official day of duty as Commander in Chief. The boys keep busy helping a pop-princess who's down on her luck, negotiating a truce for striking Canadians, and preventing giant rodents from destroying the world. For them, it's all part of growing up in South Park.

Theatrical:

Studio: Comedy Central

Genre: Animation

Duration: 308

Summary: All fourteen uncensored episodes from South Park’s thirteenth season are now available in this exclusive three-disc set. Roll with the boys as they save the economy, the whales, and a bunch of dead celebrities all while discovering the joys of Fish Sticks. For them, it’s all part of growing up in South Park!

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 145

Summary: Well, filmmakers should aim high, they say. And Richard Kelly shot the moon on his highly-anticipated follow-up to cult sensation "Donnie Darko", which expands the apocalyptic mood of that movie and blows it up tenfold. Set during the election season of 2008, "Southland Tales" proposes a series of apparently linked events: the reappearance of a vanished movie star (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), now an amnesiac; the bizarre doubling of a policeman (Seann William Scott in two roles); the development of an energy source from ocean waves; and the presence of an Iraq War veteran (Justin Timberlake) who seems to be watching everything, and narrating some of it. Not that the narration helps; even with voice-over (reportedly added after the film's disastrous debut at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival), "Southland Tales" doesn't come close to making sense, let alone at the minimum level of dangling a carrot to lead the audience along (even "Mulholland Drive" had a semblance of murder mystery to be solved, or not). The cast is loaded with "Saturday Night Live" cut-ups, but only Jon Lovitz connects, and in other roles people like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christopher Lambert, Bai Ling, and John Larroquette are utterly mystifying, by no fault of their own. In some of the musical sequences Kelly gets in stride, but it's easy to create drama in a three-minute music video, and harder to do over two and a half hours. Some top critics rushed to champion the movie, as though flying in the face of philistinism, so feel free to try out this incoherent pastiche for yourself. "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 1960

Studio: Mca Home Video

Genre: Classics

Duration: 184

Summary: Stanley Kubrick was only 31 years old when Kirk Douglas (star of Kubrick's classic "Paths of Glory") recruited the young director to pilot this epic saga, in which the rebellious slave Spartacus (played by Douglas) leads a freedom revolt against the decadent Roman Empire. Kubrick would later disown the film because it was not a personal project--he was merely a director-for-hire--but "Spartacus" remains one of the best of Hollywood's grand historical epics. With an intelligent screenplay by then-blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo (from a novel by Howard Fast), its message of moral integrity and courageous conviction is still quite powerful, and the all-star cast (including Charles Laughton in full toga) is full of entertaining surprises. Fully restored in 1991 to include scenes deleted from the original 1960 release, the full-length "Spartacus" is a grand-scale cinematic marvel, offering some of the most awesome battles ever filmed and a central performance by Douglas that's as sensitively emotional as it is intensely heroic. Jean Simmons plays the slave woman who becomes Spartacus's wife, and Peter Ustinov steals the show with his frequently hilarious, Oscar-winning performance as a slave trader who shamelessly curries favor with his Roman superiors. The restored version also includes a formerly deleted bathhouse scene in which Laurence Olivier plays a bisexual Roman senator (with restored dialogue dubbed by Anthony Hopkins) who gets hot and bothered over a slave servant played by Tony Curtis. These and other restored scenes expand the film to just over three hours in length. Despite some forgivable lulls, this is a rousing and substantial drama that grabs and holds your attention. Breaking tradition with sophisticated themes and a downbeat (yet eminently noble) conclusion, "Spartacus" is a thinking person's epic, rising above mere spectacle with a story as impressive as its widescreen action and Oscar-winning sets. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Anime

Duration: 125

Summary: The highest grossing film in Japanese box-office history (more than $234 million), Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" ("Sen To Chihiro Kamikakushi") is a dazzling film that reasserts the power of drawn animation to create fantasy worlds. Like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" and Lewis Carroll's Alice, Chihiro (voice by Daveigh Chase--Lilo in Disney's "Lilo & Stitch") plunges into an alternate reality. On the way to their new home, the petulant adolescent and her parents find what they think is a deserted amusement park. Her parents stuff themselves until they turn into pigs, and Chihiro discovers they're trapped in a resort for traditional Japanese gods and spirits. An oddly familiar boy named Haku (Jason Marsden) instructs Chihiro to request a job from Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette), the greedy witch who rules the spa. As she works, Chihiro's untapped qualities keep her from being corrupted by the greed that pervades Yubaba's mini-empire. In a series of fantastic adventures, she purges a river god suffering from human pollution, rescues the mysterious No-Face, and befriends Yubaba's kindly twin, Zeniba (Pleshette again). The resolve, bravery, and love Chihiro discovers within herself enable her to aid Haku and save her parents. The result is a moving and magical journey, told with consummate skill by one of the masters of contemporary animation. MPAA Rated: PG ("Some scary moments") "--Charles Solomon"

Theatrical:

Studio: Brentwood Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Summary: I loved Ong Bak and think Tony Jaa is a human dynamo.
This is apparently his first film appearance and was made by the same action team that made Ong Bak.
Fan sites say this will be a 2 disc set with loads of extras-
-interview and demo with Tony in New York.Rza of Wu Tang Clan is MC and Method Man,Taimak(Last Dragon)and others are there to meet and greet him
-Tony Jaa in Thailand being honered at some ceremony
-profile of Panna(Punna?)who is the action director and mastermind of Ong Bak.He's also the lead villian of Spirited Killer.
-profile of Thaland action films
Word is this will be available in it's original language with subtitles and also dubbed.
And at 9.99 from Amazon it's a no brainer.
Normally I stick to the budget packs but this is an exception!

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Live / Artisan

Genre: Television

Duration: 89

Summary: After a government-spawned "superflu" wipes out more than 90 percent of the earth's population, the devastated survivors must decide whether to support or resist the advances of a mysterious stranger from way down South (heh-heh) who wishes to claim this new world order for himself. Although the six-hour length makes it nigh-impossible to digest in one sitting, this well-paced adaptation of Stephen King's apocalyptic magnum opus ranks among the best adaptations of the author's work, with strong performances from Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, and especially Jamey Sheridan as a good-old-boy version of Old Scratch. The opening scene, set to the strains of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," is one of the most chilling things ever shot for television. Director Mick Garris is no stranger to King's world, having also helmed "Sleepwalkers", the recent television remake of "The Shining", and the upcoming "Desperation". "--Andrew Wright"

Theatrical: 1977

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 123

Summary: Was George Lucas's "Star Wars Trilogy", the most anticipated DVD release ever, worth the wait? You bet. It's a must-have for any home theater, looking great, sounding great, and supplemented by generous bonus features.
The Movies
The "Star Wars Trilogy" had the rare distinction of becoming a cultural phenomenon, a defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas's story is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of Jedi knights, the Force, and droids. Over the course of three films--"A New Hope" (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and "Return of the Jedi" (1983)--Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the roguish Han Solo (Harrison Ford) join the Rebel alliance in a galactic war against the Empire, the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), and eventually the all-powerful Emperor (Ian McDiarmid). "Empire" is generally considered the best of the films and "Jedi" the most uneven, but all three are vastly superior to the more technologically impressive prequels that followed, "Episode I, The Phantom Menace" (1999) and "Episode II, Attack of the Clones" (2002).
How Are the Picture and Sound?
Thanks to a new digital transfer, you've never seen C-3PO glow so golden, and Darth Vader's helmet is as black as the Dark Side.
In a word, spectacular. Thanks to a new digital transfer, you've never seen C-3PO glow so golden, and Darth Vader's helmet is as black as the Dark Side. And at the climactic scene of "A New Hope", see if the Dolby 5.1 EX sound doesn't knock you back in your chair. Other audio options are Dolby 2.0 Surround in English, Spanish, and French. (Sorry, DTS fans, but previous "Star Wars" DVDs didn't have DTS either.) There have been a few quibbles with the audio on "A New Hope", however. A few seconds of Peter Cushing's dialogue ("Then name the system!") are distorted, and the music (but not the sound effects) is reversed in the rear channels. For example, in the final scene, the brass is in the front right channel but the back left channel (from the viewer's perspective), and the strings are in the left front and back right. The result feels like the instruments are crossing through the viewer.
What's Been Changed?
The rumors are true: Lucas made "more" changes to the films for their DVD debut. Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) has been added to a scene in "Jedi", Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor) replaces Clive Revill with slightly revised lines in "Empire", Temuera Morrison has rerecorded Boba Fett's minimal dialogue, and some other small details have been altered. Yes, these changes mean that the "Star Wars" films are no longer the ones you saw 20 years ago, but these brief changes hardly affect the films, and they do make sense in the overall continuity of the two trilogies. It's not like a digitized Ewan McGregor has replaced Alec Guiness's scenes, and the infamous changes made for the 1997 special-edition versions were much more intrusive (of course, those are in the DVD versions as well).
How Are the Bonus Features?
Toplining is "Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy", a 150-minute documentary incorporating not only the usual making-of nuts and bolts but also the political workings of the movie studios and the difficulties Lucas had getting his vision to the screen (for example, after resigning from the Directors' Guild, he lost his first choice for director of "Jedi": Steven Spielberg). It's a little adulatory, but it has plenty to interest any fan. The three substantial featurettes are "The Characters of "Star Wars"" (19 min.), which discusses the development of the characters we all know and love, "The Birth of the Lightsaber" (15 min.), about the creation and evolution of a Jedi's ultimate weapon, and "The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of "Star Wars"" (15 min.), in which filmmakers such as Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron talk about how they and the industry were affected by the films and Lucas's technological developments in visual effects, sound, and computer animation.
The bonus features are excellent and along the same lines as those created for "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones". Each film has a commentary track, recorded by Lucas, Ben Burtt (sound design), Dennis Muren (visual effects), and Carrie Fisher, with Irvin Kershner joining in on the film he directed, "The Empire Strikes Back". Recorded separately and skillfully edited together (with supertitles to identify who is speaking), the tracks lack the energy of group commentaries, but they're enjoyable and informative, with a nice mix of overall vision (Lucas), technical details (Burtt, Muren, Kershner), and actor's perspective (Fisher). Interestingly, they discuss some of the 1997 changes (Mos Eisley creatures, the new Jabba the Hutt scene) but not those made for the DVDs.
There's also a sampler of the Xbox game "Star Wars: Battlefront", which lets the player reenact classic film scenarios (blast Ewoks in the battle of Endor!); trailers and TV spots from the films' many releases; and a nine-minute preview of the last film in the series, "Episode III, Revenge of the Sith" (here identified by an earlier working title, "The Return of Darth Vader"). Small extra touches include anamorphic widescreen motion menus with dialogue, original poster artwork on the discs, and a whopping 50 chapter stops for each film.
"The Force Is Strong with This One"
The "Star Wars Trilogy" is an outstanding DVD set that lives up to the anticipation. There will always be resentment that the original versions of the films are not available as well, but George Lucas maintains that these are the versions he always wanted to make. If fans are able to put this debate aside, they can enjoy the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han for years to come. "--David Horiuchi"

Theatrical: 1980

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 129

Summary: The 2006 limited-edition two-disc release of "The Empire Strikes Back" is not only the first time the movie has been officially available by itself on DVD. It marks the first-ever DVD release of "Empire" as it originally played in theaters in 1980. What does that mean exactly? The film is without the various "improvements" and enhancements George Lucas added for the theatrical rerelease in 1997 as well as the DVD premiere in 2004. So no more of Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor) replacing Clive Revill with slightly revised lines, or Temuera Morrison rerecording of Boba Fett's minimal dialogue.
What do you lose by watching the 1980 version? Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound, for one thing (only 2.0 Surround here), and digital cleanup. But for home-theater owners, the biggest frustration will be from the non-anamorphic picture. On a widescreen TV, an anamorphically enhanced (16x9) picture at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio will fill the screen with the exception of small black bars on the top and bottom. The original edition of "Empire", however, on a widescreen TV will have large black bars on the top, the bottom, and the sides unless you stretch the picture (and distort it in the process, especially considering the substandard picture quality). If you're watching on a standard square-shaped (4:3) TV, though, you won't notice a difference.
Yes, it's true that serious home-theater lovers who want spectacular sound and anamorphically enhanced picture can always watch the 2004 version of the movie also included in this set. But chances are good that they already picked up the trilogy edition of all three films, so their decision to buy the 2006 two-disc edition depends on how much they want the original film. The official LucasFilm stance is that this is an individual release of the 2004 version of "The Empire Strikes Back", and the 1980 version of the film is merely a "bonus feature." Common speculation is that the only reason the original versions are seeing the official light of day at all is to undercut the booming black market for the laserdisc version. "Star Wars" fans will have to decide for themselves if that's worth the purchase. "--David Horiuchi"

Theatrical: 1983

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 136

Summary: The 2006 limited-edition two-disc release of "Return of the Jedi" is not only the first time the movie has been officially available by itself on DVD. It marks the first-ever DVD release of "Jedi" as it originally played in theaters in 1983. What does that mean exactly? The film is without the various "improvements" and enhancements George Lucas added for the theatrical rerelease in 1997 as well as the DVD premiere in 2004. So Sebastian Shaw reclaims his spot as the man behind Darth Vader's mask, and we don't see the otherworldly celebration (including the Gungans) at the end of the movie.
What do you lose by watching the 1983 version? Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound, for one thing (only 2.0 Surround here), and digital cleanup. But for home-theater owners, the biggest frustration will be from the non-anamorphic picture. On a widescreen TV, an anamorphically enhanced (16x9) picture at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio will fill the screen with the exception of small black bars on the top and bottom. The original edition of "Jedi", however, on a widescreen TV will have large black bars on the top, the bottom, and the sides unless you stretch the picture (and distort it in the process, especially considering the substandard picture quality). If you're watching on a standard square-shaped (4:3) TV, though, you won't notice a difference.
Yes, it's true that serious home-theater lovers who want spectacular sound and anamorphically enhanced picture can always watch the 2004 version of the movie also included in this set. But chances are good that they already picked up the trilogy edition of all three films, so their decision to buy the 2006 two-disc edition depends on how much they want the original film. The official LucasFilm stance is that this is an individual release of the 2004 version of "Return of the Jedi", and the 1983 version of the film is merely a "bonus feature." Common speculation is that the only reason the original versions are seeing the official light of day at all is to undercut the booming black market for the laserdisc version. "Star Wars" fans will have to decide for themselves if that's worth the purchase. "--David Horiuchi"

Theatrical: 1977

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 151

Summary: The "Star Wars Trilogy" had the rare distinction of becoming a cultural phenomenon, a defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas's story is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of Jedi knights, the Force, and droids. Over the course of three films--"A New Hope" (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and "Return of the Jedi" (1983)--Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the roguish Han Solo (Harrison Ford) join the Rebel alliance in a galactic war against the Empire, the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), and eventually the all-powerful Emperor (Ian McDiarmid). "Empire" is generally considered the best of the films and "Jedi" the most uneven, but all three are vastly superior to the more technologically impressive prequels that followed, "Episode I, The Phantom Menace" (1999) and "Episode II, Attack of the Clones" (2002).

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Kids & Family

Duration: 127

Summary: "Stardust" settles over the viewer like a twinkly cloak. The film, which captures the magic and vision of author Neil Gaiman's fantasy graphic fable, is a transportive journey into a world of true enchantment, which fans of the "Harry Potter" books will enjoy as well as will adults looking for the perfect date movie. The tale is a not-so-simple love story and adventure, set in 19th century England--and an alternate universe of witches, spells and stars that turn human--and hold the key to eternal life.
Young Tristan (played with wide-eyed vigor by Charlie Cox) vows to retrieve a fallen star for the most beautiful girl in the village, the shallow Victoria (Sienna Miller), and in his quest, finds his true love--in a true "meet-cute" moment (by Babylon-candle-speeding into the just-crashed human incarnation of the star, Claire Danes). Much of the film involves the duo's journey back home--though home for Tristan is his village, and home for the celestial Yvaine is, of course, in the heavens. There are villains, notably Michelle Pfeiffer as the vain witch who seeks the fountain of youth a fallen star can give, and the seven venal sons of the dying king of the mythical realm, backstabbing, grasping, and hilarious--even in death as a ghostly Greek chorus.
While the sparks of love between Tristan and Yvaine are resonant and touching, "Stardust" truly succeeds as a brilliant fantasy yarn--and as a comedy with more than its share of belly laughs. Much of the humor belongs to Robert De Niro, who plays a notoriously wicked air pirate, who is secretly a bit light in his swashbucklers. Ricky Gervais has a small but memorable role essentially channeling his character from "Extras", including his catchphrase, "Are you having a laugh?!" The special effects are all that any fan of Gaiman would wish for. Catch a bit of "Stardust" and you'll feel enchanted for a good long while. "--A.T. Hurley"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 129

Summary: In the first and finest "RoboCop" movie, director Paul Verhoeven combined near-future science fiction with a keen sense of social satire--not to mention enough high-velocity violence to satisfy even the most voracious bloodlust. In "Starship Troopers", Verhoeven and "RoboCop" cowriter Ed Neumeier take inspired cues from Robert Heinlein's classic sci-fi novel to create a special-effects extravaganza that functions on multiple levels of entertainment. The film might be called "Melrose Place in Space," with its youthful cast of handsome guys and gorgeous women who look like they've been recruited (and in some cases they were) from the cast of "Beverly Hills 90210". Viewers might focus on the incredible, graphically intense action sequences (definitely "not" for children) in which heavily armed forces from Earth go to off-world battle against vast hordes of alien "bugs" bent on planetary conquest. The attacking bugs are marvels of state-of-the-art special-effects technology, and the space battles are nothing short of spectacular. But "Starship Troopers" is more than a showcase for high-tech hardware and gigantic, flesh-ripping insects. Recalling his childhood in Holland during the Nazi occupation, Verhoeven turns this epic adventure into a scathingly funny satire of fascist propaganda, emphasizing Heinlein's underlying warning against the hazards of military conformity and the sickening realities of war. It's an action-packed joy ride if that's all you're looking for, but Verhoeven has a provocative agenda that makes "Starship Troopers" as smart as it is exciting. The DVD includes an above-average commentary by the director and Neumeier, several deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes documentary and promotional featurette, cast bios, production notes, and more. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Drama

Duration: 41

Summary: One of Jim Henson's finest hours was the "Storyteller" series that first aired on HBO in 1987. As with his other non-Muppet creations ("Labyrinth"), Henson fills the screen with wonderful creatures that have a wisp of a J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy. This collection of nine stories (it does not contain the Greek myths arc) were adapted by Anthony Minghella, who became an Oscar-winning filmmaker a decade later with "The English Patient". Minghella weaves the narration of the storyteller (played with aplomb by John Hurt) with dialogue from the stories to beguiling effect; the storyteller doesn't simply introduce the tales.
A few of the stories have been available before on video, but this collection starts with the debut, the Emmy-winning "Hans My Hedgehog," the title role being a young disformed man who helps a lost king in the woods. Other highlights include "The Luck Child" about a king bent on destroying a commoner boy, known as the luck child ("the seventh son born of a seventh son on a week with two Fridays"). After a wizard declares the boy will grow up to be king. The fate of the king is one of those hooks that should have the kids smiling for days. Henson himself directs "Death and the Soldier," a brilliant example of how these episodes were so wonderfully complex. A penniless solider (Bob Peck) is given a magical sack and he uses it to full effect, capturing gremlins and greater evils on his way to be king. "Sapsorrow" is a curious variation on the Cinderella legend. "A Story Short" is the storyteller's own adventure. He makes a deal with a king to tell a story every day of the year. Yet on the last day, the storyteller's mind is a blank and his fate may lead him to a boiling vat of oil. Henson's work is true family entertainment and at only 22 minutes per episode, it's the perfect companion for some fine entertainment around the TV. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: FIRST LOOK PICTURES

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 98

Summary: Famed Japanese auteur Takashi Miike, best known for cult classics "Audition, Ichi the Killer," and "The City of Lost Souls," redefines the spaghetti Western with SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, a tale written in blood. Two clans, the white, Genji clan, led by Yoshitsune, and the red, Heike clan, led by Kiyomori, battle for a legendary treasure hidden in a desolate mountain town. One day, a lone gunman, burdened with deep emotional scars but blessed with incredible shooting skills, drifts into town. Two clans try to woo the lone gunman to their side, but he has ulterior motives. Dirty tricks, betrayal, desire and love collide as the situation erupts into a final, explosive showdown. Quentin Tarantino also stars. LIMITED EDITION STEELBOOK PACKAGING

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 100

Summary: The fine art of handing out a freeway speeding ticket gets a deviously funny twist in this smart-alecky farce written and performed by the comedy troop Broken Lizard (consisting of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske). These pranksters in patrol cars (led by their long-suffering commander Brian Cox) are little more than overgrown frat boys in a campus rivalry with the brawling Vermont bullies of the local police force, and they know how to have fun on the highway patrol. This skit-like collection of comic moments clumps from one scene to another like a variety show, but the gags are more hit than miss, thanks largely to terrific ensemble work and inspired motorist mind games. With a nod to such 1970s comedies as "Animal House" and "Caddyshack", this "boys in blue just wanna have fun" farce is hardly sophisticated, just clever, raucous fun. "--Sean Axmaker"