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DVDs in Collection: 407

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100 Girls
Comedy Lions Gate R
Self-described "tragically glib" college freshman Jonathan Tucker finds true love in a girls' dorm elevator during a blackout, but when he forgets to get her name he has 100 suspects to sift through, one by one! It may sound like the premise of just another teen sex farce, but writer-director Michael Davis makes it the starting point of the boy's getting of wisdom. Amiable young star Tucker brings an excited and endearing innocence to his journey, and Emmanuelle Chriqui is a delight as the "promiscuous" girl who teaches him a thing or three about crippling stereotypes. Larisa Oleynik, Jaime Pressly, Marissa Ribisi, and Katherine Heigl are just a few of the other girls who help him along. "100 Girls" is a refreshingly frank, funny, and sexy exploration of the dynamics of young men and women and the power of first impressions, reputations, and expectations. "--Sean Axmaker"

A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Science Fiction & Fantasy Dreamworks Video PG-13
History will place an asterisk next to "A.I." as the film Stanley Kubrick "might" have directed. But let the record also show that Kubrick--after developing this project for some 15 years--wanted Steven Spielberg to helm this astonishing sci-fi rendition of "Pinocchio", claiming (with good reason) that it veered closer to Spielberg's kinder, gentler sensibilities. Spielberg inherited the project (based on the Brian Aldiss short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long") after Kubrick's death in 1999, and the result is an astounding directorial hybrid. A flawed masterpiece of sorts, in which Spielberg's gift for wondrous enchantment often clashes (and sometimes melds) with Kubrick's harsher vision of humanity, the film spans near and distant futures with the fairy-tale adventures of an artificial boy named David (Haley Joel Osment), a marvel of cybernetic progress who wants only to be a real boy, loved by his mother in that happy place called home.
Echoes of Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" are clearly heard as young David, shunned by his trial parents and tossed into an unfriendly world, is joined by fellow "mecha" Gigolo Joe (played with a dancer's agility by Jude Law) in his quest for a mother-and-child reunion. Parallels to "Pinocchio" intensify as David reaches "the end of the world" (a Manhattan flooded by melted polar ice caps), and a far-future epilogue propels "A.I." into even deeper realms of wonder, even as it pulls Spielberg back to his comfort zone of sweetness and soothing sentiment. Some may lament the diffusion of Kubrick's original vision, but this is Spielberg's "A.I." (complete with one of John Williams's finest scores), a film of astonishing technical wizardry that spans the spectrum of human emotions and offers just enough Kubrick to suggest that humanity's future is anything but guaranteed. "--Jeff Shannon"

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Kids & Family Sony Pictures
Monty Python's Terry Gilliam ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") directs this wild, wild version of the stories of Baron Munchausen, pushing the limits of 1989 special effects technology to bring us such sights as a horse divided in half and running around in two parts, and a giant Robin Williams with his head flying off his shoulders. Basically, this is a treat for Gilliam fans, as the sustaining idea of the film runs out of steam, and manic energy alone keeps the momentum going. Casual viewers might find it tedious after awhile. There are nice parts for fellow Python Eric Idle, as well as Sting, Alison Steadman, and Uma Thurman as a dazzlingly beautiful Venus on a half-shell. Gilliam had greater artistic and commercial success with "Brazil", "The Fisher King" and "12 Monkeys". "--Tom Keogh"

Aeon Flux
Science Fiction & Fantasy Paramount Home Video PG-13
Like the animated series it's based on, "Aeon Flux" is the kind of sci-fi that's best appreciated by the MTV generation. It's a serious attempt at stylized, futuristic action/adventure (the title character, played by Charlize Theron, is essentially a female James Bond for the cyberpunk era) and taken for what it is, it's not all that bad. The action takes place in the year 2415, four centuries after a virus nearly decimated the human race, leaving only five million survivors in a utopian city called Bregna. Aeon belongs to the Monicans, a secret rebel resistance force that is struggling to destroy the Goodchild regime led by its namesake, Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas), the ruler of Bregna and a descendant of the man who found a cure for the deadly virus. As instructed by the Handler (Frances McDormand, gamely playing along in ridiculous sci-fi regalia), Aeon is assigned to assassinate Goodchild, but there are deeper secrets to be discovered, and conspiracies to be foiled. This leads director Karyn Kusama (who fared much better with her debut feature "Girlfight") to indulge in all sorts of routine action and fast-paced gunplay, but the elusive pleasures of "Aeon Flux" are mostly found in the sleek athleticism of Theron and costar Sophie Okonedo (as a fellow Monican), who commit themselves 100% to roles that are dramatically flat yet physically dynamic. Other highlights include Aeon's high-tech gadgetry (including an eyeball that doubles as a microsocope) and the amusing sight of Pete Postlethwaite in a costume resembling a construction-site disposal tube, but "Flux" fans may wonder what happened to the surreal, chromium sheen future that gave the MTV series its visionary appeal. As a live-action feature, "Aeon Flux" is a miscalculated exercise in cheesy style and dour tone, but it's entertaining enough to earn a small cadre of admirers. "--Jeff Shannon"

Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection
Animation Paramount
Her extensive list of skills includes assassination, seduction, domination, and modeling. She is a leather-clad mercenary and a deadly double agent, known for her erratic behavior patterns and ability to dispatch villains with a kick of her shapely leg. She's Aeon Flux, the dazzling dominatrix from the popular animated series on MTV, a colorful hybrid of Japanese animation and Heavy Metal graphics. This digital video disc combines several complete episodes with selected shorts as they originally appeared on the popular music video channel. Aeon Flux is teasing treat for libidinous teens and grownup guys with teenage tastes. --Jeff Shannon

Akira
Anime Geneon [Pioneer] R
Artist-writer Katsuhiro ôtomo began telling the story of Akira as a comic book series in 1982 but took a break from 1986 to 1988 to write, direct, supervise, and design this animated film version. Set in 2019, the film richly imagines the new metropolis of Neo-Tokyo, which is designed from huge buildings down to the smallest details of passing vehicles or police uniforms. Two disaffected orphan teenagers--slight, resentful Tetsuo and confident, breezy Kaneda--run with a biker gang, but trouble grows when Tetsuo start to resent the way Kaneda always has to rescue him. Meanwhile, a group of scientists, military men, and politicians wonder what to do with a collection of withered children who possess enormous psychic powers, especially the mysterious, rarely seen Akira, whose awakening might well have caused the end of the old world. Tetsuo is visited by the children, who trigger the growth of psychic and physical powers that might make him a superman or a supermonster. As befits a distillation of 1,318 pages of the story so far, "Akira" is overstuffed with character, incident, and detail. However, it piles up astonishing set pieces: the chases and shootouts (amazingly kinetic, amazingly bloody) benefit from minute cartoon detail that extends to the surprised or shocked faces of the tiniest extra; the Tetsuo monster alternately looks like a billion-gallon scrotal sac or a Tex Avery mutation of the monster from "The Quatermass Experiment"; and the finale--which combines flashbacks to more innocent days with a destruction of Neo City and the creation of a new universe--is one of the most mind-bending in all sci-fi cinema. "--Kim Newman"

Alien
Horror 20th Century Fox R
A landmark of science fiction and horror, "Alien" arrived in 1979 between "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back" as a stylishly malevolent alternative to George Lucas's space fantasy. Partially inspired by 1958's "It! The Terror from Beyond Space", this instant classic set a tone of its own, offering richly detailed sets, ominous atmosphere, relentless suspense, and a flawless ensemble cast as the crew of the space freighter "Nostromo", who fall prey to a vicious creature (designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger) that had gestated "inside" one of the ill-fated crew members. In a star-making role, Sigourney Weaver excels as sole survivor Ripley, becoming the screen's most popular heroine in a lucrative movie franchise. To measure the film's success, one need only recall the many images that have been burned into our collective psyche, including the "facehugger," the "chestburster," and Ripley's climactic encounter with the full-grown monster. Impeccably directed by Ridley Scott, "Alien" is one of the cinema's most unforgettable nightmares. "--Jeff Shannon"

Aliens
Horror 20th Century Fox R
"Aliens" is one of the few cases of a sequel that far surpassed the original. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, who awakens on Earth only to discover that she has been hibernating in space so long that everyone she knows is dead. Then she is talked into traveling (along with a squad of Marines) to a planet under assault by the same aliens that nearly killed her. Once she gets there, she finds a lost little girl who triggers her maternal instincts--and she discovers that the company has once again double-crossed her, in hopes of capturing one of the aliens to study as a military weapon. Directed and written by James Cameron, this is one of the most intensely exciting (not to mention intensely frightening) action films ever, with a large ensemble cast that includes Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, and Michael Biehn. Weaver defined the action woman in this film and walked away with an Oscar nomination for her trouble. "--Marshall Fine"

An American Werewolf in London
Horror Mca Home Video R
Remember back in the early 1980s when special-effects makeup artists were tripping over themselves to create the next big effect? "The Howling" boasted a fantastic werewolf transformation scene courtesy of makeup wizard Rob Bottin. Then along came Bottin's mentor, Rick Baker, with his own spectacular effects in this popular horror comedy directed by John Landis. "An American Werewolf in London" is more of a makeup showcase than a truly satisfying movie, but the film is effectively moody when David Naughton discovers that a wolf attack has turned him into a bloodthirsty lycanthrope. Jenny Agutter plays his love interest (watch out, he bites!), and who can forget Griffin Dunne as Naughton's best friend, an undead corpse who progressively rots away as the plot unfolds? All things considered, it's easy to see why "An American Werewolf in London" became a modern horror favorite. "--Jeff Shannon"

An American Werewolf in Paris
Horror Walt Disney Video R
On the strength of his Hitchcockian-thriller debut, "Mute Witness", writer-director Anthony Waller was hired to direct this belated sequel to the 1981 horror comedy "An American Werewolf in London", but lycanthropy in the City of Light just ain't what it used to be. The movie offers plenty of gruesome makeup and special wolf-transformation effects, and there are some effectively spooky moments in the plot involving an underground population of hungry Parisian werewolves. One of them is seductively played by Julie Delpy, who is rescued from attempted suicide by an American tourist (Tom Everett Scott, from "That Thing You Do!") but ultimately can't hide her dual identity when darkness falls and the full moon shines. The movie begins well, but gradually succumbs to nonsense and mayhem, prompting critic Roger Ebert to observe that "here are people we don't care about, doing things they don't understand, in a movie without any rules." In other words, you'd have to be a die-hard horror buff to give this one the benefit of the doubt. "--Jeff Shannon"

Angel - Seasons 1-5 30-Disc DVD Set
Science Fiction & Fantasy 20th Century Fox Unrated
ANGEL SEASON 1 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 2 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 3 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 4 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 5 (6 DISCS)
**COMPANION BOOKLET **LETTER TO FANS FROM JOSS WHEDON

Animaniacs, Vol. 1
Television Warner Home Video NR
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs! The adventures or misadventures of the Warner Brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner Sister, Dot, who were so crazy that the studio execs locked them away in the water town at the Studio. The witty, slapstick humor with pop culture parodies and cartoon wackiness is on DVD for the first time ever with 25 fantastic Animaniacs episodes.

Animaniacs, Vol. 2
Television Warner Home Video NR
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs! The adventures or misadventures of the Warner Brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner Sister, Dot, who were so crazy that the studio execs locked them away in the water town at the Studio. The witty, slapstick humor with pop culture parodies and cartoon wackiness is on DVD for the first time ever with 25 fantastic Animaniacs episodes.

Animaniacs, Vol. 3
Television Warner Home Video NR
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs! The adventures or misadventures of the Warner Brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner Sister, Dot, who were so crazy that the studio execs locked them away in the water town at the Studio. The witty, slapstick humor with pop culture parodies and cartoon wackiness is on DVD for the first time ever with 25 fantastic Animaniacs episodes.

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

Appleseed Ex Machina
Art House & International Warner Home Video PG-13
Produced by John Woo and directed by Shinji Aramaki, "Appleseed Ex Machina" (2007) ranks as the most elaborate, stylish, and violent of the three adaptations of Masamune Shirow's manga. When it was released in 1988, the original "Appleseed" felt like a summary of anime's past, while "Akira" pointed the way to the future. The second "Appleseed" (2004), also directed by Aramaki, was an unimpressive motion-capture CG feature that borrowed elements from other sci-fi anime. In this latest incarnation, Deunan, Briareos, and Tereus of the E.S.W.A.T. team are charged with preserving the peace of the city-state of Olympus, a hi-tech paradise on a largely ruined Earth. Screenwriters Kiyoto Takeuchi and Todd W. Russell have given the story a contemporary twist, adding attacks by "cyborg terrorists" and an effort by the ruler of Olympus to control a world-wide satellite surveillance system. When cyborgs and human launch coordinated attacks on the government headquarters in Olympus, Deunan, Briareos, and Tereus swing into action against a mysterious enemy. The plot has little in common with the earlier films: the Appleseed technology that was at the core of the story isn't even mentioned. The look, tone, and characters in "Ex Machina" recall Shirow's "Ghost in the Shell", rather than the original "Appleseed". Not surprisingly, the elaborately choreographed fight scenes reflect Woo's signature style, with slo-mo martial-arts combat, close-ups of falling shells, dynamic camerawork, and all-out gun battles. But the weightless movements of the motion-capture characters and the limited rendering of the skin textures gives "Appleseed Ex Machina" the feel of an extremely elaborate computer game. Despite the limits of the mo-cap technology, "Appleseed Ex Machina" is a fast-past, take-no-prisoners cinematic adventure that will delight action-movie fans as well as anime lovers. (Rated PG-13: violence, violence against women, profanity, grotesque imagery, potentially offensive religious imagery.) "--Charles Solomon"

Army of Darkness
Horror Mca Home Video R
A movie that only true horror buffs could love, "Army of Darkness" is officially part 3 in the wild and wacky Evil Dead trilogy masterminded by the perversely inventive director Sam Raimi, who would later serve as executive producer of the popular syndicated TV series "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys." Raimi's favorite actor, Bruce Campbell, returns as Ash (hero of the first two Evil Dead flicks), a hardware-store clerk who is magically transported--along with his beat-up Oldsmobile and a chainsaw attachment for his severed left forearm--to the brutal battlefields of the 14th century. He quickly assumes power (who else in the Middle Ages packs a shotgun and a chainsaw?), and unites his band of medieval knights against the dreaded Army of the Dead. Raimi gleefully subverts almost every horror-movie cliché as he serves up a nonstop parade of blood, gore, and vicious sword-bearing skeletons--an affectionate homage to animator Ray Harryhausen's classic "Jason and the Argonauts". The frantic action is fun while it lasts, but even at 80 minutes "Army of Darkness" nearly wears out its welcome. You know that Raimi can maintain the mayhem for only so long before it grows tiresome, and fortunately this madcap movie quits while it's ahead. "--Jeff Shannon"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Batman
Action & Adventure Warner Home Video PG-13
Thanks to the ambitious vision of director Tim Burton, the blockbuster hit of 1989 delivers the goods despite an occasionally spotty script, giving the caped crusader a thorough overhaul in keeping with the crime fighter's evolution in DC Comics. Michael Keaton strikes just the right mood as the brooding "Dark Knight" of Gotham City; Kim Basinger plays Gotham's intrepid reporter Vicki Vale; and Jack Nicholson goes wild as the maniacal and scene-stealing Joker, who plots a takeover of the city with his lethal Smilex gas. Triumphant Oscar-winning production design by the late Anton Furst turns "Batman" into a visual feast, and Burton brilliantly establishes a darkly mythic approach to Batman's legacy. Danny Elfman's now-classic score propels the action with bold, muscular verve. "--Jeff Shannon"

Batman Begins
Action & Adventure Warner Home Video PG-13
"Batman Begins" discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's "Batman & Robin". As the title implies, "Batman Begins" tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?
Co-written by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan ("Memento"), "Batman Begins" is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of "Spider-Man 2" (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek") is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. "--David Horiuchi"

Battlestar Galactica
Television Mca Home Video NR
Despite voluminous protest and nitpicking criticism from loyal fans of the original 1978-80 TV series, the 2003 version of "Battlestar Galactica" turned out surprisingly well for viewers with a tolerance for change. Originally broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2003 and conceived by "Star Trek: The Next Generation" alumnus Ronald D. Moore as the pilot episode for a "reimagined" TV series, this four-hour "miniseries" reprises the basic premise of the original show while giving a major overhaul (including some changes in gender) to several characters and plot elements. Gone are the flowing robes, disco-era hairstyles, and mock-Egyptian fighter helmets, and thankfully there's not a fluffy "daggit" in sight... at least, not yet. Also missing are the "chrome toaster" Cylons, replaced by new, more formidable varieties of the invading Cylon enemy, including "Number Six" in hot red skirts and ample cleavage, who tricks the human genius Baltar into a scenario that nearly annihilates the human inhabitants of 12 colonial worlds.
Thus begins the epic battle and eventual retreat of a "ragtag fleet" of humans, searching for the mythical planet Earth under the military command of Adama (Edward James Olmos) and the political leadership of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), a former secretary of education, 43rd in line of succession and rising to the occasion of her unexpected Presidency. As directed by Michael Rymer ("Queen of the Damned"), Moore's ambitious teleplay also includes newfangled CGI space battles (featuring "handheld" camera moves and subdued sound effects for "enhanced realism"), a dysfunctional Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) who's provoked into action by the insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), and a father-son reunion steeped in familial tragedy. To fans of the original "BG" series, many of these changes are blasphemous, but for the most part they work--including an ominous cliffhanger ending. The remade "Galactica" is brimming with smart, well-drawn characters ripe with dramatic potential, and it readily qualifies as serious-minded science fiction, even as it gives "BG" loyalists ample fuel for lively debate. "--Jeff Shannon"

The Beastmaster
Action & Adventure Anchor Bay PG
Singer had the best male body, bar none, I have ever seen in films and *it* is really the star of this one, right behind the two ferrets, "Beastmaster's" friends. Most of the camera angles enhance Singer's musculature. He has learned how to stand and move to best advantage for the cameras. He's not handsome, though, which doesn't really matter in this film.
The film is fun, action-packed and pretty to watch. While Tanya Roberts in her rather small role is nice to look at, she cannot act her way out of a paper bag, but manages to lend another perfect body to the cast.
Rip Torn, the evil one, barely suppresses a guffaw at the lines he has to say, but pulls it off nonetheless. The plot is good - "Beastmaster" (Singer) is ripped from his mother's womb before birth, placed by occult means into the womb of an ox (cow?) and is then ripped out again at knifepoint. As a result, somehow he is able to communicate nonverbally with animals and they are his helpers - an eagle, a black leopard and two ferrets - on his way to avenge his mother's death.



For what it is (bad acting, beautiful people and an unusual plot), it deserves the cult following it's got. After all, cult movies don't always become so by being great works of art. Buy it just for fun, suspend your incredulity for an evening and just enjoy it.

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

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

Ben-Hur
Classics Warner Home Video G
"Ben-Hur" scooped an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards® in 1959 and, unlike some later rivals, richly deserved every single one. This is epic filmmaking on a scale that had not been seen before and is unlikely ever to be seen again. But it's not just running time or a cast of thousands that makes an epic, it's the subject matter, and here the subject--Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and his estrangement from old Roman pal Messala (Stephen Boyd)--is rich, detailed, and sensitively handled. Director William Wyler, who had been a junior assistant on MGM's original silent version back in 1925, never sacrifices the human focus of the story in favor of spectacle, and is aided immeasurably by Miklos Rozsa's majestic musical score, arguably the greatest ever written for a Hollywood picture. At four hours it's a long haul (especially given some of the portentous dialogue), but all in all, "Ben-Hur" is a great movie, best seen on the biggest screen possible. "--Mark Walker"

Benny and Joon
Comedy MGM (Video & DVD) PG
An oddball love story about a fey loner named Sam (Johnny Depp), who falls in love with the mentally unbalanced Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), who lives in the care of her protective brother Benny (Aidan Quinn). This 1993 story is hard to swallow, with its message that love can conquer a brand of mental illness that manifests itself in pyromania: Joon has a bad habit of going a bit around the bend and setting fires, but Sam's tender care apparently has the cure for what ails her. Still, if you want proof that Depp has significant chops as a physical comedian, give this film a try: He does note-perfect renditions of slapstick routines made famous by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. "--Marshall Fine"

Berserk: Complete Collection
Anime Anime Works Unrated
In the castle town of Midland, a new king has come to power through treachery and violence. His demonic agents relentlessly victimize the townspeople, until the night a battle weary soldier enters the city. Covered in an array of weapons and countless battle scars, he calls himself the Black Swordsman. The sword he carries is as big as his grudge against the king. Blade in hand he hunts the servants of evil with unending vengeful fury.

Bicentennial Man
Comedy Walt Disney Video PG
"Bicentennial Man" was stung at the 1999 box office, due no doubt in part to poor timing during a backlash against Robin Williams and his treacly performances in two other, then-recent releases, "Jakob the Liar" and "Patch Adams". But this near-approximation of a science fiction epic, based on works by Isaac Asimov and directed, with uncharacteristic seriousness of purpose, by Chris Columbus ("Mrs. Doubtfire"), is much better than one would have known from the knee-jerk negativity and box-office indifference.
Williams plays Andrew, a robot programmed for domestic chores and sold to an upper-middle-class family, the Martins, in the year 2005. The family patriarch (Sam Neill) recognizes and encourages Andrew's uncommon characteristics, particularly his artistic streak, sensitivity to beauty, humor, and independence of spirit. In so doing, he sets Williams's tin man on a two-century journey to become more human than most human beings.
As adapted by screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, the movie's scale is novelistic, though Columbus isn't the man to embrace with Spielbergian confidence its sweeping possibilities. Instead, the "Home Alone" director shakes off his familiar tendencies to pander and matures, finally, as a captivating storyteller. But what really makes this film matter is its undercurrent of deep yearning, the passion of Andrew as a convert to the human race and his willingness to sacrifice all to give and take love. Williams rises to an atypical challenge here as a futuristic Everyman, relying, perhaps for the first time, on his considerable iconic value to make the point that becoming human means becoming more like Robin Williams. Nothing wrong with that. "--Tom Keogh"

Big Fish
Comedy Sony Pictures PG-13
After a string of mediocre movies, director Tim Burton regains his footing as he shifts from macabre fairy tales to Southern tall tales. "Big Fish" twines in and out of the oversized stories of Edward Bloom, played as a young man by Ewan McGregor ("Moulin Rouge", "Down with Love") and as a dying father by Albert Finney ("Tom Jones"). Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup, "Almost Famous") sits by his father's bedside but has little patience with the old man's fables, because he feels these stories have kept him from knowing who his father really is. Burton dives into Bloom's imagination with zest, sending the determined young man into haunted woods, an idealized Southern town, a traveling circus, and much more. The result is sweet but--thanks to the director's dark and clever sensibility--never saccharine. Also featuring Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, and Steve Buscemi. "--Bret Fetzer"

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

Black Adder: The Complete Collector's Set
Comedy BBC Warner NR
One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes.
DVD Features:
Featurette
Interactive Menus
Interviews
Music Video

The Boondock Saints
Action & Adventure 20th Century Fox R
Charismatic young stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus play two Irish brothers, Connor and Murphy, who believe themselves ordained by God to rid the world of evil men. Their first killing is in self-defense; but after that, they start killing with devotion, gunning down a summit of the Russian mafia. Willem Dafoe plays a gay FBI agent (he listens to opera while examining crime scenes) who knows what the boys are doing but feels that their vigilante tactics are necessary. There's not much plot to "The Boondock Saints"--it's mostly a series of violent scenes in which the boys are partially ingenious and partially lucky. The movie seems to want to provoke debate about vigilantism, but the scenario is too implausible to stir any real controversy. The peculiar mix of earnestness and machismo will not appeal to everyone, but it's certainly unique and may acquire a cult following. "--Bret Fetzer"

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

Brazil - Criterion Collection
Comedy Criterion R
If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--this is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. However, "Brazil" was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam sure captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's "The Trial" (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek governmental clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. Not a software bug, a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous "Metamorphosis" insect) that gets smooshed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly identifying an innocent citizen, one Mr. Buttle, as suspected terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro). When Sam becomes enmeshed in unraveling this bureaucratic glitch, he himself winds up labeled as a miscreant.
The movie presents such an unrelentingly imaginative and savage vision of 20th-century bureaucracy that it almost became a victim of small-minded studio management itself--until Gilliam surreptitiously screened his cut for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, who named it the best movie of 1985 and virtually embarrassed Universal into releasing it. This DVD version of Brazil is the special director's cut that first appeared in Criterion's comprehensive (and expensive) six-disc laser package in 1996. "--Jim Emerson"

Brotherhood of the Wolf
Foreign Mca Home Video R
If you crave an over-the-top historical kung fu-fantasy epic with a good dose of voluptuous nudity, bravura machismo, and passions so intense they verge on ridiculous, then "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is your movie. Based (loosely) on an 18th-century legend, this French film follows a hunky scientist (Samuel Le Bihan, who's sort of a second-string Christopher Lambert) and his Iroquois sidekick/spiritual partner (Mark Dacascos) as they pursue a monstrous wolf ravaging the French countryside. Along the way Le Bihan gets entwined with a beautiful noblewoman (émilie Dequenne) and a gorgeous prostitute (Monica Belluci) with secrets. The plot grows more and more incomprehensible, but the mix of torrid emotions, outrageous action sequences, and lurid titillation is really what the movie is about. Ignore the highbrow philosophizing and confused political intrigue; just enjoy the sensual images. "--Bret Fetzer"

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

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Collector's Set
Horror 20th Century Fox NR
From its charming and angst-ridden first season to the darker, apocalyptic final one, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" succeeds on many levels, and in a fresher and more authentic way than the shows that came before or after it. How lucky, then, that with the release of its boxed set of seasons 1-7, you can have the estimable pleasure of watching a near-decade of "Buffy" in any order you choose. (And we have some ideas about how that should be done.)
First: rest assured that there's no shame in coming to "Buffy" late, even if you initially turned your nose up at the winsome Sarah Michelle Gellar kicking the hell out of vampires (in "Buffy"-lingo, vamps), demons, and other evil-doers. Perhaps you did so because, well, it looked sort of science-fiction-like with all that monster latex. Start with season 3 and see that Buffy offers something for everyone, and the sooner you succumb to it, the quicker you'll appreciate how textured and riveting a drama it is.
Why season 3? Because it offers you a winning cast of characters who have fallen from innocence: their hearts have been broken, their egos trampled in typically vicious high-school style, and as a result, they've begun to realize how fallible they are. As much as they try, there are always more monsters, or a bigger evil. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the core crew remains something of a unit--there's the smart girl, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) who dreams of saving the day by downloading the plans to City Hall's sewer tunnels and mapping a route to safety. There are the ne'r do wells--the vampire Spike (James Marsters), who both clashes with and aspires to love Buffy; the tortured and torturing Angel (David Boreanz); the pretty, popular girl with an empty heart (Charisma Carpenter); and the teenage everyman, Xander (Nicholas Brendon).
Then there's Buffy herself, who in the course of seven seasons morphs from a sarcastic teenager in a minidress to a heroine whose tragic flaw is an abiding desire to be a "normal" girl. On a lesser note, with the boxed set you can watch the fashion transformation of Buffy from mall rat to Prada-wearing, kickboxing diva with enviable highlights. (There was the unfortunate bob of season 2, but it's a forgivable lapse.) At least the storyline merits the transformations: every time Buffy has to end a relationship she cuts her hair, shedding both the pain and her vulnerability.
In addition to the well-wrought teenage emotional landscape, "Buffy" deftly takes on more universal themes--power, politics, death, morality--as the series matures in seasons 4-6. And apart from a few missteps that haven't aged particularly well ("I Robot" in season 1 comes to mind), most episodes feel as harrowing and as richly drawn as they did at first viewing. That's about as much as you can ask for any form of entertainment: that it offer an escape from the viewer's workaday world and entry into one in which the heroine (ideally one with leather pants) overcomes demons far more troubling than one's own. "--Megan Halverson"

Bug
Comedy Fox Lorber NR
In the charming independent movie "Bug", a small boy squashing an insect sets in motion a series of events, large and small, that include a lost restaurant reservation, a drunken fender-bender, disruption of basic cable television service, and more than one relationship falling apart. One person's disaster becomes another's boon, and vice versa--because a man loses his job, a young girl becomes the lead ballerina in the school play, which in turn causes the death of a pet pig. Featuring Brian Cox ("Manhunter", "L.I.E."), Jamie Kennedy ("Scream", "Malibu's Most Wanted"), Sarah Poulson ("Down with Love"), and John Carroll Lynch ("Fargo", "Bubble Boy"), "Bug" takes a comic look at the interconnectedness of life. The movie occasionally tries too hard for emotional resonance, but its best comic touches--like some vengeful fortune cookie messages written by a jilted boyfriend--give "Bug" a wry wit worth checking out. "--Bret Fetzer"

Casablanca
Classics Warner Home Video PG
A truly perfect movie, the 1942 "Casablanca" still wows viewers today, and for good reason. Its unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war against a monster is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish. Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis; Ingrid Bergman is the lover who mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood films. This is certainly among the most spirited and ennobling movies ever made. "--Tom Keogh"

The Cat Returns
Kids & Family Walt Disney Home Entertainment G
"The Cat Returns" (2002) brings back Muta, the cranky fat cat, and Baron von Gikkingen, the elegant statue, from the feature "Whisper of the Heart" (1995). On her way home from school, Haru, a confused 17-year-old, prevents an elegant gray cat from being hit by a truck. She's inadvertently saved the life of Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom, and his royal father decides to thank her. He fills her locker with gift-wrapped mice and decides she should come to his kingdom and marry Lune. Haru seeks help from the Cat Bureau, and eventually returns to relatively normal life, with the assistance of Muta and the Baron.
"The Cat Returns" recalls "Whisper of the Heart" and Takashi Nakamura's "Catnapped", but it offers neither the wistful charm of the former nor the bold visual imagination of the latter. Hayao Miyazaki has been seeking young directors for Studio Ghibli for several years. After preparing the script and storyboards for "Whisper", he turned the film over to Yoshifumi Kondo, who died tragically shortly after the film's release. "The Cat Returns" was directed by Hiroyuki Morita, who shows promise, but lacks Kondo's elegant sensibility. The DVD extras include a fulsome making-of documentary, Morita's voluminous storyboards, and mini-interviews with the vocal cast that includes Tim Curry, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle, and Elliott Gould. (Rated G: minor scary imagery and cartoon violence) "--Charles Solomon"

Chappelle's Show - Season 1
Television Paramount Unrated
The 2003 debut of "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central marked a high point for the cable channel, and now the entire, wildly creative first season can be seen, with hundreds of bleeps removed. That's not to say "Chappelle's Show" is perfect entertainment: there are too many moments among the 12 episodes here that descend into pointless scatology and booty fever. But for the most part, Chappelle, a talented comic slowly growing into greatness, is trying to push the sketch-humor envelope and succeeds at surprising us with original concepts and merciless execution.
The merely clever material includes "National Geography's Third World Girls Gone Wild," basically an update on those topless-native-women gags of yore, and Chappelle's "Educated Guess Line," in which the sage comic eschews psychic powers to logically deduce racial insights from his callers' questions. Far more wicked is an in-your-face satire on such autobiographical film fare as "Antwone Fisher" and "8 Mile", in which Chappelle plays himself ascending from street hustler to rapper-comedian to bona fide savior of America. The best thing here, however, is a parallel-universe version of "The Real World", in which the usual racial proportions on MTV's workhorse series are reversed, thrusting a token white guy into a Hoboken houseful of crazy African Americans. There are also laughs in "Ask a Gay Guy with Mario Cantoned," as well as a sketch about an "inner-thoughts cam" and a nasty piece about Chappelle's Make-a-Wish visit to a dying child, which decays into a cruel video game competition. Overlooking the series' weaker material, this is outstanding television comedy. "--Tom Keogh"

Chappelle's Show - Season 2
Television Paramount NR
Dave Chappelle's shrewd parodies, stinging satires, and boldly imaginative fantasias simply pour from the second season of his Comedy Central show, in every respect as funny as his well-received debut year. The structure is the same: a relaxed Chappelle introduces each sketch to an enthusiastic, studio audience (some of these introductions amount to stand-up routines), and then the madness begins. Among the many highlights from the 13 episodes on this boxed set's three discs is a mock ad for Samuel L. Jackson beer, featuring Chappelle's hilarious impression of Jackson's stern, overbearing persona from "Pulp Fiction", and a dozen other features. Chappelle, considering a career in politics, floats a couple of trial campaign commercials, including one that promises to solve America's health care crisis by giving every citizen a fake Canadian I.D. Chappelle also suggests an effective program for teaching sexual abstinence to high school students: Forcing them to watch their principals have sex with the oldest female teachers on staff.
There's a good bit, too, about black soothsayer Negrodamus, whose ability to foresee events is limited to the fortunes of celebrities. Coming under fire (amusingly) are those McDonald's commercials suggesting that burger-flipping employment for African Americans can overhaul inner city communities. But, as with season 1, there are several masterpieces in this collection as well, such as Chappelle's vision of what the Internet would look like if it was a place you could actually, physically visit (with the equivalents of pop-up ads, porn sites, etc.). Equally inspired is a sketch in which a freeloading Chappelle, having impregnated the ultra-rich Oprah Winfrey, indulges his every whim. Best of all is Chappelle's take on what President Bush's administration would look like if the Chief Executive were, in fact, a black man. "--Tom Keogh"

Chasing Amy - Criterion Collection
Drama Miramax R
Writer-director Kevin Smith ("Clerks") makes a huge leap in sophistication with this strong story about a comic-book artist (Ben Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Joey Lauren Adams) and actually gets his wish that she love him, too. Their relationship is attacked, however, by his business partner (Jason Lee), who pulls a very unsubtle Iago act to cast doubt over the whole affair. The film has the same sense of insiderness as "Clerks"--this time, Smith takes us within the arcane, funny world of comic-book cultism--but the themes of jealousy, deceit, and the high price of growing up enough to truly care for someone make this a very satisfying movie. "--Tom Keogh"

Children of Men
Action & Adventure Universal Studios R
Presenting a bleak, harrowing, and yet ultimately hopeful vision of humankind's not-too-distant future, "Children of Men" is a riveting cautionary tale of potential things to come. Set in the crisis-ravaged future of 2027, and based on the atypical 1993 novel by British mystery writer P.D. James, the anxiety-inducing, action-packed story is set in a dystopian England where humanity has become infertile (the last baby was born in 2009), immigration is a crime, refugees (or "fugees") are caged like animals, and the world has been torn apart by nuclear fallout, rampant terrorism, and political rebellion. In this seemingly hopeless landscape of hardscrabble survival, a jaded bureaucrat named Theo (Clive Owen) is drawn into a desperate struggle to deliver Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the world's only pregnant woman, to a secret group called the Human Project that hopes to discover a cure for global infertility. As they carefully navigate between the battling forces of military police and a pro-immigration insurgency, Theo, Kee, and their secretive allies endure a death-defying ordeal of urban warfare, and director Alfonso Cuaron (with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki) capture the action with you-are-there intensity. There's just enough humor to balance the film's darker content (much of it coming from Michael Caine, as Theo's aging hippie cohort), and although "Children of Men" glosses over many of the specifics about its sociopolitical worst-case scenario (which includes Julianne Moore in a brief but pivotal role), it's still an immensely satisfying, pulse-pounding vision of a future that represents a frightening extrapolation of early 21st-century history. "--Jeff Shannon"

The Chronicles of Riddick
Action & Adventure Universal Unrated
Bigger isn't always better, but for anyone who enjoyed "Pitch Black", a nominal sequel like "The Chronicles of Riddick" should prove adequately entertaining. Writer-director David Twohy returns with expansive sets, detailed costumes, an army of CGI effects artists, and the star he helped launch--Vin Diesel--bearing his franchise burden quite nicely as he reprises his title role. The Furian renegade Riddick has another bounty on his head, but when he escapes from his mercenary captors, he's plunged into an epic-scale war waged by the Necromongers. A fascist master race led by Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), they're determined to conquer all enemies in their quest for the Underverse, the appeal of which is largely unexplained (since Twohy is presumably reserving details for subsequent "chronicles"). With tissue-thin plotting, scant character development, and skimpy roles that waste the talents of Thandie Newton (as a Necromonger conspirator) and Judi Dench (as a wispy "Elemental" priestess), Twohy's back in the B-movie territory he started in (with "The Arrival"), brought to vivid life on a vast digital landscape with the conceptual allure of a lavish graphic novel. But does Riddick have leadership skills on his resumé? To get an answer to that question, sci-fi fans will welcome another sequel. "--Jeff Shannon"

The City of Lost Children
Foreign Sony Pictures R
The fantastic visions of Belgian filmmakers Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet find full fruition in this fairy tale for adults. Evoking utopias and dystopias from "Brazil" to "Peter Pan", Caro and Jeunet create a vivid but menacing fantasy city in a perpetually twilight world. In this rough port town lives circus strongman One (Ron Perlman), who wanders the alleys and waterfront dives looking for his baby brother, snatched from him by a mysterious gang preying upon the children of the town. Rising from the harbor is an enigmatic castle where lives the evil scientist Krank (Daniel Emilfork), who has lost the ability to dream and robs the nocturnal visions of the children he kidnaps, but receives only mad nightmares from the lonely cherubs. Other wild characters include the Fagin-like Octopus--Siamese twin sisters who control a small gang of runaways-turned-thieves--Krank's six cloned henchmen (all played by the memorable Dominique Pinon from "Delicatessen"), and a giant brain floating in an aquarium (voiced by Jean-Louis Trintignant). Caro and Jeunet are kindred souls to Terry Gilliam (who is a vocal fan), creating imaginative flights of fancy built of equal parts delight and dread, which seem to be painted on the screen in rich, dreamy colors. "--Sean Axmaker"

Clerks
Comedy Miramax R
Before Kevin Smith became a Hollywood darling with "Chasing Amy", a film he wrote and directed, he made this $27,000 comedy about real-life experiences working for chump change at a New Jersey convenience store. A rude, foul-mouthed collection of anecdotes about the responsibilities that go with being on the wrong side of the till, the film is also a relationship story that takes some hilarious turns once the lovers start revealing their sexual histories to one another. In the best tradition of first-time, ultra-low budget independent films, Smith uses "Clerks" as an audition piece, demonstrating that he not only can handle two-character comedy but also has an eye for action--as proven in a smoothly handled rooftop hockey scene. Smith himself appears as a silent figure who hangs out on the fringes of the store's property. "--Tom Keogh"

Clerks - The Animated Series Uncensored
Comedy Miramax NR
Writer-director Kevin Smith revives the characters of his indie classic film "Clerks" for this animated series created for network television. Though it aired for just two episodes on TV, the two-disc set has all six episodes plus a bevy of special features.
The episodes feature store clerks Dante and Randal and their ongoing adventures among the shelves of your local corner store. Never far from the epicenter of these adventures are the irreverent Jay and Silent Bob. Whether it's getting trapped in the walk-in cooler, attending their high school reunion, or fighting rival Leonardo Leonardo (who wants to dominate the local Quick Mart market), "Clerks" spoofs TV and movies with mocking pop-culture jokes and cameos by a number of celebrities. Ultimately, though, "Clerks: The Animated Series" suffers at the hands of network censors, lacking the obnoxious punch that made "Clerks" the film so offbeat and amusing.
Smith doesn't disappoint, however, with the inclusion of a number of special features on the DVD set, most notably the ever-insightful director's commentary with guests Jason Mewes (Jay), Brian O'Halloran (Dante), and Jeff Anderson (Randal). So while the series itself may be ill-fated, featurette on the making of the animated series--including storyboards and information on character development and the comic book influence on the drawing style--make this a robust offering for Kevin Smith completists. "--Adam Medros"

Clerks II
Comedy Weinstein Company R
Lo and behold, "Clerks II" defies the odds as a sequel that even the most ardent "Clerks" fans can be happy about. Twelve years after Kevin Smith turned the independent film world upside-down with his $27,000 black-and-white comedy, perpetual slackers Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) return for another raucous romp in suburbia, but this time there's no beloved Quick Stop mini-mart to ensure their low-level employment. Now they're aimless 33-year-olds flippin' burgers at Mooby's, a fast-food joint with a cow theme that's "udderly delicious." Dante's engaged to his long-time girlfriend but has unexpectedly fallen in love with Mooby's manager Becky (and since she's played by Rosario Dawson, can you blame him?), and Randal's still holding out for life, liberty, and the pursuit of low ambition. The responsibilities of adulthood are rearing their ugly head, and with Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith) still dealing weed and generally being obnoxious, well... something's gotta give, right? The way Smith has written this long-awaited follow-up, the dilemmas of Dante, Randal, and their ongoing friendship are something that anyone can relate to, and with Dawson lighting up the screen (in a role demanded by producer Harvey Weinstein to boost box-office appeal), the movie's romantic chemistry is surprisingly delightful. Rest assured, also, that Smith (shooting mostly in color this time, on a $5 million budget) hasn't forgotten where he came from: "Clerks II" is jam-packed with the same lewd, crude humor that made "Clerks" and indie-film phenomenon, and Smith's good-natured sincerity is still on full display, ensuring that only the most prudish viewers could possibly be offended. For everyone else, this is as enjoyable as any sequel could ever hope to be, with amusing cameos by Smith-movie veterans Ben Affleck and Jason Lee, among others. "--Jeff Shannon"

Club Dread
Comedy Fox Home Entertainme R
Looking for plenty of sex, violence, and lowbrow comedy? If you are, you could do a lot worse (or is it a lot better?) than to visit "Club Dread", a boldly wretched excuse for broad comedy perpetrated by the Broken Lizard troupe--the same guys who brought their potty-mouthed brand of lunacy to bear on 2002's "Super Troopers". That alone should serve as ample warning or invitation, depending on your tolerance for way-too-casual sketch comedy, stitched together with an emphasis on big, gross laughs and enough female frontal nudity to give "Girls Gone Wild" a run for its money. It all takes place on Coconut Pete's Pleasure Island, where Pete (Bill Paxton, slumming it with infectious abandon) holds court while scantily clad vacationers play crazy games (life-size Pac-Man, anyone?) and provide easy prey for a slasher on the loose. Ah, but there's the rub: Is this schizoid movie a comedy or a horror flick? It's both... and neither... and the bloodletting is surprisingly extreme amidst all the poop and fart jokes. Of course, that won't stop "Club Dread" from finding its audience. We know you're out there and you know who you are. "--Jeff Shannon"

Cold Mountain
Drama Miramax Home Entertainment R
Freely adapted from Charles Frazier's beloved bestseller, "Cold Mountain" boasts an impeccable pedigree as a respectable Civil War love story, offering everything you'd want from a romantic epic except a resonant emotional core. Everything in this sweeping, Odyssean journey depends on believing in the instant love that ignites during a "very" brief encounter between genteel, city-bred preacher's daughter Ada (Nicole Kidman) and Confederate soldier Inman (Jude Law), who deserts the battlefield to return, weary and wounded, to Ada's inherited farm in the rural town of Cold Mountain, North Carolina. In an epic (but dramatically tenuous) case of absence making hearts grow fonder, Inman endures a treacherous hike fraught with danger (and populated by supporting players including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and others) while the struggling, inexperienced Ada is aided by the high-spirited Ruby (Renée Zellweger), forming a powerful farming partnership that transforms Ada into a strong, lovelorn survivor. The film's episodic structure slightly weakens its emotional impact, and it's fairly obvious that director Anthony Minghella is striving to repeat the prestigious romanticism of his Oscar®-winning hit "The English Patient". For the most part it works, especially in the dynamic performances of Zellweger and Kidman, and the explosive 1864 battle of Petersburg, Virginia, is recreated with violent, percussive intensity. Those who admired Frazier's novel may regret some of the changes made in Minghella's adaptation (the ending is particularly altered), but "Cold Mountain" remains a high-class example of grand, old-fashioned filmmaking, boosted by star power of the highest order. "--Jeff Shannon"

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset
Television A&E Home Video R
New for 2005, "The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset" packs together the original 14-DVD megaset with the two-disc "Monty Python Live" in space-saving Thinpaks. While more cautious fans may want to pick and choose among the previously released individual volumes of "Monty Python" for their collection, true Pythonites will want to own this definitive megaset that contains all 45 episodes (in chronological order) of "Monty Python's Flying Circus". This "persistently silly" collection encompasses three-and-a-half seasons of dead parrots, cross-dressing lumberjacks, loonies, upper class twits, and spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, and spam. Click past the occasional clunker and go directly to such signature sketches as the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Spanish Inquisition, the Fish-Slapping Dance, the Dead Parrot Sketch, the Lumberjack Song, the Cheese Shop, the Argument Clinic, and Nudge, Nudge. Taken as a whole, one marvels at how Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam thoroughly subverted television convention with "something completely different," like sketches with no punch lines ("Your average TV viewer isn't going to understand this"). A warning to the uninitiated: there is much "material that some may find offensive, but which is really smashing." Violations of something called the "Strange Sketch Act" are the least of the troupe's offenses, as witness the Oscar Wilde Sketch, the Dirty Vicar Sketch, and the Most Awful Family in Britain Sketch, all of which achieve "the really gross awfulness" all Python fans are looking for. Say no more.
Monty Python TV shows, movies, records, and books are a time capsule of their anarchic lunacy. But more precious is an audience with Python, and as close as we can get is "Live at the Hollywood Bowl", the long-sought-after 1982 concert film in which the Fab Six perform their greatest hits before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Robert Klein moderates "Live at Aspen", the irreverent 1998 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival tribute that reunited John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones onstage for the first time in 18 years on the occasion of the troupe's 30th anniversary. Highlights include a shockingly funny moment involving Graham Chapman's ashes, and a joyous "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" sing-along. Less essential is 1989's clip show "Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python", which also does not include "The Oscar Wilde Sketch," "Cheese Shop," "Nudge-Nudge," and many other signature sketches. "--Donald Liebenson"

Conan - The Complete Quest
Action & Adventure Mca Home Video PG
"Conan the Barbarian", the movie that turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a global superstar, is a prime example of a match made in heaven. It's the movie that macho maverick writer-director John Milius was born to make, and Arnold was genetically engineered for his role as the muscle-bound, angst-ridden hero created in Robert E. Howard's pulp novels. Oliver Stone contributed to Milius's screenplay, and the production design by comic artist Ron Cobb represents a perfect cinematic realization of Howard's fantasy world. To avenge the murder of his parents, Conan tracks down the evil Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) with the help of Queen Valeria (played by buff B-movie vixen Sandahl Bergman) and Subotai the Mongol (Gerry Lopez). Aptly described by critic Roger Ebert as "the perfect fantasy for the alienated pre-adolescent," this blockbuster is just as enjoyable for adults who haven't lost their youthful imagination. "--Jeff Shannon"

The dark, brooding tone of Conan the Barbarian is replaced in this rousing sequel by a lighter, more humorous tone and one of the campiest casts ever assembled. This time, Conan is assigned by a duplicitous queen (Sarah Douglas) to escort a virgin princess (Olivia d'Abo) on a treacherous trek to a crystal palace where they will retrieve a priceless gemstone. Basketball champ and self-described Lothario Wilt Chamberlain plays Bombaata, a warrior sent on a secret mission to kill Conan, and the androgynous Grace Jones plays Zula, a wild woman who becomes Conan's loyal ally. Some consider this sequel a disappointment, but the film makes no apologies for its silliness, and that's the key to its success as gloriously pulpy entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

Conan the Barbarian - Collector's Edition
Action & Adventure Mca Home Video R
"Conan the Barbarian", the movie that turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a global superstar, is a prime example of a match made in heaven. It's the movie that macho maverick writer-director John Milius was born to make, and Arnold was genetically engineered for his role as the muscle-bound, angst-ridden hero created in Robert E. Howard's pulp novels. Oliver Stone contributed to Milius's screenplay, and the production design by comic artist Ron Cobb represents a perfect cinematic realization of Howard's fantasy world. To avenge the murder of his parents, Conan tracks down the evil Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) with the help of Queen Valeria (played by buff B-movie vixen Sandahl Bergman) and Subotai the Mongol (Gerry Lopez). Aptly described by critic Roger Ebert as "the perfect fantasy for the alienated pre-adolescent," this blockbuster is just as enjoyable for adults who haven't lost their youthful imagination. "--Jeff Shannon"

Constantine
Action & Adventure Warner Home Video R
In the grand scheme of theological thrillers, "Constantine" aspires for the greatness of "The Exorcist" but ranks more closely with "The Order". Based on the popular "Hellblazer" comic book series, and directed with nary a shred of intelligence by music video veteran Francis Lawrence, it's basically "The Matrix" with swarming demons instead of swarming machines. Keanu Reeves slightly modifies his "Matrix" persona as John Constantine, who roams the dark-spots of Los Angeles looking for good-evil, angel-devil half-breeds to ensure that "the balance" between God and Satan is properly maintained. An ancient artifact and the detective twin of a woman who committed evil-induced suicide (Rachel Weisz) factor into the plot, which is taken so seriously that you'll want to stand up and cheer when Tilda Swinton swoops down as the cross-dressing angel Gabriel and turns this silliness into the camp-fest it really is. The digital effects are way cool (dig those hellspawn with the tops of their heads lopped off!), so if you don't mind a juvenile lesson in pseudo-Catholic salvation, "Constantine" is just the movie for you! "--Jeff Shannon"

Corpse Bride
Animation Warner Home Video PG
Who else but Tim Burton could make "Corpse Bride", a necrophiliac's delight that's fun for the whole family? Returning to the richly imaginative realm of stop-motion animation (after previous successes with "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach"), Burton, with codirector Mike Johnson, invites us to visit the dour, ashen, and drearily Victorian mansions of the living, where young Victor Van Dort (voiced by Johnny Depp) is bequeathed to wed the lovely Victoria (Emily Watson). But the wedding rehearsal goes sour and, in the kind of Goth-eerie forest that only exists in Burton-land, Victor suddenly finds himself accidentally married to the Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter), a blue-tinted, half-skeletal beauty (how pleasantly full-bosomed she remains!) with a loquacious maggot installed behind one prone-to-popping eyeball. This being a Burton creation, the underworld of the dead is a lively and colorful place indeed, and Danny Elfman's songs and score make it even livelier, presenting Victor with quite a dilemma: Should he return above-ground to Victoria, or remain devoted to his corpse bride? At a brisk 76 minutes, Burton's graveyard whimsy (loosely based on a 19th century Russian folktale) never wears out its welcome, and the voice casting (which includes Tracey Ullman and Albert Finney) is superbly matched the film's gloriously amusing character design, guaranteed to yield a wealth of gruesome toys and action figures for many Halloweens to come. "--Jeff Shannon"

Cowboy Bebop - The Movie
Anime Sony Pictures NR
As the eagerly awaited "Cowboy Bebop" feature film reunites the original director, screenwriter, composer, and vocal cast, it's not surprising that the film plays like an expanded TV episode. What should be the routine capture of a two-bit hacker by Faye escalates into a deadly game of cat and mouse, as Spike and the gang struggle to prevent the evil Vincent Volaju from murdering every human on Mars. Director Shinichiro Watanabe handles the action sequences with his usual panache. Inside the sinister Cherious Medical research facility, Spike fights a beautiful agent, using a push broom in a series of maneuvers Jackie Chan might envy. The climactic duel between Spike and Vincent plays against innocent yet eerie images of a Halloween carnival, recalling the amusement park setting of episode 20, "Pierrot Le Fou." "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" will delight fans of the series and provide an excellent introduction for the uninitiated who want to know why "Cowboy Bebop" is so popular on both sides of the Pacific. (Rated R: violence, brief nudity, minor profanity, tobacco use) "--Charles Solomon"

Cowboy Bebop Remix: Anime Legends
Action & Adventure Bandai Entertainment PG-13
The crew of the Bebop is once again ready to take control of space, bringing bad guys to justice and trying to make some cash while doing it. Join the always cool Spike, investigative genius Jet, the fabulous Faye, the amazing (but weird) Ed and the super-smart Welsh Corgi named Ein as they try to make a buck in the year 2071. How do they do it? They re bounty hunters. But then again, you probably wouldn t be reading this if you didn t already know that...Now, for the first time in North America the entire Cowboy Bebop Remix series in one package!!!

Creepshow
Horror Warner Home Video R
Inspired by the controversial E.C. Comics of the 1950s--which also provided the title and inspiration for the popular "Tales from the Crypt" TV series--director George Romero and screenwriter Stephen King serve up five delightfully frightful stories. Utilizing comic-book panels, animated segues, and exaggerated lighting and camera angles, Romero and cinematographer Michael Gornick come very close to replicating a horror comic in film format. The results mix fine acting with the morbid sense of humor and irony that made the E.C. books so popular in their heyday. Actors such as Leslie Nielsen, Hal Holbrook, Ted Danson, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris, E.G. Marshall, and even King appear in the stories, which include tales of a sinister father's day celebration, a mysterious meteor, seaweed-draped zombies, a monster in a crate, and a cockroach-phobic millionaire. Fiendishly fun fare from one of horror's most famous directors. "--Bryan Reesman"

Cromartie High School - Complete Collection
Anime & Manga Adv Films Unrated
Japan's smartest comedy is totally stupid --- and maybe that's why we love it so! Based on Eiji Nanaka's award-winning manga CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL is an absurdist romp through Japan's toughest most notorious reform school. Populated by a motley crew of thugs misfits and the occasional gorilla it won over legions of Japanese late night TV viewers. Now through this super affordable thin-pack Japan's #1 comedy is soon to become North America's favorite funny anime. "A+" (Anime on DVD)DVD Features:Available Subtitles: EnglishAvailable Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1) Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)26 episodes on three discs in thinpaksSystem Requirements:Run Time: 325 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating: NR UPC: 702727155222 Manufacturer No: DCHS/BX2

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Foreign Sony Pictures PG-13
Hong Kong "wuxia" films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching "wuxia" films as a youngster and made "Crouching Tiger" as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau ("The Killer", "The Bride with White Hair") and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on "The Matrix". Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as "The Green Destiny," but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other.
The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous "digital wire removal"). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity. "--Eugene Wei"

Crusade - The Complete Series
Television Warner Home Video NR
The first and only spin-off of "Babylon 5", J. Michael Straczynski's short-lived sci-fi series "Crusade" had its roots in the "B5" television movie "A Call to Arms", in which Earth was battling a Drakh invasion at the end of the Shadow Wars. When "Crusade" begins, the Drakh have released a deadly virus that threatens to wipe out all 10 billion humans living on Earth unless a cure can be found in five years. To take on this monumental task, Captain Matthew Gideon (Gary Cole) is assigned command of the state-of-the-art Destroyer-class ship "Excalibur". His crew includes telepath John Matheson (Daniel Dae Kim); pompous but brilliant archaeologist-linguist Max Eilerson (David Allen Brooks); Dureena, a member of the Thieves' Guild and the last surviving member of her species (Carrie Dobro); medical officer Sarah Chambers (Marjean Holden); and technomage Galen (Peter Woodward).
While "Babylon 5" had five years to develop into a powerful saga, "Crusade" had its plug pulled after a mere 13 episodes (which were reordered for TNT's broadcast), and the series never really got its footing. Galen often took center stage, then disappeared for several episodes. Matheson was underutilized (other than to provide fans with clues about what happened in the Psi-Wars after "B5" ended), and tough-guy Gideon bounced back and forth between his desire to save the human race and his own moral code. There were some good action scenes and intriguing concepts (developed in conjunction with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Special effects sometimes were impressive and sometimes showed budget constraints, and we never really saw the power and scope of the mile-and-a-half-long ship, other than the cool bullet cars used to traverse its length. But it did have its moments. If "B5" was the spiritual companion to "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" with its space-station setting and long story arc, "Crusade" was more like a traditional "Star Trek" setting, with mostly stand-alone episodes involving first contact with various species (even if, due to the nature of the "Excalibur"'s quest, such species were usually extinct). And there were occasional tantalizing hints of a broader conspiracy that might have allowed the series to soar. Regardless, "B5" fans will welcome even a brief opportunity to revisit this universe, especially when the "Excalibur" visits the station in "The Rules of the Game." John Sheridan's ex-wife Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins) even earned a spot in the opening credits for her appearance in a few episodes. "--David Horiuchi"

Curse of the Golden Flower
Action & Adventure Sony Pictures R
"Curse of the Golden Flower", a fictionalized historical glimpse into the brutally complicated politics of Emperor Ping's (Chow Yun Fat) reign during the Tang Dynasty, shows the viewer just how far a megalomaniac must go to gain and retain power in medieval China. Lavish sets, massive ceremonial displays, and perversely fascinating battle scenes impress similarly to the special effects Americans have come to love and expect from Chinese action films like Zhang Yimou's previous "House of Flying Daggers" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". An intricate plot involving the Emperor's wife, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) and their three sons, Crown Prince Xiang, Prince Jie, and Prince Cheng, most closely follows the Empress's secret plan to force abdication upon her corrupt husband as revenge for his slowly poisoning her with Black Fungus tea. Opening on the eve of the Chysanthemum Festival, 928 A.D., the Empress obsessively embroiders gold chysanthemums to adorn her army's uniforms while hatching plans with Jai to overthrow the Crown Prince for control of the throne. Meanwhile, a side plot develops as the Emperor's ex-wife and mother to Crown Prince Yu reemerges as Yu's lover. By the time the Festival occurs, family members are pitted against each other in a "King Lear"-ian web of lies that can only result in demise. The most sophisticated narrative aspect of "Curse of the Golden Flower" is that as the royal family crumbles, the Emperor's death grip on China remains unwavering. Gorgeous scenes set in the palace and costume design displaying China's upper class decadence cannot fail to entertain. The paradox between good and evil, here, is highlighted by how the Emperor successfully rules despite, and because of, his utter cruelty. "--Trinie Dalton"

Cyborg
Action & Adventure MGM (Video & DVD) R
Jean-Claude Van Damme, a.k.a. "the Muscles from Brussels," had only a few movies to his credit when he played the hero in this lame postapocalyptic action flick from 1989. It's really just another martial-arts movie, dressed down with near-future trash and dirty sets that have "low budget" written all over them. Van Damme plays the protective escort for a half-human, half-cyborg woman whose programming contains a possible cure for a plague that's threatening to wipe out the entire population of Earth. But the woman is kidnapped by Van Damme's evil nemesis (is there any other kind?) while they are en route to her Atlanta headquarters. That leads Van Damme right into a lion's den of sadomasochistic torture and torment. If you've made it this far (and if you have, why?), you're probably a founding member of the Jean-Claude Van Damme fan club. To everyone else: Don't say you weren't warned--this is the kind of movie in which naming characters after electric guitars (Van Damme's character is named "Gibson Rickenbacker") qualifies as clever screenwriting. "--Jeff Shannon"

Daredevil
Action & Adventure 20th Century Fox PG-13
Darker than its popular comic-book predecessor "Spider-Man", the $80 million extravaganza "Daredevil" was packaged for maximum global appeal, its juvenile plot beginning when 12-year-old Matt Murdock is accidentally blinded shortly before his father is murdered. Later an adult attorney in New York's Hell's Kitchen, Murdock (Ben Affleck) uses his remaining, superenhanced senses to battle crime as Daredevil, the masked and vengeful "man without fear," pitted against dominant criminal Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and the psychotic Bullseye (Colin Farrell), who can turn almost anything into a deadly projectile. Daredevil is well matched with the dynamic Elektra (Jennifer Garner), but their teaming is as shallow as the movie itself, which is peppered with Marvel trivia and cameo appearances (creator Stan Lee, "Clerks" director and "Daredevil" devotee Kevin Smith) and enough computer-assisted stuntwork to give Spidey a run for his money. This is Hollywood product at its most lavishly vacuous; die-hard fans will argue its merits while its red-leathered hero swoops and zooms toward a sequel. "--Jeff Shannon"

Dark City
Science Fiction & Fantasy New Line Home Video R
If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from "The Crow" (1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you might be tempted to call "Dark City" an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly enough to grab your attention ("Blade Runner" is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that "Dark City" has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional characters are no match for the film's abundance of retro-futuristic style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly cinematic terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German expressionism) were built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of director Alex Proyas and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world depicted in the film required the largest indoor set ever built in Australia. Befitting a film of such ambition, the DVD includes a feast of bonus features, including audio commentaries by the director, producer, writers, and cinematographer, and also by film critic Roger Ebert, who named "Dark City" one of the best films of 1998. Also included is an isolated music track, an interactive game, and a photo gallery of production stills and set design sketches. "--Jeff Shannon"

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

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

The Dark Knight
Action & Adventure Warner Home Video PG-13
"The Dark Knight" arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralyzed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne.
In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director-cowriter Christopher Nolan ("Memento") follows his critically acclaimed "Batman Begins" with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like "Spider-Man 2" and "Iron Man" because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--"The Dark Knight" is a film for the ages. "--David Horiuchi"

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Classics 20th Century Fox G
A hallmark of the science fiction genre as well as a wry commentary on the political climate of the 1950s, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is a sci-fi movie less concerned with special effects than with a social parable. A spacecraft lands in Washington, D.C., carrying a humanoid messenger from another world (Michael Rennie) imparting a warning to the people of Earth to cease their violent behavior. But panic ensues as the messenger lands and is shot by a nervous soldier. His large robot companion destroys the Capitol as the messenger escapes the confines of the hospital. He moves in with a family as a boarder and blends into society to observe the full range of the human experience. Director Robert Wise ("West Side Story") not only provides one of the most recognizable icons of the science fiction world in his depiction of the massive robot loyal to his master, but he avoids the obvious camp elements of the story to create a quiet and observant story highlighting both the good and the bad in human nature. "--Robert Lane"

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

The Departed
Drama Warner Home Video R
Rookie cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) grew up in crime. That makes him the perfect mole, the man on the inside of the mob run by boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). It's his job to win Costello's trust and help his detective handlers (Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen) bring Costello down. Meanwhile, SIU officer Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) has everyone's trust. No one suspects he's Costello's mole. How these covert lives cross, double-cross and collide is at the ferocious core of the widely acclaimed The Departed. Martin Scorsese directs, guiding a cast for the ages in a visceral tale of crime and consequences. This is searing, can't-look-away filmmaking: like staring into the eyes of a con - or a cop - with a gun.

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

Dinosaurs - The Complete First and Second Seasons
Television Buena Vista Home Entertainment NR
Created before the days of computer animation, "Dinosaurs" is an early 1990s television comedy series featuring impressive anthropomorphic, animatronic creatures created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The story lines challenge some of society's most basic assumptions and explore some of the most universally troublesome aspects of "civilized" life. Set in six million three BC, the Sinclairs are your "typical" blue-collar dinosaur family attempting to adjust to the relatively new concept of communal living. The adjustments of moving from a nomadic lifestyle to one of domestication and social interaction are many, and challenging issues like the concepts of right and wrong, faith, and the intricacies of family relationships are forever besieging this every-man's family. Naturally, the Sinclair family approach is to address each obstacle with an abundance of slapstick comedy. The "Dinosaurs" episodes regularly function on dual levels: the puppetry and silly antics like Baby Sinclair's penchant for hitting her father over the head with a pan while hollering "Not the Mama" appeal to even the youngest children, but the often pointed social commentary and sometimes mature themes are squarely aimed at an adult audience. As a result, parental discretion and guidance are key in determining whether this series is appropriate for children under 9 or 10 years old. "--Tami Horiuchi"

Dinosaurs - The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons
Television Buena Vista Home Entertainment NR
They're huge. They're pre-hysterical. The Sinclairs are back in their final two seasons of Earth-shaking fun as they face the challenges of everyday life in sixty million and three BC. Baby turns two - and into a total terror. Daddy Earl confronts his "diaperphobia." Charlene's theory that the world is round lands her in scholastic hot water. Robbie deals with overwhelming pubescent urges, and in the final controversial episode, the family's jumpin' Jurassic lifestyle gets the big chill. The brainosauraus of Jim Henson, the award-winning comedy series brings state-of-the-art puppetry and audioanimatronics to the screen -- and a whole new meaning to the words "family fun." Add Seasons 3 and 4 to your collection of evolutionary entertainment - and get ready to rock your funny bones.

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

Donnie Darko
Thriller 20th Century Fox R
This unclassifiable but stunningly original film obliterates the walls between teen comedy, science fiction, family drama, horror, and cultural satire--and remains wildly entertaining throughout. Jake Gyllenhaal ("October Sky") stars as Donnie, a borderline-schizophrenic adolescent for whom there is no difference between the signs and wonders of reality (a plane crash that decimates his house) and hallucination (a man-sized, reptilian rabbit who talks to him). Obsessed with the science of time travel and acutely aware of the world around him, Donnie is isolated by his powers of analysis and the apocalyptic visions that no one else seems to share. The debut feature of writer-director Richard Kelly, "Donnie Darko" is a shattering, hypnotic work that sets its own terms and gambles--rightfully so, as it turns out--that a viewer will stay aboard for the full ride. "--Tom Keogh"

Donnie Darko - The Director's Cut
Thriller 20th Century Fox R
This unclassifiable but stunningly original film obliterates the walls between teen comedy, science fiction, family drama, horror, and cultural satire--and remains wildly entertaining throughout. Jake Gyllenhaal ("October Sky") stars as Donnie, a borderline-schizophrenic adolescent for whom there is no difference between the signs and wonders of reality (a plane crash that decimates his house) and hallucination (a man-sized, reptilian rabbit who talks to him). Obsessed with the science of time travel and acutely aware of the world around him, Donnie is isolated by his powers of analysis and the apocalyptic visions that no one else seems to share. The debut feature of writer-director Richard Kelly, "Donnie Darko" is a shattering, hypnotic work that sets its own terms and gambles--rightfully so, as it turns out--that a viewer will stay aboard for the full ride. "--Tom Keogh"

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

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

Drawn Together - Season One
Television Paramount NR
If animated characters were forced to live together, would they remain their upstanding and lovable selves, or would their "real" personalities peek out from under the artwork? That's the question posited by "Drawn Together", a no-holds-barred satire on reality series that trods gleefully on restraint and good taste in its quest for laughs. Co-created and produced by Dave Jesser and Matt Silverstein of "The Man Show", "Drawn Together" chronicles the misadventures of eight cartoon characters (each thinly veiled takes on famous personas like Superman, SpongeBob Squarepants, and so on) who reside together in a "Big Brother"-style house while hidden cameras capture their every move. As the first season unfolds, the roommates prove to be on their worst behavior, indulging in illegal substances (i.e., "Pokémon"-style housemate Ling-Ling's fur in "The Other Cousin"), racism (spoiled princess Clara mistakes hot-pantsed black detective Foxxy for a servant in "Hot Tub"), and all manner of sexual shenanigans (a pregnancy scare forces Clara to reveal a monstrous physical problem in "Clara's Dirty Little Secret"). Obviously, the humor in "Drawn Together" is strictly for grown-ups) and though it's occasionally vulgar for vulgar's sake, the show is frequently funny and well-performed by its voice talent. The two-disc set features all seven of the first-season episodes that were aired (one episode, "Terms of Endearment," which lampooned actor Christopher Reeve's physical impairment, was pulled after his death, and is slated for the second season), as well as commentary from the vocal cast with Jesser and Silverstein, a selection of deleted and expanded scenes, and most amusingly of all, a karaoke sing-along for the show's raunchy songs. "--Paul Gaita"

Drawn Together - Season Two
Television Comedy Central Unrated
For those who hoped that the outrageous animated series "Drawn Together" would display a little maturity in its second season: Forget it. The Season Two DVD shows that the program's gaggle of highly dysfunctional superheroes are even more crude, rude, and questionably sane than before--and all fifteen episodes on the double-disc set are extended and uncensored to boot, so fans will get an eyeful of all the raunchy action they couldn't see during the original broadcast. The proceedings get off on the right (wrong?) foot with the second half of the cliffhanger that ended the first season; "The One Wherein There is a Big Twist, Part II" finds the heroes dealing with a new housemate with a horrible secret, as well as the ascension of Toot to living goddess on a deserted island. Other escapades include dealings with the angry ghosts of an Indian tribe who build a casino in the heroes' backyard ("Ghostesses in the Slot Machine"); the departure of Spanky Ham (voiced by Adam Carolla) after his bathroom humor earns "Drawn Together" an "F" from "Entertainment Weekly" ("Xandir and Tim, Sitting in a Tree," which also features a cameo by Jimmy Kimmel as Spanky's wife); and the season finale, in which the heroes help sexually ambiguous Xandir figure out his true persuasion ("A Very Special Drawn Together Afterschool Special"). Sure, the humor is strictly lowbrow, but the ceaseless barrage of pop-culture references are often very clever, and one can't deny that it requires a certain amount of drive and discipline to remain this offensive for two consecutive seasons. The Season 2 DVD set includes commentary by creators Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein (along with members of the cast and crew) on four episodes, as well as a very amusing "Potentially Annoying Commentary on Commentary," where the commentary for "Terms of Endearment" is heckled by those that provided it; interviews with the cast and production team, as well as sing-along versions of many of the show's pop music parodies, round out the set. "-- Paul Gaita"

Drawn Together - Uncensored!: Season Three
Television Comedy Central NR
As the saying (sorta) goes, all gross things must come to an end, and fans of the animated series "Drawn Together" must bid their highly inappropriate friends goodbye with this third season set. But if there's any small comfort to be had from this bad news, it's that this last batch of episodes is as berserk--if not more so--than any from the previous two seasons. Opener "Freaks and Greeks" finds the hapless Captain Hero mistaking a new family from Greece as a marauding fraternity, while "Spelling Applebee's" reveals unpleasant secrets of both Foxxy and Princess Clara. New characters abound as well: We meet Hero's monstrous son in "Unrestrainable Trainable," and Foxxy's grandson Ray-Ray in "N.R.A. y Ray," and "Animal House" star Otis Day turns up to pull a Bill Cosby in "Toot Goes Bollywood." And to bring the whole thing full circle, we discover just what traumatic childhood events caused the "Drawn Together" cast to behave as they do in "Drawn Together Babies" before the gang reflects on the havoc they've wreaked over the previous three seasons--in musical form, no less--in the series finale, ""American Idol" Parody Clip Show." It goes without saying that the humor in Season 3 is broad and fairly sick and not for all audiences, but those who can roll with the endless riffs on bodily functions and aberrant psychology (which are uncensored in this set) will also find a share of laughs. The two-disc set includes extended versions of all 14 episodes, as well as commentary by creators Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and the cast, and in the set's most amusing touch, a karaoke option for the show's frequent musical numbers which allows viewers to upset friends and neighbors by singing along at home. " -- Paul Gaita"

The Dresden Files - The Complete First Season
Drama Lions Gate NR
"The Dresden Files" is about a wizard named Harry. "Good marketing," a cynical observer notes in one episode from the Sci-Fi Channel's one-season wonder based on the books by Jim Butcher. "Couldn't you come up with something a little more original?" Actually, this series manages to be plenty original despite echoes of "The X-Files" and the 1970s cult classic "The Night Stalker". Paul Blackthorne stars as Harry Dresden, a scruffy Chicago private eye whose gift comes in handy for children menaced by skinwalkers, or for offering Lt. Murphy (Valerie Cruz) of the Chicago police "an unconventional point of view" concerning grisly, bizarre cases involving werewolves, vampires, and other decidedly unfriendly spirits. "The Dresden Files" is a paranormal noir (para-noir?) that deftly balances genuine scares, hard-boiled moxie, and tongue-in-cheek humor, delivered with panache by "Bob" (Terrance Mann), an ancient English spirit who resides in a skull and gives.Harry supernatural assistance. Harry's backstory--magician father, wizard mother, treacherous uncle--is revealed over the course of these 12 episodes. The eighth broadcast episode, "Things That Go Bump," was reportedly intended as the series pilot, and may be the best place to start. But Harry's world-weary voice-over in the classic tradition ("If you're a wizard and you fail, people can end up dead") keeps viewers oriented. Low ratings made "The Dresden Files" disappear, making this DVD set welcome for the series' hardcore fans who mounted the ultimately unsuccessful letter-writing campaign to save "Dresden" from the "Brilliant, but Cancelled" files. But even those who are unfamiliar with Butcher's books or are not on the Sci-Fi Channel's wavelength will be charmed. "--Donald Liebenson"

Druids
Action & Adventure Sony Pictures R
oung Vercingetorix came of age in 60 B.C., as soldiers of the Roman Empire ran roughshod over Gaul and his father was captured and executed by Romans. A wise and philosophical druid, Guttuart, tells the angry Vercingetorix that he should seek justice by winning freedom for Gaul from the Romans. As an adult, Vercingetorix becomes a brave and insightful warrior, and at first joins forces with the charismatic Julius Caesar. But in time Vercingetorix is betrayed by the great leader, and soon he raises an army of his own to defeat Caesar and bring Guttuart's prophesy to life.

Christopher Lambert plays Vercingetorix, a Gallic chieftain whose initial alliance with the Romans ends after the Romans cowardly attack an old family friend and assassinate him.
What follows is a beautifully filmed epic detailing the battles of Vercingetorix as he fights to liberate Gaul from the Romans.
Despite some historical inaccuracies, there was a lot to love about this film. The beautiful costumes, scenery and epic battles show a great attention to detail and a love of the Celtic world and tradition.

Drunken Master
Foreign Sony Pictures R
Though it wasn't Jackie Chan's first film, "Drunken Master" is the film that cemented his stardom. Jackie plays the rebellious son of a kung fu master. To teach Jackie the value of discipline, his father apprentices him to another master named So Hi, who has a unique "drunken" fighting style. Jackie chafes at So Hi's rigorous exercises and runs away--only to be brutally humiliated at the hands of a hired killer named Thunderleg. Chastened, Jackie becomes So Hi's devoted student. He soon discovers he will need everything he's learned when Thunderleg is hired to kill his father. In "Drunken Master", Jackie is only beginning to cultivate his mixture of action and comedy; here the emphasis is on kung fu acrobatics. But the kung fu is astounding. The final fight is dizzying and amazingly choreographed by director Yuen Woo-ping (now famous as the fight choreographer for "The Matrix"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Duckman - Seasons One & Two
Television Paramount Home Video Unrated
At last, one of my favourite modern cartoon characters is coming to a DVD player near me soon. I purchased Ren and Stimpy season one and two and enjoyed them, but this character is the one I've been waiting for. Trying to follow the adventures of this excitable private dick was an adventure in itself, as the TV station over here put it on at anytime, but always very late at night.

It always seemed to me that the TV station didn't know how to handle this show.

My VHS tapes are on the way out now, so this release has come at the right time.

Most of the subject matter will go over a childs head, but this is definitely not a cartoon for kids anyway.

~~~~

The eponymous character comes across as a mixture of a wise cracking, un-pc, Inspector Clouseau type, it's his side kick Cornfed who's the real brains behind this outfit, and he's obviously based on; "Dragnets" Joe Friday.

If your easily offended you may find some episodes a bit indecorous, so you've been warned.

Though personally I can't wait, as I've pre-ordered it.

My favourite character after Duckman himself was his eldest son Ajax, "most excellently" voiced by Frank Zappa's son Dweezil.

Hopefully the remaining two seasons won't be too far behind in getting released.

This set should consist of twenty two episodes.

Original run dates, march 5 1994-september 6 1997.

(Overall there were four seasons, seventy episodes in total.)

This one will be played the moment it's delivered.

~~~~

Thanks to mattd, I have been reliably informed that the Complete series will be released on the 6th of january, it would be more financially astute to hold on till then.

Duckman: Seasons Three and Four
Animation Paramount NR
I have never been so impressed by a show, yet so disappointed for it's premature cancellation since Family Guy! And like Family Guy, this show should be reincarnated by it's audience's demand through DVD sales! I can assure you, if you're a fan of the same offensive, crass humor that is both high-brow and low-brow with it's pop culture references and witty dialogue that Family Guy offers, then you'll also be a fan of this show. Albeit this is a very quirky show, it is also very brilliant in it's writing and humor, and truly deserves a few more seasons on DVD. (There were seven in all.) Hopefully if there is enough demand for these DVD's of Duckman, then it will have it's rebirth on Adult Swim!! These 2 seasons display what many think of as the peak for this show, so if you've enjoyed seasons 1 and 2 then you will DEFINITELY enjoy these as well! And if you haven't seen any, then get these anyway.

Edward Scissorhands
Drama 20th Century Fox PG-13
"Edward Scissorhands" achieves the nearly impossible feat of capturing the delicate flavor of a fable or fairy tale in a live-action movie. The story follows a young man named Edward (Johnny Depp), who was created by an inventor (Vincent Price, in one of his last roles) who died before he could give the poor creature a pair of human hands. Edward lives alone in a ruined Gothic castle that just happens to be perched above a pastel-colored suburb inhabited by breadwinning husbands and frustrated housewives straight out of the 1950s. One day, Peg (Dianne Wiest), the local Avon lady, comes calling. Finding Edward alone, she kindly invites him to come home with her, where she hopes to help him with his pasty complexion and those nasty nicks he's given himself with his razor-sharp fingers. Soon Edward's skill with topiary sculpture and hair design make him popular in the neighborhood--but the mood turns just as swiftly against the outsider when he starts to feel his own desires, particularly for Peg's daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). Most of director Tim Burton's movies (such as "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", "Beetlejuice", "Batman") are visual spectacles with elements of fantasy, but "Edward Scissorhands" is more tender and personal than the others. Edward's wild black hair is much like Burton's, suggesting that the character represents the director's own feelings of estrangement and co-option. Johnny Depp, making his first successful leap from TV to film, captures Edward's childlike vulnerability even while his physical posture evokes horror icons like the vampire in "Nosferatu" and the sleepwalker in "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Classic horror films, at their heart, feel a deep sympathy for the monsters they portray; simply and affectingly, "Edward Scissorhands" lays that heart bare. "--Bret Fetzer"

Eko Eko Azarak - Wizard of Darkness
Horror Tokyo Shock NR
Misa Kuroi is an adorable high-school girl who arrives at her new school when it is falling under an evil supernatural force. Trying to figure out who's behind the supernatural attack, Misa also has to deal with assumptions by her fellow classmates that believe she is the one behind it all. Misa and twelve other students are kept late after school hours one day to retake an exam. Then, after sunset, the entire school is deserted, and the students find themselves trapped inside and their teacher no where to be found. One by one, the thirteen students are picked up and disposed of in horrific and graphic fashion. It is up to Misa to try and gain the trust of her fellow students so that she can protect them and stop the evil before it's too late.

Eko Eko Azarak 2 - Birth of the Wizard
Horror Tokyo Shock NR
I really enjoyed the first in this series and the second part does not fail to excite and titillate. Also,Its very scary. Unlike the 3rd movie the cast is the same.....at least Misa is the same (She's the Good chief witch).
If you can find them get both at the same time and watch them one after the other. There was a little bit more money for the 2nd one and you can see it on the screen.

Eko Eko Azarak 3 - Misa the Dark Angel
Horror Tokyo Shock R
Misa Kuroi is a good witch, but wherever she goes, evil follows. When a dying girl appears out of nowhere shouting Misa's name, our heroine goes to work. Following the clues, Misa transfers to the prestigious Saint Salem School for Girls and joins the Drama Club. Soon all the girls depart for a mysterious Drama Camp, deep in the woods.

Elfen Lied Complete Collection
Anime Adv Films Unrated
Critics have described Elfen Lied as "weird,"(Anime Planet), "surprisingly sadistic,"(Gamerz Edge), and "addictive" (Animesou). Now wonder, when you consider what makes this series hum! Lucy, a beautiful young mutant, is bred by the government to be the ultimate weapon. Armed with unfathomable powers, she escapes her handlers, but loses her memory in the process. Fortunately, our young waif is taken in by two well-meaning students. Now, with government killers on her trail, the disposition of a five year old, and a hair trigger for ultraviolence, Lucy and her young friends must unravel the dark secret of her legacy before it's too late.

Embrace of the Vampire
Drama New Line Home Video Unrated
A sensuous but innocent college freshman is seduced by a most obsessive lover.

Empire Records
Comedy Warner Home Video PG-13
This story about a day in the life of an independent record store, truly a threatened species, screeches with the sound of teenagers falling apart emotionally every five minutes. The script, which feels like an old guy's idea of how kids talk and think, concerns the young employees of a Delaware music shop faced with imminent extinction. While the ship is sinking, the staff indulge in tantrums, depressions, and run-ins with low self-esteem. There's a lot of noise in this thing, but not a lot is really said. Rory Cochrane has the best part as a secretive guy who loses the store's proceeds one night while gambling, Anthony LaPaglia is the adult boss and unofficial dad to the others, Renée Zellweger plays a promiscuous girl, and Liv Tyler is OK as a lovestruck sweet thing trying to get up the nerve to express her feelings to a fellow employee. "--Tom Keogh"

The English Patient
Drama Walt Disney Video R
Winner of nine Academy Awards and almost every critic's heart, "The English Patient" (based on Michael Ondaatje's prizewinning novel of love and loss during World War II) is one of the most acclaimed films of modern times. Hana, a nurse, (Juliette Binoche) tends to an archaeologist (Ralph Fiennes) who has been burnt to a crisp in a plane crash. As their relationship intensifies, he flashes back to his overwhelming passion for a married woman (Kristin Scott Thomas). Meanwhile, Hana begins a new romance with a man who defuses bombs (Naveen Andrews) and Willem Dafoe almost steals the show as the thumbless thief Caravaggio. The intricately layered flashback narrative, sounding the depths of the lovers' hearts, improves with repeated viewings--especially with the sharp picture and digital sound of the digital video disc.

Equilibrium
Action & Adventure Dimension R
A broad science fiction thriller in a classic vein, "Equilibrium" takes a respectable stab at a "Fahrenheit 451"-like cautionary fable. The story finds Earth's post-World War III humankind in a state of severe emotional repression: If no one feels anything, no one will be inspired by dark passions to attack their neighbors. Writer-director Kurt Wimmer's monochromatic, "Metropolis"-influenced cityscape provides an excellent backdrop to the heavy-handed mission of John Preston (Christian Bale), a top cop who busts "sense offenders" and crushes sentimental, sensual, and artistic relics from a bygone era. Predictably, Preston becomes intrigued by his victims and that which they die to cherish; he stops taking his mandatory, mood-flattening drug and is even aroused by a doomed prisoner (Emily Watson). Wimmer's wrongheaded martial arts/dueling guns motif is sheer silliness (a battle over a puppy doesn't help), but "Equilibrium" should be seen for Bale's moving performance as a man shocked back to human feeling. "--Tom Keogh"

An Evening with Kevin Smith
Comedy Sony Pictures NR
To know the origin of "Snoochie-Boochies," you "must" spend "An Evening with Kevin Smith". The Jersey-bred "auteur" of low-budget comedy proves equally adept as an uncensored raconteur, regaling five college audiences--his most devoted demographic--in this two-disc compilation of lively Q&A. Sporting his trademark slacker garb, Smith occasionally bites the loyal, sometimes moronic hands that feed him (as a result, audience participation is drop-dead hilarious), but he's arguably the most publicly and personally honest filmmaker to survive the insanity of Hollywood. His best stories lift the veil of show-biz decorum, describing absurd meetings with studio executives over his ill-fated screenplay "Superman Lives"; razzing the artsy pretensions of director Tim Burton; or exposing Prince (who hired him to direct a never-completed documentary) as a self-absorbed Jesus freak. These attacks aren't baseless; Smith's too smartly good-natured to provoke without purpose, and with an onstage visit by Jason Mewes ("Jay" to Smith's "Silent Bob"), this ribald, sharply assembled "Evening" compares favorably to Richard Pryor with its outrageous blend of comedy and candor. "--Jeff Shannon"

An Evening With Kevin Smith 2 - Evening Harder
Comedy Sony Pictures Unrated
While watching "An Evening with Kevin Smith 2" (let's skip over that stupid subtitle, shall we?), you may ask yourself, "Why should I give a **** about anything Kevin Smith has to say?"--and then you'll be laughing in agreement with a lot of what he says. For better or worse, the potty-mouthed creator of "Clerks" and "Dogma" is an expert at combining his own "View Askew" perspective with stand-up comedy and ribald Q&A with (mostly) appreciative audiences. The novelty here is that Smith (now looking richer and more custom-tailored than he did on the cover of "An Evening with Kevin Smith ") is equally at home with fans in Toronto and London, where his cross-cultural observations inform much of their humorous interaction. Whether he's discussing the "X-Men" movies as homosexual allegory, recalling how his wife caught him masturbating to pictures of her that he shot for Playboy, or making prescient observations about Mel Gibson's career meltdown (just a few of the many topics covered here), Smith remains admirably frank about his fan-base, his limited skills as a filmmaker, and his counter-cultural status as a chubby fan-boy who made good in Hollywood. Even when he tests your tolerance with opinions best kept to himself, Smith is a focused observer of his own milieu, willing to expose his insecurities while refusing to suffer fools in his audience (and there are more than a few).






























As with his previous stand-up DVD, Smith welcomes frequent (and now drug-free) costar Jason Mewes onstage for some extreme (and extremely funny) sex-talk, including demonstrations of Mewes' "half-half-whole" technique (don't ask), and later (as a disc 2 bonus feature) approaching young London women with a the kind of pick-up lines (like "Let me get up in them guts") that only a guy like Mewes could get away with. Dropping F-bombs like there's no tomorrow, Smith is crude but intelligent (nobody makes it on luck alone), and this two-disc set will satisfy established fans and would-be converts alike. Likewise, Smith-haters will find nothing to change their minds, since Smith occasionally comes across as smug and self-satisfied, even when he's really not. What matters here is the humor of a self-effacing guy who's never quite sure if he deserves his own success. That puts Smith on even terms with his fans, and it's that dynamic, more than anything else, that makes these concerts a whole lot of fun. --"Jeff Shannon"



The Evil Dead
Horror Anchor Bay NC-17
In the fall of 1979, Sam Raimi and his merry band headed into the woods of rural Tennessee to make a movie. They emerged with a roller coaster of a film packed with shocks, gore, and wild humor, a film that remains a benchmark for the genre. Ash (cult favorite Bruce Campbell) and four friends arrive at a backwoods cabin for a vacation, where they find a tape recorder containing incantations from an ancient book of the dead. When they play the tape, evil forces are unleashed, and one by one the friends are possessed. Wouldn't you know it, the only way to kill a "deadite" is by total bodily dismemberment, and soon the blood starts to fly. Raimi injects tremendous energy into this simple plot, using the claustrophobic set, disorienting camera angles, and even the graininess of the film stock itself to create an atmosphere of dread, punctuated by a relentless series of jump-out-of-your-seat shocks. "The Evil Dead" lacks the more highly developed sense of the absurd that distinguish later entries in the series--"Evil Dead 2" and "Army of Darkness"--but it is still much more than a gore movie. It marks the appearance of one of the most original and visually exciting directors of his generation, and it stands as a monument to the triumph of imagination over budget. "--Simon Leake"

Evil Dead II
Horror Anchor Bay X (Mature Audiences Only)
Writer-director Sam Raimi's extremely stylized, blood-soaked follow-up to his creepy "Evil Dead" isn't really a sequel; rather, it's a remake on a better budget. It also isn't really a horror film (though there are plenty of decapitations, zombies, supernatural demons, and gore) as much as it is a hilarious, sophisticated slapstick send-up of the terror genre. Raimi takes every horror convention that exists and exaggerates it with mind-blowing special effects, crossed with mocking Three Stooges humor. The plot alone is a genre cliché right out of any number of horror films. Several teens (including our hero, Ash, played by Bruce Campbell in a manic tour-de-force of physical comedy) visit a broken-down cottage in the woods--miles from civilization--find a copy of the Book of the Dead, and unleash supernatural powers that gut every character in sight. All, that is, except Ash, who takes this very personally and spends much of the of the film getting his head smashed while battling the unseen forces. Raimi uses this bare-bones story as a stage to showcase dazzling special effects and eye-popping visuals, including some of the most spectacular point-of-view Steadicam work ever (done by Peter Deming). Although it went unnoticed in the theaters, the film has since become an influential cult-video favorite, paving the way for over-the-top comic gross-out films like Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive". "--Dave McCoy"

Evita
Musical Miramax PG
After more than a decade of false starts and several potential directors, the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical finally made it to the big screen with Alan Parker ("The Commitments") at the helm and Madonna in the coveted title role of Argentina's first lady, Eva Perón. A triumph of production design, costuming, cinematography, and epic-scale pageantry, the film follows the rise of Eva Perón to the level of supreme social and political celebrity in the 1940s. Like Madonna, Perón was a material girl (she was only 33 when she died); she was instrumental in the political success of her husband, Juan Perón (Jonathan Pryce). But Eva was also a supremely tragic figure whose life was essentially hollow at its core despite the lavish benefits of her nearly goddess-like status. The film has a similar quality--it's visually astonishing but emotionally distant, and benefits greatly from the singing commentary of Ché (Antonia Banderas), who serves as a passionate chorus to guide the viewer through the elaborate parade of history. "--Jeff Shannon"

Excalibur
Action & Adventure Warner Home Video R
This lush retelling of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a dark and engrossing tale. Director John Boorman ("Deliverance") masterfully handles the tale of the mythical sword Excalibur, and its passing from the wizard Merlin to the future king of England. Arthur pulls the famed sword from a stone and is destined to be crowned king. As the king embarks on a passionate love affair with Guenevere, an illegitimate son, and Merlin's designs on power, threaten Arthur's reign. The film is visually stunning and unflinching in its scenes of combat and black magic. Featuring an impressive supporting cast, including early work from the likes of Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne, "Excalibur" is an adaptation of the legend both faithful and bold. "--Robert Lane"

Excel Saga - Complete Collection
Anime Adv Films NR
One of anime's all-time greatest comedies is back in an all-new, affordable package! The secret organization ACROSS wants to conquer the world, one city at a tyime! And the unbelievably hyper and certifyably insane senior agent Excel will stop at noth

eXistenZ
Science Fiction & Fantasy Dimension R
Director David Cronenberg's "eXistenZ" is a stew of corporate espionage, virtual reality gaming, and thriller elements, marinated in Cronenberg's favorite Crock-Pot juices of technology, physiology, and sexual metaphor. Jennifer Jason Leigh is game designer Allegra Geller, responsible for the new state-of-the-art eXistenZ game system; along with PR newbie Ted Pikul (Jude Law), they take the beta version of the game for a test drive and are immersed in a dangerous alternate reality. The game isn't quite like PlayStation, though; it's a latexy pod made from the guts of mutant amphibians and plugs via an umbilical cord directly into the user's spinal column (through a BioPort). It powers up through the player's own nervous system and taps into the subconscious; with several players it networks their brains together. Geller and Pikul's adventures in the game reality uncover more espionage and an antigaming, proreality insurrection. The game world makes it increasingly difficult to discern between reality and the game, either through the game's perspective or the human's. More accessible than "Crash", "eXistenZ" is a complicated sci-fi opus, often confusing, and with an ending that leaves itself wide open for a sequel. Fans of Cronenberg's work will recognize his recurring themes and will eat this up. Others will find its shallow characterizations and near-incomprehensible plot twists a little tedious. "--Jerry Renshaw"

Family Guy, Vol. 1
Television 20th Century Fox NR
To the ranks of shows too brilliant and outrageous for prime time ("The Ben Stiller Show", "Andy Richter Controls the Universe"), add Seth McFarland's "Family Guy". This animated series, which debuted after the 1999 Super Bowl, simply sparked too much controversy and offended too many sensibilities to survive ("Entertainment Weekly" dubbed it "the Awful Show They Just Keep Putting on the Air"). That the Fox network also played hackysack with its schedule, ensuring viewers would not be able to find it, sealed its fate (it was cancelled in 2002). This boxed set containing all 28 episodes from the first two seasons is payback for the show's devoted cult following, who may be moved to echo the words of infant Stewie Griffin, the megalomaniacal 1-year-old bent on matricide and world domination: "Victory is mine!"
The dysfunctional Griffins of Quahog, Rhode Island, invite comparisons to "The Simpsons". The testicular-chinned father, Peter Griffin, is a clueless oaf in the Homer mold. "Peter, what did you promise me last night?" asks his long-suffering wife Lois in one episode. "That I wouldn't drink at the stag party," he replies. "And what did you do?" she asks. "Drank at the stag part--oh ho ho, I almost walked into that one," he cackles. Other family members include teenage daughter Meg, a desperate high school social pariah; 13-year-old son Chris, a chip off his father's blockhead; and Brian, the family's sarcastic talking dog. But this series' true inspiration is football-pated Stewie (voiced by McFarlane, who earned an Emmy), who was born to be a Bond villain once he escaped his mother's "ovarian bastille." "Family Guy" recklessly ventured where "The Simpsons" feared to tread. In one episode, Meg's one and only friend turns out to be the member of a suicidal cult. In another, Death (voiced by Norm McDonald) becomes an unwanted houseguest. Each episode plays fast and furious with surreal flashes (in one episode, Peter turns his house into a puppet) and pop-culture references and TV, movie, and commercial parodies that invite repeated viewings. Freed from its own family-hour bastille and the whims of dim network executives, "Family Guy" can be appreciated at last on its own profane, sacrilegious, and irreverent terms. Welcome to the DVD family, Griffins. "--Donald Liebenson"

Family Guy, Vol. 2
Television 20th Century Fox NR
The third and final season of Seth MacFarlane's late, lamented "Family Guy" finds television's most dysfunctional cartoon family even more animated than usual. As MacFarlane notes in a bonus segment about the controversial series' censorship battles, he was inspired to go for broke, thinking that the series, already juggled like a hot potato in the schedule (at one point, it aired opposite the mighty "Friends"), had been cancelled. Just as "Spinal Tap" walked the fine line between "clever and stupid," so did "Family Guy" gleefully mock the line between "edgy and offensive." Case in point is this set's holy grail: "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," not aired during the series' original run, in which clueless Rhode Island patriarch Peter Griffin is convinced that if his lumpen son is to be rich and successful, he must become Jewish.
Like "The Simpsons", "Family Guy" lends itself to multiple viewings to catch each densely packed episode's way-inside "one-percenter" gags (so-called by the creators because that is the percent of the audience who will get them), scattershot pop-culture references, surreal leaps, and gratuitous pot shots at everyone from, predictably, Oprah, Kevin Costner, and Bill Cosby to, unpredictably, Rita Rudner. Also like their Springfield counterparts, this series benefits from a great ensemble voice cast, with surprising contributions from a no-less-stellar roster of guest stars. Yes, that's actually Kelly Ripa as her "real" self, a heart-devouring alien in "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1," and June Foray popping in as Rocky the Flying Squirrel in "Brian Does Hollywood." "Family Guy"'s stock has recently risen with its addition to Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" lineup, a much better fit than prime time. To see Peter invite Charles Manson to a party for Sharon Tate ("but only if you don't embarrass me") is to marvel how much of this ever got on the air. Happily, it is on DVD. "--Donald Liebenson"

Farscape - Season 1, Collection 1
Television Adv Films NR
The must-have collection includes 7 episodes of the first season of the Jim Henson Television, Hallmark Entertainment, and Nine Networks award-sinning series on 2 discs. This award-winning series, which airs on SCI FI, has been called "The Best Sci-Fi on TV", by TV Guide, and hailed as "TV's Best Space Series" by USA Today.

Farscape - Season 1, Collection 2
Television Adv Films NR
This must-have collection includes 7 episodes of the first season of the Jim Henson Television, Hallmark Entertainment, and Nine Networks award-winning series on 2 discs. Airing on SCI FI, Farcape has been called "The Best SciFi on TV, " by TV Guide, and hailed as "TV's Best Space Series" by USA Today.

Farscape - Season 1, Collection 3
Television Adv Films NR
This must-have collection includes 8 episodes of the first season of the Jim Henson Television, Hallmark Entertainment, and Nine Networks award-winning series on 2 discs. This award-winning series, which airs on SCI FI, has been called "The Best Sci-Fi on TV," by TV Guide, and hailed as "TV's Best Space Series" by USA Today.

Farscape - Season 2, Collection 1
Television Adv Films NR
Farscape is an adventure as broad and weird as the universe-full of strange creature, bizarre twists, irreverent humor, raucous action, passion, and romance! Produced in Australia with the incredible talents of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Farscape is the fantasy-scifi-drama-romance-comedy-adventure you will always remember!

Farscape - Season 2, Collection 2
Television Adv Films NR
Don’t get your shivvies in an uproar! It’s the fifth collection in the Starburst Edition of Farscape -- the middle of Season 2! "I’m just looking for a way home." Astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is lost. Really, really lost. Shot through a wormhole during an experimental space mission, he’s in a distant part of the universe, far from everything and everyone he’s ever known. Yes, he’s made friends with a bizarre crew of alien ex-cons onboard the massive living ship called Moya. He’s even risked his life for them. But he’s made some powerful enemies, too. Especially Scorpius, an obsessed military leader – and sadistic horror – who wants a secret technology that’s hidden deep in Crichton’s subconscious. And nightmare of nightmares, Scorpius has implanted a neural clone of himself into Crichton’s brain to hunt down the information he seeks, even if Crichton’s sanity is destroyed in the process! An ordinary guy on an extraordinary journey, Crichton is doing his best… to survive. Home has never seemed so far away. Farscape is an adventure as broad and weird as the universe -- full of strange creatures, bizarre twists, irreverent humor, raucous action, passion, and romance! Produced in Australia with the incredible talents of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Farscape is the fantasy-scifi-drama-romance-comedy-adventure you will always remember!

Farscape - Season 2, Collection 3
Television Adv Films NR
Farscape is an enduring sci-fi franchise, thanks to thrilling yarns, plenty of space opera, and a menagerie of captivating aliens, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Now, thanks to the Starburst Editions, fans can load p on the ultimate Farscape experience, packed with brand new extras at a low low price.

Farscape - Season 3, Collection 1
Television Adv Films NR
Farscape is an enduring sci-fi franchise. Now, thans to the Starburst Editions, fans can load up on the ultimate Farscape experience, packed with brand new extras at a low low price!

Farscape - Season 3, Collection 2
Television Adv Films NR
Well, frell me dead! It’s the Starburst Edition of Farscape -- Season 3, Collection 2! It’s a big, crazy universe out there. And American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is about as lost in it as he can be! The poor guy’s been through a lot. He’s been probed, prodded, framed, frozen, and frelled by alien life forms more bizarre than anything he could have imagined. Now, our long-suffering hero has been cloned against his will. And it’s double-trouble as two Crichtons go on separate adventures! Throw in an dysfunctional crew of quarreling alien ex-cons, a bio-mechanoid ship with a neurotic Pilot, a sadistic military leader with a secret agenda, a beautiful ex-commando who’s learning how to love, and it’s no wonder that… John Crichton is losing his mind! Praised by TV Guide as one of the "25 Top Cult Shows Ever," Farscape is an adventure as broad and weird as the universe -- full of strange creatures, bizarre twists, irreverent humor, raucous action, passion, and romance! Produced in Australia with the incredible talents of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Farscape is the fantasy-scifi-drama-romance-comedy-adventure you will always remember!

Farscape - Season 3, Collection 3
Television Adv Films NR
You bet your frangle! It’s the Starburst Edition of Farscape -- Season 3, Collection 3! Who is John Crichton? An astronaut. Good-looking, all-American, nice guy lost somewhere in a crazy universe. A hero who’s been probed, prodded, framed, frozen, and frelled by alien life forms more bizarre than anything in Captain Kirk’s wildest dreams. Who is John Crichton (Ben Browder)? Did we mention he’s in love with a beautiful ex-commando named Aeryn (Claudia Black)? Did we mention he’s been cloned? Two Crichtons so identical even he can’t tell who’s the original. One Crichton gets the girl of his... er... their dreams. The other gets left behind. One Crichton dies. The other goes toe-to-toe against death itself, in the form of a sadistic military leader searching for a secret that will forever alter the balance of power in the universe. It’s hidden deep in Crichton’s impenetrable human subconscious, where even he can’t find it. Toss in a dysfunctional crew of quarreling alien ex-cons onboard a bio-mechanoid ship with a neurotic Pilot, and you’ve got a hint of the incredible Farscape universe. But only a hint. Praised by TV Guide as one of the "25 Top Cult Shows Ever," Farscape is an adventure as broad and weird as the universe -- full of strange creatures, bizarre twists, irreverent humor, raucous action, passion, and romance! Produced in Australia with the incredible talents of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Farscape is the fantasy-scifi-drama-romance-comedy-adventure you will always remember!

Farscape - Season 4, Collection 1
Television Adv Films NR
After a forced landing, the crew is separated by an elaborate trap that leaves Crichton, D'Argo, Noranti and Rygel in a lava-filled system of underground caves. While Chiana and Sikozu are on the surface trying to reactivate D'Argo's ship, Crichton and the others are being hunted down by mercenaries who are led by a monster impervious to the fiery lava.

Farscape - Season 4, Collection 2
Television Adv Films PG
Farscape is an enduring sci-fi franchise, thanks to thrilling yarns, plenty of space opera, and a menagerie of captivating aliens, courtesy of the Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Now, thanks to the Starburst Editions, fans can load up on the ultimate Farscape experience, packed with brand new extras at a low low price!

Farscape - Season 4, Collection 3
Science Fiction & Fantasy Adv Films NR
Farscape is an enduring sci-fi franchise, thanks to thrilling yarns, plenty of space opera, and a menagerie of captivating aliens, courtesy of the Jim Henson Creature Shop. Now, thanks to the Starburst Editions, fans can load up on the ultimate Farscape experience, packed with brand new extras at a low low price!

Farscape - The Peacekeeper Wars
Television Hallmark NR
Created at least in part due to popular demand, "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" will provide some closure to fans who were dismayed by the demise of the popular science fiction television show in 2003 and campaigned mightily to bring it back. Indeed, this miniseries (originally broadcast over two nights on the Sci-Fi Channel) will likely appeal primarily to the "Farscape" faithful, as the somewhat convoluted storyline may prove baffling to the uninitiated.

A brief bit of backstory explains how John Crichton, an astronaut from Earth, went through a wormhole and ended up on Moya, a living spaceship, with a motley group of aliens, including D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), Chiana (Gigi Edgley), various puppet characters (designed by the Jim Henson Company), and Aeryn (Claudia Black), Crichton's love interest, who's expecting their first child. As "The Peacekeeper Wars" begins, our heroes find themselves in the middle of a war-to-end-all-wars between the lizard-like, implacably evil Scarrans and their rivals, the Peacekeepers. Crichton is the lynchpin in all of this, as his knowledge of "wormhole technology" is coveted by all, including his old nemesis Scorpius (Wayne Pygram), who captured and tortured Crichton back in season 1 and with whom Crichton must now form an uneasy alliance against the Scarrans.

Over the course of the three-hour miniseries, we get lots of weird- and cool-looking aliens, some nice sets and special effects, plenty of battles, and lots of portentous talk about the fate of the universe--nothing especially original, but all presented with outstanding production values. There's drama and action, love and betrayal, tragedy and triumph, war and, ultimately, peace, with a suitably spectacular ending (and a nod to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"). With a 30-minute "making of" documentary among the DVD special features, "The Peacekeeper Wars" is a fitting way to end the "Farscape" saga. "--Sam Graham"

The Fifth Element
Science Fiction & Fantasy Sony Pictures PG-13
Ancient curses, all-powerful monsters, shape-changing assassins, scantily-clad stewardesses, laser battles, huge explosions, a perfect woman, a malcontent hero--what more can you ask of a big-budget science fiction movie? Luc Besson's high-octane film incorporates presidents, rock stars, and cab drivers into its peculiar plot, traversing worlds and encountering some pretty wild aliens. Bruce Willis stars as a down-and-out cabbie who must win the love of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) to save Earth from destruction by Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) and a dark, unearthly force that makes Darth Vader look like an Ewok.

The Final Cut
Thriller Lions Gate PG-13
While it works better as a somber mood piece than a futuristic thriller, "The Final Cut" posits a unique what-if scenario that some viewers will find fascinating. In a role that calls for his low-key "One Hour Photo" persona, Robin Williams plays an expert "cutter" who's in demand for his ability to distill anyone's lifetime into a feature-length "rememory" film that highlights the better side of anyone's nature. His profession is made possible by the "Zoe" chip, a prenatal brain implant capable of recording a person's entire lifetime--a technology opposed by a former cutter (Jim Caviezel) and puzzled over by Williams' on-and-off girlfriend (Mira Sorvino). First-time writer-director Omar Naim divided critics with his impressive visual style and lackluster screenplay, which fails to account for the larger implications of the Zoe chip's exploitation. Still, the film contains several intriguing ideas that place it among other sci-fi films like "Gattaca", suggesting one of the many potential controversies that await us in a future where ethics and technology are not always compatible. "--Jeff Shannon"

Firefly - The Complete Series
Television 20th Century Fox NR
As the 2005 theatrical release of "Serenity" made clear, "Firefly" was a science fiction concept that deserved a second chance. Devoted fans (or "Browncoats") knew it all along, and with this well-packaged DVD set, those who missed the show's original broadcasts can see what they missed. Creator Joss Whedon's ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon's third series after "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel") was canceled after only 11 of these 14 episodes had aired on the Fox network, but history has proven that its demise was woefully premature. Whedon's generic hybrid got off to a shaky start when network executives demanded an action-packed one-hour premiere ("The Train Job"); in hindsight the intended two-hour pilot (also titled "Serenity," and oddly enough, the final episode aired) provides a better introduction to the show's concept and splendid ensemble cast. Obsessive fans can debate the quirky logic of combining spaceships with direct parallels to frontier America (it's 500 years in the future, and embattled humankind has expanded into the galaxy, where undeveloped "outer rim" planets struggle with the equivalent of Old West accommodations), but Whedon and his gifted co-writers and directors make it work, at least well enough to fashion a credible context from the incongruous culture-clashing of past, present, and future technologies, along with a polyglot language (the result of two dominant superpowers) that combines English with an abundance of Chinese slang.
What makes it work is Whedon's delightfully well-chosen cast and their nine well-developed characters--a typically Whedon-esque extended family--each providing a unique perspective on their adventures aboard "Serenity", the junky but beloved "Firefly-class" starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged Independent faction's war against the all-powerful planetary Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), "Serenity" captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew on a quest for survival. They're renegades with an amoral agenda, taking any job that pays well, but "Firefly"'s complex tapestry of right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper than it first appears. Tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an insidious mega-corporation with a mysteriously evil agenda), its ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of "Serenity"'s resident stowaway (Summer Glau) as a guinea pig in the development of advanced warfare were clear indications "Firefly" was heading for exciting revelations that were precluded by the series' cancellation. Fortunately, the big-screen "Serenity" (which can be enjoyed independently of the series) ensured that Whedon's wild extraterrestrial west had not seen its final sunset. Its very existence confirms that these 14 episodes (and enjoyable bonus features) will endure as irrefutable proof Fox made a glaring mistake in canceling the series. "--Jeff Shannon"

First Blood
Action & Adventure Live / Artisan R
It's easy to forget that this Spartan, violent film, which begat the Rambo series, was such a big hit in 1982 because it was a good movie. Green Beret vet John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) wanders into the wrong small town to find a fellow 'Nam buddy and gets the living heck kicked out of him by the local law enforcement (led by Brian Dennehy). The vet strikes back the only way he knows how, leading to a visceral, if unrealistic, flight and fight through the local mountains. Based on the 1972 novel by David Morrell, this film saved Stallone's then-foundering career and the Rambo character became the inspiration for countless political cartoons. But this film is "Deliverance" without the moral ambiguity. "--Keith Simanton"

The Fisher King
Drama Sony Pictures R
Arthurian mythology and modern day decay seem perfect complements to each other in this Terry Gilliam drama/comedy/fantasy. Shock jock Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) makes an off-handed radio remark that causes a man to go on a killing spree, leaving Lucas unhinged with guilt. Lucas's later, chance meeting with Parry (Robin Williams), a homeless man suffering from dementia, gets him involved in the unlikely quest for the Holy Grail. The rickety, and patently unrealistic stand that insanity is just a wonderful place to be, and that the homeless are all errant knights, wears awfully thin, but there are numerous moments of sad grace and violent beauty in this film. The screenplay by Richard LaGravenese launched his successful career and his smart wordplay helped garner Mercedes Ruehl an Oscar as Lucas's girlfriend. "--Keith Simanton"

Fist of Legend
Art House & International Dragon Dynasty R
A Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by occupying Japanese forces. He has but one choice - to avenge his master's murder and restore his school's honor.

Forever Mine
Drama MGM (Video & DVD) R
Paul Schrader's "Forever Mine" tells a not-very-compelling, still-less-credible story of love, betrayal, and retribution. A cabana boy (Joseph Fiennes) at a Florida beach resort falls hard for a gorgeous guest (Gretchen Mol) neglected by her wheeler-dealer husband (Ray Liotta). After a steamy nude scene and a sweet, barefoot date, Fiennes follows her home to New York and declares undying love. Mol, a good Catholic girl who reads "Madame Bovary", confesses the affair to Liotta. Being shadier than she realizes, he arranges to have nasty things befall his rival. Cut to 14 years later (though in fact the movie has been shuffling time periods since the beginning): Fiennes, long presumed dead, resurfaces to lend his talents (he's become a master criminal) to the now thoroughly corrupt Liotta and see what his beloved is up to. Fiennes has a new name, and a scar on one side of his face, so neither recognizes him. You don't have a problem with that, do you?
Nonrecognition is always a tricky proposition in movies, but "Forever Mine"'s problems don't end there. Fiennes, sans "Shakespeare in Love" beard and Bardlike charisma, doesn't begin to suggest a guy who'd inspire obsession. His costar's attempt at creating a soul sister to Emma Bovary is as underacted as it is underwritten, and Liotta's husband is just a lout, despite a desperate stab at giving him a virtually literary sensitivity regarding his romantic one-upping. You want a spellbinding Schrader movie about outré passion and literary mystery, look up "The Comfort of Strangers". "--Richard T. Jameson"

The Fountain
Action & Adventure Warner Home Video PG-13
Science fiction and romance collide in "The Fountain", the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky ("Pi", "Requiem for a Dream"), who labored for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky's real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film's three settings--16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveler seeking a gateway to the afterlife)--who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death--the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to "head movies" of the late '60s--but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers' hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The "Fountain" has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for "Requiem") delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman's boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film's low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. " -- Paul Gaita"

Frailty
Thriller Lions Gate R
Steeped in gloomy atmosphere, "Frailty" locates its horror in the tyranny of religious fanaticism. Making an assured directorial debut, actor Bill Paxton costars as a Texas widower who believes God has recruited him to destroy demons in human form. Feeling divinely justified in committing a series of ax murders (discreetly unseen), he urges his two young sons to assist him in the killings--a living nightmare recalled in flashback by one of the now-adult sons (Matthew McConaughey) to the FBI agent (Powers Boothe) who's investigating the murders. But mystery is of secondary importance in Brent Hanley's cleverly twisting screenplay; "Frailty" suggests, with unsettling subtlety, that Paxton's mission may not be delusional, thus burdening his deadly wrath with spiritually disturbing significance. It's definitely not a feel-good film, but with celebrity endorsements by Stephen King and directors James Cameron and Sam Raimi (who both made films with Paxton), "Frailty" gets under the skin with insidious efficiency. "--Jeff Shannon"

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune
Television Live / Artisan Unrated
Conspiracies abound in "Children of Dune", Sci-Fi Channel's praiseworthy miniseries sequel to "Frank Herbert's Dune", loyally adapted from the Herbert novels "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune" by John Harrison, who passed directorial duties (due to a scheduling conflict) to Greg Yaitanes, a 31-year-old TV director and "Dune" neophyte tackling his biggest assignment to date. Uninitiated viewers face a disadvantage; it's best to read Herbert's books and/or see the first miniseries before plunging into this remarkably coherent tangle of political intrigue, unfolding 12 years after the events of "Dune".
To his horror, Maud'Dib--Arrakis emperor Paul Atreides (Alec Newman, reprising his "Dune" role)--has become the unintended figurehead of a violent dictatorship, and his enemies are multiplying. Vanishing into the desert, he waits as destiny shapes his twin heirs Leto II (James McAvoy) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks), who must contend with their scheming aunt Alia (Daniela Amavia) while Princess Wensicia (Susan Sarandon), of the enemy House Corrino, plots her own attack on Maud'Dib's familial empire. Exiled Atreides matriarch Lady Jessica (Alice Krige, giving the film's finest performance) returns to Arrakis, where the enormous, desert-dwelling sandworms face an uncertain future. As always, the spice must flow, and the universe's most coveted commodity remains at the center of this richly detailed and physically impressive production. Special effects range from awesome (fly-over shots of the capital city, Arakeen) to awful (the saber-tooth tigers look like "Jumanji" rejects), and "Dune" devotees will endlessly debate the miniseries' strengths and weaknesses. Some may desire more action to punctuate the film's inherent verbosity, but consensus will surely conclude that this is "Dune" done right, with monumental effort and obvious devotion from everyone involved. "--Jeff Shannon"

Frank Herbert's Dune
Television Live / Artisan Unrated
It's a mixed blessing, but "Frank Herbert's Dune" goes a long way toward satisfying science fiction purists who scoffed at David Lynch's previous attempt to adapt Herbert's epic narrative. Ironically, director John Harrison's 288-minute TV miniseries (broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2000) offers its own share of strengths and weaknesses, which, in retrospect, emphasize the quality of Lynch's film while treating Herbert's novel with more comprehensive authority. Debate will continue as to which film is better; Lynch's extensive use of internal monologue now seems like a challenge well met, and Harrison's more conventional approach is better equipped to convey the epic scope of Herbert's interplanetary political intrigue.
This much is certain: this "Dune" is a sumptuous treat for the eyes, with sets and costumes that were conceived with no apparent limits of budget or creativity. In terms of architecture alone, this is one of the most impressive films in science fiction history. And although the special effects fall short of feature-film quality, writer-director Harrison (who rose from an extensive background in TV) admirably tames the sprawling narrative that pits the opposing houses of Atreides and Harkonnen in a struggle to control the lucrative market for the spice melange. This is as accurate as any "Dune" adaptation is likely to get (i.e., there's no need for another attempt), and even then, it can be tricky to keep track of who's doing what to whom. Unfortunately, the film's biggest flaws are the casting of a nearly comatose William Hurt as Duke Leto, and a wooden Alec Newman as the messiah-to-be, Paul Atreides. These are regrettable shortcomings, but this "Dune" remains altogether respectable. That Frank Herbert would be impressed is perhaps the biggest compliment one can pay. "--Jeff Shannon"

Frisky Dingo - Season 1
Television Warner Home Video NR
Pretty much one of the funniest shows of all time, but definitely not for everyone. The humor is crude and extremely unique, but if you're into it, then it's the greatest.

Frisky Dingo - Season 2
Animation Warner Home Video NR
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 01/06/2009 Rating: Nr

Fullmetal Alchemist - Season 1, Part 1 Box Set
Television Funimation Prod Unrated
"Entertaining, heart-breaking and thought-provoking. One of - if not the - greatest anime ever" --- "Anime Insider"
The Season 1 set contains the first four volumes of the Fullmetal Alchemist series The Curse The Scarred Man of the East Equivalent Exchange The Fall of Ishbal

Fullmetal Alchemist - Season 1, Part 2 Box Set
Television Funimation Prod Unrated
The second half of the first season of the hit fantasy-adventure "Fullmetal Alchemist" offers some of the most emotionally intense moments in the series. Dr. Marcoh's research into the creation of a Philosopher's Stone leads Edward and Alphonse Elric to the secret Military Laboratory #5. In its dungeons, the brothers find that Shou Tucker has continued producing chimeras, helping to draw them to the Lab. But Tucker is just a pawn for the Homunculi, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony, who want the Philosopher's Stone--which they believe Ed can create. Edward is faced with the terrible choice of losing Al or committing multiple murders when the experiment is interrupted by Scar, the avenging survivor of Ishbal. The Elric brothers' inner struggles eclipse the violent external battles: Al has begun to doubt that he ever existed in human form; Ed fears that Al hates him for delving into the forbidden knowledge that destroyed his body. After escaping from the Lab, Ed and Al meet up with the one individual they fear: their brutal but loving instructor Izumi. Realizing that the Elrics committed the crime of attempting human transmutation, Izumi sends them back to the island where they began their apprenticeship. The filmmakers intercut the Brothers' present sojourn with flashbacks of their early training, suggesting the ongoing journey to mastery of the art of alchemy. The dramatic episodes are balanced against comedic moments with Winrey, Major Armstrong and Col. Hughes. The brothers share a rare, carefree moment in Resembool, sparring and roughhousing. Despite his mechanical limbs, Ed frolics unselfconsciously in a sleeveless shirt and shorts--something no American animated character could do. Many anime series lose momentum after their first season; "Fullmetal Alchemist" only gets better. (Rated TV PG: violence, grotesque imagery, tobacco use) "--Charles Solomon"

Fullmetal Alchemist - Season 2, Part 1 Box Set
Anime & Manga Funimation Unrated
The first episodes of the second season of "Fullmetal Alchemist" focus on the origins of the Homunculi. Izumi reveals that when Edward and Alphonse attempted to bring their mother back from the dead, they disturbed the order of the universe more profoundly than they could imagine. Ed remembers confronting a mysterious Gate that seemed to guard the path to all knowledge. The artists based the design on Rodin's "Gates of Hell", and its swirling human forms lend an appropriately grim power to the visuals. A new Wrath appears at the same time Greed has been freed from decades of confinement. When Ed fights Greed, he discovers that the Homunculi have weaknesses and can be destroyed under the right conditions. The fallen city of Ishbal remains at the center of the search for the Philosopher's Stone. Sheska's research into the death of Gen. Hughes suggests a link to Ishbalan war and the mysterious Col. Juliet Douglas who supposedly triggered it. Ed and Al reach the ruins of Ishbal and learn the true story of its destruction before Cols. Mustang and Kimbley arrive with an army. In nearby Liore, Ed finds himself caught between a monstrous plot hatched by Scar, Lust, and Gluttony, and the sinister plans of the Scarlet Alchemist, Lt. Col. Frank Archer, and their military superiors. Many series falter and grow repetitious in their second season; "Fullmetal Alchemist" only gets better. As the saga of the Elric Brothers unfolds, director Seiji Mizushima deftly blends powerful emotional drama, physical action and broad comedy into an unusually engaging adventure-fantasy. (Rated TV PG: violence, grotesque imagery, tobacco and alcohol use, nudity) "--Charles Solomon"

Fullmetal Alchemist - Season 2, Part 2 Box Set
Television Funimation Prod Unrated
These episodes bring the "Fullmetal Alchemist" series to its appropriately moving climax. Director Seiji Mizushima and screenwriter Shou Aikawa ratchet up the emotional intensity as they draw together the threads of the narrative, beginning with the terrible night when Al and Ed tried to resurrect their mother. In Liore, Scar uses the arcane knowledge of the Ishbalans and the lives of hundreds of soldiers to create a Philosopher's Stone. But the Elric Brothers have no time to explore its power: The Homunculi and the Military are circling them like sharks. Complicating matters further is the appearance of Hohenheim of Light, the boys' long-lost father. Newly promoted General Mustang and Major Armstrong launch a revolt against King Bradley as disagreements among the Homunculi escalate into violence. Alphonse tries to learn how to use the Philosopher's Stone to aid his brother, asking the despicable Shou Tucker for instruction. The fate of their world (and, possibly, this one) is at stake as Ed and Al are put to the ultimate test: If they fail, the Homunculi will continue their murderous rampage. But "Fullmetal Alchemist" isn't just a simple good versus evil story, as revelations about the origins of Envy and the role of Hohenheim prove. A truth even greater than the law of Equivalent Exchange prevails: the love between Alphonse and Edward Elric. The skillful blend of drama, adventure, and comedy make "Fullmetal Alchemist" a truly noteworthy series in the history of anime, one whose influence is sure to be felt for years to come. At the end of the last disc, viewers may feel the sort of emptiness readers experience when Sherlock Holmes goes over Reisenbach Falls. But the final episodes set up the feature, "The Conqueror of Shamballa" and Hiromu Arakawa's manga continues. (Rated TV PG: violence, grotesque imagery, nudity, tobacco use) "--Charles Solomon"

Futurama - Bender's Big Score
Comedy 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment NR

Proving that you just can't keep a good animated series down, "Bender's Big Score" revives the "Futurama" crew in a full-length feature (reportedly, the first of four which will later be broken down into individual episodes for television broadcast) chock full of the satiric touches that made the Matt Groening series a cult favorite among sci-fi and animation fans. In true "Futurama" form, the plot of "Big Score" is proudly ridiculous: At its core, it's about alien telemarketers with a plan to steal Earth's most valuable historical objects, who use e-mail viruses to cripple Planet Express and take control of belligerent robot Bender; the latter carries out their scheme via a time-travel code tattooed on Fry's backside. This allows for all manner of subplots involving Fry's return to the 20 th century, romantic confusion between Fry and Leela (Katey Sagal), and a host of cameos ranging from Kwaanza-bot (Coolio) and Zapp Brannigan to Al Gore (voiced by the real former vice-president, who once again displays an offbeat sense of humor).
"Bender's Big Score" also features a staggering amount of extras that reflect the show's sense of playful anarchy. Most valuable to longtime fans is the feature-length commentary by Groening, writers Ken Keeler and David X. Cohen, director Dwayne Carey-Hill, and cast members Billy West (Fry), DiMaggio, and Phil LaMarr, which provides a wealth of information on the film's production as well as plenty of laughs from the voice actors. "Futurama Returns!" is a live comic book reading by the cast in front of an enthusiastic convention audience, while "A Terrifying Message from Al Gore" is a short animated promo featuring the ex-veep in an animated promo for his "Inconvenient Truth" documentary (Gore's commentary for this short is worth the DVD's sale price alone), and "Bite My Shiny Metal X" is an amusing, tongue-in-cheek lesson on the mathematics used to deliver the show's futuristic touches. Perhaps the oddest extra is a full-length episode of "Everybody Loves Hypnotoad", a sitcom based around the bizarre title creature that will provoke equal amounts of laughter and exasperation. A small battery of deleted scenes, new character design sketches, and a five-minute promo shot for Comic-Con round out the extras. "--Paul Gaita"
"Futurama: Bender's Big Score" Image Gallery Visit our image gallery for exclusive stills from "Futurama: Bender's Big Score".

Futurama, Vol. 1
Television 20th Century Fox NR
Set in the year 3000, "Futurama" is the acme of sci-fi animated sitcom from "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening. While not as universally popular as "The Simpsons", "Futurama" is equally hip and hilarious, thanks to its zippy lateral-thinking contemporary pop cultural references, celebrity appearances (Pamela Anderson and Leonard Nimoy are among a number of guest stars to appear as disembodied heads in jars), and Bender, a distinctly Homer Simpson-esque robot. Part of "Futurama"'s charm is that with decades of sci-fi junk behind us, we've effectively been living with the distant future for years and can now have fun with it. Hence, the series stylishly jumbles motifs ranging from "Lost in Space"-style kitsch to the grim dystopia of "Blade Runner". It also bridges the gap between the impossible dreams of your average science fiction fan and the slobbish reality of their comic reading, TV-watching existence. Groening himself distinguishes his two series thus: ""The Simpsons" is fictional. "Futurama" is real."
The opening season (premiered in 1999) sees nerdy pizza delivery boy Fry transferred to the 31st century in a cryogenic mishap. There, he meets the beautiful, one-eyed Leela (voiced by "Married with Children"'s Katey Sagal) and the incorrigible alcoholic robot Bender. The three of them join Fry's great (great, great, etc.) nephew Professor Farnsworth and work in his intergalactic delivery service. Hyper-real yet strangely recognizable situations ensue--Fry discovers he's a billionaire thanks to 1,000 years' accrued interest, Leela must fend off the attentions of Captain Kirk-like Lothario Zapp Brannigan, and Fry accidentally drinks the ruler of a strange planet of liquid beings. "--David Stubbs"

Futurama, Vol. 2
Television 20th Century Fox NR
Matt Groening's second season of the 31st century sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" maintained the high scripting standards of the first and also well brought improved digital animation. Couch potato Fry now seems thoroughly reconciled to his new existence, transported 10 centuries hence to "New New York" and working for Professor Farmsworth's delivery service. He's surrounded by a cast of freaks, including the bitchily cute Amy (with whom he has a romantic brush) and Hermes, the West Indian bureaucrat. Most sympathetic is the one-eyed Leela (voiced by Katey Segal). Like Lisa Simpson, she is brilliant but unappreciated; she finds solace in her pet Nibbler, a tiny creature with a voracious, carnivorous appetite. By contrast, Bender, the robot, is programmed with every human vice, a sort of metal Homer Simpson with a malevolent streak.
In one of the best episodes, Bender is given a "feelings" chip in order to empathize with Leela after he flushes Nibbler down the toilet. Elsewhere, Fry falls in love with a mermaid when the team discover the lost city of Atlanta, Fry and Bender end up going to war after they join the army to get a discount on gum, and John Goodman guest stars as Santa Claus, an eight-foot gun-toting robot. Brimful with blink-and-you'll-miss-them hip jokes (such as the sign for the Taco Bellevue hospital) and political and pop satire, "Futurama" isn't a stern warning of things to come but rather, as the makers put it, "a brilliant, hilarious reflection of our own materially (ridiculously) overdeveloped but morally underdeveloped society." "--David Stubbs"

Futurama, Vol. 3
Television NR
Good news, everyone, the third DVD volume of "Futurama" is just as funny as ever--irreverent, boundlessly inventive, warmhearted, and chock-full of in-jokes, sight gags, and fleeting references to all manner of pop-culture icons and obscure genre classics. In fact, if the show has a problem, it's that it's all so lovingly crafted that scarcely a frame goes by without something both funny and clever going on: when a horse wins a race by a quantum fraction, Prof. Farnsworth fulminates, "You changed the result by observing it!" Recurring minor characters (Elzar the chef, the robot mafia, the mutants in the sewers) pop up unexpectedly throughout, providing another wink to dedicated fans; like "Red Dwarf", this is a show that loves the genre it sets out to spoof. Shame, then, that the show has had a troubled broadcast history and never quite found the mainstream appeal of its stablemate "The Simpsons".
Fry and the "Planet Express" team find themselves stranded on a planet of unfeasibly large women ("Amazon Women in the Mood"), standing in for psychotic Robo-Santa ("A Tale of Two Santas", with John Goodman reprising his evil robot), and variously falling in love with each other and sundry other humans, aliens, man-bots, fem-bots, virtual reality constructs, and even the "Planet Express" ship itself.
"Futurama, Vol. 3" comprises 22 episodes on four discs. As with previous DVD sets, the animated menus are a treat, and there's a selection of bonus features including deleted scenes, storyboards, commentaries on every episode, animatics, "How to draw" tips, and more. Sheer heaven. "--Mark Walker"

Futurama, Vol. 4
Television 20th Century Fox NR
No more good news, everyone--this fourth volume of "Futurama" is the show's last. By turns frenetic and far-sighted, Matt Groening's futuristic comedy provided belly-laughs for self-confessed sci-fi nerds, but somehow failed to connect with a broader audience, even though it was often funnier and sharper than stablemate "The Simpsons". So now bid farewell to the Planet Express team--Fry, Leela, Zoidberg, Bender, Amy, Hermes, Prof Farnsworth--as well as to kindly Kif, cloned Cubert, megalomaniac Mom, mutants in the sewer, the cast of robo-sitcom "All My Circuits", swashbuckling space lothario and William Shatner wannabe Zapp Brannigan, Elzar the four-armed chef, and all the other characters that made "Futurama" such a unique experience.
This fourth and final year has all the elements that fans enjoyed so much--but also those elements that partially explain its cancellation. Recurring characters are great if you've watched the show before, as are the in-jokes; and the many parodies of classic science fiction are fine for the initiated, but risk leaving other viewers out in the cold. The show's strengths and perceived weaknesses are exemplified in the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," in which the original cast of "Star Trek" play themselves: hilarious for Trekkers, but not really for anyone else. Elsewhere we find Leela discovering her real parents aren't aliens at all but in fact live in the sewers; Kif getting pregnant; Fry discovering the fossilized remains of his faithful pet dog; and Bender being converted to steam power. Despite some ups and downs, it's still the funniest animated TV show. Multifarious DVD extras include cast and crew commentaries, deleted scenes, animatics, galleries and Easter eggs. "--Mark Walker"

Futurama: Bender's Game
Animation 20th Century Fox Unrated
At once a merciless skewering of all things fanboy and an extremely satisfying addition to the "Futurama" franchise, "Bender's Game" is among the best of the animated series' feature length adventures. The game in question is Dungeons and Dragons, and Bender wants in--only robots aren't programmed with the necessary imagination. Naturally, Bender's plans to develop one go completely awry and land him in an android asylum. The role-playing plotline later re-emerges--in typically convoluted "Futurama" fashion--via a subplot involving Professor Farnsworth's conversion of dark matter into spaceship fuel, which created a key to a very D&D-influenced universe where our hapless heroes eventually find themselves. The alternate world storyline allows for much lampooning of fantasy tropes, with "Lord of the Rings" receiving the lion's share of the tweaks. Seeing as how the writers have already devoted much of the movie's running time to parodying "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" (and their Lego offshoots), one might think that "Bender's Game" might suffer from pop-culture overload, but surprisingly, it all feels fresh and frequently funny, and the writers are wise to ground the story in their eccentric characters rather than pinballing them through an endless string of gags. The result is probably the strongest of the direct-to-DVD "Futurama" releases to date, and one that newcomers to the show's cracked universe can appreciate as much as longtime fans. As with previous "Futurama" DVD releases, the extras come fast and furious on "Bender's Game": commentary by members of the cast and production team (including Matt Groening) is both informative and funny, while interviews with the writers and producers discuss, among other topics, the influence of Dungeons and Dragons on the series and the 3D models used in the feature. Aspiring animators might appreciate "How To Draw "Futurama" in 83 Easy Steps and the storyboard animatic for the first part of the story, while the "Genetics Lab" feature allows for some amusing Dr. Moreau-style cross-breeding of the characters. Recording session bloopers and a deleted scene offer their own laughs, but the most enjoyable extra must be the preview for the next "Futurama" feature, "Into the Wild Green Yonder", which suggests a shocking development for one of the show's regulars. " -- Paul Gaita"

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
Animation 20th Century Fox NR
Studio description:
In "Futurama's" latest and most tentacle-packed epic, space itself rips open, revealing a gateway to another universe. But what lies beyond? Horror? Love? Or maybe both, if it happens to contain a repulsive, planet-sized monster with romantic intentions! Nothing less than the fate of human and robot-kind is at stake as the "Futurama" crew takes on "The Beast with a Billion Backs".

"The Beast with a Billion Backs" will be presented in widescreen format with English Dolby Surround 5.1, along with French and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include:

-Commentary By Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Michael Rowe, Claudia Katz, Peter Avanzino and Lee Supercinski
-"Futurama The Lost Adventure" - a long-lost full-length adventure produced for the video game with audio commentary by Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Michael Rowe, J. Stewart Burns and Lee Supercinski
-Meet Yivo! Featurette with David Cross
-A Brief History Of Deathball Featurette
-Blooperama: The "Futurama" Cast At
-3D Models With Animator Discussion
-Storyboard Animatic: The Beast With A Billion Backs, Part One
-A Sneak Peek at the Next "Futurama" Epic! -Deleted Scenes/Storyboards: Original Opening, Fry and Colleen Meeting, St. Asimov Parade, Zapp and Scientists, Amy Fry and Leela, Scruffy the Janitor
-"Futurama: Bender's Game" - a sneak peek at the next "Futurama" epic!


Beyond "Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs" on DVD
Full selection of "Family Guy" DVDs
Check out "The Simpsons" on DVD
See the new animated classic "American Dad!"


Stills from "Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs" (Click for larger image)













Gattaca
Science Fiction & Fantasy Sony Pictures PG-13
Confidently conceived and brilliantly executed, "Gattaca" had a somewhat low profile release in 1997, but audiences and critics hailed the film's originality. It's since been recognized as one of the most intelligent science fiction films of the 1990s. Writer-director Andrew Niccol, the talented New Zealander who also wrote the acclaimed Jim Carrey vehicle "The Truman Show", depicts a near-future society in which one's personal and professional destiny is determined by one's genes. In this society, "Valids" (genetically engineered) qualify for positions at prestigious corporations, such as Gattaca, which grooms its most qualified employees for space exploration. "In-Valids" (naturally born), such as the film's protagonist, Vincent (Ethan Hawke), are deemed genetically flawed and subsequently fated to low-level occupations in a genetically caste society. With the help of a disabled "Valid" (Jude Law), Vincent subverts his society's social and biological barriers to pursue his dream of space travel; any random mistake--and an ongoing murder investigation at Gattaca--could reveal his plot. Part thriller, part futuristic drama and cautionary tale, "Gattaca" establishes its social structure so convincingly that the entire scenario is chillingly believable. With Uma Thurman as the woman who loves Vincent and identifies with his struggle, "Gattaca" is both stylish and smart, while Jude Law's performance lends the film a note of tragic and heartfelt humanity. "--Jeff Shannon"

Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai
Drama Live / Artisan R
Forest Whitaker makes an unlikely modern samurai with his laser-sighted pistols, shabby street clothes, and oddly graceful gait--but then "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" is an unusual film. Quirky, contemplative, and at times absurd, it's just the kind offbeat vision we've come to expect from the fiercely independent Jim Jarmusch ("Stranger than Paradise", "Dead Man"). Whitaker is Ghost Dog, a mysterious New York hit man who lives simply on a tenement rooftop and follows a code of behavior outlined in "Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai" (passages of this book are interspersed throughout the film). When the local mob marks him for death in a complicated code of Mafiosi-style honor, Ghost Dog sends a cryptic message to his foes. "That's poetry. The poetry of war," remarks mobster Henry Silva, with sudden respect upon reading the verse. He could be describing the ethereal beauty of Jarmusch's vision, full of wonderful imagery (a night drive across town seems to float in time) and off-center humor. Though it briefly stalls in a series of assassinations (Jarmusch is no action director), it settles back into character-driven drama in a quietly epic showdown, equal parts samurai adventure, spaghetti western, and existential crime movie. The film is likely too unconventional and offbeat for general audiences, but cult-movie buffs and Jarmusch fans will appreciate his idiosyncratic vision. He finds a strange sense of honor in the clash of Old World traditions, and salutes his heroes with a skewed but sincere respect. "--Sean Axmaker"

Ghost in the Shell
Anime Manga Video R
The skillful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe "Ghost" suggests what the future of anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is The Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between The Terminator and a Playboy centerfold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master."
Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity, and considerable violence would earn "Ghost in the Shell" at least a PG rating. "--Charles Solomon"