DVD Movies
The Terror -
In this horror chiller, an intriguing, beautiful woman (Sandra Knight) keeps re-appearing to early 19th-century Lt. Duvalier (Jack Nicholson), and he is led to a castle where he finds an imposter of Baron Von Leppe (Boris Karloff). He becomes trapped in the ancient castle and tries to make sense of the eerie situation. Director Roger Corman (with the help of a few other directors, including Francis Ford Coppola) shot most of this within a few days after finishing The Raven--utilizing the same set. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
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Dirty Harry/Magnum Force - Widescreen Subtitle AC3
Includes:Dirty Harry (1971), MPAA Rating: R Magnum Force (1973), MPAA Rating: R Dirty Harry "You've got to ask yourself a question: 'do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" Dirty Harry provoked a critical uproar in 1971 for its "fascist" message about the power of one, as it also elevated Clint Eastwood to superstar status through his most enduring screen persona. Harry Callahan (Eastwood, in a role meant for Frank Sinatra) is a sardonic, hard-working San Francisco cop who can't finish his lunch without having to foil a bank robbery with his 44 Magnum, "the most powerful handgun in the world." When hippie-esque psycho Scorpio (Andy Robinson) goes on a killing spree, Harry and new partner Chico (Reni Santoni) are assigned to hunt him down, but not before the Mayor (John Vernon) and Lt. Bressler (Harry Guardino) admonish Callahan about his heavy-handed tactics. Racing against a deadline to save a kidnap victim from suffocating to death and unbothered by the niceties of Miranda rights and search warrants, Callahan brings in Scorpio, only to see him released on technicalities. "The law's crazy," opines Harry in disgust, before taking it upon himself to ensure that Scorpio doesn't kill again. Directed in violent and efficient fashion by Don Siegel, with a propulsive score by Lalo Schifrin, Dirty Harry was the fourth Siegel-Eastwood collaboration after Coogan's Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), and The Beguiled (1970). Critics at the time strongly objected to the heroic image of a cop's violations of a suspect's Miranda rights, forcing Siegel and Eastwood to deny that they were right-wing reactionaries. All the same, Dirty Harry proved to be highly popular and spawned four sequels: Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983), and The Dead Pool (1988). ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi Magnum Force The second Dirty Harry movie, Magnum Force concerns itself with a vigilante group that has targeted notorious scofflaws for extermination. When a prominent gang boss or drug-runner is set free by the airheaded liberal courts, a covert group of "avengers" is soon on hand to blow the miscreant to bits. While detective Dirty Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is no great friend of civil liberties, he is dead set against wholesale murder as a solution to legal loopholes. Discovering that all the killings have been committed by the same weapon, Callahan reaches the conclusion that his on-the-edge partner, Charlie McCoy (Mitchell Ryan), is responsible. But the answer is less transparent than that, as Harry learns almost at the cost of his own life. Co-scripted by John Milius and Michael Cimino, Magnum Force was followed by three additional Dirty Harry installments: The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983) and The Dead Pool (1988). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Mcq Dvd from Warner Bros.
Police lieutenant resigns from the force to track down some big dope dealers involved in killing a couple of police officers. John Wayne is a force to be reckoned with when he stars as a cop who quits the force to seek revenge for his murdered partner in
Till the Clouds Roll By -
MGM's Till the Clouds Roll By is the musicalized, and highly fictionalized, life story of beloved composer Jerome Kern, who gave his blessing to the production shortly before his death in 1946. As played by a gray-templed Robert Walker, Kern is a likeable but none too exciting sort who expresses his emotions through his music. Constructed in the form of an extended flashback, the story proper begins at the turn of the century, as Kern tries to peddle his ditties to disinterested Broadway producers. His efforts to interest impresario Charles Frohman (Harry Hayden) go nowhere because Frohman is convinced that the only good music comes from Europe. Obligingly, Kern moves to London, where he meets and falls in love with his future wife Eva (Dorothy Patrick). On the verge of securing work with Frohman, Kern's hopes are dashed when the producer goes down with the Lusitania in 1915. Fortunately, Kern has developed such powerful U.S. contacts as Victor Herbert (Paul Maxey) and Oscar Hammerstein (Paul Langton), enabling him to find success as the composer of several "intimate" musicals for New York's Princess Theater. The film ends where it begins, with Kern's triumph as composer of the Broadway blockbuster Show Boat. Van Heflin weaves in and out of the proceedings as the obligatory best friend/severest critic, a musical arranger named Jim Hessler (purportedly based on longtime Kern associate Paul Sadler). No one in 1946 really cared about the dramatic passages of Till the Clouds Roll By; the film's biggest drawing card was its lineup of all-star MGM talent, performing Kern's most famous numbers. Judy Garland (as Marilyn Miller) sings "Look for the Silver Lining"; Dinah Shore performs "The Last Time I Saw Paris" before a back-projected "Gay Paree"; Kathryn Grayson does a Rita Hayworth imitation with "Long Ago and Far Away"; Virginia O'Brien deadpans "A Fine Romance"; Tony Martin warbles "All the Things You Are"; June Allyson and Ray McDonald team up for the title number; and Frank Sinatra, incongruously dressed in white tuxedo, runs through "Ol' Man River." In addition, other musical contributions are made by Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury, Cyd Charisse, Gower Champion, and Lucille Bremer (cast as Van Heflin's daughter). The film's high point comes at the very beginning with a Reader's Digest edition of Show Boat, featuring Lena Horne, as Julie (the role she was born to play, but never did again on screen), delivering a powerhouse rendition of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." Since lapsing into public domain in 1974, Till the Clouds Roll By has, along with Royal Wedding, become the most readily accessible of all MGM musicals. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Mighty Wind: The Album
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.A MIGHTY WIND was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Film/TV/Visual Media. "A Mighty Wind" won for Best Song Written For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media.Fans of This Is Spinal Tap certainly were satisfied by Christopher Guest's Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, since they often achieved a similar level of deliriously inspired improvised genius. Even so, one key ingredient was missing: the music, which is as brilliant as the spontaneous jokes and set pieces in the movie itself. For his third mockumentary (a term that Guest hates, but has become shorthand for his unique comedy), Guest returned to music, creating a tribute to the folk scene of the early '60s with A Mighty Wind, where three of the biggest folk acts of the era reunite for a tribute concert to a recently deceased folk producer. Since this is a fictional comedy, not a documentary, it does take some liberties with the truth, particularly because it deliberately chooses not to address political or protest folk. Some may gripe about this, but it hardly hurts the film and its accompanying soundtrack because the movie is bathed in the warm, fond glow of nostalgia and prefers to focus on the spirit of the times, not the details. So, there is no no equivalent of Bob Dylan or Phil Ochs in A Mighty Wind, but the three main acts have clear counterparts: the trio of the Folksmen (featuring Spinal Tap's Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer) are the Kingston Trio; Mitch & Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) are the film's romantically entwined duo, akin to Ian & Sylvia or Richard & Mimi Fari?a; finally, the New Main Street Singers (featuring John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, and Parker Posey, among others) are the equivalent of the Limeliters and the New Christy Minstrels. What's remarkable about the music is that it's all written by the cast and perfectly captures the sound and feel of the folk crossover acts of the time. Each group has a different sound befitting their counterpart, and within that, the songs are bright and varied, tuneful and memorable. Apart from the Folksmen's cover of the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up," which is not heard in the film, and perhaps the heavy-handed (but very funny) "The Good Book Song" by the New Main Street Singers, there are no obvious jokes, which is what makes the music work as music. And while some of the songs may function almost too well as neo-period pieces -- witness the somberness of the Folksmen's Spanish/American war "Skeletons of Quinto" -- most of these are infectiously enjoyable as individual songs. They're as good as the songs in Spinal Tap and, in some ways, more impressive, since they're more intricate and cover more styles. The greatest testament to its success is that it works as a folk-pop album regardless of the film. It is funnier if you're in the joke, but that's not necessary to know if you just want to
Over The Hill Gang [2 Discs] -
![Over The Hill Gang [2 Discs] -](/dvd-movies/image/473501369075645/over-the-hill-gang-2-discs/ "Over The Hill Gang [2 Discs] -")
Includes:The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970) The Over-the-Hill Gang One of the better and more diverting of ABC's first full season of made-for-television movies, The Over-the-Hill Gang was a low-budget Western with a gimmick: Get a bunch of elderly actors, known either for their leading roles in the 1930s, or for playing comic sidekicks (and Walter Brennan was a lot of both categories) through the 1950s, and put them together in a plot. The result was this enjoyable oater about a quartet of retired Texas Rangers (Pat O'Brien, Walter Brennan, Chill Wills, Edgar Buchanan) who take on the corrupt mayor (Edward Andrews) of a small Nevada town where O'Brien's daughter (Kris Nelson) and newspaper editor son-in-law (Rick Nelson) live. Jack Elam represents the bad guys' muscle with his usual threatening aplomb, and Andy Devine gets a lot of mileage out of his role as a corrupt, inept judge. The other surprise in the cast is Gypsy Rose Lee, looking radiant as ever, portraying an admirer of the former rangers, in what was her final screen appearance, and such familiar old faces as Myron Healey, William Benedict, and Elmira Sessions in supporting roles. When O'Brien and company realize that they're no longer fast enough to do the job with guns, they decide to use their wits instead, outsmarting and outflanking the villains. The pacing by director Jean Yarbrough (whose own career went back to the 1920s, and whose last film this was) is a little leisurely, but the script is fairly clever and it's a lot of fun watching the veteran actors chewing up the scenery, with Devine having the most fun of all in an unusual role as a villain. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again The Over the Hill Gang Rides Again is a TV-movie sequel to 1969's ratings-grabbing The Over the Hill Gang, which told of a group of retired Texas Rangers rallying to save their small town from criminals. In the sequel, the gang --Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchanan, Andy Devine, and Chill Wills (Pat O'Brien, seen in the first film, is absent this time around) -- team up to rehabilitate Fred Astaire, cast against type as The Baltimore Kid, a one-time ranger who has become a town drunk. Astaire is restored to the job of marshal of Waco, while the other old-timers end up as his deputies. Harmless fun for an undiscerning audience, Over the Hill Gang Rides Again lacks the easygoing charm of the original film. Both Over the Hill Gang entries, by the way, were designed as pilots for an unsold weekly series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Of Boys And Men Dvd from Warner Bros.
Set on Chicago's West Side, this moving drama highlighting the strength of family and the power of love is produced by and stars award-winning Robert Townsend (The Parent 'Hood), and co-stars Angela Bassett (Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns) and Victoria Row
Adrenaline Ride: Fast Times -
Witness some of the most outrageous stunts ever performed while jamming to an adrenaline infused mix of punk, hip-hop, rock and roll, and electonica in this collection of death-defying feats featuring extreme athletes Cory Nastazio, Ryan Nyquist, Jason Lee, Shaun Murray, Rob Machado, and Kelly Slater. From the waves to the concrete and everything in between, the most extreme filmmakers on the planet follow every mind-blowing minute of action as athletes defy death by speed solo climbing, surfing, mountainboarding, telemark skiing, and skydiving their way into extreme sports history. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
House Party Dvd from Warner Bros.
The raucous events leading up to and after the 'mutha' of all urban teen parties. Starring Kid 'n Play and Martin Lawrence. Directed by Reginald Hudlin.
Top Gear 16 Dvd from Warner Bros.
The series begins with Jeremy, Richard and James embarking on a monster three-part US road trip which starts with America's greatest driving road and ends with a race through New York. Later in the series Jeremy subjects the Skoda Yeti to a remarkably tho
Paris When It Sizzles - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle AC3
Richard Quine directs George Axelrod's acerbic script (adapted from Julien Duvivier's La F?te ? Henriette) in this romantic comedy that reunites William Holden and Audrey Hepburn for the first time since 1954's Sabrina. Holden plays Richard Benson, a Hollywood screenwriter being pressured by movie producer Alexander Meyerheimer (No?l Coward) to finish his script entitled "The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower." Meyerheimer gives Richard a two-day ultimatum to complete his work, unaware that Richard has yet to even start on the script. In an effort to get moving on his project, Richard hires a live-in secretary, Gabrielle Simpson (Audrey Hepburn), to help him. Soon enough, the two fall in love and spend the time enacting various scenes from the unwritten screenplay as the time slips away and Richard's deadline looms. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories -
Produced by Disney studios, this program brings the children's books of noted author Eric Carle to life. Five of Carle's best-known books are featured, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Mixed Up Chameleon, I See a Song, and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me. ~ Rob Ferrier, Rovi
Jackie Robinson Story/The Joe Louis Story - Fullscreen
Includes:The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) The Joe Louis Story (1953) The Jackie Robinson Story Despite its lack of production values and box-office "names," The Jackie Robinson Story is one of the best and most convincing baseball biopics ever filmed. Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson plays himself, and quite well indeed. The film traces Robinson's career from his college days, when he excelled as a track star at Pasadena College and as UCLA's All-Sports record holder. Upon his graduation, Robinson tries to get a coaching job, but this is the 1940s, and most doors are closed to black athletes. After serving in the army, Robinson plays with the Negro Baseball League, where his uncanny skills attract the attention of Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Anxious to break down the "color line" that exists in major-league baseball, Robinson is chosen in 1946 to play for the Brooklyn farm team in Montreal. In a harrowing sequence, Rickey lets Robinson know what he's in for by bombarding him with insults and racial slurs. The manager is merely testing Robinson's ability to withstand the pressure: he wants a black ballplayer "with guts enough not to fight back." Robinson agrees to ignore all racial epithets for the first two years of his Brooklyn contract. Despite the unabashed hatred to which he is subjected during his year with Montreal, Robinson steadfastly continues to turn the other cheek, and in 1947 he graduates to the Dodgers lineup. After a slow start, Robinson justifies the faith put in him by Rickey. The Dodgers win the pennant race, and slowly but surely the ban on black players vanishes in the Big Leagues. Though a model of restraint by 1990s standards, The Jackie Robinson Story is surprisingly frank in its detailing of the racial tensions of its own era. It falters only in a couple of silly vignettes involving comic-relief ballplayer Ben Lessey. The cast is uniformly fine, including Louise Beavers as Robinson's mother, Ruby Dee as his wife Rae (Dee would later play Robinson's mother in the 1990 TV movie The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson), Joel Fluellen as his brother Mac, Minor Watson as Branch Rickey, and best of all, Richard Lane as Montreal manager Clay Hopper. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi The Joe Louis Story Coley Wallace plays the title role in The Joe Louis Story. Told in flashback, the film recounts the pugilistic career of "the Brown Bomber" from the early 1930s to his misguided comeback attempt opposite Rocky Marciano in 1951. The film's high point is Louis' defeat of Germany's Max Schmeling; its low point (dramatically, not quality-wise) is the breakup of Louis's marriage. Evidently for legal reasons, most of the character names in the film are fictional. Many of the fight scenes are culled from footage of the real Louis in action. Though the "race" angle in The Joe Louis Story is downplayed, Louis is treated on an equal par with the white characters, which resulted in the film being banned in certain S
Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives: The New Generation - Widescreen
Adapted from Jackie Collins' best-selling novel of the same name, this glittery made-for-TV movie stars three veteran small-screen divas as the "newest" generation of Tinseltown spouses. Farrah Fawcett heads the cast as film favorite and top recording artist Lissa Roman, who hires handsome private eye Michael Scorsini (Jack Scalia) to trail her much-younger husband, who is not only a philanderer but psychotic. While all this is going on, Lissa seeks out moral support from her two best friends: Taylor Singer (Melissa Gilbert), the wife of a major movie director, who has enough on her hands with the young writer with whom she is collaborating on a screenplay and cohabitating in the bedroom, and vocalist Kyndra Rossiter (Robin Givens), who, alone among her peers, aspires merely to a happy, well-balanced life -- and a closer relationship with her daughter Saffron (Kandyce McLure). Ultimately, melodrama creeps into the picture when Lissa's daughter Nikki (Pascale Hudson) is kidnapped. Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives: The New Generation debuted October 19, 2003, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Sesame Street Celebrates Around The World Dvd from Warner Bros.
It's New Year's Eve on Sesame Street and around the world! As everyone prepares for the big party, anchorman Elmo and the Monster News Network provide special on-location reports showing us the New Year's customs and celebrations of Mexico, Japan, Portuga
