Twenty-four hours of a counter-terrorist agent's attempt to prevent the assassination of a presidential candidate.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 17-SEP-2002
Media Type: DVD

There's not one cougar to be found in 24's dynamic third season, and that's good news for everyone. After Jack Bauer's daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) survived hokey hazards in season 2, she's now a full-time staffer at CTU, the L.A.-based intelligence beehive that's abuzz once again—three years after the events of "Day Two"—when a vengeful terrorist threatens to release a lethal virus that could wipe out much of the country's population. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) attempts to broker a deal for the virus involving drug kingpin Ramon Salazar (Joaquim de Almeida), whose operation Jack successfully infiltrated at high personal cost: to maintain his cover, he got hooked on heroin. That potentially deadly triangle—drug lords, addiction, and bioterrorism on a massive scale—sets the 24-hour clock ticking in a tight, action-packed plot involving a potential traitor in CTU's midst; the return of TV's greatest villainesses in Nina Meyers (Sarah Clarke) and former First Lady Sherry Palmer (Penny Johnson Jerald); a troubled romance between Kim and Jack's new partner Chase (James Badge Dale); and a scandalized reelection campaign by president David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), who monitors CTU as they struggle to (literally) save the day.

The intricately woven subplots that are 24's greatest strength are masterfully developed here, and character arcs are equally strong, especially among CTU staffers Tony (Carlos Bernard) and his wife Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth); CTU director Ryan Chappelle (Paul Schulze), who is season 2's tragic bargaining chip; and the annoying but well-intentioned Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), who makes pivotal contributions with by-the-book efficiency. It's 24's superior casting that overcomes the series' occasional lapses in credibility, and season 3's twists make marathon viewing a nerve-wracking delight. By the time it's all over, 24once again leaves you gratefully exhausted. As always, Sutherland anchors the series in the role he was born to play. When Jack takes a private moment to release 24 hours' worth of near-fatal tension and psychological anguish, Sutherland proves that 24's dramatic priorities are as important as its thriller momentum. DVD extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes (about the prison break sequence, climactic F-18 Hornet air-strike, and real-life bio-weaponry) that pay welcome tribute to the series' hard-working crew, who create Emmy-worthy television under pressures as intense as 24itself. —Jeff Shannon

Jack Bauer is having another one of his "very bad days" in the second season of the groundbreaking real-time thriller 24. Once again the hours are ticking by with more guaranteed cliffhangers than a convention of mountain climbers. Holed up in a Los Angeles condo and estranged from his daughter, Jack is no longer on the government payroll; unfortunately for him, this small fact doesn't seem to matter to President David Palmer and the NSA, who call him back in to the CTU and give him 24 hours to infiltrate a terrorist organization that is planning to detonate a dirty bomb in the city of angels. All Jack wants is to get his daughter out of the city, unfortunately Kim's new employer, the abusive father of the child she is nannying, has other ideas.

Fans of the original won't be disappointed, as there are more than enough shock moments in the first few hours to hint at the climactic build-up to come, while newcomers can quickly get involved in the lives of Jack and his family. There are some new characters to bolster the veteran cast and, interestingly (although not surprisingly), Jack's character has taken an altogether darker, more psychopathic turn. The danger the characters find themselves in also has a much more global, not to mention topical, impetus, grounded as it is in the war against terrorism. Although the territory is more familiar this time around, this second season is just as much a high-tension, taut, adrenalin-fuelled ride as the first, and one that will have you glued to your TV for the next 24 hours. —Kristen Bowditch

Danny Boyle The director/producer team that created Trainspottingturn their dynamic cinematic imaginations to the classic science fiction scenario of the last people on Earth. Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma to find London deserted—until he runs into a mob of crazed plague victims. He gradually finds other still-human survivors (including Naomie Harris), with whom he heads off across the abandoned countryside to find the source of a radio broadcast that promises salvation. 28 Days Lateris basically an updated version of The Omega Manand other post-apocalyptic visions; but while the movie may lack originality, it makes up for it in vivid details and creepy paranoid atmosphere. 28 Days Later'sportrait of how people behave in extreme circumstances—written by novelist Alex Garland (The Beach)—will haunt you afterward. Also featuring Brendan Gleeson (The General, Gangs of New York) and Christopher Eccleston (Shallow Grave, The Others). —Bret Fetzer

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo As an exercise in pure, unadulterated terror, 28 Weeks Lateris a worthy follow-up to its acclaimed predecessor, 28 Days Later. In this ultraviolent sequel from Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (hired on the strength of his 2001 thriller Intacto), over six months have passed since the first film's apocalyptic vision of London overrun by infectious, plague-ridden zombies. Just when it seems the "rage virus" has been fully contained, and London is in the process of slowly recovering, an extremely unfortunate couple (Robert Carlyle, Catherine McCormack) is attacked by a small band of rampaging "ragers," and the cowardly husband escapes while his wife is attacked and presumably infected. Their surviving children (Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton) fall under the protection of a U.S. Army sharpshooter (Jeremy Renner), but nobody's safe for long as 28 Weeks Latergoes into action-packed overdrive, with scene after blood-gushing scene of carnage and decimation. The film's visuals follow the look established in 28 Days Later, this time with bigger and better scenes of a nearly abandoned London on the brink of utter destruction. The military subplot gets a bold assist from Harold Perrineau (as a daring helicopter pilot) and Idris Elba (in a too-brief role as the military commander), and their firepower—not to mention the efficient lethality of helicopter blades—turns 28 Weeks Laterinto a nonstop bloodbath that's way too intense for younger viewers and guaranteed to leave hardcore horror fans gruesomely satisfied. That's all there is to it—this film is almost plotless and dialogue is minimal throughout—but as a truly terrifying vision of survival amidst chaos, 28 Weeks Laterhonors its origins and qualifies as a solid double-feature with Children of Men. Could there be another sequel? Thanks to the "chunnel," the answer in this case is definitely oui. —Jeff Shannon

Beyond 28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Lateron DVD

28 Days Later

More from Fox

Stills from 28 Weeks Later

Zack Snyder Warner Brothers 300 (Blu-ray)

The epic graphic novel by Frank Miller ("Sin City") assaults the screen with the blood, thunder and awe of its ferocious visual stylefaithfully recreated in an intense blend of live-action and CGI animation. Retelling the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, it depicts the titanic clash in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive Persian army. Experience history at swordpoint. And moviemaking with a cutting edge.

Wolfgang Petersen Beacon

Katsuhiro Ôtomo 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, Akirais 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

Weitz, Chris Here s the uncensored version of America s #1 comedy hit, re-edited to include the scenes you couldn t see in theaters. You ll never look at warm apple pie the same way again! American Pie takes a hysterical look at the goal of four "unlucky in love" high school friends who make the ultimate pact: lose their virginity by prom night. As they try to manipulate their way into the...hearts of some of their classmates, their plans often backfire with hilarity. Follow the raging hormones of four teenage boys and their girls as they gear up for the most important night of their lives...the prom?

System Requirements:

Starring: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, and Eugene Levy.

Directed By: Paul Weitz.

Running Time: 1 Hour, 36 Mins.

This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.

Copyright 1999 Universal Studios.

Format: DVD MOVIE

To the horror of prudes everywhere, American Pie 2is even funnier than its popular predecessor, pushing the R rating with such unabashed ribaldry that you'll either be appalled or surprised by its defiant celebration of the young-adult male libido. Females will be equally shocked or delighted, because like American Piethis appealing, character-based comedy puts the women in control while offering a front-row view of horny guys in all their dubious glory. Which is to say, American Pieis mostly about sex—or, to be more specific, breasts, genitalia, "potential" lesbianism, blue silicone sex toys, crude methods of seduction, "the rule of three" (just watch the movie), a shower of "champagne," phone sex, tantric sex, and, oh yeah... superglue.

In the case of college freshman Jim (Jason Biggs), performance anxiety plagues his upcoming reunion with sexy Czech exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), but his buddies from American Piehave a solution: rent a Lake Michigan beach house for the summer, throw wild parties to lure the local "hotties," and score big-time. Beach Partythis ain't: blessed with a complete cast reunion from AP1(including Eugene Levy as Jim's dad), this sequel is anything but innocent, and with the exception of drugs (which are conspicuously absent), pretty much anything goes. The gags are almost nonstop, and director J.B. Rogers (recovering from his debut debacle Say It Isn't So) handles them with laudable precision, allowing his young cast (particularly Biggs, who epitomizes comedic good sportsmanship) to run with lines that most people wouldn't dare utter aloud. The result is a liberating and eminently good-natured comedy that needn't apologize for its one-track mind. —Jeff Shannon

Jesse Dylan The producers of the American Piemovies pushed their luck with a third slice of their lucrative raunchy comedy franchise, and American Weddingcooked up surprisingly well. It's the sourest serving of Pie, with half of the original cast missing, and there's something undeniably desperate about comedic highlights (involving dog poop, a lusty old lady, two strippers to offset the absence of Shannon Elizabeth, and the ill-advised use of a trimming razor) that arise more from obligation than inspiration, on the assumption that anotherpenile mishap is guaranteed to please. And yet, that's just what this movie does for devoted Pie-munchers: It gives 'em what they want, especially when the notorious Stifler (Seann William Scott) nearly ruins the frantic nuptials of Jim (Jason Biggs) and his band-camping sweetheart Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). Eugene Levy and Eddie Kaye Thomas also return for some reliable comic relief, but the one who's laughing most is three-time Piewriter Adam Herz—laughing loudly and often, all the way to the bank. —Jeff Shannon

Peter Segal The irresistible pairing of Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler is the best reason to see Anger Management, a comedy that might loosely be called The Funny and the Furious. Nicholson and especially Sandler have screen personas that partially rely on pent-up anxieties, so there's definite potential in teaming them as a mild-mannered designer of pet clothing for chubby cats (Sandler) who's been ordered to undergo anger-management therapy with a zany counselor (Nicholson) prone to occasional tantrums and devious manipulation. Surely this meandering comedy looked better on the page; director Peter Segal scores a few lucky scenes (particularly Sandler's encounter with a Buddhist monk, played by John C. Reilly), but a flood of cameos (Heather Graham, Woody Harrelson, Rudolph Giuliani, and others) can't match the number of laughs that fall flat. As Sandler's understanding girlfriend, Marisa Tomei plays a pivotal role in a happy ending that leaves everyone smiling, with the possible exception of the audience. —Jeff Shannon

Kôji Morimoto Mahiro Maeda Andy Jones (VI) From the creators of The Matrix trilogy this groundbreaking collection of nine short films from seven of the world's leading anime directors provides a visionary fusion of CG-Animatrion and Japanese anime.Running Time: 89 min.System Requirements:Running Time 88:57 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: NR UPC: 085393731625

Ryuji Miyajima, Shinji Aramaki The next installment in the Appleseed franchise Appleseed: Ex Machinaavailable on DVD! Produced by John Woo and Directed by Shinji Aramakiand featuring next generation CG technology Appleseed: Ex Machina isback bigger and badder!Based on the manga from reknown creator Shirow Masamune in this movieDeunan and Briareos are both partners and lovers. As members of ESWATthe elite forces serving Olympus they are deployed everywhere troublestrikes. The two fighters find their partnership tested in a new way bythe arrival of Tereus who uncannily resembles Briareos before thewartime injuries that led to his becoming a cyborg. At the same timeOlympus finds itself under a stealth attack . Cyborg terrorism deadlynanotech zealots and rioting citizens are just some of the threats thatDeunan must contend with as she fights to save Olympus.System Requirements:Running Time: 104 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/FANTASY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 085391200666 Manufacturer No: 120066

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

James Cameron A reluctant hero. An epic journey. A choice between the life he left behind and the incredible new world he’s learned to call home. Return to James Cameron’s Avatar — the greatest adventure of all time.

Please note: This edition of the film is not in 3D

Robert Zemeckis Experience theiComplete Trilogy!

Presented by Steven Spielberg, directed by Oscar® winner Robert Zemeckis and starring time travelers Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the phenomenally popular Back To The Future films literally changed the future of the adventure movie genre. Now, this unprecedented Back To The Future DVD Trilogy immerses you in all the breathtaking action, outrageous comedy and sheer moviemaking magic of one of the most brilliantly inventive, wildly entertaining motion picture triumphs in Hollywood history!

System Requirements:

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Elisabeth Shue, and Lea Thompson.

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis.

Running Time: 344 Min. (Total), Color.

These films are presented in "Widescreen" format.

Copyright 2002 Universal.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Two loose-cannon narcotics cops investigate the flow of ecstacy into florida. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/17/2006 Starring: Martin Lawrence Will Smith Run time: 147 minutes Rating: R

Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Run time: 705 minutes Rating: Nr

Tim Burton Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 05/12/2009 Run time: 126 minutes Rating: Pg13

Christopher Nolan In an effort to deal with the death of his parents years before, a young Bruce Wayne travels the world in search of answers and comes back to Gotham City with the skills necessary to fight the injustices around him.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 14-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVD

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/20/2005

After a humiliating false start in Germany's super-secret underground beer competition, America's unlikely team vows to risk life, limb and liver to dominate the ultimate chug-a-lug championship. The laughs are on the haus!

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Two commentaries! Commentary 1: Jay Chandrasekhar and Steve Lemme discuss the finer points of drinking games and answer their critics. Commentary 2: Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske share their behind-the-scenes buzz.
Deleted Scenes:With two optional commentaries: 1) by Jay Chandrasekhar and Steve Lemme, and 2) by Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske
Featurette:Rule #1... Everyone who has consumed has committed a party foul. Filmmakers reveal the most egregious mishaps from the set and beyond.
Interviews:With the Flog Fluffer - meet the man behind the green goo
Other:Beer 101 History Lesson: The animated history of beer taught by director Jay Chandrasekhar and the lizards.
Theatrical Trailer

Gosh—kids. You gotta love 'em, right? Well, not necessarily— particularly if you're Adam Sandler. But Big Daddyis about paternal devotion in its own oblique way. Sandler plays Sonny Koufax, a law-school grad who has been milking an accident settlement to cover his living expenses, while he continues to slack his way through life. But when his girlfriend threatens to dump him, he decides to show her he's serious about their relationship and pretends to adopt a little boy (in fact, his roommate's son from a one-night stand several years earlier, who shows up on their doorstep just after the roommate leaves town on a job). But after taking care of the tyke for a couple of days, Sonny finds that it's a little like feeding that stray dog that followed you home: Before you know it, you've grown attached to the little fella—and then what are you going to do? By turns crude and maudlin, Big Daddyhas its share of laughs and will certainly entertain fans who like Adam Sandler best when he plays the case of arrested development with a smart-aleck retort for everything. —Marshall Fine

Wesley Snipes plays a half-mortal half-immortal charged with ridding the earth of a race of vampires led by Stephen Dorff in this action-packed blockbuster.Running Time: 120 min.System Requirements:Starring: Wesley Snipes Stephen Dorff et al. Director: Stephen Norrington Edition Details: Region 1 encoding (for use in US and Canada only) Color Closed-captioned Dolby Widescreen Commentary by Audio commentary by actor Wesley Snipes (qv) actor Stephen Dorff (qv) writer David S. Goyer (qv) cinematographer Theo Van de Sande (qv) production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (qv) and producer Peter Frankfurt (qv) Commentary by Isolated musical score with commentary by composer Mark Isham (qv) Theatrical trailer(s) Featurette "La Magra" including the original ending Featurette "Designing Blade" Featurette "The Origins of Blade" Featurette "The Blood Tide" "House of Erebus" information about the different vampire houses Widescreen anamorphic format Number of discs: 1 Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 794043470929

Get set for more action, more vampires and more Wesley Snipes in this second monster-hit installment in the Blade franchise.

Ridley Scott In celebration of Blade Runner's 25th anniversary, director Ridley Scott has gone back into post production to create the long-awaited definitive new version. Blade Runner: The Final Cut, spectacularly restored and remastered from original elements and scanned at 4K resolution, will contain never-before-seen added/extended scenes, added lines, new and improved special effects, director and filmmaker commentary, an all-new 5.1 Dolby® Digital audio track and more. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young, and Daryl Hannah are among some 80 stars, filmmakers and others who participate in the extensive bonus features. Among the bonus material highlights is Dangerous Days, a brand new, three-and-a-half-hour documentary by award-winning DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, with an extensive look into every aspect of the film: its literary genesis, its challenging production and its controversial legacy. Thedefinitive documentary to accompany thedefinitive film version.

Disc One
RIDLEY SCOTT'S ALL-NEW "FINAL CUT" VERSION OF THE FILM
Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes: Commentary by Ridley ScottCommentary by executive producer/co-screenwriter Hampton Fancher and co-screenwriter David Peoples; producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine HaberCommentary by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer

Disc Two
DOCUMENTARY DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE RUNNER
A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the film — from its literary roots and inception through casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and place in Hollywood history.

Disc Three
1982 THEATRICAL VERSION
This is the version that introduced U.S. movie-going audiences to a revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford's character narration and has Deckard and Rachel's (Sean Young) "happy ending" escape scene.

1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Also used on U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.

1992 DIRECTOR'S CUT
The Director's Cut omits Deckard's voiceover narration and removes the "happy ending" finale. It adds the famously-controversial "unicorn" sequence, a vision that Deckard has which suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.

Disc Four
BONUS DISC - "Enhancement Archive": 90 minutes of deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries that cover the film's amazing history, production teams, special effects, impact on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more. Featurette "The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick"Featurette "Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film"Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews (audio)Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery (images)The Art of Blade Runner (image galleries)Featurette "Signs of the Times: Graphic Design"Featurette "Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling"Screen Tests: Rachel & PrisFeaturette "The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth"Unit photography galleryDeleted and alternate scenes1982 promotional featurettesTrailers and TV spotsFeaturette "Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art"Marketing and merchandise gallery (images)Featurette "Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard"Featurette "—Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers"

Disc Five
WORKPRINT VERSION
This rare version of the film is considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runnercuts. It includes an altered opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no "unicorn" sequence, no Deckard/Rachel "happy ending," altered lines between Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much more. Also includes: Commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade RunnerFeaturette "All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut"

Stills from Blade Runner(click for larger image)

Doug Liman Freely adapted from Robert Ludlum's 1980 bestseller, The Bourne Identitystarts fast and never slows down. The twisting plot revs up in Zurich, where amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), with no memory of his name, profession, or recent activities, recruits a penniless German traveler (Run Lola Run's Franka Potente) to assist in solving the puzzle of his missing identity. While his CIA superior (Chris Cooper) dispatches assassins to kill Bourne and thus cover up his failed mission, Bourne exercises his lethal training to leave a trail of bodies from Switzerland to Paris. Director Doug Liman (Go) infuses Ludlum's intricate plotting with a maverick's eye for character detail, matching breathtaking action with the humorous, thrill-seeking chemistry of Damon and Potente. Previously made as a 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, The Bourne Identitybenefits from the sharp talent of rising stars, offering intelligent, crowd-pleasing excitement from start to finish. —Jeff Shannon

Paul Greengrass

Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning 1995 Braveheartis 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

Martin Campbell Sony Pictures Casino Royale (Blu-ray)
"Casino Royale" introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he iselevated to "00" status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakespoker game at the "Casino Royale." "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond.

Inspired by the extraordinary true story of a brilliant young master of deception and the FBI agent hot on his trail, Catch Me If You Can stars Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio and two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks in one of the year's most acclaimed hits! From three-time Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg, Catch Me If You Can follows Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. as he successfully passes himself off as a pilot, a lawyer and a doctor - all before his 21st birthday! Joel Siegel of Good Morning America declares, "Movies don't get much more fun that this!" while The Associated Press hails this incredible tale as "the most flat-out-fun movie of the year!"

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

About a day in the life of two friends who brave a non-stop parade of annoying shoppers. One while working in a convenience store and the other in a video shop next door. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/11/2008 Starring: Brian Ohalloran Jeff Anderson Run time: 92 minutes Rating: R Director: Kevin Smith

Steve Loter Nicholas Filippi Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 08/05/2003

A calamity at dante and randalls shop sends them looking for new horizons - but they ultimately settle at mobbys a fiction- al disney-mcdonalds-style fast-food empire. Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 01/27/2009 Starring: Rosario Dawson Kevin Smith Run time: 97 minutes Rating: R Director: Kevin Smith

Francis Lawrence (II) Based on the DC Comics/Vertigo Hellblazer graphic novels and written by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello Constantine tells the story of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) a man who has literally been to hell and back. When he teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldly events the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.Running Time: 121 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 012569718579 Manufacturer No: 71857

Shinichirô Watanabe Hiroyuki Okiura As the eagerly awaited Cowboy Bebopfeature 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 Doorwill delight fans of the series and provide an excellent introduction for the uninitiated who want to know why Cowboy Bebopis so popular on both sides of the Pacific. (Rated R: violence, brief nudity, minor profanity, tobacco use) —Charles Solomon

Shinichirô Watanabe Each of these two snazzy 20-minute installments is a self-contained and satisfying adventure tale about a futuristic hipster bounty hunter, from the most popular Japanese animated TV series of 1998. This is elegant action-comedy anime, with smoothly integrated CGI space-flight elements, gorgeous graphics, blues harmonica and sax riffs on the soundtrack, and a no-sweat post-Tarantino attitude. Despite occasional eruptions of gun-fu Asian-action violence, and some intimations of heavy-duty drug use (one especially noxious narcotic is administered as an aerosol spray, straight onto the user's eyeballs), the tone is surprisingly convivial. None of the generic tough elements are grim or mean-spirited. Lanky antihero Spike Spiegel is a planet-hopping bounty hunter with a cyborg sidekick and a genetically enhanced Welsh Corgi assistant, and as many wisecracks as punches get thrown. The emphasis is on clever twists of plot in an episodic short-story format. —David Chute

Shinichirô Watanabe The popular animeseries Cowboy Bebopis one of the few Blade Runnerspin-offs that pays off big dividends. The Cowboy Beboppers are free-spirited bounty hunters who roam the solar system looking for criminals. Told in 25-minute episodes, this very different animeseries has the stuff many shows lack: a strong vision, intriguing plots, and tantalizing back-stories. In this second session (episodes 6-10), we begin to learn some of the history of our hero, Spike, his right-hand man, Jet, and even the gloomy story behind the fate of the charred Earth. Episodes include a run-in with a deadly child prodigy, a trucker tale, a curious trip to the terraformed Venus, where a loner seeks to learn from Spike. There's also a tale of Jet's old flame, and the introduction of the crew's latest member—a computer hacker named Ed. Gorgeously drawn and fueled by cool music—often counterpointing the action—Cowboy Bebopis too good (and accessible) for just animefans. (Ages 12 and older) —Doug Thomas

Shinichirô Watanabe The centerpiece of the third disc of this popular series is the two-part adventure "Jupiter Jazz," which offers hints about the shrouded past of hero Spike Spiegel. Spike returns to his old haunts on Callisto in search of a mysterious woman, and comes into conflict with his former underworld associates: the icy Vicious, apprentice mobster Lin, and transgendered barroom musician Gren. Director Shinichiro Watanabe's approach to storytelling is often fragmented and nonlinear, but the results form a strikingly moody collage of falling snow, gritty, blue-tinted cityscapes, and melancholy saxophone riffs. Few big-budget Hollywood features have presented a sense of urban alienation as effectively.

The mini-mystery, "Toys in the Attic," comes to an unsatisfying conclusion that the elaborate computer-generated tracking shots can't disguise—and suggests that adding the spunky Ed to the cast was not a great idea. In "Bohemian Rhapsody," the crew of the Bebopfind themselves pitted against an aged programming genius who designed a high-tech transportation system—and hid a flaw in the software. But he also concealed clues in chess pieces, setting up a formal and formidable battle of wits.

Note: Viewers of Chinese ancestry and other viewers may find the depiction of the gang lords in "Jupiter Jazz" offensive. Unrated: Suitable for ages 13 and older for nudity, violence, and adult situations. —Charles Solomon

Shinichirô Watanabe Director Shinichiro Watanabe and writer Keiko Nobumoto continue to explore the pasts of the main characters in this gritty, outer-space Western. In "My Funny Valentine," Faye confronts a two-bit confidence man and discovers that her background is as much of a mystery to her as it is to everyone else. "Black Dog Serenade" reunites Jet Black with his former partner at the ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) against Udai Taxim, the criminal whose attack cost Jet his left arm. This dark, violent tale of betrayal, discovery, and revenge offers both surprises and insights. In the silly "Mushroom Samba," the Bebopis out of fuel, and everyone's broke and hungry. Ed goes off to search for something to eat, and gets involved in the pursuit of a seedy mushroom dealer. "Speak Like a Child" showcases the sardonic humor that has won Cowboy Bebopfans on both sides of the Pacific. A mysterious package arrives C.O.D. for Faye that contains an ancient artifact—a Beta videocassette! Spike and Jet ransack a ruined museum on Earth to find a player; when they finally view the tape, they see a young girl cheering her future self, a girl who looks curiously like Faye...

Unrated: Suitable for ages 13 and older for nudity, violence, and adult situations. —Charles Solomon

Shinichirô Watanabe The second episode on this disc, "Pierrot Le Fou", epitomizes the mixture of sardonic humor and noir adventure that has made Cowboy Bebopso popular in Japan and the U.S. Spike fights a deadly duel with the title character, the product of a botched ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) attempt to create a perfect assassin. Their showdown takes place in a saccharine but sinister amusement park, a device used in many live action and animated films, but rarely so effectively.

Director Shinichiro Watanabe uses an impressive array of computer effects to depict a battle in hyperspace in "Boogie-Woogie Feng-Shui," as Jet helps the daughter of an old friend solve a mystery involving gangsters and mysticism. When pirates hit the Bebop with a computer virus in "Wild Horses," Spike demonstrates his skill as a pilot, flying the Swordfish by the seat of his pants. In "Cowboy Funk," Spike almost captures the Teddy Bomber, a fanatic who hides explosives in stuffed animals, but he's interrupted by Andy, a wealthy heir who plays at bounty hunter in cowboy regalia. The near-farcical rivalry that develops between Andy and Spike feels closer in tone to the misadventures of Vash the Stampede in "Trigun" than the gritty hero of "Pierrot Le Fou."

Unrated: suitable for ages 13 and up for violence, profanity, and smoking. —Charles Solomon

Shinichirô Watanabe The past comes back to haunt each of the characters in the sixth installment of the popular noir sci-fi adventure. In "Brain Scratch," Faye is drawn into an eerie cult that promises electronic immortality and an end to worldly cares. Director Shinichiro Watanabe juxtaposes flashy television graphics with gritty, gray reality, as Ed hacks a path to the truth. Next, Faye and Ed confront different yet linked pasts in "Hard Luck Woman." Ed (who turns out to be a girl) finds her long-lost father; Faye learns she can't go back to the world she knew before a devastating accident. The two-part epsiode "Real Folk Blues" returns to the saga of Julia, the woman Spike once loved, who appeared in "Jupiter Jazz" (episodes 12 and 13). The icy Vicious's attempt to take over the Red Dragon mob draws Spike and Julia into a deadly web of revenge.

"Real Folk Blues" marks the end of Cowboy Bebop, arguably the most stylish and sophisticated anime series in recent years. This last adventure will leave viewers with the same sense of loss they experienced when the first Star Warstrilogy ended. Although no further television episodes are planned, a feature is in the works. Fans can look forward to seeing their favorite Space Cowboy in the not-too-distant future.

Not rated: suitable for ages 13 and up for nudity, violence, adult situations, and unflattering ethnic characterizations. —Charles Solomon

Ang Lee Hong Kong wuxiafilms, 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 Dragonhas 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 wuxiafilms as a youngster and made Crouching Tigeras 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

Roger Kumble This modern-day teen update of Les Liaisons Dangereusessuffered at the hands of both critics and moviegoers thanks to its sumptuous ad campaign, which hyped the film as an arch, highly sexual, faux-serious drama (not unlike the successful, Oscar-nominated Dangerous Liaisons). In fact, this intermittently successful sudser plays like high comedy for its first two-thirds, as its two evil heroes, rich stepsiblings Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), blithely ruin lives and reputations with hearts as black as coal. Kathryn wants revenge on a boyfriend who dumped her, so she befriends his new intended, the gawky Cecile (Selma Blair), and gets Sebastian to deflower the innocent virgin. The meat of the game, though, lies in Sebastian's seduction of good girl Annette (a down-to-earth Reese Witherspoon), who's written a nationally published essay entitled "Why I Choose to Wait." If he fails, Kathryn gets his precious vintage convertible; if he wins, he gets Kathryn—in the sack. When the movie sticks to the merry ruination of Kathryn and Sebastian's pawns, it's highly enjoyable: Gellar in particular is a two-faced manipulator extraordinaire, and Phillippe, usually a black hole, manages some fun as a hipster Eurotrash stud. Most pleasantly surprising of all is Witherspoon, who puts a remarkably self-assured spin on a character usually considered vulnerable and tortured (see Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Liaisons). Unfortunately, writer-director Roger Kumble undermines everything he's built up with a false ending that's true to neither the reconceived characters nor the original story—revenge is a dish best served cold, not cooked up with unnecessary plot twists. —Mark Englehart

The follow-up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves effective, but soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Heath Ledger stars as archvillain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast as Rachel Dawes. Returning from Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

Martin Scorsese Warner Brothers The Departed (Blu-ray)

Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese's new crime drama "The Departed.""The Departed" is set in South Boston where the state police force is waging an all-out war to take down the city's top organized crime ring. The key isto end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. A young rookie, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assignedto infiltrate Costello's mob. While Billy is working to gain Costello's trust, another young cop, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don't know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crime bossone step ahead of the police. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operation he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin find themselves in constant danger of being caught-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

Lee Tamahori The 20th James Bond adventure, Die Another Daysucceeds on three important fronts: it avoids comparison to Austin Powersby keeping its cheesy humor in check, allows Halle Berry to be sexy andworthy of a spinoff franchise, and keeps pace with the technical wizardry that modern action films demand. Pierce Brosnan's got style andstaying power as James Bond, now bearing little resemblance to Ian Fleming's original British super-spy, but able to hold his own at the box office. He's paired with American agent Jinx (Berry) in chasing a genetically altered North Korean villain (Rick Yune) armed with a satellite capable of destroying just about anything. John Cleese and Judi Dench reprise their recurring roles (as "Q" and "M," respectively); they're accompanied by weapons-laden sports cars, a hokey cameo by Madonna (who sings the techno-pulsed theme song), and enough double-entendres to keep Bond-philes adequately shaken and stirred. With clever nods to 007's cinematic legacy, Die Another Daymakes you welcome the familiar end-credits promise: James Bond willreturn. —Jeff Shannon

Christmas is not a good time of year in the McClane family. Especially for John McClane, who always happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But if it weren't for the heroics of this rugged, resourceful cop, many lives would be lost and megalomaniacal terrorists with various European accents would be having their evil way. In 1988, director John McTiernan and the phenomenal hit Die Hard introduced the world to maverick Sgt. John McClane (Bruce Willis) of the New York Police Department, and in the course of this film and two blockbuster sequels McClane was frantically saving lives, buildings, airports, schools, cities, and even his marriage from the threat of international terrorists, psychopaths, and cagey mercenaries. Now you can watch antihero McClane blast his way through all three movies. Witness his transition from a happy-go-lucky, slightly cranky cop to extremely burnt-out, partially alcoholic cop with a propensity to attract extreme violence and catastrophe. Yet the one thing that always overshadows his character flaws is his uncanny ability to spoil the schemes of stylish villains with slick names such as Hans Gruber (the nasty terrorist from the first film, played to perfection by Alan Rickman). Sit down, pop some corn, grab a bottle of Coca-Cola, and get ready to watch (in any order you please) the Die Hard Trilogy—a must for any action buff or fan of Bruce Willis, who owes his film career to the enduring appeal of these global box-office hits. —Jeremy Storey

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 Clerksand 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—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 Dogmais 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 Dogmais 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

A broad science fiction thriller in a classic vein, Equilibriumtakes 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 Equilibriumshould be seen for Bale's moving performance as a man shocked back to human feeling. —Tom Keogh

Jeff Schaffer Alec Berg David Mandel (II) Eurotripviews the Old World as a goofy parade of soccer hooligans, horny camera saleswomen, and pawing lechers reeking of cologne. After being dumped by his girlfriend, Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) discovers that the German e-mail correspondent he thought was a guy is actually a hot girl—so naturally he jets off to Europe to find her, joined by his friends Cooper (Jacob Pitts), Jamie (Travis Wester), and Jenny (Michelle Trachtenburg, trying to leap into sexier roles after her adolescent characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayerand Harriet the Spy). Just as naturally, a cavalcade of national stereotypes, wacky mishaps, and mild homophobia follows, but it's all tossed off with reasonable good cheer (and the fight with the robot mime ispretty funny). Featuring cameos by Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), and Vinnie Jones (Snatch). —Bret Fetzer

J.M. Kenny To know the origin of "Snoochie-Boochies," you mustspend An Evening with Kevin Smith. The Jersey-bred auteurof 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 Eveningcompares favorably to Richard Pryor with its outrageous blend of comedy and candor. —Jeff Shannon

Kazuya Tsurumaki

Kazuya Tsurumaki

John Woo At his best, director John Woo turns action movies into ballets of blood and bullets grounded in character drama. Face/Off marks Woo's first American film to reach the pitched level of his best Hong Kong work (Hard-Boiled). He takes a patently absurd premise—hero and villain exchange identities by literally swapping faces in science-fiction plastic surgery—and creates a double-barreled revenge film driven by the split psyches of its newly redefined characters. FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) must play the villain to move through the underworld while psychotic terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) becomes a perversely paternal family man while using every tool at his disposal to destroy his nemesis. Travolta vamps Cage's tics and flamboyant excess with the grace of a dancer after his transformation from cop to criminal, while Cage plays the sullen, bottled-up agent excruciatingly trapped behind the face of the man who killed his son. His attempts to live up to the terrorist's reputation become cathartic explosions of violence that both thrill and terrify him. This is merely icing on the cake for action fans, the dramatic backbone for some of the most visceral action thrills ever. Woo fills the screen with one show-stopping set piece after another, bringing a poetic grace to the action freakout with sweeping camerawork and sophisticated editing. This marriage of melodrama and mayhem ups the ante from cops-and-robbers clichés to a conflict of near-mythic levels.

Dominic Polcino What better way to launch Family Guy's sixth season and commemorate Star Wars' 30th anniversary than with this double-length Very Special Episode, a full-scale, awesomely animated spoof that recasts George Lucas' saga with Family Guy's galaxy of characters: Chris (Seth Green) is Luke; Lois (Alex Borstein) is Princess Leia; Peter (Seth McFarlane) is Han Solo, but not, as expected, Jabba the Hut; Brian (Seth, again) is Chewbacca; Quagmire (and again, Seth) is C3PO; Cleveland is R2D2; Herbert, the creepy senior pedophile, is Obi-Wan (both voiced by Mike Henry); and, of course, Stewie (Seth, already) is Darth Vader ("My diapers have gone over to the dark side"). Poor Meg is reduced to a cameo as the hideous reptilian creature that haunts the garbage compactor. Blue Harvestis reverently faithful to A New Hope, while engaging in typical Family Guypop-culture references (everything from those old Grey Poupon commercials to Doctor Who, Airplane, Dirty Dancing, and Deal or No Deal) and bizarre digressions (the iconic opening crawl detours into an appreciation of a "way naked" Angelina Jolie in Gia). Along for the wild ride are Judd Nelson, who contributes a voice cameo as John Bender for a Breakfast Clubgag, Rush Limbaugh railing against futuristic affirmative action on Tatooine talk radio, and Beverly D'Angelo and Chevy Chase as the vacationing Griswolds observing the rebellion from their orbiting station wagon. A Star Warsspoof in 2007 isn't exactly uncharted territory. As Chris Griffin notes in this episode's final moments, Robot Chickenbrilliantly did it months earlier (and let us not forget Mel Brooks'Spaceballsfrom 1987; or, on second thought...). But the Force is strong with Family Guy, and who could resist the opportunity to hear the Muzak playing in a Death Star elevator? —Donald Liebenson

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The story of The Empire Strikes Back is retold. Darth Vader (Stewie) is hunting the rebel Luke Skywalker (Chris) and his troops relentlessly across the galaxy. On the ice planet Hoth, Luke has a vision of his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Herbert), telling him to go to the Dagobah system to learn the ways of the Force under Jedi Master Yoda (Carl). Meanwhile Princess Leia (Lois) finds herself taking a shine to the scruffy pilot Han Solo (Peter) and, against all odds, the two soon fall in love. But an encounter with Han’s old friend Lando Calrissian (Mort) lands them in the clutches of the Empire. Envisioning this, Luke chooses to forgo his Jedi training to save his friends. It all comes to a head in a climactic confrontation with Darth Vader himself…

The Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Darkside Blu-ray is presented in full screen 4x3 aspect ratio featuring English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Line 21, English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, English, Spanish, and French stereo and subtitles.

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 Weeklydubbed 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 Guyrecklessly ventured where The Simpsonsfeared 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 Guycan be appreciated at last on its own profane, sacrilegious, and irreverent terms. Welcome to the DVD family, Griffins. —Donald Liebenson

The third and final season of Seth MacFarlane's late, lamented Family Guyfinds 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 Tapwalked the fine line between "clever and stupid," so did Family Guygleefully 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 Guylends 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

Luc Besson 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. —Geoff Riley

David Fincher 2-Disc set is loaded with Extra Punch!

Bonus FeaturesFour audio commentaries by the cast and crew, including David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter.Five deleted scenes and outtakes.Original sketches, oil paintings, storyboards, publicity stills and lobby cards.17 behind-the-scenes vignettes.Anamorphic widescreen formatLanguages:English 5.1 surround; English and French Dolby SurroundAnd much more!

System Requirements:
Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto, Van Quattro, Markus Redmond, Michael Girardin, and Rachel Singer. Directed By: David Fincher. Running Time: 139 Min., Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 Twentieth Century Fox.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Earth is a desolate wasteland in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Humanity has been decimated by an invasion of Phantoms, insubstantial aliens that extract and devour the spirits of living things. The few remaining humans have retreated to a handful of cities that are protected by massive bio-energy shields. The beautiful Dr. Aki Ross (voiced by Ming-Na) and her mentor Dr. Sid (Donald Sutherland) have discovered that the energy signatures of eight key Earth spirits can cancel out and destroy the Phantoms. With the help of Captain Edwards (Alec Baldwin) and his band of marines, they must scour the globe for the last two remaining spirits before General Hein (James Woods) manipulates the refugee government into attacking the aliens with an orbital laser that may also destroy the Earth.

Hironobu Sakaguchi's film is taken from the popular Final Fantasyvideo game franchise, which is particularly well suited to film adaptation with its series of original stories, but the movie features entirely new characters and settings. And like Toy Storyand Shrek, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Withinis completely computer generated. Unlike those cartoon comedies, though, The Spirits Withinis a serious science fiction drama with astonishingly human digital actors. Aki, the female lead, appeared in a full-page spread in Maximmagazine's Hot 100 list—and was indistinguishable from the real-life models. The setting and conflict make for incredible action, but it's the larger issues, character interaction, and human elements that really make the movie shine. The Spirits Withinis not simply a science fiction movie, in the same way that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonis not simply a kung fu flick. The result is a fantastic summer movie with better action and more emotion than Pearl Harbor, and actors more lifelike than those in that other video game movie, Tomb Raider. —Mike Fehlauer

Takeshi Nozue Tetsuya Nomura Continuing the storyline based on the hit Playstation game Final Fantasy VII, two years have passedsince the ruins of Midgar stand as a testament to the sacrifices made in order to bring peace. However, the world will soon face a new menace. A mysterious illness is spreading fast. Old enemies are astir. And Cloud, who walked away from the life of a hero to live in solitude, must step forwardyet again . . .

System Requirements:

Running Time 101 Mins.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Stanton, Andrew A delightful undersea world unfolds in Pixar's animated adventure Finding Nemo. When his son Nemo is captured by a scuba-diver, a nervous-nellie clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) sets off into the vast—and astonishingly detailed—ocean to find him. Along the way he hooks up with a scatterbrained blue tang fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), who's both helpful and a hindrance, sometimes at the same time. Faced with sharks, deep-sea anglers, fields of poisonous jellyfish, sea turtles, pelicans, and much more, Marlin rises above his neuroses in this wonderfully funny and nonstop thrill ride—rarely does more than 10 minutes pass without a sequence destined to become a theme park attraction. Pixar continues its run of impeccable artistic and economic success (their movies include Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, and Monsters, Inc). Also featuring the voices of Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, and Allison Janney. —Bret Fetzer

Joss Whedon Tim Minear Vern Gillum Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.

As a reworking of the anime series FULL METAL PANIC! FUMOFFU follows its predecessor's basic fish-out-of-water premise with the same zany blend of action and comedy. But while popular teenage schoolgirl Kaname Chidori is still being protected from the machinations of an evil terrorist organization by undercover secret agent Sousuke Sagara this time around the emphasis is on the series' comedic rather than action-oriented elements. The main thrust of the comedy stems from the military-trained Sagara's inability to blend into normal teenage society his overzealous protection of Kaname (everything from impromptu gunfights to poorly-planned explosions) and a strangely sweet romance between the disastrously mismatched couple. This collection presents the anime series in its entirety for a total of 12 episodes.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating: NR UPC: 702727146329 Manufacturer No: DFMF/BX2

Set in the year 3000, Futuramais the acme of sci-fi animated sitcom from Simpsonscreator Matt Groening. While not as universally popular as The Simpsons, Futuramais 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 Simpsonsis fictional. Futuramais 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

Matt Groening's second season of the 31st century sci-fi sitcom Futuramamaintained 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, Futuramaisn'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

Good news, everyone, the third DVD volume of Futuramais 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 Expressteam 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 Expressship itself.

Futurama, Vol. 3comprises 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

No more good news, everyone—this fourth volume of Futuramais 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 Futuramasuch 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 Trekplay 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

Writer/Director Zach Braff delivers an Oscar®-worthy performance (CBS-TV Chicago) opposite a wacky and endearing (Newsweek) Natalie Portman in this quirky, coming-of-age comedy. Twentysomething, emotionally detached Andrew Large Largeman (Braff) hasn t been home to New Jersey in nine years. Now, as Large attempts to re-connect with a variety of odd acquaintances including his father he decides to risk getting high on the most potent and unpredictable drug there is life! Co-starring Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm and Method Man, Garden State is marvelous fun (Rolling Stone)

System Requirements:

Running Time 103 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Mamoru Oshii 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

Mamoru Oshii Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/01/2007 Run time: 100 minutes Rating: Pg13

Kenji Kamiyama The broadcast series based on Mamoru Oshii's influential film Ghost in the Shell (1995) has been eagerly awaited on both sides of the Pacific. Although its production values are lower, and director Kenji Kamiyama never equals Oshii's inspired camerawork, Stand Alone Complex does an impressive job of re-creating the setting and characters. Major Motoko Kusanagi moves through a deadly city of mecha, cyborgs, humans, and human-prosthetic hybrids. (The series takes place in a parallel world, where Kusanagi never encountered the Puppet Master.) With the help of Batou, Togusa, and other officers from Public Security Section 9, she battles terrorists, hackers, and rogue machinery. An insect-like tank with a grating, babyish voice is a dubious addition to the cast, but fans of both Oshii's film and Shirow Masamune's original manga will find the program delivers plenty of hard-hitting action. (Rated 13 and older: considerable violence, grotesque imagery, nudity, alcohol use) —Charles Solomon

Kenji Kamiyama Major Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa, and the other officers from Public Security Section 9 battle crimes involving hackers, data tampering, and cyber-drugs as the broadcast series based on Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell continues. In "Missing Hearts," they pursue a gang of medical students involved in the black market sale of human organs—an unusual subject, as transplant surgery is much rarer in Japan than in America. The character of Batou is more entertaining in the TV series than in Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence. He's action-oriented and engages the other characters in coversation, instead of endlessly quoting Eastern and Western philosophers. Tachikoma, the crab-like robot with the cutesy voice, is an improbable presence in a show that features so much blood and hard-hitting action. The interstitial adventures involving multiple Tachikomas feel like scenes from an unrelated children's program. Extras include interviews with composer Yoko Kanno and the Japanese voice actor who performs the role of Aramaki. This two-disc deluxe edition boasts DTS 5.1 soundtracks in English and Japanese, plus a CD of Kanno's music from the series. (Rated 13 and older: considerable violence, grotesque imagery, nudity, alcohol and tobacco use) —Charles Solomon

Kenji Kamiyama As the broadcast series based on Mamoru Oshii's landmark feature Ghost in the Shell continues, questions concerning the case of the mysterious Laughing Man surface once again. In "Portraitz," a possible lead takes Togusa into an institution for children suffering from "Cyberbrain Closed Shell Syndrome," a sort of computerized autism. Nothing is resolved, and the audience, like the case, is left hanging. The Laughing Man is also the subject of "Chat! Chat! Chat!"—a cheat of an episode that consists of little more than footage of chat-room denizens wrangling over the character's true identity. "Jungle Cruise" provides some rare clues to Batou's past. But after the grisly images of a war criminal from the "American Empire" who skins his victims alive, the high-pitched voices and cute characters in "Escape From" feel incongruous at best. Overall, the series seems to be losing its momentum.

The extras include interviews with sound director Kazuhiro Wakabayashi and Akio Otsuka, the Japanese voice of Batou. Otsuka's velvety bass-baritone makes Batou a more compelling vocal presence than Richard Epcar's rougher tones in the English dub. This two-disc deluxe edition comes with a T-shirt and DTS 5.1 soundtracks in English and Japanese. (Rated 13 and older: considerable violence, grotesque imagery, nudity, tobacco use) —Charles Solomon

Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script, but Bill Murray gets all the best lines and moments in this 1984 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (Meatballs). The three comics, plus Ernie Hudson, play the New York City-based team that provides supernatural pest control, and Sigourney Weaver is the love interest possessed by an ancient demon. Reitman and company are full of original ideas about hobgoblins—who knew they could "slime" people with green plasma goo?—but hovering above the plot is Murray's patented ironic view of all the action. Still a lot of fun, and an obvious model for sci-fi comedies such as Men in Black. —Tom Keogh

Ivan Reitman

Luke Greenfield While it suffered a nearly unanimous beating from critics, The Girl Next Doorattracted more than a few loyal defenders during its brief box-office lifespan. It pales when compared to its teen-comedy role model (the 1983 classic Risky Business), but you've got to admit that anymovie about a teenager whose new next-door neighbor is a 19-year-old former porn star has bona fide cult-movie potential. To its credit, this rather schizoid blend of sleaze and comedy boasts an engaging pair of costars in Emile Hirsch (as the smitten, voyeuristic virgin) and 24's Elisha Cuthbert (as his sexy new house-sitting neighbor). And there are some good laughs in a script that takes unexpected turns when we learn that Cuthbert's character is trying to leave her porn-star past behind, to the chagrin of her pimp-like producer (Timothy Olyphant, in a scene-stealing role). Faring somewhat better than he did with the Rob Schneider non-comedy The Animal, director Luke Greenfield clearly recalls the turbulence that goes hand-in-hand with being young, horny, and confused. There's honesty and even (dare we say it?) maturity to be found in this raging-hormone fantasy, even if it's partially buried in a convoluted plot that's appalling or appealing, depending on your tolerance for good-natured prurience. —Jeff Shannon

A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiatoris a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind—believe it or not—Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitasas the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall—he—he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! —Mark Englehart

Dominic Sena TouchStone Gone In 60 Seconds 2000 - DVD

Gone in Sixty Seconds is about automobile aficionado Randall "Memphis" Raines, a car thief of legendary proportion. No fancy lock or alarm could stop him; your car would be there, and then suddenly gone in 60 seconds.For years, Memphis eluded the law while boosting every make and model imaginable. When the heat became too intense, he abandoned his life of crime and left everything and everyone he loved to find a different life. Now, when his kid brother tries tofollow in his footsteps, only to become dangerously embroiled in a high stakes caper, Memphis is sucked back into his old ways-in order to save his brother's life.

Danny Leiner From the director of Dude, Where's My Car?comes another crazed tale of two friends on a perilous quest—in this case, to eat burgers at the fast food restaurant White Castle. The pair—repressed Harold (John Cho, Better Luck Tomorrow) and freewheeling Kumar (Kal Penn, Love Don't Cost a Thing)—get extremely high and set off on the road, only to be sidetracked by skateboarding hooligans, racist cops, an inbred tow truck driver, and Neil Patrick Harris—yes, Doogie Howser, M.D. The humor is all over the map, and it would be nice if there were one female character who wasn't a caricature, but Harold and Kumar Go to White Castlehas a loose, gregarious charm, and the movie's canniness about the cliches of the buddy-movie genre give it a sneaky subversive feel—just the fact that neither of the heroes is white puts a different spin on just about every circumstance. Surprisingly clever, cheerfully stupid. —Bret Fetzer

Guillermo Del Toro SONY BLU-RAY MOVIE DISC HELLBOY

Garth Jennings Here's the absolutely hysterical, wonderfully wild, cosmic adventure comedy THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. Based on Douglas Adams' worldwide best-selling novel, and starring an outrageous intergalactic cast, this is one ride you don't want to miss. Seconds before Earth is destroyed to make way for a new hyperspace express route, mild-mannered Arthur Dent is whisked into space by his best friend (an alien posing as an out-of-work actor). And so the misadventures begin as he and fellow travelers, including the cool but dim-witted President of the Galaxy, the Earth girl Trillian, and Marvin the paranoid android, search for answers to the mystery of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

System Requirements:

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Warwick Davis, Anna Chancellor, Alan Rickman, Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry, John Malkovich, Simon Jones, Thomas Lennon

Directed By: Garth Jennings

Running Time: 109 Min.

Copyright Buena Vista Home Video 2005

Format: DVD MOVIE

Yimou Zhang No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou—movies like Raise the Red Lanternor Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggersis no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty;House of Flying Daggersfinds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. —Bret Fetzer

Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable incurable and man-made. Somehow immune Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague — The Infected — lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last best hope Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 085391176350 Manufacturer No: 1000026365

Alex Proyas As paranoid cop Del Spooner, Will Smith (Independence Day, Men in Black) displays both his trademark quips and some impressive pectoral muscles in I, Robot. Only Spooner suspects that the robots that provide the near future with menial labor are going to turn on mankind—he—he's just not sure how. When a leading roboticist dies suspiciously, Spooner pursues a trail that may prove his suspicions. Don't expect much of a connection to Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction stories;I, Robot, the action movie, isn't prepared for any ruminations on the significance of artificial intelligence. This likable, efficient movie won't break any new ground, but it does have an idea or two to accompany its jolts and thrills, which puts it ahead of most recent action flicks. Also featuring Bridget Moynahan (The Sum of All Fears), Bruce Greenwood (The Sweet Hereafter), and James Cromwell (Babe, LA Confidential). —Bret Fetzer

Disney The Incredibles (2-Disc Collector's Edition) - Widescreen DVD

From the Academy Award winning creators of Finding Nemo (2003 Best Animated Feature Film) comes the action-packed animated adventure about the mundane and incredible lives of a house full of superheroes. Bob Parr and his wife Helen used to be among the world's greatest crime fighters,saving lives and battling evil on a daily basis. Fifteen years later, they have been forced to adopt civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs where they live "normal" lives with their three kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. But he soon discovers that it will take a super family effort to rescue the world from total destruction. Exploding with fun and featuring an all-new animated short film, this spectacular 2-disc collector's edition DVD is high-flying entertainment for everyone.

Brad Pitt takes no prisoners in Quentin Tarantino’s high-octane WWII revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds. As war rages in Europe, a Nazi-scalping squad of American soldiers, known to their enemy as “The Basterds,” is on a daring mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich. Bursting with “action, hair-trigger suspense and a machine-gun spray of killer dialogue” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), Inglourious Basterds is “another Tarantino masterpiece” (Jake Hamilton, CBS-TV)!

You know you're going to get a different kind of superhero when you cast Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. And Iron Man is different, in welcome ways. Cleverly updated from Marvel Comics' longstanding series, Iron Man puts billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (that's Downey) in the path of some Middle Eastern terrorists; in a brilliantly paced section, Stark invents an indestructible suit that allows him to escape. If the rest of the movie never quit hits that precise rhythm again, it nevertheless offers plenty of pleasure, as the renewed Stark swears off his past as a weapons manufacturer, develops his new Iron Man suit, and puzzles both his business partner (Jeff Bridges in great form) and executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). Director Jon Favreau geeks out in fun ways with the hardware, but never lets it overpower the movie, and there's always a goofy one-liner or a slapstick pratfall around to break the tension. As for Downey, he doesn't get to jitterbug around too much in his improv way, but he brings enough of his unpredictable personality to keep the thing fresh. And listen up, hardcore Marvel mavens: even if you know the Stan Lee cameo is coming, you won't be able to guess it until it's on the screen. It all builds to a splendid final scene, with a concluding line delivery by Downey that just feels absolutely right. —Robert Horton

John McTiernan Phil Alden Robinson Phillip Noyce Includes the newly announced special collectors edition versions of the hunt for red october patriot games clear and present danger and the sum of all fears. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/13/2007

A tale of adventure on the open road. The punchy jay and his hetero life-mate silent bob find new purpose when informed a movie is being made based on their likeness. They set out to get the fat movie cash they deserve and the along the way they learn the rules of the road. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 06/06/2006 Starring: Kevin Smith Chris Rock Run time: 104 minutes Rating: R

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Vol. 1is trash for connoisseurs. From his opening gambit (including a "Shaw-Scope" logo and gaudy '70s-vintage "Our Feature Presentation" title card) to his cliffhanger finale (a teasing lead-in to 2004's Vol. 2), Tarantino pays loving tribute to grindhouse cinema, specifically the Hong Kong action flicks and spaghetti Westerns that fill his fervent brain—and this frequently breathtaking movie—with enough cinematic references and cleverly pilfered soundtrack cues to send cinephiles running for their reference books. Everything old is new again in Tarantino's humor-laced vision: he steals from the best while injecting his own oft-copied, never-duplicated style into what is, quite simply, a revenge flick, beginning with the near-murder of the Bride (Uma Thurman), pregnant on her wedding day and left for dead by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (or DiVAS)—including Lucy Liu and the unseen David Carradine (as Bill)—who become targets for the Bride's lethal vengeance. Culminating in an ultraviolent, ultra-stylized tour-de-force showdown, Tarantino's fourth film is either brilliantly (and brutally) innovative or one of the most blatant acts of plagiarism ever conceived. Either way, it's hyperkinetic eye-candy from a passionate film-lover who clearly knows what he's doing. —Jeff Shannon

"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction—and so do we—in Quentin Tarantino's "roaring rampage of revenge,"Kill Bill, Vol. 2. Where Vol. 1was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been thoroughly cross-referenced in Tarantino's film-loving brain, Vol. 2—not a sequel, but Part Two of a breathtakingly cinematic epic—is Tarantino's contemporary martial-arts Western, fueled by iconic images, music, and themes lifted from any source that Tarantino holds dear, from the action-packed cheapies of William Witney (one of several filmmakers Tarantino gratefully honors in the closing credits) to the spaghetti epics of Sergio Leone. Tarantino doesn't copy so much as elevate the genres he loves, and the entirety of Kill Billis clearly the product of a singular artistic vision, even as it careens from one influence to another. Violence erupts with dynamic impact, but unlike Vol. 1, this slower grand finale revels in Tarantino's trademark dialogue and loopy longueurs, reviving the career of David Carradine (who plays Bill for what he is: a snake charmer), and giving Thurman's Bride an outlet for maternal love and well-earned happiness. Has any actress endured so much for the sake of a unique collaboration? As the credits remind us, "The Bride" was jointly created by "Q&U," and she's become an unforgettable heroine in a pair of delirious movie-movies (Vol. 3awaits, some 15 years hence) that Tarantino fans will study and love for decades to come. —Jeff Shannon

Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer) is at it again with his newest action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, KUNG FU HUSTLE. From wildly imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and characters this zany! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yuen Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix), KUNG FU HUSTLE will blow you away! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung fu master of all.

Ethan Coen Joel Coen If you've never enjoyed Alec Guinness in the classic 1955 British comedy that inspired it, the Coen brothers' remake of The Ladykillersmay well prove hilarious. For starters, it's got Tom Hanks in a variation of the Guinness role, eccentrically channeling Colonel Sanders, Tennessee Williams, and Edgar Allan Poe in his southern-fried performance as Prof. Goldthwait Higgins Dorr, Ph.D. (named after an actual arts institute curator from the Coens' native Minnesota), a deliciously verbose con man who needs a secret headquarters for his five-man plot to rob a riverboat casino moored on the Mississippi. In the film's funniest and least-caricatured role (and even she can't elude the Coens' comedic stereotyping), Irma P. Hall plays the churchgoing widow who rents a room to Dorr, whose crew of "musicians" (in keeping with the original's plot) use the lady's root cellar to tunnel to the casino's cash-rich counting room. Rampant mishaps ensue, the body count rises among Dorr's band of idiots (including Marlon Wayans, spouting nonstop profanities), and the Coens put their uniquely stylish stamp on everything. It's a funny movie, allowing for some nagging flatness to the material, but if you've seen the original (and other vintage comedies from the heyday of Britain's low-budget Ealing Studios), you'll eventually wonder, what were they thinking? Accounting for all the qualities that grace any Coen movie (this being the first time the brothers have officially shared directorial credit), this revamped Ladykillersis a mixed blessing, both entertaining and superfluous. —Jeff Shannon

Walter Hill Best known for making movies about men and violence, director Walter Hill scored a misfire with this ambitious but ultimately dreary remake of Akira Kurosawa's samurai classic Yojimbo. The story's essentially the same but the setting has been switched to a dusty, almost ghostly Texas town in the 1930s, where two rival Chicago gangs are locked in an uneasy truce. Bruce Willis plays the lone drifter who allies himself with both gangs to his own advantage, working both sides against each other according to his own hidden agenda. The violence escalates to a bloody climax, of course, with Christopher Walken, David Patrick Kelly, and Michael Imperioli as trigger-happy lieutenants in a lonely, desolate war. Fans of gangster movies will want to see this, and, if nothing else, Hill has brought his polished style to a vaguely mythic story. It's far from being a classic, however, and although its action is at times masterfully choreographed, the movie's humorless attitude is unexpectedly oppressive. —Jeff Shannon

Edward Zwick While Japan undergoes tumultuous transition to a more Westernized society in 1876-77, The Last Samuraigives epic sweep to an intimate story of cultures at a crossroads. In America, tormented Civil War veteran Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is coerced by a mercenary officer (Tony Goldwyn) to train the Japanese Emperor's troops in the use of modern weaponry. Opposing this "progress" is a rebellion of samurai warriors, holding fast to their traditions of honor despite strategic disadvantage. As a captive of the samurai leader (Ken Watanabe), Algren learns, appreciates, and adopts the samurai code, switching sides for a climactic battle that will put everyone's honor to the ultimate test. All of which makes director Edward Zwick's noble epic eminently worthwhile, even if its Hollywood trappings (including an all-too-conventional ending) prevent it from being the masterpiece that Zwick and screenwriter John Logan clearly wanted it to be. Instead, The Last Samuraiis an elegant mainstream adventure, impressive in all aspects of its production. It may not engage the emotions as effectively as Logan's script for Gladiator, but like Cruise's character, it finds its own quality of honor. —Jeff Shannon

Len Wiseman Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 09/30/2008 Run time: 130 minutes Rating: Pg13

In a small village in the shire a young hobbit named frodo has been entrusted with an ancient ring. Now he must embark on an epic quest to the cracks of doom in order to destroy it. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 01/16/2007 Starring: Sean Astin Orlando Bloom Run time: 178 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Peter Jackson

In the land of Middle Earth, young Hobbit Frodo Baggins is entrusted with the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron and with a fellowship of eight others, embarks on a quest to destroy it.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 17-JAN-2006
Media Type: DVD

In the final film of the trilogy frodo makes his way through the darkness to mount doom to destroy the one ring whole aragon learns of his destiny & the others prepare for a battle that will decide the fate of all. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 01/16/2007 Starring: Elijah Wood Ian Mckellan Run time: 200 minutes Rating: Pg13

As the remains of the Fellowship prepare for battle, Frodo and Sam, with Gollem in tow, make their way to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 17-JAN-2006
Media Type: DVD

Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship continue their quest to destroy the One Ring and stand against the evil of the dark lord Sauron. The Fellowship has divided and now find themselves taking different paths to defeating Sauron and his allies. Their destinies now lie at two towers - Orthanc Tower in Isengard where the corrupted wizard Saruman waits and Sauron's fortress at Baraddur deep within the dark lands of Mordor.Running Time: 179 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 794043635526 Manufacturer No: N6355

The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towers adds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are valuable additions to the film. Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil. Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son. And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King. While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous—we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor. But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version. Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and—most intriguing for rabid fans—the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration. Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut). The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features. —David Horiuchi

Sophomore jinx hit hard in this second film by Kevin Smith, whose debut Clerkstranscended the limits of its setting and budget to become something memorably funny. (Smith followed Mallratswith the wonderful Chasing Amy, so Mallratsdefinitely had the old curse.) A ramshackle comedy set in a mall, the film follows several story lines involving lovers, enemies, friends, goofballs, and Smith's own "silent" character, who also appeared in Clerksand Chasing Amy. A heavy self-consciousness weighs on everything, as if Smith forgot how to make obscenity funny instead of tedious. Still, it's nice to see some of the director's film family on screen, among them Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams. —Tom Keogh

Larry Wachowski Andy Wachowski Considering the lofty expectations that preceded it, The Matrix Reloadedtriumphs where most sequels fail. It would be impossible to match the fresh audacity that made The Matrixa global phenomenon in 1999, but in continuing the exploits of rebellious Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) as they struggle to save the human sanctuary of Zion from invading machines, the codirecting Wachowski brothers have their priorities well in order. They offer the obligatory bigger and better highlights (including the impressive "Burly Brawl" and freeway chase sequences) while remaining focused on cleverly plotting the middle of a brain-teasing trilogy that ends with The Matrix Revolutions. The metaphysical underpinnings can be dismissed or scrutinized, and choosing the latter course (this is, after all, an epic about choice and free will) leads to astonishing repercussions that made Reloadedan explosive hit with critics andhardcore fans alike. As the centerpiece of a multimedia franchise, this dynamic sequel ends with a cliffhanger that virtually guarantees a mind-blowing conclusion. —Jeff Shannon

Josh Oreck A fitting supplement to the feature-packed MatrixDVD, The Matrix Revisitedprovides a wealth of Matrixarcana, delivered by the 1999 blockbuster's principal cast and crew. The main course in this 163-minute feast is a two-hour documentary covering virtually every aspect of production, with teasing glimpses of fight training on the not-yet-released Matrixsequels. Of greater interest is the sheer depth of filmmaking coverage, with intelligent and amusing anecdotes and insights from all the major players (including graphic artist Geof Darrow, given overdue credit for his outstanding conceptual designs). Fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping is also a fascinating subject, and his early action-blocking videos are included for comparative study. Another segment allows obsessive fans to express their fanatical zeal for all things Matrix, and a look at the in-production Matrixanime project gives them another source of inspiration. While you're pondering which pill to take (red or blue?), The Matrix Revisitedshould help you decide. —Jeff Shannon

Larry Wachowski Andy Wachowski Despite the inevitable law of diminishing returns, The Matrix Revolutionsis quite satisfying as an adrenalized action epic, marking yet another milestone in the exponential evolution of computer-generated special effects. That may not be enough to satisfy hardcore Matrixfans who turned the Wachowski Brothers' hacker mythology into a quasi-religious pop-cultural phenomenon, but there's no denying that the trilogy goes out with a cosmic bang instead of the whimper that many expected. Picking up precisely where The Matrix Reloadedleft off, this 130-minute finale finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) at a virtual junction, defending the besieged human enclave of Zion by confronting the attacking machines on their home turf, while humans combat swarms of tentacled mechanical sentinels as Zion's fate lies in the balance. It all amounts to a blaze of CGI glory, devoid of all but the shallowest emotions, and so full of metaphysical hokum that the trilogy's detractors can gloat with I-told-you-so sarcasm. And yet, Revolutionsstill succeeds as a slick, exciting hybrid of cinema and video game, operating by its own internal logic with enough forward momentum to make the whole trilogy seem like a thrilling, magnificent dream. — Jeff Shannon

Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells of a computer hacker (Reeves) who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth. The computers are powered by human beings...

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by C. Moss, J. Gaeta, & Z. Staenberg
Featurette:"Bullet Time" Featurette (6:01) "What is the Concept" Featurette (10:50)
Music Clips:2.0 Music only with commentary
Other:HBO 1st Look Special: Making the Matrix (25:48) "White Rabbit" Clips (22:22) [4x3]

Set in the chillingly possible future of 2054, Steven Spielberg's Minority Reportis arguably the most intelligently provocative sci-fi thriller since Blade Runner. Like Ridley Scott's "future noir" classic, Spielberg's gritty vision was freely adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick, with its central premise of "Precrime" law enforcement, totally reliant on three isolated human "precogs" capable (due to drug-related mutation) of envisioning murders before they're committed. As Precrime's confident captain, Tom Cruise preempts these killings like a true action hero, only to run for his life when he is himself implicated in one of the precogs' visions. Inspired by the brainstorming of expert futurists, Spielberg packs this paranoid chase with potential conspirators (Max Von Sydow, Colin Farrell), domestic tragedy, and a heartbreaking precog pawn (Samantha Morton), while Cruise's performance gains depth and substance with each passing scene. Making judicious use of astonishing special effects, Minority Reportbrilliantly extrapolates a future that's utterly convincing, and too close for comfort. —Jeff Shannon

John Woo

J.J. Abrams Paramount Mission: Impossible 3 (Blu-ray)
Tom Cruise returns as Special Agent Ethan Hunt, who faces the mission of his life in Mission: Impossible III." Director J. J. Abrams ("Lost", "Alias") brings his unique blend of action and drama to the billion-dollar franchise.

Mitsuo Fukuda The latest installment in this popular franchise, Gundam Seed(2002) resembles a reworking of Yoshiyuki Tomino's original Mobile Suit Gundam(1979). Kira Yamoto accidentally becomes a mechapilot when he stumbles onto the top secret GAT-X105 Strike Gundam during an attack on his home satellite-colony, Heliopolis. The Earth Alliance and ZAFT, the fighting arm of the genetically enhanced humans known as Coordinators, are at war. Heliopolis is caught between them. Kira is a Coordinator, which explains his ability to pilot the Strike and reprogram its OS with no training. All the elements of a solid Gundamstory are in place, including a reluctant hero, a masked enemy general, and an old friend who tests Kira's loyalty. Mitsuo Kukada uses CG to choreograph some very snazzy mechabattles, in space and on the surface of Heliopolis. Released in Japan 25 years after the initial series, Seedintroduces a new generation of viewers to the Gundamuniverse. However, the series is set in the Cosmic Era, rather than the previously explored "Gunda Saga" timeframe or the "Alternate Universe." (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity) —Charles Solomon

Mitsuo Fukuda As the struggle between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT in Cosmic Era 70 intensifies, it becomes more personal for the characters in this mechaadventure. Athrun takes an oath that he will bring his friend, ace Gundam pilot Kira, over to the ZAFT—or kill him. When the Archangel escapes destruction during a ZAFT attack, the young civilians aboard enlist in the Earth Alliance military forces. Kira joins them, influenced by the scheming Flay's protestations of loyalty and forgiveness. Her ruse opens the possibility that the nascent Athrun-Lacus-Kira romantic triangle could become a polygon. However, the emotional entanglements just serve as a backdrop to the dramatic space battles between the giant Mobile Suits. Director Mitsuo Kukada stages the fights with a panache that makes the viewers forget how often the Gundams' actions violate the laws of physics. (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity) —Charles Solomon

Mitsuo Fukuda As Gundam Seed(2002) continues, the war raging in 70 C.E. (Cosmic Era) becomes less a struggle between the political entities Earth Alliance and ZAFT than a conflict between the Naturals and the genetically enhanced Coordinators. A dedicated ZAFT officer in the tradition of the Gundam Wingpilots, Athrun Zala believes in a warrior's code of honor; reluctant soldier Kira Yamoto cares more about protecting his friends aboard the Earth Alliance ship Archangel than about a space-age version of bushido. Kira rescues Athrun's fiancée Lacus Clyne, the daughter of the ZAFT Supreme Council Chairman, who becomes a hostage and a pawn in the conflict. When Kira returns Lacus to Athrun, he alienates the personnel of the Archangel, confirming their doubts and prejudices about Coordinators. These interlocking conflicts embody the elements that have fueled the popularity of the various Gundamseries since 1979. (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity) —Charles Solomon

Terry Jones Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that—you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni—!,—!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead. —Jeff Shannon

"Blessed are the cheesemakers," a wise man once said. Or maybe not. But the point is Monty Python's Life of Brianis a religious satire that does not target specific religions or religious leaders (like, say, Jesus of Nazareth). Instead, it pokes fun at the mindless and fanatical among their followers—it—it's an attack on religious zealotry and hypocrisy—things that that fellow from Nazareth didn't particularly care for either. Nevertheless, at the time of its release in 1979, those who hadn't seen it considered it to be quite "controversial."Life of Brian, you see, is about a chap named Brian (Graham Chapman) born December 25 in a hovel not far from a soon-to-be-famous Bethlehem manger. Brian is mistaken for the messiah and therefore manipulated, abused, and exploited by various religious and political factions. And it's really, really funny. Particularly memorable bits include the brassy Shirley Bassey/James Bond-like title song; the bitter rivalry between the anti-Roman resistance groups, the Judean People's Front and the People's Front of Judea; Michael Palin's turn as a lisping, risible Pontius Pilate; Brian urging a throng of false-idol worshippers to think for themselves—to which they reply en masse "Yes, we must think for ourselves!"; the fact that everything Brian does, including losing his sandal in an attempt to flee these wackos, is interpreted as "a sign."Life of Brianis not only one of Monty Python's funniest achievements, it's also the group's sharpest and smartest sustained satire. Blessed are the Pythons. —Jim Emerson

Stephen Sommers If you're expecting bandaged-wrapped corpses and a lurching Boris Karloff-type villain, then you've come to the wrong movie. But if outrageous effects, a hunky hero, and some hearty laughs are what you're looking for, the 1999 version of The Mummyis spectacularly good fun. Yes, the critics called it "hokey,""cheesy," and "pallid." Well, the critics are unjust. Granted, the plot tends to stray, the acting is a bit of a stretch, and the characters occasionally slip into cliché, but who cares? When that action gets going, hold tight—those two hours just fly by.

The premise of the movie isn't that far off from the original. Egyptologist and general mess Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) discovers a map to the lost city of Hamunaptra, and so she hires rogue Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) to lead her there. Once there, Evelyn accidentally unlocks the tomb of Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), a man who had been buried alive a couple of millennia ago with flesh-eating bugs as punishment for sleeping with the pharaoh's girlfriend. The ancient mummy is revived, and he is determined to bring his old love back to life, which of course means much mayhem (including the unleashing of the 10 plagues) and human sacrifice. Despite the rather gory premise, this movie is fairly tame in terms of violence; most of the magic and surprise come from the special effects, which are glorious to watch, although Imhotep, before being fully reconstituted, is, as one explorer puts it, rather "juicy." Keep in mind this film is as much comedy as it is adventure—those looking for a straightforward horror pic will be disappointed. But for those who want good old-fashioned eye-candy kind of fun, The Mummyranks as one of choicest flicks of 1999. —Jenny Brown

Kevin Seymour Yoshiaki Kawajiri A peak achievement of Japanese anime, Ninja Scrollis a propulsive mix of samurai action adventure and supernatural fantasy from writer-director Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Supernatural Best City). This is defiantly animation for grown-ups, complete with fountains of blood, plenty of naked flesh, and (in both the subtitled and dubbed versions) some decidedly strong language. (Students of Japanese language could pick up some useful expressions.) The plot sounds like a 16th century variation on the X-Files: An entire village has been wiped out by a mysterious plague and an anti-government conspiracy of invulnerable demons seems to be responsible. A wandering ninja, Jubei, and his female counterpart, Kagero, team up to defeat the plotters. Jubei is a classic reluctant hero, agreeing to participate in the mission only after being fed a slow-acting poison; the antidote will be supplied after he cooperates. And Kagero, a looker whose embrace is lethal, is a femme fatale with a difference that seems distinctively Japanese: sexual contact itself is poisonous, especially for a warrior with a pure soul. —David Chute

Danny Ocean likes his chances. All he asks is that his handpicked squad of 10 grifters and cons play the game like they have nothing to lose. If all goes right the payoff will be a fat $150 million. Divided by 11. You do the math.Running Time: 110 min.System Requirements:Starring: George Clooney Julia Roberts Andy Garcia Brad Pitt Matt Damon Don Cheadle Bernie Mac and Elliott Gould. Directed By: Steven Soderbergh. Running Time: 116 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Standard" format. Copyright 2002 Warner Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 085392263424 Manufacturer No: 22634

George Clooney is one, Brad Pitt is two, Matt Damon three... well, let's just assume there are 13 collaborators in this installment of Steven Soderbergh's profitable caper franchise. We're back in Las Vegas for Ocean's Thirteen, where the boys plot to shut down the brand-new venture of a backstabbing hotelier (Al Pacino) because the guy double-crossed the now-ailing Reuben (Elliott Gould). If you look at the plot too closely, the entire edifice collapses (hey, how about those Chunnel-digging giant drills?), but Soderbergh conjures up a visual style that swings like Bobby Darin at the Copa. Other than the movie-star dazzle, the main reason to see the film is Soderbergh's uncanny feel for how the widescreen frame can float through the neon spaces of Vegas or sort through groups of characters sitting in hotel rooms talking (he shot the film himself, under his pseudonym Peter Andrews).

The film doesn't give enough time to goofballs Casey Affleck and Scott Caan (whose riffs made Ocean's Twelveworth seeing), although it provides comic stuff for a fun roster of actors, including Eddie Izzard, David Paymer, and Bob ("Super Dave") Einstein. Meanwhile, Ellen Barkin makes a fetching assistant for Pacino, and Pacino himself, his hair dyed Trumpian orange, is content to gnaw on some ham for the duration. Biggest puzzle about the two sequels is why George Clooney seems content to retreat from centerstage. Still, his Hemingwayesque conversations with Pitt are an amusing form of male shorthand, and even as the movie overstays its welcome during a long finale, Clooney's easy sense of cool makes it all seem acceptable. —Robert Horton

Steven Soderbergh They're back. And then some. Twelve is the new eleven when Danny Ocean and pals return in a sequel to the cool caper that saw them pull off a $160 million heist. But 160 million doesn't go as far as it used to. Not with everyone spending like sailors on leave. Not with a mysterious someone stalking Danny and crew. It's time to pull off another stunner of a plan?or plans. With locations including Amsterdam Paris and Rome the direction of Steven Soderbergh and the original cast plus Catherine Zeta-Jones and others Twelve is your lucky number.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 085393894825 Manufacturer No: 38948

Ever spend eight hours in a "Productivity Bin"? Ever had worries about layoffs? Ever had the urge to demolish a temperamental printer or fax machine? Ever had to endure a smarmy, condescending boss? Then Office Spaceshould hit pretty close to home for you. Peter (Ron Livingston) spends the day doing stupefyingly dull computer work in a cubicle. He goes home to an apartment sparsely furnished by IKEA and Target, then starts for a maddening commute to work again in the morning. His coworkers in the cube farm are an annoying lot, his boss is a snide, patronizing jerk, and his days are consumed with tedium. In desperation, he turns to career hypnotherapy, but when his hypno-induced relaxation takes hold, there's no shutting it off. Layoffs are in the air at his corporation, and with two coworkers (both of whom are slated for the chute) he devises a scheme to skim funds from company accounts. The scheme soon snowballs, however, throwing the three into a panic until the unexpected happens and saves the day. Director Mike Judge has come up with a spot-on look at work in corporate America circa 1999. With well-drawn characters and situations instantly familiar to the white-collar milieu, he captures the joylessness of many a cube denizen's work life to a T. Jennifer Aniston plays Peter's love interest, a waitress at Chotchkie's, a generic beer-and-burger joint à la Chili's, and Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show) has a minor but hilarious turn as Peter's mustached, long-haired, drywall-installin' neighbor. —Jerry Renshaw

Todd Phillips When three thirtysomething friends with woman troubles (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn) decide to form a fraternity, it's supposedly to save Wilson from losing his house, which the nearby college is trying to claim for academic purposes. But really, Ferrell and Vaughn are desperate to return to the reckless, feckless days of beer bongs and hot chicks, and they drag Wilson along with them as they throw themselves into gathering frat pledges of all ages. Old Schoolcould have been just another string of bad jokes hanging on a flimsy plot, but the script and the cast have a jovial energy and just enough grounding in reality—at least, up until the obligatory beat-the-system ending, but by that point you'll forgive the excesses of this silly, cheerful, and frequently funny movie. Featuring Jeremy Piven and Juliette Lewis, with cameos by Snoop Dog, Andy Dick, and others. —Bret Fetzer

James Wong (IV) The Onesets a martial arts milestone by pitting action star Jet Li against his greatest enemy: himself. This sci-fi thriller establishes a "multiverse" consisting of countless parallel universes, each populated by variants of every individual. Li plays a renegade from the Multiverse Agency, illegally traveling through "quantum tunnels" to eliminate all versions of himself until only two remain, each sharing the cumulative strength of their "parallel universe versions." This mumbo-jumbo inspires a variety of dazzling special effects, and director James Wong (with cowriter and fellow X-Filesalumnus Glen Morgan) injects clever humor into the Matrix-derivative premise. Carla Gugino is wasted as the "good" Li's obligatory love interest, but The Onewill appeal to action fans with its fast-paced pursuit between the evil Li and two agents (Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham) assigned to stop his trans-universal killing spree. It's a one-gimmick movie, best enjoyed with your brain in neutral. —Jeff Shannon

Hamilton Luske Gore Verbinski From producer Jerry Bruckheimer (PEARL HARBOR) comes PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL the thrilling high-seas adventure with a mysterious twist. The roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow's (Johnny Depp) idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis the wily Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) steals his ship the Black Pearl and later attacks the town of Port Royal

This epic, animated 1997 fantasy has already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and ravishing visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties. For international animation and animefans, Princess Mononokerepresents an auspicious next step for its revered creator, Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service), an acknowledged animepioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary steps here.

Set in medieval Japan, Miyazaki's original story envisions a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology, embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote, and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious "demon god," transformed by human anger. Ashitaka's quest to solve the beast's fatal curse brings him into the midst of human political intrigues as well as the more crucial battle between man and nature.

Miyazaki's convoluted fable is clearly not the stuff of kiddie matinees, nor is the often graphic violence depicted during the battles that ensue. If some younger viewers (or less attentive older ones) will wish for a diagram to sort out the players, Miyazaki's atmospheric world and its lush visual design are reasons enough to watch. For the English-language version, Miramax assembled an impressive vocal cast including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup (as Ashitaka), Claire Danes (as San), Minnie Driver (as Lady Eboshi), Billy Bob Thornton, and Jada Pinkett Smith. They bring added nuance to a very different kind of magic kingdom. Recommended for ages 12 and older. —Sam Sutherland

Kouji Masunari Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 05/27/2003

Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i.e., a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature, Reservoir Dogs. Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogshas an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them color-coded aliases (Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. White) to conceal their identities from being known even to each other. But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco—and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception, and betrayal. As many critics have observed, it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as Pulp Fictionis about redemption, and Jackie Brownis about survival). Along with everything else, the movie provides a showcase for a terrific ensemble of actors: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Christopher Penn, and Tarantino himself, offering a fervent dissection of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" over breakfast. Reservoir Dogsis violent (though the violence is implied rather than explicit), clever, gabby, harrowing, funny, suspenseful, and even—in the end—unexpectedly moving. (Don't forget that "Super Sounds of the Seventies" soundtrack, either.) Reservoir Dogsdeserves just as much acclaim and attention as its follow-up, Pulp Fiction, would receive two years later. —Jim Emerson

Marty Callner Recorded and broadcast live from New York City's Broadway Theater at the culmination of his historic 2002 sold-out tour, the Robin Williams "Live on Broadway" DVD finds the Oscar-winning actor/writer/comedian returning after 16 years to his stand-up roots to deliver what the Washington Post calls "...in its madcap way, a seminal cultural event."

"A report on the planet and a report from the planet for those watching from outer space," this DVD puts you front row at the comedy event - where "Williams pranced, flounced, minced, pounced, zigzagged, hip-hopped, whirled and twirled, talking nonstop about everything from surgically enhanced breasts to the great anthrax scare."

"Live on Broadway" captures the manic comic energy of Robin Williams in full hurrican force.

As First Seen on HBO.

System Requirements:

Running Time: 126 Min., Color.

Copyright 2003 Sony Group.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Paul Verhoeven When it arrived on the big screen in 1987, Paul Verhoeven's RoboCopwas like a high-voltage jolt of electricity, blending satire, thrills, and abundant violence with such energized gusto that audiences couldn't help feeling stunned and amazed. The movie was a huge hit, and has since earned enduring cult status as one of the seminal science fiction films of the 1980s. Followed by two sequels, a TV series, and countless novels and comic books, this original RoboCopis still the best by far, largely due to the audacity and unbridled bloodlust of director Verhoeven. However, the reasons many enjoyed the film are also the reasons some will surely wish to avoid it. Critic Pauline Kael called the movie a dubious example of "gallows pulp," and there's no denying that its view of mankind is bleak, depraved, and graphically violent. In the Detroit of the near future, a policeman (Peter Weller) is brutally gunned down by drug-dealing thugs and left for dead, but he survives (half of him, at least) and is integrated with state-of-the-art technology to become a half-robotic cop of the future, designed to revolutionize law enforcement. As RoboCop holds tight to his last remaining shred of humanity, he relentlessly pursues the criminals who "killed" him. All the while, Verhoeven (from a script by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner) injects this high-intensity tale with wickedly pointed humor and satire aimed at the men and media who cover a city out of control. —Jeff Shannon

Michael Bay Between his high-octane debut, Bad Boys, and 1998's wannabe blockbuster Armageddon, hotshot director Michael Bay forged his dubious reputation with this crowd-pleasing action extravaganza. In it a psychotically disgruntled war hero (Ed Harris) seizes the island prison of Alcatraz and threatens to wage chemical warfare against nearby San Francisco unless the government publicly recognizes the men who were killed under Harris's top-secret command. Nicolas Cage plays the biochemist who teams up with the only man ever to have escaped from Alcatraz (Sean Connery) in an attempt to foil Harris's terrorist scheme. As one might expect, what follows is an action-packed barrage of bullets, bodies, and climactic confrontations, replete with enough plot contrivances to give even the most jaded action fan cause for alarm. It's a load of hooey, but the cast is obviously having a grand old time, and there's enough wit to make the recycled action sequences tolerable. If you're ordering this movie on DVD, be careful with the volume knobs on your home-theater sound systems, because The Rockcould cause partial hearing loss and structural damage to your home. —Jeff Shannon

Eric P. Sherman Mugen’s a buck-wild warrior — violent, thoughtless and womanizing. Jin is a vagrant ronin — mysterious, traditional, well-mannered and very strong as well. These two fiercely independent warriors can’t be any more different from one another, yet their paths cross when Fuu, a ditzy waitress, saves them from being executed when they are arrested after a violent swordfight. Fuu convinces the two vagrant young men to help her find a mysterious samurai "who smells of sunflowers." And their journey begins

Steven Spielberg When Steven Spielberg was an adolescent, his first home movie was a backyard war film. When he toured Europe with Duelin his 20s, he saw old men crumble in front of headstones at Omaha Beach. That image became the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, his film of a mission following the D-day invasion that many have called the most realistic—and maybe the best—war film ever. With 1998 production standards, Spielberg has been able to create a stunning, unparalleled view of war as hell. We are at Omaha Beach as troops are slaughtered by Germans yet overcome the almost insurmountable odds.

A stalwart Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier, who takes a small band of troops behind enemy lines to retrieve a private whose three brothers have recently been killed in action. It's a public relations move for the Army, but it has historical precedent dating back to the Civil War. Some critics of the film have labeled the central characters stereotypes. If that is so, this movie gives stereotypes a good name: Tom Sizemore as the deft sergeant, Edward Burns as the hotheaded Private Reiben, Barry Pepper as the religious sniper, Adam Goldberg as the lone Jew, Vin Diesel as the oversize Private Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as the soulful medic, and Jeremy Davies, who as a meek corporal gives the film its most memorable performance.

The movie is as heavy and realistic as Spielberg's Oscar-winning Schindler's List, but it's more kinetic. Spielberg and his ace technicians (the film won five Oscars: editing (Michael Kahn), cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), sound, sound effects, and directing) deliver battle sequences that wash over the eyes and hit the gut. The violence is extreme but never gratuitous. The final battle, a dizzying display of gusto, empathy, and chaos, leads to a profound repose. Saving Private Ryantouches us deeper than Schindlerbecause it succinctly links the past with how we should feel today. It's the film Spielberg was destined to make. —Doug Thomas

Tom Cherones Nothing? Seinfeldis a show about everything! It's about the appeal of the posse and coma etiquette. It's about importing and exporting. It's about sneaking a peek, and seeing the baby. It's about this, that, and the other. TV Guideranked Seinfeldthe best TV series of all time. It has become the master of its syndication domain. Its most devoted fans can quote each episode chapter and verse; their absorption of each scene's minutiae anything but a trivial pursuit. With such fervent devotion to the show, and demand for its DVD release, series creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David could have easily just OK'd a bare-bones set containing nothing but the episodes. Not that there would have been anything wrong with that, but instead, the creative team came together to create extensive and encyclopedic features that make this four-disc set buy-worthy. The candid and revealing audio commentaries and interviews, deleted scenes and original episode promos, and optional "Notes About Nothing" pop-ups are as irresistible as a Drake's coffee cake.

It's always fun and instructive to return to the humble beginnings of a series that became a pop culture benchmark. Here are Kramer's first not-so-grand entrance, Jerry's first contemptuous "Hello, Newman," and Elaine's first "Get Out!" shove. But what is most revelatory about these episodes from the first two seasons is what Jason Alexander, during his commentary for the episode "The Revenge," calls a "sweet quality" that somehow redeems these characters' more base instincts. Consider the scene in which Jerry gives a freshly unemployed George some career guidance, or Jerry and Elaine's palpably affectionate banter throughout. The "Inside Look" episode intros offer fascinating insights into this singular show that subverted sitcom convention with such now-classic episodes as "The Chinese Restaurant," in which Jerry, George, and Elaine wait in vain for a table. We learn, for example, why movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney, who guest starred in "The Jacket," never reprised his role as Elaine's father. All of this, of course, is yadda yadda yadda to Seinfeldfans, whose patience for the show's DVD debut has been amply rewarded. As Elaine screams in the third-season episode, "The Subway,""It's not nothing, it's something!"—Donald Liebenson

Tom Cherones For Seinfeld, the third season's—for want of a better word—the charm. The show has found its misanthropic voice (by season's end, a fed-up Elaine tells herself, "I gotta get some new friends"), the ensemble has a firmer grasp of their characters, and the writers rise to the occasion with episodes that have entered the Seinfeldpantheon, including the Seinfeldequivalent of a Very Special Episode, "The Boyfriend," with Keith Hernandez and the J.F.K.parody, "The Library," featuring Philip Baker Hall channeling Jack Webb as library bookhound Bookman, "The Pez Dispenser," and "The Keys," with an L.A.-bound Kramer winding up on Murphy Brown. Michael Richards, especially, comes into his own this season as Kramer. The first two seasons built up the mystique of this "man-child"/"parasite." So while he was absent in season 2's "The Chinese Restaurant," he is now out and about with the close-knit, albeit dysfunctional, trio. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has some of her giddiest golden moments, zonked on painkillers in "The Pen," or, as a bored party guest in "The Stranded," telling an obnoxious bride-to-be that "Maybe the dingo ate your baby." And don't get us started on Jason Alexander as George, series co-creator Larry David's neurotic and angst-ridden alter-ego. To paraphrase what Julia Roberts said of Denzel Washington, we don't want to live in a world where Alexander doesn't have an Emmy.

But it's the extensive bonus features that give this four-disc set "hand" over other TV-on-DVD releases. The "Inside Look" episode intros, optional pop-up "Notes About Nothing," and candid, albeit a little too casual, commentaries offer a fount of information to even the most obsessive Seinfeldfans. We learn that even the most outrageous episodes, such as "The Pez Dispenser," were inspired by real-life events. Especially telling is Alexander's observation that Jerry never really socialized with the other ensemble members. This has extended to the commentaries: Seinfeld pairs with David on some episodes, while Alexander, Richards and Dreyfus team up on others. They are gracious to the guest stars and extras, and mostly mum on Jer. —Donald Liebenson

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

Michael Davis (II) Every action movie has a moment so over the top you have to laugh;Shoot 'Em Upconsists of nothing but these moments. A carrot-eating, lone wolf kind of guy named Smith (Clive Owen, Children of Men, Inside Man) steps in to protect a pregnant woman from a gunman—and finds himself, with the aid of a lactating prostitute (Monica Belluci, The Matrix Revisited), defending the newborn child from a sleazy contract killer Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti, American Splendor, Sideways) and his army of thugs. That's pretty much the plot, but story is beside the point. Writer/director Michael Davis (Monster Man) has a keen sense of what matters in an action movie. The rapid-fire editing is scrupulously coherent; you always grasp what happened in every shoot-out, even if it flagrantly violates the laws of physics or basic plausibility. Explaining how Smith survives a four-story fall—even if that explanation is beyond ridiculous—demonstrates both a sense of wit and a winking respect for the audience's imagination. As a result, Shoot 'Em Upis ten times more entertaining than the likes of Transformersor Rush Hour 3, movies so self-satisfied with special effects or movie stars that they forgot to be fun. (Shoot 'Em Up's only weakness is a sliver of misogyny, the one action movie cliche that it's not clever enough to transcend.) —Bret Fetzer

Andrew Adamson Vicky Jenson Dreamworks Shrek - DVD

You've never met a hero quite like Shrek, the endearing ogre who sparked a motion picture phenomenon and captured the world's imagination with the Greatest Fairy Tale Ever Told! 

Short Description:

Relive every moment of Shrek's(Mike Myers) daring quest to rescue feisty Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) with the help of his lovable loudmouthed Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and win back the deed to his beloved swamp from scheming Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Enchantingly irreverent and "monstrously clever" (Leah Rozen, People Magazine), Shrek is ogre-sized adventure you'll want to see again and again.

Features:

Disc 1- 

Record your voice over your favorite character's lines and star in one of 12 entire scenes! 

Behind the scenes featurette 

Hidden fun facts 

Game Swamp: over 15 interactive games and activities including Shrek Pinball, Rescue the Princess and Soup Slam 

Shrek's music room - videos from Smash Mouth, Baha Men and more 

Favorite scenes selection

Disc 2- 

Filmmakers commentary 

"The Tech of Shrek" 

Storyboard pitch of outrageous deleted scenes 

Technical goofs 

International dubbing featurette 

Character design progression reel 

Hints for Shrek X-Box video game only available on this DVD

Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow and Eddie Murphy 

Directedby: Andrew Adamson and Vicki 

Running time: 93 minutes 

Color 

This film is presented in "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats 

Copyright 2001 Universal Home Video 

Rated PG

Dan Castellaneta America's first family of dysfunction, the Simpsons, appear in all their depraved glory in this wonderful DVD compilation of their show's premiere season. Fans accustomed to the slick appearance of the later episodes will be delighted by the rougher nature of these earlier episodes, when the characters weren't as well defined (Homer isn't quite as dumb as he is in later seasons) and the animation was still evolving. This only adds to the charm of these 13 episodes, which begin with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," the December 1989 Christmas special in which a down-and-out Simpson family adopt Santa's Little Helper. Throughout the season, familiar faces are introduced, as we catch first glimpses of Smithers, Mr. Burns, the Flanderses, and Patty and Selma. Highlights of the season include "The Crepes of Wrath," in which Bart is sent to France as an exchange student ("Don't mess up France the way you messed up your room");"Bart the Genius," in which Bart ends up in a school for the gifted; and "Krusty Gets Busted," in which Bart's lifelong animosity with Sideshow Bob begins. —Jenny Brown

The entire second season of the animated television show, The Simpsons.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 15-AUG-2006
Media Type: DVD

The Simpsons are back on DVD and this time featuring celebrity guest stars including Magic Johnson, Sting, Steve Allen, and many others contribute to the animated phenomenon. All 24 episodes are compiled on 4 discs with special Easter Eggs on each disc. On DISC 1, discover Barbara Bush Letters and George Bush Quote Easter Eggs featurette. On DISC 2, discover Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Peoples Choice Awards, Emmy Awards and Loggers Controversy Featurette. On DISC 3, discover Animation discussion with Matt Groening, JimBrooks and Al Jean. Easter Eggs on this DISC include Kelsey Grammer Outtakes, outtakes from "Homer at the Bat", Mr.Burns outtakes of "Excellent" line from "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes?". On DISC 4, discover Colonel Homer Pop-Up and his Unseen promo footage easter egg.

By its fourth season, The Simpsonshad come far enough where Lisa could make a self-referential joke about Dustin Hoffman and Michael Jackson's pseudonymous guest voice appearances in seasons 2 and 3, respectively. In this season, no less than Elizabeth Taylor (in two episodes), Bette Midler, and even the reclusive Johnny Carson blessed The Simpsonswith their iconic presences. Awhile back, Entertainment Weeklyranked The Simpsons' Top 25 best episodes ever. Five gems from season 4 cracked the top 12, including the (debatable) choice for No. 1, "Last Exit to Springfield." Other episodes that loom large in the Simpsonslegend are "Mr. Plow" (you know the jingle: "Call Mr. Plow / That's my name / That name again is Mr. Plow"), "Marge vs. the Monorail," featuring a Music Man-style extravaganza, and "A Streetcar Named Marge," the episode that outraged New Orleans residents, who heard their fair metropolis referred to as "a city that the damned call home."

The Simpsonssmartly subverts traditional family sitcom convention, but anyone who thinks the show doesn't have a heart is advised to watch "I Love Lisa" and "New Kid on the Block," two fourth-season gems that absolutely nail the agony and ecstasy of unrequited crushes ("You won't be needing this," a heartbroken Bart fantasizes his babysitter saying while dropkicking his heart into a wastebasket in "New Kid"). While the Simpsons' celebrated ensemble gets all the glory, we must pause now to praise the peerless writing staff, among them, George Meyer, Al Jean, Jon Vitti, John Swartzwelder, David Silverman, and Conan O'Brien. One can only marvel in astonishment at the alchemy that went into creating, week after week, such essential episodes as "Kamp Krusty,""Streetcar," the profane and profound "Homer the Heretic," and "Lisa the Beauty Queen" (And that's just disc 1!). The animators, too, rose to the occasion, particularly in "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie," with its dead-on, ultra-violent sinking of the seminal Disney cartoon, "Steamboat Willie." And another benchmark in The Simpsons' rise to the TV pantheon: Its very first clip show. What Homer says about donuts in "Monorail" holds true as well for The Simpsonsitself: Is there anything this show can't do? —Donald Liebenson

Sixteen seasons (and counting) of pop culture-rocking brilliance, the first four of which have already been gloriously archived on DVD. But in the words of Krusty the Clown: What has The Simpsonsdone for me lately? Well, how about all 22 episodes of season 5, each accompanied by commentary, deleted scenes, and other encyclopedic extras that hopelessly devoted Simpsonsfans crave, no, demand? Season 5 is perhaps not as classics-packed as the third and fourth seasons, but no self-respecting Simpsonsfan should be without the episodes "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," featuring George Harrison, "Cape Feare," one of Sideshow Bob's (and guest voice Kelsey Grammer's) finest half-hours, "Rosebud,""Springfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)," and "Bart Gets Famous," with the Springfield-sweeping catchphrase "I didn't do it." Plus, the star power this season is impressive: Michelle Pfeiffer as Homer's comely, donut-loving co-worker in "The Last Temptation of Homer," Albert Brooks as a self-help guru who unleashes "Bart's Inner Child," Kathleen Turner as the creator of Malibu Stacy in "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy," and, as themselves, the Ramones ("Rosebud"), James Woods ("Homer and Apu"), Buzz Aldrin ("Deep Space Homer"), and even Robert Goulet ("Springfield").

But it is the writers and the core ensemble cast who exhibit, to quote "Deep Space Homer,""the right... What's that stuff?" Series milestones include the first appearance of yokel Cletus in "Bart Gets an Elephant," and Maggie's infant nemesis, The Baby with One Eyebrow in "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badasssss Song," which also happens to be The Simpsons' 100th episode. Add in a very good "Treehouse of Horror" episode, (which outs Ned Flanders as the Devil and Marge as the head vampire), and one Emmy-nominated musical extravaganza ("Who Needs the Quick-E-Mart" from "Homer and Apu"), and you have a Simpsonsseason that's not just great, it's DVD-box-set great. —Donald Liebenson

The entire sixth season of the animated television show, The Simpsons.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 15-AUG-2006
Media Type: DVD

Most TV shows never make it eight seasons, but then The Simpsonsis not most TV shows. At a point where other shows would generally become stale and repetitive, Matt Groening & Co. pull out the stops to come up with one of the most creative and hilarious seasons in the whole series. Cases in point for season eight (1996-1997) include "Treehouse of Horror VII," in which aliens Kang and Kodos make a bizarre run for President having taken on the appearances of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole;"Bart After Dark," in which Bart gets a job at The Maison Derriere (featuring one of their most popular songs, "The Spring in Springfield"); and one of the great all-time episodes, "The Simpsons Spin-off Showcase," a trilogy of Simpsons spin-offs that never made it to prime-time (the final segment——"The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour"—is about the best six minutes of parody in the entire Simpsonscanon). Season eight also features some of the most notable guest appearances: Rodney Dangerfield as Mr. Burns's long lost son; Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as Scully and Mulder from X-Filesin "The Springfield Files;""The Brother from Another Series" which brilliantly pairs up Kelsey Grammar as Sideshow Bob with his brother Cecil (David Hyde Pierce) in a parallel of their Frasiercharacters; and in a major casting coup, Johnny Cash shows up in the form of a red fox as Homer's spirit guide in "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer" (also known as "The Chili Pepper episode"). Other notable episodes include "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show," a fun wink to the audience from the writers about keeping the show fresh without ruining it, and the send up of Mary Poppins"Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(annoyed grunt)cious," which has one of their most memorable endings when Shary Bobbins floats off under her umbrella ("So long Superman," Barney cries)... only to get sucked into a jet engine from a passing airplane. That's the thanks she gets for offering her help. Good to see that, eight seasons in, The Simpsonsstill don't need it. —Daniel Vancini

Season 9 is an important one in The Simpsons' run because, to many fans, it represents the top of the rainbow. At this point, the show is still at the top of its game, flinging clever jokes and social satire with such ease, especially compared to later seasons, that it's hard not to see this as the peak of its run, leaving open the question of whether or not subsequent seasons measure up. Be that as it may, there's hardly any question that the writing this season is among the series' best. This is the season that brought us "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson," where Homer illegally parks his car in front of the World Trade Center, and heralds the introduction of Duff Man ("Oh Yeah!), "The Treehouse of Horror VIII," where Bart's body gets switched with that of a fly and Marge turns into a witch, and "The Trouble with Trillions," which finds Mr. Burns hiding a trillion dollar bill from the federal government. Apu gets plenty of face time in an excellent episode where he meets his bride ("The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons"), and the town's kids get their chance at some screen time when they all get stranded on an island together a la Lord of the Flies in "Das Bus" ("We'll be like Swiss Family Robinson, only with more cursing," proclaims Bart). Definitely the show is still going strong by this point, and the 25 episodes of this season should still delight fans who've stayed with it through the years, in addition to the hours of commentaries and special features that come standard with every season of The Simpsons. —Daniel Vancini

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

Read our interview with Frank Miller.

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

More Sin Cityat Amazon.com

The Graphic Novels and Books

Films by Robert Rodriguez

From Graphic Novel to Big Screen

The Soundtrack

Films by guest director Quentin Tarantino

Crime on DVD

Sowelu

Jan de Bont Everything clicked in this 1994 action hit, from the premise (a city bus has to keep moving at 50 mph or blow up) to the two leads (the usually inscrutable Keanu Reeves and the cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock) to the villain (Dennis Hopper in psycho mode) to the director (Jan De Bont, who made this film hit the ground running with an edge-of-your-seat opening sequence on a broken elevator). This is the sort of movie that becomes a prototype for a thousand lesser films (including De Bont's lousy sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control), but Speedreally is a one-of-a-kind experience almost anyone can enjoy. —Tom Keogh

Sam Raimi Directed by Sam Raimi Spider-Man centers on student Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) who after being bitten by a genetically-altered spider gains superhuman strength and the spider-like ability to cling to any surface. He vows to use his abilities to fight crime coming to understand the words of his beloved Uncle Ben: "With great power comes great responsibility." System Requirements:Starring: Willem Dafoe Kirsten Dunst Tobey Maguire. Directed: Sam Raimi. Running Time: 121 Minutes Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2002 Colombia Pictures Industries Inc. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396096615 Manufacturer No: 09661

Sam Raimi In SPIDER-MAN™2, the latest installment in the blockbuster Spider-Man™ series, based on the classic Marvel Comics hero, Tobey Maguire returns as the mild-mannered Peter Parker, who is juggling the delicate balance of his dual life as college student and a superhuman crime fighter. Peter's life becomes even more complicated when he confronts a new nemesis, the brilliant Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who has been reincarnated as the maniacal and multi-tentacled "Doc Ock." When Doc Ock kidnaps MJ (Kirsten Dunst), Spider-Man must swing back into action as the adventure reaches new heights of unprecedented excitement.

System Requirements:

Running Time: 127 Min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

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

The greatest adventure of all time begins with Star Trek, the incredible story of a young crew’s maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship ever created: the U.S.S. Enterprise. On a journey filled with action, comedy and cosmic peril, the new recruits must find a way to stop an evil being whose mission of vengeance threatens all of mankind. The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk (Chris Pine), is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock (Zachary Quinto), was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before.

Even-numbered Star Trek movies tend to be better, and First Contact(#8 in the popular movie series) is no exception—an intelligently handled plot involving the galaxy-conquering Borg and their attempt to invade Earth's past, alter history, and "assimilate" the entire human race. Time travel, a dazzling new Enterprise, and capable direction by Next Generationalumnus Jonathan Frakes makes this one rank with the best of the bunch. Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his able crew travel back in time to Earth in the year 2063, where they hope to ensure that the inventor of warp drive (played by James Cromwell) will successfully carry out his pioneering warp-drive flight and precipitate Earth's "first contact" with an alien race. A seductive Borg queen (Alice Krige) holds Lt. Data (Brent Spiner) hostage in an effort to sabotage the Federation's preservation of history, and the captive android finds himself tempted by the queen's tantalizing sins of the flesh! Sharply conceived to fit snugly into the burgeoning Star Trekchronology, First Contactleads to a surprise revelation that marks an important historical chapter in the ongoing mission "to boldly go where no one has gone before."—Jeff Shannon

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his young apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi aid the Queen of Naboo in an attempt to thwart the invasion of her home planet; meanwhile, they come across Anakin Skywalker, a young boy with strong Jedi powers.
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: PG
Release Date: 22-MAR-2005
Media Type: DVD

George Lucas If The Phantom Menacewas the setup, then Attack of the Clonesis the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Warsfans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging "dark side" while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins. Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Warsas Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, while lavish set pieces showcase George Lucas's supreme command of all-digital filmmaking. All of this makes Episode IIa technological milestone, savaged by some critics as a bloated, storyless spectacle, but still qualifying as a fan-approved precursor to the pivotal events of Episode III. —Jeff Shannon

George Lucas The Star Wars saga is now complete on DVD with Episode III REVENGE OF THE SITH. Torn between loyalty to his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi and the seductive powers of the Sith Anakin Skywalker ultimately turns his back on the Jedi thus completing his journey to the dark side and his transformation into Darth Vader. Experience the breathtaking scope of the final chapter in spectacular clarity and relive all the epic battles including the final climactic lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan.System Requirements:Starring: Ewan McGregor Natalie Portman Hayden Christensen Ian McDiarmid Samuel L. Jackson Christopher Lee Directed By: George Lucas Running Time: 140 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 024543203094 Manufacturer No: 2230309

George Lucas The story of rebel forces in a life-or-death struggle with the tyrant leaders of the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo team up with Princess Leia to overthrow the Imperial forces.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: STAR WARS TRILOGY
Title: STAR WARS TRILOGY
Street Release Date: 11/01/2005
Domestic
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION

Roland Emmerich Before they unleashed the idiotic mayhem of Independence Dayand Godzilla, the idea-stealing team of director Roland Emmerich and producer-screenwriter Dean Devlin concocted this hokey hit about the discovery of an ancient portal capable of zipping travelers to "the other side of the known universe." James Spader plays the Egyptologist who successfully translates the Stargate's hieroglyphic code, and then joins a hawkish military unit (led by Kurt Russell) on a reconnaissance mission to see what's on the other side. They arrive on a desert world with cultural (and apparently supernatural) ties to Earth's ancient Egypt, where the sun god Ra (played by Jaye Davidson from The Crying Game) rules a population of slaves with armored minions and startlingly advanced technology. After being warmly welcomed into the slave camp, the earthlings encourage and support a rebellion, and while Russell threatens to blow up the Stargate to prevent its use by enemy forces, the movie collapses into a senseless series of action scenes and grandiose explosions. It's all pretty ridiculous, but Stargatefound a large and appreciative audience, spawned a cable-TV series, and continues to attract science fiction fans who are more than willing to forgive its considerable faults. —Jeff Shannon

Paul Verhoeven From the bridge of the Fleet Battlestation Ticonderoga, with its sweeping galactic views, to the desolate terrain of planet Klendathu, teeming with shrieking, fire-spitting, brain-sucking special effects creatures, acclaimed director PAUL VERHOEVEN crafts a dazzling epic based on Robert A. Heinlein's classic sci-fi adventure. CASPER VAN DIEN, DINA MEYER, DENISE RICHARDS, JAKE BUSEY, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, PATRICK MULDOON, and MICHAEL IRONSIDE star as the courageous soldiers who travel to the distant and desolate Klendathu system for the ultimate showdown between the species.

System Requirements:

Running Time: 130 Min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Gisaburo Sugii Based on the video game, Street Fighter II: the Animated Movie(1994) is the first feature in the popular continuity that includes a second animated film, a TV series, an OAV, and a live-ction feature. With physiques that Mr. Olympia would envy and moves that would shame Bruce Lee, Ryu and Ken Masters rank as the world's greatest martial artists. They face a dire challenge when Vega (Bison in the English dub), the psychic master of the criminal syndicate Shadowloo (Shadowlaw), attempts to turn the world's top street fighters into his agents. The minimal plot exists only as a framework for the over-the-top martial arts battles. Director Gisaburo Sugii stages many of the fights at night in an effort to heighten the drama, but the results are so dark, it's difficult to see what's going on. Fans of the series complain—justifiably—that the English voices sound stiff and hokey, although the dialogue is hopelessly silly. The double-sided disc offers both the English and Japanese versions; the latter contains about two more minutes of violent fighting. (Rated PG-13, suitable for ages 17 and older: graphic violence, violence against women, nudity, alcohol use, profanity, ethnic stereotypes) —Charles Solomon

Captain O'Hagen (Brian Cox) tries in vain to control the imaginations and hormones of his bumbling team of five Vermont Highway Patrolmen. But when the opportunity to solve a real crime rolls their way, the formerly inept Super Troopers pounce into action to become highway heroes.

System Requirements:

Starring Jay Chandrasekhar, Erik Stolhanske, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Brian Lox, Daniel Von Bergen, Marisa Coughlan

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

Running time: 103 minutes

Copyright Twentieth Century Fox 2003

Format: DVD MOVIE

Greg Mottola Columbia Pictures Superbad (Blu-ray) (Unrated Extended Edition) 

From the guy who brought you "Knocked Up" and "The40-Year-Old Virgin" comes "Superbad." Seth (JonahHill) and Evan (Michael Cera) want nothing more than to lose their virginity before they head off to college. To do that, though, they need to get liquor for the big party that night. With the help of their friend Fogell, a.k.a. McLovin (ChristopherMintz-Plasse), and his fake I.D., the three of them go on a hilarious chase for that elusive booze,dodging incompetent cops ("Knocked Up's" Seth Rogen and "Saturday Night Live's" Bill Hader), angry neighbors and jealous boyfriends. Hailed as an "iconic comedy...a true classic of its times" (Pete Hammond, Maxim), 'Superbad' is a laugh-out-loud masterpiece!".

Swordfishis a superficial movie, so let's address the superficial facts: Halle Berry was well paid to bare her breasts in this gratuitous cyber-action thriller, and while Berry's many fans will enjoy a cheap drool at the actress's expense, her brief topless scene doesn't justify this insipid parade of glossy violence from the director of 2000's Gone in 60 Seconds. Add yet another notch in John Travolta's bad-movie belt, and you've got Hollywood bankruptcy in full blossom. Go ahead, marvel at director Dominic Sena's biggest money shot—a 360-degree pan as a robbery hostage is blown to bits by a bomb that pelts a surrounding SWAT squad with deadly ball bearings.

The plot, as if it matters: Travolta's a slick, self-appointed antiterrorist who recruits a top-flight computer hacker (Hugh Jackman) to transfer a $9.5 billion government slush fund into a cluster of secret accounts. Berry's the curvaceous bait who lures Jackman into the scheme; Don Cheadle's an FBI agent hot on their tails; and an obligatory subplot turns Jackman's daughter (Camryn Grimes) into an innocent bargaining chip. By the time a hostage transport bus is airlifted in the film's not-so-thrilling climax, Swordfishwill hold your passive attention or put you to sleep—it all depends on your tolerance for Sena's brand of derivative bloodlust. It's pornography of a sort, and efficiently mechanical, but you can bet good money that Berry and her costars didn't cash their paychecks proudly. —Jeff Shannon

Steven Spielberg Like an airport running at peak efficiency, The Terminalglides on the consummate skills of its director and star. Having refined their collaborative chemistry on Saving Private Ryanand Catch Me if You Can, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks mesh like the precision gears of a Rolex, turning a delicate, not-very-plausible scenario into a lovely modern-age fable (partly based on fact) that's both technically impressive and subtly moving. It's Spielberg in Capra mode, spinning the featherweight tale of Victor Navorski (Hanks, giving a finely tuned performance), an Eastern European who arrives at New York's Kennedy Airport just as his (fictional) homeland has fallen to a coup, forcing him, with no valid citizenship, to take indefinite residence in the airport's expansive International Arrivals Terminal (an astonishing full-scale set that inspires Spielberg's most elegant visual strategies). Spielberg said he made this film in part to alleviate the anguish of wartime America, and his master's touch works wonders on the occasionally mushy material; even Stanley Tucci's officious terminal director and Catherine Zeta-Jones's mixed-up flight attendant come off (respectively) as forgivable and effortlessly charming. With this much talent involved, The Terminaltranscends its minor shortcomings to achieve a rare degree of cinematic grace. —Jeff Shannon

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 08/19/2008 Run time: 405 minutes Rating: Nr

Jason Reitman Nick naylor is a charismatic spin-doctor for big tobacco wholl fight to protect americas right to smoke - even if it kills him - while still remaining a role model for his 12 year son. When he incurs the wrath of a senator bent on snuffing out cigarettes nicks powers of filtering out the truth will be tested. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 04/15/2008 Starring: Aaron Eckhart William H Macy Run time: 91 minutes Rating: R

David Twohy Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts.

A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory.

What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of B-movie schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. —Jeff Shannon

While the 1960 version of The Time Machineremains a science fiction classic, this adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel benefits from a dazzling CGI facelift. Digital wizardry shows us the awesome splendor of eons passing in an eye blink, while Wells's heroic time traveler—played with appealing conviction by Memento's Guy Pearce—is given a stronger motivation for piloting his time machine 800,000 years into the future. Long after New York City has crumbled and the moon shattered by a nuclear accident, Pearce finds a new home with the peacefully primitive Eloi, after confronting the subterranean Morlocks (courtesy of Stan Winson's monster shop) and their evil overlord (Jeremy Irons in wicked, pigmentless makeup). Trading Wells's social commentary for pure adventure, director Simon Wells (the author's great-grandson) maintains the story's legacy of wonder, despite a few hokey embellishments. Catering to a younger audience, this Time Machineis fun without being particularly distinguished—a treat for the eyes, if not the brain. —Jeff Shannon

George P. Cosmatos This Western has become a modest cult favorite since its release in 1993, when the film was met with mixed reviews but the performances of Kurt Russell (as Wyatt Earp) and especially Val Kilmer, for his memorably eccentric performance as the dying gunslinger Doc Holliday, garnered high praise. The movie opens with Wyatt Earp trying to put his violent past behind him, living happily in Tombstone with his brothers and the woman (Dana Delany) who puts his soul at ease. But a murderous gang called the Cowboys has burst on the scene, and Earp can't keep his gun belt off any longer. The plot sounds routine, and in many ways it is, but Western buffs won't mind a bit thanks to a fine cast and some well-handled action on the part of Rambodirector George P. Cosmatos, who has yet to make a better film than this. —Jeff Shannon

Taut and gripping, U-571follows the exploits of a fictional team of World War II U.S. submariners who undertake a secret mission to capture a German Enigma machine to decode German documents. Writer-director Jonathan Mostow (Breakdown) tells an intense, economical tale, reminiscent of the best classic war films, while infusing it with modern sentiments.

Spring 1942: A crew of young submarine sailors are on a much-needed 48-hour liberty when they're suddenly called together and engaged in an expedition. At the helm are Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel). Other pivotal crew members include Tyler's Annapolis pal Lieutenant Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi, proving his acting mettle) and Lieutenant Hirsch (Jake Weber), who, along with Marine Major Coonan (David Keith), organizes the mission. As much of the movie takes place in a submarine during WWII, there are inevitable comparisons with the technical masterpiece Das Boot, but Mostow's masterfully shot tale can hold its own.

McConaughey's Tyler is believably earnest as he comes to grips with the reality, tragedy, and consequence of being in command. While this explosion-filled film consistently maintains its tense pace (as did the underrated Breakdown), it also presents with surprising restraint a genuine human story—and the remarkable journey of an unexpected hero. —N.F. Mendoza

Brian De Palma The critics and public agree. Brian De Palma's The Untouchables is a must-see masterpiece - glorious fierce larger-than-life depiction of the mob warlord who ruled Prohibition-era Chicago... and the law enforcer who vowed to bring him down. This classic confrontation between good and evil and stars Kevin Costner as federal agent Eliot Ness Robert De Niro as gangland kingpin Al Capone and Sean Connery as Malone the cop who teaches Ness how to beat the mob: shoot fast and shoot first.Runtime: 119 minsFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 097361247342 Manufacturer No: 124734

Bob Peterson, Pete Docter Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios take moviegoers up, up and away on one of the funniest adventures of all time with their latest comedy-fantasy. Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure.

James McTeigue Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man (Hugo Weaving) known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception V ignites a revolution when he urges his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background she also discovers the truth about herself - and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plan to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 085391117018 Manufacturer No: 111701

Carl Macek Toyoo Ashida D, a haunted half-human, half-vampire warrior, wanders the countryside of a feudalistic future, hunting his own kind while battling his own evil nature. Like a rogue samurai, the silent, solitary hero wanders into a small hamlet terrorized by the all-powerful Count, a monstrous vampire lord, and his demonic minions from a castle that casts a long shadow over the countryside. The Count has claimed the human Doris (who wields a mean cutlass herself) as his bride. D becomes her protector and—when she's captured by the Count's shape-shifting minions—her savior. Designed in slashes and sharp, angular images and directed with abrupt explosions of lightning-fast action, Vampire Hunter Dis violent and bloody in the mode of a samurai adventure. The sleek D is appropriately dark and quiet, cutting a mysterious figure, while the Count is a veritable demon of a vampire, a supernaturally powerful monster whose appetites know no bounds. The undercurrent of sexuality never spills over into the sadistic vein of so many "adults only" thrillers, but it is recommended for mature audiences.

The DVD features both English and Japanese language soundtracks with optional English subtitles. It also has a documentary featurette, deleted footage, and an artwork gallery by Amano among its supplements. —Sean Axmaker

Yoshiaki Kawajiri Based on a series of fantasy novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustis a bloody anime adventure. Set in the distant future, the story focuses on D (voice by Andrew Philpot), the son of a vampire and a mortal who has dedicated his life to exterminating vampires. D is pursuing Charlotte (Wendee Lee), who has been carried off by vampire Meier Link (John Rafter Lee). The bounty-hunting Markus brothers and tough-talking Leila (Pamela Segall) are also on the trail. A long, violent chase brings them to the Castle of Carmila the Bloody Countess (Julia Fletcher), where the narrative founders in a series of confusing illusions that lead to an inconclusive ending. Bloodlustlooks better in still images that evoke Yoshitaka Amano's intricate illustrations than it does in motion. The very limited drawn animation clashes visually with the more fluid computer-generated imagery—D—D's cape billows dramatically, but his expression rarely changes. Fans of such violent anime features as Sword for Truthand Ninja Resurrectionwill enjoy the no-holds-barred action sequences, but more squeamish viewers will be put off by the beheadings, impalements, disembowelments, etc. Vampire Hunter D, an earlier, more modest feature based on the same material, is a better adaptation. —Charles Solomon

Once a child prodigy, Dr. Venture now fails as both a scientist and father. Luckily, his twins, Hank and Dean are too stupid to care. And they've got their vicious, macho bodyguard, Brock, looking out for them. Together they'll get in all sorts of situations involving wild alligators, street ruffians, and booby traps. Brock really likes the booby traps.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:On 3 episodes: "EENEY, MEENEY, MINEY...MAGIC!", "TAG SALE—YOU—YOU'RE IT!" and "GHOSTS OF THE SARGASSO".
Audio Commentary:On "RETURN TO SPIDER-SKULL ISLAND" and bonus pilot episode, "THE TERRIBLE SECRET OF TURTLE BAY".
Deleted Scenes
Documentary:Behind the scenes of the Venture Bros. live-action movie (a Mockumentary).
TV Special:Bonus Episode - "A VERY VENTURE CHRISTMAS" and the pilot episode "THE TERRIBLE SECRET OF TURLE BAY".

How do you launch a second season of a series when you concluded the previous one by murdering the title characters in cold blood? As is often the case on The Venture Bros., Adult Swim's hilariously funny poke at '60s adventure cartoons like Johnny Quest, the answer comes down to: weird science. It would be a crime to reveal how Hank and Dean Venture's beleaguered dad, Doc Venture (voiced by James Urbaniak) brings his hapless offspring back from the grave, but suffice it to say that the boys are back by the end of Episode One ("Powerless in the Face of Death") and making life miserable for their dad and bodyguard Brock Sampson (Patrick Warburton) shortly thereafter. But Team Venture's exploits share the spotlight this season with the misery of their main antagonist, the Monarch, who struggles to reclaim his lady love, Dr. Girlfriend (voiced by series co-creator Doc Hammer) from the suave Phantom Limb (also Urbaniak). Over the course of the sophomore season's thirteen episodes, the Monarch endures countless humiliations in the name of love (not the least of which is a disastrous double date with Dr. G and Limb in "Victor. Echo. November), while the Venture boys encounter countless historical figures (not the least of which is a thinly disguised Scooby-Doo and friends), screw up their own dates, and generally make a mess of things in their own cheerful but ridiculous ways. Meanwhile, the Ventures' neighbor, the overwrought Dr. Orpheus (Steven Ratazzi), also gets his own story arc, in which he re-assembles his "team" of vampire hunter Jackson Twilight and sexually ambiguous monk The Alchemist (voiced by Dana Snyder of Aqua Teen Hunger Force), with disastrous results. Exceptionally sharp writing that's rich with pop culture references and excellent voice performances make this series one of the smartest and funniest in Adult Swim's anarchic stable; here's hoping the network doesn't allow another two years to pass before they greenlight a third season.

The two-disc set offers raucous commentary by Hammer and co-creator Jackson Publick on all 13 episodes (Urbaniak and Michael Sinterniklaas, who voices Dean Venture, join them for several commentaries), as well as a barrage of deleted scenes from each story, and an amusing mock behind-the-scenes look at Astro-Base Go, the orbiting moon station where Hammer and Publick create the series with the help of SoulBot, a big-hearted robot which also lends its bloops and bleeps to the Ventures' mechanical assistant, H.E.L.P.E.R. Praise should also go to the exceptional packaging art and menu design (which feature Publick's character sketches), which evoke the series' retro feel with style. — Paul Gaita

Andrew Stanton Disney WALL-E (Blu-ray) Even for Pixar, this might be a first: an animated film that contains not only afully realized world as photorealistic as it is full of wonder, but also the Gargantuan themes and visuals of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the stripped-down sad-clown pathos found in classic Buster Keaton comedies, and one of the most moving and simply unique love stories in a long time. Director Andrew Stanton kicked up the visual acuity of an already-stellar Pixar Animation Studios in 2003 with a reflective, refractive, color-shimmery realization ofthe oceanic world of FINDING NEMO, which genuinely felt as though it spanned the entire earth. WithWALL-E, Stanton replaces an apprehensively fishy estranged journeyer with a love-struck and curiousrobotic one, allowing the quest for eternal love to expand from a desolate, dust-covered, palpably polluted future Earth and into an even more mysterious abyss: the far reaches of outer space.

Timur Bekmambetov Universal Pictures Wanted (Blu-ray) Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, WANTED, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, follows anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Gibson (JamesMcAvoy) as he is inducted into the Fraternity, a clan of powerful killers that counted his father as a member. Pursued by rogue agent Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), Wesley is trained by the sleek, sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the charismatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman), among others, to be just as proficient and deadly as his father. Once Wesley becomes a master assassin, he must confront Cross, and contend with the stunning ramifications of that encounter.

Zack Snyder Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/21/2009 Run time: 128 minutes Rating: R

Jonathan Lynn Well, there goes the neighborhood — in a pine box. When hit man Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski moves into a comfy suburb, everyone's suddenly in danger of pushing up daisies. And it's not all Jimmy's doing either. Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny) directs and a talented ensemble cast packs heat in this manic comedy about life, love and plenty of ammo. Bruce Willis plays Jimmy, whose arrival sparks a chain reaction in which just about everybody wants to clip somebody else. Matthew Perry plays a hapless dentist who finds a way to get on the Tulip's good and bad sides. And Rosanna Arquette, Michael Clarke Duncan, Natasha Henstridge, Amanda Peet and Kevin Pollak add to the yards of wacky and whacked fun.

Michael Apted In his 19th screen outing, Ian Fleming's superspy is once again caught in the crosshairs of a self-created dilemma: as the longest-running feature-film franchise, James Bond is an annuity his producers want to protect, yet the series' consciously formulaic approach frustrates any real element of surprise beyond the rote application of plot twists or jump cuts to shake up the audience. This time out, credit 007's caretakers for making some visible attempts to invest their principal characters with darker motives—and blame them for squandering The World Is Not Enough's initial promise by the final reel.

By now, Bond pictures are as elegantly formal as a Bach chorale, and this one opens on an unusually powerful note. A stunning pre-title sequence reaches beyond mere pyrotechnics to introduce key plot elements as the action leaps from Bilbao to London. Bond 5.0, Pierce Brosnan, undercuts his usually suave persona with a darker, more brutal edge largely absent since Sean Connery departed. Equally tantalizing are our initial glimpses of Bond's nemesis du jour, Renard (Robert Carlyle), and imminent love interest, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), both atypically complex characters cast with seemingly shrewd choices, and directed by the capable Michael Apted. The story's focus on post-Soviet geopolitics likewise starts off on a savvy note, before being overtaken by increasingly Byzantine plot twists, hidden motives, and reversals of loyalty superheated by relentless (if intermittently perfunctory) action sequences.

Indeed, the procession of perils plays like a greatest hits medley, save for a nifty sequence involving airborne buzz saws that's as enjoyable as it is preposterous. Bond's grimmer demeanor, while preferable to the smirk that eventually swallowed Roger Moore whole, proves wearying, unrelieved by any true wit. The underlying psychoses that propel Renard and Elektra eventually unravel into unconvincing melodrama, while Bond is supplied with a secondary love object, Denise Richards, who's even more improbable as a nuclear physicist. Ultimately, this Worldis not enough despite its better intentions. —Sam Sutherland

Bryan Singer Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary and dangerous powers - the result of unique genetic mutations. Cyclops unleashes bolts of energy from his eyes. Storm can manipulate the weather at will. Rogue absorbs the life force of anyone she touches. But under the tutelage of Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), these and other outcasts learn to harness their powers for the good of mankind. Now they must protect those who fear them as the nefarious Magneto (Ian McKellen), who believes humans and mutants can never co-exist, unveils his sinsiter plan for the future!

In a world that hates and fears them, several mutants (humans who are born with unique powers and abilities) have banded together to fight the hatred, and eventually fight for their very lives. Under the tutelage of Professor Xavier, the most powerful telepath on the planet, they learn to master their powers. Cyclops, the team leader, can shoot laser beams from his eyes. The rebellious and feral Wolverine can heal himself and has metal claws. Jean Grey is a telekinetic and telepath. Rogue has super-strength and the ability to fly, but can never touch another human being. The eloquent Storm can control the weather. The Cajun thief Gambit can charge any object with kinetic energy... making the smallest objects powerful bombs. The Beast has superhuman intelligence, agility, and has a body covered with blue fur. Jubilee is the new girl, a confused teenager with the ability to shoot plasma from her fingertips. Together they form the X-Men, fighting mutants like Magneto and Mystique, as well as stopping hate-mongers like Graydon Creed, Henry Guyrich, and Senator Kelley.

In a world that hates and fears them, several mutants (humans who are born with unique powers and abilities) have banded together to fight the hatred, and eventually fight for their very lives. Under the tutelage of Professor Xavier, the most powerful telepath on the planet, they learn to master their powers. Cyclops, the team leader, can shoot laser beams from his eyes. The rebellious and feral Wolverine can heal himself and has metal claws. Jean Grey is a telekinetic and telepath. Rogue has super-strength and the ability to fly, but can never touch another human being. The eloquent Storm can control the weather. The Cajun thief Gambit can charge any object with kinetic energy... making the smallest objects powerful bombs. The Beast has superhuman intelligence, agility, and has a body covered with blue fur. Jubilee is the new girl, a confused teenager with the ability to shoot plasma from her fingertips. Together they form the X-Men, fighting mutants like Magneto and Mystique, as well as stopping hate-mongers like Graydon Creed, Henry Guyrich, and Senator Kelley.

The X-Men are back for more nonstop thrills and excitement in Volume 3 of the definitive animated series. Faithfully created from the pages of the original Marvel comic books, these classic stories are a must have for any X-Men fan.

When the all powerful Dark Phoenix inhabits the body of Jean Grey, the X-Men go to battle in order to save one of their own. Get into the action with 15 spine-tingling episodes, including the 4-part Dark Phoenix saga in this collectible 2-disc set.

The action reaches all new heights in Volume 4 of the landmark X-Men animated series. With adventures adapted directly from the original marvel comic books, this colletion is a rich piece of the X-Men legacy and a must have for every X-Man fan.

X-Men must join forces with the heroes of the future whan Apocalypse, a mighty mutant, is driven completely mad by his powers. Discuver the stunning conclusion to the 4-part epic Beyond Good and Evil in this sensational 14-episode set.

The original tales of Marvel comic books come to life in Volume 5 of the X-MEN collection. Relive the action of the popular animated series in this collectible compilation of X-MEN adventures. The X-MEN must turn to their arch-nemesis, Magneto, in an effort to save the life of Professor Xavier! Watch the action unfold in the final episode Graduation Day, and don't miss a moment of X-MEN excitement in this 2-disc set, complete with 14 riveting episodes. Complete your X-MEN collection with this must-own series.

X2does a fine job of picking up where X-Menleft off, giving fans more of what they liked the first time around. Under the serious-minded custody of returning director Bryan Singer, the second film of this Marvel comics franchise ups the ante on Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the superhero mutants from the first film, pitting them against a mutant-hating scientist (Brian Cox) who's determined to wipe out the mutant race by tricking Xavier into abusing his telepathic powers. More a series of spectacles than a truly satisfying thriller, X2introduces new mutant allies while giving each of the X-Menalumni—notably the temporarily helpful Magneto (Ian McKellen)—their own time in the spotlight. Well aware of the parallels between "mutantism" and virulent intolerance in the real world, Singer lends real gravity to the proceedings, injecting dramatic urgency into a continuing franchise that, in lesser hands, might've grown patently absurd. —Jeff Shannon

Kevin Smith Get ready for the wild comedy that goes where no movie has dared go before! Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express) and Elizabeth Banks (Role Models) star as two cash-strapped roommates who try to get out of debt by making an adult film. Once the cameras start rolling, things quickly get complicated...and hilarious! Writer/Director Kevin Smith is at his funniest, backed by a motley cast, including Craig Robinson ("The Office"), Jason Mewes (Clerks films), Justin Long (Live Free or Die Hard), and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns). Critics promise, "If you liked The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad, you'll love Zack and Miri" (Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV).

Ruben Fleischer Nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived the plague that has turned mankind into flesh-devouring zombies because he’s scared of just about everything. Gun-toting, Twinkie-loving Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has no fears. Together, they are about to stare down their most horrifying challenge yet: each other’s company. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin co-star in this double-hitting, head-smashing comedy.