Amazon.com It's, like, Shakespeare, man! This good-natured and likeable update of The Taming of the Shrew takes the basics of Shakespeare's farce about a surly wench and the man who tries to win her and transfers it to modern-day Padua High School. Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) is a sullen, forbidding riot grrrl who has a blistering word for everyone; her sunny younger sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is poised for high school stardom. The problem: overprotective and paranoid Papa Stratford (a dryly funny Larry Miller) won't let Bianca date until boy-hating Kat does, which is to say never. When Bianca's pining suitor Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gets wind of this, he hires the mysterious, brooding Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to loosen Kat up. Of course, what starts out as a paying gig turns to true love as Patrick discovers that underneath her brittle exterior, Kat is a regular babe. The script, by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, is sitcom-funny with peppy one-liners and lots of smart teenspeak; however, its cleverness and imagination doesn't really extend beyond its characters' Renaissance names and occasional snippets of real Shakespearean dialogue. What makes the movie energetic and winning is the formula that helped make She's All That such a big hit: two high-wattage stars who look great and can really act. Ledger is a hunk of promise with a quick grin and charming Aussie accent, and Stiles mines Kat's bitterness and anger to depths usually unknown in teen films; her recitation of her English class sonnet (from which the film takes its title) is funny, heartbreaking, and hopelessly romantic. The imperious Allison Janney (Primary Colors) nearly steals the film as a no-nonsense guidance counselor secretly writing a trashy romance novel. --Mark Englehart --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Matt (Josh Hartnett) is having a hard time moving on six months after his relationship with bombshell Nicole (Vinessa Shaw) ended. He finds himself involved in empty physical relationships that are unfulfilling and ultimately send him fleeing. His solution is to give up sex and anything sexual for the 40 days of Lent. Initially, Matt is empowered by his decision--until he meets stunning Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), the girl of his dreams, at the local laundromat. Erica doesn't know about Matt's vow of abstinence, which impacts their budding relationship. To complicate matters more, Matt's co-workers are determined to literally put their two cents in as well by establishing a betting pool about how long Matt can keep his vow. Hartnett is endearing as the clumsy Matt, who desperately wants to do the right thing. Griffin Dunne stars as Matt's sex-starved boss. Also starring Paulo Costanzo and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the film was produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the team that made NOTTING HILL and BRIDGET JONES' DIARY, and directed by Michael Lehmann (HEATHERS). The city of San Francisco provides a beautiful backdrop to this modern look at love that includes a touch of crude teen-movie humor. -- (Muze Description)1228110 "...40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS gets better as it goes along mostly because of Josh Hartnett, with his hurtin' James Dean stare, does something unexpectedly charming..." -- (Review)1232301 "...Hartnett is the film's star through and through, and he reveals his versatility..." -- (Review)1237797 "...Hartnett is well cast..." -- (Review)1239471 Theatrical release: March 1, 2002 -- (Muze Annotation)1240800 "...Funny, sexy and silly....Shaw sizzles....[The] song-dominated score is lively..." -- (Review)1241266 "...Hartnett shows here a breezy command of his charming, likable character. It is a reminder of his talent and versatility..." -- (Review)1248635

Controversial rapper Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) makes his big screen debut with 8 MILE, a bracing drama directed by the increasingly audacious Curtis Hanson. Set in 1995 in the bleak, urban battle zone of Detroit, the film follows the struggles of a young man who is desperate to make a better life for himself. Jimmy Smith, Jr., better known as Rabbit, is destined for a life of squalor. Living in a cramped trailer with his deadbeat mom (Kim Basinger), Rabbit works in a factory to make ends meet. His only outlet is hip-hop. Possessing a talent for freestyle rapping, Rabbit still hasn't managed to unleash his true potential. But his best friend, Future (Mekhi Phifer), is determined to make that happen. Future forces Rabbit to enter a freestyle battle that he blew the week before, giving him another chance at redemption. Hanson's stellar portrait of lower-class urban disillusionment, shot with uncompromisingly gritty realism by Rodrigo Prieto, proves that the issue is no longer about race, it's about money. Eminem delivers a bold performance as the troubled youngster who is still trying to find his place in a harsh, cruel world. -- (Muze Description)1244804 "...Eminem projects the downbeat sex appeal and scurrilous, dead-eyed yearning of a rap-world James Dean....It's a movie of catchy rebel-underdog power..." -- (Review)1253752 "...Eminem shows real screen presence....8 MILE hits hard and provocatively close to home..." -- (Review)1255484 "...Eminem possesses a furtive instinct as a performer..." -- (Review)1256319 "...8 MILE qualifies as a cinematic event by tapping into the roots of Eminem and the fury and feeling that inform his rap....Eminem wins by a knockout..." -- (Review)1259401 "...The movie is a success on its own terms because the director doesn't condescend to pop music..." -- (Review)1259805 "...The rap sequences are shot and edited with the excitement of a crisply broadcast sporting event..." -- (Review)1259825 "...Eminem is magnetic playing a version of himself....Basinger is entirely credible..." -- (Review)1265719 Theatrical release: November 8, 2002 -- (Muze Annotation)1265956 "...An illuminating addition to that hall-of-funhouse-mirrors that is Eminem's persona..." -- (Review)1268650

Director Ron Howard delivers his finest effort with his extraordinary film, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2001. Based loosely on Sylvia Nasar's acclaimed biography of mathematician John Forbes Nash, the film is a compelling look at one man's genius, his debilitating mental illness, and the fine line between the two. A BEAUTIFUL MIND begins with Nash (Russell Crowe) at Princeton, where he struggles to think of an original idea, and the stroke of genius that will make him matter. Nash is eccentric, socially awkward, and extremely competitive. Eventually, he finds the inspiration for his innovative and influential work on game theory. He's chosen for a post at MIT, which includes crucial code-breaking work for the US government. There, he meets a beautiful and brilliant student, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). They marry but their happiness is threatened, as Nash, belatedly diagnosed as schizophrenic, descends into madness. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman cannily condenses Nash's story, and the film manages to dramatize both Nash's mathematical brilliance and his schizophrenia in a compellingly visual manner. Crowe delivers a strong performance, and has real chemistry with Connelly. The two make the film's story about the power of love believable and moving. -- (Muze Description)1219668 "...Mr. Crowe, with his superhuman powers of concentration, shows us a man who dwells almost entirely in an inner world, and he dramatizes that inwardness as if nobody were watching..." -- (Review)1226695 "...[Featuring] dynamic performances and extraordinary actor chemistry..." -- (Review)1226711 "...Director and screenwriter have found a way to convey the sensation of schizophrenia from the inside out....[An] important movie..." -- (Review)1227276 "...[Crowe] rises to the challenge of the role with fearless integrity. He's electrifying..." -- (Review)1227375 "...Consistently engrossing....This serious-minded but lively film is distinguished by an exceptional performance by Russell Crowe..." -- (Review)1228241 "...A BEAUTIFUL MIND's greatest strength is a beautiful performance by Russell Crowe..." -- (Review)1228562 "...From the instant Crowe appears, it's clear this is to be a performance of faultless verisimilitude....Connelly's heart-rending performance is Best Supporting Actress material..." -- (Review)1233514 Theatrical release: December 25, 2001 (Limited) January 4, 2002 (Expanded) -- (Muze Annotation)1235533 "...Crowe brings the character to life....[He] has an uncanny ability to modify his look to fit a role..." -- (Review)1248988

When two marines are charged with murdering a member of their platoon during an unsanctioned disciplinary action in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the armed forces hire a lieutenant they believe is a lightweight defense attorney. Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) prides himself in having successfully plea-bargained every one of his 44 cases and would just as well make this one his 45th. However, ambitious internal affairs officer Lieutenant Commander Jo Ann Galloway (Demi Moore) smells a rat in the form of a hushed-up practice known as Code Red and, furious at Kaffee’s halfhearted efforts, gets hired as the younger cadet’s defender. Aided by Lt. Com. Galloway’s prodding, Lt. Kaffee begins to realize the rottenness of the whole affair and sets to take on the whole Guantanamo Bay marine corps and its codes, a decision that makes inevitable a ferocious head-to-head showdown with an immovable force. Irascible Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson, in one of the most striking performances of his fabled career) heads the Cuban marine base and is on the cusp of appointment to the National Security Council. Jessup embodies both the necessity and the evil in necessary evil and does not take lightly to anyone questioning his or his corps’ methods. Aaron Sorkin's script is adapted from his own gripping award-winning Broadway play and is skillfully brought to the screen by director Rob Reiner. -- (Muze Description)1041907 In Rob Reiner's A FEW GOOD MEN, the military hires a young defense attorney to handle a controversial case. However, when a headstrong lieutenant commander joins the proceedings, the tension dramatically rises. -- (Synopsis)1105718 "...A FEW GOOD MEN has Oscar written all over it....Nicholson is a marvel - fierce, funny and coiled to spring..." -- (Review)1158526 "...A sure-fire hit....Cruise is all confidence and ease..." -- (Review)1161747 "...Jack Nicholson's most caustic performance ever....He's the greatest of MEN's good actors..." -- (Review)1170850 "You want answers?"--Col. Jessup (Jack Nicholson) "I think I'm entitled."--Lt. Kaffee (Tom Cruise) "You want answers?"--Col. Jessup "I want the truth!"--Lt. Kaffee "You can't handle the truth!"--Col. Jessup -- (Product Quotation/Excerpt)1190940 A FEW GOOD MEN received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor--Jack Nicholson. Christopher Guest, an actor known for his comic turns in Rob Reiner's THIS IS SPINAL TAP and THE PRINCESS BRIDE, appears here in a rare dramatic role. -- (Muze Annotation)1190947 "...Cruise is well-cast and effective....Demi Moore is attractive and determined..." -- (Review)1270318 "...Tom Cruise gives the best performance of his career..." -- (Review)1274659

Hilary Duff plays Sam, a good-hearted Cinderella stuck in the fairy-tale-gone-wrong atmosphere of modern-day Los Angeles. Enslaved by an evil, BOTOX-junky step-mom (a hilarious Jennifer Coolidge) Sam is forced to scrub floors at her late father's diner, thus earning the eternal disdain of the snooty popular kids in school. Luckily she has a friend in artsy nerd Carter (Dan Byrd), and a text-message romance with some poetic schoolmate she's never met. She also has a fairy godmother in the sweet diner manager (Regina King), who helps Sam get decked out and disguised for the Halloween dance. At the dance, she discovers her prince is one of the popular kids, Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray). Happily ever after seems like a long shot, though, because Austin is burdened by pressures at school and at home, and Sam can't shake her "diner girl" inferiority complex. This fairy tale comes with plenty of wit, style, and heart. It moves along too fast to be sappy, and broadly razzes the shallowness of popular kids, their stupid parents, and whiny siblings in a way that should balm the unhealed wounds of anyone who's ever been to high school. Byrd makes a winning and somewhat cool nerd, Murray shows princely posture as the tortured poet-quarterback, and Duff firmly establishes herself as a first-rate young actress with luminous major-league screen presence. Theatrical Release Date: July 16, 2004

Amazon.com essential video Director Norman Jewison's (In the Heat of the Night) 1984 adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores the ramifications of racism and loyalty through the prism of blacks in the military, revealed through a murder mystery set in the 1940s deep South. Howard E. Rollins (Ragtime) plays a military investigator assigned to the murder of a drill instructor (Adolph Caesar) in charge of a black platoon. Under pressure from his superiors to wrap his investigation up quickly, Rollins instead delves deeply into the relationships between the despised drill instructor and his men, uncovering lies and animosity, and confronting the question of what it means to be black in a white man's world. Rollins is a riveting, stoic, and emotional lead, and Denzel Washington makes an early appearance as a soldier with a deep grudge against the drill instructor and a deep mistrust of Rollins' investigator. A powerfully written story that makes the most of its large and impressive ensemble cast, A Soldier's Story is a deeply affecting and worthwhile film. --Robert Lane --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

ABOUT A BOY, directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, stars Hugh Grant as Will Freeman, a proudly self-absorbed 38-year-old Londoner. Living lavishly off the royalties from a hit Christmas song penned by his father, Will excels at nothing except doing nothing, which, in his case, includes shopping for CDs and having his hair "professionally disheveled." When Will makes a guilt-free exit from a brief fling with a single mom, he decides to crash a meeting of S.P.A.T. (Single Parents, Alone Together) in pursuit of more single mothers. This scheme leads to meeting Suzie (Victoria Smurfit) and Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), the socially awkward 12-year-old son of her flaky best friend, Fiona (Toni Collette). A series of odd situations leads to Will and Marcus becoming unlikely friends, and gradually both of their lives start to change for the better. However, when Will falls for the lovely Rachel (Rachel Weisz) and attempts to pass Marcus off as his son, things go awry. In order to win the heart of Rachel and make amends with Marcus, Will must finally grow up--and completely embarrass himself in front of hundreds of people. Reveling in its characters' quirks and flaws, ABOUT A BOY is a smart, funny, and fast-paced comedy, meticulously crafted by the Weitz brothers. Grant, in possibly the best performance of his career, wisely covers his patented charm with a shallow facade, and Hoult avoids being too cute or precocious; instead, the two actors develop believable characters that grudgingly warm up to each other. Collette is suitably bizarre as a depressed hippie mother, and Weisz provides excellent support in her relatively small role. However, it's clear from the title that this film is about the boys. And that includes Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) who contributes an outstanding soundtrack that recalls Simon and Garfunkel's work on THE GRADUATE. Given Nick Hornby's excellent source material, ABOUT A BOY could have easily been an enjoyable movie, but in the hands of its talented collaborators, it's a truly exceptional tale. -- (Muze Description)1234484 "...The script contains an arresting mixture of uproarious, tender, and bitingly abrasive moments....This is a captivating film; superlative writing and acting make it soar..." -- (Review)1236060 "...A pleasurable experience..." -- (Review)1238440 "...Thanks to the excellently adapted script, we are shown a group of characters with real emotional depth....The Weitzes have directed the film with great ability..." -- (Review)1238727 "...[The directors] handle the sentimentality of the story with a light, sweet touch....You succumb to the movie's warmth and bonhomie..." -- (Review)1238975 "...ABOUT A BOY is that rare film that's as clever and moving as the book on which it was based....It's a well-written, witty film whose memorable characters grapple with the nature of family, love, friendship and despair..." -- (Review)1238987 "...[The directors] deliver a punchy, smirking script, laced with irreverence. Just as importantly, there's real chemistry between Grant and his young co-star..." -- (Review)1239155 "...Hugh Grant has grown up, holding on to his lightness and witty cynicism....Grant draws on, and deepens, his enjoyable performance as the seducer boss in Bridget Jones' Diary..." -- (Review)1239228 Theatrical release: May 17, 2002 -- (Muze Annotation)1245095 "...Hugh Grant, who has a good line in charm, has never been more charming than in ABOUT A BOY....A comedy of confidence and grace..." -- (Review)1247738

In Alexander Payne's ABOUT SCHMIDT, Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is retiring from a long, dedicated tenure at Woodmen of the World Insurance Company. Though he is proud of this achievement, he finds some difficulty adjusting to life without work. To make matters worse, his loving wife Helen (June Squibb) passes away, leaving him all alone. He turns to his daughter, Jeannie (Hope Davis), for support, but she is busy planning her marriage to Randall (Dermot Mulroney), who Warren just can't stand. He decides to sponsor a Tanzanian child, Ndugu, through a program advertised on television, and sends elaborate letters to the 6-year-old boy along with his $22 monthly checks. Meanwhile, he sets off on a soul-searching voyage across the west in his new RV. Nicholson's deadpan voice-over narration, especially in his letters to Ndugu, give ABOUT SCHMIDT a solid balance between comedy and drama. The crux of the film is the daughter's wedding in Denver, where Warren is the guest of Randall's outrageous, new-agey mom (Kathy Bates). Though the funny moments make light of Warren's state in life, the overall feel of the film is a bit sad, and its enigmatic ending will keep viewers guessing what will happen to this uniquely knowable character. Theatrical Release Date: December 13, 2002 (LA/NY)

Picking up the scent of missing pets, Ace Ventura gumshoes his way through an obstacle course of absurdity in this theatrically successful comedy. -- (Muze Description)1047933 "He's the best there is! (Actually, he's the only one there is.)" -- marketing line for the film -- (Product Quotation/Excerpt)1096228 Pet detective Ace Ventura may be a clumsy, bumbling fool, but he always gets the job done. His latest assignment: to recover the Miami Dolphins' mascot, a.k.a. Snowflake. Poor little Snowflake has been dolphin-napped -- but luckily, Ace is on the case. -- (Synopsis)1096229 Cathy Morrison was the Animal Coordinator. Rated BBFC 12 by the British Board of Film Classification. Copyright 1994 Morgan Creek Productions, Inc. -- (Muze Annotation)1096231 "...Carrey scores..." -- (Review)1156735 "...This has sure-thing hit written all over it with its winning combo of goofiness and genre send-ups..." -- (Review)1161551 "...Carrey gives one of the most hyperactive performances ever brought to the screen..." -- (Review)1163464 "...Directed with vigor....ACE is briskly paced and graced with Carrey's ceaseless energy and peculiar talents..." -- (Review)1193991 "...[The film] proves perfectly capable of inducing unexpected giggle fits. Carrey's refusal to be anything less than utterly inhuman on screen is heroic in its own brave, nutty, pretty funny terms..." -- (Review)1225846

Following up their acclaimed debut, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze are back to metaphysical moviemaking with ADAPTATION. The film stars Nicolas Cage as both Charlie Kaufman himself and his fictionalized identical twin brother, Donald Kaufman. While the boisterous Donald freeloads off of his sibling and works on a serial-killer movie script, Charlie is tormented by both his own army of neuroses and his new project, adapting THE ORCHID THIEF by Susan Orlean into a screenplay. As Charlie struggles to shape the nonfiction novel into a film, he begins writing himself into the story of Orlean (Meryl Streep), a sad-eyed journalist, and her subject, renegade Florida flower expert John Laroche (Chris Cooper). The resulting tale extends far beyond the scope of the book, stretching from Hollywood to New York to...Hollywood four billion years ago. Equally as inventive as BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION revels in its gloriously absurd premise. Kaufman and Jonze skillfully sidestep the pitfalls of such a seemingly self-indulgent project, creating a multilayered film that focuses on the writing process as well as the nature of beauty, the beauty of nature, and dozens of other significant themes. Cage makes a stunning return to pre-Bruckheimer form in the roles of the Kaufman brothers, giving their identical appearances completely different personalities and making them believable to boot. Meanwhile, the consistently excellent Streep and the often underrated Cooper are perfectly matched as Orlean and Laroche. Even the less central roles are played by great actors--Brian Cox, Tilda Swinton, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Ron Livingston appear as supporting characters. Careening wildly between the hilarious, the ridiculous, and the poignant, Kaufman and Jonze's ADAPTATION is another fine example of their bravura yet sincere style of cinema. Theatrical Release: DECEMBER 6, 2002

Amazon.com As with Star Wars, the George Lucas-produced Indiana Jones trilogy was not just a plaything for kids but an act of nostalgic affection toward a lost phenomenon: the cliffhanging movie serials of the past. Episodic in structure and with fate hanging in the balance about every 10 minutes, the Jones features tapped into Lucas's extremely profitable Star Wars formula of modernizing the look and feel of an old, but popular, story model. Steven Spielberg directed all three films, which are set in the late 1930s and early '40s: the comic book-like Raiders of the Lost Ark, the spooky, Gunga Din-inspired Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the cautious but entertaining Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Fans and critics disagree over the order of preference, some even finding the middle movie nearly repugnant in its violence. (Pro-Temple of Doom people, on the other hand, believe that film to be the most disarmingly creative and emotionally effective of the trio.) One thing's for sure: Harrison Ford's swaggering, two-fisted, self-effacing performance worked like a charm, and the art of cracking bullwhips was probably never quite the iconic activity it soon became after Raiders. Supporting players and costars were very much a part of the series, too--Karen Allen, Sean Connery (as Indie's dad), Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Denholm Elliot, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies among them. Years have passed since the last film (another is supposedly in the works), but emerging film buffs can have the same fun their predecessors did picking out numerous references to Hollywood classics and B-movies of the past. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features This long-awaited DVD set of the Indiana Jones trilogy is a classy set built for the fan. However, the DVD-extras junky will be disappointed because there's not a bevy of extras: no storyboards, galleries, commentaries, or long-rumored deleted scenes. The three films are the real star here, restored frame by frame and--blessedly--unchanged from their initial release (the first movie has been retitled on the packaging only). Anyone who has grown up with TV airings will be amazed by what they see,... read more

Amazon.com Air America is one of those movies that could have been great, and now maintains its low-key reputation as a typical Mel Gibson film in the wake of his first two Lethal Weapon hits. Originally conceived as a biting black comedy about the CIA's top-secret smuggling operation in Laos during the Vietnam war, Air America lost most of its political sting when it was transformed into an action comedy for Gibson and costar Robert Downey Jr. The film is entertaining as far as it goes, with a few action sequences that explain where a lot of the budget went. If you're in the mood for some Mel, this one is a little off the beaten path, and still contains a percentage of its original potential. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Amazon.com Spinal Tap it ain't, but Michael Lehmann's good-natured comedy of errors, about a garage band whose unannounced visit to a local radio station escalates into a hostage situation, is pleasant diversion with a fair share of laughs. Brendan Fraser plays the singer-songwriter of the unknown heavy metal band the Lone Rangers, a trio of socially challenged musicians rounded out by dimwitted but sweet bass player Adam Sandler and aging drummer/toy-store employee Steve Buscemi--who just happens to be packing a lifelike toy machine gun from work. Needless to say, the friendly visit is misinterpreted as a hostile takeover, but all the Lone Rangers want is to play their music on the air--and they sabotage themselves again by destroying their own demo tape! Joe Mantegna plays a burned-out deejay who tries to help the muddled metalheads as the media surrounds the building and asks the question on everyone's lips: "How can you be the Lone Rangers if you're always together?" --Sean Axmaker --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Description The Academy Award-nominated Airport and the sensational sequels that followed are now together in one high flying collection, the Airport Terminal Pack. Prepare to take off for non-stop thrills and edge-of-your-seat excitement as you fly to extremes with Hollywood's royal jet set, including: Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Lee Grant, Jacqueline Bisset, Dean Martin, George Kennedy and many more. Airport The original airplane disaster movie nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture. Airport 1975 A mid-air collision leaves a 747 without a pilot and little hope for survival. Airport '77 A 747 is trapped underwater in the Bermuda Triangle. It's a race against time and the elements to save the passengers and crew! The Concorde: Airport '79 At twice the speed of sound, the Concorde must evade a vicious attack by a traitorous arms smuggler!

Disney brings a whole new world vividly to life once again in this musical story from the Arabian Nights. Aladdin, an eager genie (with the voice of Robin Williams) and a sultan's daughter take a magic carpet ride through a fireworks display of incredible animation. Direct-to-video sequel: "The Return of Jafar." Academy Award Nominations: 5, including Best Song ("Friend Like Me"). Academy Awards: Best Original Score, Best Song ("Whole New World"). Theatrical release: November 11, 1992. ALADDIN is the 31st full-length animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures. Shot on Eastman film; Technicolor prints. Other effects credits include Ed Gombert (Story Supervisor); Rasoul Azadani (Layout Supervisor); Kathy Altieri (Background Supervisor); Vera Lanpher (Cleanup Supervisor); Steve Goldberg (Computer Graphics Imagery Supervisor); Dan Hansen (Artistic Coordinator). Other credits include Alice Dewey (Production Manager) and Baker Bloodworth Florida unit production manager. Title design by Burke Mattsson; titles by Buena Vista Optical. Rated BBFC-U by the British Board of Film Classification. In March, 1994, the film's music garnered 5 Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "Whole New World," sung by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, who themselves won the award for Best Pop Performance by A Duo or Group. For Alen Menken, the composer, had previously won 5 Grammies for his music for Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (1991) and "Beauty and the Beast" (1992). Copyright The Walt Disney Company. This funny, romantic tale about a spunky orphan and a smart princess won the hearts of children and adults alike. Poor Aladdin looks longingly at the Sultan's luxurious castle, and dreams of living inside, but Princess Jasmine wants only to escape that pampered life. Finally, she does run away, only to discover how hard life on the streets can be -- especially when a vendor accuses you of thievery. Aladdin comes to her rescue, and soon the two have fallen in love. But how can a beggar marry the sultan's daughter? His only hope lies in a magic lamp from the Cave of Wonders and a wisecracking genie who can grant wishes. But Jafar, the Sultan's evil advisor, desires that lamp himself, so he can rule the kingdom and possess Jasmine. Soon the handsome young boy and the cruel Jafar are locked in a battle of wits -- and unleashing magic the likes of which no one has seen before.

Director Oliver Stone chalks up an ambitious entry on his biopic resume (past entries include films about Jim Morrison, Richard Nixon, and JFK among others) with this cinematic treatise on the life of the mighty Alexander the Great. Despite his young death at 32, Alexander packed some unimaginable conquests into his limited years by ruling over a huge chunk of the globe. Stone draws on a voice-over narration provided by Anthony Hopkins, whose character is named Ptolemy, to aurally depict some of the battles. Thus, Stone shifts the weight of the film to focus on the personality of Alexander (Colin Farrell), a man who is stricken by overwhelming personal insecurities that come in direct contrast to his bold achievements. Complex dealings with his mother (Angelina Jolie) and father (Val Kilmer) plague him, as does his turbulent relationship with his wife, Roxane (Rosario Dawson). His connection with his best friend, Hephaestion (Jared Leto), is ambiguous, with Stone touching on their vaunted homosexuality via some shared tender moments. As these personal battles are played out, Ptolemy fills the historic gaps in the narrative by charting the incredible conflicts that raged at Alexander's behest. Eventually, Stone lets loose with an epic on-screen battle, which sees Alexander's troops rumble across India in another country-conquering quest. But while his minions struggle, and Alexander demands success, it becomes clear that he is his own worst enemy. With the only real threat to Alexander coming from a tempestuous struggle with his own ego, Stone's summation of the great historical leader paints a picture of an embittered and solitary figure who was able to rule everyone apart from himself. Theatrical Release: November 24, 2004

Amazon.com Imaginatively rendered but slightly chilly, this 1951 Disney adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic is also appropriately surreal. Alice (voiced by Kathryn Beaumont) has all the anticipated experiences: shrinking and growing, meeting the White Rabbit, having tea with the Mad Hatter, etc. Characterization is very strong, and the Disney team worked hard to bring screen personality to Carroll's eccentric creations. For a Disney film, however, it seems more the self-satisfied sum of its inventiveness than a truly engaging experience. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features The first title in Disney's "Masterpiece Series" delivers the 1951 tale in its best home video edition. The restored and remastered print looks better than the original DVD release, with slightly brighter colors and more detail in the dark backgrounds. A center speaker channel has also been added for 5.1 surround. The second disc brings on the bevy of extras, albeit with more historical context than most other Disney discs. Here's the precursor to The Wonderful World of Disney, the hour-long... read more

Amazon.com You can get anything you want there, or so went Arlo Guthrie's song, a lengthy monologue about a Thanksgiving dinner and how its aftermath kept Guthrie out of the Vietnam-era draft. Arthur Penn's movie version, which stars Guthrie, James Broderick, and Pat Quinn, has a shambling, good-natured feel, much like Guthrie's epic tall tale. But as it follows Guthrie's adventures (he gets arrested for improper disposal of Thanksgiving garbage and the arrest renders him unfit for military service, in the draft board's eyes), it also examines the freewheeling nature of relationships in that period--and the toll that freedom took on those relationships. Guthrie is a natural performer, particularly funny during the draft board sequence; but the heart of the film is Quinn and Broderick's troubled marriage. --Marshall Fine

Billy Bob Thornton's ALL THE PRETTY HORSES is about John Grady Cole (Matt Damon), a young rancher growing up just after WWII. After his mother sells the family ranch, John convinces his best friend, Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas), to accompany him to Mexico, where ranching is still a big part of life. Along the way they meet Jimmy Blevins (Lucas Black), a winningly enthusiastic boy with a volatile nature. Eventually, John and Lacey end up on a huge ranch south of the border, where John falls for the wealthy rancher's daughter (Penélope Cruz). This leads to deadly trouble for the two young men, but John won't be dissuaded from pursuing his new love. Thornton has made a credible modern Western with this film, which gets strong performances from Damon, Cruz, Thomas, and, in a star-making turn, Black as the fiery Blevins. ALL THE PRETTY HORSES is at its best when focusing on the dusty details of the ranchers' hard existence. Barry Markowitz's cinematography and Ted Tally's script (based on Cormac McCarthy's much-loved novel) capture a sweet and melancholy flavor in depicting a way of life that seemed long since lost even while a hardy few were still living it. -- (Muze Description)1184417 Theatrical release: DECEMBER 25, 2000. Leonardo Di Caprio was originally offered the role of John Grady Cole but turned it down. Thornton has said he balked at Miramax's suggestion that he cast Natalie Portman as Alejandra, telling the suits, "Lovely girl. Wonderful actress. She ain't Mexican." Mike Nichols (THE GRADUATE, PRIMARY COLORS) was originally slated to direct the film. Thornton's original cut of the film was four hours long. Ted Tally's screenplay was named the best of 2000 by the National Board of Review. Director of Photography Barry Markowitz, production designer Clark Hunter, and costume designer Doug Hall also worked on Thornton's SLING BLADE and DADDY AND THEM. Executive producer and editor Sally Menke edited Quentin Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION. Screenwriter Ted Tally also adapted Thomas Harris's SILENCE OF THE LAMBS for director Jonathan Demme. Lucas Black played Frank Wheatley in Thornton's SLING BLADE. Henry Thomas is best known for playing Elliott in Steven Spielberg's E.T. Country star Marty Stuart, who composed the film's score, has won three Grammy awards, the Mississippi Governor's Award, and the Nashville Mayor's Metronome Award. Ted Tally won Best Screenplay from the National Board of Review. Marty Stuart, Kristin Wilkinson, and Larry Paxton were nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score--Motion Picture. -- (Muze Annotation)1186597 "...[An] indisputably great component is Lucas Black, who is thoroughly authentic..." -- (Review)1187709 "There ain't but one truth. The truth is what happened. It ain't what come out of somebody's mouth."--John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) lets the Captain (Julio Oscar Mechoso) know he won't cooperate by falsely condemning Jimmy Blevins (Lucas Black) -- (Product Quotation/Excerpt)1189986 "...An authenticity that is consistently invigorating thanks to taut, finely-tuned contributions from both cast and crew..." -- (Review)1195840 "...It tells the tale in a straightforward, sincere manner....The emotional effect is profound..." -- (Review)1197137 "...The film is handsomely mounted....Damon is well-cast and does solid work..." -- (Review)1219193 "...An elegiac Western....It's about the mythical idea of heading south on a good horse....What makes its special is how Thornton modulates the material..." -- (Review)1252801

Amazon.com Most films about high school football players usually fall into one of two categories: glossy jock romance or locker-room sex farce. This one defies the odds and scores both as decent character study and decidedly unsentimental sports melodrama. It's not only a helluva coming-of-age yarn, but also, like Paul Newman's Slapshot, it's a bracing look at the hopes and dreams of blue-collar survivors. Tom Cruise plays a mill-town football star determined to escape the same traps that ensnared his parents. Craig T. Nelson, in a terrific villain role, is the coach who takes revenge when Cruise's ambitions drift a little too close to home. Michael Chapman, Martin Scorsese's favorite cinematographer, made his directorial debut with this gritty little winner, which benefits from being shot on location in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and which is set to a great Jennifer Warnes-Chris Thompson theme song. Lea Thompson and Christopher Penn co-star. In 1983, another Cruise vehicle had even better moves: Risky Business. --Glenn Lovell --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Amazon.com Opposites are forced to attract in Along Came Polly, a dose of featherweight fluff that could've been better and could've been worse--surely no pairing of Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston can be a complete waste of time, right? Faint praise indeed, but fans of these mainstream funny-folk will enjoy this movie as a lazy-weekend distraction. Ben's a newlywed insurance risk-assessment analyst whose wife (Debra Messing, in a throwaway role) betrays him on their honeymoon. His uptight, play-it-safe lifestyle (which includes acute aversion to germs and irritable bowel syndrome) makes him seemingly incompatible with the spontaneous, free-spirited Polly (Aniston), but writer-director John Hamburg (whose writing credits include the previous Stiller hits Meet the Parents and Zoolander) is determined to give them at least the appearance of romantic potential. No such luck. You will, however, get a few laughs from supporting players Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bryan Brown, and Alec Baldwin. --Jeff Shannon

AMADEUS - DIRECTOR'S CUT includes new footage that was not used in the 1984 original, as well as improved sound. In a lavish 18th Century parlor in Austria, an elderly man is found, by his servant, with his throat slashed. The wound is self-inflicted, and the man is the little-known composer Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), contemporary and adversary of the now-famed, but once reviled, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). Later. from his cell in an insane asylum, Salieri tells a priest (Herman Meckler) the story of his association with Mozart, confessing that he actually killed the brilliantly gifted but troubled young man. Based on the award-winning play by Peter Shaffer, Milos Forman's riveting, brilliant, Oscar-winning AMADEUS is a fictionalized account of the real-life mysterious death of Mozart. Abraham, in the role that won him the Best Actor Oscar, is the celebrated court composer to Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones)--his confidence and religious dedication shaken when he meets the boorish 26-year-old Mozart as he chases his future wife (Elizabeth Berridge) around a party while making obscene remarks. Furious that this clownish boy can produce such beautiful music, Salieri determines to keep Mozart's talent from lasting recognition and sets himself on a course for Mozart’s destruction that leads to his own as well. Mozart continues to mount beautiful, moving operas (incredibly staged in the film), but becomes obsessed with writing a Requiem as his friends, family, health, and resources waste away, Salieri’s manipulating presence always there. It is hard to imagine anyone--whether they are knowledgeable about classical music or not--who would not be held captive by this superb feast for the eyes and ears, a film whose excellence can be felt in every detail. -- (Muze Description)1234528 "...The changes are harsh and powerful and make a great film deeper, more satisfying and, yes, simply better than before..." -- (Review)1245564

Broadcast 10 days after the horrific attacks against America on September 11, 2000, this concert telethon raised more than $150 million for the victims of that tragic day. This two hour special event not only features impassioned performances from such rock legends as Tom Petty, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Bon Jovi, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, it is also a heartwarming illustration of the love and unity that brought America together in the aftermath of the terrorism. -- (Muze Description)1222059

The AMERICAN GRAFFITI DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURE DVD is absolutely entertaining to watch as only George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola could offer!! This DVD (part of Universal's Franchise Collection of film series made by the studio for affordable prices on DVD) contains the two full-length films AMERICAN GRAFFITI (George Lucas,1973) and its sequel MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI (B.W.L. Norton,1979) and is actually a double-sided disc,one movie on both sides instead of two discs which is mislabeled.First,AMERICAN GRAFFITI is beautifully presented in its original glorious anamorphic widescreen format (2.35.1) along with Dolby Digital Surround Sound and contains the original theatrical trailer and documentary THE MAKING OF AMERICAN GRAFFITI which runs close to 80 mins.Then,MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI is presented in a crisp,clear new anamorphic widescreen transfer (1.85.1 to 2.35.1).The second film was shot using different camera processes which explains the differences in aspect ratios.The 1.85.1 ratio was used for some of the Vietnam and non-objectionable scenes while the 2.35.1 Panavision format is used for mostly the innovative split-screen techniques and race sequences which is interesting to watch,but it's not the best sequel.The two films and a eye-catching cover art makes this set a must for any fan of the films and that the first film alone would serve as the inspiration for the classic TV sitcom HAPPY DAYS!!! Thanks to Universal and lets hope that they will make some more Franchise Collection releases like the John Hughes films,and The Mummy as well!!

DVD Features: Region 1 Encoding Keep Case -- (Muze Annotation)1126677 Edward Norton gives an impassioned performance as Derek Vinyard, a Southern Californian skinhead who must do time after committing a hateful murder. Once in jail, his mind opens and he sees the error of his ways. Upon reentering the real world, he must now turn his attentions to his younger brother Danny, who is swiftly heading down the same path as his brother. Controversy surrounded the film when director Tony Kaye disowned it, claiming that Norton had the film re-edited without Kaye's permission. Norton still got an Oscar Nomination for his intense performance. -- (Muze Description)1126678 "AMERICAN HISTORY X is an explosive, scorched-earth drama in which Edward Norton gives a blistering, brilliant performance..." -- (Review)1153591 "...Edward Norton's Oscar-nominated performance is the film's magnetic centre..." -- (Review)1154793 "...An intense achievement....An excellent cast, the young leads stand out, including a best-yet performance from Furlong..." -- 4 out of 5 stars -- (Review)1156253 "...Norton breaks loose....A triumph of acting....[Kaye] works with flair and verve and control..." -- Rating: B+ -- (Review)1163203 "...AMERICAN HISTORY X has enough fiery acting and provocative bombast to make its impact felt....It has been directed with a mixture of handsome photo-realism and visceral punch..." -- (Review)1201891 "...Genuinely provocative....There's scarcely a false not to the performance of either Furlong or Norton, the latter an almost certain Academy Award nominee..." -- (Review)1212243

Amazon.com The producers of the American Pie movies pushed their luck with a third slice of their lucrative raunchy comedy franchise, and American Wedding cooked 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 another penile 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 Pie writer Adam Herz--laughing loudly and often, all the way to the bank. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) has nothing--the son of an alcoholic, indifferent military father, he's grown up in the Philippines living on top of a brothel. But after college he decides he wants more and, despite his father's mockery, enrolls in the navy's Officer Candidate School to become a jet pilot. His sergeant, brilliantly played by Louis Gossett Jr., makes his life a living hell from day one, but Zack won't quit. The candidates are warned to stay away from the local girls looking for naval husbands, but Zack and his bunkmate, Sid (David Keith), find themselves falling for two friends, Paula (Debra Winger) and Lynette (Lisa Blount), who work at the local paper mill. Zack fights his feelings for Paula, determined to let nothing sway him from his goals. But as the hellish weeks of training go by, Zack begins to see that maybe he can't do it alone--and that what's getting him through are his friends in the ranks, and the girl he's been pushing away. Widely acclaimed at the time of its release, director Taylor Hackford's inspiring film is a romance for the ages.

ANALYZE THAT, the star-studded sequel to 1999's smash comedy hit ANALYZE THIS, reunites neurotic mobster Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) with his former psychiatrist Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal). The anxious mob boss is about to finish his prison sentence but he is suffering a nervous breakdown behind bars and the only one who can diagnose his ailments is Sobel. After a string of hysterical tests, the Feds grant Sobel permission to observe Vitti as a patient and, much to the dismay of Sobol's wife Laura (Lisa Kudrow), as a house guest. However, Sobel has problems of his own. He's suffering from a severe identity crisis after the death of his father, and Vitti's presence in his suburban New Jersey home has the psychiatrist acting crazy too. In an effort to straighten Vitti out, Sobel decides that the solution is to find him a real, honest job. Vitti tries his hand at several ill-matched professions, and finally finds his dream job as a technical advisor on a SOPRANOS-like cable television show. Everything is going smoothly until Vitti starts to take the show a little too seriously, calling his former mafia cohorts to the set. A raucous comedic event that uses the chemistry between De Niro and Crystal to great effect, ANALYZE THAT is yet another knee-slapping gem from director Harold Ramis. Theatrical Release Date: December 6, 2002

What happens when the worlds of the Mafia and psychiatry collide? This outrageous farce answers that question, as mob boss Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) and psychiatrist Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal) are forced to work together. When a prominent leader of the New York Mafia suddenly starts having panic attacks, he enlists the help of a New York psychiatrist for a fast cure. The two men suddenly find themselves struggling to understand each other's professional and private lives as they battle the FBI and the impending threat of a Mafia takeover, not to mention an irritable fiancée (Lisa Kudrow) eager to get married. -- (Muze Description)1131899 "...[ANALYZE THIS] has a good, profane edge that's never abrasive..." -- (Review)1154488 "...A sharp, darkly hilarious peek at mobster mentality..." -- (Review)1156219 Mob boss Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) is having heart attacks. At least that's what he thinks. When his doctors inform him that he is suffering from anxiety attacks, he is forced to track down a shrink to help him get to the bottom of the problem. Billy Crystal costars as neurotic psychiatrist Ben Sobol, who is manipulated into treating the macho Mafia man, with hysterical results. Just as Ben and eager fiancée (Lisa Kudrow) are about to enter nuptial bliss, they are suddenly faced with a 24-hour responsibility to a mobster who won't take no for an answer. The hilarious hijinks ruin their first wedding and threaten to ruin the relationship as Paul battles his personal demons with the help of the initially unwilling shrink. As the two men's professional and private worlds collide, they are forced to realize their similarities as they join forces to battle the FBI and the impending threat of a Mafia takeover. Director Harold Ramis has crafter an intelligent, witty comedy that shows off the comic instincts of De Niro as never before. -- (Synopsis)1159841 "When I got into family therapy this was not the kind of 'family' I had in mind."--Dr. Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal) "What is my goal here, to make you a happy, well-adjusted gangster?"--Dr. Ben Sobol -- (Muze Annotation)1159842 "...A funny title, an even funnier premise and inspired odd-couple casting that's enough to prompt laughter just on the basis of the two-shots in its ad campaign. Think of it as an offer you can't refuse..." -- (Review)1202795 "...DeNiro's performance is aptly 'Scorsese-aggressive' while Crystal effectively underplays..." -- (Review)1214501 "...ANALYZE this has Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal to bring richness to the characters....[Crystal] wisely restrains his manic side, and gets into a nice rhythm with De Niro's fearful gangster..." -- (Review)1253451

It's the early 1970s and the local anchorman is not only a source of news but a revered local hero. In San Diego, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), a mustachioed bachelor with a taste for scotch, unparalleled passion for the jazz flute, and a near-telepathic connection with his spirited mutt, Baxter, is that man. Rounding out Ron's testosterone-heavy news team are his close friends--cologne-obsessed man-on-the-street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports reporter Champ Kind (Dave Koechner), and mentally challenged weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell). Their male camaraderie is challenged, though, when producer Ed Harken (Fred Willard), pressured by changing times, brings the first female reporter, ambitious Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), to the team. Ron finds his chauvinistic ideals compromised further when he starts falling in love with her. Fueled by Ferrell's singularly loopy persona, ANCHORMAN joins the long list of comedies which have successfully poked fun at the styles and mores of the '70s. Here, with Ferrell's script and Adam McKay's direction, the character of Ron Burgundy becomes a full-bodied comic creation whose possibilities for laughs aren't nearly exhausted by the end credits. The result is an often hilarious celebration of moustaches, wide neckties, alcohol abuse, and good, old-fashioned sexism. THEATRICAL RELEASE: JULY 9, 2004

The true story of ANTWONE FISHER tracks a remarkable young man on the path to recovery from physical and sexual abuse. Antwone Fisher (Derek Luke) is a young Navy sailor who is on verge of getting booted from the military because of his volatile temper when he is ordered to mandatory sessions with psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington). After a few strained sessions, Fisher navigates through difficult memories of his Cleveland childhood, mostly of life with a vicious foster mother (Novella Nelson) who beats him on a regular basis (and refers to him not by name, but by the n-word) and a foster sister who violates him sexually. Fisher and Davenport form a father-son bond (Fisher even adopts the doctor's wife [Salli Richardson] as a kind of surrogate Mom). And eventually he finds the strength to work through his anger and the courage to forge his first romantic relationship with Cheryl (Joy Bryant). Writer Antwone Fisher, making his screenplay debut, achieves an encouraging view of human nature with this story, and first-time director Washington molds it into a film that ranks with GOOD WILL HUNTING and ORDINARY PEOPLE. Washington demonstrates his ease with actors by drumming up rich emotional intimacy, not without naturally humorous and awkward moments. Vivid, painterly images and the yearning melodies of composer Mychael Danna complete the artistry of the film. Theatrical Release Date: December 19, 2002

Oliver Stone's hard-hitting look at the adrenaline-fueled world of pro football stars Al Pacino as Miama Sharks coach Tony D'Amato. Having just lost his star quarterback, Jack Rooney (Dennis Quaid), he's forced to use the erratic Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx) off the bench, hoping he can resuscitate his team, which is floundering on the field and in attendance figures. If not, Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), the team's new owner, may be drop-kicking him to a new destination. -- (Muze Description)1143184 "...Thunderous excitement..." -- (Review)1153452 "A rambunctious, hyperkinetic, testosterone-and-adrenaline-drenched look at that obsession known as pro football..." -- (Review)1156051 "...As exhausting as it is exciting....Jagged and alive..." -- Rating: B -- (Review)1159394 Oliver Stone delves into his love-hate relationship with pro football in this high-impact film, thriving on the game's adrenaline rush while revealing its ultimate corruption. When legendary Miami Sharks quarterback Cap Rooney (Dennis Quaid) is badly injured in a game, coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) is forced to reach deep into his bench for Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx). The third-stringer's injury-plagued career and difficulty with maintaining focus make him a dubious commodity at best. But Beamen, aware of what this opportunity could mean, starts playing at a much higher level than ever before, planting championship hopes in the minds of Miami fans. The extraordinary success of Beamen, an athlete whose flamboyance contradicts everything the Lombardi-like D'Amato believes about the game, makes the coach wonder whether his time is passing. To add to his problems, Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), a young woman who has inherited ownership of the team from her late father, is pressuring him to win now, and at any cost. Will D'Amato be able to pull the team together for a final run at the championship? The film conveys a vivid sense of the atmosphere of pro football and features a finely modulated performance by Pacino. -- (Synopsis)1159829 Theatrical release: December 22, 1999. -- (Muze Annotation)1159830 "…Stone once again brilliantly captures the intensity of combat…" -- 3 out of 5 stars - A Satisfying Rental -- (Review)1175419 "...Stone brands ANY GIVEN SUNDAY with his trademark extreme close-ups and disorienting handheld camerawork, creating a position for the audience right on the field where it can hear every call and feel every hit..." -- (Review)1210719 "...There are so many basic dramatic truths in its age-vs.-youth/pragmatism-vs. -tradition conflict that any fan of sports movies should be carried along..." -- (Review)1213858 "...Energetic....Stone pours on the razzle-dazzle..." -- (Review)1247523 "...A smart sports movie....The film's dialogue scenes are effective....The dramatic scenes are worth it. Pacino has some nice heart-to-hearts with Quaid and Foxx..." -- (Review)1255545

Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam epic, loosely based on HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad, tells the story of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), a special agent sent into Cambodia to assassinate an errant American colonel (Marlon Brando). Willard is assigned a navy patrol boat operated by Chief (Albert Hall) and three hapless soldiers (Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, and Larry Fishburne). They are escorted on part of their journey by an air cavalry unit led by Lt. Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), a gung-ho commander with a love of Wagner, surfing, and napalm. After witnessing a surreal USO show featuring Playboy playmates and an anarchic battle with the Viet Cong at a bridge, Willard reaches Colonel Kurtz’s compound. A crazed photo journalist and Kurtz groupie (Dennis Hopper) welcomes the crew, and Willard begins to question his orders to "terminate the colonel’s command." The grueling production and Coppola's insistence on authenticity led to vast budget overruns and physical and emotional breakdowns. Considered to be one of the best war movies of all time, APOCALYPSE NOW features incredible performances and beautifully chaotic visuals that make it an absolute must-see. In August 2001, a new version of the film, title APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX, will be released. The new version includes 49 minutes of never-before-seen footage, a Technicolor enhancement, and a six-channel soundtrack. -- (Muze Description)1001120 Francis Ford Coppola's masterful film about the moral madness of the Vietnam War was inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novella, HEART OF DARKNESS. Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent into the Cambodian jungle to "terminate with extreme prejudice" Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has become insane and now runs his own fiefdom. Traveling downriver on a patrol boat, Willard encounters an air cavalry commander, Lt. Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), whose love of war is matched only by his love of surfing. Coppola almost went bankrupt and Sheen suffered a heart attack during the making of the film, but the rigorous shoot paid off in this unforgettable film. -- (Synopsis)1162468 Theatrical release: August 15, 1979. Filmed on location in the Philippines. In August 2001, a new version of the film, title APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX, was released. The new version includes 49 minutes of never-before-seen footage, a Technicolor enhancement, and a six-channel soundtrack. APOCALYPSE NOW was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2000. At the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, Coppola will be screening a new director's cut of the film. He said, "The result is a film that is fifty-three minutes longer, and whose theme emerges more clearly. It is a more disturbing, sometimes funnier and more romantic film whose historical perspective has become more forceful." The film shoot was only supposed to take six weeks but ended up lasting for 16 months because of numerous complications, including a typhoon that wrecked much of the set. APOCALYPSE NOW is number 28 on the American Film Insitute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies. Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack during the strenuous shoot. Prior to this, Sheen had a drunken emotional breakdown while filming the improvised hotel room scene. When he shatters the mirror with his hand in that scene, both the glass and the blood are real. Director Francis Ford Coppola had a nervous breakdown during the filming and threatened to commit suicide numerous times. When the film's budget went sorely over budget, Coppola contributed millions of his own fortune, which he had earned by making THE GODFATHER and THE GODFATHER II. Coppola briefly appears in the film as a newsreel director. Harvey Keitel was originally cast as Willard. He was fired shortly after filming began and was replaced by Martin Sheen. Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, and Al Pacino were all considered for the role of Kurtz. A Francis Ford Coppola private joke: The name tags on the army shirts of the two men (G.D. Spradlin and Harrison Ford) giving Willard his assassination orders are R. Corman and Colonel G. Lucas, Coppola's two di

After being passed up for a promotion, a black, female financial analyst at a prestigious firm quits to set up her own operation. She soon realizes, however, that potential clients only feel comfortable investing with men. Her solution? Create a phony partner and bring Wall Street to its knees. Based on the French film, "L'Associe." Released theatrically in the USA October 25, 1996. Based on the film "L'Associe," which is based on Jenaro Prieto's novel "El Socio." Color by Technicolor. After stock analyst Laurel Ayres loses a promotion to the man she TRAINED, she realizes that one thing is preventing her from moving up the corporate ladder: her gender. Fed-up, Laurel quits the firm and starts her own company. Unfortunately, people still don't take her seriously, so she invents a male associate named Robert S. Cutty, who "offers" sound financial advice through Laurel. As a result, Laurel's company takes off. But soon, EVERYBODY wants to meet the mysterious Robert S. Cutty, from her former employers to a nosy gossip columnist. At wit's end, Laurel, who's Black, decides to don makeup and pose as Cutty -- who's white. Can Laurel pull off this unusual charade? And if so, for how long?

Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR is a lavish spectacle of a motion picture that harkens back to Hollywood's Golden Era in telling the story of Howard Hughes, one of 20th-century America's most pioneering and influential figures. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the eccentric billionaire, Scorsese's biopic concentrates on Hughes's life between the 1920s and '40s, when he made some of his most striking contributions to both the film and aviation industries. At only 25 years of age, Hughes directed the most expensive film ever made up to that point, HELL'S ANGELS (1930), which Scorsese gleefully recreates here in all its sprawling, audacious glory. At the same time, he became known as an unabashed playboy, bedding the likes of Jean Harlow (singer Gwen Stefani), Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), and Katherine Hepburn (a brilliant Cate Blanchett). In the mid-'30s, he turned his attention to the aviation industry, where he quickly became a world-renowned celebrity for shattering speed and distance records. He also continued to test the limits of flight technology, building bigger, faster, and stronger aircrafts. All the while, he struggled with an obsessive-compulsive mental disorder that sent him into a full-fledged tailspin after a near-fatal plane crash. The film concludes with Hughes being called to the Senate in '47 to defend himself against nefarious Senator Owen Brewster (Alan Alda), who accused Hughes of taking money from the United States government during wartime. Stunningly photographed by Robert Richardson, Scorsese's nearly three-hour drama features an impassioned performance by DiCaprio, who is also credited as an executive producer. Although she appears in less than a third of the film, Blanchett delivers a performance that cements her status as one of the finest actresses ever to appear on the big screen. IN THEATRES: DECEMBER 17, 2004

Amazon.com Instantly qualifying as a perennial cult favorite, Bad Santa is as nasty as it wants to be, and there's something to be said for comedy without compromise. The Coen brothers conceived the basic idea and served as executive producers, but it's director Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World) who brings his unique affinity for losers and outcasts to the twisted tale of Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton), a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed sexaholic safe-cracker who targets a different department store every holiday season, playing Santa while he cases the joint with his dwarf elf-partner Marcus (Tony Cox). With comedic support from Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, Cloris Leachman, and John Ritter in his final film, Thornton milks the lowbrow laughs with a slovenly lack of sentiment, warming Bad Santa's pickled heart just enough to please a chubby misfit (Brett Kelly, hilariously deadpan) who may or may not be mentally challenged. As dry as an arid martini and blacker than morning-after coffee, Bad Santa is an instant cure for yuletide schmaltz, and if you think this appropriately R-rated comedy is suitable for kids, your parenting skills are no better than Willie's. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. Chicago Tribune/Mark Caro "'Bad Santa' is the foulest holiday movie I've ever seen - and the funniest".

This 10-part HBO television miniseries focuses on Easy Company, a group of American soldiers in World War II, tracking their experiences from the beginning of boot camp to the end of the war. Anchored by actors Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston, the series gives detailed attention to their experiences as a group, as well as the way that each of them develops individually. Based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's book of real-life accounts, BAND OF BROTHERS was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who worked together on SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Hanks also directed one episode, featuring his son, Colin Hanks. -- (Muze Description)1217092 "...If it doesn't put a lump in your throat, you need to have your throat checked..." -- (Review)1266898

Amazon.com Ice Cube triumphantly returns as Calvin Palmer, proud proprietor of a neighborhood barbershop in Barbershop 2. The first Barbershop was a surprise smash; even more surprising is how good this sequel is. The plot isn't much--there's a corporate haircutting chain opening across the street, leading to the usual sentiments about the importance of small businesses and neighborhoods--but the well-conceived characters and the loose, genuine banter give this movie a striking richness of feeling. Barbershop 2 cuts back and forth in time, flashing back to when Eddie (garrulous Cedric the Entertainer), the shop's oldest and most outspoken barber, first came to work for Calvin's father. Glimpses of black history give weight to the modern-day struggles; most impressively, this device doesn't feel forced or cynical. Also returning are Eve, Troy Garity, and Sean Patrick Thomas; Queen Latifah (Bringing Down the House) is a new face on the block. --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features The DVD extras for Barbershop 2 are much like the movie itself--not especially inspired or surprising, but raffish and likable. None of the handful of deleted scenes seem unjustly left out, but a couple (particularly the ones featuring Cedric the Entertainer) prove entertaining. Of the two audio commentaries, the one by the director and producers falls flat, full of a lot of self-congratulation; the less self-conscious talk from the actors proves more amusing (with Cedric again providing... read more

Tim Story's BARBERSHOP is a lighthearted, crowd-pleasing romp that takes place over the course of one day in and around a south side Chicago barbershop. The owner of the struggling establishment, Calvin (Ice Cube), presides over his raucous staff like his father and grandfather did before him. There's the aging, politically incorrect Eddie (a show-stealing Cedric the Entertainer), the pretentious Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas), the ex-con Ricky (Michael Ealy), the fiery Terri (Eve), the white, unappreciated Isaac (Troy Garity), and the poetry-loving Dinka (Leonard Earl Howze). As the local police search for the criminals who stole an ATM from the deli across the street (the hysterically pathetic Anthony Anderson and Lahmard Tate), Calvin contemplates selling the barbershop to a menacing loan shark (Keith David). When it appears that a deal has been made, Calvin realizes the error of his ways and tries to rectify the situation before it's too late. With BARBERSHOP, Ice Cube is well on his way to establishing another cinematic franchise (following in the steps of the FRIDAY series). Using the universally identifiable backdrop of a barbershop, the film bounces between drama and action and comedy with easy assurance. If ever there was a film that deserved a sequel, this is it. -- (Muze Description)1244655 "...BARBERSHOP is a warm, generous comedy....The movie's quiet affirmation of neighborhood values gives it an honest, lived-in glow..." -- (Review)1252667 "...BARBERSHOP is as warm as it is wise, deftly setting off uproarious humor with an underlying seriousness that sneaks up on the viewer....A lively and endearing cast is headed by Ice Cube, in an impressively understated performance..." -- (Review)1252780 "..Genial....[Ice Cube] is the emotional center of the movie..." -- (Review)1252782 "...[A] reassuring, retro uplifter..." -- (Review)1252866 "...Ice Cube is appealing..." -- (Review)1255472 "A rousing celebration of the family-run small business....[The film] provides a springboard for high-voltage comic exchanges that double as wisecrack-coated lessons in community relations..." -- (Review)1256937 "...[Cedric's] comic timing is beautiful....A breakthrough for director Tim Story..." -- (Review)1268656

Amazon.com If you thought The Recruit was full of surprises, Basic will spin your head around. Assuming that cleverness is its own reward, this military mystery shares many of The Recruit's strengths and weaknesses, offering multi-layered deception as its dramatic raison d'etre. Copping plenty of machismo attitude befitting a semi-effective thriller from Die Hard director John McTiernan, John Travolta stars as an ex-Army Ranger-turned-DEA agent, recruited by an Army investigator (Connie Nielsen) to solve the fratricide of a reviled Sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) who was allegedly killed while commanding a Special Forces training mission in the hurricane-swept rainforests of Panama. Two survivors (Giovanni Ribisi in a showboat role, and Brian Van Holt) recall the ill-fated mission as the truth unfolds, Rashomon-style, in a series of repetitive flashbacks. Tricky enough to hold one's attention as it grows increasingly irrelevant, Basic is so enamored of its bogus ingenuity that its ultimate twist is a letdown. A second viewing might prove rewarding, if only to confirm that it all holds together. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

A member of the top high school basketball team in New York City falls prey to the lure of the streets- more specifically heroin- in this coming-of-age drama. Pre-superstardom Leonardo DiCaprio gives a strong performance in this gritty and interesting, if rather unfaithful, adaptation of writer/poet Jim Carroll's captivating teenage memoirs of being young and streetwise. -- (Muze Description)1060691 Excerpts of Jim Carroll's book "The Basketball Diaries" first appeared in "The Paris Review" in 1970. The book was published in 1978. Jim Carroll's song "People Who Died" was a New Wave hit in the early 1980s. Rated BBFC 18 by the British Board of Film Classification. Additional credits: Kathie Hersch (line producer); Diana D. Schmidt (unit production manager); David C. Dean, Robert C. Albertell (assistant directors); David C. Robinson (costume design); Verne Caruso (hairstylist); Joshua Wingett (music editor); Billy Gottlieb (music co-ordinator). -- (Muze Annotation)1113496 Based on the autobiographical journals of poet Jim Carroll, "Basketball Diaries" follows the descent of a Catholic high school student from star basketball player to drug addict. Jim and his friends roam the streets of New York City as goof-offs, petty thieves, and junkies. Expelled from school for using drugs before a game, Jim is also thrown out of his house and takes up street hustling. After a harrowing confrontation with his mother, Jim is found unconscious in the snow by an older basketball buddy who leads him through recovery. -- (Synopsis)1113497 "...DiCaprio is electrifying....A wild ride fueled by profane wit and hallucinatory power..." -- (Review)1157955 "...[The film] pulsates as an early-'60s time capsule..." -- (Review)1168475 "...Energetic....A glimpse of the great actor Leonardo DiCaprio is going to be." -- (Review)1186371 "...[DiCaprio delivers] a game, highly emotional performance that further confirms previous indications of a major talent..." -- (Review)1194903 "...[DiCaprio is] a stunning natural performer who hides nothing, with the wrenching expressions of a latter-day James Dean..." -- (Review)1207578

Amazon.com Holy camp site, Batman! After a fabulously successful season on TV, the campy comic book adventure hit the big screen, complete with painful puns, outrageous supervillains, and fights punctuated with word balloons sporting such onomatopoeic syllables as "Pow!," "Thud!," and "Blammo!" Adam West's wooden Batman is the cowled vigilante alter ego of straight-arrow millionaire Bruce Wayne and Bruce Ward's Robin (a.k.a. Dick Grayson, Bruce's young collegiate protégé) his overeager sidekick in hot pants. Together they battle an unholy alliance of Gotham City's greatest criminals: the Joker (Cesar Romero, whooping up a storm), the Riddler (giggling Frank Gorshin), the Penguin (cackling Burgess Meredith), and the purr-fectly sexy Catwoman (Lee Meriwether slinking in a skin-tight black bodysuit). The criminals are, naturally, out to conquer the world, but with a little help from their unending supply of utility belt devices (bat shark repellent, anyone?), our dynamic duo thwarts their nefarious plans at every turn. Since the TV show ran under 30 minutes an episode (with commercials), the 105-minute film runs a little thin--a little camp goes a long way--but fans of the small-screen show will enjoy the spoofing tone throughout. Leslie H. Martinson directs Lorenzo Semple's screenplay like a big-budget TV episode minus the cliffhanger endings. --Sean Axmaker --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this high-charged tale of survival, based on the popular novel by Alex Garland. He portrays Richard, a traveling American who wants nothing more than to experience life completely. Backpacking in Thailand, he gets more than he bargained for when he discovers a seemingly utopian island that is protected by a weapon-yielding gang. Throw into the mix an affair with a beautiful young French woman (Virginie Ledoyen) and dangerous drug smugglers and the situation becomes even more dangerous. Director Danny Boyle (TRAINSPOTTING, SHALLOW GRAVE) turns up the energy to an almost unbearable level, making for an exhilarating ride. -- (Muze Description)1144168 Richard (DiCaprio) is a typical twenty-something American whose head is filled with an absurd amount of pop-culture and video game references. While travelling in Thailand in order to broaden his horizons and gain some real world experience, he meets Daffy (Carlyle), a crazy Englishman who gives Richard a mysterious map before committing suicide. Apparently the map leads to an idyllic island where the inhabitants live in a natural paradise. Intrigued, Richard convinces two French acquaintances, Francoise and Etienne (Ledoyen and Canet), to journey with him and see if Daffy was right. Upon reaching the island, Richard discovers that it does, in fact, appear to be the dream that Daffy had promised. They meet Sal (Swinton), a strong-willed woman and leader of the group. Sal has made a pact with the weapon-wielding drug dealers who control the island that her group can remain there provided no new bodies arrive. Richard has a brief tryst with Francoise, but she abandons him when she discovers that he has had another sexual encounter while gathering supplies from the mainland. And when two drugged-out Americans show up and crash the party, Richard's newfound Utopia is threatened once and for all. -- (Synopsis)1144173 "...Visually resplendent..." -- (Review)1153401 "...THE BEACH is colorful and exciting....DiCaprio delivers strongly..." -- (Review)1153524 "...Wonderfully lush....[The soundtrack] perfectly complements the photography, and the central performances are spot-on..." -- (Review)1156369 "... [DiCaprio] goes APOCALYPSE NOW Brando, launching the most inspired sequence of this ambling meditation on paradise and innocence lost..." -- (Review)1164676

The offbeat, underachieving denizens of a southeast London apartment building get an emotional wake-up call when two of the neighbors--two teen boys--unexpectedly fall in love. Tenderhearted kitchen-sink realism from Channel Four Films, adapted from the play by Jonathan Harvey. Rated BBFC 15 by the British Board of Film Classification. The offbeat, underachieving denizens of a southeast London apartment building get an emotional wake-up call when two of the neighbors--two teenage boys--fall in love. Tenderhearted kitchen-sink realism from Channel Four Films, adapted from the play by Jonathan Harvey.

Amazon.com Smart casting and sensible plotting make Behind Enemy Lines an above-average military thriller. Perfectly timed to bolster patriotism, the film is partly set (during a hypothetical "day after tomorrow") on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson, which was on alert status in the Persian Gulf when this film was released. Proving his versatility as an unconventional movie star, Owen Wilson plays a navy navigator who is shot down over Bosnia during a reconnaissance mission. Pursued by rebel Serbian forces, Wilson must fight for survival while his commanding officer (Gene Hackman) plots a daredevil rescue. After a successful career in TV commercials, Irish director John Moore makes a promising feature debut on Slovakian locations, borrowing a few techniques from Saving Private Ryan while adding impressive flourishes of his own. The gung-ho ending's a foregone conclusion, but it works like a charm after the movie's exciting game of cat and mouse. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Raised Jewish, Danny (Ryan Gosling) now runs with an anti-Semitic skinhead gang in Queens. Attending a meeting held by prominent self-proclaimed fascist Curtis Zampf (Billy Zane), Danny is noticed when he proposes killing Jews as a solution to society's problems. Danny's words create excitement not only for their racist content, but also for his articulate way of expressing himself and his knowledge of the Jewish faith. Zampf sees potential in Danny and takes him under his wing. Working with the enigmatic extremist, Danny meets the sadomasochistic Carla (Summer Phoenix). Between rough sexual encounters, Danny teaches Carla Hebrew and facts about Judaism. Carla becomes interested in the Jewish faith while Danny becomes disillusioned with his neo-Nazi lifestyle finding it as hypocritical as he found Judaism to be. Haunted by his past and questioning his own beliefs, Danny finds himself a prime suspect in the assassination of a respected Jewish figure. Writer-director Henry Bean scored a success with this American independent focusing more on faith than hatred. THE BELIEVER won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best First Feature at the 2002 Independent Spirit Awards. Theatrical Release: MAY 17, 2002

Amazon.com essential video Ben-Hur scooped an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards® in 1959 and, unlike some later rivals, richly deserved every single one. This is epic filmmaking on a scale that had not been seen before and is unlikely ever to be seen again. But it's not just running time or a cast of thousands that makes an epic, it's the subject matter, and here the subject--Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and his estrangement from old Roman pal Messala (Stephen Boyd)--is rich, detailed, and sensitively handled. Director William Wyler, who had been a junior assistant on MGM's original silent version back in 1925, never sacrifices the human focus of the story in favor of spectacle, and is aided immeasurably by Miklos Rozsa's majestic musical score, arguably the greatest ever written for a Hollywood picture. At four hours it's a long haul (especially given some of the portentous dialogue), but all in all, Ben-Hur is a great movie, best seen on the biggest screen possible. --Mark Walker Additional features This long-awaited release presents a glorious anamorphic print complete with a remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack spread over both sides of a double-sided disc. The music sounds fresher than ever, and both the theatrical overture and entr'acte are included. There's an extensive and enjoyable documentary tracing the history of the story by Lew Wallace through stage productions to the first MGM version in 1925 and then to the 1959 production. Charlton Heston provides an intermittent... read more Description After his boyhood friend Messala's fanatic loyalty to Rome makes him a powerful enemy, Judah Ben-Hur is found guilty of an attempted murder he did not commit. His family is banished and he is enslaved on a warship. Through his ferocity in a raging sea battle, he is able to escape and become a horse trainer. To exact his revenge, Ben-Hur decides to compete against Messala in the Roman chariot races. They race, locked in a battle to the death. Barely surviving, Ben-Hur forsakes the sword for Christ and finally finds redemption. Winner of a record 11 Academy Award, including Best Picture and Actor (Charlton Heston).

The excitement and fun begin when a trio of interplanetary rulers dispatch a cool hipster from the 27th century to send two teenage boys - who should have been studying history instead of playing rock music - on a trip through time and history. -- (Muze Description)1002377 Before meeting Socrates' Bill and Ted read up on his philosophy, " 'The only true wisdom consists of knowing that you know nothing.' That's us dude." "Oh. Yeah." -- Bill to Ted (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, respectively) -- (Product Quotation/Excerpt)1106680 Two brain-dead California teenagers, with a combined vocabulary of approximately 75 words, travel back in time to corral various historical figures for a class presentation that just might keep the pair from failing history "most heinously." Napoleon, Socrates, Billy The Kid, Sigmund Freud and Mozart are among those who journey forward in time with the duo in order to give the youth of California eye-witness accounts of the "awesome" pageant that is world history. Most excellent. -- (Synopsis)1106682 Film was followed by a sequel, "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" (1991), and an animated television series. Jane Wiedlin, the actress who plays "Joan of Arc", was formerly a member of "The Go-Go's", an all-woman rock/pop band that enjoyed a measure of success in the 1980s. Shot in Technicolor. -- (Muze Annotation)1106683 "...Delightfully inventive..." -- Rating: A -- (Review)1189035 "...There's a strong and savvy soundtrack....Witlessly appealing..." -- (Review)1193283

Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) is an 11-year-old boy living in northeast England in the mid-1980s. While his gruff father and brother are taking part in a massive coal miners strike, Billy goes to boxing lessons and furtively plays his dead mother's piano out of loneliness. One day Billy notices a ballet class nearby. Intrigued, he begins practicing and taking lessons from Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters), a tough-minded teacher. Billy begins to fall in love with ballet but keeps his lessons a secret from his family, who struggle to put food on the table while the strike drags on. When his father finally learns the truth, a family crisis erupts, and Billy struggles to prove that dancing is more than just a hobby--it's his dream. BILLY ELLIOT is a touching and heartwarming story that avoids clichés by setting the story in the grim mining town of northern England amid economic hardship and sacrifice, showing the joy and release that dancing provides for Billy. Newcomer Jamie Bell, who does all his own dancing in the film, deserves special credit for his performance as Billy. -- (Muze Description)1171886 Theatrical release: October 13, 2000. Filmed on location in Northeast England. The film was originally titled DANCER but was changed to BILLY ELLIOT shortly before its release. Some of BILLY ELLIOT is based on screenwriter Lee Hall's experiences growing up in northeast England at the time of the devastating miners strike in 1984 and 1985. BILLY ELLIOT is the directorial debut of British theatrical director Stephen Daldry. The filmmakers auditioned more than 2,000 boys looking for their Billy. The winner was Jamie Bell, a 12-year-old from Billingham, England, who had also struggled with being a dancer in a small, conservative town. BILLY ELLIOT won Best Picture at the 2000 British Independent Film Awards, which also saw Stephen Daldry take home Best Director, Jamie Bell win Best Newcomer, and Lee Hall grab Best Screenplay. Paul Clinton of cnn.com and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone named BILLY ELLIOT one of the 10 best films of 2000. The National Board of Review named Jamie Bell Outstanding Young Actor for his work in BILLY ELLIOT. The Broadcast Film Critics Association named him Best Child Performer. BILLY ELLIOT was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture--Drama, and Julie Walters was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture. -- (Muze Annotation)1171887 "...A heartwarming, toe-tapping delight....Daldry elicits a star-making turn from 14-year-old newcomer Jamie Bell..." -- 4 out of 5 stars -- (Review)1172220 "...Stephen Daldry anchors [the film's] melodramatic formula in tough, heartfelt realism....Jamie Bell [conveys a] convincing mixture of sullenness and innocent charm..." -- (Review)1174062 "...If Dickens had written FLASHDANCE after seeing THE FULL MONTY, it probably would have come out something like this infectious, feel-good bundle of ambition in the face of adversity..." -- 3.5 out of 4 stars -- (Review)1174335 Mrs. Wilkinson: "I've been thinking about the National Ballet School." Billy: "Aren't you a bit old for that, miss?" Mrs. Wilkinson: "Not for me, for you!" -- (Product Quotation/Excerpt)1175201 "...An inspirational Brit-prole dance fable..." -- (Review)1186194 "...Gracefully executed....The fleet-footed BILLY ELLIOT illustrates how classic storylines, in the right hands, can work over and over again..." -- (Review)1190378 "...Daldry scores a sensational film debut....Bell explodes onscreen in a performance that cuts to the heart..." -- (Review)1198774 "...Jimmy Bell is an engaging Billy, earnest and high-spirited, and a pretty good dancer, too..." -- (Review)1252629

In Mike Nichols's hilarious remake of the 1978 French comedy LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, Robin Williams stars as Armand Goldman, a gay cabaret owner who lives in Miami's South Beach with his partner, Albert (Nathan Lane), the club's star performer. Armand and Albert must try in vain to pass as a typical couple when the prospective in-laws of Armand's son, Val (Dan Futterman), come for dinner. While accepting their alternative lifestyle personally, Val demands that they tone it down for his girlfriend's (Calista Flockhart) parents--who happen to be a political couple running on a family values platform. Lane's hilarious attempts to "play it straight" and Hank Azaria's brilliantly flamboyant houseboy, Agador, are the highlights of the film, which also features a beautifully understated Williams as the more "normal" of the pair. Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest are delightfully square as the future in-laws. -- (Muze Description)1070379 Theatrical release: March 8, 1996. -- (Muze Annotation)1093024 "Why, it looks like young men playing leapfrog!... Is it Greek?" -- Louise Keeley (DIANNE WIEST), when she sees the pornographic china that's been set out on Armand and Albert's dinner table. -- (Product Quotation/Excerpt)1093025 THE BIRDCAGE is director Mike Nichols's remake of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. The comedy features a flamboyant gay couple who must attempt to "straighten up" for their son's prospective in-laws. -- (Synopsis)1093026 "...A nicely restrained Williams lets Nathan Lane as his high-strung diva companion rule the roost in this fluttery, funny [film]..." -- 3 out of 4 stars" -- (Review)1168507 "Enchantingly funny....The beauty of THE BIRD CAGE is that its jokes and its message are one and the same..." -- Rating: A- -- (Review)1178164 "...THE BIRDCAGE is a scream....Performed with matchless aplomb and made with plush professionalism....[The film] serves up pure pleasure..." -- (Review)1196821 "...Robin Williams is the best surprises....He's more restrained than in anything he's done since AWAKENINGS..." -- (Review)1260215

Amazon.com Based on William Wharton's transcendent novel of the same name, this film is about many things: friendship, war, and, of course, birds. The framing device is an effort by a horribly scarred combat soldier (Nicolas Cage) to break through to his best friend, Birdy (Matthew Modine), hospitalized after seemingly being driven mad by fighting in the Vietnam War. Cage then flashes back to their boyhood, where Birdy, a canary aficionado, was considered the school weirdo but managed to be a solid companion nonetheless. Directed by Alan Parker, it works best as a coming-of-age story, but misses the bizarre psychological transferences of the book, in which Birdy imagines himself within the world of canaries he creates in his bedroom at his parents' house. Modine is fine as an out-of-it misfit enraptured by his own little universe. --Marshall Fine

On October 3, 1993, Army Rangers and members of the elite Delta Force participated in a covert operation in Mogadishu, Somalia that went horribly wrong. Sent to abduct two lieutenants of a vicious Somali warlord, the soldiers found themselves surrounded by hostile militia. Two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and many men lost their lives. Mark Bowden of the Philadelphia Inquirer told the story of the battle in his exhaustively researched, critically acclaimed book, BLACK HAWK DOWN, and filmmaker Ridley Scott (GLADIATOR) and screenwriter Ken Nolan have done an amazing job of bringing the dramatic story to the screen. Like Bowden's book, the film does not thoroughly examine the context of the conflict, but gives a detailed and intense blow-by-blow account of the fighting. The outstanding ensemble cast includes Josh Hartnett as a competent but nervous Ranger sergeant leading his first mission, Ewan McGregor as a "desk jockey" who excels when sent into combat, Eric Bana (THE INCREDIBLE HULK) as a cocky and enigmatic Delta, and Ron Eldard as a downed Black Hawk pilot. The violence of the film is brutal and nearly constant. Scott unflinchingly captures the chaos and mayhem of battle with tremendous visual finesse. -- (Muze Description)1221416 "...There may be no working director more accomplished at wringing texture out of the color blue than the prodigious and now prolific Mr. Scott..." -- (Review)1226683 "...BLACK HAWK's knockout photography, editing and sound are all state of the art..." -- (Review)1226702 "...A personal best for producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a triumph for Scott and a war film of prodigious power. You will be shaken..." -- (Review)1227448 "...[The] images have a raw, vital quality that heightens the urgent, you-are-there quality of the action, and all the equipment, effects and military-related details are superb..." -- (Review)1228249 "...[Made] with immense technical skill and spectacular photography..." -- (Review)1229771 "...Well-made..." -- (Review)1231302 Theatrical Release: DECEMBER 28, 2001 (NY/LA) JANUARY 18, 2002 (EXPANDS) -- (Muze Annotation)1233263 "...Gripping, incisive....An attempt to record as accurately as possible what it was like to be under fire on that mission..." -- (Review)1248693

Amazon.com A briskly paced hybrid of Boogie Nights and Goodfellas, Blow chronicles the three-decade rise and fall of George Jung (Johnny Depp), a normal American kid who makes a personal vow against poverty, builds a marijuana empire in the '60s, multiplies his fortune with the Colombian Medellín cocaine cartel, and blows it all with a series of police busts culminating in one final, long-term jail sentence. "Your dad's a loser," says this absentee father to his estranged but beloved daughter, and he's right: Blow is the story of a nice guy who made wrong choices all his life, almost single-handedly created the American cocaine trade, and got exactly what he deserved. As directed by Ted Demme, the film is vibrantly entertaining, painstakingly authentic... and utterly aimless in terms of overall purpose. We can't sympathize with Jung's meteoric rise to wealth and the wild life, and Demme isn't suggesting that we should idolize a drug dealer. So what, exactly, is the point of Blow? Simply, it seems, to present Jung's story as the epitome of the coke-driven glory days, and to suggest, ever so subtly, that Jung isn't such a bad guy, after all. Anyone curious about his lifestyle will find this film amazing, and there's plenty of humor mixed with the constant threat of violence and paranoid anxiety. Demme has also populated the film with a fantastic supporting cast (although Penélope Cruz grows tiresome as Jung's hedonistic wife), and this is certainly a compelling look at the other side of Traffic. Still, one wishes that Blow had a more viable reason for being; like a wild party, it leaves you with a hangover and a vague feeling of regret. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features The third Infinifilm finds another rich topic to showcase the fully loaded DVD line. Foremost is director Ted Demme's captivating interview with the real George Jung (the director also shares his commentary track with his subject). In addition Demme gives us a flippant, behind-the-scenes "Production Diary" and more than a half-hour of better-than-average deleted scenes (a few of which reveal the fate of a major character). The extemporaneous "Character Outtakes" are so good, more filmmakers... read more

Amazon.com The cinematography by Néstor Almendros garnered him an Oscar nomination. Unfortunately, the performance by then child star Brooke Shields garnered her a nomination, too--for a Razzie Award. She won, he didn't. This 1980 remake of a much classier, 1949 British version features Shields and Christopher Atkins as children shipwrecked on a lush tropical island. They grow to maturity and fall in love, with the script paying special attention to their burgeoning sexuality. Should you desire more trite dialogue, there is an even less satisfying sequel, 1991's Return to the Blue Lagoon. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Amazon.com The Ultimate Bob Hope Collection features over six hours of highlights from over a half-century of television specials by a true legend in American entertainment. In his staggering 50 years on NBC, Bob Hope created such a formidable mass of comic clips, bloopers, and salutes to troops, that a mere three-DVD set can barely contain them. Still, the collection brings together, for the first time on DVD, timeless sketches with such notable wags as Dean Martin, Phyllis Diller, Johnny Carson, and Jack Benny, and celebrates countless moments of hilarity with some of the biggest stars of the century, including John Wayne, Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. While this DVD set is, for the most part, a compilation of previous collections that have aired on NBC over the years, it still delivers the goods, and should prove a beloved addition to the collection of any Hope fan. It's a delight to have one of the most engaging comics of our time, and 50 years of him at that, at our very fingertips. --Karl Wachter Description For the first time on DVD, The Ultimate Bob Hope Collection features highlights from fifty years of The Bob Hope TV Special with bonus extras never before available. This remarkable legacy of laughter is the only video collection authorized by Bob Hope himself. This special collector's edition features rare vintage clips, hilarious outtakes, and a guest list that reads like a virtual who's who of Hollywood legends, Presidents, and stars from every generation. Extras include Bob's first ever radio appearance in 1935, movie shorts from the 1930s, an excerpt from "Memories of World War II," Bob's photo album, and more. Volume 1: 50 Years of Laughter, Parts 1 and 2. Five decades of Bob's favorite memories with the biggest stars and the biggest laughs. Volume 2: Hope for the Holidays; Saulte to the Troops. Every Christmas Bob delivered laughter and hope to TV audiences and American GIs around the world. Volume 3: Celebrity Bloopers; Bob's Special Extras. The funniest outtakes from Bob's personal blooper reel and rare extras from the Hope archive.

Washington is Lincoln Rhyme, a successful police officer and author of crime novels. After a freak accident on the job, Rhyme is left paralyzed from the neck down (except for his index finger). Jolie is Amelia Donaghy, a troubled cop who finds herself caught up in the investigation of a brutal serial killer. With the help of the bed-ridden Rhyme, she enters a dangerous world that threatens to add her to the killer's list. -- (Muze Description)1141788 "...Washington breathes actorly passion into [THE BONE COLLECTOR]..." -- (Review)1160473 "...Latifah steals any scene she's in....Ditto for Luis Guzman..." -- (Review)1209491 "...Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie create characters we really like; there's chemistry when they're together, and they're surrounded by the good energy of supporting players..." -- (Review)1255428

Amazon.com essential video The second film in Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy moves from the brutality of war in Platoon to its equally traumatic aftermath. Based on the memoir of combat veteran Ron Kovic, the film stars Tom Cruise as Kovic, whose gunshot wound in Vietnam left him paralyzed from the chest down. He is deeply embittered by neglect in a veteran's hospital and by the shattering of his patriotic idealism because of the horror and futility of the Vietnam conflict. While painfully and awkwardly adjusting to his disability and a changing definition of masculinity, Kovic joins the burgeoning movement of antiwar protest, culminating in a climactic appearance at the 1976 Democratic national convention. A powerfully intimate portrait that unfolds on an epic scale, Born on the Fourth of July is arguably Stone's best film (if you can forgive its often strident tone), and Cruise's Oscar-nominated role is uncompromising in its depiction of one man's personal anguish and political awakening. --Jeff Shannon

As THE BOURNE IDENTITY begins, a man who may or may not be Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and is hauled onto a fishing boat. When the ship's doctor examines the unconscious castaway, he discovers two bullet wounds and an implanted device that displays a Swiss bank account number. With nothing but this code, the amnesiac Bourne travels to Zurich and gains access to a safe-deposit box containing a gun, thousands of dollars in various currencies, and valid passports from numerous countries--each listing a different identity. Within minutes, Bourne is on the run from a seemingly ever-present agency, relying on language and fighting skills he didn't even know he possessed. Offering $20,000 for a ride to Paris, Bourne gains the reluctant help of the nomadic Marie (Franka Potente). Meanwhile, the shadowy organization, headed by a tough-talking bureaucrat (Chris Cooper), sends numerous assassins (including the Professor, played by Clive Owen) after Bourne and Marie. As their situation grows more perilous, the two strangers struggle to find out who Bourne really is and why they are being hunted. Doug Liman's adaptation of Robert Ludlum's best-selling novel is a remarkable exercise in straightforward storytelling, with the director wisely choosing to focus on Bourne and his quest for identity. The fight sequences are thrilling, but never overly glamorized, and the film's pacing is engaging and deliberate. Damon, who displays genuine bewilderment as his character discovers his almost-superhuman abilities, anchors the proceedings with the subtle charm of an unlikely action hero. Potente also shines as Bourne's road companion, a savvy woman who slowly builds an utterly believable relationship with the confused man. Bearing distinct affinity for its European setting and classic Hollywood suspense films, THE BOURNE IDENTITY succeeds as an unusually smart character-driven thriller. -- (Muze Description)1236404 "...Cool RONIN-style car chases ensue....BOURNE earns what passes as hip praise..." -- (Review)1241059 "...A tiptop espionage thriller....Laced with great shocking moments, BOURNE moves along smartly on its own steam, drawing us confidently into its orbit..." -- (Review)1241292 "...Blisteringly fast, BOURNE also has a strong or striking supporting actor around every corner..." -- (Review)1242092 "...Very well done, with skillful action sequences and a great chase scene through Paris streets..." -- (Review)1247918 "...There's much to enjoy here....Liman has real talent....An undertone of humour enriches the action..." -- (Review)1251584 Theatrical release: June 14, 2002 -- (Muze Annotation)1255245

THEATRICAL RELEASE: JULY 23, 2004 Matt Damon returns as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne in this fast-paced follow-up to 2002's THE BOURNE IDENTITY. Forced out of hiding as the result of an attempt on his life, Bourne fulfills his earlier promise to wreak vengeance on his former CIA employers, some of whom may be in league with murderous Russians. Brian Cox and Joan Allen are both great as warring agency chiefs convinced Bourne orchestrated the murder of two of their own in a deal gone bad. Thanks to tense, gritty direction by Paul Greengrass (BLOODY SUNDAY), the plot stays tight,