Library

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Who, in the name of God, is getting away with murder?

Summary: "The Name of the Rose" is a gothic medieval mystery thriller set in a 14th-century Italian monastery. Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) and a young novice (Christian Slater) arrive for a conference to find that several monks have been murdered in mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, William must rise up against the Church authority and fight the shadowy conspiracy of monastery monks using only his wit and intelligence.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by Director Jean-Jaques Annaud
Documentary:Vintage making-of documentary - The Abbey of Crime: Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose"
Featurette:All-new Photo Video Journey with Jean-Jacques Annaud
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer

Languages: English

Comments: A True Story.

Summary: Carroll Ballard's 1983 adaptation of Farley Mowat's autobiographical novel turns his life-changing experience studying the wolves in Canada's inhospitable North into a moving drama of one man's courage and discovery of nature's majesty. Charles Martin Smith plays green biologist Tyler, sent by the Canadian government to "prove" that the wolves are depleting the caribou herds, but what he finds is a natural world in perfect harmony where he becomes a tolerated outsider. Dumped unprepared in the wilds by a hard drinking bush pilot (Brian Dennehy), Tyler learns survival skills from the aged Eskimo who saves his life and the rules of coexistence from a neighboring wolf (which results in a literal pissing contest as man and beast mark their respective territories). Tyler's journey culminates in the majestic run with the wolf pack, an exhilarating sequence where for an instant he becomes one with natural environment of the wilds. For all its beauty, however, Tyler's experience becomes a bittersweet lesson as the encroachment of hunters, tourism, and the social landscape threaten the natural order. As in his previous film, the delicate and lovely "The Black Stallion", Ballard's astounding visual treatment captures the awesome natural beauty of the Canadian wilderness with power and poignancy. Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning "Dances with Wolves" explores many of the themes presented in this film, but without the resonance or beauty of Ballard's unsung masterpiece. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: How far would you go to fit in?

Summary: A breath of fresh air in a stale genre, Zoe Clarke-Williams's canny look at the catty world of college cliques is the smartest dissection of the complex world of class envy, social acceptance, and the seduction of privilege since "Heathers". But this drama plays it for tragedy. Local working-class girl Mia Kirshner is transformed from social outcast to campus Cinderella and adopted into the hedonistic party world of a trio of rich fun-loving sorority princesses (Meredith Monroe, Dominique Swain, and Rachel True), and comes out the other end in a drug-induced coma. Confidently directed and elegantly constructed in puzzle-piece flashbacks, this sensitive, sympathetic, smartly made drama is refreshingly free of glib moralizing, the rare young-adult film that twists the usual clichés and leaves its audience with more questions than answers. The DVD also features an audio commentary track by director Zoe Clarke-Williams. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: Dolby

Comments: A zero will rise

Summary: Aimed at teens with numb senses of humor, "The New Guy" earns its chuckles mostly by accident. Most of the comedy is DOA, although the cast--especially DJ Qualls in the title role--possesses a modicum of scrappy charm. DJ plays a "blip" on his high school's social radar, briefly jailed for chronic misbehavior and mentored in coolness by a fellow inmate (Eddie Griffin), who becomes the funky "new guy" at a new school, where he's worshipped as a mysterious hipster and attracts the hottest cheerleader (Eliza Dushku). Directed without a shred of inspiration (by a cowriter of "There's Something About Mary") and looking like a drab 16-millimeter industrial film, the movie would be a waste of time were it not for its abiding cheerfulness, rock-star cameos (Henry Rollins, Gene Simmons, Tommy Lee), Lyle Lovett as DJ's dad, and a fresh cast that "almost" makes this lowbrow mess worthwhile. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Comments: If you can see the future, you can save it.

Summary: The weirdness of actor Nicolas Cage and the weirdness of science-fiction author Philip K. Dick seem like a natural fit. The premise, taken from a short story by Dick, is a good one: A mediocre Las Vegas magician named Chris Johnson (Cage) can see into the future--but only about two minutes at the most. Just enough to pull off his act and to make some money at the gambling tables, so long as he's discreet. Unfortunately, he hasn't been discreet enough; a government agent (Julianne Moore) has sussed out his precognitive talent and wants to use him to track down terrorists. But all Johnson cares about is a beautiful young woman (Jessica Biel, "The Illusionist") that he can see in his future--much further in his future than he's ever seen before. "Next" has flashes that point to a much, much better movie than it turned out to be. A sequence in which Johnson, clairvoyantly explores all the different permutations of how he might approach his mystery woman is both funny and thought-provoking, and when Johnson avoids pursuers by knowing just the right moment to turn a corner or duck his head, it's smart and suspenseful. Unfortunately, the terrorist part of the plot is utterly perfunctory and precognition is reduced to an action movie gimmick. Somewhere in there is the kernel of a romantic comedy about precognition that's just waiting to be made. Cage gives a solid if unsurprising performance, Moore is basically earning a paycheck, but Biel is unexpectedly good (and her part is considerably better-written than your usual romantic interest); her performance suggests a better future than anyone might have predicted. "--Bret Fetzer"

Beyond "Next"
More Nick Cage on DVD
The Author that Inspired the Movie
The Soundtrack Stills from "Next" (click for larger image)

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: Every family needs a hero.

Summary: While it necessarily streamlines the Charles Dickens classic, this delightful adaptation of "Nicholas Nickelby" captures the essence of Dickens in all of its Victorian splendor and squalor. With Charlie Hunnam (the U.K. "Queer as Folk") doing noble work in the title role, this quintessentially Dickensian tale begins with the death of Nicholas's father, and the subsequent scheme by his cruel uncle (Christopher Plummer, perfectly cast) to separate Nicholas from his now penniless sister and mother. Stuck in a squalid school run by the evil Mr. and Mrs. Squeers (Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson), Nicholas escapes with his loyal friend Smike ("Billy Elliott"'s Jamie Bell), whose lineage will determine the greedy uncle's fate. As he did with Jane Austen's "Emma", writer-director Douglas McGrath has crafted a prestigious production that shifts effortlessly between comedy and tragedy without compromising its warm, inviting tone. His dialogue rings true throughout, inspiring a stellar cast including Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, Edward Fox, and Timothy Spall. Dickens himself would almost certainly have approved. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Everything comes to life.

Summary:
An irresistible concept meets computer-generated wonders in Night at the Museum, inspired by a 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc. Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley, an underachieving inventor waiting for his ship to come in while getting evicted from one apartment after another for lack of funds. Larry's son needs some stability, so the well-meaning ne'er-do-well takes a job as night watchman at New York City's Museum of Natural History. What the soon-to-retire guards (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs) don't tell him is that an ancient pharaoh's tablet in the museum causes everything on display to come to life at night. Thus, Larry meets representations of Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, fire-worshipping cavemen, and Roman Empire soldiers, and learns to cope with an excitable T-Rex and man-eating, ancient animals. The film might have left things at that, but an added story element gives Night at the Museum some extra urgency and excitement, especially fo! r kids: Larry becomes responsible for keeping this nightly miracle going and preventing anything in the museum from dying due to exposure to sunrise. Computer effects, as well as wildly imaginative costumes and makeup, help make the film appeal to the 8-year-old in everyone. Director Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther) works with a hugely talented cast, including Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Carla Gugino, and Steve Coogan. --"Tom Keogh"
"Night at the Museum" Extras
Ben Stiller on Director Shawn Levy

Ricky Gervais on the size of his trailer and eating cheese.


Beyond "Night at the Museum"
See What DVDs Meant Special Effects to Amazon DVD Editors As Kids
More Adventure Films for Kids & Family
"The Night at the Museum" Paperback Book


Stills from "Night at the Museum"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: Score!

Summary: Expanding their one-joke skit from television's "Saturday Night Live", Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell are Doug and Steve Butabi, the wearers of the rayon suits and Speedo trunks who bob their heads in unison to dance music while unsuccessfully preying on women in clubs. What's funny in a three-minute piece doesn't always get funnier by expansion, but Kattan and Ferrell give it a go with fellow "SNL" member Molly Shannon as their ambitious neighbor. By day they work in their father's fake-plant store. By night they prowl the club scene after spraying on the cologne in their gauchely decorated bedroom. A fender-bender with Richard Grieco (playing himself) gets them into the popular club the Roxbury, but it's not all good news, as the brothers soon find themselves torn apart. Doug and Steve are pathetic but lovable, mostly due to the actors' talents for self-deprecating humor. All gifted comedians, Kattan, Ferrell, and Shannon obviously feel comfortable around each other, and their love triangle (which prompts send-ups of "Say Anything" and "Jerry Maguire") is the funniest joke in this mostly lame comedy. Too bad, because it clocks in at about 80 minutes and could have run on television as a pretty good episode of SNL, which has been known to get a bit lame itself. "--Shannon Gee"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: AC-3

Comments: You never know who's listening.

Summary: Celebrity and psychosis collide to truly creepy effect in "The Night Listener". Radio personality Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams) is asked to read an advance copy of a memoir by a boy who was horribly abused by his parents. Struck by the boy's story, Noone starts talking to him over the phone, gradually taking an almost parental interest in him--until someone suggests that the boy may not be exactly who he seems. Troubled, Noone flies to Wisconsin, where he meets the boy's social worker (Toni Collette, "The Sixth Sense", "In Her Shoes") and uncovers some alarming secrets. Don't let the vague, faux-literary title "The Night Listener" lead you astray; this is a horror movie and a very good one. There are no supernatural monsters or relentless axe-murderers, only a damaged, manipulative mind, which proves to be creepier than any serial killer. Williams gives an excellent, quirk-free performance, but it's Collette who gets under your skin and crawls around. She's vividly eerie, the sort of performance that can stick with you for days. Stealthy, surprising, and wonderfully acted all around--the movie also features Joe Morton ("The Brother from Another Planet"), Bobby Cannavale ("The Station Agent"), and Sandra Oh ("Sideways")--"The Night Listener" is an unexpected gem. "--Bret Fetzer"

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Leave the unknown alone

Summary: The horror of Roman Polanski is not about spectacle and shock but a goose-pimply sense of evil lurking just outside the frame and hidden behind the faces of slightly unsettling characters. For a while it looks like "The Ninth Gate", adapted from the novel "The Club Dumas" by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, might recapture the beautiful uneasiness of such masterpieces as "Repulsion" and "Rosemary's Baby". A calm, almost sleepy Johnny Depp plays cynical, unscrupulous rare-book hunter Dean Corso, who's hired by demonologist Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) to authenticate a rare volume that, legend has it, was cowritten by Lucifer himself. Dean leaves a Gothic looking New York (re-created in Europe by Polanski as a sinister city of shadows) for Portugal and Paris to compare Balkan's volume with the two copies known to be in existence and uncovers a mystery with unholy ramifications. He also finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that involves Balkan, a widow who will stop at nothing to retrieve Balkan's book (Lena Olin, who gleefully bites and claws her way through the part), and a mysterious guardian "angel" (Polanski's wife, Emmanuelle Seigner) who shadows his every step. "The Ninth Gate" is full of rumbling menace and deliciously unsettling imagery, but Polanski's languorous direction and purposefully vague story render a film that's eerie without every becoming thrilling. It's perpetually on the verge of becoming interesting--right up to its obscure final image. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Summary: The turbulent lives of two handsome and high-priced Miami plastic surgeons may be one of the more unusual premises for a television series, but the FX Channel's "Nip/Tuck" combines sudsy sex and biting wit with the emotional quandaries involved in body modification in a way that makes for an engrossing--and occasionally gross--hourlong drama. The show benefits greatly from its two leads--Dylan Walsh as the troubled "good" surgeon and Julian McMahon as his predatory (but equally troubled) "bad" partner--as well as Joely Richardson as Walsh's wife and Roma Maffia as the surgeons' nurse. If "Nip/Tuck" does have a stumbling point, it's in its occasionally glib dialogue (series creator Ryan Murphy was a writer for the verbally flashy high school series "Popular"), which can clash with an episode's more dramatic and poignant moments. The show also doesn't shy away from showing the more gruesome aspects of plastic surgery, but viewers can often see more stomach-churning images on the top-rated "CSI". But the strength of the performances and the originality of the premise make these rough spots manageable for viewers looking for an interesting spin on the usual "doctor show." The five-DVD set offers an extended version of the pilot and all 12 episodes of the first season as well as a trio of documentaries (one on the show itself, another on its special effects, and a third, "Realistic Expectations," on real-life plastic surgeons). A gag reel (amusingly titled "Severed Parts"), a selection of deleted scenes for most episodes, and a music video for the title theme ("A Perfect Lie" by the Engine Room) round out the box. "--Paul Gaita"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English

Sound: AC-3

Comments: One Woman's Mistake Is Another's Opportunity...

Summary:
Gold stars to all for this taut psychological thriller based on Zoe Heller's novel that that gets more insidiously twisted as it unfolds. Oscar-nominated for her chilling performance, Dame Judi Dench gives a master class as schoolteacher Barbara Covett, a frumpy, friendless, and flinty spinster who lives with her cat. A formidable presence, Barbara is standoffish with colleagues and not one for students to trifle with (not that they'd dare). Cate Blanchett, also an Oscar nominee and winner of several critics society awards for her impassioned performance, costars as Sheba Hart, the new, overwhelmed art teacher who first becomes enthrall to Barbara after she steps in to help Sheba discipline unruly students. Barbara cultivates a friendship, and insinuates herself into Sheba's chaotic life, which includes her older husband (Bill Nighy), teenage daughter, and a son with Down's syndrome. Then, Barbara catches the reckless Sheba in a compromising position with a 15-year-old student (Andrew Simpson). Seizing her opportunity, the calculating Barbara does not turn her in. Rather, she wants to "help" her. "She's the one I've been waiting for," she writes in the journals she meticulously keeps, and which provide, in voiceover, her corrosive commentary. This all sounds very Fatal Attraction, but no boiling rabbits, please; we're British. Philip Glass's Oscar-nominated score accentuates the growing menace. Though there is little in these characters to admire, (one would think GLAAD would have something to say about the predatory turn Barbara's character takes), Notes on a Scandal is a compelling tour-de-force for its Grade-A cast. --"Donald Liebenson"

"Notes on a Scandal" Extras
Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench on their characters in the film


Beyond "Notes on a Scandal"
Book to Movie Adaptations
More Cate Blanchett Films
"What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal: A Novel"


Stills from "Notes on a Scandal"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: Can the most famous film star in the world fall for just an ordinary guy?

Summary: Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) is the world s most famous movie star. Her picture has been plastered on the cover of every magazine, and every time she makes a move, the entire world knows about it. William Thacker (Hugh Grant) owns a travel bookstore in the quaint neighborhood of Notting Hill. His business is stagnant, he has the roommate from hell and his love life is completely nonexistent. Then one day, their paths cross and the couple comes to face the ultimate question: can two people fall in love with the whole world watching?

System Requirements:
Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, James Dreyfus, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, and Gina McKee. Directed By: Roger Michell Running Time: 124 Mins., Color This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 1999 Universal Studios

Format: DVD MOVIE

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital

Comments: The truth will find you.

Summary: Jim Carrey as a schizophrenic murderer isn't convincing, in this melodramatic film about a man obsessed by the "Number 23". Joel Schumacher ("Batman Forever, St. Elmo's Fire") has unintentionally managed to make a comedy of horrors that really is quite humorous in parts. Walter Sparrow (Carrey) becomes engrossed in a homespun novel about Detective Fingerling, whose life degrades into mayhem because of his obsession with 23's esoteric numerical puzzles. Sparrow's preoccupation with the book follows his botched attempt to catch a nasty dog that bites him, leading one to believe that Sparrow's contraction of rabies might be the cause for his mental degradation. As the story progresses, Sparrow retreats further into Fingerling's world, rife with suicidal sexpots and hardboiled detective sleuthing. His wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), also plays Fingerling's girlfriend, sex-crazed Fabrizia, who taunts Fingerling until he stabs her. Back in reality, Walter aims to solve the unresolved crimes in the book, taking it as a murderer's diary rather than as an imagined work. The story is half-baked, though Carrey's portrayal of a mentally disturbed person is what makes "The Number 23" comedic. Long, contemplative stares, and over-dramatized acting renders Sparrow a clichéd character, rather than one odd enough to engage viewers. For a better version of almost the exact plot but with a terrorist's twist, see "Thr3e" instead. "--Trinie Dalton"