Library

Languages: Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Comments: What happens when make-believe believes it's real?

Summary: Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Jorge Luis Borges, and Guillermo del Toro's own unlimited imagination, "Pan's Labyrinth" is a fairytale for adults. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) may only be 12, but the worlds she inhabits, both above and below ground, are dark as anything del Toro has conjured. Set in rural Spain, circa 1944, Ofelia and her widowed mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil, "Belle Epoque"), have just moved into an abandoned mill with Carmen's new husband, Captain Vidal (Sergi López, "With a Friend like Harry"). Carmen is pregnant with his son. Other than her sickly mother and kindly housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú, "Y Tu Mamá También"), the dreamy Ofelia is on her own. Vidal, an exceedingly cruel man, couldn't be bothered. He has informers to torture. Ofelia soon finds that an entire universe exists below the mill. Her guide is the persuasive Faun (Doug Jones, "Mimic"). As her mother grows weaker, Ofelia spends more and more time in the satyr's labyrinth. He offers to help her out of her predicament if she'll complete three treacherous tasks. Ofelia is willing to try, but does this alternate reality really exist or is it all in her head? Del Toro leaves that up to the viewer to decide in a beautiful, yet brutal twin to "The Devil's Backbone", which was also haunted by the ghost of Franco. Though it lacks the humor of "Hellboy", "Pan's Labyrinth" represents Guillermo Del Toro at the top of his considerable game. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Languages: German, English

Subtitles: German, English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: It was supposed to be the safest room in the house

Summary: Jodie Foster yet again does not fail to give us an outstanding performance in this gripping thriller. The film centers around Meg ( Foster ) and her young daughter Sarah. They live in New York following Meg's divorce. In their home is a hidden room built to provide safety for in case of a break in. Well, the unimaginable happens when 3 intruders break into the home in search of something very valueable to them that was left behind by the previous homeowners. Meg and her daughter must now fight for their lives while hidding in their Panic Room. This is a edge of your seat thriller as you see what a mother will do to save not only herself but her sick daughter. Great story and good performances with some violence. I'd suggest anyone who has not seen this movie, rent it for if you like good thrillers, this movie won't disappoint. Jodie Foster gives this movie a extra star with her great performance.

Languages: German, English

Subtitles: English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swiss German, Norwegian, Greek, Czech, Hebrew

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.0

Comments: Based On A True Story.

Summary: "Patch Adams" raises two schools of thought: There are those who are inspired by the true story of a troubled man who finds happiness in helping others--a man set on changing the world and who may well accomplish the task. And then there are those who feel manipulated by this feel-good story, who want to smack the young medical student every time he begins his silly antics.
Staving off suicidal thoughts, Hunter Adams commits himself into a psychiatric ward, where he not only garners the nickname "Patch," but learns the joy in helping others. To this end, he decides to go to medical school, where he clashes with the staid conventions of the establishment as he attempts to inject humor and humanity into his treatment of the patients ("We need to start treating the patient as well as the disease," he declares throughout the film). Robin Williams, in the title role, is as charming as ever, although someone should tell him to broaden his range--the ever-cheerful do-gooder à la "Good Will Hunting" and "Dead Poets Society" is getting a little old. His sidekick Truman (Daniel London) steals the show with his gawky allure and eyebrows that threaten to overtake his lean face--he seems more real, which is odd considering that Patch Adams does exist and this film is based on his life. Monica Potter is the coolly reluctant love interest, and she makes the most of her one-dimensional part. While moments of true heartfelt emotion do come through, the major flaw of this film is that the good guys are just so gosh-darn good and the bad ones are just big meanies with no character development. "Patch Adams", though, does provide the tears, the giggles, and the kooky folks who will keep you smiling at the end. "--Jenny Brown"

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Sometimes The Simplest Idea Can Make The Biggest Difference.

Summary: "Pay It Forward" is a multi-level marketing scheme of the heart. Beginning as a seventh-grade class assignment to put into action an idea that could change the world, young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people who then by way of payment each must do good turns for three other people. These nine people also must pay it forward and so on, ad infinitum. If successful, the resulting network of do-gooders ought to comprise the entire world. Trevor's attempts to get the ball rolling include befriending a junkie (James Caviezel) and trying to set up his recovering-alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) with his burn-victim teacher (Kevin Spacey), who posed the assignment.
While this could have turned into unmitigated schmaltz, the acting elevates this film to mitigated schmaltz. By turns powerful and measured, the performances of Spacey, Hunt, and Osment can't make up for the many missteps in a screenplay that sanitizes the look of the lower-middle class and expects us to believe that homeless alcoholics and junkies speak in the elevated manner of grad students. (Can that really be Angie Dickinson as Hunt's dispossessed mother? Yes, it is!) The germ of the story is a good one, though, and one may wonder how it would have been handled by the likes of Frank Capra, who could balance sentiment with humor. But clearly Capra would never have let the ending of his version to take the nosedive into cliché and pathos that director Mimi Leder has allowed in this film. More than a few viewers will also recognize that Leder has blatantly borrowed her final image from "Field of Dreams", where its intended effect was more keenly and honestly felt. "--Jim Gay"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Remember the future.

Summary: Le réalisateur chinois John Woo n'en est plus à son coup d'essai sur le territoire américain. "Volte-face " et "Mission Impossible II" notamment lui ont ouvert l'accès aux vedettes et budgets hollywoodiens, dont il profite encore une fois dans "La Paye", adaptation dynamique mais convenue d'un roman de Philip K. Dick. Deux courts-métrages sur l'univers du film et sept scènes supprimées ou prolongées complètent la présentation sur DVD.
Michael Jennings est un ingénieur en informatique employé par les grosses compagnies pour voler les secrets de leurs concurrents. À la fin de chaque contrat, sa mémoire est effacée. Mais après sa mission chez le milliardaire Rethrick, rien ne se passe comme prévu. Jennings n'est pas payé, le FBI le poursuit et il ne lui reste qu'une mystérieuse enveloppe contenant 19 objets quotidiens.
Mystère, action, suspense, machiavélisme, amour rédempteur et naïf : les ingrédients habituels de la recette Woo sont bien présents dans "La Paye". La mise en scène spectaculaire mais parfois maniérée sert d'enveloppe à un film exploitant un des thèmes préférés de la science-fiction : les dangers potentiels des avancées technologiques, dans la lignée d'autres adaptations de K. Dick, "Total Recall" ou "Rapport Minoritaire". L'intrigue est alambiquée, épaisse et parfaitement accrocheuse. Uma Thurman est, comme à son habitude lumineuse, face à un Ben Affleck qui s'en tire plutôt bien. Sans subtilité mais avec une efficacité certaine, Woo fait de "La Paye" un thriller futuriste assez convaincant. - "Helen Faradji"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: December 7, 1941 - It Was A Sunday Morning...

Summary: Sometimes bigger "is" actually better. Nearly matching the size of director Michael Bay's ego, this massive four-disc set is a veritable "Pearl Harbor" archive, and ironically, Bay's film remains the least interesting component. It's a purely conventional Hollywood take on the tragedy, using a clichéd love triangle between two ace pilots (Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck) and a Pearl Harbor nurse (Kate Beckinsale) as an "intimate" means of spectacularly re-creating the attack that thrust America into World War II. The director's cut adds little to the previous DVD release, apart from authentic R-rated carnage during the Japanese raid, and minor expansion of the Hartnett-Beckinsale romance. Commentaries range from superfluous (Bay and film historian Jeanine Basinger) to highly entertaining (Ben Affleck and costars) and technically informative (primary production team), and a spirited examination of visual effects (with Bay and ILM supervisor Eric Brevig) is guaranteed to fascinate anyone interested in physical effects and CGI. A broad "making of" documentary is noteworthy for one-time viewing, while abundant historical records make this a valuable compilation of definitive materials.
The History Channel's "One Hour over Tokyo" and "Unsung Heroes of Pearl Harbor" provide depth that Bay's movie lacks, and Charles Kiselyak's interactive timeline is arguably the finest feature included, providing an in-depth historical perspective on U.S.-Japan relations. Even a brief reenactment of a Pearl Harbor nurse's journal is moving in a way that Bay's film can only try to be, while the "Interactive Attack Sequence" provides a multifaceted exploration of the entire production process (a highly educational feature for aspiring filmmakers). All in all, these four discs offer an admirable balance between Bay's technically impressive but ill-conceived epic and a thorough, fitting tribute to those who endured hell on that fateful Sunday in 1941. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.

Summary: Another John Grisham legal thriller comes to the screen, pairing Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts in a film directed by Alan J. Pakula, who is known for dark-hued suspense pictures such as "Klute", "The Parallax View","All the President's Men", and "Presumed Innocent". "The Pelican Brief" isn't up to the level of those films, but it is a perfectly entertaining movie about a law student (Roberts) whose life is endangered when she discovers evidence of a conspiracy behind the killings of two Supreme Court justices. She enlists the help of an investigative reporter (Washington) and the two become fugitives. The charisma and chemistry of the leads goes a long way toward compensating for the story's shortcomings, as does a truly impressive supporting cast that includes Sam Shepard, John Heard, James B. Sikking, Tony Goldwyn, Stanley Tucci, Hume Cronyn, John Lithgow, William Atherton, and Robert Culp. "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: AC-3

Comments: How Far Would You Go To Keep A Secret?

Summary: "Perfect Stranger" is saved from conventional starlet-in-distress mediocrity by a certain refreshing unwholesomeness, a tawdry strain that runs all the way through its climactic series of kickers. Halle Berry plays a "gotcha" reporter, currently undercover to nail a famous advertising tycoon (Bruce Willis)--not for a story, but because Berry thinks he might be involved in a friend's murder. The distasteful nature of Berry trying to seduce the married exec adds some spice, and so does her pervy assistant (Giovanni Ribisi), whose voyeuristic tendencies indicate more than customary comic relief--at the least, he's a hefty red herring. There are other red herrings, mostly beginning to smell, in the rather ramshackle script. Director James Foley, who has a talent for hothouse intensity (Glengarry Glen Ross, At Close Range) gives this material more edge than it probably deserves, although he can't make Berry convincing, and she and Ribisi are completely wrong as simpatico best friends. Willis looks good by comparison, turning a one-note role into a subtle act of professionalism. "--Robert Horton"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Sometimes dead is better.

Summary: Dr. Louis Creed having just moved to Maine with his wife and two children is heartbroken when he finds that his daughter's beloved cat has been hit by a truck and killed. Thankfully a strange elderly neighbor called Jud knows a secret that may spare the young girl's tears. He takes the dead cat to an ancient Indian burial ground that lies hidden in the surrounding hilltops; and when he buries the feline there it comes back to life a few days later.But Louis can't be trusted with the secret and despite strong warnings that something horrible will happen he uses the power of the burial ground to bring his son back from the dead -- after the child is killed the same way the family cat was.System Requirements:Running Time: 102 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 097361183640 Manufacturer No: 118364

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: Korean, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: No one would take on his case... until one man was willing to take on the system.

Summary: "Philadelphia" wasn't the first movie about AIDS (it followed such worthy independent films as "Parting Glances" and "Longtime Companion"), but it was the first Hollywood studio picture to take AIDS as its primary subject. In that sense, "Philadelphia" is a historically important film. As such, it's worth remembering that director Jonathan Demme ("Melvin and Howard", "Something Wild", "The Silence of the Lambs") wasn't interested in preaching to the converted; he set out to make a film that would connect with a mainstream audience. And he succeeded. "Philadelphia" was not only a hit, it also won Oscars for Bruce Springsteen's haunting "The Streets of Philadelphia," and for Tom Hanks as the gay lawyer Andrew Beckett who is unjustly fired by his firm because he has AIDS. Denzel Washington is another lawyer (functioning as the mainstream-audience surrogate) who reluctantly takes Beckett's case and learns to overcome his misconceptions about the disease, about those who contract it, and about gay people in general. The combined warmth and humanism of Hanks and Demme were absolutely essential to making this picture a success. The cast also features Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas (as Beckett's lover), Joanne Woodward, and Robert Ridgely, and, of course, those Demme regulars Charles Napier, Tracey Walter, and Roger Corman. "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Get a clue!

Summary: This movie is so funny it had me in stitches! I think Steve Martin does a wonderful job of playing the Inspector. His side kick is great, and his secretary is cute and funny.
Beyonce did a good job of playing the pop singer. This movie is highly recommended!

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX

Comments: Prepare to be blown out of the water.

Summary: From producer Jerry Bruckheimer (PEARL HARBOR) comes PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, the thrilling, high-seas adventure with a mysterious twist. The roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow's (Johnny Depp) idyllic pirate life

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Take the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, add a dash of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and a lot more rum. Shake well and you'll have something resembling "Dead Man's Chest", a bombastic sequel that's enjoyable as long as you don't think too hard about it. The film opens with the interrupted wedding of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), both of whom are arrested for aiding in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the first film. Their freedom can only be obtained by getting Captain Jack's compass, which is linked to a key that's linked to a chest belonging to Davy Jones, an undead pirate with a tentacle face and in possession of a lot of people's souls. If you're already confused, don't worry--plot is definitely not the strong suit of the franchise, as the film excels during its stunt pieces, which are impressively extravagant (in particular a three-way swordfight atop a mill wheel). It may help to know that Dead Man's Chest was filmed simultaneously with some of "Pirates 3", so don't expect a complete resolution (think more "The Empire Strikes Back") or the movie will feel a "lot" longer than it really is.
Bloom shows a tad bit more brawn this time around, but he's still every bit as pretty as the tomboyish Knightley. (Seriously, sometimes you think they could swap roles.) Bill Nighy ("Love, Actually") weighs in as Davy Jones and Stellan Skarsgård appears as Will's undead father. But the film still belongs wholly to Depp, who in a reprise of his Oscar-nominated role gets all the belly laughs with a single widened eyeliner-ed gaze. He still runs like a cartoon hen and slurs like Keith Richards--and he's still one of the most fascinating movie characters in recent history. "--Ellen A. Kim "

More "Pirates" at Amazon.com
Johnny Depp DVDs"
Buy "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl"
Buy the Soundtrack

Languages: English, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: At the End of the World, the Adventure Begins

Summary: "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is a rollicking voyage in the same spirit of the two earlier "Pirates" films, yet far darker in spots (and nearly three hours to boot). The action, largely revolving around a pirate alliance against the ruthless East India Trading Company, doesn't disappoint, though the violence is probably too harsh for young children. Through it all, the plucky cast (Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush) are buffeted by battle, maelstroms, betrayal, treachery, a ferocious Caribbean weather goddess, and that gnarly voyage back from the world's end--but with their wit intact. As always, Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow tosses off great lines ; he chastises "a woman scorned, like which hell hath no fury than!" He insults an opponent with a string of epithets, ending in "yeasty codpiece."!
In the previous "Dead Man's Chest", Sparrow was killed--sent to Davy Jones' Locker. In the opening scenes, the viewer sees that death has not been kind to Sparrow--but that's not to say he hasn't found endless ways to amuse himself, cavorting with dozens of hallucinated versions of himself on the deck of the Black Pearl. But Sparrow is needed in this world, so a daring rescue brings him back. Keith Richards' much ballyhooed appearance as Jack's dad is little more than a cameo, though he does play a wistful guitar. But the action, as always, is more than satisfying, held together by Depp, who, outsmarting the far-better-armed British yet again, causes a bewigged commander to muse: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" As far as fans are concerned, it matters not. "--A.T. Hurley"

Languages: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: Rule the planet.

Summary: Billed as a "reimagining" of the original 1968 film, Tim Burton's extraordinary "Planet of the Apes" constantly borders on greatness, adhering to the spirit of Pierre Boulle's original novel while exploring fresh and inventive ideas and paying honorable tribute to the '68 sci-fi classic. Burton's gifts for eccentric inspiration and visual ingenuity make this a movie that's as entertaining as it is provocative, beginning with Rick Baker's best-ever ape makeup (hand that man an Oscar®!), and continuing through the surprisingly nuanced performances and breathtaking production design. Add to all this an intelligent screenplay that turns Boulle's speculative reversal--the dominance of apes over humans--into a provocative study of civil rights and civil war. The film finally goes too far with a woefully misguided ending that pays weak homage to the original, but everything preceding that misfire is astonishingly right.
While attempting the space-pod retrieval of a chimpanzee test pilot, Major Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) enters a magnetic storm that propels him into the distant future, where he crash-lands on the ape-ruled planet. Among the primitively civilized apes, treatment of enslaved humans is a divisive issue: senator's daughter Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) advocates equality while the ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) promotes extermination. While Davidson ignites a human rebellion, this conflict is explored with admirable depth and emotion, and sharp dialogue allows Burton's exceptional cast to bring remarkable expressiveness to their embattled ape characters, most notably in the comic relief of orangutan slave trader Limbo (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti). Classic lines from the original film are cleverly reversed (including an unbilled cameo for Charlton Heston, in ape regalia as Thade's dying father), and while this tale of interspecies warfare leads to an ironic conclusion that's not altogether satisfying, it still bears the ripe fruit of a timeless what-if idea. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Summary: Those immersed in the "Planet of the Apes" universe will go bananas for this DVD-only boxed set containing all 14 episodes of this obscure 1974 TV series based on the 1968 sci-fi classic. Ron Harper and James Naughton star as two astronauts who crash-land on the simian-ruled planet. Roddy McDowall (Cornelius in the "Apes" films) is Emmy-worthy as "renegade ape" Galen, who befriends them and helps them elude capture by the relentless General Urko. At its best, this series presented thoughtful stories in which the fugitives bridged the human-ape gap ("The Deception"). Of special interest is the episode "The Liberators," which was never broadcast during the series' fleeting run. Notable guest stars include Marc "Beastmaster" Singer ("The Gladiators"), Roscoe Lee Browne ("Tomorrow's Tide"), Sondra Locke ("The Cure"), and a pre-"Bad News Bears" Jackie Earle Haley ("The Legacy"). "--Donald Liebenson"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: The first casualty of war is innocence.

Summary: Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture and based on the first-hand experience of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, 'Platoon' is powerful, intense and starkly brutal. "Harrowingly realistic and completely convincing" (Leonard Maltin), it is "a dark, unforgettable memorial" (The Washington Post) to every soldier whose innocence was lost in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a young, naive American who, upon his arrival in Vietnam, quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong, but also with gnawing fear, physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him. While his two commanding officers (Oscar-nominated Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other, the conflict, chaos and hatred permeate Taylor, suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man's highest value ... life

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 1.0

Comments: The Government gave her a choice. Death. Or life as an assassin. Now, there's no turning back.

Summary: "Point of No Return" is one of those Hollywood remakes of a European hit in which one can visualize a committee of studio executives sitting around and saying, "Okay, we know what made the original film unique and different and fun. How can we make that same movie and do exactly the opposite?" For-hire director John Badham ("Saturday Night Fever") took "La Femme Nikita", Luc Besson's undeniably sexy, original, and kitschy French film about a female assassin, and translated it into a calculating, mechanistic American thriller with no distinctive style. Bridget Fonda gamely plays the willowy street punk who becomes a high-society killer, but once that provocative irony is in place, the movie is pretty much a series of by-the-numbers action set pieces. Until, that is, Dermot Mulroney shows up as a love interest; but even that twist can't save this film. You're much better off with the original, subtitles and all. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: The sailor man with the spinach can!

Summary: Nothing interests filmmaker Robert Altman more than a contained culture that mixes bare humanity with local eccentricity (think of his "M*A*S*H" and "Nashville"). So Altman's "Popeye" (1980), based on the old comic strip, works best as a portrait of a busy, cluttered, cartoonish town called Sweethaven. But it is much less successful as a comprehensible story about the famous sailor with massive forearms and a relationship with Olive Oyl (Shelley Duvall). Robin Williams plays Popeye with his usual brilliance for mimicry, Paul Dooley makes a credible Wimpy, and Paul L. Smith makes an impression as the oversized bully, Bluto. But this strange, disastrous film never becomes more than an expensive workshop airing out Altmanesque themes. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: There's a little witch in every woman.

Summary: Actor Griffin Dunne improves a bit on his first film as a director, "Addicted to Love", with this drama-comedy about a family of witches. Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock play spell-casting sisters of different temperaments: the former is a high-living, free-spirited sort, while Bullock's character is a homebody who can't get around a family curse that kills the men in their lives. A widowed single mom, Bullock gets into a jam with an abusive Bulgarian (Goran Visnjic) and is helped out by her sibling, but the result brings a good-looking, warm, inquisitive cop (Aidan Quinn) into their lives. The film has a variety of tonal changes--cute, scary, glum--that Dunne can't always effectively juggle. But the female-centric, celebratory nature of the film (the fantasies, the sharing, the witchy bonds) is infectious, and supporting roles by Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing as Kidman and Bullock's magical aunts are a lot of fun. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: If it bleeds, we can kill it...

Summary: "Rambo" meets "Alien" in this terrific science-fiction thriller from 1987, directed by John McTiernan just a year before "Die Hard" made him Hollywood's most sought-after director of action-packed blockbusters. Arnold Schwarzenegger leads an elite squad of U.S. Army commandos to a remote region of South American jungle, where they've been assigned to search for South American officials who've been kidnapped by terrorists. Instead they find a bunch of skinned corpses hanging from the trees and realize that they're now facing a mysterious and much deadlier threat. As the squad is picked off one by one, Arnold finds himself pitted against a hideous alien creature that's heavily armed and wearing a spacesuit enabling the creature to render itself invisible. The title says it all in describing the relentless, escalating action that follows, maintained by McTiernan with an abundance of visual flair. The film's special effects are still impressive, and stunning locations in the Mexican jungles create a combined atmosphere of verdant beauty and imminent danger. The plot doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, but the movie's so exciting and tightly paced that its weaknesses seem irrelevant. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Pull over, park, and pray.

Summary: "Predator" wreaked havoc in the jungle and struck box-office gold, so Hollywood logic dictated that "Predator 2" should raise hell in the big, bad city. Los Angeles, to be specific, and this near-future L.A. (circa 1997) is an ultra-violent playground for the invisibility-cloaked alien that hunted Arnold Schwarzenegger in the previous film. Scant explanation is given for the creature's return, and because Ah-nuld was busy making "Total Recall", Danny Glover was awkwardly installed as the maverick cop (is there any other kind?) who defies a government goon (Gary Busey) to curtail the alien's inner-city killing spree. But why bother, when the victims are scummy Colombian drug lords? Don't look for intelligent answers; director Stephen Hopkins favors wall-to-wall action over sensible plotting, allowing Stan Winston's more prominently featured Predator to join the ranks of iconic movie monsters. And anticipating "Alien vs. Predator" in comic books and in theaters, there's a familiar-looking skull in the Predator's trophy case! "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Comments: She walked off the street, into his life and stole his heart.

Summary: This 15th Anniversary celebration of PRETTY WOMAN is even more irresistible than ever with all-new, never-before-seen special features you'll love at first sight. Academy Award(R) Winner Julia Roberts (Best Actress, ERIN BROCKOVICH, 2000) is a spirited, streetwise diamond in the rough when she meets a no-nonsense billionaire played by Golden Globe winner Richard Gere (Best Actor In A Motion Picture -- Musical Or Comedy, CHICAGO, 2002). It's a chance encounter that turns a weeklong business arrangement into a timeless rags-to-riches romance. This Special Edition will seduce you with all the comedy, charm, and passion you remember about this classic -- plus more!

Languages: English, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Comments: Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, Battling Rodents of Unusual Size, Facing torture in the Pit of Despair. - True love has never been a snap.

Summary: From celebrated director Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally) and Oscar *-winning screenwriter William Goldman (Chaplin) comes an enchanting fantasy (Time) filled with adventure, romance and plenty of good-hearted fun (Roger Ebert)! Featuring a spectacular cast that includes Robin Wright (Forrest Gump), Cary Elwes (Liar, Liar), Mandy Patinkin (Dick Tracy) and Billy Crystal (City Slickers), this wonderful fairy tale about a princess named Buttercup and her beloved is a real dream of a movie (People)!

Special Features:
Bran-New As You Wish Documentary Featuring All-New Interviews With Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin And More!
New Audio Commentary By Director Rob Reiner
New Audio Commentary By Author William Goldman
Exclusive Footage Shot By Cary Elwes During The Making Of The Movie
2 Original Featurettes And More!


System Requirements:
Running Time 98 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: The trend is to convert movies into stage musicals, but "The Producers" goes a step further: making a feature film of the smash-hit stage musical that was adapted from the 1968 film. The chief drawing card, of course, is Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprising their roles from the stage. Lane plays Max Bialystock, a legendary Broadway producer who hasn't had a hit show in a long time. Enter nebbish accountant Leo Bloom (Broderick), who tells Bialystock he could actually make more money with a flop than a hit. So the two set out to produce the worst Broadway musical of all time, one guaranteed to close on opening night, with the collaboration of an outrageous cast of characters: Will Ferrell as sieg heil-ing author Franz Liebkind, Uma Thurman as Swedish bombshell Ulla, Gary Beach as director Roger De Bris, and Roger Bart as his assistant, Carmen Ghia, among others.
As directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman (who did the same honors on Broadway) and co-written by Mel Brooks, "The Producers" is laugh-out-loud funny. It's also a relentlessly over-the-top, shamelessly bawdy, stereotype-ridden comedy that may turn off its audience just as much as its centerpiece, "Springtime for Hitler", was intended to. But Broadway fans who are used to larger-than-life figures who play to the back row while showering the first row with spit, are likely to forgive and just enjoy the famous granny-walker dance, a supporting cast dotted with Broadway performers (playing a taxi driver is Brad Oscar, who originated the role of Liebkind on Broadway then later played Bialystock), or the mere spectacle of seeing Lane and Broderick memorializing the performances that millions never got a ticket to see. (For maximum laughs, stick around through the closing credits.) "--David Horiuchi"

Languages: English, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: A recreation of the nightmare that started it all...

Summary: Numerous critics had already sharpened their knives even before Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot color "re-creation" of the 1960 black-and-white Hitchcock classic was released, chiding the "Good Will Hunting" director for defiling hallowed ground. This intriguing cinematic curiosity, though, is hardly as sacrilegious as critics would lead you to believe. If anything, Van Sant doesn't take "enough" liberties with his almost slavish devotion to the material, now updated with modern references. At times, you wish Van Sant would cut loose with a little spontaneity, a little energy, a little "something". Unfortunately, when he does venture outside Hitchcock's parameters, with inserted shots of storm clouds during the murder sequences, it's to little effect. Granted, he liberally splashes color throughout the film (especially in the case of the infamous shower scene), and this is a great-looking movie, but in his obsession with adding a new physical dimension to the film, there's little insight into these characters that Hitchcock hadn't already provided. Vince Vaughn, a robotic and giggly Norman, doesn't crawl under your skin the way boy-next-door Anthony Perkins did, and Anne Heche is admirable if not very sympathetic in the Janet Leigh role. Van Sant does score a minor coup, though, in his casting of the supporting roles: Julianne Moore provides a welcome shot of energy as Heche's irritable and curious sister, William H. Macy is a perfect small-time detective, Viggo Mortensen is studly enough to make you understand why Heche would want to run away with him, and James LeGros walks away with his one brief scene as a used car salesman. And Danny Elfman's gorgeous rerecording of Bernard Herrmann's score is a potent supporting character unto itself. Students and fans of the original film will get a kick out of the modern revisions, but don't expect anything of Hitchcockian caliber; watch it for the sum of its intriguing parts, but not the whole. "--Mark Englehart"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital

Comments: Girls like me don't make invitations like this to just anyone!

Summary: With the knockout one-two punch of 1992's "Reservoir Dogs" and 1994's "Pulp Fiction" writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world, exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. But "Pulp Fiction" was more than just the follow-up to an impressive first feature, or the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, or a script stuffed with the sort of juicy bubblegum dialogue actors just love to chew, or the vehicle that reestablished John Travolta on the A-list, or the relatively low-budget ($8 million) independent showcase for an ultrahip mixture of established marquee names and rising stars from the indie scene (among them Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, and Phil Lamar). It was more, even, than an unprecedented $100-million-plus hit for indie distributor Miramax. "Pulp Fiction" was a sensation. No, it was not the Second Coming (I actually think "Reservoir Dogs" is a more substantial film; and P.T. Anderson outdid Tarantino in 1997 by making his directorial debut with two even more mature and accomplished pictures, "Hard Eight" and "Boogie Nights"). But "Pulp Fiction" packs so much energy and invention into telling its nonchronologically interwoven short stories (all about temptation, corruption, and redemption amongst modern criminals, large and small) it leaves viewers both exhilarated and exhausted--hearts racing and knuckles white from the ride. (Oh, and the infectious, surf-guitar-based soundtrack is tastier than a Royale with Cheese.) "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: If society won't punish the guilty, he will.

Summary: First, a few facts. Dolph Lundgren expresses emotions ranging from stoic to, well, really stoic. There are holes in the story large enough to pilot the "Exxon Valdez" through without spilling a drop. And the film is littered with action movie clichés. But none of this matters. "The Punisher" succeeds because it stays true to its origins, the Marvel comic of the same name. Studio-engineered films such as "Batman" never quite capture the mixture of loyalty and betrayal, justice and revenge, moral ambiguity and emotional truth that are the hallmarks of the graphic novel. Films such as "Darkman" do. So does "The Punisher". Lundgren plays Frank Castle, a dedicated policeman whose family was wiped out in a mob hit. He went underground (literally) and, as the Punisher, has been exacting his revenge, killing 125 mobsters in the past five years. But when the yakuza (Japanese Mafia) moves in on the mob's territory and kidnaps their children, it's up to the Punisher to rescue the kids. The action blazes, Lundgren (a former full-contact karate champ) moves with feral grace, the production design is a pleasure to watch, and director Mark Goldblatt (whose credits as editor include such big films as "Starship Troopers" and "True Lies") has a clean, efficient style. "--Geof Miller"

Languages: English

Sound: SDDS

Comments: This Is Not Revenge. It's Punishment!

Summary: Special agent Frank Castle had it all: A loving family, a great life, and an adventurous job. But when his life is taken away from him by a ruthless criminal and his associates, Frank has become reborn. Now serving as judge, jury, and executioner, he's a new kind of vigilante out to wage a one man war against those who have done him wrong.

Languages: English

Sound: DTS

Summary: Smith is a gifted actor, and this film really showcases his emotional range. His natural rapport with his son is in no way one-sided; Jaden Smith is believable and very charming. Certainly, the audience can feel secure that Chris Gardner, the main character, will succeed in some fashion or else a film would never have been based on his autobiography, but the simple, sentimental score, well-written screenplay, subtle direction and, above all, Will Smith's acting make us strive with Gardner, cry with him, and hurt with him.

Gardner's tale is like "Die Hard" for the masses; he has to endure being arrested, being evicted, fighting for a bed at the homeless shelter, trying to keep appointments and to study while holding down two full-time jobs with no car, sprinting all over San Francisco, attempting to keep himself and his son clean--it just does not stop. Watch Smith's face during the film--he shows us a man who only just manages to fend off despair. He bleeds and weeps because of the injustice in the world, with disappointment at how his potential has been wasted, with the weight of all his past failures, and with worry for his son. But he clings to the path he has chosen in the belief that it will lead him from this torment. One can actually see the dead look in Smith's eyes, the punch-drunk expression of one who is suffering, who is juggling so many burdens that his mind spills over with the effort, for whom a seemingly minor setback is a Big Deal. Smith gets it, and he makes us get it, too.

Incidentally, he could probably have been a stuntman or a professional athlete. He has had running scenes in many of his films to date, and in this movie he looks ready to set a new record for the 400 meters. Smith is a little too fit and energetic for a homeless guy who hardly sleeps and eats in a soup kitchen for much of the movie, but his running and carrying feats illustrate Gardner's bulldog tenacity, and how his own physical power and endurance aided him in achieving his ends. All I have to say is this movie is one of the best this year. I couldn't believe how good Will Smith did in this film. I also couldn't imagine a bone density scanner salesman lived a part of his life this way. Sleeping in a bathroom at a Subway station! On top of toilet paper! It made me feel good that I sleep in a bed at night! I do hope with an inspiring story like this, that he claims any upcoming awards.