DVDpedia : GQ DVD Library : Genre : C

Summary: An exciting range your favourite Warner Brothers classics on 12 DVD's <li>Aloha Hooey
Featuring:Crow
<li>The Cagey Canary
Featuring:Granny and Canary
<li>Booby Hatched
Featuring:Duck
<li>Birdy And The Beast
Featuring:Tweety
<li>I Got Plenty Of Mutton
Featuring:Wolf

Summary: An exciting range your favourite Warner Brothers classics on 12 DVD's <li>Nothing But The Tooth
Featuring:Porky Pig
<li>The Up-Standing Sitter
Featuring:Daffy Duck
<li>A Feather In His Hare
Featuring:Bugs Bunny
<li>Inki And the Lion
Featuring:Inki
<li>The Case Of the Missing Hare
Featuring:Bugs Bunny Plus Many, Many More...

Summary: An exciting range your favourite Warner Brothers classics on 12 DVD's <li>Tom Turk And Daffy
Featuring:Porky Pig and Daffy duck
<li>Hiss And Make Up
Featuring:Granny
<li>The Trial Of Mr Wolf
Featuring:Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood
<li>Of Thee I Sting
Featuring:Battalion of Mosquitoes
<li>Two Gophers From Texas
Featuring:Goofy Golfers Plus much more...

Summary: An exciting range your favourite Warner Brothers classics on 12 DVD's <li>Prest-O-Change-O
Featuring:Sham Fu
<li>Hare-um Scare-um
Featuring:Bugs Bunny
<li>Fresh Hare
Featuring:Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd
<li>Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
Featuring:Bugs Bunny
<li>Elmer's Candid Camera
Featuring:Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd
<li>Hold the Lion Please
Featuring:Bugs Bunny
<li>Elmer's Pet Rabbit
Featuring:Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd
<li>Jack Wabbit And The Beanstalk
Featuring:Bugs Bunny and the Giant
<li>Hare Remover
Featuring:Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd
<li>Rabbit Punch
Featuring:Bugs Bunny

Summary: Pirates of the Carribean, eat your heart out. 'Finding Nemo' is the best sea, animated and family film yet. Once again, PIXAR Animation studios delivered amazing and incredibly realistic animation. Finding Nemo is a great movie because it has a very interesting plot which will make you involved from start to finish. It's cast is great, Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGernes, Willem Dafoe, etc. Also, the humor and dramatic and intense sequences blend in to make this film. It's humorous, such as the screenplay and funny facial expressions. Intense, such as the Angler fish scene, when its all dark and the Angler fish pops out of no where, and when you see it's face, you'll know what I'm talking about! And dramatic such as the loving relationship between Marlin and Nemo, and the friendship between Dory and Marlin. But what makes this movie so amazing is that all of the material is REAL!(Except the talking fish with eyelids and all) Clown fish, Jelly Fish, Anemones-- all of it is real, and delivers an educational impact on us on how beatiful and overwhelming the ocean is.So basically, if you've been living under a rock for the past 9 months and haven't seen this movie, BUY THIS MOVIE!!And even if you already saw it and don't have it, stop reading this review and order it now!

Summary: The Story: Manfred the mastodon (Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) are getting ready to migrate, separately, when fate brings them together and puts a human infant in their care. They travel through the brutal but starkly beautiful landscapes of 20,000 years ago, seeking the child's father, who is migrating with his tribe. Of course, the prey-predator factor complicates things, as man hunts everything, saber-toothed tigers hunt everything, sloths are usually prey, and mastodons are prize prey that are usually passed up because of their size. Oh, and along the way, a squirrel (?) tries to gather acorns for the (extremely long and harsh) winter.Story Commentary: This is a computer-animated remake of "The Three Godfathers" but the first half seemed a LOT like "Shrek" meets "Monsters, Inc." transposed into the distant past. Then, something happens, and the movie became wondrous for me. The things that created this transformation were: the turmoil and complexity of Diego's emerging character as he discovers a different way of being; the whole scene in the ice cavern, and especially the wall-drawing of the mastodon that Manfred sees (and then imagines into a microcosmic summary of Ice Age life); the growing sense of duty, stewardship, and surrogate fatherhood. The ice cavern scene is the start, and is an unforgettable movie moment for me. The interspersed vignettes of the squirrel (coati mundi?) provided great comic relief, plus an ending to make one chuckle.Technical Commentary: This film looks very different than did "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc." but is on a par, technically, with them. The stark beauty of an Ice Age winter, turned into an icy playground with lethal traps and pitfalls, was a work of minimalist art.At the halfway point, I would have given the film two to three stars, and complained that it lacked originality times three. The last half gets five stars.

Summary: "The Jetsons" (1962) was the third primetime series from the Hanna-Barbera Studio, after "The Flintstones" (1960) and "Top Cat" (1961). Although the show was cancelled after its first season, it proved a durable Saturday-morning favorite, running for more than 14 years on all three networks.
Like "The Flintstones", "The Jetsons" borrowed heavily from live-action sitcoms, notably "The Donna Reed Show" and "Hazel". The 21st century became a Futurelux vision of a '60s suburb. George Jetson (voiced by George O'Hanlon) pushed buttons for the penny-pinching Mr. Spacely (Mel Blanc). Judy (Janet Waldo) was a typical teenager with a crush on rock & roll singer Jet Screamer. Elroy (Daws Butler) was a bright little boy whose experiments always blew up. Astro (Don Messick) was one of the first anthropomorphic dogs that became a Hanna-Barbera standard. Jane (Penny Singleton, basically reprising her role in the "Blondie" films) kept everyone and everything on course. "The Flintstones" used rocks and animals to approximate everyday appliances; "The Jetsons" had high-tech gadgets that invariably malfunctioned and clobbered George.
Aside from two commentaries by Waldo and a short making-of video with old footage of Hanna and Barbera, the DVD set has little in the way of extras: no bumpers, commercials, etc. "The Jetsons" hardly ranks as great animation, but for anyone who grew up during the '60s and '70s, these discs are the comforting video equivalent of a slice of yellow cake with fudge frosting and a glass of milk. (Rated G: alcohol and tobacco use, minor cartoon violence) "--Charles Solomon"

Summary: So it's been pretty clearly stated in all of these reviews that the movie itself is great- the spectacular (if dark) visual effects, the great musical score (I didn't like any musicals at all until I saw this...I couldn't help myself from singing along), and the all-too-funny story line, all make "Nightmare" a worthy purchase. But the new 'special edition' makes it a must-have. Along with the film itself, the new edition includes an hour-long 'making' section, lots of test sequences and sketches (animated and not), several cut scenes, an audio commentary, and, perhaps most importantly, two of Tim Burton's early films- "Vincent" (a 5-minute claymation short, a tribute to and narrated by the late Vincent Price), and "Frankenweenie" (a 30-minute live action film, in which a young Victor Frankenstein, in a modern everyday suburb, brings his dog, Sparky, back from the dead). When you put all this together, it makes the Special Edition a must-have for anyone who enjoyed the film (which means almost anyone)

Summary: Now here's something you don't see everyday, Chauncey. It's the complete first season of one of television's smartest, savviest, and most subversively funny animated series, ranked by TV Guide as one of the top 50 series of all time. Like the animators at Warner Bros.' Termite Terrace (birthplace of Porky, Daffy, and Bugs), producer Jay Ward, his partner Bill Scott (the voice of Bullwinkle), and the cracked writing staff did not write down to children. The dialogue is witty and sharply satiric. Characters break the "fourth wall" between the screen and the audience. They make sly references to the show's creators and the television network. They hurl barbs of mass destruction at Washington, D.C. politicians. And then there are the godawful puns. This four-disc set contains the series' first two serial adventures. "Jet Fuel Formula" is a cold war-era blast, as Rocky (voiced by June Foray, the Queen of Cartoons) and Bullwinkle frantically race to re-create a rocket fuel recipe (actually Grandma Bullwinkle's recipe for mooseberry fudge cake), while being menaced by those no-goodniks Boris Badenov and femme fatale Natasha. "Box Top Robbery" reveals that the basis for the world's economy is not gold and silver, but cereal box tops. Linking these cliffhanging episodes are such hilarious segments as "Fractured Fairy Tales," which upend familiar storybook favorites (Red Riding Hood, for example, is a predatory fur merchant after the unwitting wolf), "Mr. Peabody," the canine genius who travels through time in the company of his boy, Sherman, and forthright Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties, who must contend with his own horse for the affections of sweet Nell. Bullwinkle gets extra credits as Mr. Know-It-All and as the host of Poetry Corner. And watch him pull a rabbit out of his hat! These cartoons are as fresh and funny as when they first aired more than four decades ago. Boomer-era adults will be amazed at the jokes that no doubt soared over their heads as children. --Donald Liebenson

Summary: Fiona and Shrek are blissful ogres on their honeymoon in "Shrek 2," the delightful new animated film from Dreamworks. Shrek would like nothing better than to wallow in the swamp and lie on the beach with the love of his life. The couple's solitude is disturbed, however, when the fast-talking and impudent donkey who was Shrek's sidekick in the first movie knocks on their door and makes himself at home. Donkey is too clueless to know that two's company and three's a crowd. Shrek is even more chagrined when Princess Fiona's parents, the King and Queen, invite their daughter and her new husband to the palace. Shrek correctly predicts that his in-laws will be shocked when they discover that their daughter married an ogre. In fact, the King desperately wants Fiona to dump Shrek and marry Prince Charming, a fey blond egomaniac who is overly attached to his pushy mother. All this conflict puts a strain on the newlyweds."Shrek 2" scores in all areas. The acting is marvelous, with Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz heading an all-star cast. Jennifer Saunders is a standout as an aggressive fairy godmother with a mean streak. The animation is terrific, the special effects are marvelous, and there are musical numbers, satirical allusions, and lots of sight gags to entertain kids and adults alike. Kick back and enjoy this perfect summer movie.

Summary: How many movies offer the rare spectacle of a parasailing pink starfish flying over a crowd with a congratulatory pennant clenched between his buttcheeks? And that's only the tip of the iceberg--"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" is a freewheeling goof of a cartoon, full of surreal twists as its diminutive heroes head down a dangerous road to rescue the lost crown of King Neptune. SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), an arrested adolescent in the mold of Pee-wee Herman, works at a fast-food restaurant that serves something called Krabby Patties (as the restaurant owner is himself a crab, it's not clear what exactly they're made of). His best friend Patrick Starfish (Bill Fagerbakke) lives under a rock and has an IQ in the lower digits. Still, their friendship carries them through many a tight spot as they strive for manliness. Anyone seeking a coherent world will be disappointed; in this undersea adventure, things catch on fire or seem to be surrounded by air whenever it's convenient for a gag. The jokes are often more silly than actually funny, but there's an undeniably energetic joviality to the proceedings. Featuring the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, Alec Baldwin, and a fully fleshed appearance by David Hasselhoff. "--Bret Fetzer"

Summary: From the creator of Astroboy comes Kimba, one of the "first-generation anime classics" from Japan, and the first to be broadcast in color, in 1965. Featuring spectacular designs and trailblazing animation techniques, gentle stories, and a catchy theme song, Kimba's adventures are enchanting tales of jungle survival and social reform. With his pals Pauly the Parrot, Daniel Baboon, and a charming assortment of loveable characters, Kimba follows in the footsteps of his late father, the great lion king, but he leaves his own trail, making the jungle a safer, better place to live for everyone. This DVD boxed contains all 52 colour episodes on ten discs plus an extra eleventh disc of extras. The episodes are in the order according to Osamu Tezuka's original storyline.

Summary:

Summary: The delirious animated series "Ren and Stimpy" makes its DVD debut in a three-disc set that features seasons 1 and 2, as well as a handful of extras to please its devoted fan base. The surreal adventures of short-tempered Chihuahua Ren and good-natured but simple cat Stimpson J. Cat caught on like a house afire with teen and college audiences during its 1991-96 run on Nickelodeon, despite regular battles between the network and creator John Kricfalusi (who also voiced Ren and several other characters) over allegedly objectionable content in certain episodes. The conflict eventually led to several episodes suffering edits, much to the chagrin of the show's creators and audience alike; the unedited versions of these episodes have become much sought-after and traded items among collectors. And while this set attempts to rectify that situation by presenting the show in its uncut form, die-hard fans should know that several episodes retain minor cuts; however, many others, most notably the pilot, "Big House Blues," and "Powdered Toastman" are presented in their original, uncut versions. Extras include commentaries on seven episodes by Kricfalusi and the show's creators, storyboard galleries, a featurette, and the "banned" episode "Man's Best Friend." "--Paul Gaita"

Summary: Did you REALLY think you were safe from the insanity and stupidity of Ren and Stimpy? Well, the demented duo is back for more madness with their friends Powdered Toastman, Jimmy Lummox, Jerry the Bellybutton Elf, crazy Wilbur Cobb, deranged circus midgets, and more! From girl scouts to brain surgery, from prehistoric times to Washington, D.C., from inside Stimpy Bellybutton, to inside Ren's face, get ready for a whacked-out ride! Oh, joy of joys!

Summary: Cult comic actor Steve Carell--long adored for his supporting work on "The Daily Show" and in movies like "Bruce Almighty" and "Anchorman"--leaps into leading man status with "The 40 Year-Old Virgin". There's no point describing the plot; it's about how a 40 year-old virgin named Andy (Carell) finally finds true love and gets laid. Along the way, there are very funny scenes involving being coached by his friends, speed dating, being propositioned by his female manager, and getting his chest waxed. Carell finds both humor and humanity in Andy, and the supporting cast includes some standout comic work from Paul Rudd ("Clueless", "The Shape of Things") and Jane Lynch ("Best in Show", "A Mighty Wind"), as well as an unusually straight performance from Catherine Keener ("Lovely & Amazing", "Being John Malkovich"). And yet... something about the movie misses the mark. It skirts around the topic of male sexual anxiety, mining it for easy jokes, but never really digs into anything that would make the men in the audience actually squirm--and it's a lot less funny as a result. Nonetheless, there are many great bits, and Carell deserves the chance to shine. "--Bret Fetzer"

Summary: "Annie Hall" is one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton) is a Midwestern transplant who dabbles in photography and sings in small clubs. When the two meet, the sparks are immediate--if repressed. Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie navigate a minefield of self-conscious "is-this-person-someone-I'd-want-to-get-involved-with?" conversation. As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: the likes of "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk." Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in the flush of their new romance. Allen's antic sensibility shines here in a series of flashbacks to Alvy's childhood, growing up, quite literally, under a rumbling roller coaster. His boisterous Jewish family's dinner table shares a split screen with the WASP-y Hall's tight-lipped holiday table, one Alvy has joined for the first time. His position as outsider is uncontestable he looks down the table and sizes up Annie's "Grammy Hall" as "a classic Jew-hater."
The relationship arcs, as does Annie's growing desire for independence. It quickly becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, as what was once endearing becomes annoying. "Annie Hall" embraces Allen's central themes--his love affair with New York (and hatred of Los Angeles), how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. But their balance is just right, the chemistry between Allen's worry-wart Alvy and Keaton's gangly, loopy Annie is one of the screen's best pairings. It couldn't be more engaging. "--Susan Benson"

Summary: Welcome to the wonderfully wacky world of the Coen brothers. Joel and Ethan Coen are two of the most brilliant filmmakers in America today. Every film they turn out is a cinematic gem, and "Barton Fink" is no exception. The film centers around a slightly pompous, idealistic, left wing playwright, Barton Fink (John Turturro), who in 1941, after becoming the toast of Broadway as the pretentious voice of the common man, goes west to Hollywood at the invitation of a major studio in order to try his hand at writing screenplays. There, he meets studio head, Jack Lipnick (Michael Lerner), and his yes man and whipping boy, Lou Breeze (Jon Polito). Asked to write a screenplay for a Wallace Beery vehicle about wrestling, a subject about which the bookish Fink knows nothing about, causes Fink to go into a professional tailspin.Ensconced in a decaying old hotel, seemingly run by its slightly creepy and unctuous bell hop, Chet (Steve Buscemi), who bizarrely appears on the scene out of a trapdoor behind the hotel's front desk, Fink begins his ordeal . The elevator is run by a cadaverous, pock marked, elderly man. The corridors of the hotel seem endless. The wallpaper in Fink's room is peeling away from the wall, leaving a viscous, damp ooze in its wake. His bed creaks and groans with a life of its own. It is also hot, oppressively hot. No residents of the hotel are apparent, except for the appearance of shoes outside the doors in expectation of the free shoe shine the hotel offers its denizens and for the noise made by his neighbors. Finks meets one of his neighbors, the portly Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), a gregarious Everyman, possessed of an abundance of bonhomie. A self-styled insurance salesman, Charlie cajoles Fink out of his shell, befriending him in the process. Little does Fink know that beneath Charlie's congenial exterior lies a horrific secret that will spillover onto him in the not so distant future.At a luncheon with studio under boss, Ben Geisler (Tony Shalhoub), Fink meets a famous writer that he reveres, W. P. Mayhew (John Mahoney), a southern sot so steeped in drink that his companion/secretary, Audrey Taylor (Judy Davis), has to do his writing for him. Fink falls for Audrey but finds his overtures rebuffed. Still, she is willing to try and help him overcome his profound writer's block. In a classic Coen twist, it is this single act of kindness that acts as the catalyst for the nightmare that makes Fink's life become a living hell on earth. He goes from living a life of self-imposed isolation and angst to one that appears to have been created by a Hollywood hack, filled as it is with the most incredible situations, a real studio head's dream. John Turturro is terrific as the introverted, tightly wound, pretentious, and neurotic Fink, who in Hollywood, away from the womb of the Great White Way, is like a lamb led to the slaughter. With his sculpted afro, horn rimmed glasses, nerdy clothes, Fink is the stereotypic Hollywood notion of the commie writer. John Turturro makes the role his with a purposeful intensity.John Goodman is sensational as the garrulous Charlie Meadow, the epitome of the working class man about whom Fink likes to write. Unfortunately, all is not as it seems, as Charlie has a dark side to him, a very dark side. John Mahoney is excellent as the Faulknerian-like writer, and Judy Davis outdoes herself, as the self-sacrificing Audrey Taylor. Michael Lerner will razzle-dazzle the viewer with his over the top portrayal of a fast talking studio head who is willing to pay big bucks for the cache of having a top Broadway playwright turn out screenplay swill for the masses. Jon Polito is very good as the Uriah Heepish, quintessential yes man he portrays. Tony Shalhoub is excellent in his role, underscoring the absurdity of the old Hollywood studio system.Steve Buscemi, looking surprisingly small in his bell hop uniform, resembles an organ grinder's monkey, at times. The viewer may also expect him to bellow, "Call for Phillip Morris", as in the old cigarette campaign, though he speaks in a controlled, respectful monotone, at all times. Still, his very presence adds a slightly sinister quality to the film, though he does nothing remotely sinister, other than the way he makes his screen appearance. His entrance onto the screen in this fashion foreshadows what is to come.This film is not for everyone, as it does not have a neatly wrapped ending. Instead, it goes beyond the standard expected ending into an absurdist foray. Still, those who love films by the Coen Brothers will not be disappointed by this satiric look at Hollywood. It is little wonder that this film became the darling of the Cannes Film Festival.

Summary: The Dude, Jeff Lebowski is unemployed and laid-back... until... victim of mistaken identity, two thugs break into his apartment in the errant belief that they are accosting Jeff Lebowski the pasadena millionare. In the hope of getting a replacement for his soiled carpet Dude visits his wealthy namesake and, with buddy, ex 'nam' veteran, Walter, he is swept into a consequence comedy/thriller of extortion, embezzlement, sex & dope.

Summary: Available for the first time, Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam show is one of his most successful to date. This DVD also features the full length Director's Cut of his Bewilderness show - including the hilarious Steven Hawking sketch.

Summary: Bill Bailey returns with the 'sequel' to his Bewilderness live show - Part Troll. After seeing his song Insect Nation ("Human slaves, in an insect nation. Ahhh-AAHHH-ahaha!!") on Comedy Store, I got this, and it was hilarious.
Although his stand-up is great, where he really excels (and gets the biggest reaction from the crowd) is his musical performances.
These include the 'Scale Of Evil' (featuring such evil icons as Hitler and Chris De Burgh...you'll see what I mean when you watch it) and 'Drum & Bush' (Drum & Bass combined with vocal samples of George W. Bush).
If you're a fan of Bill Bailey (whether from his Bewilderness show, his appearance on Black Books or on the music/comedy quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks), then this should take pride of place in your DVD collection.

Summary: Mel Brooks scored his first commercial hit with this raucous Western spoof starring the late Cleavon Little as the newly hired (and conspicuously black) sheriff of Rock Ridge. Sheriff Bart teams up with deputy Jim (Gene Wilder) to foil the railroad-building scheme of the nefarious Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman). The simple plot is just an excuse for a steady stream of gags, many of them unabashedly tasteless, that Brooks and his wacky cast pull off with side-splitting success. The humor is so juvenile and crude that you just have to surrender to it; highlights abound, from the lunkheaded Alex Karras as the ox-riding Mongo to Madeline Kahn's uproarious send-up of Marlene Dietrich as saloon songstress Lili Von Shtupp. Adding to the comedic excess is the infamous campfire scene involving a bunch of hungry cowboys, heaping servings of baked beans and, well, you get the idea. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: It takes a certain kind of comic genius to create a character who is, to quote the classic Sondheim lyric, appealing and appalling. But be forewarned: "Borat" is not "something for everyone." It arrives as advertised as one of the most outrageous, most offensive, and funniest films in years. Kazakhstan journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen reprising the popular character from his "Da Ali G Show"), leaves his humble village to come to "U.S. and A" to film a documentary. After catching an episode of "Baywatch" in his New York hotel room, he impulsively scuttles his plans and, accompanied by his fat, hirsute producer (Hardy to his Laurel), proceeds to California to pursue the object of his obsession, Pamela Anderson. "Borat" is not about how he finds America; it's about how America finds him in a series of increasingly cringe-worthy scenes. Borat, with his '70s mustache, well-worn grey suit, and outrageously backwards attitudes (especially where Jews are concerned) interacts with a cross-section of the populace, catching them, a la Alan Funt on "Candid Camera", in the act of being themselves. Early on, an unwitting humor coach advises Borat about various types of jokes. Borat asks if his brother's retardation is a ripe subject for comedy. The coach patiently replies, "That would not be funny in America." NOT! "Borat" is subversively, bracingly funny. When it comes to exploring uncharted territory of what is and is not appropriate or politically correct, "Borat" knows no boundaries, as when he brings a fancy dinner with the southern gentry to a halt after returning from the bathroom with a bag of his feces ("The cultural differences are vast," his hostess graciously/patronizingly offers), or turns cheers to boos at a rodeo when he calls for bloodlust against the Iraqis and mangles "The Star Spangled Banner."
Success, John F. Kennedy once said, has a thousand fathers. A paternity test on "Borat" might reveal traces of Bill Dana's Jose Jimenez, Andy Kaufman, Michael Moore, "The Jamie Kennedy Xperiment", and "Jackass". Some scenes seem to have been staged (a game Anderson, whom Borat confronts at a book signing, was reportedly in on the setup), but others, as the growing litany of lawsuits attests, were not. All too real is Borat's encounter with loutish Southern frat boys who reveal their sexism and racism, and the disturbing moment when he asks a gun store owner what gun he would recommend to "kill a Jew" (a Glock automatic is the matter-of-fact reply). Comedy is not pretty, and in "Borat" it can get downright ugly, as when Borat and his producer get jiggly with it during a nude fight that spills out from their hotel room into the hallway, elevator, lobby and finally, a mortgage brokers association banquet. High-five! "--Donald Liebenson"

Summary: Very Niiice! In this hilariously offensive movie, Kazakhstani TV news reporter Borat is dispatched to the United States to make a documentary on the "greatest country in the world." Arriving in New York City with a producer and cameraman in tow, Borat becomes increasingly interested in locating and marrying Pamela Anderson than on his assignment. En route to Los Angeles, he meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences.

Summary: If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--this is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. However, Brazil was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam sure captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's The Trial (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek governmental clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. Not a software bug, a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous Metamorphosis insect) that gets smooshed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly identifying an innocent citizen, one Mr.&nbsp;Buttle, as suspected terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De&nbsp;Niro). When Sam becomes enmeshed in unraveling this bureaucratic glitch, he himself winds up labeled as a miscreant. The movie presents such an unrelentingly imaginative and savage vision of 20th-century bureaucracy that it almost became a victim of small-minded studio management itself--until Gilliam surreptitiously screened his cut for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, who named it the best movie of 1985 and virtually embarrassed Universal into releasing it. This DVD version of Brazil is the special director's cut that first appeared in Criterion's comprehensive (and expensive) six-disc laser package in 1996. --Jim Emerson

Summary: Borat trickster Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the big screen to offer yet another stinging dose of sociopolitical satire in this comedy that finds him assuming the persona of gay fashionmonger Bruno..

Summary: After the dark brilliance of No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's Burn Before Reading, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role). To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (The Visitor's Richard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is. Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of The Big Lebowski, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If Lebowski represented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, Burn sees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from Enemy of the State to The Bourne Identity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy


Stills from Burn After Reading (Click for larger image)

Summary: Alferd Packer was the only man in the United States ever convicted of cannibalism--what better hero for fellow Coloradan and future "South Park" creator Trey Parker to celebrate in music? Blue-eyed and boyish Parker was still in college when he wrote, directed, composed the songs for, and took the starring role as the innocent young Packer in this film, giving a gee- whiz performance as an ambitious pioneer who joins an ill-fated trek west that ends up stranded in the mountains. At times resembling a perverse community theater parody of Rodgers and Hammerstein ("My heart's as full as a baked po-ta-to!"), Parker bounces back and forth between cheery production numbers and goony songs ("Let's build a snowman," sings one starving-mad hiker) and grotesque gore (bloody body parts, festering sores, human hors d'oeuvres). It lacks in style and consistency and the juvenile gags and fart jokes wear thin over the course of a feature film, but Parker's sheer energy and inventiveness carry the overlong picture to a rousing conclusion. Regular Parker collaborators Matt Stone and Dian Bachar costar in this tuneful barbecue. "--Sean Axmaker"

Summary: With "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", Woody Allen pays another visit to his idealized past, and his retro blend of humor and nostalgia will surely satisfy the filmmaker's most loyal fans. Like "The Purple Rose of Cairo", "Radio Days", and "Sweet and Lowdown", "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is physically impeccable: its period-perfect costumes and sets capture 1940 New York with splendid authenticity and are further enhanced by the burnished glow of Zhao Fei's cinematography. And like those earlier films, "Jade Scorpion" mines comedic gold from its timeframe, molding it into a plot laced with expert zingers that could only spring from a keen awareness of comedic tradition. Add an appealing roster of costars (including Elizabeth Berkley and Charlize Theron) and you've got vintage Woody that perks right along.
The movie's also as trivial as it is engaging; hack off 30 minutes and it might have had the delirious precision of early Marx Brothers classics. Instead, Allen's goofy conceit--enemies falling in love by hypnotic suggestion--is stretched to absurdity when efficiency expert Betty Ann "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt) is hypnotically attracted to seasoned insurance investigator C.W. Briggs (Allen), despite their office enmity. Plus, a jewel-heist caper masterminded by the nightclub hypnotist (David Ogden Stiers) casts them both as suspects! Woody harvests a bumper crop of old-fashioned laughs from this predicament, and despite their conspicuous age difference and occasional awkward delivery, Hunt and Allen exchange volleys of dialogue like a seasoned comedy team. Dan Aykroyd is also good in a stodgy supporting role, but "Jade Scorpion" remains a mixed blessing--a welcomed throwback to comedy's yesteryear, from a master funnyman who's struggling to maintain relevance in the present. "--Jeff Shannon"

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Summary: Nicholson directed and starred in this Western spoof about an outlaw who is saved from hanging by a young widow (Mary Steenburgen) who puts him to work as an indentured servant. She has a gold mine that no one knows about and she wants him to help her get the gold before anyone else finds out. But, of course, his old gang--who gave him up to the law in the first place--finds out about the mine and wants a piece of it. This was filmed in the late 1970s, when drug use was rampant (and not particularly frowned upon) in Hollywood; keep that in mind when you listen to Nicholson's stuffy-nose delivery. Alternately amusing and flat, with a cast that includes Steenburgen in her first movie role and John Belushi in a tiny part as a member of the gang, also making his film debut. "--Marshall Fine"

Summary: 2 Disc Special Edition, includes FREE Orange SIM card with 300 free texts. Classification - 15
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio - 2.35:1
Dolby Digital 5.1
PAL, Regions 2 and 4
Original Language - English

Summary: Billed as "an existential comedy," "I Heart Huckabees" is a flawed yet endearingly audacious screwball romp that dares to ponder life's biggest questions. Much of director David O. Russell's philosophical humor is dense, talky, and impenetrable, leading critic Roger Ebert to observe that "it leaves the viewer out of the loop," and suggesting that Russell's screenplay (written with his assistant, Jeff Baena) is admirably bold yet frustratingly undisciplined. Russell's ideas are big but his expression of them is frenetic, centering on the unlikely pairing of an environmentalist (Jason Schwartzman) and a firefighter (Mark Wahlberg) as they depend on existential detectives (Lily Tomlin, Dustin Hoffman) and a French nihilist (Isabelle Huppert) to make sense of their existential crises, brought on (respectively) by a two-faced chain-store executive (Jude Law) and his spokesmodel girlfriend (Naomi Watts), and the aftermath of 9/11's terrorism. No brief description can do justice to Russell's comedic conceit; you'll either be annoyed and mystified or elated and delighted by this wacky primer for coping with 21st century lunacy. Deserving of its mixed reviews, "I Heart Huckabees" is an audacious mess, like life itself, and accepting that is the key to enjoying both. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: In 1963, Billy Wilder's "Irma La Douce" was one of the biggest box-office hits of the year, grossing twice as much as "The Great Escape" and "The Birds". Yet this popular movie has been almost completely forgotten by film history, even to fans of Wilder or stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine (the same trio had made a masterpiece, "The Apartment", three years earlier). It doesn't represent the best work of those legends, but "Irma" provides tart entertainment. At least some of the movie's popularity can be chalked up to its subject, which was pretty risqué for the time: Lemmon plays a Paris policeman who falls in love with a prostitute (MacLaine). The script was adapted from a stage musical, but Wilder decided to cut the songs, instead developing the humor and romance into his own blend of bittersweet perversity; this Technicolor-fantasy Paris is kind of a dark cousin to "Gigi". Lemmon is in his prime period of hand-wringing self-doubt, and MacLaine is perfectly in tune with his rhythms, especially in scenes that add tenderness to the sometimes queasy mix of moods. Ironically--given the nixing of the songs--the film won its only Oscar for André Previn's adaptation of the stage play's music into a wordless orchestral score. "--Robert Horton"

Summary: Pile together a blue-ribbon cast, a screenplay high in quirkiness, and the Sundance stamp of approval, and you've got yourself a crossover indie hit. That formula worked for "Little Miss Sunshine", a frequently hilarious study of family dysfunction. Meet the Hoovers, an Albuquerque clan riddled with depression, hostility, and the tattered remnants of the American Dream; despite their flakiness, they manage to pile into a VW van for a weekend trek to L.A. in order to get moppet daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) into the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Much of the pleasure of this journey comes from watching some skillful comic actors doing their thing: Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette as the parents (he's hoping to become a self-help authority), Alan Arkin as a grandfather all too willing to give uproariously inappropriate advice to a sullen teenage grandson (Paul Dano), and a subdued Steve Carell as a jilted gay professor on the verge of suicide. The film is a crowd-pleaser, and if anything is a little too eager to bend itself in the direction of quirk-loving Sundance audiences; it can feel forced. But the breezy momentum and the ingenious actors help push the material over any bumps in the road.-- "Robert Horton"


Beyond "Little Miss Sunshine"
More Dysfunctional Family Comedies
More films from the stars of "Little Miss Sunshine"
More Independent Films Turned Sleeper Hits Stills from "Little Miss Sunshine"

Summary: There's "A Mighty Wind" a-blowin', along with the gales of laughter you'll get from Christopher Guest's third exercise in brilliant "mockumentary." After tackling small-town theatricals in "Waiting for Guffman" and obsessive dog-show contestants in "Best in Show", Guest and his reliable stable of repertory players (including Fred Willard, Parker Posey, and Bob Balaban) apply their improvisational genius to a latter-day reunion of fictional '60s-era folk singers, a comedic goldmine that Guest first explored 30 years earlier on "The National Lampoon Radio Hour". Collaborating with costar and cowriter Eugene Levy (who gives the film's funniest performance), Guest is so delicate in his satirical approach that the laughs aren't always obvious, and the subtlety can be as wistful (as in Catherine O'Hara's performance as Levy's auto-harpist partner) as it is hilarious. Some may wish for more blatant comedy, but that would compromise the genuine affection that Guest & Co. have for the music they're spoofing. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: As deadpan comedies go, "Napoleon Dynamite" stands in a class all its own. Played by John Heder, the title character is (in the words of critic Roger Ebert) "the kind of nerd other nerds avoid," a mouth-breathing dweeb with a mangy nest of orange hair, and ungainly features that suggest a perpetual state of half-conscious depression. He lives in Preston, Idaho (former home of 24-year-old director Jared Hess) with his thrill-seeking grandma and 32-year-old brother, and his days at high school consist mostly of being abused or ignored by indifferent classmates. Napoleon's sad-sack story doesn't offer the scathing, impassioned humor of "Welcome to the Dollhouse" because Hess (who cowrote the nearly plotless screenplay with his wife, Jerusha) doesn't have an angst-ridden axe to grind. Instead, the comedy (which exists in a tacky universe of worn-out rural suburbia) is so low-key that some will find it difficult to laugh, while others (i.e., those who feel superior to Napoleon) will have plenty of fun at Napoleon's expense. The result is a curiously uneven film, hilarious at times, but hampered by its own sense of affectionate mockery. An audience favorite at the Sundance film festival, "Napoleon Dynamite" may not be entirely lovable, but it's definitely unique. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: Arthur Hiller ("Love Story") directed the film adaptation of Neil Simon's curious comedy about a pair of non-New Yorkers (Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis) having a hellish visit to the Big Apple on the eve of a job interview for Lemmon's character. Made in 1970, this hectic film almost seems ahead of its time when compared to more recent misery-piled-on-misery comedies such as "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". The couple in this film endure everything that can go wrong on a trip, including being forced to spend the night in a mugger-happy Central Park. The strange element in Simon's script, though, is that Lemmon's character is so unpleasant. A middle-class, uptight guy who can't believe that New Yorkers in the service profession don't perform their jobs slavishly, he's kind of a one-note joke that quickly wears thin. Remade with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. "--Tom Keogh"

Summary: Lazy court-process clerk and stoner Dale Denton has only one reason to visit his equally lazy dealer Saul Silver: to purchase weed, specifically, a rare new strain called Pineapple Express. But when Dale becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop and the city's most dangerous drug lord, he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene. Dale now has another reason to visit Saul: to find out if the weed is so rare that it can be traced back to him--and it is. As Dale and Saul run for their lives, they quickly discover that they're not suffering from weed-fueled paranoia: incredibly, the bad guys really are hot on their trail and trying to figure out the fastest way to kill them both.

Summary: "Spaced" is a sitcom like no other. The premise is simple enough: Daisy (Jessica Stevenson) and Tim (Simon Pegg) are out of luck and love, so pretend to be a couple in order to rent a flat together. Downstairs neighbour and eccentric painter Brian suspects someone's fibbing, and almost blows their cover with their lecherous lush of a landlady, Marsha. Fortunately he soon falls for Daisy's health-freak friend Twist, while Daisy herself goes ga-ga for pet dog Colin. Tim remains happily platonic with lifemate Mike; a sweet-at-heart guns 'n' ammo obsessive. The series is chock-full of pop culture references. In fact, each episode is themed after at least one movie, with nods to "The Shining" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" proving especially hilarious. Hardly five minutes goes by without a "Star Wars" reference, and every second of screen time from Bill Bailey as owner of the comic shop where Tim works is comedic gold. The look of the series is its other outstanding element, with slam-zooms, dizzying montages, and inspired lighting effects (often paying homage to the "Evil Dead" movies). It's an affectionate fantasy on the life of the twenty-something that's uncomfortably close to the truth.
The second series finds the gang at 23 Meteor Street a little older, but definitely none the wiser. Tim's career is hampered by severe hang-ups over "The Phantom Menace". Daisy's career is just plain non-existent. There is still a spark of sexual tension between them, but it's overshadowed by Brian and Twist getting it on. Propelling the seven-episode series arc is the threat of Marsha discovering that none of the relationships are what they seem, Mike's increasing jealousy and a new love interest for Tim. That's the basis for a never-ending stream of in-jokes and references that easily match the quality of the first series. Tim has a "Return of the Jedi" flashback, then déjà vu in reliving the end of "The Empire Strikes Back". There are spoofs of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Robocop", "The Sixth Sense" and comedy rival "The Royle Family". There are guest spots from Bill Bailey, Peter (voice of Darth Maul) Serafinowicz and "The League of Gentlemen"'s Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith. Every episode is packed with highlights, but this series' guaranteed geek pant-wetting moments have to be the mock gun battles, slagging off "Babylon 5" and learning that "The second rule of Robot Club is: no smoking." Jessica Stevenson won a British Comedy Award for this year. It deserved a whole lot more. --"Paul Tonks"
On the DVD: This three-disc collector's edition contains all the extras from the previous DVD releases, plus a host of brand new features including music promos, cast interviews, and an in-depth and specially filmed documentary featuring interviews with cast members including Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Nick Frost, cameo actors (Bill Bailey, David Walliams, Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith) and journalists. It also includes a tour made by Simon, Jessica and Edgar of different show locations with clips of archive footage from the very first programmes Simon and Jess appeared in together.

Summary: I can't believe that I hadn't seen this movie sooner. I was very surprised by this very clever and hilarious "mockumentary." (Yes, this isn't a real documentary. Like "The Blair Witch Project," a lot of people thought this movie was real.) And now that it is restored and loaded with extras, the film is even better.The movie is about a heavy metal band, Spinal Tap, who goes on tour and hopes to sell their new album, "Smell the Glove" to Tap fans everywhere. Along that road to fame comes bumps and unexpected events. The band starts to fight with each other while cities are starting to cancel their tours. Though this movie is hilarious, it's funny in a very subtle way, so it makes you believe that you are watching an actual documentary. As funny as it may seem, the movie does seem to have a ring of truth when it comes to the music business.This DVD is loaded with extras! The funniest part is when you go to the menu and you hear the band trying to figure out what the buttons mean. ("That one means 'Play.'" "But I didn't bring any of my instruments, I didn't know we had to play.") It's pretty funny to hear the whole thing. There are also lots of rare out-takes that are defiantly worth seeing.The best feature of all is the audio commentary, which is done by Spinal Tap. (Yes, they stay in character throughout the whole commentary.) It's great listening to it the second time you see it. You hear the band members accusing the director of the documentary trying to make them look bad, and using "special" cameras that they couldn't see. They also try to figure out what the name of their skull head statue was. It's pretty funny when they accuse the director of having a fake beard. ("Look, it's got glue all over on it. Now, he's scratching it again.) Definitely check out the audio commentary when you can."This is Spinal Tap" is a cult classic, and is an awesome movie. It's a very clever satire of documentaries on rock bands. This is a classic film that you will not forget.

Summary: Eddie Murphy established himself as a comedy superstar in his role as streetwise hustler Billy Ray Valentine in Trading Places. Fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus Dan Aykroyd co-stars as Louis Winthorpe III, a wealthy investment executive at Duke Brothers, a Wall Street firm. The fun begins when the rich and greedy Duke Brothers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) wager a bet over whether born loser Valentine could become as successful as the priggish Winthorpe if circumstances are reversed. The Dukes have the money to make this happen, but when Valentine and Winthorpe catch on they arrange for a rich and riotous payback! John Landis' classic movie recalls the screwball comedies of Capra, Hawks and Preston Sturges, and also gives memorable roles to Jamie Lee Curtis and Denholm Elliott.

Summary: Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in "Tropic Thunder", an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

Summary: This film is important for a number of reasons. It's like watching Noam Chomsky's Manufacting Consent, and its examination of American values, only from the narrative of a seemingly objective observer. David Byrne has always been fascinated by suburbia and our artificial landscapes. Just check out the Talking Heads second album. The title says it all, "More Songs about Buildings and Food".With a humorous, deadpan objectivity, Byrne explores not just manufactured Texas, and its corregated warehouses, shopping malls; Byrne also shows us the future, where semiconductor, hardware and software companies will dominate. He also examines America's "live to shop" credo; walking through a shopping mall and explaining how Main Street has been replaced by this climate controlled, muzak laden pleasure center, where you can always bump into a friend, and parking's never a problem.Spalding Gray plays the nutty chairman of the local microchip company; delivering deadpan lines and absurd hand gestures (similar to Byrne on stage and obviously pulled from the choreography of any politician or CEO), lecturing about the brave new world of computers (remember, this was about 15 years ago; so it's somewhat prophetic).John Goodman plays Louis Fine, a lonely man, just lookin' for someone to love; while locked up in the sterile room in the plant. "It's pretty okay, I guess," he quips from his cell. And, in America, since you can purchase anything you want, Louis figures he might as well go on TV and advertise for a bride.There are lots of other zany character in Virgil, Texas; like the "sweet" woman, surrounded by teddy bears and pink furry things, who can't accept any bad in the world; not even a sad song. And the woman who never leaves her bed, 'cause everything she needs is either on the TV or in a catalog. And it all takes place during Virgil's sesquicentennial Celebration of Specialness. Byrne delivers lines like Buster Keaton would, if he had talked; funny,ironic, and over some folk's heads. If you're not on the same wavelength as David, this film would seem, well, dumb. But it's not. It's brilliant, in an aburd, silly way.This movie is a must see for anyone interested in rock and roll, the sociology of latter 20th Century America (especially their work and leisure habits), and really big grass suits.

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Summary: TOP SECRET PLOT! General information surrounding this release:
<ol>
<li>90 min Telemovie "Da Kath &amp; Kim Code": Broadcast before release.
<li>On disc 2 the episode of “Kath &amp; Kim Live in London." This particular episode is not being broadcast on TV and therefore appears on DVD release only. A strong selling point!
<li>DVD contains behind the Scenes &amp; bloopers</ol>

Summary: Based at an (unspecified) commercial network, Frontline goes behind the scenes of the ratings-obsessed world of commercial current affairs. Covering everything from the use of hidden cameras, foot-in-the-door bullying interview techniques and cheque-book journalism, take a satirical look at the egos, the dubious practices, and the occasional hypocrisy of a medium that purports to objectively present public affairs. While strongly satirical, Frontline is not a 'comedy' in the traditional sense, filmed in a shooting style that leans towards documentary realism.

Summary: In his most ludicrously ambitious project yet, world-famous media hooligan John Safran scours the world in search of God... AND FINDS HIM.... Or, at least, a lot of folk who believe they have.

Summary: The supercharged and funny guy whose TV exploits have included streaking through the streets of Jerusalem and confronting Ray Martin across his garbage bin is back - to share his peculiar passion for the wild, wild world of contemporary music. John Safran's Music Jamboree reveals all – the drum, the dirt and the bittersweet memories. Here are the classics and forgotten flops, stories of gigs and groupies, guns, drugs, deals and egos and the scams and scandals brought to light by his very own music "mole", not to mention practical advice on how to make it in the savage world of rock 'n' roll.

Summary: If "The Munsters" was a traditional family sitcom as reimagined by "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine, "The Addams Family" is a macabre twist on "Father Knows Best". The Munster and Addams clans made their TV debuts in 1964 and lasted two seasons before the networks buried them. The Addamses are now gloriously resurrected in this three-disc set that digs up the series' first 22 episodes (oddly, 12 shy of the complete first season). Inspired by Charles Addams's "New Yorker" cartoons, "The Addams Family" is fiendishly funny, with a dead-on cast that indelibly embodies Addams's characters. John Astin brings a demented glee to eccentric, frighteningly wealthy Gomez Addams. Carolyn Jones is bewitching as his pre-goth wife, Morticia, whom the Beatles might have had in mind when they sang, "Baby's in Black." Jackie Coogan is the electrifying Uncle Fester, with Ted Cassidy (who famously took a kick in the groin from Paul Newman in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid") is the monstrous butler Lurch, whose "You rang?" entered the pop culture lexicon.
"The Munsters" was family friendly. "The Addams Family" is more sophisticated and wickedly funny. As Gomez notes at one point, "There's a touch of madness" in the Addams household, where "every day is Halloween." Bear rugs growl, a disembodied hand, Thing, delivers the mail, and a torture rack is good for what ails you. The children, Wednesday (Lisa Loring) and older brother Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax), enjoy such hobbies as playing autopsy or exploding model trains. Gomez and Morticia were one of television's most passionate couples, with Gomez being driven to arm-kissing ecstasy whenever Morticia spoke French. The last episode included in this collection, "Amnesia in the Addams Family," is a classic in which Gomez is rendered "normal" following a conk on the head. The look of disgust on Morticia and Lurch's face when he asks for a glass of milk is priceless. The "altogether ooky" extras include three episode commentaries, a featurette on Charles Addams, reminiscences from cast members Astin, Loring, and Weatherwax, a segment on the creation of the classic snap-snap theme song ("They're creepy and they're kooky...."), and the inevitable theme song sing-along. "The Addams Family" at last on DVD? As Gomez might exclaim: "Capital!" "--Donald Liebenson"

Summary: Like its fellow HBO series Sex and the City, this half-hour comedy broke some TV rules and went from critics' darling to an award-winning series in three years. Curb Your Enthusiasm is the brainchild of star-creator Larry David who co-created Seinfeld and was the basis for the easily rattled George Costanza (who was played by Jason Alexander). Like George, David has a tendency to speak too much, blow things out of proportion, and, most often, fail in the end (and often liking it that way). David's new show is also like its predecessor: it's about "nothing" except following the day-to-day ramblings of a sometime writer and comic (this time in L.A.). Eternal questions stemming from universal daily dilemmas are honed to perfect comedic absurdity. A notable exception is the show is only scripted by plot; much of the action is improvised. The first season starts with a one-hour mockumentary following David's return to stand-up for the first time in years; the other 10 episodes follow a more traditional sit-com setup. David plays "himself" (as does his friend, Richard Lewis) although his manager and wife are played by comedians Jeff Garlin and Cheryl Hines. Although this first season is a comedic gem, one can't take more than an episode or two at a time--it's acidic, biting comedy. The episodes are often built like a house of cards, which the irritable David will surely collapse by the end. Like another caustic TV character, Dabney Colman's Buffalo Bill (1983-84), Larry David is not for everybody. --Doug Thomas

Summary: He never learns. In the fourth season of his award-winning HBO comedy series, the quasi-fictional character of Larry David continues to say--and do--whatever he wants whenever he wants. In the first episode alone ("Mel's Offer"), in which Mel Brooks offers him the role of Max Bialystock in "The Producers", David offends a doctor, a lesbian couple, a wheelchair user, and Ben Stiller (by not shaking his hand after he sneezes). Then, in the second ("Ben's Birthday Party"), he offends a blind man--by telling him his girlfriend's not as hot as she claims--and pokes Stiller in the eye with a skewer while attempting to show agent Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin) his new golf move.
Larry continues to offend Stiller until he drops out of "The Producers" and, in the fifth episode ("The 5 Wood"), David Schwimmer ("Friends") steps in. The following episode ("The Car Pool Lane"), in which David attends a Dodgers game--with a prostitute, so he can use the carpool lane--made history when it set an innocent man free. Unused footage from the show, entered into evidence by the defense attorney, confirmed his client's alibi that he couldn't have committed a murder because he was at the game (alas, the Braves still trounced the Dodgers). Other guests include Ted Danson ("The Weatherman"), Russell Means ("Wandering Bear"), and Gina Gershon ("The Survivor") as a Hasidic hottie. In addition, the hour-long season finale ("Opening Night") boasts a bevy of stars, including David’s old colleague Jerry Seinfeld, Nathan Lane (Broadway's original Bialystock), and fellow Tony Award winner Anne Bancroft ("The Miracle Worker"). As they've done since the early days, Cheryl Hines (Cheryl David), Susie Essman (Susie Greene), and Richard Lewis and Wanda Sykes (as themselves) do what they can to keep one-man demolition derby David in check. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Summary: It's more of the same for Larry David's sitcom from HBO, and for fans, that's a good thing. The show--largely extemporized--follows suit of David's former series, Seinfeld: it's a show about nothing, just the everyday life of the star going about his pseudo-real world. But David's show has far more edge (thanks, in part, to airing on cable TV) with all the bad luck, embarrassing situations, and dreadful behavior as its premiere season. The closest thing to an arc is David's season-long pitch to the networks for a new show starring former Seinfeld stars Jason Alexander and Julia-Louis Dreyfus. Each network is lampooned, especially HBO, which David has a bad history with in this alternate world. Sure to repel those with soft funny bones, Curb's acerbic comedy allows jokes where David is accidentally framed--if ever so briefly--as a child molester, wife abuser, or murderer. But for those who do love his shtick, there are big laughs, especially when we bump into characters as unbridled as David, like a fellow writer who is quite protective of his dad's invention, the Cobb salad. Many comic actors pop up, some as "themselves" (Richard Lewis, Rob Reiner) and others as characters (Rita Wilson, Ed Asner) along with the delights of co-stars Cheryl Hines as David's wife and his affable manger, Jeff Garlin. There are several touchstone bits: what a thong brief can do to a relationship, a run-in with pro wrestler, Larry's first baptism, and one very collectible doll. To pick one episode to capture this second season--and its grandstanding nature--it would be "Shaq," in which the NBA star is accidentally tripped, changing David's usual bad luck with gut-busting results. --Doug Thomas

Summary: The third season of HBO's comedy sensation offers more of the same. "Not that there's anything wrong with that," to quote Larry David's other television series, a certain little sitcom called Seinfeld. Consequently, Curb Your Enthusiasm's junior year means more Larry (Larry David) and more of his hilariously embarrassing mishaps. It also means more of his patient spouse Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), avuncular manager Jeff (Jeff Garlin), Jeff’s foul-mouthed wife Susie (Susie Essman), and assorted celebrity pals, including Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Wanda Sykes, Paul Reiser, and Martin Short, all playing themselves (or, like Larry, versions thereof). The theme that (loosely) ties these 10 episodes together is Larry's involvement in upscale eatery Bobo's, in which Danson and Michael York (yes, that Michael York) are co-investors. As expected, the restaurant will serve to complicate Larry's life in every conceivable way--and vice versa. But the funniest (and most profane) episode must surely be "Krazee-Eyez Killa," starring Chris Williams (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) as the fidelity-impaired gangster rapper to whom Wanda has become engaged. This riotous installment, which sends up Jewish, Italian, and African American gangsters alike, won an Emmy for Robert B. Weide's direction and features that old master-of-direction himself, Martin Scorsese, who first appeared in "The Special Section" (in which Larry bribes a gravedigger to relocate his mother’s gravesite). It's also the episode in which Larry gets a hair stuck in his throat. That hair, which once belonged to someone rather close to him, will remain lodged there for the next several episodes, until a "divine intervention" in "Mary, Joseph and Larry" dislodges it once and for all--along with the last of Larry's dignity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Summary: Often hailed as the greatest ever British sitcom, Fawlty Towers is closer to the more elaborate tradition of farce. Comprising two series made in 1975 and 1979, the total of just 12 episodes were painstakingly constructed by writers John Cleese and Connie Booth. Unlike most British farce, however, Fawlty Towers deals with the big themes--death, psychology, xenophobia and even sex-o-phobia (Basil's marriage to Sybil is the most sterile ever depicted in a sitcom). Basil's contempt for his guests is, of course, legendary. It takes little from patrons to unleash his sledgehammer sarcasm: "Rosewood, mahogany, teak? Sorry, I was wondering what you'd like your breakfast tray made out of", he sneers at a guest who dares to request breakfast in bed. Like every Englishman, he wants to be king of his own castle and resents having to take in lodgers to maintain the place, especially the open-necked younger generation, whom he regards as sub-human. Mostly, though, Fawlty Towers is comedy of exasperation--who can forget the "damn good thrashing" Basil gives his clapped-out car, or the nervous breakdowns he almost suffers trying to make himself understood to Manuel? It's also comedy of embarrassment. The very fear of losing his dignity generally leads Basil into the most spectacularly undignified of predicaments. His inevitable misery is our sheer delight. -- David Stubbs On the DVD: each six-episode season is given its own disc with a commentary track from John Howard Davies and Bob Spiers, directors of Season 1 and Season 2 respectively. The third disc has all the additional material, the best of which are new interviews with John Cleese, Andrew Sachs and Prunella Scales. Also included are text biographies of all the leads and the guest stars, a short background featurette on Torquay and the hotel owner who is said to have inspired Basil, a very short blooper reel of outtakes and a brief teaser with Cleese in character entitled "Cheap Tatty Review". Much of this extra material was comfortably fitted onto the individually available Season 1 and 2 discs, so it's a bit of a mystery why a third disc was deemed necessary for the box set. --Mark Walker

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Summary: The show about nothing is finally a DVD about something. Packed with all new special features created in partnership with Jerry Seinfeld, this 4-disc set includes all 24 episodes from the seventh season. "No soup for you!" "He stole my marble rye!" "Bosco!" "Spongeworthy?" ...and nobody can forget - George gets engaged! Here's your invitation to 24 original full-length episodes of the Emmy Award-Winning Season 7 of " Seinfeld". All remastered with new high definition picture and sound. In addition, there are 13 hours of exclusive never-before-seen special features from the creative talents behind the show, including all new interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards and Jason Alexander.
Stills from "Seinfeld " (click for larger image)

Summary: Director Clint Eastwood's 1997 box-office hit stars himself as Luther Whitney, a highly skilled thief who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, witnessing the murder of a woman involved in a secret tryst with the U.S. president (played by Gene Hackman). Determined to clear his name, Whitney cleverly eludes a tenacious detective (Ed Harris) while investigating a corruption of power reaching to the highest level of government. Adapted by veteran screenwriter William Goldman from David Baldacci's novel, this thriller balances expert suspense with well-drawn characters and an intelligent plot that's just a pounding heartbeat away from real White House headlines. "Absolute Power" features the great Judy Davis in a memorable supporting role as the White House chief of staff who desperately attempts to cover up the crime. "--Jeff Shannon"

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Summary: Before making the original "Halloween" into one of the most profitable independent films of all time, John Carpenter directed this riveting low-budget thriller from 1976, in which a nearly abandoned police station is held under siege by a heavily armed gang called Street Thunder. Inside the station, cut off from contact and isolated, cops and convicts who were headed for death row must now join forces or die. That's the basic plot, but it's what Carpenter does with it that's remarkable. Drawing specific inspiration from the classic Howard Hawks Western "Rio Bravo" (which included a similar siege on disadvantaged heroes), Carpenter used his simple setting for a tense, tightly constructed series of action sequences, emphasizing low-key character development and escalating tension. Few who've seen the film can forget the "ice cream cone" scene in which a young girl is caught up in the action by patronizing a seemingly harmless ice cream truck. It's here, and in other equally memorable scenes, that Carpenter demonstrates his singular knack for injecting terror into the mundane details of daily life, propelling this potent thriller to cult favorite status and long-standing critical acclaim. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: San Francisco has been the setting of a lot of exciting movie car chases over the years, but this 1968 police thriller is still the one to beat when it comes to high-octane action on the steep hills of the city by the Bay. The outstanding car chase earned an Oscar for best editing, but the rest of the movie is pretty good, too. "Bullitt" is a perfect star vehicle for cool guy Steve McQueen, who stars as a tenacious detective (is there any other kind?) determined to track down the killers of the star witness in an important trial. Director Peter Yates ("Breaking Away") approached the story with an emphasis on absolute authenticity, using a variety of San Francisco locations. Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Duvall appear in early roles, and Robert Vaughn plays the criminal kingpin who pulls the deadly strings of the tightly wound plot. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: I liked COLORS alot because it's a gritty, but realistic police drama. I grew up in bad urban streets, so I know how bad things can get. I also like the film because it explored the dangerous lives the Crypts and Bloods, who wear blue and red, naturally. There is still a bloody gang war between them, but COLORS wisely tells us they're bad background and potray them as human beings like us, and not vicious animals arrested by the police we see on TV.Anyway, Dennis Hopper awkardly, but fantastically directed this film with Robert Duvall as a veteran cop and his young, headstrong apprentice Sean Penn, as they lead a Los Angeles gang unit against the petty crime in the streets fueled by the two rival gangs. But the boiled relationship with Duvall's calm manner and Penn's hair-trigger temper won't get them very far to survive in Watt's mean streets. That problem leads to a sad climax.COLORS is a bit dated now when compared to more brutal, but nearly worthless gang movies nowadays. But it helped paved the way more better ones like BOYZ N THE HOOD and MENACE II SOCIETY. The film is different from both of those movies because it gives us a picturesque view of both the urban gang life and the police life.

Summary: No One Is Above The Law Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of Garrison, New Jersey, a small town that many NYPD officers call home. But when an officer is responsible for a violent incident involving a civilian, he leads his own investigation and uncovers a racially-charged conspiracy within the NYPD.

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

Summary: A suave tennis player (Ray Milland) plots the perfect murder, the dispatching of his wealthy wife (Grace Kelly), who is having an affair with a writer (Robert Cummings). Amazingly, the wife manages to stave off her attacker, a twist of fate that challenges the hubby's talent for improvisation. Alfred Hitchcock wisely stuck to the stage origins of "Dial M for Murder", ignoring the temptation to "open up" the material from the home of the unhappy couple. The result may not be one of Hitchcock's deepest films, but it's a thoroughly engaging chamber movie. It also features Grace Kelly at her loveliest, the same year she made "Rear Window" with Hitchcock. "Dial M for Murder" was filmed in the briefly trendy 3-D process, and Hitchcock shot some scenes to bring out the depth of the 3-D field; it's especially good for the nail-biting attempted murder of Kelly, and her desperate reach for a pair of scissors that seems to be just outside her grasp. However, the film was rarely shown with the proper 3-D projection, going out "flat" instead (a 1980 reissue restored the process for a limited theatrical release). "Dial M" was remade in 1998 as "A Perfect Murder", a film that changed and expanded the material, with no improvement on the clean, witty original. "--Robert Horton"

Summary: Detective Harry Callahan. He doesn't break murder cases. He smashes them. It's all in a day's work for Dirty Harry, a plainclothesman with the San Francisco police and for his new partner, Chico. A bank robbery and an attempted suicide form the prelude to the main event: catching a skillful sniper who is murdering the innocent while holding a city to ransom. Catching him becomes a war between good and evil - with the protagonists on both sides shown as ruthless, bitter and merciless products of a violent society.

Summary: Post 9/11, the London and Bali bombings, Muslims and non Muslims live side by side in a climate of fear ...

Zane Malik is a brilliant, but hot-headed, detective in the Major Crime Squad. Malik is also a Muslim. And at a time when just to be Arab is to arouse suspicion and fear, Malik feels under pressure to prove himself and his loyalty to the Force.
Up against him is Snr Detective Crowley, a detective of the old school.
Malik battles with Crowley as they investigate complex psychological crimes of love, betrayal and revenge. But Malik is driven by a secret personal quest. He intends to find the man who shot his father in a robbery when he was a child. He's using the skills he's gained as a cop to do it. But this journey will bring him face to face with all that he fears ...

Episode Listing:
The Enemy Within
Death at the Station
Islander Sacrifice
Hunt for the Killer
Haunted by the Past
The Hand of Friendship

Special Features:
Behind the Scenes

Summary: Paul Newman stars in this harsh portrait of a police station in a crumbling neighborhood. Newman plays John Murphy, a veteran policeman who's been on the force long enough to be tired, but not so long that he's lost his idealism. The plot is loosely tied to the arrival of Connolly, the new precinct captain (Edward Asner). Is he a crusader who's going to finally whip a corrupt, apathetic force into shape, or an interloping by-the-book bureaucrat who can't possibly understand the neighborhood and will do more harm than good? The movie is gratifyingly ambiguous on this point and many others. While Newman's character is almost by default the hero, he is far from perfect--most all the major characters get complex personalities, just like real people. The Bronx itself is given complex, thoughtful treatment as well, full of both overwhelming problems and hope for the future. "Fort Apache, the Bronx" also has action sequences, but doesn't make the mistake of reveling in violence. Here, black and white are far less defined and, consequently, far more satisfying. "--Ali Davis"

Summary: The two-disc edition of "Sin City" easily makes the earlier single-disc theatrical-cut release obsolete by including the regular theatrical cut on the first disc, recutting the movie into four extended segments on the second disc (separated by story line), then piling on an impressive load of bonus features. But there's a catch. Billed as "Recut, Extended, Unrated," with "over 20 minutes" of new footage, the new set's four separate stories are extended by only about 6.5 total minutes of movie action (see details below in "What's New"); the rest of the added running time is the splashy new title shots (named by the title of the story or book) and the four minutes of credits that run at the end of each segment. Each addition makes the movie even closer to the comic books, and these extended segments are generally preferable to the theatrical equivalents (unfortunately, there's no Play All option), but don't expect the same impact as Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" extended editions. And although this version is unrated, the only risqué addition is a bit of violence from Miho that's no worse than the rest of the crazy violence in the film.
How Are the Bonus Features?
Robert Rodriguez has always loved DVDs, so the bonus features are extensive. On the first disc, there is somehow room for the theatrical cut of the film with its DTS track (the extended versions have only Dolby 5.1), two commentary tracks, an alternate audio track with a live audience in Austin, Texas, an interactive map of characters and locations, and 47 minutes of featurettes covering Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, cars, costumes, props, and special effects. The first commentary is Rodriguez and Miller discussing the concepts and the cast. The second commentary is mostly by Rodriguez, but Tarantino drops in briefly for the scene he directed (with Clive Owen and Benicio Del Toro in the car), as does an enthusiastic Bruce Willis for his segment.
The Tarantino scene gets a lot of attention on the second disc as well, in a 14-minute take in which he can be heard coaching the actors. Also on the disc are Rodriguez's usual "flic school" (among the topics is how scenes were created by merging footage of actors who never actually met), footage of Bruce Willis's band performing in Austin at the time of the shooting, and another Rodriguez cooking school (this time it's breakfast tacos). But the most interesting feature is the "green screen version" of the film: the entire film as it was shot in front of the green screen, sped up to play in only 12 minutes. You can see the actors (in color!) interacting only with the props and each other. Last, there's a DVD-sized complete comic book of "The Hard Goodbye."
What's New in the Extended Version?
"The Customer Is Always Right" (the opening sequence with Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton) has no new footage, but now goes straight into the one-minute epilogue with Hartnett and Alexis Bledel that closed the theatrical cut. "The Hard Goodbye" (with Mickey Rourke as "Marv" ) has two new sequences totaling about two minutes: Marv encounters his mother and finds his gun, and talks to Weevil in the club. In "The Big Fat Kill" (with Clive Owen and Benicio Del Toro), some short dialogue is restored, along with another wicked slice by Miho (Devon Aoki)--about a minute total. "That Yellow Bastard" (with Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba) has about 3.5 new minutes: there are more visitors to Hartigan's hospital bed, including his wife and a nurse; Carla Gugino's Lucille character comes to assist Hartigan when he wants to get out of jail (probably the best addition); and Mr. Shlubb and Mr. Klump have some more lines." --David Horiuchi"
More "Sin City" at Amazon.com
The Graphic Novels and Books
Films by Robert Rodriguez
Our interview with Frank Miller
The Soundtrack
From Graphic Novel to Big Screen
Films by guest director Quentin Tarantino

Summary: William Friedkin's classic "policier" was propelled to box-office glory, and a fistful of Oscars, in 1972 by its pedal-to-the-metal filmmaking and fashionably cynical attitude toward law enforcement. Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle, a brutally pushy New York City narcotics detective, is a dauntless crime fighter and Vietnam-era "pig," a reckless vulgarian whose antics get innocent people killed. Loosely based upon an actual investigation that led to what was then the biggest heroin seizure in U.S. history, the picture traces the efforts of Doyle and his partner (Roy Scheider) to close the pipeline pumping Middle Eastern smack into the States through the French port of Marseilles. (The actual French Connection cops, Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, make cameo appearances.) It was widely recognized at the time that Friedkin had lifted a lot of his high-strung technique from the Costa-Gavras thrillers "The Sleeping Car Murders" and "Z"--he even imported one of Costa-Gavras's favorite thugs, Marcel Bozzuffi, to play the Euro-trash hit man plugged by Doyle in an elevated train station. There was an impressive official sequel in 1975, "French Connection II", directed by John Frankenheimer, which took Popeye to the south of France and got him hooked on horse. A couple of semi-official spinoffs followed, "The Seven-Ups", which elevated Scheider to the leading role, and "Badge 373", with Robert Duvall stepping in as the pugnacious flatfoot. "--David Chute"

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Summary: FX:
Rollie Tyler (Brown) is the best special effects artist in showbiz. But this it not the studio seeking him out... it's the Justice Department. His assignment: to fake the assassination of an important underworld witness. And after he pulls the illusion off, making the informant disappear – Rollie is dumbfounded to learn that he's being pinned for the murder! Double-crossed and now hunted by those who hired him, Rollie quickly learns that he can trust no-one… and that the only thing that can save his life is his unequalled mastery of illusion. FX 2:
Five years after his first deadly adventure, Rollie Tyler (Brown) has left the special effects business and now designs sophisticated electronic toys for a living. But when his girlfriend's ex-husband (Tom Mason), a police detective, persuades him to devise an illusion to capture a serial killer, Rollie is once again lured into the lethal world of make-believe. And soon, he finds himself trapped in a murderous maze of deceit and treachery in which he must depend on his ingenious tricks – and his friendship with detective Leo McCarthy (Dennehy) – to expose a terrifying underworld conspiracy... but only if he can stay alive!

Summary: Having developed his skill as a master of contemporary crime drama, writer-director Michael Mann displayed every aspect of that mastery in this intelligent, character-driven thriller from 1995, which also marked the first onscreen pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The two great actors had played father and son in the separate time periods of "The Godfather, Part II", but this was the first film in which the pair appeared together, and although their only scene together is brief, it's the riveting fulcrum of this high-tech cops-and-robbers scenario. De Niro plays a master thief with highly skilled partners (Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore) whose latest heist draws the attention of Pacino, playing a seasoned Los Angeles detective whose investigation reveals that cop and criminal lead similar lives. Both are so devoted to their professions that their personal lives are a disaster. Pacino's with a wife (Diane Venora) who cheats to avoid the reality of their desolate marriage; De Niro pays the price for a life with no outside connections; and Kilmer's wife (Ashley Judd) has all but given up hope that her husband will quit his criminal career. These are men obsessed, and as De Niro and Pacino know, they'll both do whatever's necessary to bring the other down. Mann's brilliant screenplay explores these personal obsessions and sacrifices with absorbing insight, and the tension mounts with some of the most riveting action sequences ever filmed--most notably a daylight siege that turns downtown Los Angeles into a virtual war zone of automatic gunfire. At nearly three hours, the film qualifies as a kind of intimate epic, certain to leave some viewers impatiently waiting for more action, but it's all part of Mann's compelling strategy. "Heat" is a true rarity: a crime thriller with equal measures of intense excitement and dramatic depth, giving De Niro and Pacino a prime showcase for their finely matched talents. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: This seven-disc box set includes the following titles:
"The Trouble with Harry": the 1955 black comedy concerning a pesky corpse that becomes a problem for a quiet, Vermont neighbourhood.
"The Man Who Knew Too Much": the 1956 remake of Hitchcock's own 1934 spy thriller. James Stewart and Doris Day play American tourists who discover more than they wanted to know about an assassination plot.
"Rear Window": the 1954 film in which the story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's (Jimmy Stewart) imprisonment in his apartment. Stewart's convalescence in a wheelchair provides the revolutionary perspective from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbours.
"Rope": the 1948 experimental film masquerading as a Hollywood thriller, the plot is simple and based on a successful stage play: two young men commit murder as an intellectual exercise.
"Shadow of a Doubt": the 1943 thriller which sets a tone of menace and fear by introducing a psychotic killer into the quite suburban town of Santa Rosa, California. Hitchcock claimed it to be his personal favourite.
"Saboteur": the 1942 film, set during the initial stages of World War II, concerning a ring of Nazi fifth columnists who plot to weaken American military defences and cause a falsely accused man being forced on the run.
Bonus disc: "Psycho": the 1960 film which contains one of the most famous scenes in movie history. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates (a role he could never seem to leave behind) the mama's-boy proprietor of the Bates Motel.
On the DVD: with the wealth of writing and documentation surrounding the great master and his work, it would be a great loss to find this collection lacking in special features. Thankfully this box set does not disappoint. The special features are not only laid out clearly but they offer an outstanding range of information that will please any Hitchcock fan. Each disc varies in content but many include original storyboards and sketches from art directors and even, on one occasion, Hitchcock himself. They contain beautifully edited interviews or "Making Of" features, plus there's a trailer compilation with a voice-over from the great Jimmy Stewart. All discs come with a scene selection and choice of languages and subtitles. The DVD picture and sound is almost perfect, making each classic feel like new.
The box set offers a small booklet with details of each film along with original poster. The "Psycho" bonus disc, includes cast biographies and a theatrical trailer and the lavish package design makes it a great coffee-table accessory --"Nikki Disney"

Summary: Enjoy the formative works from the man who was once referred to by The New York Times as “The most famous director in movie history”. Hitchcock displayed an incredible craftsmanship and originality in his films along with his signature themes, so allow yourself to recapture all the thrills, intrigue and betrayal from the golden age of filmmaking. Includes:
1926 The Lodger
1927 The Ring
1928 Easy Virtue
1928 The Farmers’ Wife
1929 The Manxman
1929 Young and Innocent
1929 Blackmail
1930 Juno and the Paycock

Summary: Enjoy the formative works from the man who was once referred to by The New York Times as “The most famous director in movie history”. Hitchcock displayed an incredible craftsmanship and originality in his films along with his signature themes, so allow yourself to recapture all the thrills, intrigue and betrayal from the golden age of filmmaking. Includes:
1930 Murder
1932 Number Seventeen
1932 Rich And Strange
1934 The Man Who Knew Too Much
1936 Sabotage
1936 Secret Agent
1938 The Lady Vanishes
1939 Jamaica Inn

Summary: A welcome second volume of classics from the Master of Suspense, this seven-disc "Hitchcock Collection" box-set consists of the following:
"The Birds": Based on a Daphne Du Maurier short story, "The Birds" (1963) is Hitchcock at his most terrifying, as the residents of a small town are attacked by thousands of apparently homicidal birds.
"Marnie": Tippi Hedren and newly Bonded Sean Connery star in this excellent 1964 thriller, which finds a calculating thief who robs her employers pursued by a her new boss, who is desperate to unlock her secrets
"Torn Curtain": This 1966 spy thriller, pairing Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, finds Newman as a world-famous physicist intent on defecting to East Berlin in order to obtain funding for his latest project.
"Topaz": Based on the Leon Uris novel, Hitch's 51st film, made in 1969, concerns a CIA agent who learns of Russian missiles in Cuba. With the aid of a French agent, they negotiate a plethora of corruption and murder.
"Frenzy": This critically acclaimed 1972 film was Hitch's first British-made film for more than 20 years. A classic Hitch story of an innocent man accused of being the "necktie murderer"--a vicious sex criminal terrorising London--he eludes the authorities and seeks the real killer.
"Family Plot": Hitchcock's final film, made in 1976, is a blackly funny mix of murder, theft and kidnapping as a cab-driver and a psychic team up to find a dead man--not actually dead--in exchange for a $10,000 reward.
"Bonus Disc--Vertigo": An irreducible masterpiece, this 1958 double-identity thriller finds Hitch serving aces, as Jimmy Stewart's detective is drawn in to a complex plot when the girl he loves apparently falls to her death.
On the DVD: Like the first volume, this is an equally impressive package that will satisfy the rotund fright-master's fans. Along with the standard selection of trailers, production notes and picture galleries, each disc houses an impressive "making of" documentary, each expertly detailing Hitch's meticulous work. "The Birds" features Tippi Hedren's screen test and--in storyboard form--deleted scenes and the alternative ending. "Topaz" has no less that three alternative endings, while "Torn Curtain" includes scenes scored by composer Bernard Herrmann before his music was rejected by Hitch. The "Vertigo" disc features an excellent group commentary from producer Herbert Coleman and restoration experts Robert A Harris and James Katz, as well as a documentary, "Obsessed with "Vertigo"". Housed in attractive fold-out packaging, this is an excellent opportunity to obtain a rich slice of Hitchcock's dark magic.--"Danny Graydon"

Summary: In this stylish, riveting French thriller, film icons Charles Bronson and Alain Delon team up to create a one-of-a-kind buddy film with a fascinating premise. After serving together in the French Foreign Legion, Franz Propp (Bronson) and Dr. Dino Barran (Delon) go their separate ways only to be reunited by an extraordinary coincidence. Barran is persuaded by a friend to sneak into an underground bank vault and help return stolen bonds. While he is hiding, he comes upon Propp who is actually there to rob the safe. After getting locked inside the vault, the two very different men strike up a powerful friendship that binds them together through a series of shocking developments - from a miraculous escape to being framed for murder.

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Summary: With everyone so focused on the blood and gore of this movie, I urge you to think beyond the blood; think of a favorite Japanese graphic novel brought to life. Think of the ultimate revenge fantasy, where you are so very bad @ss that no one can touch you. Think invincible, brutally gifted with weapons, and fueled by hate beyond death.Kill Bill is a visually stunning treat for the eyes, and ears, of its viewers; even the blood is overdone in its gushing fountains and sprinkler type sprays. The background story of O'Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) is entirely done in Anime; expertly done I might add. Tarentino uses cinematography to its best advantage in this film; stop action shots, slow motion, down angle shots, B&W during the big fight, and the battle in the snow between O'Ren Ishii and The Bride is the tastiest eye candy fight scene I have seen in a very long time.Even down to costume design, Kill Bill stimulates the visual core of your brain even better than the original Matrix. Direction, choreography, soundtrack, editing, production, acting, everything combines to make one of the greatest revenge fantasies ever filmed. Really, I'm not even a huge Tarentino fan, and I still found myself riveted to the screen, even starting the movie over again after my first viewing. The actresses and actors deserve special mention of their own. Forget Uma Thurman as the pretty little innocent we saw her as in Dangerous Liaisons, she is one hard fighting woman as The Bride, and really mastered the art of sword fighting for her role in this movie. She does a superb job. Lucy Liu is both beautiful and dangerous in her role as O'Ren Ishii, her voice as soft as rose petals and her sting as deadly as the Cottonmouth's bite, thus her code name from the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. Her eyes will quite literally transfix you, you will feel her staring into your soul and know that she would love to see the color of your blood.Also Exceptional in their supporting roles are Vivica Fox and Darryl Hannah, two more beautiful ladies that we never considered dangerous until now. Unknown in America for any acting is young Chiaki Kuriyama, who plays O'Ren's 17 year old bodyguard GoGo Yubari, a baby faced schoolgirl with dead eyes and a psychotic mind. And Sonny Chiba, long time veteran of Japanese cinema plays Hattori Hanzo, a retired sword maker.Don't miss the amazing snow-scene fight, the expertly done anime, and the visual and audio treat that is Kill Bill. Favorite Line? The Bride, after kicking everyone's hinder at the House Of Blue Leaves, shouts down to them from the balcony, "Those of you lucky enough to have your lives take them with you. However, leave the limbs you've lost. They belong to me now."Enjoy!

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

Summary: San Francisco Police Inspector `Dirty' Harry Callahan and his new partner, Early Smith have been temporarily reassigned from Homicide to Stakeout Duty. Meanwhile, those of the city's criminals who manage to avoid punishment by the courts are nevertheless being killed by unknown assassins. Callahan begins to investigate the murders despite the orders of his superior officer, Lieutenant Briggs. A man has to know his limitations...

Summary: Fans of the TV series "Police Story" and "Hill Street Blues" will dig this gritty 1972 drama based on Joseph Wambaugh's groundbreaking first novel. George C. Scott is in his element as Kilvinski, the philosophical 20-year veteran who mentors his new night shift partner, Roy (Stacy Keach), a "slick-sleeved" rookie. "Kilvinski's Law," he growls, "If a dude uses his fist, you use your stick. If he uses a stick you use your gun." Quincy Jones' "Shaft"-ian score gives the film a funky '70s vibe. Jane Alexander costars as Roy's neglected spouse, with Eric Estrada and Scott Wilson as fellow rookies, and Isabel "Weesie" Sanford as one of a vanful of prostitutes the partners roust in one of the few sequences played for laughs. Directed by Richard Fleischer ("Compulsion") and written by Academy Award-winner Stirling Silliphant ("In the Heat of the Night"), "The New Centurions" deglamorizes the cop drama with gallows humor and sudden and shocking violence. It is a little dated, but in portraying the dangers and stresses that beat cops face everyday, "The New Centurions" is not, to quote Kilvinski, the same old "Hollywood crap." "--Donald Liebenson"

Summary: A slick, sometimes over the top action adventure set in New York City during the end of the disco era, "Nighthawks" stars Sylvester Stallone as a hotshot New York cop with a troubled personal life drawn into an international terrorist vendetta. Stallone and partner Billy Dee Williams are recruited into a covert operation to stop an infamous terrorist named Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer), whom they believe to be in New York. Soon a cat-and-mouse game ensues between the blue-collar cop and the refined terrorist through the streets, discotheques, and subways of the city. And then things get personal as Wulfgar targets Stallone's wife (Lindsay Wagner). A fairly routine but well-photographed action thriller with the usual fast-paced adrenaline rush sequences for which Stallone has become famous. "--Robert Lane"

Summary: A strong candidate for the most sheerly entertaining and enjoyable movie ever made by a Hollywood studio (with "Citizen Kane", "Only Angels Have Wings" and "Trouble in Paradise" running neck and neck). Positioned between the much heavier and more profoundly disturbing "Vertigo" (1958) and the stark horror of "Psycho" (1960), "North by Northwest" (1959) is Alfred Hitchcock at his most effervescent in a romantic comedy-thriller that also features one of the definitive Cary Grant performances. Which is not to say that this is just "Hitchcock Lite"; seminal Hitchcock critic Robin Wood (in his book "Hitchcock's Films Revisited") makes an airtight case for this glossy MGM production as one of The Master's "unbroken series of masterpieces from "Vertigo" to "Marnie"." It's a classic Hitchcock Wrong Man scenario: Grant is Roger O. Thornhill (initials ROT), an advertising executive who is mistaken by enemy spies for a U.S. undercover agent named George Kaplan. Convinced these sinister fellows (James Mason as the boss, and Martin Landau as his henchman) are trying to kill him, Roger flees and meets a sexy Stranger on a Train (Eva Marie Saint), with whom he engages in one of the longest, most convolutedly choreographed kisses in screen history. And, of course, there are the famous set pieces: the stabbing at the United Nations, the crop-duster plane attack in the cornfield (where a pedestrian has no place to hide), and the cliffhanger finale atop the stone faces of Mount Rushmore. Plus a sparkling Ernest Lehman script and that pulse-quickening Bernard Herrmann score. What more could a moviegoer possibly desire? "--Jim Emerson"

Summary: Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (mono). Synopsis:
One of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest films, Notorious features the director at his devilishly elegant, self-assured best. A visual masterpiece, it plays like a seamlessly assembled jigsaw puzzle, in which each piece fits together with clean precision. The film's smooth veneer largely creates its visceral impact: lurking beneath the gloss are dealings of the most grotesque sort, their execution made all the more insidious by their sophisticated guise. Aside from containing one of Hitchcock's most famous MacGuffins, the uranium ore, Notorious boasts some of his most famous camerawork, most notably the gorgeous tracking shot during Sebastian's party that takes the viewer from the top of a staircase to Alicia's hand, clenched around the key that will lead her to the uranium ore. The camera moves with the quiet intimacy of an unobserved party guest, almost serpentine in its journey. That Sebastian's fate is the result of both his own manipulations of others and his heart's manipulations of himself is at the center of the film's true MacGuffin: masquerading as a Cold War thriller, Notorious is one of the screen's classic black romances. Special Features:
o Filmographies
o Interactive Menu
o Photo Gallery
o Scene Access
o Trailer(s)

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

Summary: The shadow of this woman darkened their love. A young woman believes her every dream has come true when her whirlwind romance with the dashing Maxim de Winter culminates in marriage. Bus she soon realizes taht Rebecca, the dead first Mrs. de Winter, haunts both the tempermental, brooding Maxim and the deWinter mansion, Manderley. In order for Maxim and the new Mrs. de Winter to have a future, Rebecca's spell must be broken and the mystery of her violent death unraveled.

Summary: Tarantino's debut movie is cult viewing. The film benefits from a quality cast of actors with Harvey Keitel & Steve Buscemi being particularly impressive as Mr White & Mr Pink. The script is witty and engaging throughout. I'd never previously seen such a seemingly disjointed movie come together so perfectly as in Reservoir Dogs. I especially enjoyed the way the resevoir dogs turn on each other in order to try and uncover who the "rat" is after their failed diamond heist. Furthermore, the use of colour code names and cool suits & shades is another inspired choice by Tarantino. The film is both violent,coarse and darkly humourous - a perfect mix. The movie soundtrack is also particularly impressive. The highlight would have to be Mr Blonde dancing to the ditty of "Stuck in the middle with you", prior to engaging in ritual torture. This is of course the movie's most controversial episode with Michael Madsen hacking off the cop's ear, humiliating him and threatening to set him alight. A big fuss over nothing was made over this and its release on video was delayed as a result. They only succeeded in further enhancing the film's appeal. If your yet to see this film then you're in for a treat, I remember emerging from the cinema on pure adrenaline. The dvd special features cupboard is worryingly bare. Why only a trailer and Tarantino intro for such a very special movie? I can't let that trivial detail detract from this film's excellence - maximum marks for this masterpiece.

Summary: Tony Manero (John Travolta) in "Saturday Night Fever" and Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) in "Boogie Nights" have one major thing in common: They both have posters of Al Pacino as Serpico on their bedroom walls. As the real-life NYPD detective whose integrity cost him virtually everything (and almost cost him his life), Pacino became one of the icons of gritty, realistic 1970s filmmaking. Released in 1973, between the first two "Godfather" movies, this is the true story of Frank Serpico, a long-haired, idealistic, iconoclastic cop who reluctantly goes undercover to investigate dirty colleagues who are on the take. This is one of the definitive Pacino performances, along with his role as Michael Corleone in the "Godfather" saga, and Sonny the bungling bank robber in "Dog Day Afternoon" (which reunited him with his Serpico director, Sidney Lumet)--and Pacino was nominated for a best actor Oscar for all of them (although he wouldn't actually win until 1992's "Scent of a Woman"). "--Jim Emerson"

Summary: The Seven-Ups of the title are a hot-dogging special unit of the New York Police Department led by street smart Roy Scheider, who applies unconventional techniques to crack tough cases and nab untouchable criminals. When a pair of police impersonators pulls a series of mob kidnappings, the local hoods get very nervous and Scheider's boys investigate, leading to a squad member's death that turns the case personal. Director Philip D'Antoni previously produced "Bullitt" and "The French Connection" and learned the importance of a good car chase: with craftsmanlike efficiency he delivers a textbook example of the inner-city chase, lacking style but chock full of squealing tires, careening cars, fleeing pedestrians, and dynamite crackups. The New York City street shooting and the ever-present street sounds give the film a solid sense of place, and Scheider applies his usual thoughtful intensity as the vengeful cop, but the rest of the cops are woefully undeveloped. Only Tony LoBianco, as Scheider's childhood buddy turned hustler and street snitch, has any real presence next to Scheider. In the pantheon of '70s cop thrillers, "The Seven-Ups" ranks below the more vigorous and ambiguous classics like "Serpico" and "The French Connection", but excellent stunt work and gritty action raises it above the pack. "--Sean Axmaker"

Summary: Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (mono). Synopsis:
Behind a veil of psychoanalytic babble lies a simple tale of murder in Alfred Hitchcock's popular thriller Spellbound. During the WWII era in which the film was released, it was heralded for its intellectual use of Freudian theories to solve a murder. In retrospect, however, the film reveals psychoanalytic ideas that are simplistic and obsolete to the point of becoming comical. In spite of this, Hitchcock's tremendous ability to create suspense remains a timeless one and the film's thriller elements, combined with a series of outstanding visuals, bring Spellbound within a notch of the director's best works. The psychological elements allowed Hitchcock to be creative visually and he went to the best, hiring artist Salvador Dali to design a series of incredibly eerie dream sequences. Sadly, only a few of Dali's wonderful creations made the final cut while the others were either lost or destroyed. Hitchcock often spoke of one particularly fantastic sequence in which a statue cracked and fell apart, revealing star Ingrid Bergman beneath it. The climactic suicide scene in which the villain, having been revealed, decides to kill himself is another example of Hitchcock's willingness to experiment. Seen from the killer's perspective, the scene shows him turning the gun on himself and firing it right into the camera. The explosion appears in red and was hand-tinted onto the black-and-white image. " Spellbound was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor, but went on to win for Miklos Rozsa's chilling score. Hitchcock's cameo arrives at the film's 38-minute mark, when the director can be seen exiting an elevator. Special Features:
o Filmographies
o Interactive Menu
o Photo Gallery
o Scene Access
o Trailer(s)

Summary: Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack continued their longtime collaboration (the actor and director have worked together on "Jeremiah Johnson", "The Way We Were", "The Electric Horseman", and "Out of Africa", among other films) with this taut spy drama. Redford plays a reader for U.S. intelligence who becomes a hunted man after he is not among the victims of a mass murder of his colleagues. Faye Dunaway does solid work as the frightened and mystified woman whom he forces to conceal him, and Max von Sydow is appropriately cool as a professional assassin. That same, sustained tone of danger and expectation that made Pollack's "The Firm" so much fun can be found in this 1975 thriller, albeit with an appropriate dose of post-Watergate paranoia. "--Tom Keogh"

Summary: The story of FBI agent Eliot Ness's obsessive goal to bring down the notorious gangster Al Capone. Prohibition Chicago, 1931. Rampant corruption exists within the police force, and because of this Federal Agent Elliot Ness assembles a small, hand-picked team to take out Al Capone and his bootlegging empire. The team was one he could trust, one that wouldn't be bought or bribed but would risk everything, even their lives, to stop Capone's reign of terror when organised crime turned the city into a battlefield. They were The Untouchables. Gangbuster Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) meets the veteran Irish beat cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery) who teaches Ness the stark realities of dealing with the Mob. Malone becomes his first recruit in the battle to put Al Capone behind bars and out of business. The Untouchables is a thrilling adventure, telling a classic American story of good versus evil, handled with superb visual panache by director Brian De Palma.

Summary: This Pack Contains: Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps
Peggy Ashcroft, Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn
Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, Emlyn Williams, Leslie Banks, Robert Newton

Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes
Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew To Much
Peter Lorre, Edna Best, Leslie Banks

Alfred Hitchcock's Murder
Norah Baring, Herbert Mashall, Edward Chapman Alfred Hitchcock's Number 17
Leon M Lion, Anne Grey, John Stuart, Donald Calthorp, Barry Jones, Garry Marsh

Alfred Hitchcock's Sabotage
Sylvia Sidney, John Loder, Oskar Homolka, Desmond Tester Alfred Hitchcock's Secret Agent
John Gielgud, Madeleine Carroll, Peter Lorre

Alfred Hitchcock's The Skin Game
C.V. France, Edmund Gewnn, Helen Haye, Jull Osmond, Lohn Longden Alfred Hitchcock's The Rich And Strange
Henry Kendall, Joan Barry

Summary: Includes all five Dirty Harry films: all special features on the Dirty Harry Special Edition and Deluxe Editions, plus additional special features and contents specific to the Ultimate Collector's Edition. Bonus Feature-Length documentary Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows; a 40+ page hardcover book; Wallet w/metal badge and removable laminated I.D. card; Five 5"x 7" Reproduction Lobby Poster Cards plus an exclusive UCE card; Scorpio Portrait of a Killer Poster-Sized (19" x 27") map of San Francisco detailing Harry’s hunt for the killer; Never-Before-Seen Production Correspondence

Summary: Some of the greatest masterpieces in cinema history, "The Godfather Collection" is the saga of the generations of successive power within the Corleone crime family, told in three films of staggering magnitude and vision, masterfully exploring themes of power, tradition, revenge and love. "The Godfather" (1972, 175 min.) - Adapted from Mario Puzo's best-selling novel, Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleones. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. "The Godfather, Part II" (1974, 200 min.) - This brilliant sequel continues the saga of two generation of successive power within the Corleone family. Coppola tells two stories: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito (Robert De Niro), and the ascension of Michael (Al Pacino) as the new Don. Winner of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. "The Godfather, Part III" (1990, 170 min.) - Now in his 60's, Michael Corleone is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime, and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia), but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. This special collection also includes an additional disc containing over 3 hours of bonus material.

System Requirements:
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Robert DeNiro, Lee Strasberg, Andy Garcia, and Sofia Coppola.
Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola.
Running Time: 545 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2001 Paramount Pictures.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Summary: Please Note: As a franchise organisation, titles and prices may vary between the physical stores and this website.

Summary: The Bourne Identity:
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity, the first in his trio of international thrillers featuring master spy Jason Bourne, was a sensation when it was published in 1980. Now this potent novel gets an edgy 21st century spin from director Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) who delivers Ludlum's high-stakes tale with grit, style and nerve. The story opens as an amnesiac (Damon) is rescued at sea by the crew of an Italian fishing boat. Nearly dead, he carries only the bullets in his back and the bank account number implanted in his hip. Although completely without identity or background, he does possess an array of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistics and self-defense that speak of a dangerous past. He sets out on a desperate search assisted by the initially rebellious Marie (Potente) to discover who he really is, and why so many people want him dead. The Bourne Supremacy:
Following the smash worldwide success of 2002's The Bourne Identity, Universal Pictures brings the second installment of best-selling author Robert Ludlum's series to the screen with Matt Damon returning as trained assassin Jason Bourne in The Bourne Supremacy. Bourne continues to find himself plagued by splintered nightmares from his former life. The stakes are now even higher for the agent as he coolly maneuvers through the dangerous waters of international espionage--replete with CIA plots, turncoat agents and ever-shifting covert alliances--all the while hoping to find the truth behind his haunted memories and answers to his own fragmented past. The Bourne Ultimatum:
Matt Damon returns as trained assassin, Jason Bourne in the third chapter of the espionage series. Now hunted by the people who made him what he was, Bourne tries to go back to the beginning to find out who he was.

Summary: Please Note: As a franchise organisation, titles and prices may vary between the physical stores and this website.

Summary: Please Note: As a franchise organisation, titles and prices may vary between the physical stores and this website.

Summary: Please Note: As a franchise organisation, titles and prices may vary between the physical stores and this website.

Summary: Please Note: As a franchise organisation, titles and prices may vary between the physical stores and this website.

Summary: TV detective fans rejoice: Peter Falk's rumpled and infallible Lt. Columbo joins the DVD precinct with a five-disc set that features the detective's first nine appearances for NBC. Though Falk as Columbo (no first name) made his TV debut in 1967, the detective had actually first appeared on an episode of the 1960-61 "Chevy Mystery Show" (Bert Freed played the role) written by veteran TV scribes Richard Levinson and William Link ("The Fugitive", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"). The pair turned the episode into a stage play titled "Prescription: Murder", which was adapted into a TV movie in 1967 with Falk in the lead. NBC greenlit a two-hour Columbo pilot ("Ransom for a Dead Man") in 1971, and the series was launched that fall as part of the "NBC Sunday Mystery Movie", a rotating 90-minute program that alternated "Columbo" with episodes of "MacMillan and Wife" and "McCloud" (another Levinson/Link creation). Viewers were quickly won over by Falk's shrewd performance as he matched wits with a host of exceptional guest stars (including Gene Barry, Patrick McGoohan, and others), all of whom assumed that the disheveled detective would never figure out their "perfect crimes"; the popularity and quality of the original series allows Falk to continue to don the trenchcoat some 30 years later for occasional "Columbo" TV movies.
All seven 90-minute episodes of the 1971-72 debut season are included here, along with "Prescription: Murder" and "Ransom for a Dead Man"; unfortunately, as the lieutenant himself would say, "Oh, just one more thing"--no extras are included in the set, but having these fine TV mysteries in one set should be reward enough for armchair sleuths. "--Paul Gaita"

Summary: Armchair sleuths, get out your trenchcoats: Universal has released the sophomore season (1972-73) of the classic detective series "Columbo", starring Peter Falk as the sage but rumpled police lieutenant. As with the first season, there's plenty of star power in front of and behind the camera to abet Falk in these eight 90- and 120-minute episodes: John Cassavetes stars in the season premiere, "Etude in Black", as a philandering symphony conductor, with Blythe Danner and Hollywood legend Myrna Loy in support; Oscar winner Ray Milland is a scheming orchid grower in "The Greenhouse Jungle," co-starring Bradford Dillman and William Smith; Robert Culp and Dean Stockwell are a football team manager and owner, respectively, whose disagreements blossom into murder in "The Most Crucial Game"; and Jeanette Nolan offers stellar comic relief in "Double Shock," which features Martin Landau as identical twins--one of whom has murdered their uncle. Performances by Richard Basehart, Laurence Harvey, Leonard Nimoy, Anne Francis, Anne Baxter, and Mel Ferrer also highlight the season; direction by small-screen stalwarts like Boris Sagal, Jeremy Paul Kagan, and Nicholas Colasanto ("Coach" on "Cheers") and scripts by Stephen Bochco also bring quality and style to the proceedings. Sadly, no extras are available in this five-disc set, but the stellar image and sound quality (and lack of commercials) should appeal to series fans and newcomers alike. "--Paul Gaita"

Summary: Before returning to the television fold in the '80s with a string of successful TV movies, Peter Falk's Lt. Columbo concluded his network sleuthing with eight episodes that aired between 1976-1978; these final two seasons of the original "Columbo" series are packaged in this no-frills boxed set that should be a welcome addition to any armchair detective's collection. Quality-wise, the performances, writing, and direction in these eight episodes are as top notch as any that preceded it, with a host of terrific guest stars doing their best to match wits with the lieutenant in a string of complex mysteries. William Shatner gives a typically juicy turn as a demanding TV actor facing blackmail in the sixth season opener "Fade in to Murder"; Theodore Bikel and Sorrell Booke ("The Dukes of Hazzard") are friends, business partners, and bitter rivals in "The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case" (and watch for Jamie Lee Curtis in a bit role as a waitress); the great Ruth Gordon ("Harold and Maude") shines as a wily mystery writer in the seventh season's "Try and Catch Me," while a host of fine character actors (including the late Mako, Richard Dysart and Michael V. Gazzo) have reasons for wanting food critic Louis Jourdan dead in "Murder Under Glass," and a very young Kim Cattrall helps Columbo unravel a mystery involving mind control and trained dogs in "How to Dial a Murder." The talent behind the camera in these episodes is equally impressive: Jonathan Demme helms "Murder Under Glass," while Leo Penn takes the final episode, "The Conspirators." As with all of the original "Columbo" shows (and many of the subsequent TV movies), the episodes presented here are smartly written, crisply acted by a quality cast, and anchored with sly charm and deceptive strength by Falk's Emmy-winning performance. Previous "Columbo" box sets have included an episode of the spin-off series "Mrs. Columbo" as an extra, but no such supplement is included here. "--Paul Gaita"

Summary: Oh, just one more thing, mystery mavens--get ready to be mystified and entertained by the award-winning third season of "Columbo", starring Peter Falk as the rumpled but unbeatable Lieutenant. Having taken home Emmys for outstanding limited drama and lead actor in its '71-'72 debut season, "Columbo" was again named best drama for its third season ('73-'74). The reason for the repeat success? The formula remained the same: intelligent, engaging scripts and direction, guest performances by top actors, and, of course, Falk at center stage as Columbo, the most unlikely of supersleuths, but unquestionably one of the sharpest (the role would later earn Falk three more Emmys between 1975 and 1990). The 10 episodes compiled in this two-disc set again feature top talent from film and television: directors include veterans Jeannot Swarc and Boris Sagal, as well as actors Nicholas Colasanto (better known as Coach from "Cheers") and Ben Gazzara (Falk's frequent co-star in the films of John Cassavetes), while the season's scripts feature contributions from Stephen J. Cannell, Steven Bochco, and Larry Cohen. And in regard to co-stars, Falk matched wits with the likes of Donald Pleasance, Martin Sheen, Vincent Price, Robert Culp (in one of four turns on the series), Jose Ferrer, Ida Lupino, and in two novel but effective casting choices, Johnny Cash and hard-boiled mystery scribe Mickey Spillane. And there's even a bonus feature in the form of an episode of the spinoff series "Mrs. Columbo", starring Kate Mulgrew as the Lieutenant's oft-mentioned better half. In short, it's 11 hours of solid sleuthing for armchair detectives. "--Paul Gaita"

Summary: A Crime Odyssey As international terrorism and organised crime become more and more intertwined, Western nations face a growing threat to their security. In Denmark, a special unit is set up to fight cross-border crime. In Copenhagen, charismatic detective Hallgrim Hallgrimsson (called "The Eagle" for his unerring intuition) assembles a team of crime fighters equipped with the most advanced technology and high-tech weapons. Includes Episodes 1-6.

Summary: As international terrorism and organised crime become more and more intertwined, Western nations find themselves increasingly threatened by violence and lawlessness on an unimaginable scale. In Denmark, a special unit is set up to fight cross-border crime throughout Scandinavia and to establish operational links with similar teams around the world. A hard-hitting series that soars to new heights of psychologically intense crime drama. Dramatically real stories with a chill that lingers longer than a Scandinavian winter.

Summary: As international terrorism and organised crime become more and more intertwined, Western nations find themselves increasingly threatened by violence and lawlessness on an unimaginable scale. In Denmark, a special unit is set up to fight cross-border crime throughout Scandinavia and to establish operational links with similar teams around the world. A hard-hitting series that soars to new heights of psychologically intense crime drama. Dramatically real stories with a chill that lingers longer than a Scandinavian winter. Episodes:
Codename: Keres (Part 1 & 2)
Codename: Calypso (Part 1 & 2)
Codename: Thanatos (Part 1 & 2)

Summary: "He's not a man in a wheelchair. He's Ironside in a wheelchair." Yes, and while TV cop shows come and go, there was only one "Ironside", which makes its first appearance on DVD with this eight-disc boxed set, containing 28 episodes from the show's first season (1967-68), along with the pilot that preceded it in '66. The series is like others of its ilk and time, in ways both good (snappy dialogue and very cool, jazz-inflected music, including a theme song by Quincy Jones and scoring by the great composer-arranger Oliver Nelson) and mediocre (slow pacing, and a thoroughly square take on the mid-'60s counterculture). But what sets this one apart is the presence of Raymond Burr in the title role. Just a year removed from "Perry Mason", Burr is outstanding as a former San Francisco chief of detectives who returns to the force as a consultant following the shooting that leaves him wheelchair-bound (illuminated in the 90-minute "world premiere"). His Robert Ironside is gruff, acerbic, free of self-pity (told by a doctor that he'll never walk again, he replies, "Is that all?"), and always ready with a sarcastic quip ("Are you brother and sister, or do you just cross-pollinate?" he says to two self-described "flower people"). He's also a policeman who's not shy about bending a rule or two as he relentlessly pursues the bad guys. And while his team (Don Galloway and Barbara Anderson as young cops and Don Mitchell as the African American delinquent who becomes his driver and caretaker) often chafes under his, um, iron hand, he's also a sympathetic mentor skilled in the art of tough love.
Story-wise, "Ironside" is pretty typical: murder, robbery, car theft, and a smattering of more contemporary issues like drugs and the Cold War. While there are occasional chase scenes and gunfights (most of them less than gripping), the focus is on a facts-first, conclusions-later approach to crime solving; "the chief" relies on the dry, meticulous gathering of evidence and factual minutiae and an almost Sherlock Holmesian attention to logic and detail to win the day. The result: Ironside may be crippled, but he's not lame. The DVD transfers are crisp and clean, but the boxed set contains no bonus material. "--Sam Graham"

Summary: The toughest cop on four wheels returns with this seven-disc set containing all 26 episodes from the second season (1968-69) of "Ironside". Of course, that also means that Raymond Burr is back in the title role, portraying a former San Francisco chief of detectives who returned to the force as a consultant following the shooting that left him wheelchair-bound (also returning are his core team, including Don Galloway as Detective Sgt. Ed Brown, Barbara Anderson as Officer Eve Whitfield, and Don Mitchell as Mark Sanger, Ironside's bodyguard and driver). As ever, Burr's Robert Ironside is one of the more distinctive characters on the cop show landscape. Gruff, stubborn, impatient, and utterly unwilling to suffer fools, he commands respect with a combination of tough love and unwavering fairness. There's nothing touchy-feely about this guy. Take "Split Second to an Epitaph," a two-parter near the start of the season. When Ironside regains sensation in his feet, a doctor advises him to immediately undergo an operation that could heal him for good. But the chief refuses to go under the knife as long as the team's current case is unsolved. When he finally shows up at the hospital and another paraplegic asks him how to cope with his disability, Ironside replies, "It starts out as pure hell. Then it gets worse." And when the doc asks him what he'll do should he be able to walk again, the answer is classic Ironside: "Probably sit down." The second season's episodes run a fairly wide gamut, dealing with issues ranging from black militancy (in "Robert Phillips vs. the Man," Ironside refuses to submit either to Paul Winfield's hostile taunts or to the white racists eager to jail the black leader for murder) and professional sports (in "The Tormentor," a baseball player is threatened by an extortionist) to abortion ("A Matter of Love and Death" finds Eve posing as a pregnant young single in order to flush out a criminal abortionist--these were the days before Roe v. Wade) and boorish TV talk show demagogues (Milton Berle in a decidedly non-comic role in "I, The People"). There are also a few more personal stories than were found in Season One (Eve falls in love in one episode and hovers near death following a shooting in another, while Mark continues his quest to become a lawyer). That's all good, but like other series of its era, "Ironside" often seems rather dated; you'll find folks smoking in hospitals (and, in Ironside's case, having a couple of stiff drinks, with his doctor's approval, the night before his operation), star athletes struggling to put together a $100,000 payoff (a hundred grand is about what waterboys make these days), and gigantic American-made cars easily finding street parking spaces in downtown San Francisco. But while such details can be written off as mere anachronisms, the show's cheesy sets, slow-moving action and overall lack of genuine tension are more problematic. In the end, though, "Ironside" is mostly driven by its star power--not only Burr's, but also guests like Berle, Winfield, Broderick Crawford, Joseph Cotten, Clu Gulager, Diane Ladd, Ricardo Montalban, Anne Baxter, Ed Asner, Burgess Meredith, and Chad Everett. There are no bonus features in the box set. "--Sam Graham"

Summary: IRONSIDE broke new ground in programming by giving television its first disabled hero, and star Raymond Burr (PERRY MASON) a second major television hit spanning an incredible 8 years. Paralyzed by a would-be assassin's bullet, Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr), former Chief of Detectives for the San Francisco Police Department, is unwilling to give up his personal war on crime. Continuing to work from his uniquely equipped office at SFPD headquarters, Ironside fights crime others cant, aided by a crack team of investigators including Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway), ex-con-turned-assistant Mark Sanger (Don Mitchell) and beautiful policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson).

Summary: IRONSIDE broke new ground in programming by giving television its first disabled hero, and star Raymond Burr (PERRY MASON) a second major television hit spanning an incredible 8 years. Paralyzed by a would-be assassin's bullet, Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr), former Chief of Detectives for the San Francisco Police Department, is unwilling to give up his personal war on crime. Continuing to work from his uniquely equipped office at SFPD headquarters, Ironside fights crime others cant, aided by a crack team of investigators including Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway), ex-con-turned-assistant Mark Sanger (Don Mitchell) and beautiful policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson).

Summary: 'The Killing' is an innovative thriller in 20 episodes from Danish Radio TV Drama. In the course of 20 gripping days we follow leads and observe the consequences of a heinous crime that seem to ramify throughout Copenhagen. As the investigation unfolds, Copenhagen opens up like a Chinese box, full of secrets and power struggles. It all starts when head of investigations in the homicide department has her last day at work before embarking on a new chapter in her life. An all but normal family at Vesterbro are minding their everyday life and contemplate moving, when the parents are suddenly thrown into their worst imaginable nightmare. At the same time a top politician is involved in a ruthless but promising election campaign. They all become part of the same story as the police follow the leads. A homicide case takes its beginning and so does the hunt for the perpetrator. In the course of 20 intense days in November their lives change forever. The crime and the hunt for the perpetrator bind very different people together in the same fateful story. As the investigation intensifies, the consequences are wide-ranging and with wide-spread effect; from the hidden agenda of the high school students via the closed environment in immigrant circles and the bureaucracy at town hall, to the many more or less visibly involved people in the ruthless election campaign.

Summary: Series about an ex-con-turned-private-investigator named Jim Rockford who would rather run away than fight and would rather go fishing than work. He isn't a coward and he isn't lazy--just a bit on the cautious side that's all. And he bears a very strong resemblance to Western TV hero Bret Maverick. Rockford is sometimes aided (and sometimes deterred) in his cases by friends Dennis Becker (a police detective) Angel (his cowardly former cellmate) and pretty Beth Davenport (his lawyer).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025195005715 Manufacturer No: 61100691

Summary: This stylish gripping French murder mystery thriller follows a crack team of police officers & legal professionals as they try to solve the case of a woman?s body found in a skip. Allowing us a glimpse at the French legal system along with the seedier side of Paris the series leaves you on the edge of your seat. This handsome production combines the great French tradition of the policier with all the excitement of the best UK and US crime series.

Summary: A burned corpse is found in the boot of a car, a seemingly isolated case of urban violence. However, the case grows in complexity and danger, each new piece of evidence unearths a duplicitous world of international trafficking, informers, double lives and arms dealing. An audacious plan to strike at the heart of the crime network means that the slightest slip will result in certain death.

Summary: To Unit One, the case at hand is all that matters. Forensic police series shot in Denmark, opening a whole new world of light & shade to viewers of the timeless fiction genre. A quiet achiever on SBS television, Unit One has found a solid viewing slot each Friday across the country, and Aztec International is proud to be the first label outside of Denmark to collect the series onto DVD format. There are 32 episodes in all, each of them focussed on the forensics of criminal investigation – not an unusual subject on Australian TV screens. As has been the case many times on SBS TV, a dedicated fan-base develops for the more exotic locales and characters in the crime detection genre.

Summary: Unit One (a.k.a. Rejseholdet) is Denmark's highest rating crime series ever. It is an ongoing series that traces crime squad investigations by the cracking police squad the series is named for. Addictive viewing on television, each episode focuses on a unique crime, but the magic in the programme is also in the character development that builds momentum as the series progresses. These factors combine with the series' spotlight on little seen areas of Denmark to create a unique television series. Top level actors combine with writers and craftspeople at the top of their game.

Summary: A forensic police series shot in Denmark, opening a whole new world of light and shade to viewers of the timeless fiction genre. A quiet achiever on SBS television, UNIT ONE screened first in late 2005, and will repeat in September this year. Aztec International is proud to be the first label outside of Denmark to collect the series onto DVD format. A dedicated fan-base develops for the more exotic locales and characters in the crime genre.

Summary: A barroom toast to Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), a one-man good cop/bad cop, offered in "The Wire"'s final episode could very well serve as this series' epitaph: "When you were good, you were the best we had." Season five bears witness to this. The 10 riveting, wrenching episodes focus on yet another beleaguered Baltimore institution, "The Baltimore Sun" daily newspaper, whose staff, much like the police, is forced to do more with less. One editor (Clark Johnson) struggles to maintain the paper's journalistic standards in the face of declining ad revenues, employee buyouts and bureau closures. An ambitious reporter (Tom McCarthy) undermines him by taking a page out of the Stephen Glass/Jayson Blair playbook, manufacturing sensational quotes, and eventually, whole stories, while bean-counter management encourages its rising star and keeps its eye on the (Pulitzer) prize. Meanwhile, on the streets, the year-long investigation of rising drug lord Marlo Sansfield (Jamie Hector) and the 22 bodies found in "the vacants" has been discontinued and police morale is at an all-time low (the money promised to the department has been diverted to the schools). McNulty manufactures a serial killer case that will have far-reaching repercussions in the mayor's office, where Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is mounting a run for governor a mere two years into his term. "I wonder what it would be like to work at a real police station," McNulty rages at one point. "The Wire", as ever, is all about real. It's a gritty and unflinching look at life in one of roughest districts of a "broke-ass city." There is street justice for some characters, and street injustice for others. Some meet sad, sudden, or shocking ends that defy TV convention. Referring to Marlo, McNulty declares early on, "He does not get to win; we get to win." The hard-earned victories are mostly small, or come with a price. Not that "The Wire" does not offer glimmers of hope. Bubbles (Andre Royo) struggles to maintain his sobriety (Steve Earle portrays the leader of his 12-step program and also does the theme song honors this season), and the final episode features a cameo by Jim True-Frost as the once overwhelmed teacher, "Prez," who now seems to have the hang of the job. The ratings-strapped and criminally Emmy-snubbed "The Wire" has always been a critic's darling with a passionate fan base. To the show's credit, it did not make itself more accessible in its final season (consequently, its send-off did not receive near the fanfare of "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City"). That should not dissuade newcomers to the show. It is heavy lifting, and if you're just joining "The Wire", a visit to the show's official website for orientation is recommended. But buy it, watch it, and be patient. It's so worth it. From the masterful storytelling to the peerless ensemble, it just doesn't get any better than "The Wire". But that's not exactly news. "--Donald Liebenson"

Summary: After one episode of "The Wire" you'll be hooked. After three, you'll be astonished by the precision of its storytelling. After viewing all 13 episodes of the HBO series' remarkable first season, you'll be cheering a bona-fide American masterpiece. Series creator David Simon was a veteran crime reporter from "The Baltimore Sun" who cowrote the book that inspired TV's "Homicide", and cowriter Ed Burns was a Baltimore cop, lending impeccable street-cred to an inner-city Baltimore saga (and companion piece to "The Corner") that Simon aptly describes as "a visual novel" and "a treatise on institutions and individuals" as opposed to a conventional good-vs.-evil police procedural. Owing a creative debt to the novels of Richard Price (especially "Clockers"), the series opens as maverick Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West, in a star-making role) is tapping into a vast network of drugs and death around southwest Baltimore's deteriorating housing projects. With a mandate to get results ASAP, a haphazard team is assembled to join McNulty's increasingly complex investigation, built upon countless hours of electronic surveillance.
The show's split-perspective plotting is so richly layered, so breathtakingly authentic and based on finely drawn characters brought to life by a perfect ensemble cast, that it defies concise description. Simon, Burns, and their cowriters control every intricate aspect of the unfolding epic; directors are top-drawer (including Clark Johnson, helmer of "The Shield"'s finest episodes), but they are servants to the story, resulting in a TV series like no other: unpredictable, complicated, and demanding the viewer's rapt attention, "The Wire" is "an angry show" (in Simon's words) that refuses to comfort with easy answers to deep-rooted societal problems. Moral gray zones proliferate in a universe where ruthless killers have a logical code, and where the cops are just as ambiguous as their targets. That ambiguity extends to the ending as well; season 1 leaves several issues unresolved, leaving you begging for the even more impressive developments that await in season 2. "--Jeff Shannon"