DVDpedia : GQ DVD Library : Genre : D

Summary: Pretty amazing stuff, this film. Amazing in what it presents - and even more amazing that in spite of all their efforts, the so called "conservatives" have been unable to block its screening. Enjoy it while you can, though, folks. Another four years of bush, and be assured the whole Chicken Hawk gang will push though Patriot act II . . . . something that will make Michael Moore films illegal under some kind of national security guise. Don't bet they won't at least try. If this film doesn't make you downright furious, you couldn't possibly be a thinking person. The right wingers should be furious because of all the rights all the bush legislation has taken away. The patriot act doesn't fit the true conservative genre at all - instead of protecting individual liberties (which conservative claim they do), it destroys them - ala Nazi methodology in the 1930's. The left wingers should be furious because of the almost unfathomable amount of money and resource bush and his group have wasted in Iraq -instead of ending poverty or suffering - heaven forbid we waste money on THAT. It should be almost killing you inside almost to think about it. We should all be furious - to the point of outrage - that we were outright lied to about WOMD. And about 9/11. And that on these false premises - thousands and thousands die; Our reputation as a nation destroyed - probably for generations to come; our priorities set totally backwards . . . and yet the man still garners a 40% approval rating. God - what have we come to? Moore presents his premise brilliantly, cohesively, and even with a touch of humor. Highly recommend this film. Based on the quality of reviews from the Rush Limbaugh right, it won't sway much viewpoint (they, as is so typical, resort to such brilliant slams as "fat liberal" and other similarly inspired remarks), but at the very least it will help all truly thinking Americans. I don't care if you're Democrat or Republican - you should very strongly support the continuation of the making of this kind of film. Freedom of speech is one of the very core principles upon which this nation was founded. Thankfully, it still exists to a degree. God Bless Michael Moore for having the guts to do what he does.

Summary: The Fog of War, the movie that finally won Errol Morris the best documentary Oscar, is a spellbinder. Morris interviews Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and finds a uniquely unsettling viewpoint on much of 20th-century American history. Employing a ton of archival material, including LBJ's fascinating taped conversations from the Oval Office, Morris probes the reasons behind the U.S. commitment to the Vietnam War--and finds a depressingly inconsistent policy. McNamara himself emerges as--well, not exactly apologetic, but clearly haunted by the what-ifs of Vietnam. He also mulls the bombing of Japan in World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis, raising more questions than he answers. The Fog of War has the usual inexorable Morris momentum, aided by an uneasy Philip Glass score. This movie provides a glimpse inside government. It also encourages skepticism about same. --Robert Horton

Summary: With the fate of our planet arguably hanging in the balance, "An Inconvenient Truth" may prove to be one of the most important and prescient documentaries of all time. As he jokingly refers to himself, "former President-elect" Al Gore felt an urgent personal calling to draw attention--as he had been doing throughout his political career--to the increasingly desperate crisis of global warming, and this riveting documentary is basically a filmed version (by respected TV director Davis Guggenheim) of the PowerPoint lecture that Gore has presented (by his own estimate, well over 1,000 times) to attentive audiences all over the world. Considering Gore's amiable, low-key approach to charts, graphs, statistics, and photographs that leave no room for doubt regarding the "reality" (not "theory") of global warming as Earth's ultimate environmental crisis, many viewers will be surprised by just how fascinating and convincing this no-frills film really is.
As we learn about the milestone events that shaped his character (including his sister's death and young son's near-fatal injuries after being struck by a car), Gore sheds the stiff demeanor of his 2000 presidential campaign and impresses us as a man with a mission, transcending partisan politics with an impassioned plea for common sense, ethical forthrightness, and passionate purpose in reversing the harmful effects of global warming through personal and political responsibility. Some may accuse Gore of exploiting global warming as a Democratic platform, but his honest conviction regarding this "inconvenient truth" (i.e. overwhelming evidence of global warming that's troublesome to those whose interests are threatened by Gore's irrefutable message) is likely to silence all but the most obtusely stubborn detractors. By taking the high road and discreetly avoiding a full-on assault against the George W. Bush administration (which has steadfastly avoided "the inconvenient truth" with obfuscating spin control and policies favoring the oil industry), Gore effectively rises above political differences with a stern but hopeful eye toward a better future for our children."--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: While "Boogie Nights" showed pornography's transition from sleazy cinemas to home-video dominance, "Inside Deep Throat" looks back to the film that introduced porn to a curious mainstream public. Released in 1972 and starring 23-year-old Linda Lovelace as sexpot whose oral sex skills (performed on well-endowed costar Harry Reems) gave the film its title (and, subsequently, the nickname of Watergate's secret informant), "Deep Throat" set a cultural milestone as a source of controversy, outrageous profit (mostly for its Colombo mob family financiers), and irrevocable social change. With equal parts nostalgia and historical hindsight, this briskly-paced documentary places "Deep Throat" in pivotal context, when Vietnam was an acknowledged disaster and American innocence was peeling away one layer at a time. Produced by Hollywood honcho Brian Grazer and catering to viewers who were too young to witness "Deep Throat"'s impact firsthand, the film includes the legendary fellatio scene that made Lovelace an overnight sensation (hence the NC-17 rating), but it's the interviews with pop-culture VIP's like Norman Mailer, Dick Cavett, Hugh Hefner and (most amusingly) Helen Gurley Brown that add necessary perspective to what is, for better and worse, an engaging but somewhat shallow examination of a culture war that never really ended. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: This film has no dialogue, no recognizable characters, no plotline, but it is FABULOUS. Somehow the lack of structure doesn't bother me. This video might represent the perfect melding of images and sound - the cinematography enhances the music, which in turn enhances the sights on the screen, in a wonderful reciprocal sort of way. This film is a must-have for anyone who likes minimalism, loud music, bold new cinematic ideas, clever juxtaposition of images (the airplane on the freeway is my favorite), or just plain old good art. That's really all this is - art as beautiful as any Beethoven symphony or Rembrandt painting. And you don't have to buy into Reggio's culture-condemning worldview to appreciate the movie, either; as one critic said, the speed shots of hectic city life are almost exultant, celebratory.So go out and buy this film. I've heard there are issues with the DVD version, so it might be wise to stick with VHS for now.

Summary: Celebrating horror's greatest directors! Deep Red, Suspiria, Black Sunday, Halloween, and The Thing - its an unrivalled roll call of blood-soaked scream-scenes, vicious violence and disfigured knife-wielding maniacs. Exploding with guresome clips and candid interviews, Masters of Horror chronicles the carnage-filled careers of three undisputed titans of cinematic terror! Titles include Dario Argento: Eye for Horror, the definitive introduction to the work of the great Italian horror auteur; Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre, a telling chronicle of Bava's illustrious career, including interviews with directors Tim Burton, Joe Dante and John Carpenter; and John Carpenter: Fear Is Just The Beginning, a compelling take on the director of Halloween, featuring interviews with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kurt Russell, and George A. Romero.

Summary: The career and life of Stanley Kubrick is explored through pictures, clips from his films, his old home movies, comments from his colleagues and a narration by Tom Cruise.

Summary: I dont surf,haven't ever wanted to,nevertheless its fascinating to watch and has the potential for a great documentary,unfortunately this isn't it.but dont let that put you off,particularly if,like me,youre a novice wanting to have a gentle nose around.the locations are lush the people interesting and the non preachy explanation and history lesson are just about spot on.the camera work is exemplary,soundtrack 5.1 and picture clear as a bell.the problems are created by the films efforts to include every sort of surfing and introducing vivid characters,you want to delve a little deeper,but theres not enough time as youre all too soon whisked off to a new arena.another gripe(this applies to ALL surf docs)is the lack of any grit,even the surfer in the wheelchair is presented as being only too happy to have been royally clobbered for the sake of the sacred tubes dude!who the film is aimed at is illustrated by the inclusion of a free surfing game for your pc!nontheless this is one of the better mass marketed surfing docs and for all those who have stood in their local quiksilver store not knowing which dvd is best and too embarressed to ask,this is a good intro.if you liked this you might try the september sessions,it takes less of a scattergun approach but is non the worse for it.

Summary: Last Year, the BBC broadcast a fanatastic series - Wild China. This year they've almost done it again. I don't know whats going on over at the BBC but there is some seriously good photgraphy going on at the moment. Like Wild China, the scenery is mind-blowing. Unfortunately. They insist on ending each installment with a profile of the people who work in the park or have close connections with it. I'm not sure if these are on the DVD but they certianly spoil the effect that the program has on you. They aren't that interesting and after a very moving documentary, a group of people getting excited about geysers over and over again can ruin the humble feeling that the program leaves you with.

Despite this, these 50 minute documentaries are intriguing, mind blowing and awe inspriring and I would highly recommend them for anyone interested in Nature and Science.

Summary: Cosmos remains one of the best-known and best-loved descriptions of our universe. Seen by over 700 million viewers in 60 countries, this multi Emmy Award winning series is arguably the most popular and stunningly influential science programme ever produced. Through a combination of special effects and Dr Carl Sagan’s enthusiastic narration every fantastic episode is an awe-inspiring cosmic journey that appeals to a mass audience. Cosmos covers a range of intriguing and fascinating topics including the origins of life, the search for life on Mars, the infernal composition of the atmosphere of Venus and the “greenhouse effect”, the lives of stars, interstellar travel and the effects of attaining the speed of light and the danger of mankind technologically self-destructing. This classic landmark television series has been digitally remastered, restored and enhanced and provides a grand overview of the universe and our place within it. Episodes:
1. The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean
2. One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue
3. The Harmony of the Worlds
4. Heaven and Hell
5. Blues for a Red Planet
6. Travellers Tales
7. The Backbone of Night
8. Travels in Space and Time
9. The Lives of the Stars
10. The Edge of Forever
11. The Persistence of Memory
12. Encyclopaedia Gallactica
13. Who Speaks for Earth?

Summary: There is no such thing as the perfect crime. DEAD RECKONING shows why. From fingerprinting to ballistics, fibre analysis to autopsies, crucial clues are always left at the crime scene and it’s the job of forensic investigators to uncover them. With their growing arsenal of gadgets and techniques it is more and more likely that damning evidence will be discovered. DEAD RECKONING brings the forensic science of CSI and Wire In the Blood to life with real cases, real detectives, real techniques and real convictions. Episodes Include:
Blood Spatter
Body Clues
Bullets and Blood
Buttons and Bugs
Crime Scene Alibis
DNA's Debut
Fingering the Killer
Fire and Metal
Invisible Clues
Left at the Scene
Tracings in Blood
Unusual Clues

Summary: 8 Mile is the inspirational story of Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr., whose life revolves around fighting each day with his unstable, alcoholic mother (kim basinger in her worse, yet entertaining performance), taking care of his little sister, and overcoming his greatest fear: stage fright. This movie really loses its plot from the end of the first shelter sequence, and may be the most boring movie ever made, however the last half-hour make up for [weak], sparse action, a plot that has no solid ground, some [weak] performances [...], and mediocre directing all in all. Well done, interesting scenes throughout however, may keep you on your seat, and i do not see why eminem wasn't at least nominated for an oscar. The film won best song "Lose Yourself" 2003, and for any die-hard eminem fan, this movie is surely a winner, anyone else...well... in EM we trust to make it worth watching.

Summary: It's easy to be skeptical when a couple of well-connected actors throw a script together, start shooting their fabulous friends with digital cameras, and call it a movie. But Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming, who bonded in "Cabaret" on Broadway, have crafted a rough little gem in "The Anniversary Party". Influenced by "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Player", it's a devastating portrait of a fragile marriage and a perceptive look at life in Hollywood. The characters are based--to an eerie degree--on their Hollywood counterparts: Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates are a Shakespeare-quoting actor and his retired actress wife; Gwyneth Paltrow is a rising young starlet; etc. Leigh is an actress on the way down, and Cumming, a best-selling author and up-and-coming director, is the sexually ambiguous husband with whom she has recently reconciled. The titular party is to celebrate their sixth anniversary, and revelations about the characters accumulate as the evening progresses from a tense session of charades to an ecstasy-pill-fueled blowout by the pool. The screenplay combines brittle humor with melodrama and consists of more talk than action (as in the Dogme films that inspired it), but the proceedings are rarely less than compelling even if the characters, for the most part, aren't exactly the most likable bunch. As a result, Jennifer Beals ends up stealing the show from the bigger names in the cast simply by emerging as the most genuinely human character--the one who actually showed up to honor her friends' commitment rather than to advance her career. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Summary: Sixteen years on, it's curious to look back at the cultural firestorm sparked by David Lynch's "Blue Velvet." While this seminal work of American surrealism hasn't lost its ability to disorient and unsettle, it is nonetheless a film that wouldn't seem too out of place these days as an HBO original. Lynch oversaw a new transfer of "Blue Velvet" for this MGM special-edition DVD. Butchered by pan-and-scan in most of its video incarnations, the film is presented in dramatic anamorphic widescreen. Lynch's artistic images are markedly enhanced by their journey through the digital domain. Some of the upgrades are on display right away: the title images of blue velvet and the color-saturated opening shot of roses against a white fence. These visuals are tough to top, but overall the movie looks great and sounds OK. The lengthy "Mysteries of Love" documentary, by making-of specialist Jeffrey Schwarz, interviews the stars and key crew members. The creator of "Eraserhead," and "Mulholland Drive" is actually a "boy scout," they say, who uses expressions like "peachy keen" and takes meetings over shakes at Bob's Big Boy. But then there are those weekend photo projects with dead chickens. ... Those interviews are current, but Lynch isn't talking so the docu utilizes grainy 1987 footage of him talking with reporters but no new shots of the press-shy director. Lynch's low-light segments look like clips from a dated crime docu, giving the enterprise a dash of oddness that he probably appreciates. A must for fans of this peculiar film, including those who own the earlier widescreen DVD.

Summary: This movie has some exceptional acting talent -- Gregory Peck as an aging, obsessive Josef Mengele; Laurence Olivier as aging Nazi hunter, James Mason as an exiled Nazi leader and a fine supporting cast. The plot is one of the sickest ever. Dr. Josef Mengele has continued his sadistic experiments holed up in Paraguay, surrounded by fawning fellow Nazis. He has devoted his post World War II life to cloning Hitler (from a vile of blood drawn and skin scrapings taken shortly before Hitler's suicide). The 99 dark-haired, blue-eyed boys resulting from this work have been adopted into families around the world whose socio-economic profiles match that of the historical Hitler.The acting is over the top (especially Peck's), as is the plot. The ending is shocking, gruesome and, in two respects, emotionally touching. Don't miss Jeremy Black in the quadruple role of the young Hitler clones. He steals every scene he's in. He is particularly effective as the young Bobby Wheelock. Steve Guttenberg has a nicely-done, all-too-brief role early in the film. Peck is almost unrecognizable (he shaved the front of his head to recede his hairline for this role, and his eyes are black slits), but the character he brings to life his terrifying. I saw this movie 10 years ago and then again just recently. Every scene and every line stuck with me. I can't say the same for some other overrated horror flicks. This is a good film for just relaxing and taking a break -- not completely mindless, not particularly erudite, but very well-acted and well-cast.

Summary: Stanley Kubrick's striking visual interpretation of Anthony Burgess's famous novel is a masterpiece. Malcolm McDowell delivers a clever, tongue-in-cheek performance as Alex, the leader of a quartet of droogs, a vicious group of young hoodlums who spend their nights stealing cars, fighting rival gangs, breaking into people's homes, and raping women. While other directors would simply exploit the violent elements of such a film without subtext, Kubrick maintains Burgess's dark, satirical social commentary. We watch Alex transform from a free-roaming miscreant into a convict used in a government experiment that attempts to reform criminals through an unorthodox new medical treatment. The catch, of course, is that this therapy may be nothing better than a quick cure-all for a society plagued by rampant crime. "A Clockwork Orange" works on many levels--visual, social, political, and sexual--and is one of the few films that hold up under repeated viewings. Kubrick not only presents colorfully arresting images, he also stylizes the film by utilizing classical music (and Wendy Carlos's electronic classical work) to underscore the violent scenes, which even today are disturbing in their display of sheer nihilism. Ironically, many fans of the film have missed that point, sadly being entertained by its brutality rather than being repulsed by it. "--Bryan Reesman"

Summary: "The Conversation" is one of those great little masterpieces of the 1970s that just so happens to be directed by Francis Ford Coppola. "The Conversation" tells the tale of Harry Caul, (geniously played by Gene Hackman) a surveillance expert who makes the mistake of getting personally involved in a disturbing assignment. Gene Hackman's performance is so subtle, underplayed, and finely-tuned that it alone makes the film worthwhile. The script is fabulous, with a twist that makes "The Sixth Sense" look like kid's stuff.The DVD of "The Conversation" is great. To start off, it has good, animated menus. The theatrical trailer is nice, just for nostalgic purposes. There is also a featurette, "Close-Up on The Conversation". It makes for a nice, brief look at the making of the film, and it's fun to see Coppola so young. What really makes this DVD great though, are the two commentary tracks. The first is by the director himself, Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola's commentary is one of the most comprehensive I've ever heard. If you don't appreciate this movie now, you will after you've heard his commentary. The second commentary is by editor Walter Murch, which is also very good, especially if you are specifically interested in the editing process.If you like Coppola, Hackman, or are just a sucker for a clever script, this DVD is for your collection.

Summary:

Summary: Every Sin Leaves a Mark Eastern Promises follows the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is tied to one of London’s most notorious organised crime families. His carefully maintained existence is jarred when he crosses paths with Anna (Naomi Watts), an innocent midwife trying to right a wrong, who accidentally uncovers potential evidence against the family. Now Nikolai must put into motion a harrowing chain of murder, deceit and retribution.

Summary: "Fargo" rightly earns its place among the 100 best films of the 20th Century, and is my personal favorite film of all time. Deadpan hilarious and tragic all at the same time, the film is a Lake Wobegon tale gone wrong. "Fargo" avoids the huge name actors and actresses, but assembles one of the best acting classes I've ever seen. William H. Macy's portayal of Jerry Lundergaard tops the list. Jerry, the car salesman down on luck and money, decides to have two thugs kidnap his own wife in order to use the ransom money for a business deal. But Jerry isn't your phototypical bad guy here; he's best described as a nebish (a nervous, unsure character). His plans blow up on his face, and he quickly loses his grip on the situation. By the end, you truly feel sorry for the guy, even if he did start the whole mess. Equally impressive is Steve Buscemi, one of the most underated actors of our time. Watch throughout the movie as more and more rage boils inside of his kidnapper character. Frances McDormand earned her Oscar as the adorable and morally sensible cop Margie. Peter Stormare's character is a truly frightening brute. And Harve Presnell is the perfect fit for anyone whose had an in-law with a grudge against them. "Fargo" is a great movie for repeat viewing because it can be analyzed in and out. The greatest scene perhaps is when Margie's school friend Mike meets her for a drink. On the surface, it is extraneous to the plot, but look for a deeper signifigance as it relates to events in the movie. The bottom line is that "Fargo" is just a terrific, terrific film.

Summary: When a cryptic letter from musical genius, Beethoven, turned up shortly after his death, it started one of history's most compelling romantic mysteries, an enduring riddle that remains unsolved to this day. Who, among the scores of women that Beethoven seduced, was his Immortal Beloved?

Summary: Raymond Chandler's cynically idealistic hero, Philip Marlowe, has been played by everyone from Humphrey Bogart to James Garner--but no one gives him the kind of weirdly affect-less spin that Elliott Gould does in this terrific Robert Altman reimagining of Chandler's penultimate novel. Altman recasts Marlowe as an early '70s L.A. habitué, who gets involved in a couple of cases at once. The most interesting involves a suicidal writer (Sterling Hayden in a larger-than-life performance) whom Marlowe is supposed to keep away from malevolent New-Ageish guru Henry Gibson. A variety of wonderfully odd characters pop up, played by everyone from model Nina Van Pallandt to director Mark Rydell to ex-baseballer Jim Bouton. And yes, that is Arnold Schwarzenegger (in only his second movie) popping up as (what else?) a muscleman. Listen for the title song: It shows up in the strangest places. "--Marshall Fine"

Summary: Academy Award®-winner Anthony Hopkins (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) is Corky, a painfully shy, failed magician who finds overnight success as a ventriloquist. His brash, foul-mouthed dummy, Fats, becomes a huge nightclub hit. With his star on the rise, talent agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) arranges an important shot at national TV. But the pressure of failing the network's required physical sends Corky into a panic. With Fats in tow, he flees the city to a nearly-deserted resort in the Catskills run by the love of his youth, Peggy Ann Snow (Ann-Margret).
Peg's spent years trapped in a loveless marriage with her high-school sweetheart, Duke. In Corky, she sees the chance for a loving relationship and accepts an offer to run away with him. After they make love, Corky confides to Fats that he may leave show business altogether. Fats becomes furious and lashes out at him, playing on his guilt and insecurity. Now under Fats' control, Corky is manipulated into a series of violent and unexpected confrontations.
Based on the best-selling novel by William Goldman and directed by Sir Richard Attenborough (A BRIDGE TOO FAR, GANDHI), MAGIC's stellar performances and shocking conclusion make for gripping suspense from beginning to end.

Summary: Michael Clayton is an in-house "fixer" at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York. A former criminal prosecutor, Clayton takes care of Kenner, Bach and Ledeen's dirtiest work at the behest of the firm's co-founder, Marty Bach. Though burned out and hardly content with his job as a fixer, his divorce, a failed business venture and mounting debts have left Clayton inextricably tied to the firm.

At U/North, meanwhile, the career of litigator, Karen Crowder rests on the multi-million dollar settlement of a class action suit that Clayton's firm is leading to a seemingly successful conclusion. But when Kenner Bach's brilliant and guilt-ridden attorney, Arthur Edens sabotages the U/North case, Clayton faces the biggest challenge of his career and his life.

Summary: Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe star in this well-intentioned and largely successful civil rights-era thriller. Mississippi Burning, using the real-life 1964 disappearance of three civil rights workers as its inspiration, tells the story of two FBI men (Hackman and Dafoe, entertainingly called "Hoover Boys" by the locals) who come in to try to solve the crime. Hackman is a former small-town Mississippi sheriff himself, while Dafoe is a by-the-numbers young hotshot. Yes, there is some tension between the two. The movie has an interesting fatalism, as all the FBI's best efforts incite more and more violence, which becomes disturbing--the film's message, perhaps inadvertently, seems to be that vigilantism is the only real way to get things done. The brilliant Frances McDormand, here early in her career, is not given enough to do but still does it well enough to have racked up an Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actress. (Hackman also received a nomination for Best Actor, and the film won an Academy Award for Cinematography). The story line of Mississippi Burning is ultimately unsatisfying--it is, after all, the story of white men coming in to rescue poor blacks--but it is beautifully shot and very watchable and features a terrific cast playing at the top of their games. --Ali Davis

Summary: On the 25th anniversary year of NETWORK a couple years ago, there were several news article looking back at the film and how its impact on movies/media seemed almost "prophetic": the degrading mess of news turning into entertainment, the fourth network, etc.NETWORK is still a powerful film and its many messages are still relevant today--perhaps more so.I've always been a big Paddy Chayefsky fan and I consider NETWORK to be his masterpiece. He's still the only screenwriter to win three Oscars (the other two were MARTY and THE HOSPITAL). You feel that the folks behind this movie really knew what they were talking about.The cast is brilliant: Peter Finch deserved his posthumous Oscar and Faye Dunaway was a cross between Mary Richards from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and Satan. William Holden, who originally wanted Finch's demented newsman role, brings all his world-weary cynicism that started in SUNSET BOULEVARD with him. And Robert Duvall has a few hilarious moments as, at first, the cool button-down "hatchet man" and then turning into a raving ratings monster when the Nielsens come in. Outstanding.I would hope that someday we'll get the Special Edition DVD release that NETWORK deserves. Interviews, commentaries, whatever they've got.We're waiting!

Summary: Her only chance for the future is to embrace the power of her past. Once Were Warriors is a powerful and deeply affecting story of a contemporary Maori family in urban New Zealand. Beth Heke (Rena Owen) is a feisty, beautiful mother of five who, after eighteen years of marriage, is still deeply in love with her volatile husband Jake (Temuera Morrison). Jake spends most of his time at the local pub, guzzling beer and proving his masculinity with his fists. If Beth dares to question or challenge him, her answer often comes in a similarly violent form. But Beth is a survivor; it will take more than a few knocks to conquer her spirit. In spite of his violence, Beth is still in love with her husband, but is losing daily battles against the violent forces in and outside her home that desperately threaten to pull her family apart.

Summary: When free-spirited petty crook Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) arrives at the state mental hospital, his contagious sense of disorder jolts the routine. Soon he's on one side of a brewing war; soft spoken, coolly monstrous Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) is on the other. At stake is the fate of every patient on the ward... Milos Forman's electrifying adaptation of Ken Kesey's acclaimed best seller swept all five major 1975 Academy Awards: Best Picture (produced by Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas), Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), Director (Milos Forman) and Adapted Screenplay (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman). Raucous, moving and with a superb cast that includes Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd in his film debut, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest simply soars. Special Features:Commentary by director Milos Forman, producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz
New Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio
Widescreen format [16x9 1.85:1]
The Making of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a 48-minute documentary featuring the actors, moviemakers and writer Ken Kesey recounting the history of the original novel to its stage and movie adaptations
Eight additional scenes
Theatrical trailer
Cast/crew film highlights

Summary: In this wicked thriller from 1992, director Brian De Palma shamelessly borrows from Alfred Hitchcock (as usual) and several other filmmakers to create a shock-a-thon that plays like a film buff's highlight reel from a dozen different thrillers. Taken on those terms it's a lot of fun to watch (though not for the faint-hearted), and multiple maniac roles for John Lithgow make it an irresistible shocker that isn't afraid to wallow in its own excess. Lithgow not only plays the evil Dr. Carter Nix, who is performing strange experiments on children, but he also plays the doctor's twin sons, Josh and Cain, who kidnap kids and bring them to their father's laboratory. Lolita Davidovich is a mother whose child has been abducted, but she won't give up without a fight. If this sounds repulsive, rest assured that De Palma focuses on the battle between the mother and the nefarious twins (this isn't a film about gratuitous child abuse), and film students will delight in the allusions to Hitchcock, Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom", and Orson Welles's "Touch of Evil," among others. It never makes much sense or adds up to anything truly satisfying, but thanks to Lithgow's wild performances "Raising Cain" is the kind of over-the-top thriller that grabs you for 95 minutes and holds you in its entertaining grip. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary: But director Sam Mendes was at the helm plus my all time favorite actor, Paul Newman, was in a strong supporting role. So I went. Boy, am I glad I did! First, this is the most artistically rendered gangster film I've ever seen. There is one scene of gangsters being machine gunned to death out in the rain that is absolutely magnificent, for example. You don't hear the sound of the gun at all but see its flash instead from deep within the shadows of the rainy night. The whole movie is like this, including an off camera rendering of grief (finding a wife and child gunned down). The theme is fathers and their sons, where fathers may lead their sons and how that can come back to haunt them. Paul Newman is the head gangster, Rooney, with a son, Connor, that it would be tame to describe as "good for nothing." Rooney is used to making excuses for Connor though and that is the genesis of the conflict at the core of the movie. Hanks' Mike Sullivan is a father too. One of his sons is killed by Connor and he's forced to go on the lam with his other son, Michael. I was not a Tom Hanks fan in his younger days but I like the job he is doing on these middle-aged characters who have more complexity. He does a fine job. The boy who plays his son does a terrific job too. Some may complain that this has some mawkish or overly sentimental moments but the whole of it is so well done that I can't really complain about them.

Summary: The film follows Wendy and Jon Savage, a pair of siblings on the cusp of middle age. Their estranged father (Philip Bosco) lives across the country, but the Savages reluctantly rush to see him when they learn that he may not be able to take care of himself any longer. Jon and Wendy bicker over problems old and new as they try to figure out what's best for a man they barely know. Jon and Wendy tear into each other as only people connected by blood can, but their fighting feels entirely genuine, largely thanks to the performances of Linney and Hoffman.

Summary: Anthony Hopkins' character Hannibal Lecter will go down in history as one of the most memorable and one of the most creepy characters in film history. His performance chills you to the bone yet you can't help but laugh at some of the things he says. The movie is also fantastic. Instead of just being a straight forward serial killer thriller the movie became a classic with it's intense psychological aspect between the detectice Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster, and Dr. Lecter. The directing is very straight forward, sometimes almost documentary style and never gets in the way of the movie. With a story this strong flashy camera effects would've only distracted. With solid directing, great acting, and a good story this film is worthy of being called a modern classic.As for the DVD it contains some great extra features. The Commentary is great although the person who introduces the actors everytime they speak is a bit annoying. There are also some interesting deleted scenes and the quotes from serial killers will chill you to the bone. If you can get your hands on a copy of this now out of print DVD grab it and buy it as fast as you can.

Summary: Like most people in her Oklahoma home town, Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) worked in a facility that produced highly radioactive plutonium. The plant balanced profits against worker safety, and Karen herself participated in this charade of economic survival…until the inevitable happened to her. Exposed to a lethal dose of plutonium poisoning, Karen faced the indifference and denial of her company. Too spirited to be silenced, she voiced her protests and became a threat to her company…to an entire industry and the government agencies that monitored it. One day she left to meet with a reporter, intending to blow the whistle on the dangerous practices of her plant. Powers are trying to stop her that are as potentially lethal as the atom bomb!

Summary: A visually haunting film set at the foot of the Australian ski fields Somersault is the story of a young girl's sensory journey through which she learns the true meaning of love, family and friendship.

Summary: The knock at the door meant the birth of one man and the death of seven others! Quiet American mathematician David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) and his British-born wife Amy (Susan George) relocate to Amy's rural English hometown in an attempt to flee the violent social unrest brewing in the US. When David hires some locals, including a former boyfriend of Amy's, to repair his barn, the couple find themselves being subtly harassed and bullied by the workmen. The more the pacifist David ignores the problem, the more the harassment intensifies, leading to terrifying consequences as he ultimately finds himself forced to defend his home and his life, discovering a frighteningly vicious side to himself as events escalate towards a bloody climax... Sam Peckinpah's controversial and bloody study of a civilised man being pushed to committing acts of violence remains disturbingly visceral today and is here released uncut. Available on video for a brief period during the early 1980s, the nature of some of the film's imagery resulted in the British Board of Film Classification demanding the video be withdrawn under the Video Recordings Act of 1984.

Summary: Taxi Driver is the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence. It is as if director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader had tapped into precisely the same source of psychological inspiration ("I just knew I had to make this film," Scorsese would later say), combined with a perfectly timed post-Watergate expression of personal, political, and societal anxiety. Robert De Niro, as the tortured, ex-Marine cab driver Travis Bickle, made movie history with his chilling performance as one of the most memorably intense and vividly realized characters ever committed to film. Bickle is a self-appointed vigilante who views his urban beat as an intolerable cesspool of blighted humanity. He plays guardian angel for a young prostitute (Jodie Foster), but not without violently devastating consequences. This masterpiece, which is not for all tastes, is sure to horrify some viewers, but few could deny the film's lasting power and importance. --Jeff Shannon

Summary: An adventure in obsession... Clint Eastwood stars in and directs the colorful tale of a flamboyant filmmaker's flair for danger and adventure while on location in Africa. Based on Peter Viertel's novel inspired by The African Queen.

Summary: 2001 - A Space Odyssey:
The monoliths have been watching us. They gave us the "evolutionary kick in the pants" we needed to survive at the Dawn of Time. In 1999, we discovered a second monolith on the moon.. Now, in the year 2001, the S.S. Discovery and its crew, Captains Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, and their onboard computer, HAL-9000, must discover what alien force is watching us... A Clockwork Orange:
Stomping, whomping, stealing, singing, tap-dancing, violating. Derby-topped teddy-boy hooligan Alex has his own way of having a good time. He has it at the tragic expense of others. Alex's journey from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen forms the dynamic arc of Stanley Kubrick's future-shock vision of Anthony Burgess' novel. Unforgettable images startling musical counterpoints, the fascinating language used by Alex and his pals - Kubrick shapes them into a shattering whole. Hugely controversial when first released, A Clockwork Orange won the New York Film Critics Best Picture and Director honors and earned four Academy Award nominations, including best picture. The power of its art is such that it still entices, shocks and holds us in its grasp. The Shining:
Think of the greatest terror imaginable. Is it a monstrous alien? A lethal epidemic? Or, as in this harrowing masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick, is it fear of murder by someone who should love and protect you - a member of your own family? From a script he co-adapted from the Stephen King novel, Kubrick melds vivid performances, menacing settings, dreamlike tracking shots and shock after shock into a milestone of the macabre. In a signature role, Jack Nicholson ("Heeeere's Johnny!) plays Jack Torrance, who's come to the elegant, isolated Overlook Hotel as off-season caretaker with his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd). Torrance has never been there before - or has he? The answer lies in a ghostly time warp of madness and murder. Full Metal Jacket:
A superb ensemble cast falls in for action in Stanley Kubrick's brilliant saga about the Vietnam War and the dehumanizing process that turns people into trained killers. Joker, Animal Mother, Gomer, Eightball, Cowboy and more - all are plunged into a boot-camp hell pitbulled by a leatherlung D.I. (Lee Ermey) who views the would-be devil dogs as grunts, maggots or something less. The action is savage, the story unsparing, the dialogue spiked with scathing humor. Full Metal Jacket, from its rigors of basic training to its nightmare of combat in Hue City, scores a cinematic direct hit. Eyes Wide Shut:
Tom Cruise plays Dr. William Hartford, who plunges into an erotic foray that threatens his marriage - and may even ensnare him in a jurid murder mystery - after his wife's (Nicole Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self-discovery and reconciliation, Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. Graceful tracking shots, controlled pacing, rich colors, starting images: bravura traits that make Kubrick a filmmaker for the ages are here to keep everyone's eyes wide open.

Summary: Season 1 & 2 and Season 1 CD Soundtrack - Version exclusive to JB HI-FI

A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.