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12 Monkeys
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Starring: Willis, Bruce Stowe, Madeleine Pitt, William Bradley Stowe, Madeleine Plummer, Christopher Melito, Joseph Morse, David Chance, Michael Chance, Michael Walls, H. Michael
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Director: Gilliam, Terry Rating: R Running Time: 129 minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.9/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video Inspired by Chris Marker's acclaimed short film La Jetˇe (which is included on the DVD Short 2: Dreams), 12 Monkeys combines intricate, intelligent storytelling with the uniquely imaginative vision of director Terry Gilliam. The story opens in the wintry wasteland of the year 2035, where a virulent plague has forced humans to live in a squalid, oppressively regimented underground. Bruce Willis plays a societal outcast who is given the opportunity to erase his criminal record by "volunteering" to time-travel into the past to obtain a pure sample of the deadly virus that will help future scientists to develop a cure. But in bouncing from 1918 to the early and mid-1990s, he undergoes an ordeal that forces him to question his own perceptions of reality. Caught between the dangers of the past and the devastation of the future, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) who is initially convinced he's insane, and a wacky mental patient (Brad Pitt in a twitchy Oscar-nominated role) with links to a radical group that may have unleashed the deadly virus. Equal parts mystery, tragedy, psychological thriller, and apocalyptic drama, 12 Monkeys ranks as one of the best science fiction films of the '90s, boosted by Gilliam's visual ingenuity and one of the finest performances of Willis's career. The Collector's Edition DVD includes a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary (The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 12 Monkeys) in addition to the theatrical trailer, production notes, and a 12 Monkeys archive of still photos, design concepts, and storyboards. --Jeff Shannon From the Back Cover A lone time traveler from the year 2035 must solve a riddle that may save his people...but it may also take him to the brink of madness. Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt star in this brilliant sci-fi masterpiece from Terry Gilliam, the acclaimed director of The Fisher King. After the world's population is devastated by a killer virus, survivors must live in dank underground communities. Cole (Willis) "volunteers" to travel into the past to obtain a pure virus sample, thereby... read more
2001: A Space Odyssey
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Starring: Dullea, Keir Lockwood, Gary Lockwood, Gary Richter, Daniel Rossiter, Leonard Beatty, Robert Beatty, Robert Sullivan, Sean Sullivan, Sean Miller, Frank
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Director: Kubrick, Stanley Rating: G Running Time: 155 minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. Additional Features EDITOR'S NOTE: According to a Warner Home Video technician involved in the production of The Stanley Kubrick Collection, Kubrick authorized all aspects of the Collection, from the use of Digital Component Video (or "D-1") masters originally approved in 1989, to the use of minimalist screen menus, chapter stops, and (in the case of 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining on DVD) supplementary materials. Full-screen presentation of The Shining and Full Metal Jacket was also approved by Kubrick, who... read more
2001: A Space Odyssey
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Starring: Dullea, Keir Lockwood, Gary Lockwood, Gary Richter, Daniel Rossiter, Leonard Beatty, Robert Beatty, Robert Sullivan, Sean Sullivan, Sean Miller, Frank
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Director: Kubrick, Stanley Rating: G Running Time: 159 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Alien
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Starring: Skerritt, Tom Weaver, Sigourney Weaver, Susan Alexandra Hurt, John Holm, Ian Cuthbert, Ian Holm Stanton, Harry Dean Cartwright, Veronica Cartwright, Veronica Skerritt, Tom
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Director: Scott, Ridley Rating: R Running Time: 116 minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video A landmark of science fiction and horror, Alien arrived in 1979 between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as a stylishly malevolent alternative to George Lucas's space fantasy. Partially inspired by 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, this instant classic set a tone of its own, offering richly detailed sets, ominous atmosphere, relentless suspense, and a flawless ensemble cast as the crew of the space freighter Nostromo, who fall prey to a vicious creature (designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger) that had gestated inside one of the ill-fated crew members. In a star-making role, Sigourney Weaver excels as sole survivor Ripley, becoming the screen's most popular heroine in a lucrative movie franchise. To measure the film's success, one need only recall the many images that have been burned into our collective psyche, including the "facehugger," the "chestburster," and Ripley's climactic encounter with the full-grown monster. Impeccably directed by Ridley Scott, Alien is one of the cinema's most unforgettable nightmares. --Jeff Shannon
Alien Resurrection
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Starring: Weaver, Sigourney Ryder, Winona Ryder, Winona Pinon, Dominique Perlman, Ron Dourdan, Gary Wincott, Michael Flowers, Kim Flowers, Kim Freeman, J.E.
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Director: Jeunet, Jean-Pierre Rating: R Running Time: 108 minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.0/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com Perhaps these films are like the Star Trek movies: The even-numbered episodes are the best ones. Certainly this film (directed by French stylist Jean-Pierre Jeunet) is an improvement over Alien 3, with a script that breathes exciting new life into the franchise. This chapter is set even further in the future, where scientists on a space colony have cloned both the alien and Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who died in Alien 3; in doing so, however, they've mixed alien DNA with Ripley's human chromosomes, which gives Ripley surprising power (and a bad attitude). A band of smugglers comes aboard only to discover the new race of aliens--and when the multi-mouthed melonheads get loose, no place is safe. But, on the plus side, they have Ripley as a guide to help them get out. Winona Ryder is on hand as the smugglers' most unlikely crew member (with a secret of her own), but this one is Sigourney's all the way. --Marshall Fine
Aliens (Special Edition)
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Starring: Weaver, Sigourney Biehn, Michael Henn, Carrie Biehn, Michael Reiser, Paul Henriksen, Lance Paxton, Bill Matthews, Al Matthews, Al Rolston, Mark
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Director: Cameron, James Rating: R Running Time: 154 minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.2/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video Aliens is one of the few cases of a sequel that far surpassed the original. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, who awakens on Earth only to discover that she has been hibernating in space so long that everyone she knows is dead. Then she is talked into traveling (along with a squad of Marines) to a planet under assault by the same aliens that nearly killed her. Once she gets there, she finds a lost little girl who triggers her maternal instincts--and she discovers that the company has once again double-crossed her, in hopes of capturing one of the aliens to study as a military weapon. Directed and written by James Cameron, this is one of the most intensely exciting (not to mention intensely frightening) action films ever, with a large ensemble cast that includes Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, and Michael Biehn. Weaver defined the action woman in this film and walked away with an Oscar nomination for her trouble. --Marshall Fine --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features The Director's Cut of Aliens includes 17 minutes of bonus footage. The added scenes are intermittently spread out through the film, fleshing out certain characters and plot. Included is a much-needed explanation of what happened to the colony, LV-426 (the decimated planetary outpost the Space Marines are sent to). In addition, there is more focus on the emotional state of Ripley (Signourey Weaver) after she is awoken following 60 years of space hibernation--only to find that all the people she... read more
Armageddon -- Criterion Collection
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Starring: Willis, Bruce Thornton, Billy Bob Tyler, Liv Bob Thornton, Billy Stewart, Charles David, Keith Clarke Duncan, Michael Wilson, Owen Wilson, Owen Buscemi, Steve
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Director: Bay, Michael Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours 33 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 5.7/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid-fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy Description Bruce Willis and and an all-star cast of roughneck oil drillers blast off on a mission to save the planet in Michael Bay's doomsday space epic.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
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Starring: Dreyfuss, Richard Truffaut, Fran¨ois Garr, Teri McNamara, Pat Balaban, Bob Blossom, Roberts Dillon, Melinda Weathers, Carl Weathers, Carl Kemmerling, Warren
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Director: Spielberg, Steven Rating: PG Running Time: 2 Hours 17 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.8/10 (IMDB) Color DTS Surround Sound
Amazon.com essential video Anybody who has written him off because of his string of stinkers--or anybody who's too young to remember The Goodbye Girl--may be shocked at the accomplishment and nuance of Richard Dreyfuss's performance in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Here, he plays a man possessed; contacted by aliens, he (along with other members of the "chosen") is drawn toward the site of the incipient landing: Devil's Tower, in rural Wyoming. As in many Spielberg films, there are no personalized enemies; the struggle is between those who have been called and a scientific establishment that seeks to protect them by keeping them away from the arriving spacecraft. The ship, and the special effects in general, are every bit as jaw-dropping on the small screen as they were in the theater (well, almost). Released in 1977 as a cerebral alternative to the swashbuckling science fiction epics then in vogue, Close Encounters now seems almost wholesome in its representation of alien contact and interested less in philosophizing about extraterrestrials than it is in examining the nature of the inner "call." Ultimately a motion picture about the obsession of the driven artist or determined visionary, Close Encounters comes complete with the stock Spielberg wives and girlfriends who seek to tether the dreamy, possessed protagonists to the more mundane concerns of the everyday. So a spectacular, seminal motion picture indeed, but one with gender politics that are all too terrestrial. --Miles Bethany --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features The Collector's Edition (CE) represents Steven Spielberg's third version of Close Encounters. Created in 1998, this sequence contains most of the judicial edits made for the Special Edition (SE) in 1980, speeding up Roy Neary's first contact with the UFOs and adding a scene of a discovery in the Mongolian desert. The CE also reinstates the comical madness of Neary tearing up his own front yard, replaced in the SE by a scene where he breaks down in the shower; both scenes are restored in... read more
Contact
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Starring: Foster, Jodie McConaughey, Matthew Woods, James Hurt, John Skerritt, Tom Bassett, Angela Lowe, Rob Fichtner, William Fichtner, William Malone, Jena
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Director: Zemeckis, Robert Rating: PG Running Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video The opening and closing moments of Robert (Forrest Gump) Zemeckis's Contact astonish viewers with the sort of breathtaking conceptual imagery one hardly ever sees in movies these day--each is an expression of the heroine's lifelong quest (both spiritual and scientific) to explore the meaning of human existence through contact with extraterrestrial life. The movie begins by soaring far out into space, then returns dizzyingly to earth until all the stars in the heavens condense into the sparkle in one little girl's eye. It ends with that same girl as an adult (Jodie Foster)--her search having taken her to places beyond her imagination--turning her gaze inward and seeing the universe in a handful of sand. Contact traces the journey between those two visual epiphanies. Based on Carl Sagan's novel, Contact is exceptionally thoughtful and provocative for a big-budget Hollywood science fiction picture, with elements that recall everything from 2001 to The Right Stuff. Foster's solid performance (and some really incredible alien hardware) keep viewers interested, even when the story skips and meanders, or when the halo around the golden locks of rising-star-of-a-different-kind Matthew McConaughey (as the pure-Hollywood-hokum love interest) reaches Milky Way-level wattage. Ambitious, ambiguous, pretentious, unpredictable--Contact is all of these things and more. Much of it remains open to speculation and interpretation, but whatever conclusions one eventually draws, Contact deserves recognition as a rare piece of big-budget studio filmmaking on a personal scale. --Jim Emerson
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
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Starring: Chow, Yun-Fat Yeoh, Michelle Ziyi, Zhang Fat, Chow Yun Lung, Sihung Li, Li Yeoh, Michelle Ziyi, Zhang Ziyi, Zhang Cheng, Pei Pei
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Director: Lee, Ang Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video Hong Kong wuxia films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching wuxia films as a youngster and made Crouching Tiger as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau (The Killer, The Bride with White Hair) and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on The Matrix. Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as "The Green Destiny," but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other. The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous "digital wire removal"). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity. --Eugene Wei Description An epic set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, combines the exhilarating martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo-Pind (The Matrix) with the sensitivity and classical storytelling of an Ang Lee film. The result is something truly unexpected: romantic, emotionally powerful entertainment.
Edward Scissorhands
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Starring: Depp, Johnny Ryder, Winona Wiest, Dianne Depp, Johnny Larkin, Bryan Wiest, Dianne Baker, Kathy Jones, O-Lan Jones, O-Lan Jones, O-Lan
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Director: Burton, Tim Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.6/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video Edward Scissorhands achieves the nearly impossible feat of capturing the delicate flavor of a fable or fairy tale in a live-action movie. The story follows a young man named Edward (Johnny Depp), who was created by an inventor (Vincent Price, in one of his last roles) who died before he could give the poor creature a pair of human hands. Edward lives alone in a ruined Gothic castle that just happens to be perched above a pastel-colored suburb inhabited by breadwinning husbands and frustrated housewives straight out of the 1950s. One day, Peg (Dianne Wiest), the local Avon lady, comes calling. Finding Edward alone, she kindly invites him to come home with her, where she hopes to help him with his pasty complexion and those nasty nicks he's given himself with his razor-sharp fingers. Soon Edward's skill with topiary sculpture and hair design make him popular in the neighborhood--but the mood turns just as swiftly against the outsider when he starts to feel his own desires, particularly for Peg's daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). Most of director Tim Burton's movies (such as Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman) are visual spectacles with elements of fantasy, but Edward Scissorhands is more tender and personal than the others. Edward's wild black hair is much like Burton's, suggesting that the character represents the director's own feelings of estrangement and co-option. Johnny Depp, making his first successful leap from TV to film, captures Edward's childlike vulnerability even while his physical posture evokes horror icons like the vampire in Nosferatu and the sleepwalker in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Classic horror films, at their heart, feel a deep sympathy for the monsters they portray; simply and affectingly, Edward Scissorhands lays that heart bare. --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Fifth Element, The
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Starring: Willis, Bruce Oldman, Gary Holm, Ian Holm, Ian Cuthbert, Ian Holm Perry, Luke Tucker, Chris James, Brion James, Brion Lister, Tiny
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Director: Besson, Luc Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours 6 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.1/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video Ancient curses, all-powerful monsters, shape-changing assassins, scantily clad stewardesses, laser battles, huge explosions, a perfect woman, a malcontent hero--what more can you ask of a big-budget science fiction movie? Luc Besson's high-octane film incorporates presidents, rock stars, and cab drivers into its peculiar plot, traversing worlds and encountering some pretty wild aliens. Bruce Willis stars as a down-and-out cabbie who must win the love of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) to save Earth from destruction by Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) and a dark, unearthly force that makes Darth Vader look like an Ewok.
Gattaca
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Starring: Hawke, Ethan Thurman, Uma Law, Jude Law, Jude Dean, Loren Vidal, Gore Berkeley, Xander Brook, Jayne Brook, Jayne Rudolph, Maya
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Director: Niccol, Andrew Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.5/10 (IMDB) Color Stereo
Amazon.com essential video Confidently conceived and brilliantly executed, Gattaca had a somewhat low profile release in 1997, but audiences and critics hailed the film's originality. It's since been recognized as one of the most intelligent science fiction films of the 1990s. Writer-director Andrew Niccol, the talented New Zealander who also wrote the acclaimed Jim Carrey vehicle The Truman Show, depicts a near-future society in which one's personal and professional destiny is determined by one's genes. In this society, "Valids" (genetically engineered) qualify for positions at prestigious corporations, such as Gattaca, which grooms its most qualified employees for space exploration. "In-Valids" (naturally born), such as the film's protagonist, Vincent (Ethan Hawke), are deemed genetically flawed and subsequently fated to low-level occupations in a genetically caste society. With the help of a disabled "Valid" (Jude Law), Vincent subverts his society's social and biological barriers to pursue his dream of space travel; any random mistake--and an ongoing murder investigation at Gattaca--could reveal his plot. Part thriller, part futuristic drama and cautionary tale, Gattaca establishes its social structure so convincingly that the entire scenario is chillingly believable. With Uma Thurman as the woman who loves Vincent and identifies with his struggle, Gattaca is both stylish and smart, while Jude Law's performance lends the film a note of tragic and heartfelt humanity. In addition to a superb widescreen transfer, the DVD edition of Gattaca includes several deleted scenes (and one humorous outtake), which further establish the story's social context and provide additional insight into the scientific and ethical issues explored in this extraordinary film. --Jeff Shannon
Hellboy (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Starring: Perlman, Ron Blair, Selma Blair, Selma Tambor, Jeffrey Perlman, Ron Smurfit, Victoria Pierce, David Hyde Blair, Selma Blair, Selma Roden, Karel
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Director: Toro, Guillermo del Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours 2 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.7/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com In the ongoing deluge of comic-book adaptations, Hellboy ranks well above average. Having turned down an offer to helm Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in favor of bringing Hellboy's origin story to the big screen, the gifted Mexican director Guillermo del Toro compensates for the excesses of Blade II with a moodily effective, consistently entertaining action-packed fantasy, beginning in 1944 when the mad monk Rasputin--in cahoots with occult-buff Hitler and his Nazi thugs--opens a transdimensional portal through which a baby demon emerges, capable of destroying the world with his powers. Instead, the aptly named Hellboy is raised by the benevolent Prof. Bloom, founder of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, whose allied forces enlist the adult Hellboy (Ron Perlman, perfectly cast) to battle evil at every turn. While nursing a melancholy love for the comely firestarter Liz (Selma Blair), Hellboy files his demonic horns ("to fit in," says Bloom) and wreaks havoc on the bad guys. The action is occasionally routine (the movie suffers when compared to the similar X-Men blockbusters), but del Toro and Perlman have honored Mike Mignola's original Dark Horse comics with a lavish and loyal interpretation, retaining the amusing and sympathetic quirks of character that made the comic-book Hellboy a pop-culture original. He's red as a lobster, puffs stogies like Groucho Marx, and fights the good fight with a kind but troubled heart. What's not to like? --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features The Hellboy two-disc set is as loaded as our hero's Samaritan handgun. On the first commentary track, director Guillermo del Toro offers a lot of interesting information on the filming and background of the movie. Mike Mignola, creator of the comic book, is also on hand but seems content to wear his co-executive producer hat in support of del Toro rather than provide deep insight. Perhaps even more listenable is the actors' commentary, with Ron Perlman particularly good. Also on the disc are... read more
Jurassic Park - Widescreen Collector's Edition
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Starring: Neill, Sam Dern, Laura Goldblum, Jeff Neill, Sam Jackson, Samuel L Mazzello, Joseph Ferrero, Martin Attenborough, Richard Attenborough, Richard Knight, Wayne
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Director: Spielberg, Steven Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours 7 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video Steven Spielberg's 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he'd ever made prior to Schindler's List, but it was also among his weakest stories. Based on Michael Crichton's novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, the film works best as a thrill ride with none of the interesting human dynamics of Spielberg's Jaws. That lapse proves unfortunate, but there's no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food out of the cast. The effects are still astonishing (despite the fact that the computer-generated technology has since been improved upon) and at times primeval, such as the sight of a herd of whatever-they-are scampering through a valley. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Legend (Ultimate Edition)
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Starring: Cruise, Tom Sara, Mia Curry, Tim Sara, Mia Playten, Alice Barty, Billy Hubbert, Cork O'Farrell, Peter O'Farrell, Peter Lanyon, Annabelle
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Director: Scott, Ridley Rating: PG Running Time: 3 Hours 24 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.0/10 (IMDB) Color DTS Surround Sound
Amazon.com essential video This strange, 1985 experiment by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) starred the up-and-coming Tom Cruise in a fairy-tale world of dwarfs and unicorns and demons. After the horn of a unicorn is broken, darkness and winter descend upon the world. Cruise's character, helped along by a magic sprite played by David Bennent (The Tin Drum), descends into hell to save paradise. This movie is almost a classic case of art direction gone amok. The somewhat amorphous Cruise doesn't lend much dramatic focus or artistic definition, but the drama between Tim Curry's satanic majesty and Mia Sara's character, who becomes a sort of princess of the netherworld, is pretty captivating. A mixed experience all around that makes one wish it had been more successful. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition), The
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Starring: Wood, Elijah Lee, Christopher Mortensen, Viggo Astin, Sean Bean, Sean Holm, Ian Rhys-Davies, John Weaving, Hugo Weaving, Hugo Tyler, Liv
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Director: Jackson, Peter Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 3 Hours 28 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.8/10 (IMDB) Color DTS Surround Sound
Amazon.com essential video In every aspect, the extended-edition DVD of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring blows away the theatrical-version DVD. No one who cares at all about the film should ever need to watch the original version again. Well, maybe the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer the theatrical version, because the extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and there's a bit more violence (though both versions are rated PG-13). But the changes--sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds--make for a richer film. There's more of the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien, embodied in more songs and a longer opening focusing on Hobbiton. There's more character development, and more background into what is to come in the two subsequent films, such as Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship and Aragorn's burden of lineage. And some additions make more sense to the plot, or are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving Middle-earth or the view of Caras Galadhon (but sorry, there's still no Tom Bombadil). Extremely useful are the chapter menus that indicate which scenes are new or extended. Of the four commentary tracks, the ones with the greatest general appeal are the one by Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and the one by 10 cast members, but the more technically oriented commentaries by the creative and production staff are also worth hearing. The bonus features (encompassing two complete DVDs) are far superior to the largely promotional materials included on the theatrical release, delving into such matters as script development, casting, and visual effects. The only drawback is that the film is now spread over two discs, with a somewhat abrupt break following the council at Rivendell, due to the storage capacity required for the longer running time, the added DTS ES 6.1 audio, and the commentary tracks. But that's a minor inconvenience. Whether in this four-disc set or in the collector's gift set (which adds Argonath bookends and a DVD of National Geographic Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), the extended-edition DVD is the Fellowship DVD to rule them all. --David Horiuchi Description DISCS 1-2: The Feature Unique version of the epic adventure with over 30 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film and new music scored by Academy Award(r)-winning composer Howard Shore (approx. 208 minutes); four audio commentaries by director and writers, the design team, the production team, and the cast featuring more than 30 participants including Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Academy Award(r) winners Richard Taylor, Andrew Lesnie, Howard Shore, Jim Rygiel, Randy Cook, and many more. DISCS 3-4: The Appendices Two discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring DISC 3: "From Book to Vision": Adapting the book into a screenplay & plannin g the film Designing and building Middle-earth Storyboards to pre-visualization Weta Workshop visit: An up-close look at the weapons, armor, creatures, and miniatures from the film Atlas of Middle-earth: Tracing the journey of the Fellowship An interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process Galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists Guided tour of the wardrobe department Footage from early meetings, moving storyboards, and pre-visualization reels And much more! DISC 4: "From Vision to Reality": Bringing the characters to life A day in the life of a hobbit Principal photography: Stories from the set Scale: Creating the illusion of size Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos Editorial and visual effects multi-angle progressions Sound design demonstration And much more! DVD-ROM Content: Includes access to exclusive online features
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King, (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition), The
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Starring: Wood, Elijah McKellen, Ian Monaghan, Dominic Rhys-Davies, John Hill, Bernard Noble, John Tyler, Liv Weaving, Hugo Weaving, Hugo Csokas, Marton
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Director: Jackson, Peter Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 4 Hours 10 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 9.1/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby Digital Surround
PRODUCTION AND TECHNICAL NOTES: Sound: Dolby Digital Surround Features: 4-disc platinum series special extended DVD edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; collectible Minas Tirth polystone keepsake box created by Sideshow Weta; bonus DVD, "Creating The Lord of the Rings Symphony" by Howard Shore: a 52-minute program featuring interviews by Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore and live concert performances with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Language: English SubTitles: Spanish Time: 4 Hours 10 Minutes
Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition), The
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Starring: Wood, Elijah McKellen, Ian Mortensen, Viggo Astin, Sean Dourif, Brad Rhys-Davies, John Weaving, Hugo Wood, Elijah Wood, Elijah Blanchett, Cate
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Director: Jackson, Peter Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 3 Hours 43 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.9/10 (IMDB) Color DTS Surround Sound
Amazon.com The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towers adds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are valuable additions to the film. Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil. Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son. And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King. While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor. But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there. While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version. Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration. Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut). The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features. --David Horiuchi Description Not seen in theaters, this unique version of the epic adventure features over 40 minutes of new and extended scenes integrated into the film by the director. DVD set consists of four discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries, commentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the film. Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship continue their quest to destroy the One Ring and stand against the evil of the dark lord Sauron. The Fellowship has divided and now find themselves taking different paths to defeating Sauron and his allies. Their destinies now lie at two towers - Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupted wizard Saruman waits and Sauron's fortress at Baraddur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.
Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition), The
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Starring: Rendall, Kimble Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Larry Gaye, Nona Reeves, Keanu Weaving, Hugo McColm, Matt Bernhardt, Daniel Bernhardt, Daniel Pinkett-Smith, Jada
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Director: Wachowski, Larry Rating: R Running Time: 2 Hours 18 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.2/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com Considering the lofty expectations that preceded it, The Matrix Reloaded triumphs where most sequels fail. It would be impossible to match the fresh audacity that made The Matrix a global phenomenon in 1999, but in continuing the exploits of rebellious Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) as they struggle to save the human sanctuary of Zion from invading machines, the codirecting Wachowski brothers have their priorities well in order. They offer the obligatory bigger and better highlights (including the impressive "Burly Brawl" and freeway chase sequences) while remaining focused on cleverly plotting the middle of a brain-teasing trilogy that ends with The Matrix Revolutions. The metaphysical underpinnings can be dismissed or scrutinized, and choosing the latter course (this is, after all, an epic about choice and free will) leads to astonishing repercussions that made Reloaded an explosive hit with critics and hardcore fans alike. As the centerpiece of a multimedia franchise, this dynamic sequel ends with a cliffhanger that virtually guarantees a mind-blowing conclusion. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features Go right to the 30-minute feature on the incredible freeway chase. Here you get the inside scoop on how the titanic 12-minute sequence was put together. If you want more in-depth stuff on this physically impressive movie, amazingly it's not here; there's not even a commentary track. Perhaps the Wachowski brothers want to keep their enigmatic aura, or perhaps there's a better DVD coming after the trilogy ends. There is plenty of material on the second disc, but it's just filler, with the actors... read more Description In the second chapter of the Matrix trilogy, Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army. In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal role in the fate of mankind.
Matrix Revolutions (Widescreen Edition), The
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Starring: Fishburne, Laurence Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wilson, Lambert Spence, Bruce Weaving, Hugo Alice, Mary Moss, Carrie-Anne Moss, Carrie-Anne Bellucci, Monica
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Director: Wachowski, Larry Rating: R Running Time: 2 Hours 9 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.3/10 (IMDB) Color Stereo
Amazon.com Despite the inevitable law of diminishing returns, The Matrix Revolutions is quite satisfying as an adrenalized action epic, marking yet another milestone in the exponential evolution of computer-generated special effects. That may not be enough to satisfy hardcore Matrix fans who turned the Wachowski Brothers' hacker mythology into a quasi-religious pop-cultural phenomenon, but there's no denying that the trilogy goes out with a cosmic bang instead of the whimper that many expected. Picking up precisely where The Matrix Reloaded left off, this 130-minute finale finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) at a virtual junction, defending the besieged human enclave of Zion by confronting the attacking machines on their home turf, while humans combat swarms of tentacled mechanical sentinels as Zion's fate lies in the balance. It all amounts to a blaze of CGI glory, devoid of all but the shallowest emotions, and so full of metaphysical hokum that the trilogy's detractors can gloat with I-told-you-so sarcasm. And yet, Revolutions still succeeds as a slick, exciting hybrid of cinema and video game, operating by its own internal logic with enough forward momentum to make the whole trilogy seem like a thrilling, magnificent dream. -- Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features This two-disc set certainly improves upon the fluffy Reloaded DVD release. Although there's still no Wachowski brothers talking about their creation, there's a lot of good stuff here in the three main segments. We are constantly reminded how long the back-to-back filming schedule was, and it's most interesting to hear from the actors and artists as they come to the end of this long road. When a white rabbit flashes on screen, you can "branch" the most interesting documentary footage: how "bullet... read more Description Provocative Futuristic Action Thriller. The Matrix Revolutions marks the final explosive chapter in the Matrix trilogy.
Matrix, The
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Starring: Reeves, Keanu Fishburne, Laurence Fishburne, Laurence Weaving, Hugo Pantoliano, Joe Foster, Gloria Chong, Marcus Parker, Anthony Ray Parker, Anthony Ray Arahanga, Julian
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Director: Wachowski, Larry Rating: R Running Time: 2 Hours 16 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.5/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers--Andy and Larry--annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend. Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne--who both turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks). --Jeremy Storey Editor's note Some DVD players may experience technical difficulties while playing the Matrix DVD. The disc itself is not affected. For more information, go to the following URL: http://www.pcfriendly.com/support/title/matrix/ Description Set in the 22nd century, "Matrix" tells of a computer hacker (Reeves) who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth. The computers are powered by human beings...
Minority Report (Widescreen Edition)
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Starring: Cruise, Tom Sydow, Max von Morton, Samantha McDonough, Neal Gross, Arye Capshaw, Jessica Smith, Lois Von Sydow, Max Von Sydow, Max Stormare, Peter
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Director: Spielberg, Steven Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours 26 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.8/10 (IMDB) Color Stereo
Amazon.com essential video Set in the chillingly possible future of 2054, Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is arguably the most intelligently provocative sci-fi thriller since Blade Runner. Like Ridley Scott's "future noir" classic, Spielberg's gritty vision was freely adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick, with its central premise of "Precrime" law enforcement, totally reliant on three isolated human "precogs" capable (due to drug-related mutation) of envisioning murders before they're committed. As Precrime's confident captain, Tom Cruise preempts these killings like a true action hero, only to run for his life when he is himself implicated in one of the precogs' visions. Inspired by the brainstorming of expert futurists, Spielberg packs this paranoid chase with potential conspirators (Max Von Sydow, Colin Farrell), domestic tragedy, and a heartbreaking precog pawn (Samantha Morton), while Cruise's performance gains depth and substance with each passing scene. Making judicious use of astonishing special effects, Minority Report brilliantly extrapolates a future that's utterly convincing, and too close for comfort. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.
Pitch Black (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)
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Starring: Diesel, Vin Mitchell, Radha Hauser, Cole Urban, Karl Chinlund, Nick Vin Diesel Griffith, Rhiana Moore, John Moore, John Chantery, Les
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Director: Twohy, David Rating: R Running Time: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.1/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts. A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory. What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of straight-to-video schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Predator
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Starring: Schwarzenegger, Arnold Weathers, Carl Weathers, Carl Carrillo, Elpidia Ventura, Jesse Peter Hall, Kevin Armstrong, R.G. Chaves, Richard Chaves, Richard Hall, Kevin Peter
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Director: McTiernan, John Rating: R Running Time: 107 min
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video Rambo meets Alien in this terrific science-fiction thriller from 1987, directed by John McTiernan just a year before Die Hard made him Hollywood's most sought-after director of action-packed blockbusters. Arnold Schwarzenegger leads an elite squad of U.S. Army commandos to a remote region of South American jungle, where they've been assigned to search for South American officials who've been kidnapped by terrorists. Instead they find a bunch of skinned corpses hanging from the trees and realize that they're now facing a mysterious and much deadlier threat. As the squad is picked off one by one, Arnold finds himself pitted against a hideous alien creature that's heavily armed and wearing a spacesuit enabling the creature to render itself invisible. The title says it all in describing the relentless, escalating action that follows, maintained by McTiernan with an abundance of visual flair. The film's special effects are still impressive, and stunning locations in the Mexican jungles create a combined atmosphere of verdant beauty and imminent danger. The plot doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, but the movie's so exciting and tightly paced that its weaknesses seem irrelevant. --Jeff Shannon
Predator - Special Edition
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Starring: Schwarzenegger, Arnold Weathers, Carl Carrillo, Elpidia Duke, Bill Armstrong, R.G. Weathers, Carl Carrillo, Elpidia Hall, Kevin Peter Hall, Kevin Peter Hall, Kevin Peter
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Director: McTiernan, John Rating: R Running Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.3/10 (IMDB) Color DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound,
From Barnes & Noble With this 1987 hit, John McTiernan demonstrated his chops as an action-film director, while leading man Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to add to his already lengthy string of box-office blockbusters. Predator stars Arnold as Maj. "Dutch" Schaeffer, the head of a team of mercenaries hired to carry out a delicate rescue mission in the dense tropical jungles of South America. What Schaeffer doesn't count on is the periodic attacks by an invisible foe that turns out to be an alien hunter toying with the squad, one man at a time. Although a little slow to get going by action-movie standards, Predator takes some pains to establish the characters and invest them with clearly definable personalities, which helps the viewer identify with them and heightens the suspense when they start falling victim to their unseen adversary. Arnold is clearly the star, but he doesn't carry the picture single-handedly; he gets solid support from Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Sonny Landham, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. McTiernan's handling of the jungle scenes creates almost unbearable anxiety, as the viewer never knows exactly when, where, or how the predator will strike. The leisurely build-up of tension makes the sudden, violent bursts of action seem even more ferocious than they are. Not widely appreciated by critics when it first came out, Predator has since become a model for younger filmmakers seeking to emulate this type of movie. The remastering for this Special Edition adds luster to both image and sound, and a wealth of supplementary features -- including an all-new documentary on the creation of the film, "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It" -- offer an inside look at the production process that is bound to increase appreciation for this action landmark. Ed Hulse From All Movie Guide Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has a code of honor which he will not violate, even when his life depends on it. Paradoxically, his code of honor gives him the backbone to survive as a military special forces operative when he is sent on a covert mission to rescue another group which was sent in to assist some nefarious U.S. government plan in a Latin American country. Once there, he encounters an old army buddy (Carl Weathers) who has gotten too deep in the CIA's good graces for Dutch's comfort. When he and his team go into the jungle to rescue the others, they get involved in a pitched battle with local guerillas, but they are more than capable of besting these vicious fighters. However, not long after that, they encounter signs that the equally capable men they were sent to rescue were all killed unawares and in an unusually gruesome fashion. Given their training, it should have been impossible for anyone to best all of these commando warriors. Soon, the men from Dutch's own team get picked off one by one, as they grow aware that they are up against something uncanny, not of this world, something that is hunting them for sport. Why? Because their skills make them worthy opponents for the perfectly camouflaged Predator. This carefully paced action movie was given poor reviews by many movie critics, but was sufficiently satisfying for its (largely male) audiences that a successful sequel (Predator 2) was released in 1990. Clarke Fountain
Space Cowboys
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Starring: Eastwood, Clint Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Tom Lee Sutherland, Donald Garner, James Cromwell, James Babcock, Barbara Brown, Blair Brown, Blair Harden, Marcia Gay
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Director: Eastwood, Clint Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours 10 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.5/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com This slice of cornball Americana is so much fun you'll be tempted to stand up and salute. Director and costar Clint Eastwood manages to turn what might have been ludicrous into a jubilant tribute to age and experience, and Space Cowboys succeeds as two movies in one--a comedy about retired pilots given one last shot at glory and an Apollo 13-like thriller with all the requisite heroics. With a dream cast of Hollywood vets playing old farts described in tabloids as "The Ripe Stuff," the movie jumps from a 1958 prologue (establishing their lost bid for space travel) to 40-plus years later, when the retired Air Force aces (Eastwood, James Garner, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones) volunteer to rescue a falling Russian satellite that only Eastwood's character can repair. It turns out that Russky bird is a cold war leftover equipped with live nuclear warheads, and Space Cowboys revs up to a rousing climax in which our heroes prove their mettle. But first the comedy: watching these codgers struggle to pass NASA's physical tests is a total hoot, with running gags about wrinkles, dentures, and oysters for sagging libidos. (Sutherland is the scene-stealer, but they're all having a blast.) Once in space, the movie gets down to business, and the visual-effects wizards at Industrial Light and Magic provide stunning vistas from Earth's orbit; a shot looking down at the boot of Italy is particularly beautiful. A subplot involving a weasely NASA administrator (James Cromwell) is rather perfunctory, but it hardly matters. Space Cowboys earns its wings, once again demonstrating Eastwood's comfort with any genre he chooses. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Additional features Even though this DVD doesn't boast that it's a special edition, it has some of the nicest extras you'd want to see. There's nearly an hour of behind-the-footage material, all of it superior made-for-cable featurettes so often included on DVDs. The technicians divulge little tricks of the trade, revealing more computer effects in the film than you'd think. Longtime Eastwood editor Joel Cox provides insight into the director's work routine. The highlight, though, is an extended version of the four... read more Description In 1958, the members of Team Daedalus, a group of top Air Force test pilots, were ready to serve their country as the first Americans in space but were pushed aside. Now, as a Russian satellite fails and is about to crash into earth, Team Daedalus is back in action in a rescue mission.
Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)
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Starring: Neeson, Liam McGregor, Ewan Portman, Natalie Lloyd, Jake August, Pernilla Oz, Frank McDiarmid, Ian Davies, Oliver Ford Davies, Oliver Ford Best, Ahmed
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Director: Lucas, George Rating: PG Running Time: 133 min
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.5/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com "I have a bad feeling about this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo's swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breather Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo, and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlier feels formulaic. Yet there's much to admire. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mˇlange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film--the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park. Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as ever. Natalie Portman's stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan's day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie's lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his boyish exuberance wins over skeptics. Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic, may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when he pats young Anakin on the head and says, "We will watch your career with great interest." Indeed! --Tod Nelson --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features The spectacular DVD release of Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace--arguably one of the best DVDs ever--will go a long way toward making it up to Star Wars fans who were disappointed by the theatrical release. (But, in case you're wondering, there's no option to delete Jar Jar.) The picture and sound are outstanding, it's loaded with bonuses, and even the menus are action-packed fun. Disc One includes the film with a commentary track by George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, editor Ben... read more Description Feature-Length Audio Commentary The creators of Episode I give you insight into the film like no one else can. Hear from: writer/director George Lucas, Producer Rick McCallum, sound designer and film co-editor Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires. "The Beginning" Making Episode I Documentary Film Culled from over 600 hours of behind-the-scenes footage, this all-new hour-long documentary film takes you inside Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic during the making of The Phantom Menace. Sit in on the film's production process including: pre-production, casting, principal photography, editing, rough-cut reviews, visual effects meetings and other events that few people have had access to before. Exclusive Deleted Scenes and Documentary All-new documentary featuring George Lucas, Rick McCallum and guests discussing the painstaking process every director must go through in determining what scenes make the final cut. View seven exclusive deleted sequences that were created specifically for this DVD and le
Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Widescreen Edition)
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Starring: McGregor, Ewan Portman, Natalie Christensen, Hayden Baker, Kenny Smits, Jimmy Neeson, Liam Oz, Frank Portman, Natalie Portman, Natalie McDiarmid, Ian
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Director: Lucas, George Rating: PG Running Time: 2 Hours 22 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.1/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging "dark side" while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins. Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Wars as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, while lavish set pieces showcase George Lucas's supreme command of all-digital filmmaking. All of this makes Episode II a technological milestone, savaged by some critics as a bloated, storyless spectacle, but still qualifying as a fan-approved precursor to the pivotal events of Episode III. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones is a superior DVD, repeating many of the elements that made its predecessor, Episode I, The Phantom Menace, so good. The picture and sound are spectacular, helped immensely by the fact that the film was shot entirely in digital, making this the first live-action direct digital-to-digital DVD transfer. This version of the film was the one shown in digital-projection theaters; there are subtle differences from the standard theatrical version, such as... read more
Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope
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Starring: Hamill, Mark Ford, Harrison Fisher, Carrie Cushing, Peter Guinness, Alec Daniels, Anthony Baker, Kenny Mayhew, Peter Mayhew, Peter Jones, James Earl
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Director: Lucas, George Rating: PG Running Time: 125 min (special edition)
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.8/10 (IMDB) Color DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound,
Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Again? Yes. Even though no other movie has been released as many times on video as Star Wars (except for its sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), George Lucas and the folks at 20th Century Fox have actually released a slightly different film this time. This video followed the mega-successful 20th-anniversary theatrical rerelease, in which Lucas personally remastered the image and sound quality of his baby. Other revisions are more obvious, if hardly radical. Lucas enhanced several special effects with updated computer technology--most noticeable are the explosions and removal of matte lines during the Death Star battle finale. And the creatures that populate Mos Eisley's spaceport--though meticulous--are aesthetically superior improvements. The inclusion of extra scenes (originally outtakes), however, is not an improvement. Both the meeting between Jabba the Hutt and Han Solo, and Luke talking with his childhood pal Biggs, do nothing to enhance character development or theme, and serve only as distractions that preoccupy the waiting viewer. And, really couldn't Lucas find something better to do with his time than mess around with a national treasure? As for the video, this boasts both visual and sound enhancements. But since Star Wars has been available with these tweaks numerous times before, the decision whether to purchase this latest new version depends on how badly you want to see Lucas's cosmetic surgery. --Dave McCoy --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Star Wars - Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back
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Starring: Hamill, Mark Ford, Harrison Fisher, Carrie Williams, Billy Dee Daniels, Anthony Prowse, David Mayhew, Peter Baker, Kenny Baker, Kenny Guinness, Alec
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Director: Kershner, Irvin Rating: PG Running Time:
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.7/10 (IMDB) Color DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound,
Amazon.com The middle film in George Lucas's enormously popular Star Wars science fiction trilogy is a darker, more somber entry, considered by many fans as the best in the series. Gone is the jaunty swashbuckling of the first film; the rebellion led by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) suffers before the superior forces of the Empire, young hero Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) faces his first defeats as he attempts to harness the Force under the tutelage of Jedi master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), and cocky Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is betrayed by former ally Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). In the tradition of the great serials, this film is left with a hefty cliffhanger. The leap in special effects technology in the three years since Star Wars results in an amazing array of effects, including a breathtaking chase through an asteroid field and a dazzling, utopian Cloud City, where Luke faces the black-clad villain Darth Vader (David Prowse, voice of James Earl Jones) in a futuristic sword fight and learns the secret of his Jedi father. Veteran director Irvin Kershner (The Eyes of Laura Mars, Never Say Never Again) took the directorial reins from creator and producer Lucas and invested the light-speed adventure with deeper characters and a more emphatic sense of danger. The special edition expands Luke's encounter with the Abominable Snowman-esque wampa and establishes the creature as a tangibly more terrifying beast, in addition to refining many of the existing effects. The trilogy is concluded in The Return of the Jedi. --Sean Axmaker
Star Wars - Episode VI, Return of the Jedi
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Starring: Hamill, Mark Ford, Harrison Fisher, Carrie Williams, Billy Dee Daniels, Anthony Mayhew, Peter Oz, Frank Jones, James Earl Jones, James Earl Guinness, Alec
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Director: Marquand, Richard Rating: PG Running Time:
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.1/10 (IMDB) Color DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound,
Amazon.com The high-energy, special-effects-laden conclusion to George Lucas's ambitious Star Wars trilogy delivers the final confrontation between Luke Skywalker (a more confident and mature Mark Hamill) and his nemesis-father, Darth Vader (David Prowse, voice of James Earl Jones), as the rebel alliance makes its last stand against the evil Empire. The film opens with an impressive set piece in the cave of the monstrous Jabba the Hut, who holds both Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) for his decadent pleasure until Skywalker comes to the rescue. The final battle pits an enormous armada of rebel ships against the rebuilt Death Star, the planet-killing weapon of the first film, while guerrilla forces battle Empire soldiers on the planet below with the help of a cuddly army of pint-sized, teddy-bear-like creatures known as Ewoks (Lucas's one concession to merchandising) and Skywalker confronts Vader and the emperor on the Deathstar. Director Richard Marquand invests the tale with plenty of humor and a vigorous sense of adventure without losing the seriousness of Skywalker's mission. The special edition adds, among other effects, more creatures and a bouncy song-and-dance number to the Jabba the Hut scenes, and an extended celebration that literally encompasses the galaxy at the film's jubilant conclusion. --Sean Axmaker
T2 - Extreme DVD
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Starring: Schwarzenegger, Arnold Hamilton, Linda Furlong, Edward Morton, Joe Furlong, Edward Boen, Earl Merkerson, S. Epatha Guerra, Castulo Guerra, Castulo Goldstein, Jenette
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Director: Cameron, James Rating: R Running Time: 2 Hours 32 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 8.1/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video After he pushed the envelope of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned this hotly anticipated sequel to Terminator into a well-written, action-packed showcase for advanced special effects and for one of the most invincible villains ever imagined. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a legitimate sequel: there's more story to tell about a hulking, leather-clad android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader (Edward Furlong) from being killed by the tenacious T-1000 robot (Robert Patrick), whose liquid-metal construction makes him seemingly unstoppable. The fate of the future lies in the balance, with Linda Hamilton (who would later marry her director) reprising her role as the rugged woman whose son will change the course of history. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features Because the Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition set the standard for feature-packed DVDs when it was released back in 2000, is there a need for an Extreme Edition? The simple answer is yes. The 2003 Extreme Edition features a brand-new, better-looking transfer and an extremely powerful and involving Dolby 5.1 EX soundtrack. (The Ultimate's DTS track might have had a bit more detail, but it had to be sacrificed due to disc space.) The Extreme Edition focuses on the extended version of the film, but... read more Description He said he'd be back. This time experience T2 like never before! Go EXTREME with the best picture and sound ever! ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER returns as the Terminator in this explosive action-adventure spectacle. Now he's one of the good guys, sent back in time to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. LINDA HAMILTON reprises her role as Sarah Connor, John's mother, a quintessential survivor who has been institutionalized for her warning of the nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. Together, the threesome must find a way to stop the ultimate enemy - the T-1000, the most lethal Terminator ever created. Co-written, produced and directed by James Cameron ("The Terminator," "Aliens," "Titanic), this visual tour de force is also a touching story of survival.
Terminator (Special Edition), The
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Starring: Schwarzenegger, Arnold Biehn, Michael Hamilton, Linda Hamilton, Linda Biehn, Michael Henriksen, Lance Paxton, Bill Winfield, Paul Winfield, Paul Boen, Earl
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Director: Cameron, James Rating: R Running Time: 1 Hour 47 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.9/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com essential video This is the film that cemented Schwarzenegger's spot in the action-brawn firmament, and it was well deserved. He's chilling as the futuristic cyborg who kills without fear, without love, without mercy. James Cameron's story and direction are pared to the bone and all the more creepy. But don't overlook the contributions of Linda Hamilton, who more than holds her own as the Terminator's would-be victim, Sarah Connor--thus creating, along with Sigourney Weaver in Alien, a new generation of rugged, clear-thinking female action stars. It's surprising how well this film holds up, and how its minimalist, malevolent violence is actually way scarier than that of its far more expensive, more effects-laden sequel. --Anne Hurley --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features The Terminator is back, and it's better looking and louder than ever. The cleaned-up print of this DVD is a revelation, as is the digitally remastered Dolby 5.1 EXsoundtrack: from the opening MGM lion's roar to the crunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger's boots and the pounding of Brad Fiedel's techno-industrial score, both picture and sound are of a quality that belie the movie's age. The first side of the disc has the movie plus a DVD-ROM feature containing three different versions of the screenplay.... read more
Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (Widescreen Edition)
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Starring: Schwarzenegger, Arnold Stahl, Nick Danes, Claire Stahl, Nick Danes, Claire Loken, Kristanna Famiglietti, Mark Harris, Moira Harris, Moira Lawford, Christopher
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Director: Mostow, Jonathan Rating: R Running Time: 1 Hour 49 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.0/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com With a reported budget of $172 million, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines starts in high gear and never slows down. The apocalyptic "Judgment Day" of T2 was never prevented, only postponed: John Connor (Nick Stahl, replacing T2's Edward Furlong), now 22 and disconnected from society, is being pursued yet again, this time by the advanced T-X, a sleek "Terminatrix" (coldly expressionless Kristanna Loken) programmed to stop Connor from becoming the savior of humankind. Originally programmed as an assassin, a disadvantaged T-101 cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger, bidding fond farewell to his signature role) arrives from the future to join Connor and his old acquaintance Kate (Claire Danes) in thwarting the T-X's relentless pursuit. The plot presents a logical fulfillment of T2 prophesy, disposing of Connor's mother (Linda Hamilton is sorely missed) while computer-driven machines assume control, launching a nuclear nightmare that Connor must survive. With Breakdown and U-571 serving as worthy rehearsals for this cautionary epic of mass destruction, director Jonathan Mostow wisely avoids any stylistic connection to James Cameron's Terminator classics; instead he's crafted a fun, exciting popcorn thriller, humorous and yet still effectively nihilistic, and comparable to Jurassic Park III in returning the Terminator franchise to its potent B-movie roots. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features There's only one deleted scene in this two-disc DVD set, but it's a doozy. The "Sgt. Candy Scene" is a must-see and, unfortunately, the best thing on the second disc. The rushed HBO documentary shows us far more flash than substance. Better is the Visual Effects Lab that goes more in-depth with four sequences, although you need to wade through a hokey interface for each segment. Making your "own" effects isn't that much fun; you can only choose a few effects that change in two scenes. Anyone... read more Description A decade has passed since John Connor (NICK STAHL) helped prevent Judgment Day and save mankind from mass destruction. Now 25, Connor lives "off the grid" - no home, no credit cards, no cell phone and no job. No record of his existence. No way he can be traced by Skynet - the highly developed network of machines that once tried to kill him and wage war on humanity. Until?out of the shadows of the future steps the T-X (KRISTANNA LOKEN), Skynet's most sophisticated cyborg killing machine yet. Sent back through time to complete the job left unfinished by her predecessor, the T-1000, this machine is as relentless as her human guise is beautiful. Now Connor's only hope for survival is the Terminator (ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER), his mysterious former assassin. Together, they must triumph over the technologically superior T-X and forestall the looming threat of Judgment Day?or face the apocalypse and the fall of civilization as we know it.
THX 1138 (The George Lucas Director's Cut Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Starring: Duvall, Robert Pleasence, Donald Haig, Sid McOmie, Maggie Colley, Don Pedro Forrest, Irene Efron, Marshall Haig, Sid Haig, Sid Marsh, Gary Alan
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Director: Lucas, George Rating: R Running Time: 88 minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.4/10 (IMDB) Color Stereo
Amazon.com George Lucas's enigmatic feature film debut expands on a student film he made at USC. Created under the wing of producer Francis Ford Coppola, this movie is a bleak vision of a world in which technology, not man, is the ultimate dictator. Efficiency overrides every other aspect of human life, as people are reduced to code names and their lives are contained, monitored, and manipulated for the sake of the system. Featuring unsettling performances by Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasance, and Maggie McOmie, THX 1138 does not attempt to explain how things became this way; rather, it utilizes the alienation of its characters, the stifling white-on-white imagery of its sterilized society, and the claustrophobic, droning sound design to emphasize the dangers of a world reliant on soulless technology. Even though this is not a film one will want to take in repeatedly, THX 1138 merits attention because it is that rare film that uses images and sounds--rather than relying heavily on dialogue--to communicate its dark prophecy. --Bryan Reesman --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features George Lucas's fascinating, almost art-house, film just took a quantum leap into the digital future. Never has the world of THX 1138 looked as bright, clear, and antiseptic as it does on this remastered version. It is equally impressive how far Lucas and the camera crew push the widescreen 2.35 aspect ratio, particularly on a film that emphasizes minimalism. For those that fault the film as being "soundless," prepare yourself for a shock. The new "THX enhanced" THX 1138 sports a newly... read more Description Two-Disc Special Edition: * Digitally remastered with THX certified sound * Commentary by George Lucas and co-writer/sound effects editor Walter Murch * Theatre of Noise sound-effects track with branching segments to 13 master sessions with Walter Murch * 2 New documentaries: "A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope" and "Artifacts from the Future: The Making of THX 1138" * George Lucas's original student film "THX-11384EB" * "Bald": 1971 production featurette * Five new trailers from the 2004 theatrical release * Original theatrical trailer
Underworld (Widescreen Edition)
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Starring: Beckinsale, Kate Speedman, Scott Sheen, Michael Sheen, Michael Grevioux, Kevin Brolly, Shane Myles, Sophia Gee, Robbie Gee, Robbie McBride, Danny
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Director: Wiseman, Len Rating: R Running Time: 2 Hours 1 Minute
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 6.3/10 (IMDB) Color Dolby
Amazon.com Blade meets The Crow and The Matrix in Underworld, a hybrid thriller that rewrites the rulebook on werewolves and vampires. It's a "cuisinart" movie (blend a lot of familiar ideas and hope something interesting happens) in which immortal vampire "death dealers" wage an ancient war against "Lycans" (werewolves), who've got centuries of revenge--and some rather ambitious genetic experiments--on their lycanthropic agenda. Given his preoccupation with gloomy architecture (mostly filmed in Budapest, Hungary), frenetic mayhem and gothic costuming, it's no surprise that first-time director Len Wiseman gained experience in TV commercials and the art departments of Godzilla, Men in Black, and Independence Day. His work is all surface, no substance, filled with derivative, grand-scale action as conflicted vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale, who later became engaged to Wiseman) struggles to rescue an ill-fated human (Scott Speedman) from Lycan transformation. It's great looking all the way, and a guaranteed treat for horror buffs, who will eagerly dissect its many strengths and weaknesses. --Jeff Shannon DVD features The Underworld DVD has a powerful soundtrack that makes good use of ambient noises (e.g., bullet casings pinging on the floor) and has a clear, well-defined picture, which is especially impressive considering the film's predominant look is black leather at nighttime. The first segment of the four-part, 54-minute documentary is mostly self-congratulation and plot summary (which is not necessarily a bad thing); more interesting are the creature effects and the actors learning how to do their own... read more Description Underneath the city streets, amid the labyrinth of subway tunnels and gothic ruins, the two most notorious creatures of the night are embroiled in an all-out war that has been going on for centuries. It is the culmination of a blood-thirsty battle between the vampires and their mortal enemies, the werewolves. Stars: Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor, My Life Without Me), Scott Speedman (My Life Without Me, TV's "Felicity").
X-Files: Fight the Future, The
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Starring: Duchovny, David Anderson, Gillian Mueller-Stahl, Armin Danner, Blythe Landau, Martin
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Director: Bowman, Rob Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 122 minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: Color THX Sound
Description: "...X-philes can look forward to appearances by series regulars..."
X2 - X-Men United
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Starring: Stewart, Patrick Jackman, Hugh McKellen, Ian Davison, Bruce Berry, Halle Janssen, Famke Paquin, Anna Cumming, Alan Cumming, Alan Marsden, James
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Director: Singer, Bryan Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 Hours 14 Minutes
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Category: Sci-Fi User Rating: 7.9/10 (IMDB) Color DTS Surround Sound
Amazon.com X2 does a fine job of picking up where X-Men left off, giving fans more of what they liked the first time around. Under the serious-minded custody of returning director Bryan Singer, the second film of this Marvel comics franchise ups the ante on Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the superhero mutants from the first film, pitting them against a mutant-hating scientist (Brian Cox) who's determined to wipe out the mutant race by tricking Xavier into abusing his telepathic powers. More a series of spectacles than a truly satisfying thriller, X2 introduces new mutant allies while giving each of the X-Men alumni--notably the temporarily helpful Magneto (Ian McKellen)--their own time in the spotlight. Well aware of the parallels between "mutantism" and virulent intolerance in the real world, Singer lends real gravity to the proceedings, injecting dramatic urgency into a continuing franchise that, in lesser hands, might've grown patently absurd. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. From the Back Cover Following a shocking attack on the President, the X-Men must stand united with their deadliest enemies to combat a menace that threatens every mutant on the planet - and possibly all of mankind. Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Halle Berry lead an all-star cast in this dazzling, action-packed spectaclethat is "arguably the greatest superhero movie ever!" (Entertainment Weekly)