Monday, January 29, 2007

DVD Tuesday: Open Season, Benny Hill & More! - Xoanon @ 10:11 PST
Agata and the Storm: Agata finds out that her brother, Gustavo, isn't really her brother after all. She decides to follow him to a small strange town where Romeo, Gustavo's real brother, lives. Agata owns Genoa's best book store, a place where the staff dispenses the merchandise as if it was balm for the soul. Repeat customer Nicola, a handsome married man, falls for Agata and an explosive affair ensues. Meanwhile, the discovery that he was actually adopted leads Agata's architect brother Gustavo to a life crisis of his own. Gustavo learns the truth from his younger half-brother Romeo, a talented clothing designer and incorrigible womanizer. As the emotional storm brewing in her own life upsets her self-reliance, Agata sees the surge of her feelings mirrored in nature.


Angels in the Outfield: A young woman reporter blames the Pittsburgh Pirates' losing streak on the obscenely abusive manager. While she attempts to learn more about him for her column, he begins hearing the voice of an angel promising him help for the team if he will mend his ways. As he does so, an orphan girl who is a Pirates fan and has been praying for the team begins noticing angels on the ballfield. Sure enough, the Pirates start winning, and McGovern tries to turn his life around. But can he keep his temper long enough for the Pirates to win the NL pennant?


The Arrangement: Kirk Douglas and Faye Dunaway in master moviemaker Elia Kazan's hard-hitting story about an adman's attempts to rebuild his shattered life after suffering a nervous breakdown. Year: 1969 Director: Elia Kazan Starring: Kirk Douglas, Faye Dunaway, Deborah Kerr


Band of Angels: In an attempt to carry on in his great Rhett Butler tradition, Gone With The Wind star Clark Gable once again flexes his muscular charms in another Civil War-era movie about the torrid romance between a plantation owner and a half-caste beauty. Directed by Raoul Walsh, and also starring Yvonne De Carlo and Sidney Poitier, the film is highlighted by a stunning musical score by Gone with the Wind composer Max Steiner.


Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated - The Hill's Angels Years, Set Six (1986-1989): The Benny Hill Show sent shock waves all over the planet and brought audiences to their knees with laughter. Now, Benny is back by popular demand in BENNY HILL: COMPLETE AND UNADULTERATED: SET 6--THE HILL’S ANGELS YEARS 1986-1989, the final installment of his rowdy, raucous, and rollicking smash hit on DVD. Never before seen in their entirety in the States, the eight original full-length episodes in SET 6 explode with the saucy wit and flamboyant humor that made The Benny Hill Show an international phenomenon. Armed with his naughty, nubile Hill’s Angels and the adorable The Hill’s Little Angels, Benny sails into new stratospheres of hilarity, whether it’s with Fred Scuttle and his daily newspaper or Lana and her gaggle of Performing Men. Classic sketches such as "The Crook Report" and "The Halitosis Kid" show off the slapstick silliness that made Benny the undisputed king of comedy. BENNY HILL: COMPLETE AND UNADULTERATED: SET 6--THE HILL’S ANGELS YEARS 1986-1989 is an outrageous and uproarious grand finale to one of the most unforgettable programs in television history. DVD Features: "Hill’s Angels: In Conversation" Featurette; The Benny Hill Cheeky Challenge Trivia Quiz #6; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection


Big Valley - Season 2, Volume 1: Victoria Barkley heads her adult brood on the Barkley Ranch in California's San Joaquin Valley, near Stockton, in the 1870s. Heath is the illegitimate son of Victoria's husband Tom (who is dead at the time of the series). Bank robbers, horse thieves, revolutionaries and land grabbers keep the Barkley's hopping.


Caprice: Comedy-thriller starring Doris Day as an industrial designer who gets herself into a whole heap of trouble when she sells a secret cosmetics formula to a rival company in Paris.


Catch a Fire: A political thriller that powerfully tells the real-life story of a South African hero's journey to freedom. In the country's turbulent and divided times in the 1980s, Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke) is an oil refinery foreman and soccer coach who is apolitical - until he and his wife Precious (Bonnie Henna) are jailed. Patrick is stunned into action against the country's oppressive reigning system, even as police Colonel Nic Vos (Tim Robbins) further insinuates himself into the Chamussos' lives.


Comedians of Comedy: Four comics take their offbeat brand of humor on the road in this blend of performance video and backstage documentary. Patton Oswalt, best known for his recurring role on the sitcom The King of Queens, wanted to stage a tour doing his standup material, but was hoping to avoid the strictures of time and material he ran into when playing comedy clubs. Looking for an alternative, he teamed up with friends and fellow humorists Brian Posehn (a former regular on Mr. Show and Just Shoot Me), Maria Bamford (who does cartoon voices in her spare time), and Zach Galifianakis (the star of a short-lived talk show on VH1), and booked a string of dates at rock clubs and college campuses across the country. The Comedians of Comedy features highlights from all four performers' best sets, as well as a glimpse of the ups and downs of life on the road and how they spend their spare time at home. The Comedians of Comedy also provided the jumping-off point for a Comedy Central television series featuring the same four artists.


Cousin Bette: The BBC dramatization of Honoré de Balzac’s novel about the fury of a woman scorned In this acclaimed drama seen on Masterpiece Theatre in the 1970s, Margaret Tyzack (The Forsyte Saga) stars as Balzac’s furious spinster with Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect) as the beautiful young siren who helps her lure men to their ruin. Born plain and poor, Bette Fischer endures her lot, until her wealthy cousin’s family steals her only treasure—the young sculptor she has taken under her wing. Joining forces with the ambitious, greedy, and alluring Valerie Marneffe, Bette vows to have her revenge and sets out to ruin the family by exploiting the sexual appetites of the men and the naiveté of the women. Also starring Colin Baker (Doctor Who), Thorley Walters (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), and Ursula Howells (The Cazalets). DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE bio of Honoré de Balzac and cast filmographies.


Dallas - The Complete First Six Seasons: Popular evening 'soap-opera' style television drama. The show was set in Dallas and chronicled the exploits of wealthy Texas oil millionaires. Many of the plots revolved around shady business dealings and dysfunctional family dynamics.


Dallas: Complete Sixth Season: The saga of the wealthy Ewing family continues in its sixth season - full of sibling wars, adultery, reconciliation and power struggles. Season 6 starts with ice: J.R. gets the cold shoulder when the family votes him out as president of Ewing Oil. And it ends with fire: Southfork ablaze, with four Ewings trapped by roaring flames. In between, J.R. and Bobby bare-knuckle it out in their biggest fight yet over Ewing Oil, thanks to their father's will. It seems Jock just couldn't decide who should inherit, so he split the company in half and gave his boys one year to see who could make the biggest bucks ? and win the whole shebang. Plus Bobby and Pam split up, J.R. and Sue Ellen remarry and J.R. sees Cuba's jail system from the wrong side of the bars. Add a Texas whirlwind of lying, cheating and bed hopping and, as J.R. might say, "Darlin', this here is Dallas!"


Divergence: Suen is a depressed and rundown cop still obsessing over his girlfriend’s sudden disappearance 10 years ago. While Suen extradites a witness, his bounty is murdered by an oddly principled assassin who seems to possess information that Suen himself would kill for. The witness’ death is welcome news for a crooked businessman whose assets were frozen by the police, until his only son is kidnapped. Enter To, a lawyer who has always successfully protected his clients, and who coincidentally happens to be married to a woman who looks exactly like Suen’s missing girlfriend. Each of these men will ultimately and painfully be drawn together until a violent and permanent Divergence becomes this film’s only forgone conclusion.


Do Not Disturb: What's a devoted wife to do when her husband spends more time "working" with his sexy secretary than helping her with their new home? For Janet Taylor (Day), an American who has relocated to England with her executive husband Mike (Taylor), there's only one solution - make him jealous by inventing an admirer. But as soon as Janet creates her make-believe Romeo, a real suitor arrives, whisks Janet off to Paris, wines and dines her...and comes face-to-face with an insanely irate Mike!


Drive-in Movie Double Feature (Assassination in Rome / Espionage in Tangiers): Assassination in Rome: Cyd Charisse (Singin’in the Rain, Brigadoon) and Hugh O’Brian (Ten Little Indians, The Shootist) star in this classy international thriller about an American woman vacationing in Rome whose husband disappears under mysterious circumstances. To her aid comes a handsome and courageous newspaper reporter, who is a fellow American but also happens to be her ex-lover. Espionage in Tangiers: A deadly disintigration raygun is stolen from a government laboratory, and only the dashing and downright lethal special agent Mike Murphy (Luis Davila, A Quiet Place to Kill, Ypotron) can save the world from the evil-minded thieves. The Sixties Eurospy mine is further plumbed in this colorful cinematic nugget filled with baffling intrigue, stilted violence, and bird-brained but beautiful women who fall head over heels for Agent 077 even after he slaps them silly.


Fabulous Baker Boys: Jack and Frank Baker are stuck in a rut. Playing the same tired tunes night after night, the brothers are in desperate need of change. So when they meet a sultry songbird named Susie Diamond, their future starts to sparkle. But when life in the limelight brings old rivalries to the surface as Jack and Susie’s relationship heats up, the Baker boys soon find their act – and their lives – growing more entertaining than either of them may be able to handle!


Facing the Giants: In six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never led his Shiloh Eagles to a winning season. After learning that he and his wife Brooke face infertility, Grant discovers that a group of fathers are secretly organizing to have him dismissed as head coach. Devastated by his circumstances, he cries out to God in desperation. When Grant receives a message from an unexpected visitor, he searches for a stronger purpose for his football team. He dares to challenge his players to believe God for the impossible on and off the field. When faced with unbelievable odds, the Eagles must step up to their greatest test of strength and courage.


The Films of Luc Moullet: Brigitte and Brigitte/Up and Down: Luc Moullet, original member of the French New Wave and long-time critic for Cahiers du Cinema, directed these two unique comedies with a modern eye and an absurdist wit.In BRIGITTE AND BRIGITTE, the titular heroines—one born in the Alps and the other the Pyrenees--meet by chance and then move to Paris together. They enroll at the Sorbonne to take crash courses in cinephilia. Costarring roles and cameos by famous directors provide part of the fun as New Wave legends Claude Chabrol and Eric Rohmer mingle with French filmmaker Andre Techine and Hollywood maverick Sam Fuller. The Harvard Film Archive says BRIGITTE AND BRIGITTE, "…stands as the finest period document of French cinephilia." Partly inspired by Dadaist playwright Alfred Jarry’s The Passion Considered as an Uphill Bicycle Race, UP AND DOWN follows a group of cyclists as they struggle up the winding slopes of the Alps. Some cheat; some conduct business; and one wears a tutu!


Green Day:Under Review 1995-2000 the: Rightly regarded as the founding fathers of pop-punk, Green Day are also lauded nowadays for their newfound political leanings. Between 1995 and 2000, the band made three of their most catchy, melodic and finely crafted albums. On this DVD, it is revealed how with Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning, the Californian three-piece honed their songwriting and musicianship. This DVD features live and studio performances by Green Day, rare interviews, and a host of other features, culminating in the best documentary on this period yet to emerge, with comment, criticism and insight from rock critics, journalists, label affiliates, collegues, friends, and scenesters.


Gymkata: Johnathan Cabot (Kurt Thomas) is a champion gymnast. In the tiny, yet savage, country of Parmistan, there is a perfect spot for a "star wars" site. For the US to get this site, they must compete in the brutal "Game". The government calls on Cabot, the son of a former operative, to win the game. Cabot combines his skill at western gymnastics with his fighting secrets of the east and forms Gymkata.


The Handsome Siblings: The Complete TV Series: Contestants prepare for a nationwide martial arts showdown in which the winner will be proclaimed the ruler of the dynasty. These high stakes attract the most honorable warriors...as well as a few lying, murdering, double-crossing warriors, for whom incest isn't out of the question.


The Hannibal Lecter Collection (Manhunter / The Silence of the Lambs / Hannibal): Red Dragon, the Thomas Harris novel that introduced serial killer Hannibal Lecter to the world, was adapted for the screen by Michael Mann as Manhunter. Ace criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) is very good at his job because he has the ability to make himself think like the killers he tracks. Will has been in retirement since catching Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Brian Cox), as being inside that particular deranged mind caused Will to have a breakdown. Will's boss Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina visits Will at his home, showing him pictures from a murder scene and asking for his help in catching a new killer they have dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan). In order to test his mental strength, Will visits Hannibal in his prison cell. Adding to the already substantial mental stress Will experiences when he returns to the job are nosy tabloid reporter Freddy Lounds (Stephen Lang), as well as Hannibal's attempts at seeking revenge through the Tooth Fairy. After two additional films that featured Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal) became box-office blockbusters, Manhunter was re-made as Red Dragon starring Hopkins and Edward Norton as Will Graham.


I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete Third Season: Back in the blink of an eye are Barbara Eden as Jeannie and Larry Hagman as Major Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Third Season. The four disc box set features all 26 episodes. Third season highlights include three episodes shot on location in Hawaii, the first appearance of Jeannie’s evil sister and guest stars including Bob Denver, comedian Don Rickles, Milton Berle, Hawaiian singer Don Ho and music producer Phil Spector.


Immoral Women: Some have hailed him as a genius of joyous erotica, while others have condemned him as a monster of pornographic depravity. But in this controversial three-part feature by writer/director Walerian Borowczyk, women are mysterious and degenerate creatures who hunger for both extremes. In the first tale, Marina Pierro (of BEHIND CONVENT WALLS) stars as the muse whose rampant lusts enflamed the artists and clergy of ancient Rome. Then Gaëlle Legrand is a blossoming teen in 18th century France whose unnatural desire for her pet bunny leads to an act of depraved passion. Finally, a luscious young wife (former Disney child star Pascale Christophe) is abducted and raped before finding the ultimate ecstasy with her four-legged savior. Severin Films is proud to present this notorious erotic epic - also known as THREE IMMORAL WOMEN and HEROINES OF EVIL - transferred from its original European negative materials with all of its scenes of daring sexuality now fully restored.


Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Third Year: This show delves into the dark side of the New York underworld as the detectives of a new elite force, the Special Victims Unit, investigate and prosecute various sexually oriented crimes, while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own lives.


Looker: A plastic surgeon (Albert Finney) gets suspicious when models he has operated on begin to die in mysterious ways. With the help of Cindy (Susan Dey), the next in line to be killed, he traces the deaths to a mysterious corporation which develops new technologies. Directed and written by Michael Crichton (Westworld, Coma).


Lucky Louie - The Complete First Season: Get lucky with Lucky Louie - the "comedy with an adult twist." Louis C.K. stars as Louie, a part-time mechanic of a muffler shop, who spends most of his time at home taking care of his four-year-old daughter, Lucy, while his wife, Kim, the real breadwinner, works as a full-time nurse.


Madame Curie: Perennial co-stars Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon followed their triumph in the Oscar-winning Mrs. Miniver, with this memorable biographical classic. Garson portrays the young Polish physics student Marie, who soon falls in love with and marries Dr. Pierre Curie (Walter Pidgeon), in whose lab she had worked. On their honeymoon they decide to investigate a strange effect Professor Becquerel (Reginald Owen) has noticed with the uranium/thorium stones for Marie's dissertation, and they determine there must be additional radioactive elements causing it. After years of experimentation in a makeshift lab at the University, they are finally able to isolate a few grains of a new element, radium, from 7 tons of raw material. Unfortunately, at the height of their success, tragedy strikes. The grand success of Madame Curie continued Garson's winning streak as one of the biggest box-office stars of the decade.


Maniac: Frank Zito (a career performance by co-writer/co-executive producer Joe Spinell of ROCKY and THE GODFATHER fame) is a deeply disturbed man, haunted by the traumas of unspeakable childhood abuse. And when these horrific memories begin to scream inside his mind, Frank prowls the seedy streets of New York City to stalk and slaughter innocent young women. Now Frank has begun a relationship with a beautiful photographer (Caroline Munro of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME), yet his vile compulsions remain. These are the atrocities of a human monster. This is the story of a MANIAC. Experience MANIAC like you've never seen or heard it before. Directed by William Lustig (MANIAC COP, VIGILANTE) and featuring landmark gore effects by Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD, FRIDAY THE 13th), this notorious classic was censored all over the world for its graphic violence and remains banned in England and Germany to this day. But MANIAC is more than just one of the most relentlessly depraved films of our time; it is quite possibly one of the most disturbing horror movies ever made.


The Marine: WWE champion John Cena dominates the big screen as Marine John Triton. Wherever there's danger, Triton is usually smack dab in the middle of it... and he doesn't play by rules! After he's unwillingly discharged from Iraq, Triton's beautiful wife Kate ("Nip And Tuck's" Kelly Carlson) is kidnapped by merciless jewel thieves led by a vicious killer (Robert Patrick)! Now, Triton must fight to save her, utilizing his most powerful weapon ? himself!


The Motel: Puberty sucks, and nobody knows it better than 13-year-old Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau). As he watches guests come and go, Ernest finds himself forever stuck at his family's hourly-rate motel, where he divides his time between taking orders from his overbearing mom, cleaning up after whatever miscreants the motel may attract and longing for the girl of his dreams, 15-year-old Christine (Samantha Futerman, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA). When charismatic Sam Kim (Sung Kang, PEARL HARBOR, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT) checks into the motel, fatherless Ernest is taken under his wing and hustled toward manhood, for better or worse. THE MOTEL is an honest portrait of adolescence as heartfelt and authentic as it is hilarious.


Move Over Darling: Five years after losing his first wife Ellen (Day) at sea, Nick (Garner) is finally ready to have her declared legally dead, get remarried and settle down to a peaceful second marriage. But wedded bliss becomes marital mayhem when Ellen turns up alive -- with a hilarious, hair-brained scheme to win back her husband, put a stop to the honeymoon and give first love a second chance-at happily-ever-after!


Murder She Wrote: Complete Fifth Season: Season 5 finds Murder, She Wrote's intrepid Jessica Fletcher in fine sleuthing form, and venturing farther afield from Cabot Cove--a good thing, since at the rate the murders have been happening, that town would be nearly cleaned out. Some of the best episodes take place in more exotic locales like New York (dead man on the street, wearing just one shoe), Montana (a publishing convention gone horribly wrong) and West Virginia (two whistle-blowers at a coal company found gruesomely murdered). Angela Lansbury sparkles with determination and bonhomie, hitting her stride and then some. Jessica's own life backstory is even filled out tantalizingly, especially in the episode "The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel," in which an investigation is launched into a mysterious cargo plane that is linked, she learns to her horror, to her late husband. The series' other delight is watching for cameos by stars of a certain age, and this season doesn't disappoint, with appearances by Roddy McDowall, Shelley Fabares, and Dinah Shore--but also some up-and-comers like Megan Mullally (proof positive that the Will & Grace whine was a put-on) and future satirist Bill Maher. Extras include a fresh and beguiling interview with Lansbury, who clearly relishes the gift the role of Fletcher was in the latter part of her acting career, as well as other members of the cast and crew.


Neither the Sea Nor the Sand: Recovering from a failed marriage, Anna Robinson (The Three Lives of Thomasina's Susan Hampshire) retreats to the haunting, eerie climes of the Isle of Jersey, where she finds fulfillment in an affair with lighthouse keeper George (The Pianist's Frank Finaly). But when death strikes, Anna finds herself inconsolable and longs for the arms of her lover... who unexpectedly returns from the dead, with a few macabre changes awaiting them both. A lyrical, poetic, undiscovered gem of '70s British horror, now available for the first time ever!


No Shame: A drama teacher, Isabel (Veronica Forque), at a competitive acting school full of hormonal 19-year-olds with big dreams and their hearts on their sleeves, finds herself at a crossroads in life. Twenty years ago she was a struggling actress from a wealthy family. Now, settled into a successful and fulfilling--but much more humble--teaching career, she finds her love life unfulfilled. Her young lover entertains her affections, but he cannot appease her lonliness. When she coincidentally runs into Mario (Daniel Jiminez Camacho), a man with whom she shared a one-night stand in her youth, and finds that he is now a successful director, her heart leaps. NO SHAME concentrates primarily on the lives of the wonderfully energetic acting students, and weaves in Isabel's story carefully, always making sure to keep the students in the spotlight. A tale of love and risking everything in the name of dreams, the Joaquin Oristrell-directed film has a new-agey, bohemian flavor that breathes magical life into the beautiful sets and glowing cast.


Open Season (Widescreen Special Edition): A grizzly bear named Boog, domesticated by a park ranger, Beth, helps deer friend Elliot escape from the mullet-sporting hunter, Shaw. When the animals escape to the forest the pair become lost just as hunting season begins, made worse by the fact Boog doesn't know how to survive outside of his beloved ranch. Elliott and Boog develop a strong bond not only between themselves but also with the wild animals and attempt to drive the hunters out of the forest.


Open Season (Full Screen Special Edition): A grizzly bear named Boog, domesticated by a park ranger, Beth, helps deer friend Elliot escape from the mullet-sporting hunter, Shaw. When the animals escape to the forest the pair become lost just as hunting season begins, made worse by the fact Boog doesn't know how to survive outside of his beloved ranch. Elliott and Boog develop a strong bond not only between themselves but also with the wild animals and attempt to drive the hunters out of the forest.


Passion of the Christ: Definitive Edition: The Passion of The Christ focusses on the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film begins in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus has gone to pray after sitting the Last Supper. Jesus must resist the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death.


Prey: Tom Newman (Peter Weller) can’t join his family on their first African Adventure vacation due to urgent business obligations, but hopes the trip will provide a chance for his son and daughter to bond with his new young wife, Amy (Bridget Moynahan). Their ranger, Brian, decides to add some extra thrills and adventure to their trip and takes them "off roading." All is well until Amy and the 2 kids become lost in a labyrinthine game reserve and begin to be stalked by savage lions who won’t quit until they have dinner. The film is described as "Jaws in the African bush" and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final seconds.


Private Collections: For legendary producer Pierre Braunberger (SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER), it was the most enticing of challenges: Invite the three most controversial directors in modern erotic cinema to indulge their fantasies in one daring film. The result remains one of the most uniquely sensual motion pictures of our time. In the first story from director Just Jaeckin (EMMANUELLE, GWENDOLINE), a castaway sailor is rescued by a tribe of succulent native women - led by the stunning Laura Gemser of BLACK EMANUELLE fame - who soon reveal their most unusual appetites. Then director Shuji Terayama (FRUITS OF PASSION) explores the haunting tale of a Japanese boy seduced by the riddle song of a village madwoman. And in the bold adaptation of a short story by De Maupassant, director Walerian Borowczyk (IMMORAL WOMEN, THE BEAST) reveals the torrid liaison between a Parisian gentleman, a Follie Bergere prostitute and an unexpected surprise that hides in the night.


Rock & Rule: A rock & roll singer searches for eternal life in this animated musical fantasy set in a post-nuclear dystopia. Similar to the earlier Heavy Metal (1981) in tone, this film attempts to incorporate mythical themes and mutant beings with music by Cheap Trick, Deborah Harry, Iggy Pop, and other popular acts of the time, with mixed success. Clive Smith's film was a disappointment at the box-office, but has since attracted a minor cult following.


Rx: A true talent, up-and-comer Ariel Vromen brings to the screen a visually alluring and emotionally charged first feature. With a cast of gifted young actors, Vromen delves into the darker side of the party to reveal that life can change indefinitely when decisions are made with love and friendship on the line. Andrew (Eric Balfour), Melissa (Lauren German) and Jonny (Colin Hanks) are friends in the prime of their lives. But when the real life weight of family misfortune becomes too much for Andrew to bear, he makes a desperately naive decision. What is meant to be a weekend party across the border soon becomes a heartbreaking journey that tests the boundaries of companionship, romantic love and personal ethics. Beautifully composed shots and a stellar soundtrack complete this package, lending Vromen's dark yet moving coming-of-age story a hip edge and resonating style.


Sayonara Jupiter: In the 22nd Century, the United Earth Federation has begun colonizing neighboring planets in the solar system. While attempting to extract water from Mars' polar ice caps, a UEF science team uncovers ancient carvings that describe the crash of an alien spacecraft on the planet Jupiter several millennia ago. The discovery postpones the initial phase of the Jupiter Solarization Project, a plan to transform the gas giant into a second sun, providing both additional solar energy for Earth and making the outer worlds fit for colonization. From Minerva Station in the orbit of Jupiter, Dr. Eiji Honda (Tomokazu Miura, Survive Style 5+, Taste of Tea) is dispatched to ensure that alien life does not exist on Jupiter before the planned mission is to commence. When scientists discover that a black hole is approaching the solar system, Earth's only hope is to abandon the Solarization Project and instead send Jupiter into the black hole. Dr. Honda must race to complete the new mission and save Earth before time runs out! Toho decided in the early 80's to give Japan a space epic of their own to compete with the upcoming sequel to Stanley Kubrick's classic "2001", titled "2010". The result was "Sayonara Jupiter" (aka "Bye-Bye Jupiter"). Directed by Koji Hashimoto (Godzilla 1985, Ghidrah, Latitude Zero) and featuring special effects by Koichi Kawakita (Gunhed, King Kong VS Godzilla), Sayonara Jupiter contains some of the greatest special effects ever produced in the 1980s!


Silence of the Lambs: Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator have the answers to their questions to help locate the killer. Clarice must first try and gain Lecter's confidence before he is to give away any information.


Slaughter of the Vampires: In this lush Gothic romp from the Golden Age of Italian horror, Walter Brandi (The Playgirls and the Vampire, The Bloody Pit of Horror) and Graziella Granata (A Taste for Women) star as a young well-to-do couple terrorized by a love-hungry vampire (peplum and krimi veteran Dieter Eppler, The Sinister Monk) who makes his nest in the lower rungs of their estate. Before the bloodsucker can lay unholy claim to the voluptuous lady of the land, the couple enlist the unusual services of Professor Nietzsche (Luigi Batzella, writer/director of notable nasties Nude for Satan and SS Hell Camp), who is more than determined to rid the world of all vampires. Written and directed by Roberto Mauri (Vengeance is My Forgiveness, Madeline: Study of a Nightmare), Slaughter of the Vampires is a Baroque, beautifully photographed entry in the bosom-heaving world of the romantic vampire, now presented uncut and tranferred from original vault materials.


Tales of Terror from Tokyo 3, Part 1: Just because the gates to the spirit world are usually kept shut does not mean that they cannot suddenly open, that the dead cannot reach out for your throat, that its denizens cannot prowl in abandoned office buildings, or haunt high school video projects. The dark realm is with you, and within you, its emotions calling to yours in shades of horror, of fear, of terror. Writers Kihara Hirokatsu and Nakayama Ichiro have collected these Tales of Terror from accounts told to them as true all over Japan.


Ufc Classics 7: Don "The Dragon" Wilson provides commentary in this edition of the no-holds-barred, real action fighting championship. Highlights include the match between UFC 6 champion Oleg Taktarov and World Shootfighting Champion Ken Shamrock.


Ultimate Fighting Championship Classics, Vol. 8: More bone-crushing, cross-discipline fighting action, featuring four semi-final bouts in which one challenger outweighs the other by more than one hundred pounds. "The Superfight," a match between reigning champion Ken Shamrock and Kimo, the man who defeated Royce Gracie, highlights the event.


Unhitched: When a man learns his worst enemy is about to marry the woman his best friend loves, he vows to break up the wedding any way he can in this outrageous romantic comedy.


Unknown: Academy Award® nominee Greg Kinnear (Best Supporting Actor, As Good As It Gets, 1997; The Matador) and James Caveizel (The Passion Of The Christ) light up the screen in this riveting psychological thriller that delivers nerve-jarring suspense like The Usual Suspects and Memento. Five strangers wake up in a locked warehouse with no memory of who they are or how they got there. Now they are forced on a journey together to discover who is good -- and who is evil -- in order to stay alive. Watch in real time as facts are revealed, the unknown becomes known...and this stunningly unpredictable motion picture leads you down a path of twists and turns that may uncover the truth. Also starring Joe Pantoliano (HBO's The Sopranos), Bridget Moynaghan (I, Robot), Jeremy Sisto (HBO's Six Feet Under) and Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan).


Vigilante: New York City factory worker Eddie Marino (Robert Forster, Oscar(r) nominee for JACKIE BROWN) is a solid citizen and regular guy, until the day a sadistic street gang brutally assaults his wife and murders his child. But when a corrupt judge sets the thugs free, Eddie goes berserk and vows revenge. Now there's a new breed of marauder loose on the city streets, enforcing his own kind of law. His justice is swift. His methods are violent. He is the VIGILANTE. Fred Williamson (FROM DUSK TILL DAWN), Woody Strode (SPARTACUS), Joe Spinell (MANIAC) and Salsa legend Willie Colon co-star in this hard-hitting exploitation classic from director William Lustig (MANIAC COP, RELENTLESS) that many critics consider to be better - and more shocking - than the original DEATH WISH.


Visitors: Venerable British actress Susannah York and up-and-coming star Radha Mitchell head up the cast of this Australian psychological thriller. Both actresses play the character of Carolyn at different stages of her life; bookended with scenes of the elder Carolyn (York) recalling her attempt to sail around the world, the bulk of the film involves the terror-stricken voyage itself. Only in her twenties, the young Carolyn (Mitchell) is filled with hope and fear for her daring solo journey, but once at sea, isolation and solitude begin to take their toll. Soon, Carolyn is encountering people and situations from her past, sometimes with violent, terrifying consequences. When she begins to notice physical evidence of her nightmarish visitors, Carolyn really begins to lose it.


Viva Pedro - Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection: Includes - Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire


Zatoichi 6: TV Series: The blind masseur Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) wanders through Japan looking to ply his trade. But wherever he goes, trouble follows and he must use his legendary, lightning sword skills to dispatch evildoers and defend justice.


Discovery Atlas: Australia Revealed (HD DVD): Discover the world, one person at a time…Discovery Atlas! Take an epic adventure with intimate insight into the big, bold and tenacious country of Australia. Step into one of the world's oldest cultures, drive the world's biggest trucks and join a cattle roundup on the world's largest ranch on one of the earth's youngest nations. Spanning over 4 million miles with over 22,000 miles of coastline, Australia is a captivating mix of desolation and riches, from the harsh life of the outback to the welcoming, fertile lands of its coastline. Deeply rooted to the land that offers them so much, Australians are survivors as they've faced some of the driest conditions worldwide. Hear the stories of its spirited people, including Aboriginal performers who trace their ancestry back to the land, a lifesaver who can't imagine an existence without the ocean and a jillaroo who could never be fenced in.


Discovery Atlas: Brazil Revealed (HD DVD): Discover the world, one person at a time…Discovery Atlas! Discover Brazil through the eyes of its people and explore the surrounding beaches, jungles and landscaping mountains that make this land so vibrant. Witness the roles that history, geography, culture, religion and the natural environment have played in shaping one of the most fascinating countries in the world. From a government worker who dreams of performing the samba at Carnaval, to a young man whose life is capoeira, to a river trader whose livelihood depends on the Amazon, and a maid determined to win the biggest amateur soccer tournament in the world, meet some of the individuals who personify the energy and intensity of this tropical South American paradise. Using the latest HD camera technology coupled with movie-caliber cinematography and effects, hear the stories of several Brazilians whose lives sum up the essence of Brazil and epitomize its people's natural habit of "seizing the moment. "


Discovery Atlas: China Revealed (HD DVD): For curious Americans looking to learn more about Chinese culture, this program offers an in-depth look at the people, traditions, and landscapes of contemporary China that is both visually engaging and intellectually arresting. Now viewers who may not have the means to travel to China and experience the beauty of the culture firsthand can study the people and traditions more closely than ever before as filmmakers offer a guided tour of this vast and wondrous nation.


Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed (HD DVD): Discover the world, one person at a time…Discovery Atlas! Journey through the heart of the picturesque country of Italy: a land stretching from the snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the sun-baked semi-desert of Sicily. Over the course of one year, follow the lives and loves, trials and tribulations and the hopes and dreams of a group of people who exemplify what it is to be Italian. Spanning the length and breadth of Italy, this film combines stunning location footage of its famous monuments and its hidden jewels. The latest computer graphics will propel you through the Italian landscape, while personal insights unravel the stereotypes and hidden secrets of what makes the nation tick. Combining stunning location footage with the latest computer graphics, this narrative propels viewers on a magic carpet ride through the Italian landscape, while providing personal insights into the lives of real Italians.


Half Baked: Fully Baked Edition (HD DVD): Dave Chappelle stars in this hilarious adventure of three lovable party buds trying to bail their friend out of jail. But just when the guys have mastered a plan, everything comes dangerously close to going up in smoke! Packed with memorable appearances by Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart, Willie Nelson and Tommy Chong. Experience this all-new special expanded version that's fully baked.


The Wicker Man (HD DVD): Out patrolling a California highway, police officer Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) stops a station wagon to return a little girl's lost doll. Moments later, a runaway truck slams into the station wagon, igniting it into a fiery wreck with the mother and child trapped inside. Edward fails to save them before the car explodes...and then spends months of his life choking down pills to get the image of their faces out of his head. But Edward is about to get a second chance. A desperate letter from his former girlfriend, Willow (Kate Beahan), arrives at his home with no postmark. Willow came into his life and left just as unexpectedly years before. But now, her daughter Rowan has gone missing, and Edward is the only person she trusts to help locate her. She asks him to come to her home on a private island - Summersisle - a place with its own traditions where people observe a forgotten way of life. Edward seizes the opportunity to make his life right again, and soon finds himself on a seaplane bound for the islands of the Pacific Northwest. But nothing is what it seems on isolated Summersisle, where a culture, dominated by its matriarch Sister Summersisle (Ellen Burstyn), is bound together by arcane traditions and a pagan festival called "the Day of Death and Rebirth." The secretive people of Summersisle only ridicule his investigation, insisting that a child named Rowan never existed there... or if she ever did was no longer alive. But what Edward doesn't know is that Willow's plea for help has invited more into his life than a chance for redemption. In unraveling Summersisle's closely held secrets, Edward is drawn into a web of ancient traditions and murderous deceit, and each step he takes closer to the lost child brings him one step closer to the unspeakable. And one step closer to the Wicker Man.


Beerfest (Blu-Ray): After a humiliating false start in Germany's super-secret underground beer competition, America's unlikely team vows to risk life, limb and liver to dominate the ultimate chug-a-lug championship. The laughs are on the haus!


Discovery Atlas: Australia Revealed (Blu-Ray): Discover the world, one person at a time…Discovery Atlas! Take an epic adventure with intimate insight into the big, bold and tenacious country of Australia. Step into one of the world's oldest cultures, drive the world's biggest trucks and join a cattle roundup on the world's largest ranch on one of the earth's youngest nations. Spanning over 4 million miles with over 22,000 miles of coastline, Australia is a captivating mix of desolation and riches, from the harsh life of the outback to the welcoming, fertile lands of its coastline. Deeply rooted to the land that offers them so much, Australians are survivors as they've faced some of the driest conditions worldwide. Hear the stories of its spirited people, including Aboriginal performers who trace their ancestry back to the land, a lifesaver who can't imagine an existence without the ocean and a jillaroo who could never be fenced in.


Discovery Atlas: Brazil Revealed (Blu-Ray): Discover the world, one person at a time…Discovery Atlas! Discover Brazil through the eyes of its people and explore the surrounding beaches, jungles and landscaping mountains that make this land so vibrant. Witness the roles that history, geography, culture, religion and the natural environment have played in shaping one of the most fascinating countries in the world. From a government worker who dreams of performing the samba at Carnaval, to a young man whose life is capoeira, to a river trader whose livelihood depends on the Amazon, and a maid determined to win the biggest amateur soccer tournament in the world, meet some of the individuals who personify the energy and intensity of this tropical South American paradise. Using the latest HD camera technology coupled with movie-caliber cinematography and effects, hear the stories of several Brazilians whose lives sum up the essence of Brazil and epitomize its people's natural habit of "seizing the moment. "


Discovery Atlas: China Revealed (Blu-Ray): For curious Americans looking to learn more about Chinese culture, this program offers an in-depth look at the people, traditions, and landscapes of contemporary China that is both visually engaging and intellectually arresting. Now viewers who may not have the means to travel to China and experience the beauty of the culture firsthand can study the people and traditions more closely than ever before as filmmakers offer a guided tour of this vast and wondrous nation.


Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed (Blu-Ray): Discover the world, one person at a time…Discovery Atlas! Journey through the heart of the picturesque country of Italy: a land stretching from the snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the sun-baked semi-desert of Sicily. Over the course of one year, follow the lives and loves, trials and tribulations and the hopes and dreams of a group of people who exemplify what it is to be Italian. Spanning the length and breadth of Italy, this film combines stunning location footage of its famous monuments and its hidden jewels. The latest computer graphics will propel you through the Italian landscape, while personal insights unravel the stereotypes and hidden secrets of what makes the nation tick. Combining stunning location footage with the latest computer graphics, this narrative propels viewers on a magic carpet ride through the Italian landscape, while providing personal insights into the lives of real Italians.


Flyboys (Blu-Ray): Inspired by the true story of the legendary Lafayette Escadrille, this action-packed epic tells the tale of America's first fighter pilots. These courageous young men distinguish themselves in a manner that none before them had dared, becoming true heroes who experience triumph, tragedy, love, and loss amid the chaos of World War I. Hang on for the ride of your life!


Hart's War (Blu-Ray): Bruce Willis stars as an imprisoned officer who refuses to give up his fight to defeat the Nazis inthis "absorbing" (Roger Ebert) WWII adventure. Co-starring Colin Farrell (Minority Report) and packed with "crisp action sequences" (Los Angeles Times), Hart's War is a powerful and "stirring tribute to soldierly courage and honor" (L.A. Daily News). When Col. William McNamara (Willis) is stripped of his freedom in a German POW camp, he's determined to keep onfightingeven from behind enemy lines. Enlisting the help of a young lieutenant (Farrell) in a brilliant plot against his captors, McNamara risks everything on a mission to free his men and change the outcome of the war.


Open Season (Blu-Ray): A grizzly bear named Boog, domesticated by a park ranger, Beth, helps deer friend Elliot escape from the mullet-sporting hunter, Shaw. When the animals escape to the forest the pair become lost just as hunting season begins, made worse by the fact Boog doesn't know how to survive outside of his beloved ranch. Elliott and Boog develop a strong bond not only between themselves but also with the wild animals and attempt to drive the hunters out of the forest.


Wicker Man (Blu-Ray): Out patrolling a California highway, police officer Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) stops a station wagon to return a little girl's lost doll. Moments later, a runaway truck slams into the station wagon, igniting it into a fiery wreck with the mother and child trapped inside. Edward fails to save them before the car explodes...and then spends months of his life choking down pills to get the image of their faces out of his head. But Edward is about to get a second chance. A desperate letter from his former girlfriend, Willow (Kate Beahan), arrives at his home with no postmark. Willow came into his life and left just as unexpectedly years before. But now, her daughter Rowan has gone missing, and Edward is the only person she trusts to help locate her. She asks him to come to her home on a private island - Summersisle - a place with its own traditions where people observe a forgotten way of life. Edward seizes the opportunity to make his life right again, and soon finds himself on a seaplane bound for the islands of the Pacific Northwest. But nothing is what it seems on isolated Summersisle, where a culture, dominated by its matriarch Sister Summersisle (Ellen Burstyn), is bound together by arcane traditions and a pagan festival called "the Day of Death and Rebirth." The secretive people of Summersisle only ridicule his investigation, insisting that a child named Rowan never existed there... or if she ever did was no longer alive. But what Edward doesn't know is that Willow's plea for help has invited more into his life than a chance for redemption. In unraveling Summersisle's closely held secrets, Edward is drawn into a web of ancient traditions and murderous deceit, and each step he takes closer to the lost child brings him one step closer to the unspeakable. And one step closer to the Wicker Man.