Monday, February 19, 2007

DVD Tuesday: Babel, Prestige, Flushed & More! - Xoanon @ 12:46 PST
49th Parallel: At once a compelling piece of anti-isolationist propaganda and a quick-witted wartime thriller, 49th Parallel is a classic early work from the inimitable British filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. When a Nazi U-boat crew, headed by the ruthless Eric Portman, is stranded in Canada during the thick of World War II, the men evade capture by hiding out in a series of rural communities, before trying to cross the border into the United States. Both soul-stirring and delightfully entertaining, 49th Parallel features a colorful cavalcade of characters played by larger-than-life actors Laurence Olivier, Raymond Massey, Anton Walbrook, and Leslie Howard.


Alias Smith & Jones - Season One: Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two of the most wanted outlaws in the history of the West, are popular "with everyone except the railroads and the banks", since "in all the trains and banks they robbed, they never shot anyone". They are offered an amnesty on condition that they stay out of trouble for a year and that they don't tell anyone about it. With a view to keeping their noses clean they adopt the identities of Smith and Jones and use all of their ingenuity keeping out of the way of the law.


The Alice Faye Collection: Includes - That Night in Rio / Lillian Russell / On the Avenue / The Gang's All Here


American Hardcore: Fueled by a ferocious soundtrack, director Paul Rachman's American Hardcore gives fans an all-access pass to the rise and fall of the U.S. punk scene, an explosive musical and cultural phenomenon that shaped everything from the grunge movement to the emo and pop/punk music currently riding the charts. Set against the conservative early '80s political landscape, American Hardcore chronicles the homegrown hardcore scene that was a swift kick in the head to corporate rock and mainstream complacency, as disaffected teens adopted the same collective credo - harder, faster, louder. From downtown warehouses to suburban bedrooms, the scene spread from city to city like wildfire, uniting bored, angry outcasts into an authentic underground revolution. A raw blast of politics, passion, and rage, American Hardcore features never-before-seen live footage from Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, MDC, SSD, DOA, DRI, The Adolescents, 7 Seconds and many more, plus exclusive interviews with punk icons like Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and H.R. (Paul Hudson).


Anna's Eve: A social worker's picture perfect world is turned upside down after she discovers the grisly murder of a child. She struggles to move on with her life even as the child's ghost and another ominous presence haunt her. When bizarre accidents begin to claim the lives of those around her, she is forced to confront her past and something much more sinister.


Apartment Zero: Set in modern day Buenos Aires, the film centers around a relationship between two emotionally crippled roommates. Adrian LeDuc(Colin Firth) is a lonely sociopath who is forced to rent his insane mothers room due to poor ticket sales at his revival movie theater. Jack Carney (Hart Bochner), the new roommate, appears normal enough at first but it soon becomes apparent that he is hiding something. As their friendship develops, Adrian suppresses his suspicions that Jack may be the government mercenary turned serial killer who has been terrorizing the city. The other eccentric residents of the building begin to worry as Adrian shows increasing signs that his mothers insanity may be hereditary. The shocking climax of this twisted tale of deceit, perversion and murder reveals the darker side of the human psyche.


Babel: In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace. In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out-- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost – lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves – as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love. In this mesmerizing, emotional film that was shot in three continents and four languages – and traverses both the deeply personal and the explosively political -- acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) explores with shattering realism the nature of the barriers that seem to separate humankind. In doing so, he evokes the ancient concept of Babel and questions its modern day implications: the mistaken identities, misunderstandings and missed chances for communication that-- though often unseen-- drive our contemporary lives. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garc'a Bernal, K'ji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi lead an international ensemble of actors and non-professional actors from Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo, who enrich Babel’s take on cultural diversity and enhance its powerful examination of the links and frontiers between and within us.


Bloody Tie: (Foreign/Thriller) In this uncompromising vision of the dark and gritty Korean underworld, a crystal meth dealer with a tragic past is forced to team up with a renegade cop to take down a powerful crime lord.


The Cuban Masterworks Collection: Now finally available in North America are five masterworks from revolutionary Cuba.Beautifully restored and directed by three legendary filmmakers, they reveal a unique perspective of their country – one which Americans are unaccustomed to seeing. Each film is a worthy addition to the canon of great world cinema, and rare bonus films and materials further enhance our understanding of the rich historical and cultural heritage from which they emerged. THE TWELVE CHAIRS A film by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea On her deathbed, a wealthy woman reveals the hiding place of a fortune in jewels: inside one of twelve identical parlor chairs, newly confiscated by revolutionary authorities. From the director of Death of a Bureaucrat and the Oscar nominated Strawberry & Chocolate.Approx. 90 minutes, b/w, 1962, In Spanish with English subtitles AVAILABLE INDIVIDUALLY & AS PART OF BOX SET CECILIA A film by Humberto Solás Cuba, 1830. A rich slave owner’s son falls for a beautiful light-skinned courtesan. But his brutal father wants to force him into marrying a woman from his own social standing. Nominated for the Golden Palm - Cannes Festival.Approx. 127 minutes, color, 1981, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET AMADA A film by Humberto SolásIn 1914 Havana, the daughter of a recently deceased wealthy slave trader feels bound to her philandering husband, despite her passion for her cousin, an idealistic journalist. Featuring Cuban Screen Legend Eslinda Núñez.Approx. 105 minutes, color, 1982, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET THE ADVENTURES OF JUAN QUIN QUINA film by Julio Garc'a Espinosa A ‘crazy’ comedy with a touch of sex, devastating satire and revolutionary élan! Juan Quin Quin, a poor but shrewd farmer, lives on his wits in pre-revolutionary Cuba – as a church functionary, a circus performer, a bullfighter, a coffee planter, even playing the part of Christ with a traveling theatre company. Then he joins the Revolution...Approx. 104 minutes, b/w, 1967, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET A SUCCESSFUL MANA film by Humberto SolásCuba’s history before the Revolution is chronicled through the story of two brothers, one a revolutionary man of action, the other a scrupulous politician trying to steer a treacherous middle path between opposing political ideas. Winner - Grand Prize - Havana Film Festival.Approx. 103 minutes, color, 1986, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET


Dark Castle Horror Collection: Horror. Suspense. Thrills. From the company launched by Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler HOUSE OF WAX First the whacks, then the wax. Road-tripping collegians step into a backwater town's eerie tourist trap. Chad Michael Murray, Jared Padalecki and Paris Hilton. GOTHIKA A Dark Castle original! At Woodward Penitentiary for Women, someone - or something - is very twisted. And very deadly. Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz and Robert Downey Jr. GHOST SHIP Salvagers trained for anything imaginable face the unimaginable - an adrift cruise ship hexed by a seafaring collector of souls. Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne and Isaiah Washington. THIRTEEN GHOSTS Is their dream home a living nightmare? A family moves into a spectacular home they inherited... but there may be no way out. Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz and Matthew Lillard. HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL One night in the house, one million bucks, no questions asked. The offer is easy to accept. Just try to survive long enough to collect! Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen and Taye Diggs.


Dead Mary: (Horror) Kim and her best friends drive to a remote lakeside cabin to relax and reminisce about their college days. When the group decides to play the ghoulish game "Dead Mary", they unleash a vengeful spirit that possesses them one by one. As the demon forces them to turn on one another, each is faced with a choice. Would you hack your best friend to pieces to ensure your own survival?


Dream Follies/Dreamland Capers: It's like dreaming with your eyes open! The guys at the office keep sneaking over to the Dream Follies at the local burlesque theater and peeking in at all the sexy strippers when - Wait! Who's that? Why it's none other than Lenny Bruce, unbilled in his first screen appearance (a year before Dance Hall Racket), doing the kind of burly-q shtick he'd soon abandon as he developed into the most controversial and influential comedian of the 1950s. Aiding and abetting Lenny are his wacky real-life mother Sally Marr (Lenny throws spaghetti in her face); strip star Deenah Prince; Stacy Farrell as a striptease secretary; and director Phil Tucker, forever immortalized as the man who made Robot Monster! Wow. Plus: The Dream Theme continues with Miss Justa Dream, "Burlesque's New and Brightest Star," and her Dreamland Capers. Along for the bump and grind are Valetta ("The Toast of Two Continents"), Venus ("The Body"), and Satalyte (who makes them orbit in front of our eyes). There's also rodeo-queen Dot Hackley, crazy contortionist Jacqueline Hurley, and a guy who makes music from bottles of booze. Yow. If this is a dream, you won't want to wake up!


Family Ties - The Complete First Season: Steve and Elyse Keaton (Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter-Birney), once 1960s radicals, now find themselves in Reagan-Era American trying to raise a traditional suburban family. Son Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox) is an ambitious Young Republican and his sister Mallory (Justine Bateman) is a shallow victim of the corporate culture, obsessed with music, clothes and boys. Their only normal kid is young Jennifer (Tina Yothers), a bit of a tomboy.


Final Fantasy Advent Children: Limited Edition: Continuing the storyline based on the hit Playstation® game Final Fantasy VII, two years have passed since the ruins of Midgar stand as a testament to the sacrifices made in order to bring peace. However, the world will soon face a new menace. A mysterious illness is spreading fast. Old enemies are astir. And Cloud, who walked away from the life of a hero to live in solitude, must step forward yet again . . .


Flight of Fury: Steven Seagal stars in this high-octane thriller as John Sands, a secret operative used by the United States Air Force for those clandestine operations deemed too sensitive for the regular intelligence services. When his own Agency feels threatened by the knowledge he gained from past exploits -- they quickly imprison him and schedule a chemical wipe of his memories. Feeling betrayed by his Agency, John escapes the hi-tech detention center and plans to assimilate into society. Unfortunately, the Air Force has other plans for him. A top secret Stealth Bomber that uses the latest in stealth cloaking technology has been hijacked and it’s their belief that John’s the only man capable of getting it back before it falls into the hands of a terrorist group that could prove to be an unstoppable force. Sands stumbles into the middle of a liquor store robbery that forces him to defend himself, which leads to his arrest by the local police department. While in custody, John finds he cannot escape his past. The Agency he worked for has located him. While John sits handcuffed inside the police station they offer him a deal - find the jet and bring it back into the United States. If he does this they'll allow him to walk away from this life and start over without having to look back. John knows he has little choice and agrees to the deal.


Flushed Away (Widescreen Edition): Set on and beneath the streets of London, Flushed Away is the story of Roddy, an upper-crust "society mouse," who is rather rudely evicted from his Kensington flat when he is flushed down into Ratropolis, the bustling sewer world found under London’s streets. There, he meets Rita, an enterprising scavenger who works the sewers in her faithful boat, the Jammy Dodger. Together they must navigate their way through a busy city filled with dangers for any mouse, including terrifying rapids, treacherous whirlpools and, most of all, the villainous Toad and his hench-rats Spike and Whitey. Though completely out of his element at first, the privileged Roddy finds himself an unlikely hero when he learns that Ratropolis is in danger from the world above.


For Your Consideration: Debut feature director Jay Berman (Christopher Guest), steers cast and crew through a typically tumultuous independent film Home for Purim, an intimate period drama about a Jewish family's turbulent reunion on the occasion of the dying matriarch's favorite holiday. When Internet-generated rumors begin circulating that three of Purim's stars -- faded luminary Marilyn Hack (Catherine O'Hara), journeyman actor and former hot dog pitchman Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer), and ingenue Callie Webb (Parker Posey) -- may be perpetrating Award-worthy performances, a rumble of excitement rattles the cast. Once "Hollywood Now" anchors Chuck Porter (Fred Willard) and Cindy Martin (Jane Lynch) pick up the buzz, Award fever infects the entire production. Unit publicist Corey Taft (John Michael Higgins), talent agent Morley Orfkin (Eugene Levy), and producer Whitney Taylor Brown (Jennifer Coolidge) all smell the sudden potential for a sleeper hit. As does Sunfish Classics President Martin Gibb (Ricky Gervais), who suggests some last-minute changes to the film that he feels will broaden the film's appeal. Meanwhile, Purim's screenwriters, Lane Iverson (Michael McKean) and Philip Koontz (Bob Balaban) grow steadily more horrified as they watch the first film adaptation of their work diverge from their original story. As the hopeful Purim team careens toward the end of production and the upcoming Award season, tenuous relationships and brittle dreams play out in unexpected ways...


Gandhi (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition): A critical masterpiece, GANDHI is an intriguing story about activism, politics, religious tolerance and freedom. But at the center of it all is an extraor- dinary man who fought for a nonviolent, peaceful existence, and set an entire nation free. Winner of 8 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director (Lord Richard Attenborough) and Best Actor (Sir Ben Kingsley), GANDHI’s highly acclaimed cast also includes Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, Sir John Gielgud, Roshan Seth and Martin Sheen. The extras include more than 90 minutes of new material, including interviews with director Lord Richard Attenborough; actors Geraldine James, Saeed Jaffrey, and Edward Fox; Diana Hawkins (Director of Publicity), Terry Clegg (Executive in charge of production), Billy Williams (Cinematographer) and Stuart Craig (Production Designer). The DVD includes a Director’s commentary with Attenborough, who also filmed a personal introduction to the film. The featurettes include In Search of Gandhi, Reflections on Ben, Madeleine Slade: An Englishwoman Abroad, The Funeral, Shooting an Epic In India, Looking Back, Designing Gandhi (3 mini featurettes) and From the Director’s Chair (2 mini featurettes).


A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints: A film adaptation of Dito Montiel's memoir of the same name, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is a compelling, thoughtful movie based on Montiel's childhood growing up in 1980s Queens. A writer and director who understands his limitations, Montiel wisely left the acting to the pros. Shia LaBeouf (Holes) plays him during his adolescence, while Robert Downey Jr. (Good Night, and Good Luck, Wonder Boys) portrays the grown-up Dito. Never mind that there is absolutely no physical resemblance between the two actors; LaBeouf and Downey are so convincing in their roles it doesn't matter. Switching effortlessly from present day (where Dito is a successful author) to the past (where he is a tough little kid trying to figure out if there is life beyond New York), A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints tackles Dito's complicated relationship with his parents (Chazz Palminteri and Dianne Wiest), as well as the friends he left behind. Eric Roberts is magnificent in a small role as one of Dito's tough, childhood buddies. His powerful performance makes viewers remember there was a time when Roberts was better known for his acting skills than for being Julia's big brother. Montiel--a first-time filmmaker--won the Director's Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival for his autobiographical movie. Raw, gritty, and honest, Saints) makes a strong impact and leaves the viewer curious as to how the rest of Montiel's life will work out.


Gunbuster: The directorial debut of acclaimed creator Hideaki Anno, GUNBUSTER is a legendary anime fan favorite that casts pretty girls and giant robots into a moving epic of interstellar naval war. Newly translated and re-mastered in HD 24P format, Gunbuster has never before been available on DVD in North America...until now! 2015: Earth's first faster-than-light ship, the Luxion, is lost, attacked by unidentified space monsters in the Perseus Arm. Six years later, Noriko Takaya, daughter of the Luxion's commander, enters the Okinawa Girls' Space Pilot High School, vowing to be a pilot and follow her father's trail to the stars. But is she prepared for the intense training to become a member of the elite Top Squadron? Noriko's fight has just begun and the fate of all humanity depends on her meeting the challenge!


Jane Eyre: After a wretched childhood, orphaned Jane Eyre yearns for new experiences. She accepts a governess position at Thornfield Hall, where she tutors a lively French girl named Adele. She soon finds herself falling in love with the brooding master of the house - the passionate Mr. Rochester. Jane gradually wins his heart, but they must overcome the dark secrets of the past before they can find happiness. When Jane saves Rochester from an eerie fire, she begins to suspect that there are many mysteries behind the walls of Thornfield Hall. Her fears are confirmed when Rochester's secret past is revealed, destroying her chance for happiness, and forcing Jane to flee Thornfield. Penniless and hungry, she finds shelter and friendship in the shape of a kind clergyman and his family. But she is soon shocked to uncover the deeply hidden truth of her own past. This lavish and sensual new version of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel is modern and moody, timeless and romantic. Starring Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester, Ruth Wilson as Jane, and Francesca Annis as Lady Ingram.


Johnny Carson Show: While working as a staff writer on The Red Skelton Show one night in 1955, Johnny Carson filled in as a last-minute replacement when Skelton was injured during rehearsal. Carson did such a good job that CBS created The Johnny Carson Show as a showcase for the young comedian. The 39-week series served as a precursor of what would come later for Johnny, planting the seeds for the sketches he would perfect on The Tonight Show with his Mighty Carson Art Players. The Johnny Carson Show features Carson in parodies of popular television shows of the era, including one of Edward R. Murrow's Person To Person, in which Johnny turns in a hilarious impersonation of Murrow. Carson also spoofs The Three Musketeers, Walter Cronkite, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Dragnet and the Russian ballet. Members of Carson's cast include Jamie Farr and Jack Albertson and guests include James Arness (promoting the premiere of his brand new series Gunsmoke), Eva Gabor and movie composer Dimitri Tiomkin. Ten long-lost episodes of The Johnny Carson Show, from its lone season in 1955 - 1956, have been digitally restored from the recently-discovered kinescopes for this release. Bonus features include a 1958 episode of Johnny's popular ABC quiz show Who Do You Trust?, a very rare episode of his short lived and little known 1956 CBS daytime show, and another recently discovered lost gem: a clip from Johnny's October 1958 stint as the two-week substitute host of The Jack Paar Show.


Julius Caesar: A remake of the William Shakespeare classic play. Appalled by the murder of his mentor, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony declares war on his assassins - especially Cassius and "the honorable" Brutus, who only reluctantly took part in the crime.


La Vie Promise: Isabelle Huppert stars as Sylvia, a weary prostitute who suddenly makes contact with her estranged teenage daughter. Fleeing the French Mediterranean, they head north. Hounded by memory lapses and desperate not to see her daughter repeat her own mistakes, Sylvia tries to re-discover her once promising past.


Lunacy: Working alone in Iraq over eight months, American filmmaker Laura Poitras follows Iraqi physician Dr. Riyadh—father of six and Sunni political candidate -- for an unforgettable journey into the heart of war-ravaged Iraq in the months leading up to the January 2005 elections. An outspoken critic of the occupation, Dr. Riyadh is equally passionate about building democracy in Iraq. Yet all around him, he sees only chaos, as his waiting room fills each day with patients suffering the physical and mental effects of ever-increasing violence. Dramatically interwoven into his personal journey is the landscape of U.S. military occupation, Australian private security contractors, and the U.N. officials who orchestrated the elections. Luminously photographed and emotionally complex, MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY captures the downward spiral of one man caught in the tragic contradictions of the U.S. occupation of Iraq and its project to spread democracy in the Middle East.


The Mailman: A cunning psychopath with more than an axe to grind murders the kindly Mailman in a small, placid suburban town. Darius Foxx scarred for life as a young boy by seeing his parents brutally murdered, comes back to town as the new Mailman to torment his younger brother, Daniel, and Daniel's adopted family. Daniel, a bored loner who is upset when he finds his lovely sister, Beth, has fallen for his best friend, Jay, learns of his adoption and past from the new Mailman. Upset by the news, he joins the Mailman in a string of cons and sadistic crimes before he realizes just what kind of psychopath he is dealing with, and by then it is almost too late. Can these three teenagers stop The Mailman before he kills again?


Man for All Seasons: In 16th-century England, the corrupt King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) betrays the Roman Catholic Church to divorce his wife and marry his latest conquest Anne Boleyn (Vanessa Redgrave). Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) is then forced to choose between his principles and duty to his heretical king, who has begun executing the treasonous with increasing frequency. The historically profound battle of ideals also involves Cardinal Wolsey (Orson Welles), Thomas Cromwell (Leo McKern), and More's valiant wife (Wendy Hiller).


Man of the Year (Full Screen Edition): A comedy with serious intentions, Man of the Year attempts to challenge the audience's notions of what is and isn't real when it comes to politics. Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) is a popular political talk show host. As a lark, he runs for president and wins. The thing is, he's not any more unqualified than the other candidates, so his victory doesn't seem quite so outrageous. But when it turns out that the computer ballot firm responsible for tallying all the votes may have had a glitch--and that a recount would negate his win--mayhem ensues and the film segues from comedy, to drama, and back to comedy (sort of) again. Directed by Barry Levinson (Diner, Wag the Dog), the film doesn't take advantage of Williams' natural humor or charm. He at times appears to be chomping at the bit to unleash a comedic tirade or two, only to be held back by stiff lines. Williams only truly appears to be enjoying himself when trading lines with Laura Linney, who portrays the hapless do-gooder at the ballot firm who's being set up to appear unreliable. With some fine performances by a supporting cast that includes Jeff Goldblum, Lewis Black, and the inimitable Christopher Walken, Man of the Year occasionally hints at greatness. But at best, it's a lukewarm comedy with a diluted message.


Man of the Year (Widescreen Edition): A comedy with serious intentions, Man of the Year attempts to challenge the audience's notions of what is and isn't real when it comes to politics. Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) is a popular political talk show host. As a lark, he runs for president and wins. The thing is, he's not any more unqualified than the other candidates, so his victory doesn't seem quite so outrageous. But when it turns out that the computer ballot firm responsible for tallying all the votes may have had a glitch--and that a recount would negate his win--mayhem ensues and the film segues from comedy, to drama, and back to comedy (sort of) again. Directed by Barry Levinson (Diner, Wag the Dog), the film doesn't take advantage of Williams' natural humor or charm. He at times appears to be chomping at the bit to unleash a comedic tirade or two, only to be held back by stiff lines. Williams only truly appears to be enjoying himself when trading lines with Laura Linney, who portrays the hapless do-gooder at the ballot firm who's being set up to appear unreliable. With some fine performances by a supporting cast that includes Jeff Goldblum, Lewis Black, and the inimitable Christopher Walken, Man of the Year occasionally hints at greatness. But at best, it's a lukewarm comedy with a diluted message.


Night of the Living Dorks: Three not-so-cool school friends decide to try a old voodoo ritual. Later, they die in a car accident, but live on as zombies. But being a zombie has advantages, too...


Open Water 2: Based on a harrowing true story... A weekend cruise aboard a luxury yacht goes horribly awry for a group of old high school friends who forget to lower the ladder before they jump into the ocean for a swim. The boat proves impossible to climb, leaving them adrift, miles from shore. As the reality of the situation sinks in, the friends begin to turn on each other. Soon the exhaustion of keeping afloat and the struggle to get back on board begin to take a terrible toll. What started as a joyful reunion becomes a fight for survival!


Penn & Teller - Bullshit - The Complete Fourth Season: The fourth season of this award-winning series featuring master showmen Penn & Teller, delivers viewers an aggressive, humorous exposé of taboo topics, using the duo’s trademark humor, knowledge of carnival tricks as well as hidden cameras and blatant confrontation. Winner of the prestigious 2004 and 2005 Writer’s Guild Award for Best Comedy/Variety Series and nominated the last three years for the Emmy® for Outstanding Reality Program and Outstanding Writing for Non Fiction Programming, Penn & Teller: Bullshit! continues its controversial muckraking throughout season three by confronting many of the institutions society holds dear.


The Prestige: Award-winning actors Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson star in THE PRESTIGE, the twisting, turning story that, like all great magic tricks, stays with you. Two young, passionate magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman), a charismatic showman, and Alfred Borden (Bale), a gifted illusionist, are friends and partners until one fateful night when their biggest trick goes terribly wrong. Now the bitterest of enemies, they will stop at nothing to learn each other's secrets. As their rivalry escalates into a total obsession full of deceit and sabotage, they risk everything to become the greatest magician of all time. But nothing is as it seems, so watch closely. And be prepared to watch it again and again.


Shut Up & Sing: (Documentary) "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." This film documents how those 15 words in 2003 took the Dixie Chicks from the peak of their popularity as the top-selling female recording artists of all time, through the days, months and years of mayhem that followed.


Sickness House: A group of friends get together for a New Year's Eve party without any idea that they may be trapped there longer than they expected when the house they're in is quarantined with them all inside. Who could know that one of them is carrying a deadly disease?


Voyage to the Bottom of Sea - Season 2, Volume 2: Welcome a spectacular underwater world populated by sinister foreign agents, deadly sea creatures, and evil scientists bent on world domination. This is the world of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Irwin Allen's sci-fi TV classic, a world of beauty, wonder, intrigue, and danger. Season Two, Volume Two contains some of the most innovative and beloved episodes of the entire series. There's an island inhabited by ferocious dinosaurs, a ghostly U-Boat captain with a deadly agenda, a fire in the sky that threatens to melt the polar ice cap, and more! Prepare yourself for a world unlike any you've ever experienced...Prepare to dive!


The Well: When Carolyn Crawford, a 5-year-old black girl, falls into a well near her small, racially-divided hometown, her disappearance and rumors of her wandering off with a white stranger cause the population to erupt into a sudden, emotional powderkeg with a lynch mob ready to attack the most likely suspect. Gripping, volatile entertainment from start to finish!


What's New Scooby Doo: Complete First Season: Clever sleuthing has led you to treasure: the very first season of What's New Scooby-Doo? Enjoy all 13 episodes of spoofy hilarity and mystery with the crime-busting gang --from scary snowboarding in There's No Creature Like Snow Creature to the season finale The Unnatural, with the voices of real-life baseball greats Mike Piazza and Luis Santiago. As Scooby-Doo fans know, popular stars often lend their vocal talents in such takeoffs as Riva Ras Regas (co-starring teen pop singer Lindsay Pagano) and American pop idol JC Chasez from super group *NSYNC. But everyone knows who the biggest heartthrob of the show is really...who else? Scooby-Doo!


When a Woman Ascends the Stairs: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs might be Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse’s finest hour—a delicate, devastating study of Keiko (the heartbreaking Takamine Hideko), a bar hostess in Tokyo’s very modern postwar Ginza district, who entertains businessmen after work. Sly, resourceful, but trapped, Keiko comes to embody the conflicts and struggles of a woman trying to establish her independence in a male-dominated society. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs shows the largely unsung yet widely beloved master Naruse at his most socially exacting and profoundly emotional.


Wwe: New & Improved Dx: (Sports) For WWE and Raw, 2006 can best be described as "The Year of the Degenerate." This program covers the reformation of the D-Generation X group, from the early hints at Wrestle Mania 22, through the skits, promos, chaos and matches, as D-Generation made life hell for Mr. McMahon. StarS Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Extensive marketing and promotional support in a variety of WWE platforms, including magazine, online and television.


Babel (HD DVD): In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace. In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out-- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost – lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves – as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love. In this mesmerizing, emotional film that was shot in three continents and four languages – and traverses both the deeply personal and the explosively political -- acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) explores with shattering realism the nature of the barriers that seem to separate humankind. In doing so, he evokes the ancient concept of Babel and questions its modern day implications: the mistaken identities, misunderstandings and missed chances for communication that-- though often unseen-- drive our contemporary lives. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garc'a Bernal, K'ji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi lead an international ensemble of actors and non-professional actors from Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo, who enrich Babel’s take on cultural diversity and enhance its powerful examination of the links and frontiers between and within us.


Babel (Blu-ray): In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace. In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out-- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost – lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves – as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love. In this mesmerizing, emotional film that was shot in three continents and four languages – and traverses both the deeply personal and the explosively political -- acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) explores with shattering realism the nature of the barriers that seem to separate humankind. In doing so, he evokes the ancient concept of Babel and questions its modern day implications: the mistaken identities, misunderstandings and missed chances for communication that-- though often unseen-- drive our contemporary lives. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garc'a Bernal, K'ji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi lead an international ensemble of actors and non-professional actors from Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo, who enrich Babel’s take on cultural diversity and enhance its powerful examination of the links and frontiers between and within us.


The Prestige (Blu-ray): Award-winning actors Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson star in THE PRESTIGE, the twisting, turning story that, like all great magic tricks, stays with you. Two young, passionate magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman), a charismatic showman, and Alfred Borden (Bale), a gifted illusionist, are friends and partners until one fateful night when their biggest trick goes terribly wrong. Now the bitterest of enemies, they will stop at nothing to learn each other's secrets. As their rivalry escalates into a total obsession full of deceit and sabotage, they risk everything to become the greatest magician of all time. But nothing is as it seems, so watch closely. And be prepared to watch it again and again.


Vertical Limit (Blu-ray):