DVDpedia : Library : Title : R

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Hakuhodo

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Duration: 119

Summary:

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 88

Summary: An alternate title for this movie could easily be "RV to Hell". Two middle-class couples take their spankin'-new motor home on a trip to Colorado. While camping out in Texas, the men see something they shouldn't--a human sacrifice by Satanists who somehow manage not to notice their Safeway- sized vehicle until the last minute. The tourists flee from the devil worshippers, getting the monstrous RV hung up in a stream, and so goes the rest of the movie. The local sheriff is in league with the devil, and every town they come to is full of pesky Satanists. The vacationers are nothing if not resourceful, though; when a pair of determined Beelzebubbers cling to the vehicle like barnacles, Peter Fonda pokes at them with an aluminum vacuum-cleaner wand until they give up and fall off! Oddly, halfway through the film, it turns from a fairly routine (if suspenseful) horror movie to a Ron Howard-style car-chase film, with a half-dozen vehicles pursuing the motor home. The vacationers continue to abuse the RV until large chunks of it begin to fall off, fending off their enemies with a shotgun until the nasty surprise ending. With a cast that includes Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, and Lara Parker, it's hard to go wrong (though the women's roles consist of screaming ineffectually, making coffee, and cleaning the earth-toned Winnebago). Yep, this Central Texas-lensed drive-in feature supplies thrills, car wrecks, devil worshippers, and unintended laughs by the bushel... what else can you ask for? "--Jerry Renshaw"

Theatrical: 1986

Studio: TaliaFilm II Productions

Genre: Drama

Duration: 91

Summary: The story of Cru Jones, a young man who can overcome all obstacles that prevent him from participating in the BMX race "Helltrack." As he works towards his dream, Cru falls in love with Christian, an amateur racer. With the help of Christian and her friends, can Cru's "Rad Racing Team" defeat the top BMX factory rider, Bart Taylor ?

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Capitol

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 99

Summary: It seems appropriate that a documentary following Radiohead during the aftermath of 1997's "OK Computer"--an album as conceptual as modern rock can get--should also be high-concept. With that in mind, director Grant Gee has created something truly special with "Meeting People Is Easy", a movie revealing that, critically acclaimed or not, the life and times of a rock supergroup can be pretty boring. Rather than focus on Radiohead's songs and concert footage, Gee takes us behind the scenes with his handheld super-8 camera to show us grainy images of the multiple interviews, backstage boredom, and all-around monotony that followed the British group in the wake of their critically acclaimed third album. With a postmodern edge that perfectly suits the band--text from interviews scrolls across the screen, half the camera angles have the appearance of being hidden--and carte blanche to follow the group everywhere they go, Gee's movie makes for fascinating (and anything but boring) viewing. You see, Radiohead's rock & roll lifestyle is one for the 21st century: no TVs thrown out of windows, no M&M candies separated by colors, just plenty of scheduled press interviews, constant touring, and the occasional rehearsal. During the shoot of their "No Surprises" video, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke puts himself through pure agony as he tries to keep his head under water long enough for an extended camera take. ("No Surprises," it should be noted, was also directed by Gee). It's symbolic of the entire film: the band is jumping through hoops while trying (desperately) to maintain their composure. During one of the many press-conference sound bites heard in the movie, Yorke hypothesizes, ""OK Computer" is about everything being out of control." By the probing looks of "Meeting People", that's a fair assumption. "--Jason Verlinde"

Theatrical: 1977

Studio: Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Duration: 91

Summary: Rose is involved in a motorcycle accident, and has experimental surgery performed in order to save her life. However, she develops a taste for blood. Her victims grow in number as well as madness, turning the city into chaos.

Theatrical: 1980

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Drama

Duration: 129

Summary: Martin Scorsese's 1980 "Raging Bull" has been identified in recent years as one of America's greatest films, and understandably so. Robert De Niro won a richly deserved Academy Award for portraying fighter Jake La Motta, an extremely difficult New York boxer who has to contend with his own temper and jealousy, as well as the Mob and the boxing establishment. Joe Pesci is very good as La Motta's long-suffering brother, and Cathy Moriarty made a strong screen debut as the brawler's glamorous wife. The highly contrasted black-and- white film has a richness, texture, and even sensuality about it that, together with Scorsese's amazing editing (with his Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker) and De Niro's focused, tragic performance, is unforgettable. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, plus closed captioning, Dolby sound, theatrical trailer, and optional French and Spanish soundtracks and English, French, and Spanish subtitles. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 1981

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Genre:

Duration: 115

Summary: The year is 1936. A professor who studies archeology named Indiana Jones is venturing in the jungles in South America searching for a golden statue. Unfortunately, he sets off a deadly trap doing so, miraculously, he escapes. Then, Jones hears from a museum curator named Marcus Brody about a biblical artifact called The Ark of the Covenant, which can hold the key to humanly existence. Jones has to venture to vast places such as Nepal and Egypt to find this artifact. However, he will have to fight his enemy Renee Belloq and a band of Nazis in order to reach it.

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: Greenwich Film Productions

Genre: Action, Drama, War

Duration: 162

Summary: A story of greed, a lust for power, and ultimate revenge. The Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji has decided to step aside to make room for the younger blood of his three sons, Taro, Jiro, and Saburo, the Lord's only wish now being to live out his years as an honored guest in the castle of each of his sons in turn. While the older two sons flatter their father, the youngest son attempts to warn him of the folly of expecting the three sons to remain united; enraged at the younger son's attempt to point out the danger, the father banishes him. True to the younger son's warning, however, the oldest Son soon conspires with the second son to strip The Great Lord of everything, even his title.

Theatrical: 1950

Studio: Daiei Motion Picture Company

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Duration: 88

Summary: In ancient Japan, a woman is raped and her husband killed. The film gives us four viewpoints of the incident - one for each defendant - each revealing a little more detail. Which version, if any, is the real truth about what happened ?

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: ABC Studios

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller

Summary:

Theatrical: 1954

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Genre: Drama

Duration: 115

Summary: Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock's classic "Rear Window" is both confined and multileveled: both its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbors. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behavior glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder.
Photographer L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is, in fact, a voyeur by trade, a professional photographer sidelined by an accident while on assignment. His immersion in the human drama (and comedy) visible from his window is a by-product of boredom, underlined by the disapproval of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and a wisecracking visiting nurse (Thelma Ritter). Yet when the invalid wife of Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) disappears, Jeff enlists the two women to help him to determine whether she's really left town, as Thorwald insists, or been murdered.
Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto convincingly argues that the crime at the center of this mystery is the MacGuffin--a mere pretext--in a film that's more interested in the implications of Jeff's sentinel perspective. We actually learn more about the lives of the other neighbors (given generic names by Jeff, even as he's drawn into their lives) he, and we, watch undetected than we do the putative murderer and his victim. Jeff's evident fear of intimacy and commitment with the elegant, adoring Lisa provides the other vital thread to the script, one woven not only into the couple's own relationship, but reflected and even commented upon through the various neighbors' lives.
At minimum, Hitchcock's skill at making us accomplices to Jeff's spying, coupled with an ingenious escalation of suspense as the teasingly vague evidence coalesces into ominous proof, deliver a superb thriller spiked with droll humor, right up to its nail-biting, nightmarish climax. At deeper levels, however, "Rear Window" plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director's brilliance as a visual storyteller. "--Sam Sutherland"

Theatrical: 1965

Studio: Kurosawa Production Co.

Genre: Drama

Duration: 185

Summary: In a charity hospital, a hard-bitten but honorable older doctor, Dr. Niide, takes a young intern under his guidance through the course of a number of difficult cases.

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Beijing Film Studio

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War

Duration: 150

Summary: In the early third century, the land of Wu is invaded by the warlord Cao Cao and his million soldiers. The ruler of Wu, Sun Quan, calls on the rival warlord Liu Bei for help, but their two armies are still badly outnumbered. However, the Wu strategist Zhou Yu sees that Cao Cao's army is unused to battling on the sea, which may just give them a chance if they can exploit this weakness properly.

Theatrical: 1948

Studio: Archers, The

Genre: Drama, Romance, Music

Duration: 133

Summary: Under the authoritarian rule of charismatic ballet impressario Boris Lermontov, his proteges realize the full promise of their talents, but at a price: utter devotion to their art and complete loyalty to Lermontov himself. Under his near-obsessive guidance, young ballerina Victoria Page is poised for superstardom, but earns Lermontov's scorn when she falls in love with Julian Craster, composer of "The Red Shoes," the ballet Lermontov is staging to showcase her talents. Vicky leaves the company and marries Craster, but still finds herself torn between Lermontov's demands and those of her heart.

Theatrical: 1971

Studio: Les Films Corona

Genre: Action, Thriller, Western

Duration: 112

Summary: The Japanese ambassador is traveling through the Wild West by train, when gangsters hold up the train, to rob a gold shipment. They also carry an ancient Japanese sword the ambassador was carrying as a present for the US president. The ambassador's bodyguard (Toshiro Mifune) will go after them, with the aid of one of the gang's leaders betrayed by his pals...

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Pollock Trust Fund

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Duration: 138

Summary:

Theatrical: 1982

Studio: Shaw Brothers

Genre: Action, Drama

Duration: 107

Summary: A young martial artist seeks revenge on the Ninja who kills his martial arts brothers and teacher. He finds help in the form of a new teacher (who knows Ninjitsu) and new brothers. Together the four pupils face the Five Element Ninja challenge: Wood, Earth, Gold, Water, and Fire.

Theatrical: 1962

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 82

Summary: You'd have to be pretty desperate to enjoy this cheesy Danish monster flick, imported by American International Pictures in 1962 to capitalize on Japan's barely-better "Godzilla" movies. The titular beastie begins as the frozen tail of a prehistoric reptile, discovered when a scientific drill hits a bloody mass of monster flesh buried deep in the Lapland tundra. The tail is accidentally thawed (echoes of "The Thing") and regenerates into a massive demon-lizard that spits fluorescent green ooze and terrorizes Copenhagen! Padded with archival military footage and stampedes of panicking Danes, the movie's too earnest to be campy (save for some funny hamming by the science lab's handyman) and too cheap to qualify as a guilty pleasure, with special effects that make rubber-suit romps like "Godzilla" look masterful by comparison. By the time an unwitting army general says, "It's a good thing there are no more like him," you may find yourself wishing he was right. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, War

Duration: 126

Summary: In 1965, while bombing Laos in a classified mission, the plane of the German-American pilot Dieter Dengler is hit and crashes in the jungle. Dieter is arrested by the peasants, tortured and sent to a prisoner camp, where he meets five other mentally ill prisoners. He becomes close to Duane and organizes an escape plan; however, the unstable Gene opposes to Dieter's plan. When they discover that there is no more food due to the constant American bombings in the area and their guards intend to kill them, Dieter sets his plan in motion. However, an unexpected betrayal split the group and Dieter and Duane find that the jungle is their actual prison.

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

Summary: Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i.e., a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature, "Reservoir Dogs". Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough "Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs" has an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them color-coded aliases (Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. White) to conceal their identities from being known even to each other. But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco--and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception, and betrayal. As many critics have observed, it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as "Pulp Fiction" is about redemption, and "Jackie Brown" is about survival). Along with everything else, the movie provides a showcase for a terrific ensemble of actors: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Christopher Penn, and Tarantino himself, offering a fervent dissection of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" over breakfast. "Reservoir Dogs" is violent (though the violence is implied rather than explicit), clever, gabby, harrowing, funny, suspenseful, and even--in the end--unexpectedly moving. (Don't forget that "Super Sounds of the Seventies" soundtrack, either.) "Reservoir Dogs" deserves just as much acclaim and attention as its follow-up, "Pulp Fiction", would receive two years later. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1974

Studio: New Line Cinema

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama

Duration: 73

Summary: There are so many English dubbed DVD versions of the Sonny Chiba Street Fighter movie series out there (roughly 20 or so in various combinations), that it's hard to figure out which ones to buy. Many are probably from the same source. I happen to pick this one up cheaply, and at least the set is in widescreen format with decent audio. Also, this collection has all three of the original Street Fighter films: "Street Fighter", "Return of the Street Fighter" and "The Street Fighter's Last Revenge". Not much for extras, but the films are here, and if you like Asian action Cinema, Martial Arts films, etc., you'll like these. The "Sister Street Fighter" films are also highly recommended. Again there are many DVD sets to choose from, including Blu-Ray: Sister Street Fighter / Sister Street Fighter II [Blu-ray]. Depending on preference, one might seek out Sonny Chiba's films in the original Japanese language with subtitles. For example, check out the Sonny Chiba - Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy.

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Automat Pictures

Genre: Documentary, Short, Horror

Duration: 22

Summary:

Theatrical: 1980

Studio: Shaw Brothers

Genre: Action, Comedy

Duration: 99

Summary: The workers of a dye factory have their pay cut by 20% when the factory owner brings in some Manchu thugs to try and increase production. Desperate to reclaim their full wages, the workers hire an actor to impersonate a priest and kung-fu expert from the temple of Shaolin. The factory owner proves the actor a fraud, and punishes all those involved. The young actor feels he has let the workers down, and promises to atone. He sets out for Shaolin, determined to be accepted as a kung-fu pupil at the elite temple.

Theatrical: 1978

Studio: Jewel Productions

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Family

Duration: 99

Summary: To prove that he still is strong and powerful, Philippe Douvier decides to kill Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Once Clouseau's death has been announced, the former Chief Inspector, Charles Dreyfus, feels much, much better and is released from the mental hospital. Jacques Clouseau tries to take advantage of his "death" and goes under cover with Cato to find out who tried to assassinate him.

Theatrical:

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre:

Summary:

Theatrical: 1962

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 94

Summary: "Ride the High Country" is the one Sam Peckinpah movie about which there has never been controversy--save at MGM in 1962, when a new studio regime opted to dump this beautiful, heartbreakingly elegiac Western into the bottom half of a double-bill. Westerns rarely even got reviewed back then, so it's wellnigh miraculous that critics discovered the movie and raved about it. "Newsweek" called it the best American picture of the year.
Veteran cowboy stars Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea portray aging gunslingers in the twilight of the Old West. McCrea's character, Steve Judd, signs on to transport a shipment of gold from a remote mining camp. Gil Westrum (Scott), an old crony now trick-shooting in a carnival, agrees to help but really aims to seduce Judd into stealing the treasure. The slow-building tension between longtime friends--one still true to the code he's lived by, the other having drifted away from it--anticipates the tortuous personal dilemmas played out to the death by Peckinpah's Wild Bunch, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and Benny and Elita in "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia".
The action scenes are powerful, if only beginning to suggest the radical technique with which Peckinpah would astonish audiences in just a few years. But his feeling for flavorsome dialogue, Rabelaisian humor, and full-blooded character acting is already unmistakable. Warren Oates, L.Q. Jones, and John Davis Chandler are among the "redneck peckerwoods" complicating the journey, and Mariette Hartley is fresh and saucy in her big-screen debut. As for McCrea and Scott, they are simply superb. The two proposed that they swap roles before filming got underway, and the question of who got first billing was settled by flipping a coin. Both men retired once the film was in the can. They knew they'd never top it. "--Richard T. Jameson"

Theatrical: 1959

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 141

Summary: When it comes down to naming the best Western of all time, the list usually narrows to three completely different pictures: John Ford's "The Searchers", Howard Hawks's "Red River", and Hawks's "Rio Bravo". About the only thing they all have in common is that they all star John Wayne. But while "The Searchers" is an epic quest for revenge and "Red River" is a sweeping cattle-drive drama ("Take 'em to Missouri! Yeeee-hah!"), "Rio Bravo" is on a much more modest scale. Basically, it comes down to Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne), his sobering-up alcoholic friend Dude (Dean Martin), the hotshot new kid Colorado (Ricky Nelson), and deputy-sidekick Stumpy (Walter Brennan), sittin' around in the town jail, drinkin' black cofee, shootin' the breeze, and occasionally, singin' a song. Hawks--who, like his pal Ernest Hemingway, lived by the code of "grace under pressure"--said he made "Rio Bravo" as a rebuke to "High Noon", in which sheriff Gary Cooper begged for townspeople to help him. So, Hawks made Wayne's Sheriff Chance a consummate professional--he may be getting old and fat, but he knows how to do his job, and he doesn't want amateurs getting mixed up in his business; they could get hurt. This most entertaining of movies also achieved some notoriety in the '90s when Quentin Tarantino (director of "Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs", and "Jackie Brown") revealed that he uses it as a litmus test for prospective girlfriends. Oh, and if the configuration of characters sounds familiar, it should: Hawks remade "Rio Bravo" two more times--as "El Dorado" in 1967, with Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and James Caan; and as "Rio Lobo" in 1970, with Wayne, Jack Elam, and Christopher Mitchum. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Sony

Genre: Sports

Duration: 180

Summary: ECW was a revolution in the wrestling world that still goes underrated to this very day in terms of the impact it had. It introduced the world to madcap capers of Hardcore wrestling, it brought wrestling to the 18-34 male demograph, it introduced to a certain extent real wrestling to the public.



This DVD covers the entire lifespan of ECW from it's indie days all the way to it tragic end. From nothing to PPV to TNN ECW had a long run.



In terms of who they interview they only talked to (from those who were in ECW) only the guys who are in WWE at current time. So in terms of some of the history you get to hear from Tommy Dreamer, Paul Heyman, Taz, the Dudly Boyz and so on. It would of been nice to hear from other big names, non-WWE guys such as Sabu, Raven, and Sandman but you can't get everthing.



Probably the only disapointment is the second Disk of the DVD. There are only a few matches (I believe only 6) and deleted moments. There is such a rich history of ECW you would of thought they put more effort into finding matchs that showed what ECW was about. But then again each big match had such buildup to it that they might be afraid would confuse the audience.



Overall however this is a very well done, and put together documentary. Some may criticize WWE for making half assed documentary DVD on certain aspects of Wrestling History, but this one does the legacy of ECW justice and after watching it makes me wish I was part of it (from a fan standpoint). I kind of wish I would have found a way to watch it and been part of it. However the past is the past and even today the effects of ECW still hold today. Be warned however there is really strong language in this and very graphic violence (lot's and lot's of blood). However if you were an ECW fan than you already knew that then didn't you.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: World Wrestling Entertainment

Genre: Sports

Duration: 360

Summary: Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 06/14/2005

Theatrical: 1973

Studio: Walt Disney Productions

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family, Romance

Duration: 83

Summary: Retelling of the Robin Hood legend with animals for the characters. Robin Hood is an outlaw who starts to form a gang in Sherwood Forest to fight the injustices of the Sheriff of Nottingham, who levies unpayable taxes upon the people.

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Orion Pictures Corporation

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Duration: 102

Summary: Detroit - in the future - is crime ridden, and run by a massive company. The company have developed a huge crime fighting robot, which unfortunately develops a rather dangerous glitch. The company sees a way to get back in favour with the public when a cop called Alex Murphy is killed by a street gang. Murphys body is reconstructed within a steel shell and named Robocop. The Robocop is very successful against criminals, and becomes a target of supervillian Boddicker.

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Hollywood Pictures

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Duration: 136

Summary: Stanley Goodspeed, who lives in Washington D.C., is a biochemist who works for the FBI. Soon after his fiancée Carla Pestalozzi announces that she is pregnant, Stanley gets a call from FBI director James Womack. Womack tells Stanley that San Francisco's Alcatraz Island has been taken hostage, along with 81 tourists, by marine General Francis Xavier Hummel who, for years, has been protesting the government's refusal to pay benefits to families of war veterans who died during covert military operations. The death of his wife Barbara Hummel on March 9, 1995 drove General Hummel over the edge, and now he's holding hostages in order to get his point across. Stanley is needed because General Himmel has stolen some VX gas warheads and has announced that he will launch them onto San Francisco unless his demands are met. Stanley knows how to disarm the bombs, but Stanley needs someone who knows Alcatraz well enough to get him inside. That man is former British intelligence agent John Patrick Mason, who has been in prison for the past 30 years without a trial because he was accused of stealing the private files of J. Edgar Hoover. In 1962, John became the only inmate ever to escape from Alcatraz, and he stayed out of Alcatraz long enough to father a daughter named Jade Angelou. Despite his extreme hatred of the FBI, John agrees to help Stanley. When John and Stanley are sent into Alcatraz with a Navy SEAL team, General Hummel's men kill the entire SEAL team, leaving Stanley and John to work on their own to rescue the hostages.

Theatrical: 1959

Studio: Classic Media

Genre: Animation

Duration: 30

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

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 125

Summary: In the year 2018, violence and crime have been totally eliminated from society and given outlet in the brutal blood sport of rollerball, a high-velocity blend of football, hockey, and motor-cross racing sponsored by the multinational corporations that now control the world following the collapse of traditional politics. James Caan plays Jonathan E., the reigning superstar of rollerball, whose corporate controllers fear that Jonathan's popularity has endowed him with too much power. They begin to pressure him according to their own ruthless set of rules, but Jonathan has rules of his own--the rules of a man determined to retain his soul in a world gone mad. As directed by Norman Jewison (who was enjoying a peak of success during the early and mid-1970s), "Rollerball" creates a believable society that's been rendered passive and compliant by the homogenization of corporate dictatorships, where the control and flow of information is the only currency of any importance. It's a world in which natural human aggressions have been sublimated and vented through the religious fervor toward rollerball and its players. "Rollerball" now looks like one of those 1970s science fiction films (another example being "Logan's Run") that seems a bit dated and quaint, but its ideas are still provocative and fascinating, and the production is visually impressive. The DVD includes full-screen and widescreen versions of the film, audio commentary by director Norman Jewison, a behind-the-scenes featurette, an interactive "rollergame," trivia, and production notes. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Tai Seng Entertainment

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 1350

Summary: This series is fantastic. It really builds up the characters. Even the bad guys are not totally portrayed in black and white along with the "good" guys. It has a lot of depth, action, drama, suspense. Each epsisode I am just hooked and can't wait to watch the next. Great fight scenes, plots, intriqued and romance.

The setting takes place in ancient China early 600 AD. The country is ruled by the incompetent Emperor Yang Di who spends his time in indulgence. The entire ruling of the court is then passed on to his Councilor Yang Su. The vicious Councilor Yang Su strengthens his power building an underground fortress which he harbors assasins, 1 of the most arresting ones being Hong Fu.

Rescued by Yang Su's adopted son Du Gu Cheng at a young age from a band of thugs that also killed her parents, the beautiful, intelligent and highly skilled Hong Fu becomes Yang Su's and Gu Cheng's favorite.

A young man named Li Jing arrives at the capital hoping to share his ideas with the leaders and reverse the countries downward spiral.

He comes from a family that places patriotism and cares for national welfare. Li Jing's enthusiasm for the welfare of the country along with his knowledge of martial arts and warfare places him in disfavor with Yang Su who views him as a potential threat. Yang Su orders Hong Fu to assinate Li Jing.

Li Jing's patriotism and passion has struck a chord in Hong Fu's own hidden aspiration to lessen the commoner's misery. She warns Li Jing to leave town immediately only to be caught by Yang Su's other assasins. To protect him Hung Fu is force to fight against them then flee with him and the only life she has ever known.

Du Gu Cheng is hot on the chase after them. Love blossoms between Li Jing and Hung Fu. Along the way the meet others in the fight for patriotism and against Yang Su and his cronies.

Theatrical: 1948

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Genre: Drama

Duration: 80

Summary: An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller. The plot of "Rope" is simple and based on a successful stage play: two young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise. They hide the body in their large apartment, then throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered? Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the possibilities of the long-take style, decided to shoot this story as though it were happening in one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock had to be creative when it came time to change reels, disguising the switches as the camera passed behind someone's back or moved behind a lamp. In later years Hitchcock wrote off the approach as misguided, and "Rope" may not be one of Hitchcock's top movies, but it's still a nail-biter. They don't call him the Master of Suspense for nothing. James Stewart, as a suspicious professor, marks his first starring role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would lead to the masterpieces "Rear Window" and "Vertigo". "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Touchstone Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 110

Summary: In a fitting follow-up to "Rushmore", writer-director Wes Anderson and cowriter-actor Owen Wilson have crafted another comedic masterwork that ripples with inventive, richly emotional substance. Because of the all-star cast, hilarious dialogue, and oddball characters existing in their own, wholly original universe, it's easy to miss the depth and complexity of Anderson's brand of comedy. Here, it revolves around Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), the errant patriarch of a dysfunctional family of geniuses, including precocious playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), boyish financier and grieving widower Chas (Ben Stiller), and has-been tennis pro Richie (Luke Wilson). All were raised with supportive detachment by mother Etheline (Anjelica Huston), and all ache profoundly for a togetherness they never really had. The Tenenbaums reconcile somehow, but only after Anderson and Wilson (who costars as a loopy literary celebrity) put them through a compassionate series of quirky confrontations and rekindled affections. Not for every taste, but this is brilliant work from any perspective. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1939

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 110

Summary: Jean Renoir's 1939 classic is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and Criterion is very proud to present the film in a special two-disc edition. Cloaked in a comedy of manners, this scathing critique of corrupt French society is about a weekend hunting party at which amorous escapades abound among the aristocratic guests-which are also mirrored by the activities of the servants downstairs. The refusal of one of the guests to play by society's rules sets off a chain of events that ends in tragedy.

Theatrical: 1969

Studio: Guilty Pleasures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 95

Summary: Roger Corman is generally credited with introducing audiences to the biker-gang film genre with The Wild Angels (1966), but know that Joe Solomon was no slouch when it came to producing various `chopper operas' during the late 60's with such films as Hells Angels on Wheels (1967), Angels from Hell (1968), Wild Wheels (1969), and this film, Run, Angel, Run (1969). Looking at the DVD case you might get the impression Angel is a woman, being pursued by primates on motorcycles (at least that's the one I got), but you'd be wrong (as I was)...no, the title refers to a man named Angel, played by veteran actor William Smith, in his very first biker film. Who's William Smith? If your familiar with B films, the name should be know to you, but for those who aren't, you may remember him from a film called Any Which Way You Can (1980), as the bare knuckle brawler who fought Clint Eastwood's character at the end of that film...he can also be seen in the classic film Conan the Barbarian (1982), as Conan's father...a small, but memorable, role. Directed by Jack Starrett, who also appeared in front of the camera in a number of films (he played the curmudgeonly Gabby Johnson in Mel Brooks' 1974 classic Blazing Saddles), the film stars, along with Smith, Valerie Starrett (hey, she has the same last name as the director...that's because they were married, fool) in her only silver screen appearance. Also appearing is Dan Kemp (Hell's Bloody Devils), Margaret Markov (Black Mama, White Mama), and Gene Shane (The Velvet Vampire).



As the film begins we see an expository montage detailing how Angel (Smith) sold out his former gang, led by Ron (Shane), by revealing their secret, inner workings and such to a magazine called `Like' for a price of $10,000, along with plastering Angel's mug on the cover. As you can imagine, the gang is none to happy about this, and `fix' it with a crooked cop to get Angel busted so they can catch up to him and express their displeasure. Before they get a chance to do this, Angel's girlfriend Laurie (Starrett), a cocktail waitress and part-time hooker, bails him out, acquiring the necessary funds by peddling...well, certainly not drinks (how many women would do this for their old man? Not any I know)...anyway, once Laurie springs Angel, they hit the road to San Francisco to pick up his bread, but his former gang is in hot pursuit, and they literally jump a train (one of the better stunts in the film) and meet some rapscalious hobos (a word to the wise, if a hobo shares something with you, whether it be a piece of sausage or a swig from his hooch bottle, he expects something in return, like a tumble with your old lady). They eventually have to hole up in an abandoned house (one with working water, gas, and electricity, by the way), and Angel gets a job with a nearby sheep rancher named Dan (Kemp) in the capacity of mechanic/sheep dipper (sheep dipping is the use of a liquid disinfectant to destroy parasites and to clean the wool, prior to shearing). Things seem to be going pretty well for Angel and Laurie, that is until Dan's pretty, young daughter Meg (Markov) inadvertently informs the gang of Angel's whereabouts, and things get messy from here on as the gang not only wants sweet revenge on Angel (they are willing to accept the money in exchange for letting him off), but their long search has caused them to be without female companionship, and they have their eyes on Meg and Laurie...



I actually thought this was a pretty decent film as it featured more of an actual story than I expected (the film was extremely popular on the drive-in circuit at the time, mostly due to the appeal of the rugged and handsome Smith). There is any number of exploitive elements throughout, but a lot of the film deals with the usually volatile relationship between a very impulsive Angel (who sure says the word `baby' a lot) and his damaged goods girlfriend Laurie. This effectively slows down the film in the middle, but Smith and Starrett did well breathing life into their characters, keeping my interest, and manage to keep things from getting too hokey. Given this is a movie about bikers, there's a good number of motorcycle ridin' montages featuring Tammy Wynette singing the theme song `Run, Angel, Run'. One thing I thought was really weird, given the relationship between the director and the lead actress, was the scenes where Angel and Laurie are getting it on...how does a director film his wife in such a scene? I'd be freaking...the scenes themselves were fine, but knowing the director is shooting his wife getting it on with another man just seems...wrong somehow...anyway, some things to watch out for...check out imbecilic Meg when she's hanging with a group of bikers in the woods...seriously, there's naïve and then there's just dumb...oh yeah, check out the dirty, greasy, shaggy, slimy, middle-aged bikers frugging up a storm with the teenage girls at the local juke joint...it was enough to put me off my food for a few hours. The final sequences were pretty cool, as Angel has a sort of showdown with his former gang, his only weapon being a garden implement of some kind...



The fullscreen print (1.33:1) looks fairly decent, but isn't without flaws. The Dolby Digital mono audio doesn't fair as well, as it's very soft, so you'll have to crank the volume. Special features include trailers for the film, along with one for the films Hells Angels 69, Hell High, Warlock Moon, and The Hollywood Strangler . Also, there's an optional intro by none other than Joe Bob Briggs himself, along with a `comedy' commentary track which is worth the price alone as Briggs imparts an incredible amount of detail as well as humor throughout. I would have given this release three stars, but the inclusion of this feature is enough for me to cough up an extra star.



Cookieman108

Theatrical: 2001

Studio:

Genre: Action, Comedy

Duration: 99

Summary: Dan and King are small-time Triad members in Hong Kong. After an incident in which their practical joke ends up losing their Boss a huge sum of money, AND in which they steal hundreds of thousands of HK dollars from a rival boss, the two are forced to flee to Phuket, Thailand (because the alternate hideout, China, would be "too boring"). They live the high life in Thailand with their stolen money, partying and falling for two local girls. Soon, the two comically inept Triad bosses come after them, the two girls turn out to be a mute assassin and the girlfriend of one of the Bosses, they escape from organ-harvesting Thais, in typical HK screwball fashion.

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: Wes Anderson's follow-up to the quirky "Bottle Rocket" is a wonderfully unorthodox coming-of-age story that ranks with "Harold and Maude" and "The Graduate" in the pantheon of timeless cult classics. Jason Schwartzman (son of Talia Shire and nephew of Francis Coppola) stars as Max Fischer, a 15-year-old attending the prestigious Rushmore Academy on scholarship, where he's failing all of his classes but is the superstar of the school's extracurricular activities (head of the drama club, the beekeeper club, the fencing club...). Possessing boundless confidence and chutzpah, as well as an aura of authority he seems to have been born with, Max finds two unlikely soulmates in his permutations at Rushmore: industrial magnate and Rushmore alumnus Herman Blume (Bill Murray) and first-grade teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). His alliance with Blume and crush on Miss Cross, however, are thrown out of kilter by his expulsion from Rushmore, and a budding romance between the two adults that threatens Max's own designs on the lovely schoolteacher.
Never stooping to sentimentality or schmaltz, Anderson and cowriter Owen Wilson have fashioned a wickedly intelligent and wildly funny tale of young adulthood that hits all the right notes in its mix of melancholy and optimism. As played by Schwartzman, Max is both immediately endearing and ferociously irritating: smarter than all the adults around him, with little sense of his shortcomings, he's an unstoppable dynamo who commands grudging respect despite his outlandish projects (including a school play about Vietnam). Murray, as the tycoon who determinedly wages war with Max for the affections of Miss Cross, is a revelation of middle-aged resignation. Disgusted with his family, his life, and himself, he's turned around by both Max's antagonism and Miss Cross's love. Williams is equally affecting as the teacher who still carries a torch for her dead husband, and the superb supporting cast also includes Seymour Cassel as Max's barber father, Brian Cox as the frustrated headmaster of Rushmore, and a hilarious Mason Gamble as Max's young charge. Put this one on your shelf of modern masterpieces. "--Mark Englehart"