WaterworldFrom Universal Studios
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Let's be honest: this 1995 epic isn't nearly as bad as its negative publicity led us to expect. At the time it was the most expensive Hollywood production in history (it had a Titanic-sized $200 million budget), and the film arrived in theaters with so much controversy and negative gossip that it was an easy target for ridicule. The movie itself, a flawed but enjoyable post-apocalypse thriller, deserves better. Waterworld stars Kevin Costner as the Mariner, a lone maverick with gills and webbed feet who navigates the endless seas of Earth after the complete melting of the polar ice caps. The Mariner has been caged like a criminal when he's freed by Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and enlisted to help her and a young girl (Tina Majorino) escape from the Smokers, a group of renegade terrorists led by Dennis Hopper in yet another memorably villainous role. It is too bad the predictable script isn't more intelligent, but as a companion piece to The Road Warrior, this seafaring stunt-fest is adequately impressive. --Jeff Shannon
From The New Yorker
Kevin Costner plays the Mariner-part man, part fish, and the unofficial Prince of Mutants-in a post-apocalyptic action picture of the "Mad Max" type. Lurking beneath its conventional adventure-movie surface is a bizarre environmental parable, in which Costner's rugged, ecologically correct loner battles a scurvy bunch of pirates called Smokers, who smoke cigarettes, drink Jack Daniel's, and burn fossil fuels. None of the filmmakers appear to have realized that spending a fortune to make a picture that condemns excessive consumption and preaches the wise use of resources might seem a bit disingenuous. What's really propelling the movie is the vanity of its star (who is also one of the producers); at the end, Costner gives himself the most florid and protracted action-hero apotheosis since the conclusion of "Shane." With Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino, and Dennis Hopper. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, from a screenplay credited to Peter Rader and David Twohy. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker
Waterworld
Spin City: The Complete Season 1Directed by Andy Cadiff
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At last, the complete first season! Spin City is a smart, sophisticated ABC sitcom about the behind-the-scenes workings of City Hall in the biggest city in America. Workaholic Mike Flaherty (Michael J. Fox) is the Deputy Mayor of New York City, serving as Mayor Randall Winston s (Barry Bostwick, Rocky Horror Picture Show) key strategist and much-needed handler. Mike runs the city with the help of his oddball staff: an anxious and insecure press secretary (Richard Kind, Mad About You); a sexist, boorish chief of staff (Alan Ruck, Ferris Bueller's Day Off); an impeccably groomed gay activist running minority affairs (Michael Boatman, Arli$); a sharp and efficient, man-crazy accountant (Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights); and an idealistic young speechwriter (Alexander Chaplin). Like Mike, they are all professionally capable but personally challenged.
Bonus Features:
* The Spin: The cast and creators look back at how the show began and remember its first season. Includes all-new interviews with Michael J. Fox, Barry Bostwick, Richard Kind, Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman, Connie Britton, and Alexander Chaplin and show creators Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence and more.
* Prime-Time Partners: Highlights of The Paley Center for Media Seminar presented in October 1996.In October 1996, Michael J. Fox and Gary David Goldberg gave a seminar for members of the Museum of Television & Radio (now know as the Paley Center for Media).
* Commentaries by Cast, Creators and Crew
Spin City: The Complete Season 1
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band ChristmasDirected by Jim Henson
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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #419 in DVD
- Released on: 2008-11-04
- Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
- Formats: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
- Original language: English
- Number of discs: 1
- Running time: 50 minutes
Reaper: Season 1From Lions Gate
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- Amazon Sales Rank: #153 in DVD
- Brand: Lions Gate
- Released on: 2008-11-04
- Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
- Formats: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
- Original language: English
- Subtitled in: English, Spanish
- Number of discs: 5
- Running time: 810 minutes
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Sam (Bret Harrison) is a slacker whose world turns upside down on his 21st birthday when he learns that his parents sold his soul to the Devil (Ray Wise). Forced to be Hell's bounty hunter, Sam, with the aid of his goofball friends, must track down evildoers and send them back where they belong.
Reaper: Season 1
Classic Albums: RioFrom Eagle Rock Ent
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This latest addition to the acclaimed Classic Albums series takes us to the early eighties and the release of Duran Duran's second album "Rio". Released against a backdrop of riots, record unemployment and the Falklands War this optimistic and celebratory album would generate a string of hit singles and groundbreaking videos and catapult Duran Duran to global stardom. This DVD tells the story behind the writing, recording and subsequent success of the album through newly filmed interviews, musical demonstrations and both new and archive performances.
TRACK LISTING: Features excerpts from: Rio, My Own Way, Hungry Like The Wolf, New Religion, Save A Prayer, The Chauffeur & more...
Bonus Features: Brand new session performances filmed in Boston especially for this DVD of: 1) Save A Prayer 2) The Chauffeur 3) New Religion 4) Hungry Like The Wolf 5) Rio. Additional interviews and demonstrations not included in the broadcast version.
Classic Albums: Rio
TranssiberianFrom FIRST LOOK PICTURES
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In Transsiberian, a train twisting across the white Siberian landscape becomes a trap for a well-meaning American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer), who find themselves pursued by a Russian policemen (Ben Kingsley) while on a trip to Moscow. On the train, they befriend a younger couple--but the charming pair hold secrets that draw Roy and Jessie into a frozen nightmare. Transsiberian's snowy setting is both beautiful and eerie, providing an evocative atmosphere that helps carry the viewer through the sometimes bumpy plot. At its core, Transsiberian is about the anxiety of being in a new world--be it a new country or a new phase of your life--and not knowing the rules, the fear of taking the wrong step and falling. The thriller plot is little more than a delivery system for that sensation. But really, all director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Next Stop Wonderland) needed was Mortimer's limpid face; every tremor that crosses her pale skin reverberates through the camera. Her essential vulnerability first came across in Lovely and Amazing; Anderson makes good use of this rare quality. --Bret Fetzer
Transsiberian
All She Wants for ChristmasDirected by Ron Oliver
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A young accountant (Monica Keena of Dawson's Creek and Entourage) tries to save a toy factory where she works from being closed down, while also pursuing a romance with the mysterious new factory worker who comes to her small town.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #822 in DVD
- Brand: STARZ HOME ENTERTAINMENT
- Released on: 2008-11-04
- Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
- Formats: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
- Original language: English
- Number of discs: 1
- Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
- Running time: 94 minutes
Route 66 - The Complete Second SeasonFrom Roxbury Entertainment
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Now you can own all 32 episodes of season two of this treasured television classic, digitally remastered for the highest quality picture and audio possible in the original, full frame 4.3 aspect ratio.
Famous for its catchy Nelson Riddle theme song, intriguing characters, top-drawer writing and stellar guest star appearances, Route 66 was one of the most highly rated shows of the era, establishing the Corvette as an American icon.
Filmed in locations from coast to coast, the adventures continue for Tod Stiles (Martin Milner), an intellectual who has led a privileged and sheltered life, and Buz Murdock (George Maharis), a tough young man, raised in Hell's Kitchen, struggling his entire life just to survive.
The duo encounter folks good and bad even chance encounters with love in shipyards, chicken farms, cattle ranches, rodeos, hospitals, courtrooms, hotels, amusement parks, wrestling rings, religious retreats and wild animal parks.
Guest starring in the sophomore season is a renowned list of stars, including Robert Redford, Douglas Fairbanks, Robert Duvall, Suzanne Pleshette, Lon Chaney Jr., John Astin, James Caan, Lee Marvin, Martin Sheen, Ed Asner, DeForest Kelley, Marion Ross, Peter Graves, Jack Warden, Tuesday Weld and Julie Newmar, among others. One special episode features several of Maharis relatives.
Route 66 - The Complete Second Season
Foyle's War: Sets 1-5 Bundle (Amazon.com Exclusive)
From Acorn Media Group in
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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1906 in DVD
- Released on: 2008-11-04
- Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Formats: Box set, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
- Original language: English
- Number of discs: 20
Foyle's War - Set 1
Foyle's War is the rare mystery series that does more than plop a good detective into the middle of a decorative and bygone era. Created by writer Anthony Horowitz, Foyle's War makes profoundly resonant use of British society in 1940, a terrifying time in which the threat of an Axis assault on England disrupted ordinary life in often horrible ways, from the resettlement of city children (into the care of rural strangers) to a spike in xenophobia to a loss of personal freedoms. Against this heady backdrop is the near-solitary figure of Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen), a London investigator who would rather be fighting Hitler abroad but is stuck solving domestic homicides--generally sparked by wartime fervor--with the help of a plucky driver (Honeysuckle Weeks) and a steadfast assistant (Anthony Howell). Kitchen's magnificently measured performance and Horowitz's masterful grasp of the moral and dramatic issues of his battle-scarred milieu make Foyle's War a must. --Tom Keogh
Foyle's War – Set 2
The critically acclaimed PBS series that weaves mystery with real historical events returns with four stories set in September and October 1940. Winner of the Audience Award at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2003, the series stars Michael Kitchen (Proof of Life) as quietly enigmatic detective Christopher Foyle whose territory on the south coast of England is rocked by the chaos and danger of World War II.
Foyle's War - Set 3
Foyle's War - Set 3, another great suite of mysteries largely written by series creator Anthony Horowitz, finds Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) presented with his best opportunity to do what he has wanted to do since the outbreak of World War II: take a hiatus from sleuthing to join Britain's intelligence campaign against the Nazis. But there's a problem, as Foyle learns in Set 3's first mystery, "The French Drop." The circumspect detective investigates the suspicious death of a young operative whose father, a highly placed intelligence officer, objects to Foyle rooting around top-secret projects. "The French Drop" is particularly fascinating for Foyle's dangerous visit to a government operation that trains agents to employ assassination and dirty tricks in their work. Meanwhile, Foyle's right-hand man, Sgt. Milner (Anthony Howell), looks into an elaborate deception designed to throw Foyle and company off the case.
"Enemy Fire" is also a fine story, featuring Foyle's heroic son, Andrew (Julian Ovenden), a Spitfire pilot for the RAF and a man about to crack from combat stress. Andrew's problems are set against the possible murder of a despicable man whose carelessness as a mechanic caused the severe burning of another pilot. "Enemy Fire" also outs Andrew's romance with Sam Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks), Foyle's straight-arrow driver, to the unsuspecting Foyle himself. "They Fought in the Fields" marries several phenomena about Britain's wartime experience--among them the capturing of German pilots on English ground and the hard work of "land girls" (women put to work on farms)--in a thriller about the death of a farmer. A nice bonus: longtime widower Foyle grows interested in a woman who appears, despite a seemingly low opinion of men, interested in him. Finally, "A War of Nerves" deals with the hard work of "sappers," soldiers who defuse unexploded German bombs, and the sad reality of black marketeers who steal supplies badly needed for the war effort. Foyle also looks into, against his wishes and principles, the work of a socialist activist who makes a compelling case that the war is suppressing workers' rights. As with previous sets, this one is superb in its depiction of little-known facts about World War II's effects on civilian life in Britain. Michael Kitchen, heading a superb cast, continues to make Foyle one of the most interesting English detectives of all time, a figure of unimpeachable integrity. --Tom Keogh
Foyle's War - Set 4
The excellent Foyle's War returns with four episodes (each on its own disc) that first appeared on television in 2006 and '07. As before, the show's "history meets mystery" tagline pretty much sums it up, as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle solves murders and various other heinous crimes in and around bucolic Hastings, England, while World War II rages on at home and abroad. "Invasion," the first episode, marks the arrival of American forces in 1942, not long after Pearl Harbor. Not all the locals are thrilled to see them; disparaging remarks about the G.I.s showing up "late" are common, and many a stiff upper lip curls at the Yanks' brash, boisterous behavior. Thus when a Hastings barmaid turns up strangled at a dance arranged by the Americans to get to know their hosts, fingers are quickly pointed at the "invaders." But Foyle and his assistants, Sgt. Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and driver Samantha "Sam" Stewart (the delightfully named Honeysuckle Weeks), have other suspects, and the detective, who comes on a bit like Columbo without the trench coat and other idiosyncrasies, manages to sort through them while somehow keeping the Brit-Yank enmity from festering and dealing with the deadly effects of the illegal "hooch" the barmaid and her employer were brewing.
This balance of deftly intertwined elements typifies a series in which each installment is essentially a 90-minute movie; in "Bad Blood," murder, romance both illicit and international, and the appalling specter of Britain's experiments with biological weapons like anthrax are all on the bill, while gambling, sabotage, personal tragedy, and yet more murder feature in "Bleak Midwinter" and "Casualties of War." The mysteries aren't especially confounding; what the quietly persistent Foyle does is less interesting than how he does it. And while it's set in wartime, the war and its impact on the English (who endure the death and injuries visited upon their young men, along with shortages of gas, electricity, and such) is more often a backdrop than a central focus. Each disc includes a several pages of often fascinating text about the "historical truth" behind a given episode, while other bonus features include cast filmographies and a brief "making of" documentary on disc 1. All in all, while it may not appeal to fans of the fast-paced, effects-laden cop procedurals popular on American TV, Foyle's War is a classy production, well written (by creator Anthony Horowitz), nicely photographed, and well worth the investment of both time and money. --Sam Graham
Foyle's War - Set 5
No one was unhappy when World War II ended, but the demise of Foyle’s War is something else entirely. For fans of this first-rate British murder mystery series, set against the backdrop of that epic conflict, Set 5 represents something of a reprieve; although Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) retired at the end of Set 4, circumstances force him to return to action in "Plan of Attack," the first of three 90-minute episodes (each on its own disc) offered here. But by the end of this set, the war is over and Foyle has eased back into retirement. That’s lamentable. Smartly conceived and often quite masterfully executed, this show will certainly be missed. "History meets mystery" has been the concept from the beginning, as the low-key (like Peter Falk’s Columbo, he knows much more than he lets on), unfailingly decent Foyle and his assistants, Sgt. Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and driver Samantha "Sam" Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks), solve murders and various other crimes in and around bucolic Hastings, England, while WWII rages on at home and abroad. But this time out, the war provides much more than context, as the murders tend to be directly related to it. What’s more, Set 5 affectingly deals with combat’s heavy emotional psychological toll. It’s a burden we see carried by the cartographer who can’t bear knowing that his work is helping to kill innocent German civilians (in "Plan of Attack"); by the maimed former POW struggling to readjust to life at home, the teenager whose job it is to deliver bad news telegrams to soldiers’ families, and the Jewish doctor, a refugee from Poland, whose survivor’s guilt leads him down a very dark path (all three in "Broken Souls"); and even by Foyle’s own son (Julian Ovenden, in "All Clear"). OK, so the mysteries may not be all that mysterious--perceptive viewers will have little difficulty identifying the culprits. But with its multi-layered storytelling (the scripts were written by creator Anthony Horowitz) and fine production values (the cinematography, editing, and music are all excellent), Foyle’s War is a whodunit that’s both a prime example of its genre and thoroughly successful on its own unique terms. Bonus features include a brief "making of" featurette and cast filmographies. --Sam Graham
Foyle's War: Sets 1-5 Bundle (Amazon.com Exclusive)
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