Based on the chilling bestseller by Stephen King, Misery was brought to the screen by director Rob Reiner as one of the most effective thrillers of the 1990s. From a brilliant adaptation by screenwriter William Goldman, Reiner turned King's cautionary tale of fame and idolatry into a mainstream masterpiece of escalating suspense, translating King's own experience with obsessive fans into a frightening tale of entrapment and psychotic behavior. Kathy Bates deservedly won an Academy Award for her performance as Annie Wilkes, an unbalanced devotee of romance novels written by Paul Sheldon (James Caan), whose books provide Annie with a much-needed escape from her pathetic life and her secret, violent past. After Annie rescues the injured Sheldon from a car accident, she seizes the opportunity to nurse her favorite writer back to health, but her tender loving care soon turns to terrorism as she demands that Sheldon write his latest novel according to her wish-fulfillment fantasies. From this point forward, Misery percolates to a boil as equal parts mystery, thriller, and cleverly dark comedy, with the helpless author pitched in deadly warfare against his number one fan. While Bates carefully modulates her role from doting kindness to sympathetic loneliness and finally to horrifying ferocity, Caan is equally superb as the celebrated author who must literally write for his life. It's essentially a two-actor film, but Richard Farnsworth and Lauren Bacall are excellent in supporting roles as they investigate the writer's mysterious disappearance. Frightening, funny, and totally irresistible, Misery was such a hit that some of Bates's dialogue entered the popular lexicon (particularly her nagging reference to Caan as "Mister Man"), and its nail-biting thrills remain timelessly intense. Jeff Shannon
The unflinching realism and searing performances of Monster's Ball are stunning in all the connotations of the word. Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and Leticia (Halle Berry) inhabit stark, queasy realities of the contemporary South, he as a death row corrections officer and she as the soon-to-be widow of an inmate (Sean Combs) whose execution Hank helps conduct. In the aftermath of the execution, both lose their children to tragic deaths and they form an unlikely bond. In the hands of lesser participants, the fateful plot might strain credibility and seem tailored to allow for liberal sermonizing about the obvious wrongs of our legal justice system, but director Marc Forster and cinematographer Roberto Schaefer balance the contentious nature of the film's issuesthe death penalty, racism both overt and subtle, interracial coupleswith a flawless attention to character and visual detail that completely convinces. The moral ambiguity of both central characters is given full voice as our sympathy is drawn out reluctantly at first but all the more resolutely in the end. Thornton draws from seemingly limitless resources to deliver yet another outstanding performance, but it is Halle Berry who is a revelation as she sustains throughout the complex tenor of brutality witnessed and raw courage defined. Fionn Meade
The folks at Pixar can do no wrong with Monsters, Inc., the studio's fourth feature film, which stretches the computer animation format in terms of both technical complexity and emotional impact. The giant, blue-furred James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (wonderfully voiced by John Goodman) is a scare-monster extraordinaire in the hidden world of Monstropolis, where the scaring of kids is an imperative in order to keep the entire city running. Beyond the competition to be the best at the business, Sullivan and his assistant, the one-eyed Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), discover what happens when the real world interacts with theirs in the form of a 2-year-old baby girl dubbed "Boo," who accidentally sneaks into the monster world with Sulley one night. Director Pete Doctor and codirectors David Silverman and Lee Unkrich follow the Pixar (Toy Story) blueprint with an imaginative scenario, fun characters, and ace comic timing. By the last heart-tugging shot, kids may never look at monsters the same, nor artists at what computer animation can do in the hands of magicians. Doug Thomas
RICK AND EVELYN ARE MARRIED WITH A CHILD AND LIVING IN LONDON. THE MUMMY OF IMHOTEP IS ON DISPLAY AT A MUSEUM IN THE ENGLISH CITY WHERE HE IS RESURRECTED.
Deep in the egyptian desert, a handful of people searching for a long-lost treasure have just unearthed a 3,000 year old legacy of terror. Special features: feature-length audio commentary with director and editor: egyptology 101: deleted scenes: theatrical trailers and more.
A MURDER INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE. WHO DID IT, AND WHY? THAT'S WHAT D.C. COP HARLAN REGIS AND SECRET SERVICE AGENT NINA CHANCE WANT TO FIND OUT IN THIS EXCITING MYSTERY PACKED WITH SUSPECTS, COVER-UPS, COVERT AGENTS, DARING ACTION AND AN OVERSEAS CRISIS THAT COULD BLOW AT ANY TIME. |
THE CLUES IN A JANE DOE MURDER CASE POINT ONE WAY, YET CASSIE MAYWEATHER THINKS ANOTHER. THERE'S SOMETHING TOO PERFECT ABOUT THE WAY THE FORENSIC EVIDENCE LEADS TO AN OBVIOUS PERPETRATOR, SOMETHING THAT TIES TO CASSIE'S SECRET PAST.
When Toul Portokalos decides to change her life for the better, she starts by getting a new wardrobe, and ends up getting married! but can the quiet daughter in a loud Greek family meet and marry the all-American man of her dream without breaking a few plates?
This film centers on a former FBI hostage negotiator who after being framed for murder tries to clear his name by taking several people hostage in order to uncover the guilty party.Running Time: 143 min.System Requirements:Interactive Menus Production Notes Additional Footage Documentaries Video Format: Widescreen (no AR specified) Subtitles: French English Track Info: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 085391675020
Danny Ocean likes his chances. All he asks is that his handpicked squad of 10 grifters and cons play the game like they have nothing to lose. If all goes right the payoff will be a fat $150 million. Divided by 11. You do the math.Running Time: 110 min.System Requirements:Starring: George Clooney Julia Roberts Andy Garcia Brad Pitt Matt Damon Don Cheadle Bernie Mac and Elliott Gould. Directed By: Steven Soderbergh. Running Time: 116 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Standard" format. Copyright 2002 Warner Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 085392263424 Manufacturer No: 22634
A young woman and her two children reside in a secluded island mansion awaiting the return of her husand from the war. Her children have a mysterious disease that won't allow them to be near sunlight so she is vigilant about keeping the curtains and doors closed at all times.
PURE PERFORMANCE The Superbit™ Collection will set a new benchmark in high resolution DVD picture and sound creating the ultimate in home entertainment. Superbit™ DVDs utilize a high bit rate digital transfer process that optimizes video quality and offers both DTS and 5.1 Dolby Digital audio. Use your existing home theater equipment to its optimal performance.Trapped in their New York brownstone s panic room a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins newly divorced Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intrudersBurnham (Forest Whitaker) Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) and Junior (Jared Leto) during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.System Requirements:Running Time: 112 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: R UPC: 043396064577 Manufacturer No: 06457 |
Made by Tom Capote, on a MAC