DVDpedia : Library : Title : N

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 95

Summary: As deadpan comedies go, "Napoleon Dynamite" stands in a class all its own. Played by John Heder, the title character is (in the words of critic Roger Ebert) "the kind of nerd other nerds avoid," a mouth-breathing dweeb with a mangy nest of orange hair, and ungainly features that suggest a perpetual state of half-conscious depression. He lives in Preston, Idaho (former home of 24-year-old director Jared Hess) with his thrill-seeking grandma and 32-year-old brother, and his days at high school consist mostly of being abused or ignored by indifferent classmates. Napoleon's sad-sack story doesn't offer the scathing, impassioned humor of "Welcome to the Dollhouse" because Hess (who cowrote the nearly plotless screenplay with his wife, Jerusha) doesn't have an angst-ridden axe to grind. Instead, the comedy (which exists in a tacky universe of worn-out rural suburbia) is so low-key that some will find it difficult to laugh, while others (i.e., those who feel superior to Napoleon) will have plenty of fun at Napoleon's expense. The result is a curiously uneven film, hilarious at times, but hampered by its own sense of affectionate mockery. An audience favorite at the Sundance film festival, "Napoleon Dynamite" may not be entirely lovable, but it's definitely unique. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 131

Summary: Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, "National Treasure" offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Da Vinci Code", it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer production's multi-genre appeal. Nobody will ever accuse director Jon Turtletaub of artistic ambition, but you've got to admit he serves up an enjoyable dose of PG-rated entertainment, full of musty clues, skeletons, deep tunnels, and harmless adventure in the old-school tradition. It's a load of hokum, but it's "fun" hokum, and that makes all the difference. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 121

Summary: Oliver Stone would like to have the last word on America's media culture of voyeurism and violence, but whatever he's trying to say in this grisly, unconventional movie comes across terribly garbled. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis play traveling serial killers who become television celebrities when a Geraldo-like personality (Robert Downey Jr.) turns their madness into the biggest story in the country. Stone extensively rewrote an original script by Quentin Tarantino, and he employs a mosaic of different film stocks, video, and pop pastiches to create a sense of blurred lines between visual phenomena. (The background on Lewis's character's life as an abused child, for instance, is presented as a sitcom starring Rodney Dangerfield.) But the result of these experiments is a pompous, even amateurish effort at grasping the reins of a real-life national debate. One almost wants to tell Stone to sit down and raise his hand next time if he thinks he has something to say. The controversial director would like "Natural Born Killers" to be nothing less than a monumental achievement, but it's one of the emptier entries in his filmography. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 1984

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Kids & Family

Duration: 92

Summary: Wolfgang Petersen ("In the Line of Fire") made his first English-language film with this 1984 fantasy about a boy (Barret Oliver) visualizing the stories of a book he's reading. The imagined tale involves another boy, a warrior (Noah Hathaway), and his efforts to save the empire of Fantasia from a nemesis called the Nothing. Whether or not the scenario sticks in the memory, what does linger are the unique effects, which are not quite like anything else. Plenty of good fairy-tale characters and memorable scenes, and the film even encourages kids to read. "--Tom Keogh"

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Theatrical: 1998

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 122

Summary: The Newton Boys were the most successful bank robbers in the history of the United States. They never killed anyone, never snitched, and only robbed banks (just bigger thieves, in their opinion), until their final deal, which was a botched train robbery for $3 million. Engagingly played by Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio, the Boys don't have the kind of flaws of more brutal criminals that make for more volatile dramas. The film ambles along in a leisurely way to tell its story of the Newtons' bank-robbing career, with an ever-present air of reverent Americana. This may make some viewers impatient, and cause a glow in others. It seems like a departure for director Richard Linklater ("Slacker", "Dazed and Confused")--a costumer to be sure, but Linklater's deliberately amiable pace perfectly balances the Boys' personalities. You may wander into this movie and feel right at home. The golden-hued cinematography of Peter James ("Driving Miss Daisy") adds a level of comfort that makes everything warm-like. The end credits intercut archival footage of two of the real-life Newton boys toward the end of their lives, one from a 1980 appearance with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show". "--Jim Gay"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 110

Summary:
An irresistible concept meets computer-generated wonders in Night at the Museum, inspired by a 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc. Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley, an underachieving inventor waiting for his ship to come in while getting evicted from one apartment after another for lack of funds. Larry's son needs some stability, so the well-meaning ne'er-do-well takes a job as night watchman at New York City's Museum of Natural History. What the soon-to-retire guards (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs) don't tell him is that an ancient pharaoh's tablet in the museum causes everything on display to come to life at night. Thus, Larry meets representations of Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, fire-worshipping cavemen, and Roman Empire soldiers, and learns to cope with an excitable T-Rex and man-eating, ancient animals. The film might have left things at that, but an added story element gives Night at the Museum some extra urgency and excitement, especially fo! r kids: Larry becomes responsible for keeping this nightly miracle going and preventing anything in the museum from dying due to exposure to sunrise. Computer effects, as well as wildly imaginative costumes and makeup, help make the film appeal to the 8-year-old in everyone. Director Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther) works with a hugely talented cast, including Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Carla Gugino, and Steve Coogan. --"Tom Keogh"
"Night at the Museum" Extras
Ben Stiller on Director Shawn Levy

Ricky Gervais on the size of his trailer and eating cheese.


Beyond "Night at the Museum"
See What DVDs Meant Special Effects to Amazon DVD Editors As Kids
More Adventure Films for Kids & Family
"The Night at the Museum" Paperback Book


Stills from "Night at the Museum"

Theatrical: 1974

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 118

Summary: For those who like their love stories dipped in decadence, Liliana Cavani's dark and disturbing 1974 drama--about a concentration camp survivor who fatefully comes face to face with her ex-Nazi captor and lover--has held up quite well over the years despite its sensationalistic tone. It helps that the mysterious, cobra-eyed Charlotte Rampling plays the survivor, Lucia, and that the unctuous and languid British actor, Dirk Bogarde, is former SS officer Max, a now-benign night porter at the Vienna hotel where the pair coincidentally collides. There is a haunted hollowness to these characters that resigns them to relive the sordid past that tragically binds them. Criterion's DVD offers the film in its best available condition, and the color has been restored to enhance its symbolic significance. "The Night Porter" uses landscape as character, and its desaturated tones evoke memory of the Holocaust and a shady 1950s Vienna plagued by post-World War II guilt. In fact, this is a film full of shadows and shame, and Max and Lucia are victims of this frightening world in which nothing can be trusted and around every corner lurk spies in their house of forbidden love. "--Paula Nechak"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action

Duration: 114

Summary: Among normal humans live the "Others" possessing various supernatural powers. They are divided up into the forces of light and the forces of the dark, who signed a truce several centuries ago to end a devastating battle. Ever since, the forces of light govern the day while the night belongs to their dark opponents. In modern day Moscow the dark Others actually roam the night as vampires while a "Night Watch" of light forces, among them Anton, the movie's protagonist, try to control them and limit their outrage.

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone

Genre: Kids & Family

Duration: 76

Summary: For those who never thought Disney would release a film in which Santa Claus is kidnapped and tortured, well, here it is! The full title is "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas", which should give you an idea of the tone of this stop-action animated musical/fantasy/horror/comedy. It is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", "Beetlejuice", "Edward Scissorhands", and the first two "Batman" movies. His benignly scary-funny sensibility dominates the story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voice by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a bizarre and fascinating alternative universe called ... Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick (who later made the delightful " James and the Giant Peach"), this PG-rated picture has a reassuringly light touch. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen." "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Television

Duration: 354

Summary: The fans brought Peta Wilson's sultry operative back for one last, brief season of "La Femme Nikita", and while they remain divided on the quality and impact of its eight episodes, few will disagree that this three-disc set of the cult series' last gasp is a welcome addition to their collections. At the core of the fifth season is an attempt to answer the nagging questions posited throughout the series: Why was Nikita recruited to serve with Section One? The answer lies in the form of Mr. Jones (well-played by veteran actor Edward Woodward of "The Equalizer" fame), a shadowy figure with a connection to Nikita's past. Meanwhile, a holographic replica of the deceased Madeline (Alberta Watson) is developed to replace her advisory talents ("The Girl Who Wasn't There"), and Section must ferret out a mole (with suspects ranging from Operations and newcomer Walter (Don Francks) to the still-missing Michael (Roy Dupuis), in "The Evil That Men Do") within the organization that's been placed by The Collective, which by the season's conclusion (the gripping "A Time for Every Purpose"), has come very close to toppling Section One. All this, plus the future of Nikita's relationship with Michael, comes to an explosive head in this series finale set.
Supplemental features are surprisingly light in the fifth-season set; extras are limited to three deleted (or "canceled") scenes, and the teaser trailer (directed by series helmer John Cassar, and featuring some nudity) used to promote the season's debut on the Internet (It is notable for being one of the first television promotions to be filmed and aired exclusively for that format). A featurette, "Season 5: Declassified", offers opinions and reminiscences on the show's conclusion from some of its behind-the-scenes personnel as well as select members of the cast. " -- Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Nothing

Genre: Music Video & Concerts

Summary: One of the most valuable releases. Professional, different, involving. As Nine Inch Nails always was. Performing live is one of the best things Treznor can do, but recording it is his mastery as well. People have different tastes, but I think, that this DVD is well balanced for a newcomer and a devoted fan. Trent Reznor presents something that is coherent, but nihilistic at the same time. He blends chaos, madness, hatred and pain with beauty, fragileness, weakness. And its true. And its beautiful.

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 106

Summary: This film represents Hugh Grant's first big bid at Hollywood stardom, on the heels of the success of "Four Weddings and a Funeral". But he stumbled twice: first with this mundane comedy, then by being arrested after soliciting a prostitute near downtown Hollywood, the week before the film opened. Directed by Chris Columbus ("Mrs. Doubtfire"), "Nine Months" was a weak reworking of a French film about an aging bachelor (Grant) who can't decide whether to commit to the woman he loves (Julianne Moore). When she becomes pregnant, he still can't make up his mind and winds up blowing hot and cold on the subject of fatherhood, which causes tension in the relationship. There's a lot of low comedy involving Grant's best friend; Tom Arnold plays this ultra-married and child-ridden suburbanite, who makes fatherhood look like a living hell. Robin Williams has a funny cameo as a foreign doctor, but in the end, the sentiment is ladled on and Grant doesn't have nearly enough funny material to work with. "--Marshall Fine"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Lionsgate

Genre: Drama

Duration: 133

Summary: Johnny Depp unlocks the gates to hell in Roman Polanski's newest thriller. Depp stars as Dean Corso, an unscrupulous rare-book dealer who is hired to locate the last remaining copies of "The Nine Gate of the Shadow Kingdom," a demonic manuscript that can summon the Devil. Corso becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving murder, theft and satanic ritual, and ultimately finds himself confronting the devil incarnate.

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Television

Duration: 1775

Summary: I have read several reviews of the series and, as a devoted viewer during the series' run, I think the uproar of the lack of the original soundtrack music that laced each episode is a tempest in a teapot. The producers of these DVD's can be faulted, however, for not printing the disks with correct markings so we know which episodes are on the disks. They are mysteriously blank making it a real guessing game as to which disk to play, especially if you are trying to stay in the original sequence.

Other than that, this show was writing at its best with creative direction, faultless photography on location, and a fine ensemble cast. Filmed in the fictional Alaska town of Cicily without a laugh track or live audience on a sound stage, each script has stood the test of time with multiple stories taking place in each episode.

One particular episode is one of my favorites. The character, Ed, gave storekeeper Ruth Ann a mason jar of dirt for her birthday. It was from a grave site he bought for her. The end of the episode pays off Ed's heart-felt gift as he drives Ruth Ann to the site overlooking a magnificent river valley. She then askes Ed to be the first to "dance on the grave" with her. Tears from the viewer are guarenteed.

So, my fellow devotees, give up your angst over the original soundtrack and remember the scripts, the dialogue and performances for what they were: unforgotable and collectable.

Theatrical: 2004

Studio:

Genre: Short

Summary:

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 100

Summary: I got this movie because I wanted some 'mindless fun'. What I got instead was a great comedy. If you haven't watched any other 'teen movies', then some of the skits won't click but it is so well done that it is still enjoyable. Definitely worth the purchase price.

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Drama

Duration: 92

Summary: Barbara Covett is a veteran and cynical schoolteacher who is close to retirement. She is barely tolerated by her less brilliant and acerbic colleagues who know nothing about her private life which consists mainly of taking care of Portia, her aging cat, and spending countless hours alone. The only means she has found to take the edge off her desperate loneliness is writing in her journal. When Sheba Hart, a younger, attractive woman, joins the faculty as an art teacher, Barbara watches her from afar and has nothing but caustic things to say in her diary about her clothing and her care-free manner. Despite her disdain for this woman, Barbara finds herself reaching out to her. Sheba responds by inviting her to dinner at her house to meet Sheba's lecturer husband, who is twenty years her senior, and their two children, a sexy and rebellious 16-year-old daughter and a younger boy with Downs Syndrome. Instead of opening herself to these people, Barbara immediately sees them as competition to be beaten in the battle for Sheba's attention. Later, when Barbara discovers her new friend in a classroom having sex with Steven, a 15-year-old from the school who has artistic talent; she realizes that knowledge of this secret gives her power over Sheba which she can use for her own purposes. Barbara promises to not tell anyone but insists that the affair must end immediately. Sheba says she will but finds herself drawn back to the boy again and again. Sheba seems uneasy with Barbara's friendship and is appalled when she discovers the older woman might have a sexual interest in her. The tenuous relationship between the two women reaches a crisis point when Barbara's cat is dying and she asks Sheba to go with her to the vet. She chooses to go with her family to see their son in a play instead. In revenge, Barbara sets in motion the scandal that will rock both their lives in ways they never imagined.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Hbo Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 90

Summary: The cult pin-up idol Bettie Page gets the full-fledged biopic treatment in "The Notorious Bettie Page", a movie that somehow seems as tame and innocent as the naughty photographs Bettie made in the 1950s. After a few scenes of Bettie growing up, the film quickly leads us to her more-or-less glory years, when she posed for countless peekaboo photos and some nudie films. These would make her an underground star for decades--long after she gave up modeling for religion, in fact. Gretchen Mol, a premature starlet in a redemptive role, does nicely at suggesting Bettie's too-trusting nature, maintaining her equipoise in a sleazy world. Her nude scenes are as liberated and no-sweat as those old nudist films always wanted people to believe. Director Mary Harron plays most of the film in the black-and-white that Bettie thrived in, which seems fitting enough (although the Kodachrome-bright color interludes are welcome). There's an air of "Ed Wood" about the project, and Harron maintains a similarly jovial tone, but the film does have a tendency to fall into the and-then-this-happened metronome rhythm of film biography. Even a promising venture into the Senate hearings on pornography is a minor joke. Jared Harris and Lili Taylor, veterans of Harron's "I Shot Andy Warhol," play colorful characters out of the grindhouse world, but few supporting players get a chance to make an impression. The main draw is Mol's commitment to the role and the film's goofy re-creation of a most peculiar subculture at an unlikely time. "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 124

Summary: Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) is the world s most famous movie star. Her picture has been plastered on the cover of every magazine, and every time she makes a move, the entire world knows about it. William Thacker (Hugh Grant) owns a travel bookstore in the quaint neighborhood of Notting Hill. His business is stagnant, he has the roommate from hell and his love life is completely nonexistent. Then one day, their paths cross and the couple comes to face the ultimate question: can two people fall in love with the whole world watching?

System Requirements:
Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, James Dreyfus, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, and Gina McKee. Directed By: Roger Michell Running Time: 124 Mins., Color This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 1999 Universal Studios

Format: DVD MOVIE

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 95

Summary: A screwball noir comedy that marks a promising directorial debut by first-timer David Atkins, "Novocaine" has a knack for the offbeat, beginning with the casting of Steve Martin as Frank, a dentist who traps himself in an escalating series of secrets and lies. Frank likens his dilemma to the insidious rot of tooth decay, personified by quirky drug addict Susan (Helena Bonham Carter), who enters his office, steals his narcotics, and draws him into an unexpected flirtation with disaster. Frank's brother (Elias Koteas) complicates matters almost as much as Susan's psycho brother (Scott Caan), but it's Frank's fiancée and hygienist (Laura Dern) who shotguns the movie to its outrageous and gruesomely off-putting conclusion. Erratic in tone and briefly amusing, "Novocaine" offers a few surprises (including an unbilled appearance by Kevin Bacon), but the movie never really finds its groove, and its curiously numbing effect makes the title just a bit too apropos. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 98

Summary: On his birthday, Walter Sparrow, an amiable dog-catcher, takes a call that leaves him dog bit and late to pick up his wife. She's browsed in a bookstore, finding a blood-red-covered novel, a murder mystery with numerology that loops constantly around the number 23. The story captivates Walter: he dreams it, he notices aspects of his life that can be rendered by "23," he searches for the author, he stays in the hotel (in room 23) where events in the novel took place, and he begins to believe it was no novel. His wife and son try to help him, sometimes in sympathy, sometimes to protect him. Slowly, with danger to himself and to his family, he closes in on the truth.