DVDpedia : Library : Title : S

Theatrical: 1954

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 112

Summary: Sabrina is charming, humorous and aglow with some of Hollywood's greatest stars. Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn star in a Cinderella stroy directed by renowned filmmaker Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot). Bogie and Holden are the mega-rich Larrabee brothers of Long Island. Bogie's all work, Holden's all playboy. But when Sabrina, daughter of the family's chauffer, returns from Paris all grown up and glamourous, the stage is set for some family fireworks as the brothers fall under the spell of Hepburn's delightful charms.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 123

Summary: It took more than 25 years for another Clive Cussler novel to come to the screen after the financial and critical disaster of "Raise the Titanic". Based on Cussler's oddly landlocked adventure, "Sahara" finds the author's hero, Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey)--a sort of all-American, high seas variation of James Bond--in Africa looking for a Confederate ironclad ship that impossibly might have ended up there. Soon he and his faithful sidekick Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) are lost in another adventure, discovering a deadly contaminate being tracked by a beautiful doctor (Penelope Cruz). The results are checkered: there's no one outstanding sequence, but the action is enjoyably varied, while the thrills are mild yet not bombastic or gratuitous. The cast are all adept in their roles, yet the only one who sparkles is the scene-stealing Zahn, cast against type; McConaughey, who also produced, knows he might be starting a franchise character and plays it safe. He's never as dangerous as Cussler's hero is on the page (except in his introduction), and in fact, the whole movie plays towards comedy, infused by a soundtrack of 70s FM radio monsters. Cussler fanatics may not like this lighter fare, especially with the archeological portion (a Cussler strong point) not fully embraced, but with a very, very likable cast and colorful settings, "Sahara" is a kindler, gentler action film that has all the elements in place for a better, more memorable franchise if anyone cares to attempt it. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 1955

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 93

Summary: Toshirô Mifune defines the quintessential samurai in Hiroshi Inagaki's 1954 "Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto", the first feature in a trilogy based on the epic novel by Eiji Yoshikawa. As in Kurosawa's classic "Seven Samurai", which appeared the same year, Mifune plays a brash and ambitious peasant who desires fame and power as a swordsman. His dreams of glory in war sour when his army is routed and he becomes hunted by the authorities, but the "tough love" attentions of a kindly but severe monk help him develop from a hot-tempered outlaw to a thoughtful swordsman. Inagaki's somber color epic is very different from the energetic action of Kurosawa's films. The sword fights and battles are practically theatrical in their presentation, staged in long takes that emphasize form and movement over flash and flamboyance. Mifune brings a sad, almost tragic quality to the samurai warrior Musashi Miyamoto, whose dedication proscribes him to a lonely life on the road. Though the film stands well on its own, its stature takes on greater significance as the first act of Inagaki's stately, contemplative epic of the professional and spiritual development of Musashi, whose training and adventures continue in "Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple". "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1967

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 103

Summary: Picking up where "Samurai I" left off, Toshirô Mifune's samurai in training Musashi Miyamoto is a wandering swordsman who hones his skills in a succession of duels. When he defeats a succession of students from a local school of martial arts, he becomes marked for death by the school elders and is attacked in a series of cowardly ambushes. Romantic threads from the first film become further complicated when the virginal Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa) and the sad courtesan Akemi (Mariko Okada) meet and discover their rivalry and Musashi earns himself an archenemy, an ambitious young swordsman named Sasaki Kojiro (Koji Tsuruta) who vows to defeat Musashi to make his name as the finest fencer in all of Japan. Inagaki ably manages the rather complicated plot with unexpected ease (subtitles are employed to help English viewers make a few narrative jumps) while he charts Musashi's education in compassion and humility and his internal struggle with his conflicted love for Otsu. The direction is still as distant and unostentatious as in the first film, while the color and settings become richer and more pronounced: studio-bound locations take on the quality and delicacy of paintings. The dramatic centerpiece of the trilogy, an epic pre-dawn battle where 40 swordsmen ambush Musashi, uses darkness and landscape to great dramatic effect as figures seep in and out of the picture. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1967

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 104

Summary: Toshirô Mifune is confidence supreme and humility incarnate as the mature samurai master Musashi Miyamoto in the final film of Inagaki's sprawling trilogy. Now a legendary swordsman whose latest quest is to save an isolated village from rampaging brigands (shades of "Seven Samurai"), he remains haunted by the memory of Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa). Meanwhile the ruthless and increasingly jealous Kojiro Sasaki (Koji Tsuruta) plots his battle royal with Musashi to prove who is the finest fencer in Japan. Inagaki weaves the web of subplots into a series of grand confrontations, among them the most exciting battles of the trilogy: Musashi's skirmish with the army of cutthroats while the village erupts in a fiery inferno around him, and the sunset duel between Musashi and Kojiro on an isolated beach, the two warriors taking on mythic dimensions silhouetted against the sun setting over the surf. Inagaki's delicate use of color throughout the series becomes most pronounced in this final sequence, where the glow of orange and red adds dramatic flourish to the twilight battle. Inagaki's reserved, restrained style and Mifune's melancholy performance--his granite face and stocky stance the very essence of somber wisdom and sad assurance--bring a gravity and seriousness to the drama that ultimately illuminates the personal cost of Musashi's supreme skill as his story ends on an elegiac but hopeful note. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 1593

Summary: Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season boxed set is much more than the sum of its parts, in fact it's one of the most significant TV DVD releases yet. This isn't just an 8-disc set featuring 24 episodes of live sketch comedy, it's a big box of zeitgeist. This really is the complete first season, mostly uncut and complete with every musical act and short film intact (a few bumpers and transitions were removed to make it flow better on DVD). The first broadcast aired on October 11, 1975, hosted by George Carlin and featured musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian. At first, things seem a little raw: Carlin's opening monologue is painfully unfunny, Chase's first shot at the seminal "Weekend Update" is amusing but sloppy, and much of the cast seem to be holding back. But the groundwork is all there, and soon in subsequent episodes you can see it all start to come together (especially with John Belushi who lets his simmering intensity out to tremendous effect), proving that the first episode simply belies the historic impact the show would come to have on popular culture. Here you'll find the first airing of some of the many skits that stayed famous over the years: the Land Shark, Samurai Hotel, Chevy Chase's opening pratfalls and the impersonations of Gerald Ford which would spin off into the proud SNL tradition of presidential parodies.
The set is a very entertaining look at a significant point in TV and American cultural history. It is so 1975, but that's a major part of its appeal: did Chevy Chase really used to look that young? Did a young George Carlin really used to look so old? Check out Abba in those disco jumpsuits. And if you're a fan of The Muppets, seeing them here on late-night TV making jokes about getting drunk will blow your mind. Younger fans may not fully understand just how groundbreaking this show was at the time. For example, Richard Pryor hosting the seventh episode, which includes the famous "Word Association" sketch. Back then, to have a comedian of Pryor's reputation joking about drugs, sex, and race on live TV was a tremendous risk (it's also gratifying to see the obvious effect he had on the next generation of comics like Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock), and it helped established the show's cache as unpredictable and edgy. The DVD set is full of moments like this and, like the show itself, it has its ups and downs. Watching hosts like Rob Reiner (back when he was still in his "Meathead" days from All in the Family), Madeleine Kahn, and Desi Arnaz work their comedy chops with the cast are high points. Whereas the infamous Louise Lasser episode, which is known for being among the worst episodes in the show's history… not so much. Still, it's entirely to Executive Producer Lorne Michaels's credit that it's included here. It's a tremendous collection of everything that gave birth to Saturday Night Live, and the seed of what SNL would become, spawning many movies (not to mention a few catch-phrases), launching the careers of many great comedians, and providing TV viewers with some of the most famous, and infamous, moments in broadcast history. And it all started right here.
The set is packaged in a well-designed, sleek fold-out digi-pack with every episode listed on the sleeves, with hosts, musical guests, and the original air date. The special features include a rare look at the cast members' original screen tests, and a 1975 TV interview with the cast. --Daniel Vancini

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 92

Summary: Classic teen comedy mixes with cunning satire in "Saved!". Fervent Christian Mary (Jena Malone, "Donnie Darko") believes God wants her to save her gay boyfriend by sleeping with him. But he gets sent to an anti-gay indoctrination camp while she ends up pregnant--which starts to drive a wedge between Mary and her snotty best friend Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore, "How to Deal"). Meanwhile, they're both interested in the son (Patrick Fugit, "Almost Famous") of their Christian school principal (Martin Donovan, "Trust"). "Saved!" respects faith but gleefully mocks the excesses and absurdities of contemporary organized religion, particularly its suburban, let's-speak-the-language-of-the-kids manifestations. The actors, including Macaulay Culkin (yes, from "Home Alone") and Mary Louise Parker ("Fried Green Tomatoes"), play their parts with sincerity, which makes the fusion of humor and heart succeed. A delightful movie. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 169

Summary: When Steven Spielberg was an adolescent, his first home movie was a backyard war film. When he toured Europe with "Duel" in his 20s, he saw old men crumble in front of headstones at Omaha Beach. That image became the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan", his film of a mission following the D-day invasion that many have called the most realistic--and maybe the best--war film ever. With 1998 production standards, Spielberg has been able to create a stunning, unparalleled view of war as hell. We are at Omaha Beach as troops are slaughtered by Germans yet overcome the almost insurmountable odds.
A stalwart Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier, who takes a small band of troops behind enemy lines to retrieve a private whose three brothers have recently been killed in action. It's a public relations move for the Army, but it has historical precedent dating back to the Civil War. Some critics of the film have labeled the central characters stereotypes. If that is so, this movie gives stereotypes a good name: Tom Sizemore as the deft sergeant, Edward Burns as the hotheaded Private Reiben, Barry Pepper as the religious sniper, Adam Goldberg as the lone Jew, Vin Diesel as the oversize Private Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as the soulful medic, and Jeremy Davies, who as a meek corporal gives the film its most memorable performance.
The movie is as heavy and realistic as Spielberg's Oscar-winning "Schindler's List", but it's more kinetic. Spielberg and his ace technicians (the film won five Oscars: editing (Michael Kahn), cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), sound, sound effects, and directing) deliver battle sequences that wash over the eyes and hit the gut. The violence is extreme but never gratuitous. The final battle, a dizzying display of gusto, empathy, and chaos, leads to a profound repose. "Saving Private Ryan" touches us deeper than "Schindler" because it succinctly links the past with how we should feel today. It's the film Spielberg was destined to make. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Horror

Duration: 103

Summary: Adam (Leigh Whannell) wakes up in a dank room across from Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and the body of a guy who has blown his own brains out. Not a happy place, obviously, and it gets worse when both men realize that they've been chained and pitted against one another by an unseen but apparently omniscient maniac who's screwing with their psyches as payment for past sins. Director James Wan, who concocted this grimy distraction with screenwriter Whannell, has seen "Seven" and any number of other arty existential-psycho-cat-and-mouse thrillers, so he's provided "Saw" with a little flash, a little blood, and a lot of ways to distract you from the fact that it doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense. Wan and Whannell (who's not the most accomplished actor, either) pile on the plot twists, which after some initially novel ideas become increasingly juvenile. Elwes works hard but looks embarrassed, and the estimable Danny Glover suffers as the obsessed detective on the case. The denouement will probably surprise you, but it won't get you back the previous 98 minutes."--Steve Wiecking"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Horror

Duration: 95

Summary: "Saw II" brings back many features of the original "Saw": elaborate sadistic scenarios designed to "test" the victims' will to live; Tobin Bell as the Machiavellian (yet doomed) serial killer Jigsaw; Shawnee Smith as Amanda, a survivor of one of Jigsaw's "games", forced to play again; Dina Meyer ("Starship Troopers"), whose role as a detective is considerably expanded; and the stunningly godawful dialogue of screenwriter Leigh Whannel. The set-up this time is even more preposterous than before, as a rough-and-tumble cop named Eric (Donnie Whalberg, "Band of Brothers") watches, on video monitors, his son trapped in a house filled with nerve gas and a handful of other victims, all of whom are mysteriously connected. Eric has captured Jigsaw, but the implacable killer refuses to reveal where the cop's son is being held... unless Eric will play by Jigsaw's rules. Fans of "Saw" will love "Saw II", as the tortures are more gruesome than before; viewers who found "Saw" either detestable or laughable won't like "Saw II" either, as the characters rarely behave like actual people (even when a moment's explanation would solve a conflict, no one bothers to communicate, even though their lives are on the line). It's a festival of body fluids, agonized grimaces, and shrieks of pain--and if that's your thing, this is your movie. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 100

Summary: To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobler.

In this charming, critically acclaimed tale of first love, Lloyd (John Cusack), an eternal optimist, seeks to capture the heart of Diane, an unattainable high school beauty and straight-A student (Ione Skye). He surprises just about everyone - including himself - when she returns the sentiment. But Diane's over-possessive, divorced dad (John Mahoney) doesn't approve and it's going to take more than just the power of love to conquer all.

System Requirements:
Starring John Cusack, John Mahoney, Ione Skye Directed by Cameron Crowe Running time: 113 minutes Copyright Twentieth Century Fox

Format: DVD MOVIE

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 100

Summary: How well you respond to Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly" depends on how much you know about the life and work of celebrated science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. While it qualifies as a faithful adaptation of Dick's semiautobiographical 1977 novel about the perils of drug abuse, Big Brother-like surveillance and rampant paranoia in a very near future ("seven years from now"), this is still very much a Linklater film, and those two qualities don't always connect effectively. The creepy potency of Dick's premise remains: The drug war's been lost, citizens are kept under rigid surveillance by holographic scanning recorders, and a schizoid addict named Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is facing an identity crisis he's not even aware of: Due to his voluminous intake of the highly addictive psychotropic drug Substance D, Arctor's brain has been split in two, each hemisphere functioning separately. So he doesn't know that he's also Agent Fred, an undercover agent assigned to infiltrate Arctor's circle of friends (played by Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, Rory Cochrane, and Robert Downey, Jr.) to track down the secret source of Substance D. As he wears a "scramble suit" that constantly shifts identities and renders Agent Fred/Arctor into "the ultimate everyman," Dick's drug-addled antihero must come to grips with a society where, as the movie's tag-line makes clear, "everything is not going to be OK."
While it's virtually guaranteed to achieve some kind of cult status, "A Scanner Darkly" lacks the paranoid intensity of Dick's novel, and Linklater's established penchant for loose and loopy dialogue doesn't always work here, with an emphasis on drug-culture humor instead of the panicked anxiety that Dick's novel conveys. As for the use of "interpolated rotoscoping"--the technique used to apply shifting, highly stylized animation over conventional live-action footage--it's purely a matter of personal preference. The film's look is appropriate to Dick's dark, cautionary story about the high price of addiction, but it also robs performances of nuance and turns the seriousness of Dick's story into... well, a cartoon. Opinions will differ, but "A Scanner Darkly" is definitely worth a look--or two, if the mind-rattling plot doesn't sink in the first time around. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1983

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 170

Summary: This sprawling epic of bloodshed and excess, Brian De Palma's update of the classic 1932 crime drama by Howard Hawks, sparked controversy over its outrageous violence when released in 1983. "Scarface" is a wretched, fascinating car wreck of a movie, starring Al Pacino as a Cuban refugee who rises to the top of Miami's cocaine-driven underworld, only to fall hard into his own deadly trap of addiction and inevitable assassination. Scripted by Oliver Stone and running nearly three hours, it's the kind of film that can simultaneously disgust and amaze you (critic Pauline Kael wrote "this may be the only action picture that turns into an allegory of impotence"), with vivid supporting roles for Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Robert Loggia. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 88

Summary: If you've seen "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer", then you know the entire plot of "Scary Movie". That's okay, though, because this is a parody, and it helps to know the story in order to be able to get the jokes. No, the biggest surprise here is not the story as much as the amount of full-frontal male nudity. Really, in addition to all the dick jokes (and the ass jokes and fart jokes), there's a couple of shots of the male member, one of which is erect and used as a weapon. "Scary Movie" somehow ended up with an R rating, which in a sense is groundbreaking; perhaps our ratings board is loosening up after all.
But is it funny? That's the most important question, and the answer to that is yes. In the vein of "Airplane!", with a dash of the Farrelly brothers, "Scary Movie" keeps throwing jokes at you one after another. The law of averages says some of them have to hit, and enough of them do to keep the movie entertaining. Unlike the makers of "Airplane!", however, the Wayans brothers aren't making this movie out of a love of the genre, and unlike the Farrelly brothers, they don't make fun of retarded people with any sort of respect, so the humor throughout feels a lot uglier. Still, there are enough funny scenes in "Scary Movie" to make the viewing experience worthwhile. Special credit must go to Lochlyn Munro as Greg, the over-the-top jock, who steals the movie up until the time he's gotta die."--Andy Spletzer"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Drama

Duration: 196

Summary: Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, it also won every major Best Picture Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board of Review, the Producers Guild, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago, Boston and Dallas Film Critics; a Christopher Award; and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg was further honored with the Directors Guild of America Award.

The film presents the indelible true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, womanizer, and war profiteer who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference, and the drama of those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film, which also won Academy Awards for Screenplay, Cinematography, Music, Editing, and Art Direction, stars an acclaimed cast headed by Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle, and Embeth Davidtz.

System Requirements:
Running Time 196 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Theatrical: 1988

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 121

Summary: Spike Lee's follow-up to his unlikely hit "She's Gotta Have It" was this ambitious--some would say too ambitious--attempt at a musical about college life. But Lee, ever the provocateur, doesn't settle for a simple college comedy. Rather, he wants to make a point about the social divisions within all-black colleges: between the socializers and the socially conscious, and between light and dark-skinned blacks. Laurence Fishburne plays a politically aware student trying to bring his fellow students together; Giancarlo Esposito plays the fraternity boss who constantly seeks to insert a wedge between the haves and have-nots. Lee himself plays a pawn in the middle, a would-be frat boy undergoing a wicked Hell Week as a pledge. The story doesn't pull together and the musical numbers--more spoof than anything else--only serve to fragment it. While it offers interesting points, it never does so in a particularly cohesive way. "--Marshall Fine"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 109

Summary: Turbo-charged comic Jack Black shakes "School of Rock" to its foundations, wailing with born-again metalhead passion as Dewey Finn, a guitarist who gets kicked out of a band because he grandstands too much--or, to put it another way, enjoys himself. Through an intercepted phone call, Finn gets a job as a substitute teacher for a fifth grade class at a private grade school. Neither students nor teacher quite know what to do with each other until Finn discovers that some of his young charges can play instruments; at once he starts turning them into a blistering rock & roll troupe that can crush his former band at an upcoming competition. "School of Rock" is silly and formulaic, but director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused"), writer Mike White ("The Good Girl"), and especially Black and co-star Joan Cusack invest the formulas with such glee that the movie is irresistibly fun. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Weinstein Company

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 100

Summary: An unlucky meter reader enrolls in a confidence-building class so he can win the love of the girl of his dreams. The class turns out to be something quite different when it becomes clear to the young man that his professor has his sights set on the same girl.

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: BBC Films

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 96

Summary: In the funeral of the famous British journalist Joe Strombel, his colleagues and friends recall how obstinate he was while seeking for a scoop. Meanwhile the deceased Joe discloses the identity of the tarot card serial killer of London. He cheats the Reaper and appears to the American student of journalism Sondra Pransky, who is on the stage in the middle of a magic show of the magician Sidney Waterman in London, and tells her that the murderer is the aristocrat Peter Lyman. Sondra drags Sid in her investigation, seeking for evidences that Peter is the killer. However, she falls in love with him and questions if Joe Strombel is right in his scoop.

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 111

Summary: A crowd-pleasing smash hit with a sizzling cast -- critics are calling SCREAM the hippest thriller of the year! Afer a series of mysterious deaths, a seemingly peaceful community becomes a place where no one is safe ... and everyone is suspect! That's when an offbeat group of friends rally to unlock the town's deadly secrets ... and get caught up in a lively mix of thrills, chills, and surprises! With hot stars Drew Barrymore (CHARLIE'S ANGELS), Courteney Cox (TV's FRIENDS), Neve Campbell (54), Skeet Ulrich (AS GOOD AS IT GETS), and David Arquette (BEAUTIFUL GIRLS).

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 120

Summary: To repeat the phenomenal success of their collaboration on 1996's hit thriller "Scream", horror maven Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson did a fair amount of recycling (same movie, slightly different situations), but this sequel comes surprisingly close to matching its popular predecessor. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, and Liev Schreiber reprise their roles from "Scream", and this time they're caught in a new cycle of murders near a college campus, just as the slasher movie "Stab" (based on the events from "Scream") is about to make its local premiere. That's the setup for another frantic guessing game involving a number of possible suspects, and the mystery is fatally complicated by the reappearance of the eerily masked killer from the first film. Who's under the mask? Craven and Williamson set up a roller-coaster series of wild plot twists and deadly encounters, and the snappy dialogue once again caters to those in the know about fright flicks, sequels, and all the movie rules that do (and sometimes don't) apply to the escalating body count. Featuring several scenes that will have you biting your nails and gripping your seat, this movie's an exception to the rule--a sequel that beats the odds to satisfy its target audience. Everyone else--you've been warned! "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Horror

Duration: 117

Summary: When Randy the video geek rattles off the rules of surviving a horror movie in Wes Craven's "Scream", he speaks for a generation of filmgoers who are all too aware of slasher movie clichés. Playfully scripted by Kevin Williamson with a self-aware wink and more than a few nods to its grandfathers (from "Psycho" to "Halloween" to the "Friday the 13th" dynasty), "Scream" skewers teen horror conventions with loving reverence while re-creating them in a modern, movie-savvy context. And so goes the series, which continues the satirical spoofing by tackling (what else?) sequels while sustaining its own self-contained mythology. Catty reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) turns grisly murders into lurid bestsellers, a cult of killer wannabes continues to hunt spunky psycho-survivor Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) for their 15 minutes of fame, and a cheesy movie series ("Stab") develops within the movie series.
"Scream" remains the high point of the series--a fresh take on a genre long since collapsed into routine, but "Scream 2" spoofs itself with witty humor ("Why would anyone want to do that? Sequels suck!" opines college film student Randy), and delights with more elaborate set pieces and all-new rules for surviving a horror movie sequel. The endangered veterans of the original film reunite one last time for "Scream 3", which plays out on the movie set of "Stab 3". (It's a trilogy within a trilogy!) With Williamson gone, replacement screenwriter Ehran Kruger tries to mine the formula one more time. It's a little tired by now, and pale imitations ("Urban Legend", "I Know What You Did Last Summer") have further drained the zeitgeist, but the film bubbles with bright humor, and director Craven is stylistically at the top of his game. As a trilogy, it remains both the most consistently entertaining and self-aware horror series ever made. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 125

Summary: Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2004, "The Sea Inside" is a life-affirming film about a man who wishes to die. That may seem like a massive contradiction, but in the hands of director Alejandro Amenábar ("Open Your Eyes", "The Others") and actor Javier Bardem ("Before Night Falls"), this fact-based Spanish drama concerns the final days of Ramón Sampedro, the quadriplegic poet who waged a controversial campaign for his right to die. He was denied this right for 30 years, and ultimately arranged for his own assisted suicide, but this remarkable film--and Bardem's keenly intelligent performance--examines the hotly-debated issue of assisted suicide with admirable depth and humanity, just as Sampedro did until his death in 1998. For Sampedro, death was preferable to severe paralysis (he even refused to use a wheelchair), but the film does not suggest a "disposable" attitude toward disability. Instead, it's a thoughtful meditation on life and love as gifts to be cherished, and a challenging drama that begs each viewer to examine their own personal beliefs about what makes life worth living. You may not agree with Sampedro and his ultimate denial of life, but "The Sea Inside" will urge you to ponder how you would react under similar circumstances, and that makes it a profoundly meaningful film. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Drama

Duration: 141

Summary: Proving that truth is often greater than fiction, the handsome production of "Seabiscuit" offers a healthy alternative to Hollywood's staple diet of mayhem. With superior production values at his disposal, writer-director Gary Ross ("Pleasantville") is a bit too reverent toward Laura Hillenbrand's captivating bestseller, unnecessarily using archival material--and David McCullough's familiar PBS-styled narration--to pay Ken Burns-like tribute to Hillenbrand's acclaimed history of Seabiscuit, the knobby-kneed thoroughbred who "came from behind" in the late 1930s to win the hearts of Depression-weary Americans. That caveat aside, Ross's adaptation retains much of the horse-and-human heroism that Hillenbrand so effectively conveyed; this is a classically styled "legend" movie like "The Natural", which was also heightened by a lushly sentimental Randy Newman score. Led by Tobey Maguire as Seabiscuit's hard-luck jockey, the film's first-rate cast is uniformly excellent, including William H. Macy as a wacky trackside announcer who fills this earnest film with a much-needed spirit of fun. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Horror

Duration: 96

Summary: Johnny Depp gets high off another acting challenge in this tricky adaptation of a Stephen King yarn. Although the mood is too sinister to allow for the mischief of his "Pirates of the Caribbean" turn, Depp still manages to embroider his role here with plenty of quirky business. He plays a writer, depressed and nearly divorced, who's stuck in an isolated cabin (shades of "The Shining") when a stranger (John Turturro) arrives, accusing him of plagiarism. Writer-director David Koepp ("Stir of Echoes") does his best to make the rickety material compelling--he gets the maximum out of the cabin set, for instance--but the problems inherent in the King story eventually win out. The climactic scenes are particularly unpleasant, especially in contrast to the cleverness of Depp's performance. A Philip Glass score adds class, but this one ultimately feels like a disappointment. "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 111

Summary: This kinky love story features a standout performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an offbeat young actress in her first starring role. Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a nervous girl who compulsively cuts herself, who gets a job as a secretary for Edward, an imperious lawyer (James Spader, an old hand at tales of perverse affection). Edward's reprimands for typos and spelling errors begin with mild humiliation, but as Lee responds to his orders--which are driven as much by his own anxieties and fears as any sense of order--the punishments escalate to spankings, shackles, and more. "Secretary" walks a fine line. It finds sly humor in these sadomasochistic doings without turning them into a gag, and it takes Lee and Edward's mutual desires seriously without getting self-righteous or pompous. Certainly not a movie for everyone, but some people may be unexpectedly stirred up by this smart and steamy tale of repressed passion. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 102

Summary: This funny comedy stars comedion Pryor as a blind man and comedian Wilder as a deaf man, both of who are on the run for a murder which they didn't commit. Chaous appropratly ensure, and this comedy is full of laugh out load gags, and comic situations. One particular funny situation was when the police officer was trying to get a headshot of Wilder, but couldn't get him to look at her, because he couldn't hear her directions. Though a bit vulgar and at times over the top, it's hilarious and never takes itself too seriously and makes for good laugh out loud fun. Both Pryor and Wilder are comediac geniuses and this movie showcases their talent. A must see for some laugh out loud fun and gags, though defiantly not appropriate for young children.

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Television

Duration: 505

Summary: For "Seinfeld", the third season's--for want of a better word--the charm. The show has found its misanthropic voice (by season's end, a fed-up Elaine tells herself, "I gotta get some new friends"), the ensemble has a firmer grasp of their characters, and the writers rise to the occasion with episodes that have entered the "Seinfeld" pantheon, including the "Seinfeld" equivalent of a Very Special Episode, "The Boyfriend," with Keith Hernandez and the "J.F.K." parody, "The Library," featuring Philip Baker Hall channeling Jack Webb as library bookhound Bookman, "The Pez Dispenser," and "The Keys," with an L.A.-bound Kramer winding up on "Murphy Brown". Michael Richards, especially, comes into his own this season as Kramer. The first two seasons built up the mystique of this "man-child"/"parasite." So while he was absent in season 2's "The Chinese Restaurant," he is now out and about with the close-knit, albeit dysfunctional, trio. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has some of her giddiest golden moments, zonked on painkillers in "The Pen," or, as a bored party guest in "The Stranded," telling an obnoxious bride-to-be that "Maybe the dingo ate your baby." And don't get us started on Jason Alexander as George, series co-creator Larry David's neurotic and angst-ridden alter-ego. To paraphrase what Julia Roberts said of Denzel Washington, we don't want to live in a world where Alexander doesn't have an Emmy.
But it's the extensive bonus features that give this four-disc set "hand" over other TV-on-DVD releases. The "Inside Look" episode intros, optional pop-up "Notes About Nothing," and candid, albeit a little too casual, commentaries offer a fount of information to even the most obsessive "Seinfeld" fans. We learn that even the most outrageous episodes, such as "The Pez Dispenser," were inspired by real-life events. Especially telling is Alexander's observation that Jerry never really socialized with the other ensemble members. This has extended to the commentaries: Seinfeld pairs with David on some episodes, while Alexander, Richards and Dreyfus team up on others. They are gracious to the guest stars and extras, and mostly mum on Jer. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Television

Duration: 552

Summary: It's hard to believe, but for the first three seasons nobody really knew that "Seinfeld" was about, well, you know. It wasn't until season 4--unleashed here in a four-disc set that's equal in scope, quality, and quantity of bonus material to its predecessors--that the show really became something. In a series which can claim every installment as classic, the two-parter on disc 1 titled "The Pitch/The Ticket" truly stands out as a defining episode and, in retrospect, marked "Seinfeld" 4 as the breakthrough season. It's the one where (fake) NBC executives express their interest in working with Jerry Seinfeld on a TV show, then moves to the who's-on-first shtick of George successfully pitching Jerry on creating "a show about nothing." Scattered throughout the discs in commentaries by cast and creators and in numerous "Inside Look" documentaries, nearly everyone expresses some anxiety about the season having a story "arc" depicting Jerry and his "real" life becoming a sitcom. The show had been only marginally successful up to that point anyway, and with the edict, "no hugging, no learning," still in place, maybe messing with nothing was a bad idea. What makes the arc so arch is the self-reflexive way it details the reality of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David coming up with the concept and pitching it to (real) NBC executives as a show that really was about, well, you know. In one of the many informally informative interview segments, Jerry remembers hitting a stride during this time when a lot of crazy ideas started to make sense. "Everything was just a wild guess," he says, "and it takes a while to get confident that you're guessing pretty good. I think sometime in season 4 we realized we were guessing pretty good." Oh, that we could all be so good at nothing.
Season 4 also gave us the episodes "The Bubble Boy" ("He lives in a bubble!"), "The Pick" ("There was no pick!"), and, perhaps most memorably, "The Contest." Recalling how nervous he thought NBC might be about a show based on how long a person can remain--ahem--master of his domain, Larry David says that he kept the idea hidden for a long time. He may have had NBC sweating, but the episode goes by without anyone uttering the word that it's really about. The curmudgeonly David also observes that another famous season 4 episode, "The Outing," only made it on the air due to a network "note" about making sure it wouldn't be offensive to homosexuals. Hence we have the addition of another standard to the "Seinfeld" lexicon of American pop culture: "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Not only wasn't there anything wrong with it, the episode won a GLAAD Media Award. Season 4 also brought "Seinfeld"its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. Stay tuned for season 5 (and a move to the coveted Thursday-at-9 slot) when the volcano we now know was always brewing really blew its comedic top. "--Ted Fry"""""

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Television

Duration: 498

Summary: The fifth season of "Seinfeld" is without a doubt the series' best. By their fifth year, the "Seinfeld" gang had ironed out the bumps from the first two seasons, further developing characters. The loyal fan base that had been accumulating over the years was now more or less the entire nation's viewing audience. The pressure was on to give this new, mega fan base a high dose of their unique, misanthropic comedy, and Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) delivered in spades. Yes, other seasons may have funnier individual episodes, but as a whole season five consistently delivers the goods, including many of the show's all-time classic episodes. In the season opener, Jerry discovers the secret, sexual power of "The Mango." While vacationing in "The Hamptons" we not only learn that George's date likes to sunbathe topless in front of his friends, but also that cold water has the power to shrink. In "The Stall' Elaine is rejected while trying to share toilet paper only to learn that the selfish neighbor is Jerry's girlfriend. In order to really make a life change, George decides to do "The Opposite" of all his instincts and surprisingly everything in his life falls perfectly into place. And of course, who can forget the ridiculous puffy shirt Kramer's low-talking girlfriend talks Jerry into wearing on "The Today Show". This box set also includes the featurette "Jason+Larry=George" explaining how Jason Alexander embodied Larry David's alter ego to create George Costanza, plus deleted and behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive stand up footage of Jerry Seinfeld. "--Rob Bracco"

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Television

Duration: 551

Summary: By Season Six, the "Seinfeld" crew had their formula and character development down pat making it easy to churn out one classic episode after another. Not only do we learn a lot about Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) in Season Six, but we also learn wealth of life lessons. For instance, just because you wear a toupee doesn't mean you won't be rejected by bald women ("The Beard"). If you think everyone is giving you the finger, they probably are ("The Pledge Drive"). As ridicurous as is sounds, just because a woman has a Chinese name doesn't make her Chinese ("The Chinese Woman"). Eating out of trash is AOK, as long as your girlfriend's mother doesn't catch you ("The Gymnast"). If you try to make the "switch" and date your girlfriend's room mate, you just may get more than you bargained for ("The Switch"). If someone offers you an Armani suit in exchange for a meal, make sure you tell them that soup is indeed a meal ("The Soup"). Just because you are a "beard," doesn't mean you are dating ("The Beard"). Bringing crib notes in the bedroom may not be the best idea ("The Fusilli Jerry"). And just because Mel Torme sings to you, doesn't make you "special" ("The Jimmy"). We also learn phrases such as "re-gifting," and are introduced to new characters like Elaine's new boss J. Peterman (John O'Hurley) and boyfriend, and face painter, David Puddy (Patrick Warburton). In addition to being able to watch these original network versions (1-2 minutes longer then on syndication) and cast member commentaries, this set includes three of Eric Yahnker "Sein-Imation" - classic Seinfeld scenes reimagined in animation. "--Rob Bracco"

Theatrical:

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 541

Summary: By the time "Seinfeld" reached season 7, it was already firmly established as one of the top shows on TV. But Jerry Seinfeld and series co-creator Larry David still had plenty of stops to pull out to keep the show at the top of its form. This is the season where George--yes, George (Jason Alexander)--gets engaged. Elaine (Julia Louis Dreyfuss) judges her dates to see who is "sponge-worthy." Jerry deals with low-flow showerheads, buys Chinese gum, and tries to date Debra Messing. And Kramer (Michael Richards) solidifies his own essential Kramer-ness by putting a hot tub in his living room, going around town in Joseph's Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, buying jeans so tight he can't take them off, and taking advice on court strategy from his caddy. If there is a unifying theme in this season, it would be growing up (or rather, futile attempts to grow up), as Jerry whines to George right off the bat, "What are we doing? What kinds of lives are these? We're like children, we're not men." As a result, marriage emerges as a theme, and George proposes to Susan (Heidi Swedburg) in episode 1. And because George is, well, George, things inevitably go downhill from there. But it's not all navel-gazing. After all, this is the season that gave us "The Soup Nazi," and years later, "no soup for you" is a still a pop-culture touchstone.































Other classics include "The Calzone" where Jerry points out that Elaine's boyfriend never asked her out; "The Bottle Deposit," featuring Kramer teaming with Jerry's nemesis, Newman (Wayne Knight), to make millions out of a bottle deposit scheme; and "The Cadillac," where Jerry's gift of a Cadillac to his parents inevitably leads to trouble, to name just a few. In due course through the season, all attempts to grow up inevitably, and hilariously, fail. That seems to be the world of Seinfeldian existentialism. Seven seasons in, who wants to see these characters actually change, anyway when it's so much more fun to watch them flail in their own skins? Along with the episodes, commentary, and "Notes about Nothing," as on the other seasons, there's a nice profile of Julia Louis Dreyfuss and her character Elaine, who was so key to the show's success, and "Larry David's Farewell," a special feature reviewing David's contributions to the show. --"Daniel Vancini"
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