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Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Richard Anderson , Royce D. Applegate , Tom Berenger , Bo Brinkman , and Dwier Brown Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00003CXA6 Release Date: 2004-02-03 |
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Three days in the summer of 1863, at a place called Gettysburg. Although it received a theatrical release, this four-hour depiction of the bloody Civil War battle was shot as a made-for-television film. But no taint of cheapness or shortcuts should stick to this magnificent picture (well, except maybe for those phony-looking mustaches). Based on Michael Shaara's book The Killer Angels, this film takes a refreshingly slow, thorough approach to the intricacies of battle. In ordinary circumstances, those intricacies might seem of importance only to fans of military strategy or Civil War enthusiasts, yet in Gettysburg they come across as the very stuff of life, death, and unexpected heroism. If the film has a problem, it's that it climaxes too early: the first long segment, detailing the struggle of a "civilian soldier," Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), to hold his ground against long odds, is an enthralling piece of moviemaking. Daniels, in a heartbreaking performance, does his best film work. Other cast members include Tom Berenger, Sam Elliott, and Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee. Richard Jordan, in his final role, gives a powerhouse performance as Confederate general Lewis A. Armistead. Oh, and you can also try to spot Ted Turner, whose company produced the film, as a Confederate soldier. Writer-director Ronald F. Maxwell seems inspired by the gravity of the battle; long as it is, every moment of Gettysburg is informed by a nobility of purpose. --Robert Horton
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The Larry Sanders Show - The Complete First Season [Region 99]
Starring: Janeane Garofalo , Megan Gallagher , Kathryn Harrold , Scott Thompson , and Mary Lynn Rajskub Director: John Riggi , and Brent Carpenter Manufacturer: Sony Pictures ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000N3T0EQ Release Date: 2007-04-17 |
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Hey now! Now that even Green Acres has its own boxed set, it's time for the The Larry Sanders Show to hit DVD! Join Larry and his guests Carol Burnett, Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Peter Falk, Mimi Rogers, Billy Crystal, Catherine O'Hara, Richard Simmons, and Bob Saget for one of the '90s best and brightest comedies. Before The Sopranos and Sex and the City, this was HBO's must-hook-up series. The 13 episodes (on three discs) that comprise the first season brilliantly set the stage for what was the funniest and savviest show business comedy since The Dick Van Dyke Show (but with way, way more of an edge). Go backstage and meet the people who toil on "The Larry Sanders Show," the quintessential late-night talk show. Series creator Garry Shandling's Larry is so self-centered and neurotic, he makes Alan Brady look like Mister Rogers. Emmy winner Rip Torn is Artie, Larry's "always ready to jump in" pit bull of a producer, with Jeffrey Tambor as sidekick Hank Kingsley, former cruise director and "poor deluded bastard." The flawless ensemble also includes Penny Johnson as Larry's indispensable secretary Beverly, Janeane Garofalo at her deadpan best as talent booker Paula, and Jeremy Piven as cocksure head writer Jerry. With its unflinching portrayals of ego clashes, petty jealousies, and office politics and paranoia, this hyper-realistic series produced more hilariously awkward and squirm-inducing moments than The King of Comedy. But the boundless pleasures of The Larry Sanders Show make each episode ripe for repeat viewings (in which you can catch and savor the nuances of the performances or the throw-away brilliance of the dialogue). Adding to the fun and verisimilitude are the celebrity guest stars who tweak their personas. There's a less-than-gracious Burnett in the episode "Spiders," a duplicitous Carvey in "The Guest Host," and an insecure Williams in "Hank's Contract." The first disc contains an interview of Shandling conducted by Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic Tom Shales. No flipping, lest you miss the great "Rip Torn story" on how the formidable actor was cast. --Donald Liebenson
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Return to Lonesome Dove
Starring: Jon Voight , Barbara Hershey , Rick Schroder , Louis Gossett Jr. , and William Petersen Director: Mike Robe Manufacturer: Lions Gate ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00008RV0B Release Date: 2003-05-20 |
Product Description
Return to the story that captured both the spirit of the Old West and the hearts of America. Return to the breathtaking locations, dramatic confrontations, stirring romance and thrilling action. RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE.
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They Live
Starring: Roddy Piper , Keith David , Meg Foster , George 'Buck' Flower , and Peter Jason Director: John Carpenter Manufacturer: Universal Studios ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000AOX0F Release Date: 2003-09-23 |
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An economic crisis brings unemployed Nada (Roddy Piper) to L.A. in search of work. What he finds instead is that the ruling elite of the world are aliens in disguise, their aim being to keep humans in a state of mindless consumerism. His discovery comes when he dons a pair of special sunglasses made by a resistance group and sees for the first time reality unadorned. Billboards, store signs, magazine covers--all bear subliminal messages to OBEY, to CONSUME, to have NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. Money itself says THIS IS YOUR GOD. But worst of all, with these glasses you see which of us are really hideous, bug-eyed aliens. The conceptual breakthrough is hilarious while keeping its roots in darker matters. Although some fault the film for settling into its action plot, the ending has a great payoff. And the direction by John Carpenter is handled with superb workmanlike aplomb. One unforgettable set piece has Piper in a back-alley fistfight with a friend who won't put on the glasses that goes on and on, and just when you think it's over it goes another round. One of the most subversive films ever made in Hollywood, They Live was released on the eve of the 1988 elections. The first TV ads had two hideous alien politicians debating, then one accusing the other of being "No John Kennedy!" --Jim Gay
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Network (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Faye Dunaway , William Holden , Peter Finch , Robert Duvall , and Wesley Addy Director: Sidney Lumet Manufacturer: Warner Home Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000CNESU8 Release Date: 2006-02-28 |
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Media madness reigns supreme in screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky's scathing satire about the uses and abuses of network television. But while Chayefsky's and director Sidney Lumet's take on television may seem quaint in the age of "reality TV" and Jerry Springer's talk-show fisticuffs, it's every bit as potent now as it was when the film was released in 1976. And because Chayefsky was one of the greatest of all dramatists, his Oscar-winning script about the ratings frenzy at the cost of cultural integrity is a showcase for powerhouse acting by Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight (who each won Oscars), and Oscar nominee William Holden in one of his finest roles. Finch plays a veteran network anchorman who's been fired because of low ratings. His character's response is to announce he'll kill himself on live television two weeks hence. What follows, along with skyrocketing ratings, is the anchorman's descent into insanity, during which he fervently rages against the medium that made him a celebrity. Dunaway plays the frigid, ratings-obsessed producer who pursues success with cold-blooded zeal; Holden is the married executive who tries to thaw her out during his own seething midlife crisis. Through it all, Chayefsky (via Finch) urges the viewer to repeat the now-famous mantra "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" to reclaim our humanity from the medium that threatens to steal it away. --Jeff ShannonDescription
Newscaster Howard Beale has a message for those who package reports of cute puppies, movie premieres and fender benders as hard news: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." Sidney Lumet directs Paddy Chayefsky's satire (an Academy Award-winning* screenplay) about the things people do for love...and ratings. Three performers won Oscars.* Best Actress Faye Dunaway is the TV exec guarding ratings like a tigress protecting cubs. Best Actor Peter Finch is Beale, whose airwave rants become a phenomenon. And William Holden, Robert Duvall and Best Supporting Actress Beatrice Straight add to the fierce vitality.DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:by Director Sidney Lumet
Theatrical Trailer
Documentaries:The Making of Network (6-part Documentary): The World and Words of Paddy Chayefsky; The Cast, the Characters; The Experience; The Style; Mad as Hell! The Creation of a Movie Moment; A Classic; Network by Walter Cronkite
Featurette:Dinah! Episodes featuring Peter Finch (1976) and Paddy Chayefsky (1977)
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The Thing [HD DVD]
Starring: Wilford Brimley , T.K. Carter , David Clennon , Keith David , and Richard Dysart Director: John Carpenter Manufacturer: Universal Studios ProductGroup: DVD Binding: HD DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000HT3Q0A Release Date: 2006-10-24 |
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Dark Star
Starring: Brian Narelle , Cal Kuniholm , Dre Pahich , Dan O'Bannon , and Adam Beckenbaugh Director: John Carpenter Manufacturer: Magic Lantern Ent. ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000F169 Release Date: 1999-03-23 |
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The Dark Star's crew is on a 20-year mission to destroy unstable planets and make way for future colonization. The smart bombs they use to effect this zoom off cheerfully to do their duty. But unlike Star Trek, in which order prevails, the nerves of this crew are becoming increasingly frayed to the point of psychosis. Their captain has been killed by a radiation leak that also destroyed their toilet paper. "Don't give me any of that 'Intelligent Life' stuff," says Commander Doolittle when presented with the possibility of alien life. "Find me something I can blow up." When an asteroid storm causes a malfunction, Bomb Number 20 (the most cheerful character in the film) has to be repeatedly talked out of exploding prematurely, each time becoming more and more peevish, until they have to teach him phenomenology to make him doubt his existence. And the film's apocalyptic ending, lifted almost wholly from Ray Bradbury's story "Kaleidoscope," has the remaining crew drifting away from each other in space, each to a suitably absurd end. Absurd, surreal, and very funny. John Carpenter once described Dark Star as "Waiting for Godot in space." Made at a cost of practically nothing, the film's effects are nevertheless impressive and, along with the number of ideas crammed into its 83 minutes, ought to shame makers of science fiction films costing hundreds of times more. The DVD contains both the original 68-minute release and the director's full version. --Jim Gay
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Escape From L.A.
Starring: Kurt Russell , A.J. Langer , Steve Buscemi , Georges Corraface , and Stacy Keach Director: John Carpenter Manufacturer: Paramount ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: 6305222886 Release Date: 1998-12-15 |
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Kurt Russell reprises his role as Snake Plissken, of the near-future thriller Escape from New York, in this reworking of that film's basic premise. Instead of New York being a maximum-security prison, this time it's L.A., which through the agency of earthquakes has become an island of the damned. This penal colony is where the film's future rulers, something very like the Moral Majority, send those deemed guilty of "moral crimes." But something has gone wrong in this new moral order, because the President's daughter has absconded to L.A. with a detonation device, and Snake is commandeered to retrieve it. The film's dark dystopia, with its satrical elements taking aim at our dwindling freedoms, and the eclipsing of democracy by narrow interests, are more the subject this time. As a result the action suffers, and the plot devices are sometimes weak and predictable. But just below the surface there is a coiled Snake ready to strike. Steve Buscemi's performance as a weasely hawker of L.A. tour maps is a standout, and the presence of Peter Fonda and Pam Grier adds to the fun. In fact, just the sight of Fonda surfing down the flooded corridor of Sunset Boulevard is reason enough to check this movie out. --Jim Gay
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H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon [Region 99]
Starring: Edward Judd , Martha Hyer , Lionel Jeffries , Miles Malleson , and Norman Bird Director: Nathan Juran , and Richard Schickel Manufacturer: Sony Pictures ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005Y6XR Release Date: 2002-03-26 |
Description
H.G. Wells' fantastic account of life on the moon is vividly brought to the screen by special effects master Ray Harryhausen in this amazing sci-fi epic featuring unforgettable extra-terrestrial creatures. The film begins with a team of United Nations astronauts planning an upcoming moon mission. The astronauts are both confused and intrigued by a man (Judd) who claims he, his fiancee and a scientist journeyed to the moon 65 years ago and were attacked by "Selenites," grotesque, human-like ant forms that live in immense crystal caverns. Now it is up to the U.N. team to attempt a lunar landing that could be more horrifying than ever believed possible.
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Christine (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Starring: Keith Gordon , John Stockwell , Alexandra Paul , Robert Prosky , and Harry Dean Stanton Director: John Carpenter Manufacturer: Sony Pictures ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0002O7XW2 Release Date: 2004-09-28 |
Product Description
She was born in Detroit on an automobile assembly line. But she is no ordinary automobile. Deep within her chassis lives an unholy presence. She is CHRISTINE a red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury whose unique standard equipment includes an evil, indestructible vengeance that will destroy anyone in her way. She seduces 17-year-old Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) who becomes consumed with passion for her sleek rounded chrome-laden body. She demands his complete and unquestioned devotion and when outsiders seek to interfere, they become the victims of Christine's horrifying wrath. John Carpenter brings Stephen King's best selling novel to life in this chilling thriller.Amazon.com
She can't (and won't) drive 55.... Stephen King's novel about the twisted love affair between a boy and his car gets transferred to the screen, courtesy of suspense master John Carpenter. Although lacking some of the more outré supernatural elements of the source material, this high-octane cinematic tune-up more than delivers the goods, horror-wise (Christine's midnight rampages will never be forgotten)--as well as being a sly exposé of the random cruelties within the high-school pecking order. Keith Gordon (who has gone on to become a stellar director in his own right, with films such as A Midnight Clear and Mother Night to his credit) gives a wonderfully controlled central performance. Carpenter's atmospheric original score is backed up by a well-chosen collection of rock classics, including George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone" (the titular character's all-too-apt theme song). --Andrew WrightDirector: