Actors & Directors
- Polly Bergen
- Hart Bochner
- Tommy Groszman
- Victoria Tennant
- Jane Seymour
- Robert Mitchum
- Dan Curtis
Review War and Remembrance:The second half of this massive miniseries covers events from the last two years of World War II with members of our fictitious family-the Henrys-scattered throughout the world. Pariah "Pug" Henry (Robert Mitchum) visits Russia and England as an advisor-and proposes to his much-younger lover, Pamela (Victoria Tennant)-before retuning to the Pacific theater to join his son Byron (Hart Bochner), a submariner, in battling the Japanese. Meanwhile, Byron's wife, Natalie (Jane Seymour), and her uncle (John Gielgud) continue their harrowing plight, starting in the "Paradise Ghetto" and leading to the Auschwitz concentration camp. This half-11. 5 hours-aired on ABC in May 1989, six months after the first half. Unfortunately there is no kinetic battle sequence like the first half's Midway clash to absorb the viewer. Director Dan Curtis relies more on newsreel footage (and the sometimes heavy-handedness of narrator William Woodson) to cover large events. To compensate, the filmmakers give inordinate screen time to the conspiracy to kill Hitler (Steven Berkoff) by his inner circle. Like in Herman Wouk's novel, Hitler's decision to eliminate the Jews is the backbone of the entire series and the film's steely reenactments of these events-an amazing achievement for network television-is quite harrowing. Authenticity (filming at Auschwitz) plus ace performances (Seymour has been rarely better, Gielgud is outstanding) combine for a powerful statement, although the whole production is sometimes weighed down by the soap-opera elements of the Henrys' lives. [+]
The original Winds of War miniseries had a higher caliber cast, which is missed here. However, a few actors shine in their atypical performances, including Barry Bostwick (who tied with Gielgud for the Golden Globe) as a flamboyant submariner and David Dukes as a desk side attaché who reaches new depths in the war. Although admired and very watchable, the series did not impact the industry as much as its predecessor or sweep the award circuit as other miniseries (Roots, Holocaust, etc. ) did, although it did take home the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries. The 7-DVD set contains an informative booklet, a CD soundtrack, and a disc of extras. Dan Curtis makes comments over 70 select minutes of the series (shown out of context), hitting the highlights of filming, a nice way of letting the filmmaker talk without searching for the commentary throughout the various discs. There's a new 30-minute feature combining new and old footage on the making of this massive production, and a 15-minute featurette on composer Bob Cobert. -Doug Thomas.
Release date: 2001-08-13 Run time: 95 min. Price: $19.95
Review Yes Madam / Tai Seng Video Marketing:
Release date: 1994-04-27 Run time: 90 min. Price: $89.99
Review Undercover Cop / Aip Home Video Inc.:
Actors & Directors
- Joseph Golland
- Barbara Chilcott
- Rita Tushingham
- Sidney Hayers
- Oliver Reed
- Blain Fairman
Creator: David D. Osborn
Review The Trap / Continental Distributing:
Actors & Directors
- Nicole Kidman
- Tony Scott
- Tom Cruise
- Randy Quaid
- Sydney Pollack
- Cary Elwes
- Robert Duvall
Release date: 1998-11-11 Run time: 370 min. List Price: $24.98 Price: $79.99
Review The Tom Cruise Collection (The Firm/Top Gun/Days of Thunder) / Paramount:
Actors & Directors
- Zac Taber
- Clint Ashley
- Gael Richards
- Clint Ashley
- Gael Richards
Release date: 2002-12-23 Run time: 101 min. Price: $29.95
Review Murder In Portland:The story revolves around a young gay boy, the son of a Baptist preacher, who has not spoken since he witnessed a traumatic murder at a very young age. He is driven from his back country home by his abusive father, and travels to Olympia where he meets a young store owner who takes him in. This is the heartwarming story of young love set in Washington state. Follow this young pair as they fall in love and through caring and understanding the young boy regains his ability to speak.
Actors & Directors
- Julie Strain
- Donald G. Jackson
- Scott Shaw
- Robert Z'Dar
- Jill Kelly
- Conrad Brooks
Release date: 1999-03-02 Run time: 90 min. List Price: $89.98 Price: $79.95
Review Armageddon Boulevard / Home Video Films:
Actors & Directors
- Jackie Chan
- Shui-Fan Fung
- Fat Chung
- Charlie Chin
- Riki Hashimoto
Release date: 2001-04-24 Run time: 90 min. Price: $19.95
Review "Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars " / Tai Seng Video Marketing:
Review Superman Volume 1/ Chapters 1-7 [Serial] (1948) / Warner Studios:The best parts of SUPERMAN (1948), a 15-chapter serial produced by Columbia Pictures, are found in the first three or so chapters when we see a lot of Superman lore adapted to film, including the destruction of Krypton, young Clark growing up on a farm with the Kents, and Clark coming to Metropolis and joining the staff of the Daily Planet. We also get to see Superman do lots of superheroic deeds such as rescuing people from disasters. Afterwards, however, it settles into a standard cliffhanger formula with Superman battling the Spider Lady (Carol Forman), a conventional serial villainess and criminal gang leader who sends her standard-issue thugs and henchmen (middle-aged guys in suits, ties and fedoras) out to kidnap Lois and knock out Jimmy Olsen with growing monotony in every episode. On the plus side, the Superman flying effects are carried out through cartoon animation. This enables Superman to be seen flying through a variety of locales. (If Republic Pictures had shot this, they would have repeated the same shot over and over of a stuntman in costume flying on a wire strung from one rock in the San Fernando Valley to another. ) Also, Noel Neill's Lois is as spunky here as the character ever got. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, the ever-smiling Lois plunges into the action wholeheartedly time and time again, frequently making Superman look weak and overly cautious in comparison. Neill played the part again in the sequel, ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN, and later in all but the first season of the TV series.
Actors & Directors
- Robert Guillaume
- Michael Copeman
- Mitzi Kapture
- Anthony Natale (II)
- Robin Gammell
- Artie Mandelberg
Release date: 1998-11-11 Run time: 88 min. Price: $7.99
Review His Bodyguard / Paramount:
Actors & Directors
- Dustin Hoffman
- Del Henney
- Susan George
- T.P. McKenna
- Sam Peckinpah
- Peter Vaughan
Creator: David Zelag Goodman
Review Straw Dogs / Anchor Bay Entertainment:One of Sam Peckinpah's most controversial efforts, this film came out at a critical moment in the early 1970s, released in the same month as both Dirty Harry and A Clockwork Orange, causing a furor over film violence. Based on a little-known British novel, the film casts Dustin Hoffman as a bookish American mathematician on sabbatical in rural England, in the town where his young bride (Susan George) grew up. He finds himself forced to defend his home against an assault by local toughs, and discovers a frighteningly feral and vicious side to himself. Though Straw Dogs has a reputation for graphic violence, it actually looks tame by contemporary standards. Instead, the violence is psychological, and the suspense and shocks are induced by the editing-you're more terrified by what you think you see than by what you are actually shown. -Marshall Fine.
Actors & Directors
- Michael Powell
- Jack Gwillim
- Anthony Quayle
- Ian Hunter
- Emeric Pressburger
- Bernard Lee
- John Gregson
Run time: 114 min.
Review Pursuit of the Graf Spee (aka The Battle of the River Plate):
Actors & Directors
- John Saxon
- William A. Graham
- Edmond O'Brien
- John Kellogg
- David Lewis (III)
- Bert Remsen
Release date: 1998-01-01 Price: $39.98
Review Doomsday Flight / Universal Studios:
Actors & Directors
- Allan Dwan
- Robert Ryan
- Murvyn Vye
- David Farrar
- Lisa Montell
- Barbara Stanwyck
Release date: 2003-02-25 Run time: 86 min. Creator: Kenneth Perkins Price: $9.99
Review Escape to Burma (Ws) / RKO Radio Pictures:
Release date: 2001-03-01 Run time: 60 min. Price: $79.99
Review Original Urban:This extremely rare video features Maestro Peter Urban the founder of American Goju Do and also America's first 10th dan. You will see rare footage of him performing at Manhatten Centre in the 1960's and as well he performs all the kata of USA Goju at both learning and performance speeds. This 1979 video is the first time it has ever been made available for the public and is sanctioned by Maestro Urban himself. Don't be disappointed and missout on this rare entertaining and informative video.
Actors & Directors
- Roger Allers
- Moira Kelly
- Jeremy Irons
- Rob Minkoff
- Matthew Broderick
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas
- James Earl Jones
Release date: 1995-03-03 List Price: $79.99 Price: $79.99
Review The Lion King (Deluxe Collector's Edition) / Walt Disney Video:Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking, and the music is more palatable than in many Disney features. But be cautious: this is too intense for the Rugrat crowd. -Tom Keogh Anybody who struts around with Simba's hard-won authority deserves this royal DVD read-along from Disney. Kids can recoil at Uncle Scar's dastardly deeds en español and discover that "hakuna matata" sounds pretty much the same in Spanish, French, Italian, or German. And should the dynamic storytelling fail to thrill your 4- to 12-year-old fan, a flurry of other interactive options await. Toggle to "Songs" for sing-along renditions of movie hits, including "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," and on to "Music Videos," where Elton John roars soundtrack favorites "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M groove to "Hakuna Matata. " The "Vocabulary" feature allows for see-and-say mastery of a list of wildlife, while the "Game" section allows players to match paw and hoof prints to the proper beast and reassemble the scattered skeletal remains of an elephant. [+]
Original cast voices are featured, and grownups will be pleased by the package's reading component. -Tammy La Gorce.
Actors & Directors
- David Hemmings
- Jennie Linden
- Ian Richardson
- Jack Gold
- Pinkas Braun
- Sam Wanamaker
Release date: 2001-07-10 Run time: 104 min. Price: $9.98
Review A Deadly Game / Hbo Home Video:In this Cold War thriller, Charlie Muffin has survived a death trap set by his own colleagues. Now they seem to need him more than ever as a top Soviet General has agreed to defect. Muffin suspects another trap - but in this no-win game, he?s prepared to break all the rules to survive.
Actors & Directors
- Lee Remick
- Arthur Hiller
- Jim Backus
- James Garner
- Chill Wills
- Phil Harris
Release date: 1994-04-25 Run time: 100 min. Price: $19.98
Review Wheeler Dealers / MGM (Warner):
Actors & Directors
- Dan Curtis
- Victoria Tennant
- Polly Bergen
- Hart Bochner
- Tommy Groszman
- Jane Seymour
- Robert Mitchum
Review War and Remembrance:The second half of this massive miniseries covers events from the last two years of World War II with members of our fictitious family-the Henrys-scattered throughout the world. Pariah "Pug" Henry (Robert Mitchum) visits Russia and England as an advisor-and proposes to his much-younger lover, Pamela (Victoria Tennant)-before retuning to the Pacific theater to join his son Byron (Hart Bochner), a submariner, in battling the Japanese. Meanwhile, Byron's wife, Natalie (Jane Seymour), and her uncle (John Gielgud) continue their harrowing plight, starting in the "Paradise Ghetto" and leading to the Auschwitz concentration camp. This half-11. 5 hours-aired on ABC in May 1989, six months after the first half. Unfortunately there is no kinetic battle sequence like the first half's Midway clash to absorb the viewer. Director Dan Curtis relies more on newsreel footage (and the sometimes heavy-handedness of narrator William Woodson) to cover large events. To compensate, the filmmakers give inordinate screen time to the conspiracy to kill Hitler (Steven Berkoff) by his inner circle. Like in Herman Wouk's novel, Hitler's decision to eliminate the Jews is the backbone of the entire series and the film's steely reenactments of these events-an amazing achievement for network television-is quite harrowing. Authenticity (filming at Auschwitz) plus ace performances (Seymour has been rarely better, Gielgud is outstanding) combine for a powerful statement, although the whole production is sometimes weighed down by the soap-opera elements of the Henrys' lives. [+]
The original Winds of War miniseries had a higher caliber cast, which is missed here. However, a few actors shine in their atypical performances, including Barry Bostwick (who tied with Gielgud for the Golden Globe) as a flamboyant submariner and David Dukes as a desk side attaché who reaches new depths in the war. Although admired and very watchable, the series did not impact the industry as much as its predecessor or sweep the award circuit as other miniseries (Roots, Holocaust, etc. ) did, although it did take home the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries. The 7-DVD set contains an informative booklet, a CD soundtrack, and a disc of extras. Dan Curtis makes comments over 70 select minutes of the series (shown out of context), hitting the highlights of filming, a nice way of letting the filmmaker talk without searching for the commentary throughout the various discs. There's a new 30-minute feature combining new and old footage on the making of this massive production, and a 15-minute featurette on composer Bob Cobert. -Doug Thomas.
Actors & Directors
- Denver Pyle
- Percy Rodrigues
- John Newland
- Hedges Capers
- Susan Strasberg
- R.G. Armstrong
Release date: 1991-10-10 Run time: 86 min. Price: $14.99
Review Legend of Hillbilly John / Starmaker/Anchor Bay:
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Models & Brands: War and Remembrance, Yes Madam, Undercover Cop, The Trap, The Tom Cruise Collection (The Firm/Top Gun/Days of Thunder), Murder In Portland, Armageddon Boulevard, "Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars ", Superman Volume 1/ Chapters 1-7 [Serial] (1948), His Bodyguard, Straw Dogs, Pursuit of the Graf Spee (aka The Battle of the River Plate), Doomsday Flight, Escape to Burma (Ws), Original Urban, The Lion King (Deluxe Collector's Edition), A Deadly Game, Wheeler Dealers, War and Remembrance, Legend of Hillbilly JohnTop headlines: Biden goes after McCain as he joins ticket: Joe Biden set the stage Wednesday for Barack Obamas historic address as the Democratic nominee by launching a heated attack tying John McCain to the Bush White House. ›03:35 Why 'Mama' and 'Dada' are baby's first words: Languages in many cultures have apparently made the task easy by creating words for mothers and fathers that feature patterns of repeating sounds, a new study suggests. ›18:44 27 Aug, Wed Cross-country hydrogen trek completed: Hydrogen fuel cell cars completed a 13-day cross-country trip last weekend, in the first such mass U.S. crossing for vehicles powered by a zero-emission technology still in its infancy. ›02:42 26 Aug, Tue Parents sending kids wrong message about adversity: Part of playing youth sports is facing your fears. Kevin Hench says we're not doing our kids any favors by taking that away. ›20:25 27 Aug, Wed Psst! Gossip sets fashions trends: Pandas and dolphins and dogs oh my! From a colossal cow to a stowaway kitty, these creatures are all extraordinary in some way. ›19:43 22 Aug, Fri Car hits Playboy Mansion twice: One man appears determined to crash the party at the Playboy Mansion. ›10:20 Egypt septuplets stir debate on fertility drugs: The 27-year-old Egyptian woman and her husband already had three children all girls. They badly wanted a boy, so doctors gave her hormones. The startling result: healthy septuplets and a heated debate. ›21:40 26 Aug, Tue Groups: Bush rushing to rewrite species rules: The Bush administration is providing insufficient time for public comment as it seeks to loosen rules protecting endangered species, representatives of more than 100 conservation groups charged Friday. ›22:08 22 Aug, Fri Advancing Atlantic swallows African village: The old shore road to Totope is now under the sea, and when developers began carving out another one, it was washed away so often they abandoned it. ›14:13 26 Aug, Tue Flyings a literal headache for many travelers: Headaches associated with air travel appear to be a huge and painful problem, Israeli researchers report. ›12:44 Confusing food allergy warnings may get clearer: It's one of the biggest frustrations of life with food allergies: That hodgepodge of warnings that a food might accidentally contain the wrong ingredient. ›20:22 25 Aug, Mon Speed limit likely around Atlantic right whales: The government on Monday recommended a speed limit for commercial ships along the Atlantic coast, where collisions with the endangered right whale threaten its existence. ›00:28 26 Aug, Tue Japanese women shy from dual mommy role: or childish husbands. ›11:18 Singapore salon has $1,000-per-lb. teas: Have you backed yourself into a financial corner? TODAY financial editor Jean Chatzky bails readers out with advice on debts, money markets, long-term care insurance and more. ›22:47 26 Aug, Tue Jamaica issues alert as Gustav changes path: Jamaica's government issued a hurricane warning Thursday after strengthening Tropical Storm Gustav unexpectedly jogged to the south. ›12:01 Fast food! Stewarts simple recipes: Planning a wedding away from home can be a challenge, but if you take advantage of the many resources available to you, the process can be smooth, and the event spectacular. ›17:49 26 Aug, Tue Why not wear eco-white after Labor Day?: Concerned that the sludge theyre slopping at the cafeteria is ruining your kids appetite, and maybe even his waistline? Check out these tips for sending your little one off with a healthy lunch. ›15:04 26 Aug, Tue Cat survives being walled in for 7 weeks: Martha Stewart wants to take some stuff off your plate, which is why she's sharing a week's worth of quick and easy dishes for dinner. Learn how to make her herb-crusted salmon, glazed pork chops, black-bean stew with rice, seared steaks with tomato salad and more. ›13:55 27 Aug, Wed Early ear infections may pack on pounds later: Chronic childhood ear infections may damage a vital taste-sensing nerve in kids, perking a preference for rich foods and making them prone to weight gain later, new research suggests. ›14:00 26 Aug, Tue Readers' photos of their wonder pets: ›17:47 27 Aug, Wed Everyone Has a Story: Apply here!: Blood test OKd for heart transplant rejection: Government regulators on Wednesday cleared the way for broader use of a blood test that can spare heart transplant patients the ordeal of repeated biopsies to check if their bodies are rejecting the new organ. ›20:08 27 Aug, Wed Strife over shots: Should our kids play together?: The heated vaccine debate has parents on both sides of the fence discussing the issues more and sometimes finding themselves in awkward or even acrimonious social situations. ›19:38 25 Aug, Mon Up to 10,000 defy order to end Thai protest: Thousands of demonstrators batons and bamboo sticks, defied a court order to end their occupation of the prime minister's office compound, vowing to remain until the country's leaders resign. ›10:46 |