Library

Sound: Dolby

Comments: A surrealist masterpiece.
Âge d'or, L'

Summary: Bunuel's first feature has more of a plot than Un Chien Andalou, but it's still a pure Surrealist film, so this is only a vague outline. A man and a woman are passionately in love with one another, but their attempts to consummate that passion are constantly thwarted, by their families, the Church and bourgeois society.

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Summary: Robert Bresson always claimed his films are about hope and redemption, but so many end in death or suicide that it's a struggle to reconcile the statement with his films. His final film, based on Leo Tolstoy's story "The Counterfeit Note", is no different. It's the harrowing tale of an innocent man, Yvon (Christian Patey), whose victimization at the hands of an arrogant upper-class delinquent and a greedy shop owner sends him on a downward spiral into a life of crime. The once-happy husband and father turns bitter, angry, self-pitying, and ultimately coldly brutal in the chilling conclusion. It's Bresson's most expansive film and biggest canvas, weaving the paths of numerous characters across Yvon's journey, but he edits with jackrabbit jumps, running headlong through the story with a painful feeling of inevitability. On its simplest level, Yvon's story is an elaborate chain of cause and effect, the ripples of a selfish act resulting in the fall of a proud man and the destruction of his soul, and Bresson presents every link in that chain with precise, cold clarity. There is little hope evidenced in "L'Argent", but there is powerful sense of loss and sadness in this portrait of a society so obsessed with money that it loses its humanity. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: French

Subtitles: English

Summary:

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Born to poverty. Destined for stardom. He Lived the American Dream.

Summary: When Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens hopped a small plane after a Midwestern concert gig, early rock suffered one of its most striking tragedies. Holly's death in the plane's crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, was an obvious loss given the Texas rocker's international reputation. But Valens, a Pacoima, California, teenager, was much closer to the starting gate, his impact extending to just two national chart hits, the teen ballad "Donna" and his ebullient recasting of a Mexican wedding song, "La Bamba."
Director and playwright Luis Valdez, who had previously examined Southern California's Latino heritage through stage productions, brought a deep well of cultural identification and dramatic empathy to Valens's story. "La Bamba" thus probes Valens's underlying sense of cultural distance from the mainstream and acknowledges the inevitable racism of its setting, yet it's to everyone's credit that the movie avoids an excessive, revisionist emphasis; Valens's simple joy in music and the relative innocence of the era are felt, even though the script is careful not to sanitize earthier elements. Lou Diamond Phillips makes an impressive debut in the title role, matched by strong performances from Esai Morales and Elizabeth Peña, while the music gets kick started by the shrewd decision to draft Los Lobos to re-create Valens's music. Rock fans will also smile at savvy casting for Valens peers Eddie Cochran (Brian Setzer), Jackie Wilson (Howard Huntsberry), and Holly himself (Marshall Crenshaw). "--Sam Sutherland"

Languages: French

Subtitles: English

Comments: From Xvid
Filed with Robot Jox

Summary: Based on the classic Emile Zola novel, Jean Renoir's La bete humaine was one of the legendary director's greatest popular successes, tapping into the fatalism of a nation in despair. Jean Gabin's emblematic portrayal of doomed train engineer Jacques Lantier granted him a permanent place in the hearts of his countrymen. Part poetic realism, part film noir, the film is a hard-boiled and suspenseful journey into the tormented psyche of a workingman. SPECIAL FEATURES: New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the original uncut version. Introduction to the film by Jean Renoir. New interview with director Peter Bogdanovich. Archival interviews with Renoir discussing his adaptation of Emile Zola's novels, his process with actors, and directing actress Simone Simon. Gallery of on-set photographs and theatrical posters. Theatrical trailer. New and improved English subtitle translation. A booklet featuring writings by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien, historian Ginette Vincendeau, and production designer Eugene Lourie.

Subtitles: English

Sound: MP3

Summary: Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages:
o English (subtitles)
o French (Dolby Digital 2.0) Synopsis:
Director Jean-Luc Godard, whose advocacy of Maoism bordered on intoxication, infuriated many traditionalist critics with his swiftly paced satire La Chinoise. Godard's then-wife Anne Wiazemsky plays a philosophy student who commiserates with the four members of her campus Maoist group. They are so taken by the external trappings of their cause--the posters, the Little Red Books, the by-rote chantings--that they seem not to grasp the true meaning of their political persuasion. Nor do they give any thought to the long-range ramifications of their terrorist activities. Godard is obviously on the students' side throughout, though he balances their fanaticism with the comparative gentility of old-style revolutionaries. Nonfans of Godard were given migraines by the director's perverse refusal to film even the simplest sequence in a linear, logical fashion. La Chinoise quickly gained the reputation of a "head film", best appreciated when the viewer is stoned. In these PC days, the audience for this sort of film is generally "straight"...which may be why it has seldom been shown in recent years. Special Features:
o Interactive Menu
o Scene Access

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Jetée, La
Film 12 Monkeys is based on

Summary: In a devastated Paris in the aftermath of WWIII, The few surviving humans begin researching time travel, hoping to send someone back to the pre-war world for food, supplies and maybe a solution to their dire position. One man is haunted by a vague childhood memory that will prove fateful.

Languages: Italian

Subtitles: English

Sound: MP3

Summary: Gelsomina is sold by her very poor mother to Zampano, an itinerant strongman. She follows him on the road ("la strada") and helps him during his shows. Zampano ill treats her. She meets "The Fool", a funambulist. She feels like going with him, but he puts confusion in her mind by pointing out that perhaps Zampano is in fact in love with her ...

Subtitles: English

Summary: In order to get rid of his troublesome son François, Maître Gérane manages to have him committed to a mental hospital owned by Dr. Varmont, a supporter of traditional treatments, in constant conflict with Dr. Emery, whose therapy takes the psychology of patients into account. François soon makes friends with Heurtevent, a sweet epileptic, and both decide to escape from the place. Their attempt is a failure and Heurtevent, unable to get over what he considers a return to hell, commits suicide. But rebellious François tries again and this time around he is successful. He finds shelter at his friend Stephanie's home...

Languages: English

Sound: MP3

Summary: I loved Jerry Lewis movies as a kid, but naturally lost interest as I grew older and it seemed the movies simultaneously declined in quality while Jerry became increasingly annoying as a pontificating pseudo-intellectual. However his early work was interesting as he tried different things (silence in The Bellboy for example) and he made a couple of fine comedies early on. I have always found parts of It's Only Money and The Ladies Man hilarious. Many feel The Nutty Professor to be his best, and it has some good stuff, but I have always been partial to the all-out, anything-goes assault of gags in The Ladies Man, one of his best efforts. Also the shmaltz and sentimentality that marred so much of his later films is, for the most part, thankfully absent here.

Comedy, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and you cannot fake a laugh. You either find a non-sequiter throw-away joke like the bit with the door cited above funny, or you don't. Likewise many of the non-stop gag setups and deliveries here will crack you up or they won't. Of course it's silly. It was meant to be silly. Silly done well, is just fine.

There are some great bits here: the opening "heartbreak" scene (hilariously exaggerated); the butterflies; the other "pain" jokes (the toaster); "baby"; the dance with George Raft; the surreal encounter with Miss Cartilage; the "sound test" with Doodles Weaver; the intrusions into Mrs. Wellonmellon's TV show and so on. And if none of the above make you laugh, there is the one certified classic routine of the "hat bit" with Jerry Lester doing his patented "slow-burn".

Jerry made good use of the elaborate set and his direction here is as concise and appropriate as possible. As to the DVD, unfortunately, on the Commentary Jerry offers a few useful insights, but Steve Lawrence seems to be there just to say "Great Jer" after every bit. Egregious, but I suppose they don't watch many DVD's, and fail to understand what a Commentary is about. Take the 5 stars in context.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Eve Sure Knows Her Apples !

Summary: A conniving father and daughter meet up with the heir to a brewery fortune-a wealthy but naïve snake enthusiast-and attempt to bamboozle him at a cruise ship card table. Their plan is quickly abandoned when the daughter falls in love with their prey. But when the heir gets wise to her gold-digging ways, she must plot to re-conquer his heart. One of Sturges' most clever and beloved romantic comedies, "The Lady Eve" balances broad slapstick and sophisticated sexiness with perfect grace.

Summary: Chang men jen

Languages: English

Sound: AAC

Comments: GIRLS and GAGS! MUSIC and MIRTH!

Summary: Sassy Dixie Daisy is the hot new attraction at a former opera house that's been turned into a burlesque theater. She's popular with the customers, although not with Lolita La Verne, a stuck-up diva who was hoping she'd get the top spot. Also complicating matters is the return of the Princess Nirvena, the show's former star who once had a fling with the boss. When the Princess blackmails her way into the top spot, Dixie is none too pleased. When both Lolita and the Princess are murdered, Dixie becomes a prime suspect. She then sets up a trap to nail the real killer.

Languages: Japanese

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Lady Snowblood (Shurayuki-hime) is caught by the police and sentenced to death for her crimes (in Lady Snowblood I). As she is sent to the gallows she is rescued by the secret police who offer her a deal to assassinate some revolutionaries.

Shura-yuki-hime: Urami Renga

Languages: Japanese

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: A flamboyantly blood-spattered samurai revenge picture with a twist: the implacable seeker of retribution is a slender female (Meiko Kaji) with a flawless ivory complexion and a dead-center killer stare. Born in prison, Snowblood is raised by a martial priest and trained to fulfill a single purpose: tracking down, and dismembering (or bisecting), the four cackling fiends who killed her father and persecuted her mother to an early grave. Adapted from another "manga" comic book written by Kasuo Koike, whose most famous work became the legendary "Lone Wolf and Cub" film series, this 1973 programmer stays close to its pulp-paper roots: images from the comics are deployed in a couple of montage sequences, and the story is divided into four chapters drawn from the monthly "manga" installments. Stalwart leading man Toshio Kurasawa plays a crusading journalist who writes a series of Japanese dime novels based on Snowblood's exploits, and manages to flush out a couple of the evildoers in the process. "--David Chute"

Languages: English

Sound: AAC

Summary: Wittily updated from one of "Dracula" author Bram Stoker's lesser-known horror novels, "The Lair of the White Worm" is a camp classic that only Ken Russell could have delivered. It's got all the perversity one expects from the bombastic director of "Tommy" and "Altered States": sensible plotting, intelligent dialogue laced with double entendre, graphic imagery with Boschian intensity, and a mischievous disregard for good taste and decorum. In other words, it's heretically hilarious, especially when skeptical Lord D'Ampton (fresh-faced Hugh Grant, in one of his earliest films) begins to suspect that seductive neighbor Sylvia (Amanda Donohoe, game for anything) is connected to the local legend of a monstrous serpent that feeds on sacrificial virgins. Evidence mounts with the help of a local archaeologist (Peter Capaldi) and two endangered sisters (Catherine Oxenberg, Sammi Davis), and Russell infuses Stoker's grisly plot with his inimitable brand of blasphemy, including a gouged eyeball, a venom-splattered crucifix, Roman soldiers raping nuns (in a delirious hallucination sequence), and some of the funniest one-liners since "Young Frankenstein". Prudes beware; everyone else…enjoy! "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: French

Subtitles: English

Summary:

Languages: English

Comments: The dead shall inherit the Earth.

Summary: Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero returns to unleash his new zombie masterpiece! Starring Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo, Romero's latest undead epic finds humanity's last remnants battling to survive the unspeakable truth: The ravenous zombie hordes besieging their fortified city are evolving!

Languages: English

Comments: THE ADVENTURE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET!

Summary: The Land That Time Forgot
The action is unremitting (Films & Filming) in this elaborate fantasy adventure (Time) about a band of castaways who land on a mysterious island, only to realize its already inhabited by hordes of carnivorous creat

Languages: English

Sound: MP3

Comments: Behind a barrier of antarctic ice... a paradise of hidden terrors!

Summary: On a naval expedition to Antarctica, three men and reporter Maggie Hathaway crash-land in a crater 1000 m below sea level. There, they encounter steamy tropical forest, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and human footprints, as Maggie's clothes become more and more abbreviated.

Languages: English

Sound: AAC

Comments: The Mind That Organized Crime.

Summary: This is the telling of the life of organized crime boss, Meyer Lansky, as remembered by him as a very old man who is moving about the world looking for some country that will take him in since the US courts have put out an extradition order for him to stand trial. It tells of a young man growing up in the Jewish ghettos of America's big cities at the turn of the century and of his bright intelligence which he used for moving into crime. "I'm only a gambler," he claimed, "just like most all Americans." When asked by a reporter to comment on the killings that occurred under his leadership he declined, thereby making this film's thrust that of personalities and relationships rather than of acts of violence or the workings of corrupt deeds.

Languages: English

Sound: AAC

Summary: Three bumbling crooks buy a store so that they can rob the bank next door. When they soon discover the money they can make as legitimate businessmen, they abandon their plan. Trouble is, one of their cohorts, who's escaped from jail, won't let them.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: They'll Give Anyone A Badge.

Summary: The redneck rube from the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" franchise plays a character much like himself in this feature, which balances Larry the Cable Guy's occasional excesses in toilet humor with strong comic performances from the supporting cast. Larry plays a dedicated health inspector who gets in over his head when the city mayor (Joe Pantoliano) personally appoints him to investigate a rash of food poisonings at five-star restaurants. Larry's ignorance of anything cultural that doesn't involve his truck or MoonPies proves a handicap, but his knowledge of vermin and disarmingly unabashed way of interviewing witnesses and suspects slowly gets him where he needs to go. For the most part, the movie gives the comedian plenty of room to indulge his gross-out shtick. But it helps to have some other talent on board, notably Tom Wilson as Larry's exasperated boss, Iris Bahr as a dreary new partner Larry thinks is a man, David Koechner as a halfwit friend, Joanna Cassidy as a restaurant owner, and Megyn Price as Larry's shy but headstrong girlfriend. "--Tom Keogh"

Sound: AAC

Comments: The search for true love begins outside the box

Summary: In this comedy, Lars Lindstrom is an awkwardly shy young man in a small northern town who finally brings home the girl of his dreams to his brother and sister-in-law's home. The only problem is that she's not real - she's a sex doll Lars ordered off the Internet. But sex is not what Lars has in mind, but rather a deep, meaningful relationship. His sister-in-law is worried for him, his brother thinks he's nuts, but eventually the entire town goes along with his delusion in support of this sweet natured boy that they've always loved.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: A secret agent. A beautiful accomplice. A daring mission to prevent World War III. One thrilling adventure!

Summary: Laser Mission - The CIA and KGB are in a race to reach a scientist in Cuba. The race is on and the fate of the world is in their hands.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: More Than A Hero. A Legend.

Summary: Based on Eric Knight's 1938 novel about a trusty pooch, "Lassie Come-Home," the film is set on the eve of WWII in a Yorkshire mining town. The Carraclough family is forced to sell Lassie to the Duke of Rudling when the family falls on hard times. When Lassie finds herself transported five hundred miles away to live in the Duke's remote castle in northern Scotland, she is determined to defy the odds and return to her home and the boy she loves. So begins an incredible adventure, set against a stunning series of British landscapes that sees Lassie facing dangers natural and human and finding help in unexpected places as she makes her way across the country, to reach home in time for Christmas.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: The goal is to survive.

Summary: A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician.

Languages: English

Sound: MP3

Summary: A young man searches for the "master" to obtain the final level of martial arts mastery known as the glow. Along the way he must fight an evil martial arts expert and an rescue a beautiful singer from an obsessed music promoter.

Sound: AAC

Comments: You bet your ass this is for real!

Summary: After serving 1 year in jail a guy decides to repay the society by making some snuff-films. Four people are captured, tied up and held as material for his project. One by one they are killed in scenes for the camera. A woman has her limbs sawn of while he keep her concious. Another victim is killed by a power drill.

Languages: English

Comments: To avoid fainting, keep repeating "It's only a movie...It's only a movie..."

Summary: Bold, powerful and starkly realistic, this chilling cinematic debut of horror master Wes Craven (Scream) is a shocking journey into the heart of evil. Written and directed with "almost unbearable dramatic tension" (Chicago Sun Times), The Last House on th

Languages: English Dubbed

Summary: In the Chinese "wu hsia" (martial chivalry) genre, sword-swinging heroes are often referred to as "altruists," and it's that aspect of the legend that gets a workout in this 1978 John Woo effort. Kao (Lau Kong), the duplicitous pivotal character, has purchased a beautiful wife for 1,000 taels of gold; alas, his rival, the prodigious fighter Pei, has paid her 2,000 taels to kill him. The moral is that when loyalty can be purchased, it no longer exists. The central action unfolds against this backdrop of a cynical, mercenary world. Kao selects a couple of fighters as soldiers in his quest for revenge, but being rare and noble souls they won't fight for money alone. Only after Kao, in a calculated move, helps Chang's dying mother will the fighters agree to take the case. This is only a moderately successful action movie, but it was a crucial stepping-stone in Woo's career: the action scenes, the highly emotional friendships, and the romantic music recall Chang Cheh, who Woo credits as an inspiration for his later gangster pictures, A Better Tomorrow and The Killer. The mournful resignation, the fading values, even the final assault on the baddie's headquarters, all these flourishes became staples of the Hong Kong gang films of the 1980s--though the gang flicks can't boast eccentric characters like the Sleeping Wizard, who fights in his sleep. --David Chute

Languages: English

Comments: Charming. Magnetic. Murderous.

Summary:
As the evil Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance in "The Last King of Scotland". Powerfully illustrating the terrible truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this fictionalized chronicle of Amin's rise and fall is based on the acclaimed novel by Giles Foden, in which Amin's despotic reign of terror is viewed through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His outsider's perspective causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power, but as the story progresses--and as Whitaker's award-worthy performance grows increasingly monstrous--"The Last King of Scotland" turns into a pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. As Whitaker plays him, Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive--sometimes in the same breath--and McAvoy effectively conveys the tragic cost of his character's naiveté, which grows increasingly prone to exploitation. As directed by Kevin Macdonald (who made the riveting semi-documentary "Into the Void"), this potent cautionary tale my prompt some viewers to check out Barbet Schroeder's equally revealing documentary "General Idi Amin Dada", an essential source for much of this film's authentic detail. "--Jeff Shannon"

Beyond "The Last King of Scotland"
More from Forest Whitaker
General Idi Amin Dada
"The Last King of Scotland" (Paperback)
Stills from "The Last King of Scotland"

Languages: German

Summary: One of the most influential silent films of all time, F.W. Murnau's street-drama tragedy (of an aging hotel porter who loses his job to a younger, more dashing man and suffers the humiliation of being demoted to washroom attendant) is a compendium of silent film techniques handled with a new sophistication. When the hearty, rather pompous Emil Jannings loses the dignified uniform of his station, he transforms into a scared little man scurrying through the shadows to hide his demotion from friends and family. Murnau captures the humiliation and calamitous fallout from the demotion (he loses not just his self-respect, but the esteem of his neighbors and even his apartment) in haunting, expressionistic images that magnify the petty events into tragic melodrama. The story seems a little extreme even for the genre but it's never less than a harrowing, subjective experience, even with the rather fanciful happy ending tacked on the end of it. Most famously, Murnau throws the camera into motion--one of his most famous shots takes the viewers up an elevator, through the grand hotel lobby, and out the revolving glass door in a single smooth shot--and it hasn't stopped moving since.
Kino's DVD features a wonderful score by Timothy Brock and the Olympia Chamber Orchestra as well as the credits montage sequence from the German release. Production stills are also included among the supplements. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: Thai

Subtitles: English

Comments: With Rock N Roll Swindle

Summary: A mysterious, obsessive-compulsive, suicidal Japanese man living in Bangkok, Thailand, is thrown together with a Thai woman through a tragic chain of events. The woman is everything he is not. He is a neat freak who keeps his dishes washed and his books neatly stacked and categorized. She dresses like a slob, smokes pot and never picks anything up. It's a match that somehow works, though. Slowly and entertainingly, more is revealed about the Japanese man and why he's suicidal and living in Bangkok.

Ruang rak noi nid mahasan

Sound: Dolby

Comments: By night they leave their graves, crawling, shambling, through empty streets, whimpering, pleading, begging for his blood!

Summary: Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the only survivor of a devastating world-wide plague due to a mysterious immunity he acquired to the bacterium while working in Central America years ago. He is all alone now...or so it seems. As night falls, plague victims begin to leave their graves, part of a hellish undead army that''s thirsting for blood...his!

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: The first American hero.

Summary: Wildly romantic, daringly exciting, Michael Mann's film of James Fenimore Cooper's novel created a new babe magnet out of Daniel Day-Lewis, he of the heaving pecs and flowing mane. As Hawkeye, he plays an American settler raised by the Mohicans who is forced to serve as a guide for British adventurism in upstate New York. But the British have been outflanked by the French (and their Indian allies); then British honor is betrayed when a band of renegades assaults them during their retreat. Mann captures the viciousness of this era's hand-to-hand combat in startling battle scenes. But he also invests the film with heartfelt romance, as the feelings swell between Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. The ending is a stunner, a long, nearly wordless sequence of battle and loss. Strong performances all around, particularly by Russell Means as Chingachgook and Wes Studi as the evil Magua. "--Marshall Fine"

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Summary: After a bloodbath of a robbery taken right out of "The Wild Bunch" and then being betrayed by his gang, Graff (Mickey Rourke) joins the side of the law to hunt his enemies and kill them one by one.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Anarene, Texas, 1951. Nothing much has changed...

Summary: Like "Easy Rider", "Bonnie and Clyde", "The Wild Bunch", and "The Graduate", "The Last Picture Show" is one of the signature films of the "New Hollywood" that emerged in the late 1960s and early '70s. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry and lovingly directed by Peter Bogdanovich (who cowrote the script with McMurtry), this 1971 drama has been interpreted as an affectionate tribute to classic Hollywood filmmaking and the great directors (such as John Ford) that Bogdanovich so deeply admired. It's also a eulogy for lost innocence and small-town life, so accurately rendered that critic Roger Ebert called it "the best film of 1951," referring to the movie's one-year time frame, its black-and-white cinematography (by Robert Surtees), and its sparse but evocative visual style. The story is set in the tiny, dying town of Anarene, Texas, where the main-street movie house is about to close for good, and where a pair of high-school football players are coming of age and struggling to define their uncertain futures. There's little to do in Anarene, and while Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) engages in a passionless fling with his football coach's wife (Cloris Leachman), his best friend Duane (Jeff Bridges) enlists for service in the Korean War. Both boys fall for a manipulative high-school beauty (Cybill Shepherd) who's well aware of her sexual allure. But it's not so much what happens in "The Last Picture" show as how it happens--and how Bogdanovich and his excellent cast so effectively capture the melancholy mood of a ghost town in the making. As Hank Williams sings on the film's evocative soundtrack, "The Last Picture Show" looks, feels, and sounds like a sad but unforgettably precious moment out of time. "--Jeff Shannon"

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Okami yo rakujitsu o kire

Summary:

Sound: MP3

Comments: The last of the warriors could now be our last hope.

Summary: No emotion. No fear. No pain. They were the perfect soldiers to protect civilization-until the drone police became the perfect enemy. With little hope left for mankind, Tallis, an electronically enhanced soldier, rescues a rebel beauty from a failed resistance mission. A force to be reckoned with, she will learn to fight and think like a machine for the final battle to save the human race.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Recognizing that wealthy cattle rancher Craig Belden's son, Rick, is one of his wife's killers, Morgan travels to Gun Hill to arrest him. Belden refuses to hand his son over, and Morgan is determined to capture Rick and take him away by the 9:00 train but he is trapped in the town alone, with Belden and all his men now looking to kill him.

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: AAC

Comments: ROMANTIC WESTERN ADVENTURE!

Summary: When a handful of settlers survive an Apache attack on their wagon train they must put their lives into the hands of Comanche Todd, a white man who has lived with the Comanches most of his life and is wanted for the murder of three men.

Sound: Dolby

Comments: They fought for the Ultimate Prize!

Summary: Ev; her husband, Harold; and their lawyer friend, Martin, are skindiving while on vacation in Puerto Rico. When they resurface, they gradually conclude that an unexplained, temporary interruption of oxygen has killed everyone on the island - maybe in the world!

Languages: English

Summary: "Antwerp!" For science fiction fans, the long-awaited VHS and DVD release of "The Lathe of Heaven" is a dream come true. This haunting adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's genre-classic novel was broadcast but once on PBS in 1980 before rights and other legal snafus relegated it to the archives. Reportedly PBS's most requested program, the made-for-TV film was at last rebroadcast in 2000. Set in Portland, Oregon, in the near future, "The Lathe of Heaven" stars Bruce Davison as George Orr, who, to put it mildly, has a dream problem. Not only do his dreams come true, but they "change reality back to the Stone Age."
Kevin Conway costars as Dr. Haber, a dream specialist who instantly recognizes George's gift and tries to harness it to make the whole world right. But, as George notes, "Unlimited power means unlimited danger." The increasingly megalomaniacal Haber uses George to try to cure the world's ills, from overpopulation to war, resulting in, for starters, a devastating plague and even alien invasion.
Many in this production went on to projects familiar to audiences: Cowriter Diane English went on to create TV's "Murphy Brown"; Scott Rudin, credited with "Principle Casting," is now one of Hollywood's most formidable producers; Margaret Avery, who costars as a skeptical lawyer who comes to believe George's incredible tale, was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in "The Color Purple". For those who have only been able to see this now-legendary production on poor-quality bootleg tapes, this release will be sheer heaven. The DVD contains an interview with Le Guin conducted by Bill Moyers. "--Donald Liebenson"

Languages: English

Sound: MP3

Comments: Eight people know who the killer is - and they're all dead!

Summary: Sgt. Jake Martin is speaking to his new partner, Insp. Leo Larsen; trying to convince him how important this investigation is. Inspector Leo Larsen is leery:

"Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD: Evans was working the Teresa thing on his own time. He's killed on the same bus with Gus Niles who's looking for a grease gun that happens to be the weapon used.

Insp. Leo Larsen SFPD: And then his girlfriend winds up dead on the floor with the needle... Jake, you realize what you just did? You do it to me all the time, now you heard what the man said upstairs.

Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD: I heard him, I was up there, he's a nice man, he shoots in the low 80s, but he plays too close to the vest.

Insp. Leo Larsen SFPD: Then what are you laying all that crap on ME FOR? WHY DON'T YOU STOP IT FOR ONCE? That's YOUR personal hang-up, it does NOT happen to be mine!

Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD: Can't you see it?

Insp. Leo Larsen SFPD: I see one thing, I see why you're such a good cop, and one reason only, because you're so screwed up otherwise. You're beyond human belief, you understand that? You've got nothing else, no personal life, nothing!

Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD: All I'm asking you to do is help me tail a guy for a few days, its routine!

Insp. Leo Larsen SFPD: IT IS NOT ROUTINE JAKE, GODDAMMIT, IF THE BOSS SAYS FORGET IT!"

Nine people in San Francisco get on a bus, one leaves alive. The
living one takes with him a "greaser", some sort of sub-machine gun that he used to kill the other eight. Why? What is this all about? That is what Sgt. Martin wants to know. One of the eight is his dead partner, who was supposed to be on vacation. Jake Martin( Walter Matthau) is obsessed with this case, and will not rest until he finds the answer. Enters (Bruce Dern)Insp. Leo Larsen, his new partner. This is Leo's break, up into the big time, but his partner doesn't talk much, and it drives him crazy.

Sgt. Jack Martin is "melancholy, bordering on depression, overwhelming him because he suspects he may have lost his partner as the result of the two-year-old case he failed to resolve." Thus "The Laughing Policeman" is a play on words. This case takes us into the underground of San Francisco in the 1970's. Fuzzy, high hair, hippies, bright suits and a tamer life than we know now. The investigation is "right on", and the clues and lack of clues bring them to many stops along the way. All of the clues are looked at carefully, and all of the leads followed up. The criminal elements are all interviewed. The loves and the outlaws are interplayed with junkies and the motorcycle mamas. These detectives are real and play the part, they are depressed and worried and sometimes hate their job. Sgt.Martin has been in this business for a long time, and the unsolved case of a few years ago has now come full tilt. There is the requisite car chase in San Francisco up the hills and around the sharp corners. Walter Matthau has stepped into his second detective role, and at times it seems as if he is reaching for this character. Bruce Dern plays his character with charm and determination. The scenery is magnificent and the city comes alive. This is the beginning of the detective series that we have seen so many times on TV. "The Streets Of San Francisco" it is not, but almost as good.. Recommended. Prisrob

Summary:

Languages: English

Sound: MP3

Comments: The story of a love that became the most fearful thing that ever happened to a woman!

Summary: Detective Mark McPherson investigates the killing of Laura, found dead on her apartment floor before the movie starts. McPherson builds a mental picture of the dead girl from the suspects whom he interviews. He is helped by the striking painting of the late lamented Laura hanging on her apartment wall. But who would have wanted to kill a girl with whom every man she met seemed to fall in love? To make matters worse, McPherson finds himself falling under her spell too. Then one night, halfway through his investigations, something seriously bizarre happens to make him re-think the whole case.

Languages: English

Sound: AAC

Summary: Outlaw Clint Hollister escapes from jail with the help of Marshal Jake Wade, because once Clint did the same for him. Jake left Clint just after, but Clint finds him back and forces Jake to lead him to a loot Jake buried one year ago when he quitted Clint's gang.

Languages: English

Sound: AAC

Summary: While passing through the town of Bannock, a bunch of drunken, trail-weary cattlemen go overboard with their celebrating and accidentally kill an old man with a stray shot. They return home to Sabbath unaware of his death. Bannock lawman Jered Maddox later arrives there to arrest everyone involved on a charge of murder. Sabbath is run by land baron Vince Bronson, a benevolent despot, who, upon hearing of the death, offers restitution for the incident. Maddox, however, will not compromise even though small ranchers like Vern Adams are not in a position to desert their responsibilities for a long and protracted trial. Sabbath's marshal, Cotton Ryan, is an aging lawman whose tough reputation rests on a single incident that occurred years before. Ryan admits to being only a shadow of what he once was and no threat to stop Maddox. Maddox confides to Ryan that Bannock's judicial system is weak and corrupt, and while he's doubtful that anyone he brings back will suffer more than the price of a bribe, he will not be deterred in his unrelenting pursuit of his duty. Initially Bronson appears willing to make concessions, but when his oldest friend Harvey Stenbaugh is killed after deliberately picking a fight with Maddox, Bronson digs in his heels with the rest of the town to resist the relentless lawman.

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: AAC

Summary: The successful drug dealer Mr. X plans his criminal career intermediating business with drugs without calling the attention, working with a small gang and honoring his payments with the suppliers. On the day planned for his early retirement, the powerful mobster Jimmy Price gives two assignments to him: find Charlie, the addicted daughter of his associate Eddie Temple and negotiate one million pills of high-quality ecstasy with the stupid smalltime gangster Duke. Mr. X hires two acquaintances crooks in a night-club to find Charlie, and he unexpectedly meets Duke's cousin Sidney with his sexy girlfriend Tammy and flirts with her. But Mr. X discovers that the ecstasy was stolen from the dangerous and wild Serbian drug lord Dragan that wants the head of Duke and the drugs back. Further, Eddie shows a tape proving that he has been double-crossed by Jimmy, and also wants the ecstasy. The smart Mr. X plots a scheme to resolve the situation and meet Tammy.

Subtitles: English

Sound: MP3

Summary:

Languages: English

Comments: The sky is raining fish. Skyscrapers sit in mountains of sand. Bandits sleep in trunks of used cars. It's a world of the future. A world called Planet Earth. And he's one man just trying to survive.

Summary: Owing perhaps a little to the earlier and very influential 'The Road Warrior', Besson's film is a minor masterpiece in its own right. Despite a few apparent flaws and an ending that is a little too happy, Besson and the film's star Pierre Jolivet have crafted a unique view of one person's survival in a brutal post-apocalyptic world.
'Le Dernier Combat' presents a believably dead world where a few humans struggle to survive and even fewer retain a sense of humanity. The director fills the movie with striking imagery that grabs your attention and doesn't ever let go. At one point during a rainstorm it begins to downpour fish; later during another rainstorm two of the film's characters get caught in a hailstorm of rocks! Scenes such as the very unusual opening shot, Jolivet drowning his sorrows with several bottles of liquor, his escape on a makeshift glider and many others never leave the memory once viewed. My personal favorite: two of the characters share a bottle of wine at dinner and, as is the civilized custom, each takes a sip from their glass and nod approvingly; cut immediately to an empty wine bottle balanced on a pedestal that someone is using as a target to hone their skills with a sword. It provides a brilliant parallel between the two types of people struggling against each other here.
What sets 'Le Dernier Combat' apart from others in the post-apocalyptic film genre is the fact that there is no dialogue spoken at all. Contrary to the criticism that it is a novelty, instead the absence of dialogue draws you into the movie, helping you become intimately connected to the survivors and sharing their experiences as if they were your own. Moments of suspense, despair, isolation, melancholy, elation, defeat and great joy are all conveyed superbly by the cast without the benefit of speaking. There is a singular moment where two of the characters say "Hello" to one another with the aid of what I believe is helium, but beyond that you won't hear a word spoken in this film.
Most deserving of it's cult status, the movie is best seen on the big screen due to it's being filmed in CineScope. The DVD release from Columbia Tristar is presented in widescreen and it is an absolutely clean and error free copy that will please any fan of 'Le Dernier Combat'. Though Luc Besson has had many other film successes since this was released in 1983 this one gets my vote for his best.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Prepare for the Extraordinary

Summary: Renowned adventurer Allan Quatermain leads a team of extraordinary figures with legendary powers to battle the technological terror of a madman known as "The Fantom." This "League" comprises seafarer/inventor Captain Nemo, vampiress Mina Harker, an invisible man named Rodney Skinner, American secret service agent Tom Sawyer, the ageless and invincible Dorian Gray, and the dangerous split personality of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.

Languages: English

Summary: Her mother died in childbirth, and she always felt responsible for the tragedy. When her father disappeared, her grandparents raised her. As she got older, her sense of guilt grew deeper. And on the night of her 21st birthday, Celia (Monica Keena of FREDDY VS. JASON) is drugged, raped and dies of an accidental overdose at a wild college frat party. But for some, death is only the beginning: Trapped in a netherworld between sanctuary and damnation, Celia must now battle the demons — including hordes of horrific Soul Eaters — that prowl the Afterlife. Is the spirit of her recently deceased grandfather (Tim Thomerson of TRANCERS) trying to lure her to an eternity of suffering? Can her guardian angel (David Anders of ALIAS ) safely lead her to the other side? And for a young woman caught in limbo, is there any way to go towards the light when your soul is LEFT IN DARKNESS?

Comments: with Devil Girl From Mars, Kung Faux, National Lampoon TV, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms

Summary: Fong Sai Yuk 2

Languages: Chinese

Subtitles: English

Sound: AAC

Comments: The legend that inspired Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury"
Huo Yuan-Jia

Summary: Huo secretly learns kung fu from a Japanese tutor. After Huo has grown to manhood and become an expert martial artist, his tutor comes back into his life through a twist of fate which dictates that Huo face him, not as a student, but as an opponent.

Sound: AAC

Comments: When you're seventeen, people think they can do anything to you. Billie Jean is about to prove them wrong.

Summary: Average Texas teen, Billie Jean Davy, is caught up in an odd fight for justice. She is usually followed and harrased around by local boys, who, one day, decide to trash her brother's scooter for fun. The boys' father refuses to pay them back the price of the scooter. The fight for "fair is fair" takes the teens around the state and produces an unlikely hero.

Languages: English Dubbed

Comments: He's got a secret weapon with a lot of kick.

Summary: Jackie Chan return becomes and is able to fend off numerous attacks and perform incredible stunts. Aided by his hilarious stepmother and friends, Hong faces the challenge of protecting valuable Chinese history and saving his family honor.s to the role that made him a star in 1979's "Drunken Master." Chinese folklore hero Wong Fei Hong discovers a smuggling ring, orchestrated by the British Government, to transport valuable Chinese artifacts out of the country. Hong must use his unique style of martial arts, "Drunken Boxing," to fight the conspirators and salvage the Chinese treasures before it

Languages: Chinese

Subtitles: English

Sound: AAC

Summary: This Hong Kong martial-arts extravaganza tells of evil emperors and true love. The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton kung fu practitioner Fong Sai-Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant, recently moved to Canton. Her father, in an attempt to gain influence in the region and thus improve his business, offers his daughter in marriage to the winner of a kung-fu contest. Some interesting gender role-reversals take place during a 'comedy of errors.'

Comments: Kariseuma talchulgi

Summary:

Languages: English Dubbed

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Hammer Horror! Dragon Thrills! The First Kung Fu Horror Spectacular!

Summary: Count Dracula journies to a remote Chinese village in the guise of a warlord to support six vampires who are dispirited after the loss of a seventh member of their cult. At the same time, vampire hunter Prof. Van Helsing happens to be lecturing in the country and is persuaded by villagers to help them fight this curse of the ages.

Languages: Japanese

Subtitles: English

Summary: A martial arts feature inspired by the 1814 epic Japanese novel, Nanso Satomi Hakkenden. The LEGEND OF EIGHT SAMURAI depicts the story of young princess Shizuhime (Yakushimaru) living in feudal Japan, facing the threats of the sinister forces of the Hikita Clan. The Hikita leader, Lady Tamazusa, wants the princess for a blood sacrifice that will sustain the evil witch's youthful appearance. When Shizuhime is kidnapped by the clan, only the Hakkenshi, eight samurai warriors endowed with the virtues of Confucianism, can save her from certain death. Bonus Features: Sonny Chiba Bio| Scene Selection. Specs: DVD5; Dolby Digital Mono; 130 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1983; SRP - $9.99.

Languages: Chinese

Subtitles: English

Sound: AAC

Comments: Shan-chung ch'uan-ch'i

Summary: King Hu belongs to a dubious group of filmmakers: the neglected; alongside the likes of Satyajit Ray, Mikio Naruse, Youssef Chahine and Ritwik Ghatak. As with all of those filmmakers, King Hu's work - when available at all (his legendary DRAGON INN is nearly impossible to find), is only available in dubious quality - fuzzy DVDs, cropped or pan-and-scan editions, VCDs, DVRs.

This is a shame - Hu's flair for history recalls Kenji Mizoguchi or Satyajit Ray, his personal and highly evolved spiritual ideas evoke Andrei Tarkovsky, and his flair for both landscape and action is reminiscent of Kurosawa or John Ford.

That noted, LEGEND OF THE MOUNTAIN - one of the handful of King Hu's films currently available - seems like lesser Hu. I'd say 'seems like,' because it's companion film, RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN (the two films are apparently interrelated) has been mostly unavailable on VHS or DVD, save for a Japanese DVD edition (no English subs) recently released. Without seeing both, I'd guess that it would be difficult to evaluate in a thorough fashion.

Here we have a ghost story, heavily infused with Buddhist mysticism: a young, and rather earnest scholar (Hsu Feng, who also starred in Hu's extraordinary A TOUCH OF ZEN) retreats to semi-abandoned fortress in an isolated mountain range to study and translate an ancient sutra. Upon arrival, he immediately encounters a small, but eclectic cast of locals; his encounters with them propel him into a series of intrigues that ultimately escalates into a good-vs-evil struggle.

The story recalls A TOUCH OF ZEN in its' ambitions and complexity, but compressed into the 110-minute running time here, the entire story (and the acting) feels a little forced, and a little rushed. The cinematography (the film was shot on location in South Korea) seems to be dazzling, though currently available editions of the film are fairly grainy, and night scenes are very indistinct. Hu's sense of action fails him here; the majority of it seems very half-hearted, compared to earlier films, and Hu's sense of slapstick (one gets the distinct impression that some commerical pressures may have intruded upon this film) threatens to overtake that more supernatural sides to the story.

That being said, the film STILL looks good, and manages to be entertaining - and there are a few set pieces here that are breathtaking, in spite of the flaws also evident here. Perhaps for fans of Hu; but if you're one of those and you haven't seen this, you should.

Languages: English Dubbed

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Summary: A distraught warrior (the charismatic Jet Li) forces his toddler son to choose between a sword and a wooden horse. If he chooses the sword, together they will fight the corrupt government that killed their family; if he chooses the horse, the warrior will send him to join his mother--in hell. Thus begins "The New Legend of Shaolin", a wild Hong Kong fantasy. Though the opening sounds grim, the movie shifts ahead seven years and becomes increasingly comic as its plot unfolds. The story centers around a map tattooed on the backs of five boys; it leads to treasure from the Ming dynasty that a heroic sect hopes to use to reestablish the Shaolin temple, which the government destroyed. Meanwhile, Li is forced by poverty to become the bodyguard of a blowhard merchant, who doesn't realize that his bride-to-be is part of a mother-daughter team of notorious thieves. Meanwhile, a villain deformed by a poison that gives him invincible powers is hunting down the five boys, one of whom is the merchant's son... As is usually the case with Hong Kong cinema, the filmmakers have crammed in enough stuff to fill several ordinary movies. The exaggerated stoic conversations between Li and his 7-year-old son, both of them stone-faced and painfully serious, are extremely funny, as are the bizarre bits when the bride's mother masquerades as a ghost. And on top of all this are at least seven spectacular action sequences that are both comic and exciting. A prime example of the unique joys of Hong Kong pop culture. "--Bret Fetzer"

Languages: Korean

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Summary: A Wuxia adventure out of South Korea, "The Legend of the Shadowless Sword" is a handsome martial arts epic by Kim Yung-jun ("Flying Warriors"). The film's simple story allows for exceptionally creative action sequences about every three to four minutes, while simultaneously building a noble tale full of faith, love, and sacrifice. A beautiful female warrior named Yeonsoha (Yoon So-yi) goes in search of the last, living prince of the Balhae dynasty and its kingdom, overrun years before by the Geordan empire. The prince, Jeong Hyeon (Seo Jin Lee), has been in hiding 14 years as a black market trader, concerned primarily for his own safety and deeply cynical about any thought of going back to retrieve his family's throne. Yeonsoha, however, proves persuasive, especially in light of the many attempts on Jeong's life by a gang of assassins. The shady killers are led by a vengeance-seeking Kun (Hyeong Jun-Shin) and his assistant, (Ki-Yong Lee), another sword-wielding babe who gets into plenty of wild skirmishes with Yeonsoha.
The story essentially follows Jeong and Yeonsoha's efforts to get back to a waiting army of Balhae exiles awaiting a king's leadership. As the hours and days pass, Jeong gets in touch with the man he once was, a fearless warrior whose exploits on the battlefield are well-known to Yeonsoha, whose connection to the prince seems mysteriously personal. The film's numerous fight scenes are never redundant, employing all manner of props and ideas for exciting fights. But it's the performances that really hold everything together, the deep if understated emotions and the excitement of watching two mismatched lead characters slowly realize how important they are to one another. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: Cantonese

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Surrender Your Illusion , Fight For Your Destiny

Summary: A remake of the 1983 film of the same name, "Zu Warriors" is a martial arts drama set in a fantasy world where stoic warriors battle a powerful demon. With each kill, the horrific beast consumes their souls, making himself stronger and more difficult to slay. Hark Tsui directed this film, which stars a slew of actors (Ziyi Zhang, Sammo Hung, Cecelia Cheung) that are familiar to fans of Chinese action films. After "Zu Warriors" was released in 2001 to great success in China, Miramax snapped up the U.S. theatrical distribution rights for the film in the hopes that it would match the success of its earlier purchase "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". But after sitting in Miramax's coffers for several years, "Zu Warriors" never made it into U.S. theaters and instead went straight to DVD in 2006. Fans of the martial arts genre will see some awesome action sequences. The actors move with grace and skill, and they overcome the cheesy digital effects, which already look dated. But the melodramatic pauses and all too frequent far-away glances are out of place and distracting--even in this fantasy. "--Jae-Ha Kim"

Languages: Chinese

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Every Move Kills

Summary: Long nga-A female cop befriends a mysterious martial arts drifter, who turns out to be a deadly assassin.

Languages: Chinese

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Shi ba ban wu yi

Summary: I admit, I loved this film since I first saw it in the very early 1980's. ..., excellent fights are what martial arts films are about and this film has some fine ones. The movie depicts how martial artists during the Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the 20th Century resorted to incorporating magic, superstition, and plain trickery to make them appear invincible to boost morale .... But there are a lot of real martial arts in this as well. Not all the 18 weapons were used, but this in addition to Shaolin Challenges Ninja will you probably get to see it all and more. Best fight: Director Liu Chia Liang vs. his real-life brother, Liu Chia Yung, in the climactic duel. Most shocking moment: Gordon Liu as a bad Shaolin monk?

Languages: English

Sound: MP3

Summary: Bob Hope plays a small-time con artist with a fondness for lemon candy in this film based on a Damon Runyon story. When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally cheats gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark) out of his track winnings, the Kid promises to repay Moose the money by Christmas. Creating a fake charity for "Apple Annie" Nellie Thursday, the Kid tricks his gang into donning Santa suits and "collecting dough for old dolls" like Nellie who have nowhere to live. Radio personality Marilyn Maxwell assists as the Kid's girlfriend, while William Frawley and Jay C. Flippen play the lovable, gruff crooks that fall for the Kid's Santa scam.
Hope is great as the fast-talking sharpster, and the comical gangsters are well worth the price of admission. Music by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (including the classic Christmas song "Silver Bells") makes "The Lemon Drop Kid" that much sweeter. "--Mark Savary"

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: From Xvid
With The Card Player

Summary: A notorious bank robber kills his wife and flees the police, only to be captured by a mysterious group of figures in an abandoned town. His beautiful daughter, Lila Lee (played by the late Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith), receives a letter stating that Lila's father is near death and that he needs to see her.
Sneaking away at night from her minister guardian (EATING RAOUL co-writer Richard Blackburn, who also writes and directs), Lila embarks on a terrifying journey to find her father that leads her to a mansion run by Lemora, a seemingly loving woman who cares for a group of gypsy children and a witch-like servant. Once the terrifying secret of Lemora is revealed, Lila must uncover what happened to her father and fight for dear life as she tries to escape the clutches of the undead! LEMORA: A CHILD'S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL, one of the most beloved horror cult classics ever made, makes its home video premiere with this stunning presentation from Synapse Films. Mastered directly from the original 35mm camera negatives (thought to be lost for over thirty years) and mastered in High Definition using a Spirit DataCine® Telecine System, LEMORA is presented with never-before-seen clarity and detail that will leave you breathless. You may have seen LEMORA in the theatres but you've NEVER seen it like this!
SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
- New Uncut, Uncensored Anamorphic (1.78:1) Widescreen Transfer, Supervised and Approved by Director Richard Blackburn
- RSDL Dual-Layer Edition for Optimal Image Quality
- Audio Commentary from Director Richard Blackburn, Actress Lesley Gilb and Producer Robert Fern
- Still Gallery Including Rare On-Set Continuity Photos
- Chapter Selections
- Bonus Trailers
- Liner Notes

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: If you want a job done well hire a professional.

Summary: The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format.

Languages: Korean

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Gang-jeok

Summary: Su-hyun wants to leave the syndicate and opens a small restaurant. Helping his life-long friend from an orphanage, he gets arrested for a murder that he didn't commit. To catch the real killer, he hurts himself in prison and is transported to the hospital. Sung-woo is a homicide detective. His wife has left him, and his son's life is in jeopardy. He can't afford to pay the hospital bills, not to mention the liver transplant needed to save his son's life. To make matters worse, he gets reprimanded at work for walking out on his undercover post, which led to the death of his partner. Having gotten drunk out of guilt, he creates a scene at the funeral for his late colleague and gets kicked out, only to end up becoming a hostage of a jail breaker, Su-hyun.

Subtitles: English

Sound: AAC

Summary: Describing it is like trying to describe a year in my life. Chaotic, unpredictable, upside down, with endless sneaky tricks that defy our conception of 'movie' magic

Sound: MP3

Summary: We follow the training and adventures of a team of young federal anti-gangster agents, Mal Stevens, Van Rensseler, and Tex Logan. After foiling a kidnap attempt on socialite Eleanor Spencer (an old flame of Van's), Mal falls for her; but they're at odds over her belief in the innocence of her chauffeur Joe Keefer (whom Mal knows was involved) and her young brother Buddy's desire to join the federal agents. This conflict climaxes with the pursuit of an Ohio bank-robbing gang.

Languages: English

Comments: Welcome to the slammer

Summary: John Lyshitski is a car stealing slacker, with a weed problem, and has been in Illinois' Rossmore State Penitentiary so many times, he knows it's entire population of both staff and cons by their fast names. Cursed with the old ill luck of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in possession of the wrong car, he's been deemed a lost cause repeat offender in the eyes of everyone else. When the heartless judge, who has been behind most of his sentences, goes to the big court house in the sky, John decides to ruin the man's legacy by having the judge's only offspring, Nelson Biederman IV, thrown in the slammer along with him. Here, the world-class selfish jerk learns a certain old lesson the hard way: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. But has John somewhat gone too far in the payback department?

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: If these two can learn to stand each other... the bad guys don't stand a chance.

Summary: Martin Riggs is an L.A. cop with suicidal tendencies and Roger Murtaugh is the unlucky police officer with whom Riggs is assigned. Together they uncover a huge drug-smuggling operation, and as their success rate grows so does their friendship.

Languages: English

Summary: "Flags of Our Fathers"
Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by "Million Dollar Baby" screenwriter Paul Haggis ("Jarhead" screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities--and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign - after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.
As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, "Flags of Our Fathers" evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. "Flags of Our Fathers" defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, "Letters from Iwo Jima", examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. "--Jeff Shannon"
On the DVDs
The two-disc special edition of "Flags of Our Fathers" offers a fine balance of behind-the-scenes production features and archival history. Disc 1 is entirely dedicated to Clint Eastwood's acclaimed wartime drama, paired with an abundance of special features on disc 2. First up is a three-minute introduction by Clint Eastwood, who explains his attraction to James Bradley's nonfiction bestseller, how he partnered with Steven Spielberg to coproduce this ambitious production, and the themes of wartime valor and misguided celebrity that he wished to illuminate. Next, author Bradley recalls the process of seeing his book translated to film (including interview clips with screenwriters William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis) and his involvement with the production as an authoritative consultant. In the 20-minute featurette "Six Brave Men," the actors who played the celebrated Iwo Jima flag-raisers speak about their characters, how they fit into the history of Iwo Jima, and the responsibility of honoring their memories with historically accurate portrayals. "The Making of an Epic" is a 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary covering all aspects of production, from the decision to film in Iceland (where black volcanic sand matched the barren beaches of Iwo Jima) to the individual contributions of key personnel, most notably cinematographer Tom Stern, editor Joel Cox, costume designer Deborah Hopper, the late, great production designer Henry Bumstead, and Eastwood's longtime casting director, the late Phyllis Huffman. (The making-of feature is dedicated to Bumstead and Huffman, who both succumbed to cancer shortly after production was completed.) "Raising the Flag" (running a little over three minutes) focuses on the cast and crew's meticulous re-creation of the second Iwo Jima flag-raising, demonstrating the reverent care with which each soldier's movements were duplicated in exacting detail. "Looking into the Past" is a nearly 10-minute assembly of 1945 newsreel footage, showing many of the actual events that were dramatized in Eastwood's film, and demonstrating the impressive efforts that went into making Flags of Our Fathers as authentic as it could possibly be. The 15-minute "Visual Effects" featurette provides a detailed analysis of Digital Domain's diligent efforts to achieve convincing photo-realistic images in the film's epic-scale battle sequences, home-front bond rallies, and other sequences where CGI wizardry was required. The original theatrical trailer for "Flags of Our Fathers" is also included. "--Jeff Shannon"
"Letters from Iwo Jima"
Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" is a masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from a spare, tightly focused screenplay by first-time screenwriter Iris Yamashita) has crafted a truly Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue (with subtitles) and filmed in a contemplative Japanese style, serving as both complement and counterpoint to Eastwood's previously released companion film "Flags of Our Fathers". Where the earlier film employed a complex non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to dramatize one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and its traumatic impact on American soldiers, "Letters" reveals the battle of Iwo Jima from the tunnel- and cave-dwelling perspective of the Japanese, hopelessly outnumbered, deprived of reinforcements, and doomed to die in inevitable defeat. While maintaining many of the traditions of the conventional war drama, Eastwood extends his sympathetic touch to humanize "the enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honor against insurmountable odds. From the weary reluctance of a young recruit named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) to the dignified yet desperately anguished strategy of Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi (played by Oscar-nominated "The Last Samurai" costar Ken Watanabe), whose letters home inspired the film's title and present-day framing device, "Letters from Iwo Jima" (which conveys the bleakness of battle through a near-total absence of color) steadfastly avoids the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to ill-fated men who can only dream of the comforts of home. "--Jeff Shannon"
On the DVDs
Like the film itself, the two-disc special edition of "Letters from Iwo Jima" is predominantly Japanese in content, and that's as it should be. Disc 1 presents the film in a flawless widescreen transfer, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack that perfectly captures the film's wide dynamic range. The optional subtitles can be turned off for those wishing to immerse themselves in a completely Japanese viewing experience. Disc 2 opens with "Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of "Letters from Iwo Jima"," a 20-minute behind-the-scenes documentary that concisely covers all aspects of production, from director Clint Eastwood's initial decision to create a companion piece to "Flags of Our Fathers", to interview comments from principal cast and crew, the latter including "Flags" screenwriters Paul Haggis and "Letters" screenwriter Iris Yamashita, costume designer Deborah Hopper, editor Joel Cox, cinematographer Tom Stern, production designer James Murakami (taking over for the ailing Henry Bumstead), and coproducer Rob Lorenz. "The Faces of Combat" is an 18-minute featurette about selecting the Japanese (and Japanese-American) cast of "Letters", and how they were chosen through the international collaboration of Eastwood's long-time casting director Phyllis Huffman (who turned over some of her duties to her son while struggling with terminal illness) and Japanese casting associate Yumi Takada, who filled important roles with Japanese celebrities (like pop star Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays "Saigo") and unknown actors alike.
"Images from the Frontlines" is a 3.5-minute montage of images from the film and behind-the-scenes, set to the sparse piano theme of Eastwood's original score. The remaining bonus features chronicle the world premiere of "Letters" in Tokyo on November 15, 2006. The premiere itself is covered in a 16-minute featurette taped at the famous Budokan arena, where we see the red-carpet procession, a full-capacity audience despite cold November weather, and introductory comments from the film's primary cast and crew, many of them quite moving with regard to the satisfaction of working on a film that helps Japanese viewers come to terms with a painful chapter of their history. The following day's press conference (at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo hotel) is a 24-minute Q&A session covering much of the same territory, with additional testimony from principal cast & crew. Throughout this two-day event, it's clear that Eastwood (referring to himself as "a Japanese director who doesn't speak the Japanese language") was warmly embraced by the Japanese, and that "Letters from Iwo Jima" had served its intended purpose, reminding us of the horrors of war while uniting both Japanese and Americans in somber reflection, 61 years after the battle of Iwo Jima. "--Jeff Shannon"
On the bonus fifth disc is an A&E documentary "Heroes of Iwo Jima" from 2001 narrated by Gene Hackman, and "To the Shores of Iwo Jima," a 1945 short film that was Oscar-nominated for best documentary short.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: A Lusty Lifetime of Love and Adventure in Lavish Technicolor (US Lobby Card tag)

Summary: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's first Technicolor masterpiece, "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" (1943), transcends its narrow wartime propaganda to portray in warm-hearted detail the life and loves of one extraordinary man. The film's clever narrative structure first presents us with the imposingly rotund General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey in his greatest screen performance), a blustering old duffer who seems the epitome of stuffy, outmoded values. But traveling backwards 40 years we see a different man altogether: the young and dashing officer "Sugar" Candy. Through a series of affecting relationships with three women (all played to perfection by Deborah Kerr) and his touching lifelong friendship with a German officer (Anton Wallbrook), we see Candy's life unfold and come to understand how difficult it is for him to adapt his sense of military honor to modern notions of "total war." Notoriously, this is the film that Winston Churchill tried to have banned, and indeed its sympathetic portrayal of a German officer was contentious in 1943, though one suspects that Churchill's own blimpishness was a factor too. "--Mark Walker"

Languages: English

Sound: AAC

Comments: If this story ain't true... it shoulda been

Summary: A no account outlaw establishes his own particular brand of law and order and builds a town on the edges of civilization in this farcical western. With the aid of an old law text and unpredictable notions Roy Bean distinguishes between lawbreakers and lawgivers by way of his pistols.

Languages: Chinese

Subtitles: English

Sound: AAC

Comments: Sheng si dou

Summary: For the film LIFE GAMBLE, Legendary director Chang Cheh teamed his latest star, Alexander Fu Sheng (THE BRAVE ARCHER), with some new talent - a Taiwanese Opera artist (Kuo Chue) and a powerful Chinese muscleman (Lo Meng). These two new talents would become the foundation for his internationally popular Venom series including the classic film THE FIVE VENOMS. Teaming the trio with the top supporting actors (Ku Feng and Wang Lung-wei) and the prettiest starlets (Lin Chen-chi, Shirley Yu, and Hui Ying-hung), LIFE GAMBLE is an entertaining and exciting tale of a kung-fu blacksmith taking on four famous robbers while a villainous gambling boss plots to destroy them. The film would be another classic film in the distinguished career of the greatest martial arts directors ever!

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Comments: The crime is clear. The truth is not.

Summary: Kevin Spacey ("American Beauty") plays David Gale, a brilliant but hard-drinking anti-death penalty crusader on death row for a rape and murder that he claims he didn't commit. The victim of the crime is Gale's close friend and anti-death penalty colleague (Laura Linney, "You Can Count On Me"), so Gale argues that he's been set up to discredit the cause. Committed journalist Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet, "Titanic") takes it upon herself to figure the whole thing out--and so we follow her through a ridiculous plot full of supposedly shocking twists that are telegraphed far in advance and make very little sense when they arrive. The overwritten script tries to cover too many hot-button issues and gives Spacey way too many showy scenes where he gets to be passionate and caring, which is creepier than his psychopath roles in "The Usual Suspects" and "Seven". "--Bret Fetzer"

Sound: MP3

Summary: Prizefighter Jimmy Dolan accidentally kills a man at a party and escapes. He hides out at a health farm for invalid children and begins to lose his cynicism under the influence of the children and of Peggy and Mrs. Moore, who run the farm. When a detective recognizes him, Jimmy must decide whether to escape or stay and face his responsibilities to the children.

Comments: Here for all!! All the happiness of the play that ran longer, the laughs that were louder than any known before!

Summary: A financier from New York rules his numerous family, consisting of his wife and his four sons, with the meticulousity of a bookkeeper.

Languages: Japanese

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Ryû ga gotoku: gekijô-ban

Summary:

Sound: AAC

Comments: Starring Eli Wallach (the sensation of "Baby Doll"...as the killer!)

Summary: Een twintiger krijgt last van enorme nekklachten nadat hij als figurant voor een film in een vervuilde rivier heeft gelegen. Zijn vader bezoekt in het geheim gaysauna's en zijn moeder onderhoudt een relatie met een pornohandelaar. Hoewel ze alledrie in een huis wonen dat de laatste tijd almaar lekt, spreken ze nauwelijks met elkaar.

Summary: After a nice shower, Linnea does some warm-up stretches and then goes for a run. She encounters some flabby zombies who follow her back to the house, where she leads them in some poolside aerobic routines. Later she unwinds by inviting some girlfriends over for a slumber party and some exercise. When something goes bump in the house, her friends begin experiencing an attrition problem.