Note
Here’s my wish list for anybody who would like to help me expand
my collection.
Many of these films contain hidden features, some of which I’ve
collected in my easter eggs file.
A warped, twisted, and brilliant film from the director that brought
us Brazil and Time Bandits. Rewards multiple viewings with fresh
insights and details.
| Released: | 1995 |
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| Genre: | drama/thriller/SF |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 2h10m |
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| Rating: | 14A |
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| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” |
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| Director: | Terry Gilliam |
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| Screenplay: | David Webb Peoples & Janet Peoples; inspired by the film
“La Jetée” by Chris Marker |
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| Starring: | Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer |
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| Plot: | A convict, sent back in time to stop a devastating plague, is
sent too far back and is hospitalized as insane. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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Powerful, raw, heroic, ultra-violent, stunning, and brilliant. An
impeccable, immensely entertaining adaptation.
| Released: | 2007 |
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| Genre: | action/drama/history/war |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 1h56m |
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| Rating: | 18A |
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| Edition: | “Two-Disc Special Edition” |
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| Features: | commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes |
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| Director: | Zack Snyder |
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| Screenplay: | Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon, based
on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley |
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| Starring: | Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham,
Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender |
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| Plot: | Xerxes and the enormous army of the Persian Empire are poised
to conquer Greece. King Leonidas and his band of 300 Spartan
warriors must hold the pass at Thermopylae at all costs. |
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| Links: | IMDb,
easter egg, |
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A classic.
| Released: | 1968 |
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| Genre: | SF/adventure |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 2h28m |
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| Rating: | PG |
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| Edition: | “Stanley Kubrick Collection” |
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| Director: | Stanley Kubrick |
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| Screenplay: | Stanley Kubrick & Arthur C. Clarke |
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| Starring: | Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Douglas Rain (voice) |
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| Plot: | The assisted evolution of intelligence, the discovery of a
sentinel, and an eventful mission to Jupiter to investigate. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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| Released: | 1988 |
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| Genre: | action/adventure/comedy |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 2h7m |
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| Rating: | PG |
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| Edition: | 20th Anniversary Edition (2 discs) |
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| Features: | commentary, documentary, storyboard sequences, deleted scenes |
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| Director: | Terry Gilliam |
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| Screenplay: | Charles McKeown & Terry Gilliam |
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| Starring: | John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Uma
Thurman, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson, Charles McKeown, Robin
Williams, Sting (cameo) |
|---|
| Plot: | The fantastic tale of an 18th century aristocrat, his talented
henchmen and a little girl in their efforts to save a town from
defeat by the Turks. Being swallowed by a giant sea-monster, a
trip to the moon, a dance with Venus and an escape from the Grim
Reaper are only some of the improbable adventures. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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Fun, funny, intelligent, and silly. An SF/comedy classic. Requires
multiple viewings and a bit of the geek nature to get all the jokes.
Great lines.
| Released: | 1984 |
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| Genre: | adventure/romance/comedy/SF |
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| Format: | widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 1h42m |
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| Rating: | PG |
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| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
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| Features: | commentary, alternate opening, deleted scenes,
documentaries, easter eggs |
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| Director: | W.D. Richter |
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| Screenplay: | Earl Mac Rauch |
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| Starring: | Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum,
Christopher Lloyd |
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| Plot: | Adventurer/surgeon/physicist/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and
his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien
invaders from the 8th dimension. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
easter eggs,
Banzai Institute,
FAQ,
Starland (merchandise) |
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I had heard how bad this film was supposed to be. It was reviled by
fans of the original series of animated shorts. Movie critics panned
the film (once they were allowed to see it; it wasn’t pre-screened).
I was ready to agree when I caught it on cable TV.
But I liked it. It’s nowhere near perfect, but it’s not bad at all.
Never having seen the animated series, I wasn’t biased in any existing
direction. I can understand the disappointment of true fans, but a
feature film is a different medium from experimental shorts. The
story may be too high-concept, complex, and serious for the typical
“SF action” fan. The action is cool, but there’s not enough of it to
call this an action movie. The story is hard SF with ideas, set in a
utopian/dystopian future.
I hope a director’s cut is released someday; I’d love to see it.
We’re meant to die. It’s what makes anything about us matter.
—Æon
| AKA: | Aeon Flux |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
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| Genre: | action/adventure/drama/romance/SF/thriller |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 1h32m |
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| Rating: | 14A |
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| Edition: | “Special Collector’s Edition” |
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| Features: | commentaries, featurettes |
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| Director: | Karyn Kusama |
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| Screenplay: | Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi, based on characters by
Peter Chung |
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| Starring: | Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie
Okonedo, Frances McDormand, Pete Postlethwaite |
|---|
| Plot: | Aeon Flux is a highly-trained assassin working for a group of
rebels trying to overthrow the government of a future “utopia”.
Sent on a mission to kill the Chairman, a clue from her
forgotten past is revealed and the true nature of her world is
revealed. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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| Released: | 1985 |
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| Genre: | comedy/thriller |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 1h37m |
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| Rating: | 18A |
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| Features: | commentary, documentary, deleted scenes |
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| Director: | Martin Scorsese |
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| Screenplay: | Joseph Minion |
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| Starring: | Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong,
Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Cheech Marin,
Catherine O’Hara |
|---|
| Plot: | An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life
after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho whom he met that
evening at a coffee shop. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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Alien is great horror/SF, and Aliens is great action/SF. The third
and fourth films don’t really compare, but it’s nice to have them for
completeness. (I don’t know about AVP; haven’t seen it yet.) And
we’ll just overlook the fact that “quadrilogy” isn’t even a real word
(“tetralogy” is correct, if awkward).
Each of the Alien films has a theatrical version and an alternate or
“director’s cut”. Runtimes and some ratings differ between the two
versions. The information for the two versions is shown
slash-separated, as “theatrical/alternate”.
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Edition: | “Alien Quadrilogy” boxed set (9 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | 2 discs per film: disc 1 contains the films with
commentaries, and disc 2 contains featurettes and extras.
Plus there’s an extra disk with a documentary, a Q&A with
Ridley Scott, and archives. |
|---|
Groundbreaking horror/SF. Its success stems from suspense due to its
restraint—we don’t actually see the alien until quite late in
the film.
| Released: | 1979 |
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| Genre: | SF/horror/thriller |
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| Runtime: | 1h57m/1h56m |
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| Rating: | 18A/14A |
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| Director: | Ridley Scott |
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| Screenplay: | Dan O’Bannon; story by Dan O’Bannon & Ronald Shusett |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry
Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto |
|---|
| Plot: | When commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, heading back to Earth,
intercepts an SoS signal from a nearby planet, the crew are
under obligation to investigate. After a bad landing on the
planet, some crew members leave the ship to explore the area.
At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown
creature, the ship’s computer deciphers the message to be a
warning, not a call for help. When one of the eggs is
disturbed, the crew do not know the danger they are in until it
is too late. |
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| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
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Great action; a worthy sequel.
| Released: | 1986 |
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| Genre: | SF/action/thriller/horror |
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| Runtime: | 2h17m/2h34m |
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| Rating: | 18A |
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| Director: | James Cameron |
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| Screenplay: | James Cameron; story by James Cameron, David Giler &,
Walter Hill; based on characters by Dan O’Bannon & Ronald
Shusett |
|---|
| Starring: | Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance
Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Jenette
Goldstein, Al Matthews |
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| Plot: | The only survivor of the Nostromo, Ripley is discovered in deep
sleep half a century later by a salvage ship. When she is
taken back to Earth, she learns that a human colony was founded
on the same planet where the aliens were first found. After
contact with the colony is lost, she finds herself sent back to
the planet along with a team of warriors bent on destroying the
alien menace forever, and saving any survivors—if any
remain. |
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| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
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| Released: | 1992 |
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| Genre: | action/horror/SF/thriller/drama |
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| Runtime: | 1h54m/2h25m |
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| Rating: | 18A |
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| Director: | David Fincher |
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| Screenplay: | David Giler, Walter Hill, & Larry Ferguson; story by
Vincent Ward; characters by Dan O’Bannon & Ronald Shusett |
|---|
| Starring: | Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance |
|---|
| Plot: | After escaping from the alien planet, the ship carrying Ellen
Ripley crashes onto a remote prison colony. While awaiting
rescue, Ripley discovers the horrifying reason for her crash:
an alien stowaway. As the alien matures and begins to kill off
the inhabitants, Ripley is unaware that her true enemy is more
than just the killer alien. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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| Released: | 1997 |
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| Genre: | SF/action/horror/thriller |
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| Runtime: | 1h49/1h56 |
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| Rating: | 18A |
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| Director: | Jean-Pierre Jeunet |
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| Screenplay: | Joss Whedon; characters by Dan O’Bannon & Ronald Shusett |
|---|
| Starring: | Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron
Perlman, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers, Dan
Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif |
|---|
| Plot: | 200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a
research clone who finds that she must continue her war against
the aliens. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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Not a good movie. Eye candy worth $6.
| AKA: | AVP |
|---|
| Released: | 2004 |
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| Genre: | action/adventure/horror/SF/thriller |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 1h49m |
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| Rating: | 14A |
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| Edition: | “The Unrated Edition” (2 discs) |
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| Features: | theatrical & unrated extended cuts; commentaries;
featurettes; documentary; comic book |
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| Director: | Paul W.S. Anderson |
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| Screenplay: | Paul W.S. Anderson; screen story by Paul W.S. Anderson
and Dan O’Bannon & Ronald Shusett |
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| Starring: | Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner |
|---|
| Plot: | The discovery of an ancient pyramid buried in Antarctica sends
a team of scientists and adventurers to the frozen continent.
There, they make an even more terrifying discovery: two alien
races engaged in an all-out war. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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Cool ideas, dated effects. Worth the price ($9CDN), but not much
more.
| Released: | 1980 |
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| Genre: | drama/horror/SF |
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| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
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| Runtime: | 1h43m |
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| Rating: | 14A |
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| Director: | Ken Russell |
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| Screenplay: | Paddy Chayefsky (a.k.a. Sidney Aaron) from his novel |
|---|
| Starring: | William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid |
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| Plot: | A Harvard scientist conducts experiments on himself with a
hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber, allowing him to
access genetic memory, but it may be causing him to regress
genetically. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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Gift from Mayumi, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 1984 |
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| Genre: | drama/music |
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| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
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| Runtime: | 3h0m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A (not sure why; G/Quebec) |
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| Edition: | “Special Edition Director’s Cut” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | documentary, commentary |
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| Director: | Milos Forman |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Peter Shaffer |
|---|
| Starring: | F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon
Callow, Roy Dotrice, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones,
Charles Kay, Kenneth McMillan |
|---|
| Plot: | In 1781 Vienna, court composer Antonio Salieri is maddened with
envy after discovering that the divine musical gifts he desires
for himself have been bestowed on he bawdy impish Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, whom he plots to destroy by any means necessar. |
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| Links: | IMDb |
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| Released: | 2003 |
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| Genre: | drama/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | commentary; comic book insert |
|---|
| Director: | Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman; based on the
comic book series “American Splendor” by Harvey Pekar and
“Our Cancer Year” by Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner |
|---|
| Starring: | Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Harvey Pekar |
|---|
| Plot: | An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of
comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
A great blend of humor and horror.
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/comedy/romance/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes, extras |
|---|
| Director: | John Landis |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Landis |
|---|
| Starring: | David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Gruffin Dunne, John Woodvine |
|---|
| Plot: | It’s a rainy night on the moors of northern England. Two
American students on a walking tour of Europe trudge on to the
next town, when suddenly the air is pierced by an unearthly
howl... Three weeks later, one is dead, the other is in the
hospital, and the nightmare begins. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
easter eggs |
|---|
Extremely funny & silly.
| Released: | 1971 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h30m |
|---|
| Rating: | G/Quebec |
|---|
| Director: | Ian MacNaughton |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle,
Terry Jones, Michael Palin |
|---|
| Starring: | Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle,
Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland, Connie Booth |
|---|
| Plot: | An anthology of Monty Python’s best sketches from their 1st &
2nd seasons of their original TV show. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An SF classic.
| Released: | 1971 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h11m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Wise |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Nelson Gidding, from the novel by Michael Crichton |
|---|
| Starring: | Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid |
|---|
| Plot: | After an errant satellite crashes to Earth near a remote New
Mexico village, the recovery team discovers that almost
everyone in the town are victims of a horrible death, with the
mysterious exception of an infant and an old homeless man. The
survivors are brought to a state-of-the-art laboratory,
descending five stories beneath the ground where the puzzled
scientists race against time to determine the nature of the
deadly microbe before it wreaks worldwide havoc. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/mystery/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h52m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, interviews, documentaries |
|---|
| Director: | Alan Parker |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Alan Parker, based on a novel by William Hjortsberg |
|---|
| Starring: | Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte
Rampling |
|---|
| Plot: | Investigator Harry Angel has a new case, to find a man called
Johnny Favourite. Except things aren’t quite that simple, and
Johnny doesn’t want to be found. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A classic comedy.
| AKA: | National Lampoon’s Amimal House |
|---|
| Released: | 1978 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h49m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Double Secret Probation Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | mockumentary, music video |
|---|
| Director: | John Landis |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller |
|---|
| Starring: | John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Tom
Hulce |
|---|
| Plot: | At a 1962 College, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel
the Delta House Fraternity, but those roughhousers have other
plans for him. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Quirky and fun.
| AKA: | Out of Rosenheim |
|---|
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | trailer |
|---|
| Director: | Percy Adlon |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Percy & Eleonore Adlon & Christopher Doherty |
|---|
| Starring: | Marianne Sägebrecht, CCH Pounder, Jack Palance |
|---|
| Plot: | Drawn to a pair of lights in the barren American desert sky, a
mysterious German woman, Jasmin, stumbles upon a dilapidated
motel/diner in the middle of nowhere. Her unusual appearance
and demeanor are at first suspicious to Brenda, the exasperated
owner who has difficulty making ends meet. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
One of the campiest films ever. Jane Fonda is at her pinup-girl
height (or depth) and looked great when this was released—the
year I was born.
| AKA: | Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy |
|---|
| Released: | 1968 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/SF/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | trailer |
|---|
| Director: | Roger Vadim |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Terry Southern, from the comic by Jean-Claude Forest with
Claude Brulé |
|---|
| Starring: | Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg, Milo
O’Shea, Marcel Marceau |
|---|
| Plot: | In the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding
and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she
encounters various unusual people. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A gift to Erika, Christmas 2008.
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | 3 episodes of animated series, music-only audio track |
|---|
| Director: | Tim Burton |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren |
|---|
| Starring: | Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara,
Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton |
|---|
| Plot: | A recently-deceased ghost couple contract the services of a
“bio-exorcist” in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of
their house. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Gift from Kaito & Erika, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 2007 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/drama/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Director’s Cut” |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, featurettes, three 3-D trading cards |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Zemeckis |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Neil Gaiman & Roger Avary |
|---|
| Starring: | Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright
Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman,
Angelina Jolie |
|---|
| Plot: | The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel
who is terrorizing towns, and later, Grendel’s mother, who
begins killing out of revenge. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
“Do you mean sleep over? Well, okay... but I get to be on top!”
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/family/fantasy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h44m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Penny Marshall |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Gary Ross & Anne Spielberg |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard,
Jared Rushton |
|---|
| Plot: | When a boy wishes to be big at a magic wish machine, he wakes
up the next morning and finds himself in an adult body
literally overnight. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
“That rug really tied the room together.”
| Released: | 1998 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/crime/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h57m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | Jeff Bridges’ Photography, “Making of” featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Joel Coen |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Ethan Coen & Joel Coen |
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi,
David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman |
|---|
| Plot: | “Dude” Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks
restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies
to help get it. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A lot of fun. An fantasy/comedy classic. Contains many great lines
and exchanges; here’s a sample:
It’s all in the reflexes.
—Jack Burton
Would you just stop rubbing your body up against mine, because I
can’t concentrate when you do that.
—Jack Burton to Gracie Law
A brave man likes the feel of nature on his face.
And a wise man has enough sense to get out of the rain!
—Wang Chi & Egg Shen
Ready? I was BORN ready.
—Jack Burton
Who are these people? Friends of yours? Now this really pisses me
off to no end!
—Lo Pan
Are you crazy, is that your problem?
—Jack Burton
And Ching Dai will be happy and my curse will be lifted!
And you go off and rule the universe from beyond the grave.
Indeed!
Or check into a psycho ward, whichever comes first, huh?
—Jack Burton & Lo Pan
A much cheaper 1-disc edition is available.
| Released: | 1986 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/fantasy/adventure/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h39m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes, featurette, extras |
|---|
| Director: | John Carpenter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Gary Goldman & David Z. Weinstein, adapted by
W.D. Richter |
|---|
| Starring: | Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor
Wong |
|---|
| Plot: | Jack Burton, an All-American trucker, gets dragged into a
centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
easter eggs,
The Wing Kong Exchange |
|---|
For Kaito, March 2007. Found it second-hand in Dallas.
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/action/adventure/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h14m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Features: | commentary; deleted scenes; featurette |
|---|
| Director: | David Molina & Terry Shakespeare |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Henry Gilroy, Alastair Swinnerton, Bob Thompson, Greg Weisman,
Tracy Berna |
|---|
| Plot: | The spirit that protects the islands of Mata Nui is put into a
deep sleep, causing the islands to crumble into the ocean, and
three islanders must use the Mask of Light to save it. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Tragic and comic; the last minute pays for all. An excellent
soundtrack by Peter Gabriel consists of instrumental versions of songs
from his 3rd & 4th solo albums.
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/war |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Alan Parker |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Sandy Kroopf and Jack Behr, based on the novel by William
Wharton |
|---|
| Starring: | Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage |
|---|
| Plot: | Two young men are seriously affected by the Vietnam war. One
of them has always been obsessed with birds—but now
believes he really is a bird, and has been sent to a mental
hospital. His friend tries help him pull through. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Brutal. Beautiful. Moving. Stunning. Compelling. Magnificent.
A cinematic masterpiece: visuals, music, and emotion.
Many love it, others don’t get it. It’s a classic.
I saw it in the theater in 1982, and from the first scene, the “Hades”
flyover with Vangelis’ music, I was blown away.
It’s very different in plot details from Philip K. Dick’s novel, but
it captures the essence very well (unlike most other PKD adaptations).
My copy of the “Director’s Cut” was a gift from Mayumi, spring 2003.
My “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” (“limited edition gift set”: a
briefcase containing a model spinner, a plastic origami unicorn, a
motion film clip, and an art folio) was a gift from Mayumi, Christmas
2007.
| Released: | 1982, 1992, 2007 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/SF/drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h57m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | 5 versions of the film (1982 US Theatrical Cut, 1982
International Theatrical Cut, 1992 Director’s Cut,
pre-release workprint, 2007 Final Cut), commentaries,
“Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner” documentary (3h34m),
“Enhancement Archive” disc, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Hampton Fancher & David Peoples, from the novel “Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick |
|---|
| Starring: | Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James
Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson,
Brion James, Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy, James Hong, Morgan
Paull |
|---|
| Plot: | Deckard, a blade runner, has to track down and terminate 5
replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to
earth seeking their maker. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
BRmovie.com,
“On-Line Magazine”,
2019: Off-World,
Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner |
|---|
Beware the baked beans!
| Released: | 1974 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/western |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h33m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “30th Anniversary Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentaries, TV spinoff pilot, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Mel Brooks |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard
Pryor, Alan Uger; story by Andrew Bergman |
|---|
| Starring: | Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Mel Brooks,
Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn |
|---|
| Plot: | To ruin a western town, a corrupt political boss appoints a new
sheriff, who happens to be black, and who promptly becomes his
most formidable adversary. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A satisfying remake of the Zatoichi story.
| Released: | 1989 |
|---|
| Genre: | action |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h24m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “Double Feature” (double-sided disc with Omega Doom, a piece of crap) |
|---|
| Director: | Phillip Noyce |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Charles Robert Carner, from an earlier screenplay by
Ryozo Kasahara |
|---|
| Starring: | Rutger Hauer, Terrance O’Quinn, Noble Willingham, Lisa
Blount, Randall “Tex” Cobb |
|---|
| Plot: | A blind Vietnam vet, trained as a swordfighter, returns home
and helps to rescue the son of a friend and fellow soldier. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/mystery/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h48m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Director: | Brian De Palma |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Brian De Palma |
|---|
| Starring: | John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz |
|---|
| Plot: | A sound man accidentally records the evidence that proves a car
“accident” was murder, and consequently finds himself in
danger. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A classic comedy.
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/comedy/music |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h28m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | expanded version, documentary |
|---|
| Director: | John Landis |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Dan Aykroyd, John Landis |
|---|
| Starring: | John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd |
|---|
| Plot: | Jake Blues, just released from prison, and his brother Elwood
put together their old band to save the orphanage where the
brothers were raised. They’re on a mission from God. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Sexy and fun.
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | mystery/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Director: | Brian De Palma |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Robert J. Avrech & Brian De Palma; story by Brian De Palma |
|---|
| Starring: | Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry |
|---|
| Plot: | Jake, an unemployed actor is asked to house-sit a luxurious
hillside home, equipped with a telescope through which he can
spy on a neighbor’s arousing striptease. Jake discovers
another man is also spying on her, but with murderous aims. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Received at PyCon 2009, a gift to
speakers and organizers from sponsor Disnay Animation Studios.
| Released: | 2008 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/comedy/family/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h36m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | “Super Rhino” short |
|---|
| Director: | Byron Howard & Chris Williams |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Dan Fogelman & Chris Williams |
|---|
| Starring: | John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton,
Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Greg Germann |
|---|
| Plot: | The canine star of a fictional sci-fi/action show that believes
his powers are real embarks on a cross country trek to save his
co-star from a threat he believes is just as real. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h46m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Douglas Trumbull |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Robert Stitzel and Philip Frank Messina;
story by Bruce Joel Rubin |
|---|
| Starring: | Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson |
|---|
| Plot: | A pair of brilliant researchers develop a system to record and
play back people’s actual experiences and sensations. They
fight the corruption of their invention while exploring the
limits of human experience. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A wildly imaginative, funny, tragic, controversial, and entertaining
masterpiece.
| Harry Tuttle: | Bloody paperwork. Huh! |
|---|
| Sam Lowry: | I suppose one has to expect a certain amount. |
|---|
| Harry Tuttle: | Why? I came into this game for the action, the
excitement. Go anywhere, travel light, get in, get
out, wherever there’s trouble, a man alone. Now
they got the whole country sectioned off. You
can’t make a move without a form. |
|---|
| Harry Tuttle: | Listen, kid, we’re all in it together. |
|---|
| Holly: | Put it on, big boy. I won’t look at your willy. |
|---|
| Mrs. Terrain: | My complication had a little complication. |
|---|
| Harry Tuttle: | We’re all in it together, kid. |
|---|
| Sam Lowry: | You don’t exist anymore. I’ve killed you.
Jill Layton is dead. |
|---|
| Jill Layton: | Care for a little necrophilia? Hmmm? |
|---|
| Released: | 1985 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/fantasy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h22m |
|---|
| Rating: | G/Quebec (R/MPAA!) |
|---|
| Edition: | Criterion Collection boxed set (3 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | director’s cut, butchered “Love Conquers All”
U.S. theatrical release, commentary (both versions),
documentaries, production notes |
|---|
| Director: | Terry Gilliam |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Terry Gilliam & Tom Stoppard & Charles McKeown |
|---|
| Starring: | Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian
Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter
Vaughan, Kim Greist |
|---|
| Plot: | A bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an
administrative error and himself becomes an enemy of the state. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A truly great film. Entertaining & inspiring.
| Released: | 1979 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/sport |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Yates |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steve Tesich |
|---|
| Starring: | Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie
Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley, Robyn Douglass |
|---|
| Plot: | When top-notch cyclist Dave learns that the world’s cycling
champions are always Italian, he attempts to turn himself into
an Italian, driving his parents crazy. But everything changes
after he meets the Italian racing team—an encounter that
ultimately leads him and his friends to challenge the local
college boys in the town’s annual bike race. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A very cool super-low-budget independent noir crime drama in a
highschool setting.
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h50m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, extended scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Rian Johnson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Rian Johnson |
|---|
| Starring: | Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah
Fleiss, Matt O’Leary, Emilie de Ravin, Noah Segan, Richard
Roundtree, Meagan Good |
|---|
| Plot: | A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high
school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his
ex-girlfriend. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A wonderful, thought-provoking, fun film.
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h50m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Features: | commentary |
|---|
| Director: | John Sayles |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Sayles |
|---|
| Starring: | Joe Morton |
|---|
| Plot: | A mute alien is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through
the streets of Harlem. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Part of “The Essential Steve McQueen Collection” (6 film box set), a
gift from my parents, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 1968 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Two-Disc Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentaries, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Yates |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Alan R. Trustman & Harry Kleiner; novel “Mute Witness” by
Robert L. Fish |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don
Gordon, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell |
|---|
| Plot: | An all guts, no glory San Francisco cop becomes determined to
find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his
protection. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Funny stuff.
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/sport |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “20th Anniversary” |
|---|
| Features: | documentary |
|---|
| Director: | Harold Ramis |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Brian Doyle-Murray & Harold Ramis & Douglas Kenney |
|---|
| Starring: | Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael
O’Keefe, Bill Murray |
|---|
| Plot: | An exclusive golf course has to deal with a brash new member
and a destructive dancing gopher. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Gift for Kaito & Erika, Christmas 2006.
| Released: | 2006 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/comedy/family |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h56m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Features: | two animated shorts; deleted scenes; featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | John Lasseter & Joe Ranft |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Dan Fogelman & John Lasseter & Joe Ranft & Kiel Murray &
Phil Lorin & Jorgen Klubien; story by John Lasseter & Joe
Ranft & Jorgen Klubien |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt,
Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Guido
Quaroni, Jenifer Lewis, Paul Dooley, Michael Wallis, George
Carlin, Katherine Helmond, John Ratzenberger, Joe Ranft,
Michael Keaton |
|---|
| Plot: | A hot-shot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in
Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship
and family. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb
easter egg |
|---|
The best Bond film... ever? Since Connery at least.
(Mayumi’s purchase.)
| Released: | 2006 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h24m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | documentaries, music video |
|---|
| Director: | Martin Campbell |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Paul Haggis; novel by
Ian Fleming |
|---|
| Starring: | Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench,
Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini |
|---|
| Plot: | In his first mission as a double-0, James Bond must stop Le
Chiffre, a banker to the world’s terrorist organizations, from
winning a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in
Montenegro. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Stunning imagery.
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/horror/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h47m |
|---|
| Rating: | MPAA/R |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, deleted scenes, documentary, vignettes, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Tarsem Singh |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mark Protosevich |
|---|
| Starring: | Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Weber |
|---|
| Plot: | A psychotherapist journeys inside the mind of a comatose serial
killer in the hopes of saving his latest victim. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1997 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/romance/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h53m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | Criterion Collection |
|---|
| Features: | Commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes |
|---|
| Director: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Starring: | Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Dwight Ewell,
Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Plot: | Everything is going well for comic book artist Holden until he
meets Alyssa, another comic book artist. He falls for her, but
his hopes are crushed when he finds out she’s a lesbian. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A gift to Erika, April 2004.
| AKA: | Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang |
|---|
| Released: | 1968 |
|---|
| Genre: | family/comedy/musical/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h24m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | sing-along, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Ken Hughes |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Roald Dahl & Ken Hughes, from the novel by Ian Fleming |
|---|
| Starring: | Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Benny Hill |
|---|
| Plot: | An eccentric professor invents wacky machinery, but can’t seem
to make ends meet. When he invents a revolutionary car, a
foreign government becomes interested in it, and resorts to
skullduggery to get their hands on it. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
Part of “The Essential Steve McQueen Collection” (6 film box set), a
gift from my parents, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 1965 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | ? |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Norman Jewison |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Ring Lardner Jr. and Terry Southern; novel by Richard Jessup |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret, Karl
Malden, Tuesday Weld |
|---|
| Plot: | An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a
high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Clerks. X: Tenth Anniversary Edition” (3 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | theatrical version, unrated original version, commentaries,
documentary, deleted scenes, animated funeral parlor scene
(in the style of Clerks: The Animated Series below) |
|---|
| Director: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Starring: | Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa
Spoonhauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Plot: | A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and
Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey
on the store roof. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Six animated episodes, only two of which aired on TV.
Me and Silent Bob have an appointment at the gorilla cage. We’ve
come to the conclusion that we need more gorillas in our empty
lives.
—Jay, from episode 6
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/animation |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h10m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Clerks Uncensored” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes, intros by Jay & Silent Bob |
|---|
| Director: | Chris Bailey, Nicholas Filippi, Steve Loter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Mandel, Scott Mosier, Kevin Smith, Paul Dini, Brian
Kelley |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes,
Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Plot: | The continuing adventures of clerks Dante and Randal, who try
to make the best of their menial labor, with no help from Jay
and Silent Bob. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A worthy sequel, IMHO better than the original.
| Released: | 2006 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h37m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-disc widescreen edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, deleted scenes, documentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Anderson, Brian O’Halloran, Rosario Dawson, Jason
Mewes, Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Plot: | Ten years after Clerks., Dante and Randal have become
“funployees” at Mooby’s fast food. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Fancy a little of the old ultra-violence?
| Released: | 1971 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h17m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Stanley Kubrick Collection” |
|---|
| Director: | Stanley Kubrick |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel by Anthony Burgess |
|---|
| Starring: | Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin |
|---|
| Plot: | The adventures of a young man who loved a bit of the old
ultra-violence, went to jail, volunteered for an experimental
therapy and came out cured. Or was he? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
A classic. Alien-contact SF taken seriously. “We are not alone.”
| Released: | 1977 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/drama/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h17m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc “Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | Making-of documentary, featurette, deleted scenes,
trailers, filmographies |
|---|
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steven Spielberg |
|---|
| Starring: | Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, François
Truffaut |
|---|
| Plot: | A line worker, after a encounter with UFOs, feels undeniably
drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something
spectacular is about to happen. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2009 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/adventure/family/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-Disc Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | 2-D & 3-D versions (with 3-D glasses), commentary, deleted
scenes, documentary, featurettes, “digital copy” |
|---|
| Director: | Henry Selick |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Henry Selick, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman |
|---|
| Starring: | (voice talents of) Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer
Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert
Bailey Jr., Ian McShane |
|---|
| Plot: | An adventurous girl finds another world that is a strangely
idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister
secrets. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Stylized, dark (sometimes comedic), disturbing, brilliant, and well
worth seeing. The uncensored version is definitely superior to the
R-rated theatrical cut, but it’s interesting to contrast them and
recognize the hypocrisy of the ratings boards, especially the MPAA.
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/romance/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h52m |
|---|
| Rating: | unrated |
|---|
| Edition: | “Unrated. Uncensored.” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Ken Russell |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Barry Sandler |
|---|
| Starring: | Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, John Laughlin, Bruce Davison |
|---|
| Plot: | A sportswear designer leads a double life as a hooker named
China Blue. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1997 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/horror/mystery/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h30m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scene, interview |
|---|
| Director: | Vincenzo Natali |
|---|
| Screenplay: | André Bijelic & Vincenzo Natali and Graeme Manson |
|---|
| Starring: | Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, David Hewlett, Andrew
Miller, Julian Richings, Wayne Robson, Maurice Dean Wint |
|---|
| Plot: | 7 complete strangers of widely varying personality
characteristics are involuntarily placed in an endless
kafkaesque maze containing deadly traps. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A gift to Mayumi, May 2004.
| AKA: | James Cameron’s Dark Angel |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/SF/action/crime |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Rating: | TV-14/US-TV |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” (6 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, featurettes, extras |
|---|
| Creator: | James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee |
|---|
| Plot: | A genetically enhanced superhuman prototype named Max escapes
from a military lab and dwells among the street people of a
post-apocalyptic future Seattle to avoid government agents who
want to capture her. Searching for others of her kind, Max
encounters and joins forces with Logan, an idealistic
cyber-journalist battling repression and corruption. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2000-2001 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 16h5m (21 episodes) |
|---|
| Starring: | Jessica Alba, Michael Weatherly, John Savage |
|---|
| Released: | 2001-2002 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 15h43m (21 episodes) |
|---|
| Starring: | Jessica Alba, Michael Weatherly, Jensen Ackles, John Savage |
|---|
Very noir. Very twisted. Very original.
| Released: | 1998 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/mystery/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h36m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Platinum Series” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Alex Proyas |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Alex Proyas & Lem Dobbs |
|---|
| Starring: | Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard
O’Brien, Ian Richardson, William Hurt |
|---|
| Plot: | When John Murdoch awakens in a strange hotel room, he finds
that he is wanted for a series of brutal murders. The problem
is he can’t remember a thing. Pursued by the police and
haunted by the mysterious Strangers, he seeks to unravel the
twisted riddle of his identity. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
| Director: | Christopher Nolan |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h20m |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer; story by David
S. Goyer; based on characters by Bob Kane |
|---|
| Starring: | Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes,
Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer,
Ken Watanabe, Morgan Freeman |
|---|
| Plot: | The story of how Bruce Wayne became what he was destined to be:
Batman. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Christmas 2008.
| Released: | 2008 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h33m |
|---|
| Edition: | “Two-Disc Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes, IMAX scenes |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; story by
Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; characters by Bob
Kane |
|---|
| Starring: | Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine,
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman |
|---|
| Plot: | Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the
chaos unleashed by an anarchist mastermind known only as the
Joker, as it drives each of them to their limits. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Christmas 2012.
| Released: | 2012 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h45m |
|---|
| Features: | featurette |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; story by
Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; characters by Bob Kane |
|---|
| Starring: | Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway,
Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman |
|---|
| Plot: | Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms
Gotham’s finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city
that has branded him an enemy. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Brilliant.
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/comedy/fantasy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h8m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes |
|---|
| Director: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Starring: | Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Mewes,
Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek, Kevin
Smith, Janeane Garofalo, George Carlin, Alanis Morissette |
|---|
| Plot: | The last known descendant of Christ is called upon to save the
existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels
trying to exploit a loophole. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A real sleeper which deserves to be viewed widely. Original, warped,
thought-provoking. Worth multple viewings. Confused as to what’s
actually happening? The director’s commentary helps.
| Released: | 2001 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/drama/mystery/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h53m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Kelly |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Richard Kelly |
|---|
| Starring: | Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick
Swayze, Noah Wyle |
|---|
| Plot: | High school student Donnie is plagued by visions of a giant
evil rabbit who orders him to commit acts of violence and
predicts the impending end of the world. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs,
Official site |
|---|
Good story, and a great dragon.
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/action/adventure |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h49m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Matthew Robbins |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Hal Barwood & Matthew Robbins |
|---|
| Starring: | Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson |
|---|
| Plot: | A dragon leaves the kingdom alone, as long as it receives
regular sacrifices of maidens. An old wizard and his keen
young apprentice volunteer to kill the dragon and attempt to
save the next virgin in line: the King’s daughter. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/comedy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h53m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Unrated” |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, alternate endings, documentary |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Peter Farrelly & Bennett Yellin & Bobby Farrelly |
|---|
| Starring: | Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly |
|---|
| Plot: | The cross-country adventures of two good-hearted but incredibly
stupid friends. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb
easter eggs |
|---|
Although made with relatively small budgets, these well-written and
well-acted made-for-TV mini-series are a feast for the eyes and put
many big-screen SF feature films to shame.
| Genre: | SF/drama/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Harrison, from Frank Herbert’s novels |
|---|
A deep and worthy rendition of Frank Herbert’s classic SF novel. Its
story is far superior to the 1984 David Lynch adaptation; the story
changes required by the dramatic medium (both additions and omissions)
are quite reasonable and make sense. At almost 5 hours, it may be too
long for non-fans though.
David Lynch’s 1984 Dune was
an interesting failure. Although it boasted a first-rate cast,
sumptuous visuals and interesting ideas, it was far too short, leaving
much of the story untold or awkwardly altered. Some of the
changes/additions made for Lynch’s Dune are wonderful (heart-plugs
and the Baron Harkonnen’s boils!), but others are obnoxious (“a
technique involving sound”?!?). Unfortunately, it was little more
than “great scenes from the book on film”, and unintelligible unless
you’ve read the novel.
| AKA: | Frank Herbert’s Dune |
|---|
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 4h55m |
|---|
| Rating: | unrated (televised version: PG) |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition Director’s Cut” (3 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | extended by 30 minutes; commentary; featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | John Harrison |
|---|
| Starring: | William Hurt, Alec Newman, Saskia Reeves, Barbora Kodetová,
P.H. Moriarty, Ian McNeice, Matt Keeslar, Giancarlo
Giannini, Julie Cox, Uwe Ochsenknecht |
|---|
| Plot: | In the distant future, the planet Arrakis—Dune—is
the only source of the “spice” which gives whomever controls it
dominion over commerce and civilization. By way of an ancient
prophecy, a young man realizes his destiny as Dune’s messiah
and leads a rebellion against the corrupt galactic empire and
forever changes the balance of power. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Sequel to Dune, combining the story lines of both Dune Messiah
(mini-series part I) and Children of Dune (parts II & III). A
worthy sequel; worthwhile viewing for fans.
| AKA: | Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune |
|---|
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 4h26m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc set |
|---|
| Director: | Greg Yaitanes |
|---|
| Starring: | Alec Newman, Julie Cox, Edward Atterton, Ian McNeice,
Barbora Kodetová, Steven Berkoff, Daniela Amavia,
P.H. Moriarty, James McAvoy, Jessica Brooks, Jonathan
Bruun, Alice Krige, Susan Sarandon |
|---|
| Plot: | The twin children of Paul “Muad’dib” Atreides become embroiled
in the political landscape of Arrakis (“Dune”) and the rest of
the universe. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A lot of fun.
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/musical/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | additional scenes; karaoke |
|---|
| Director: | Julien Temple |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Julie Brown & Charlie Coffey & Terrence E. McNally |
|---|
| Starring: | Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans,
Julie Brown, Michael McKean, Charles Rocket |
|---|
| Plot: | Trio of fuzzy (and funny) aliens crash land in Valerie’s pool
— putting a decided damper on her future wedding plans to
cheating Dr. Ted Gallagher. Action interrupted by musical
numbers. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A wonderful fantasy; a classic.
| Released: | 1990 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/fantasy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h45m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “10th Anniversary Edition” |
|---|
| Director: | Tim Burton |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Caroline Thompson, from a story by Tim Burton & Caroline
Thompson |
|---|
| Starring: | Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael
Hall, Alan Arkin, Vincent Price |
|---|
| Plot: | An artificial man with scissors for hands lives completely
alone until a local woman befriends him and brings him home. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h47m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Kurt Wimmer |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kurt Wimmer |
|---|
| Starring: | Christian Bale, Emily watson, Taye Diggs, Angus MacFadden,
Sean Bean |
|---|
| Plot: | In order to end wars and maintain peace, mankind has outlawed
the things that trigger emotion: literature, music, and art. A
special breed of police is assigned to eliminate all
transgressors. But when the top enforcer misses a dose of an
emotion-blocking drug, he begins to realize that things are not
as they seem. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Snake! Snake Plissken is the ultimate anti-hero.
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h39m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition DVD Collector’s Set” (2 discs + comic book) |
|---|
| Features: | Commentaries, deleted scene, featurette, extras |
|---|
| Director: | John Carpenter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Carpenter and Nick Castle |
|---|
| Starring: | Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald
Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton,
Adrienne Barbeau |
|---|
| Plot: | In 1997 (!) Manhattan Island is a maximum security prison, with
no law, rules, or guards. Breaking out is impossible. When
the US President crash lands there, Snake Plissken, a recently
convicted bank robber sentenced to Manhattan for life, is
offered his freedom in echange for a rescue. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Gorgeous. Epic. Stunning. The definitive King Arthur.
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h20m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Director: | John Boorman |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Rospo Pallenberg & John Boorman; adapted from Sir Thomas
Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur” |
|---|
| Starring: | Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi,
Paul Geoffrey, Nicol Williamson |
|---|
| Plot: | The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table,
the sword Excalibur, and the quest for the Holy Grail. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
The best use of projectile vomit ever.
| Released: | 1973 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/horror/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h12m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “The Version You’ve Never Seen” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary |
|---|
| Director: | William Friedkin |
|---|
| Screenplay: | William Peter Blatty, based on his novel |
|---|
| Starring: | Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb,
Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Linda Blair |
|---|
| Plot: | A troubled cleric sees a means of redemption in helping a
psychologically damaged teen. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
“The Exorcist III” is an excellent, underrated film. It simply
ignores “II”, which sucked. Brad Dourif’s acting is chilling.
| Released: | 1990 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h50m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Director: | William Peter Blatty |
|---|
| Screenplay: | William Peter Blatty, based on his novel Legion |
|---|
| Starring: | George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif, Jason Miller,
Nicol Williamson, Scott Wilson |
|---|
| Plot: | A serial killer haunts the streets of Georgetown, do these
events have anything to do with the exorcism of 15 years ago? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1998 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/mystery/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h5m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary |
|---|
| Director: | Gregory Hoblit |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Nicholas Kazan |
|---|
| Starring: | Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth
Davidtz, James Gandolfini, Elias Koteas |
|---|
| Plot: | Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of
serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the
killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese’s
style. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2002 |
|---|
| Genre: | thriller/crime/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Brian De Palma |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Brian De Palma |
|---|
| Starring: | Rebecca Romijn, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote |
|---|
| Plot: | A woman tries to straighten out her life, even as her past as a
con-woman comes back to haunt her. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A classic teen comedy. Great music and a lot of fun.
| Released: | 1986 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | John Hughes |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Hughes |
|---|
| Starring: | Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck |
|---|
| Plot: | One spring day, toward the end of his senior year, Ferris gives
in to an overwhelming urge to cut school and head for downtown
Chicago with his girl and his best friend. They see the
signts, experience a day of freedom and show that with a little
ingenuity, a bit of courage and a red Ferrari, life at 17 can
be a joy! |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
The ultimate eye candy & escapist guilty pleasure.
| Released: | 1997 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/romance/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h6m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Ultimate Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | fact track, featurettes, test footage |
|---|
| Director: | Luc Besson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen |
|---|
| Starring: | Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich,
Chris Tucker |
|---|
| Plot: | In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the
central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to
keep Evil and Mr Zorg at bay. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h19m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Two-Disc Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, vignettes, deleted scenes, outtakes |
|---|
| Director: | David Fincher |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jim Uhls; novel by Chuck Palahniuk |
|---|
| Starring: | Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf |
|---|
| Plot: | An office employee and a soap salesman build a global
organization to help vent male aggression. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Good story for children & adults. Breathtakingly beautiful underwater
animation. A gift to Kaito, Christmas 2003.
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/animation/family/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc Collector’s Edition |
|---|
| Features: | visual commentary, documentaries, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Andrew Stanton |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould,
Willem Dafoe |
|---|
| Plot: | When Nemo, a young clownfish, is unexpectedly carried far from
home, his overprotective father, Marlin, and Dory, a friendly
but forgetful regal blue tang fish, embark on an epic journey
that leads to encounters with vegetarian sharks, surfer dude
turtles, hypnotic jellyfish and hungry seagulls. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
easter eggs,
Pixar site,
Disney site |
|---|
| Released: | 1991 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h17m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Terry Gilliam |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Richard LaGravenese |
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda
Plummer, David Hyde Pierce |
|---|
| Plot: | A talk radio host, suicidally despondent because of a horrible
mistake he made, finds redemption in helping a deranged
homeless man. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An effective monster movie with excellent production values. “Be
afraid. Be very afraid.”
| Released: | 1986 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/SF/drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h35m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Fox Double Feature” (double-sided disc with The Fly II) |
|---|
| Director: | David Cronenberg |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Charles Edward Pogue & David Cronenberg, based on a story
by George Langelaan |
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz |
|---|
| Plot: | An over-ambitious scientist conducting a teleportation
experiement accidentally merges with a housefly. A journalist
who has fallen in love with him while covering his scientific
endeavors suddenly finds herself caring for a horrifying
creature whose insect half gradually begins to take over. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (combined review of double feature) |
|---|
A worthy sequel. “You’re getting worse.” “I’m getting better.”
| Released: | 1989 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h45m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Fox Double Feature” (double-sided disc with The Fly) |
|---|
| Director: | Chris Walas |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mick Garris, Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, & Frank Darabont,
based on characters created by George Langelaan |
|---|
| Starring: | Eric Stoltz, Daphne Zuniga, Lee Richardson, John Getz,
Harley Cross |
|---|
| Plot: | Beneath his ordinary exterior, Martin is the most extraordinary
person alive. Though only five years old, he is a genious, a
fully matured adult, and the son of a human fly! Now it is
only a matter of time before his mutated genes waken from their
dormant state. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (combined review of double feature) |
|---|
A wonderful story, beautifully shot & told.
| Released: | 1996 |
|---|
| Genre: | family/adventure/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h48m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Carroll Ballard |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Robert Rodat & Vince McKewin; based on the autobiography
by Bill Lishman |
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, Dana Delany, Terry Kinney |
|---|
| Plot: | A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of
orphaned Canada Geese south by air. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Funny, sad, original, and gorgeously shot, this is one of the rare
instances of a movie being better than the source novel. I first saw
this on a tiny LCD on a flight over the Pacific, which didn’t do it
justice. When I later visited Hong Kong on business, I was lucky to
find it still playing in a theater. The vistas are amazing. Gotta
get me a big screen TV for this one some day...
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h21m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Collector’s Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, documentaries |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Zemeckis |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Eric Roth from the novel by Winston Groom |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson,
Sally Field |
|---|
| Plot: | Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been
present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny,
eludes him. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
| Released: | 2006 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/romance/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h36m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Darren Aronofsky |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Darren Aronofsky, story by Darren Aronofsky & Ari Handel |
|---|
| Starring: | Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn |
|---|
| Plot: | Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories,
The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the
fragility of our existence in this world. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
director’s commentarty track (downloadable MP3 file) |
|---|
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/thriller/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h59m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, documentary, commentaries |
|---|
| Director: | Gregory Hoblit |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Toby Emmerich |
|---|
| Starring: | Dennis Quaid, James Caviezel, Shawn Doyle, Elizabeth
Mitchell, Andre Braugher, Noah Emmerich |
|---|
| Plot: | An accidental cross-time radio link connects father and son
across 30 years. The son tries to save his father’s life, but
then must fix the consequences. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Fun!
| Released: | 1996 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/comedy/fantasy/horror/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h48m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Series” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, outtakes, featurettes, deleted scenes, extras;
“Full-Tilt Boogie” full-length feature documentary |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Rodriguez |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino, story by Robert Kurtzman |
|---|
| Starring: | Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette
Lewis, Ernest Liu, Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin |
|---|
| Plot: | Two criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary
refuge in an establishment populated by vampires, with chaotic
results. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb;
Full-Tilt Boogie |
|---|
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/comedy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | featurette, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Dean Parisot |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Howard and Robert Gordon |
|---|
| Starring: | Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub,
Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell |
|---|
| Plot: | The alumni cast of a cult space TV show have to play their
roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Thought-provoking, stylish, and underrated. True SF: a story of
characters and ideas, without space battles or overwhelming special
effects. A very good film.
| Released: | 1997 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/mystery/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h46m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG-13/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Andrew Niccol |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andrew Niccol |
|---|
| Starring: | Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Jude Law, Loren Dean |
|---|
| Plot: | A genetically imperfect man in a society obsessed with genetic
perfection is determined to beat the system. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Part of “The Essential Steve McQueen Collection” (6 film box set), a
gift from my parents, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 1972 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h3m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “Deluxe Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries |
|---|
| Director: | Sam Peckinpah |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Walter Hill; novel by Jim Thompson |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Sally Struthers,
Al Lettieri |
|---|
| Plot: | A recently released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run
after a heist goes awry. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h51m (extended), 2h35m (theatrical) |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Extended Edition” (3 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | Extended & theatrical cuts, commentary, trivia track,
Documentary: “Strength and Honor: Creating the World of
Gladiator”, supplements |
|---|
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Franzoni and John Logan and William Nicholson;
story by David Franzoni |
|---|
| Starring: | Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver
Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou |
|---|
| Plot: | When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by a
corrupt prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek
revenge. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A simple, subtle, and absolutely hilarious comedy.
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h49m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “Double Feature” packaged with The Gods Must Be Crazy II |
|---|
| Director: | Jamie Uys |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jamie Uys |
|---|
| Starring: | Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, N!xau |
|---|
| Plot: | A Sho in the Kalahari desert encounters technology for the
first time — in the shape of a Coke bottle. He takes it back
to his people, and they use it for many tasks. The people
start to fight over it, so he decides to return it to the God
— where he thinks it came from. Meanwhile, we are introduced
to a school teacher assigned to a small village, a despotic
revolutionary, and a clumsy biologist. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “Double Feature” packaged with The Gods Must Be Crazy |
|---|
| Director: | Jamie Uys |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jamie Uys |
|---|
| Starring: | N!xau, Lena Farugia, Hans Strydom, Nadies, Eiros |
|---|
| Plot: | Xixo’s children accidentally stow away on a fast-moving
poachers’ truck, unable to get off, and Xixo sets out to rescue
them. Along the way, he encounters a couple of soldiers trying
to capture each other and a pilot and passenger of a small
plane, who are each having a few problems of their own. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An OK film. (Purchased in a 2-pack with The Exorcist, because that
was cheaper than buying The Exorcist alone.)
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/thriller/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, music video |
|---|
| Director: | Mathieu Kassovitz |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Sebastian Gutierrez |
|---|
| Starring: | Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Charles S. Dutton, John
Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill, Penélope Cruz |
|---|
| Plot: | Ghost story in which a repressed female psychiatrist wakes up
as a patient in the very asylum where she worked with no memory
of why she is there and what she has done. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1963 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/drama/history/thriller/war |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h52m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Features: | documentary |
|---|
| Director: | John Sturges |
|---|
| Screenplay: | James Clavell and W.R. Burnett; based on the book by
Paul Brickhill |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James
Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn |
|---|
| Plot: | In World War II, several hundred Allied POWs plan a mass escape
from a German POW camp. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A wonderful, near-perfect film: impeccably cast & acted, flawlessly
designed & filmed, transparently directed, from a great story. The
best screen adaptation ever? Certainly one of the best.
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/fantasy/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 3h9m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Two-Disc Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentaries, additional scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Frank Darabont |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Frank Darabont, from the novel by Stephen King |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan,
James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Doug
Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn,
Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton |
|---|
| Plot: | The lives of the guards and prisoners on death row leading up
to the execution of an innocent man who has the power of
healing. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An experimental double-feature in the style of 70’s "grindhouse"
films. The theatrical presentation included trailers of other
(nonexistant) grindhouse films, two of which (Machete and Hobo With
a Shotgun) were subsequently made and released.
| Released: | 2007 |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Rating: | Unrated |
|---|
| Edition: | “Extended and Unrated” (2 discs each) |
|---|
A fun-filled zombie flick. One scene in particular seemed
unnecessarily unpleasant, but it was intentional, telling us that “all
bets are off”.
| Genre: | action/horror/SF/thriller (& comedy too!) |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h45m |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, audience reaction track, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Rodriguez |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Robert Rodriguez |
|---|
| Starring: | Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodríguez, Josh Brolin, Marley
Shelton, Michael Biehn, Jeff Fahey, Bruce Willis, Naveen
Andrews |
|---|
| Plot: | After an experimental bio-weapon is released, turning thousands
into zombie-like creatures, it’s up to a rag-tag group of
survivors to stop the infected and those behind its release. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Starts off slowly but builds to an exhilarating finalé. Perhaps the
best car chase, ever.
| Genre: | crime/thriller |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h53m |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes, “Double Dare” trailer |
|---|
| Director: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Starring: | Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd,
Rose McGowan, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Tracie Thoms, Mary
Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell |
|---|
| Plot: | Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different
times by a scarred stuntman who uses his “death proof” cars to
execute his murderous plans. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2008 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h32m (theatrical) 1h42m (unrated) |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/unrated |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc Unrated Special Edition |
|---|
| Features: | theatrical & unrated versions, featurettes, limited edition
lithograph |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Berg |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Vincent Ngo, Vince Gilligan |
|---|
| Starring: | Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Jae Head, Eddie
Marsan |
|---|
| Plot: | A hard-living superhero who has fallen out of favor with the
public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife of
the public relations professional who’s trying to repair his
image. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
3 volumes plus 5 bonus episodes (3 discs).
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/short/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Features: | lots |
|---|
| Director: | Rhode Montijo & Kenn Navarro |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Warren Graff, Rhode Montijo, Kenn Navarro, Jeff
Biancalana, Ken Pontac, David Winn; created by Rhode
Montijo & Aubrey Ankrum |
|---|
| Plot: | They’re cute, they’re happy, they’re cuddly, they love life,
and they die in the most gruesome ways — every single
episode... |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb: Volume 1: First Blood,
Volume 2: Second Serving,
Volume 3: Third Strike |
|---|
A sometimes morbid but finally uplifting black comedy. Excellent
soundtrack by Cat Stevens.
| Released: | 1971 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/romance/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h31m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Hal Ashby |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Colin Higgins |
|---|
| Starring: | Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack,
Charles Tyner |
|---|
| Plot: | Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself
changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a
funeral. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
The quintessential antidote to John Hughes’ syrupy teen comedies.
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/crime/drama/romance |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h43m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Michael Lehmann |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Daniel Waters |
|---|
| Starring: | Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty |
|---|
| Plot: | A girl who half-heartedly tries to be part of the “in crowd” of
her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to
play social politics. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (different edition) |
|---|
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/fantasy/romance/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h49m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “The Uncut Version” |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Jackson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson |
|---|
| Starring: | Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent,
Clive Merrison, Simon O’Connor |
|---|
| Plot: | Two girls have an intense fantasy life; their parents,
concerned the fantasy is too intense, separate them, and the
girls take revenge. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Highly original and entertaining. Not for the squeamish or the faint
of heart.
| AKA: | Clive Barker’s Hellraiser |
|---|
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | packaged with Hellbound: Hellraiser II |
|---|
| Director: | Clive Barker |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Clive Barker, from his novel The Hellbound Heart |
|---|
| Starring: | Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean
Chapman, Oliver Smith, Doug Bradley |
|---|
| Plot: | A man finds he is given more than he bargains for when he
solves the puzzle of the Lamont Configuration: a doorway to
hell. But his ex-lover has found a way of bringing him back,
and his niece finds herself bargaining with the Cenobites,
angels to some, demons to others, whose greatest pleasure is
the greatest pain. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
Hellraiser: Online |
|---|
Sequel to Hellraiser. If you liked that film, you’ll like this one
too.
| AKA: | Clive Barker’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II |
|---|
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h39m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | packaged with Hellraiser |
|---|
| Director: | Tony Randel |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Peter Atkins, from a story by Clive Barker |
|---|
| Starring: | Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham, Doug Bradley |
|---|
| Plot: | The head of a psychiatric prison who meddles with a satanic
puzzle cube unleashes a cabal of pain-seeking demons who
terrorize his daughter. The girl must find a way to solve the
puzzle and force the demons back to hell after a series of
victims fall victim to the cube’s power. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Underrated. Fun popcorn action/horror/SF. Low-budget, but good
story, good dialogue, and well made.
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/horror/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Double Feature” (single-sided disc) with The Hidden 2 (crap) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary track |
|---|
| Director: | Jack Sholder |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jim Kouf |
|---|
| Starring: | Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian, Clarence
Felder |
|---|
| Plot: | An L.A. police detective and an FBI agent join forces to hunt
down those responsible for a series of bizarre crimes. The
problem is, the serial robberies and murders are being
committed by seemingly ordinary citizens. What’s the
connection? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Genre: | romance/comedy/drama/music |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, conversations with writer/producer and
director |
|---|
| Director: | Stephen Frears |
|---|
| Screenplay: | D.V. DeVincentis & Steve Pink & John Cusack &
Scott Rosenberg; book by Nick Hornby |
|---|
| Starring: | John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black, Lisa
Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins |
|---|
| Plot: | Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts
his top five breakups, including the one in progress. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h36m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, featurettes, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | David Cronenberg |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Josh Olson; based on the graphic novel by John Wagner &
Vince Locke |
|---|
| Starring: | Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt |
|---|
| Plot: | A mild mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of
violence which sets off repercussions that will shake his
family to their very core. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A seemingly B-horror flick that rose to A-level thanks to some
excellent performances. Rutger Hauer gives a subtle, nuanced, and
insidious performace as one of the best villains in cinematic history.
But skip the sequel — it sucks.
| Released: | 1986 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/horror/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Harmon |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Eric Red |
|---|
| Starring: | C. Thomas Howell, Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Jeffrey DeMunn |
|---|
| Plot: | A young man transporting a car to another state is stalked
along the road by a cunning and relentless serial killer who
eventually frames the driver for a string of murders. Chased by
police and shadowed by the killer, the driver’s only help comes
from a truck stop waitress. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Originally a fake trailer from the Grindhouse double-feature.
| Released: | 2011 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h27m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, etc. |
|---|
| Director: | Jason Eisener |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Davies, story by Jason Eisener & Rob Cotterill & John Davies |
|---|
| Starring: | Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey,
Nick Bateman |
|---|
| Plot: | A homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas,
and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Wonderfully quirky. “You know... for kids!”
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/fantasy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h51m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Joel Coen & Ethan Coen |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Ethan Coen & Joel Coen & Sam Raimi |
|---|
| Starring: | Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Charles
Durning, John Mahoney, Jim True-Frost, Bill Cobbs, Bruce
Campbell |
|---|
| Plot: | A naive business graduate is installed as president of a
manufacturing company as part of a stock scam. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2012 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h22m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Gary Ross |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray, based on the
novel by Suzanne Collins |
|---|
| Starring: | Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody
Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald
Sutherland, Wes Bentley |
|---|
| Plot: | In a dystopian future, the totalitarian nation of Panem is
divided between 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year two young
representatives from each district are selected by lottery to
participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal
retribution for a past rebellion, the televised games are
broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to
eliminate their competitors while the citizens of Panem are
required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim,
is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss
volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta,
are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom
have trained for this their whole lives. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2009 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/fantasy/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h3m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes, deleted scene |
|---|
| Director: | Terry Gilliam |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Terry Gilliam & Charles McKeown |
|---|
| Starring: | Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Jude Law,
Colin Farrell, Verne Troyer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, Tom Waits |
|---|
| Plot: | In exchange for extraordinary powers, Doctor Parnassus makes a
deal with the Devil to turn over any child of his when they turn
sixteen. But as his daughter’s birthday approaches, a mysterious
stranger arrives with the power tho change everything. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Although the extended action drags a bit in spots, this is one of the
best adaptations of a Philip K. Dick story. It captures the paranoia
and the questioning of identity that infuses phildickian fiction.
Originally shot as a short film for a 3-part anthology.
| Released: | 2002 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/thriller/action/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Director’s Cut” |
|---|
| Features: | featurette, original short film |
|---|
| Director: | Gary Fleder |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Caroline Case & Ehren Kruger & David Twohy, adaptation by
Scott Rosenberg, story by Philip K. Dick |
|---|
| Starring: | Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tony
Shalhoub, Tim Guinee, Mekhi Phifer |
|---|
| Plot: | An engineer creates the ultimate weapon in a battle against
aliens, only to be suspected of being an alien himself. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A blockbuster that makes you think.
| Released: | 2010 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/mystery/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h28m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Christopher Nolan |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Christopher Nolan |
|---|
| Starring: | Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom
Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom
Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael
Caine, Lukas Haas |
|---|
| Plot: | Dom Cobb leads an “extraction” team, corporate spies who steal
ideas by invading the dreams of their targets. Now they’ve
been tasked with the nearly impossible: “inception”, the
implantation of an idea where the target believes the idea is
their own. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A gift for Kaito & Erika, March 2005.
| Released: | 2004 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/family/adventure/action/comedy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h1m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-disc Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, animated shorts |
|---|
| Director: | Brad Bird |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Brad Bird |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson,
Jason Lee |
|---|
| Plot: | A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the
quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
| Released: | 2009 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/war |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h33m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-disc Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | deleted & alternate scenes, “Nation’s Pride” film & making
of, roundtable discussion, etc. |
|---|
| Director: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Starring: | Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth,
Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til
Schweiger |
|---|
| Plot: | In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of
Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” are chosen
specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by
scalping and brutally killing Nazis. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Brilliant portrayal of Albert Einstein by Walter Matthau.
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h35m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Fred Schepisi |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andy Breckman and Michael Leeson, story by Andy Breckman |
|---|
| Starring: | Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, Walter Matthau |
|---|
| Plot: | Albert Einstein helps a young man who’s in love with Einstein’s
niece to catch her attention by pretending temporarily to be a
great physicist. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Excellent story and animation; works for kids & adults too.
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/drama/family/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h26m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, additional scenes, documentaries & featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Brad Bird |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Tim McCanlies; screen story by Brad Bird; based on the
book by Ted Hughes |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Vin Diesel,
Christopher McDonald, John Mahoney, Eli Marienthal |
|---|
| Plot: | A boy makes friends with an innocent alien giant robot that a
paranoid government agent wants to destroy. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
| Released: | 2008 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/drama/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h5m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Ultimate 2-Disc Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | deleted & extended scenes, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Jon Favreau |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway;
characters by Stan Lee & Don Heck & Larry Lieber & Jack
Kirby |
|---|
| Starring: | Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth
Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir |
|---|
| Plot: | When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an
armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately
decides to use its technology to fight against evil. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb
easter egg |
|---|
| Released: | 1997 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes, deleted and alternate scenes, etc. |
|---|
| Director: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino; novel by Elmore Leonard |
|---|
| Starring: | Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget
Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro |
|---|
| Plot: | A female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot
between the police and an arms dealer. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Weird, nightmarish, and thought-provoking. The visual style —
special effects done completely optically, in-camera — is original
and stunning. I saw this on the big screen on its opening night, a
Friday, and it was running through my head so much all weekend that I
went to see it again Monday night. You’ll love it or you’ll hate it.
I loved it.
| Released: | 1990 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/mystery/thriller/drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h56m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Adrian Lyne |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Bruce Joel Rubin |
|---|
| Starring: | Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello |
|---|
| Plot: | A traumatized Vietnam war veteran finds out that his post-war
life isn’t what he believes it to be when he’s attacked by
horned creatures in the subway and his dead son comes to visit
him. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2001 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h44m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Series” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, gag reel, music
videos |
|---|
| Director: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Starring: | Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Shannon Elizabeth,
Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Will Ferrell, Jason Lee, Chris
Rock |
|---|
| Plot: | The comic “Bluntman and Chronic” is based on real-life stoners
Jay and Silent Bob, so when they get no profit from a
big-screen adaptation they set out to wreck the movie. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
“I was born a poor black child” says Navin Johnson (Steve Martin).
He’s also a budding songwriter:
Oh, I’m picking out a thermos for you
Not an ordinary thermos, for you
But the extra-best thermos you can buy
With vinyl, and stripes, and a cup built right in
I’m picking out a thermos for you
And maybe a barometer, too
And what else can I buy
So on me you’ll rely?
A rear-end thermometer, too
| Released: | 1979 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “26th Anniversary Edition” |
|---|
| Director: | Carl Reiner |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steve Martin & Carl Gottlieb & Michael Elias |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Jackie Mason |
|---|
| Plot: | A complete imbecile struggles to make it through life on his
own, until a strange invention makes him unbelievably wealthy. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Although split in two for theatrical release, this is really one film.
Kill Bill is [a] kung fu samurai revenge kick-ass chick
take-no-prisoners movie.
—Lawrence Bender, producer
| Genre: | action/thriller/drama/crime |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes, deleted scene (vol. 2) |
|---|
| Director: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino, based on the character of “The Bride”
created by Q & U |
|---|
Violence as art, taken to the campy extreme. A lot of fun, if you
don’t mind a lot of blood and severed body parts. I saw Volume 1
several times in the theater, it was such visceral fun.
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h51m |
|---|
| Starring: | Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Sonny
Chiba, Julie Dreyfus |
|---|
| Plot: | Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding
rehearsal, The Bride emerges from a coma and decides to seek
revenge on her former colleagues, the Deadly Viper
Assassination Squad (DiVAS). |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
First we got the action, now we get the story and the dialogue. There
are a few good fights too. I only saw Volume 2 once in the theater,
but I’ve found it has grown on me, and I’ve enjoyed it frequently
since obtaining a copy for my collection.
| Released: | 2004 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h17m |
|---|
| Starring: | Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah,
Gordon Liu, Michael Parks |
|---|
| Plot: | The Bride continues her vengeance quest against her ex-boss,
Bill, and his associates. Much of her past is also revealed. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/drama/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 3h8m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-Disc Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | documentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Jackson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson; story by
Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace |
|---|
| Starring: | Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann,
Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Evan Parke, Jamie Bell |
|---|
| Plot: | In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces
his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull
Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is
immediately smitten with leading lady Ann Darrow. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1997 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h15m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG-13/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Martin Scorsese |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Melissa Mathison |
|---|
| Starring: | Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong |
|---|
| Plot: | True story of one of the world’s most fascinating leaders —
Tibet’s Dalai lama — and his daring struggle to rule a nation
at one of the most challenging times in its history. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An intelligent, quirky comedy.
| Released: | 1991 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/romance/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | featurette, hidden interviews |
|---|
| Director: | Mick Jackson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steve Martin |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant, Marilu
Henner, Sarah Jessica Parker |
|---|
| Plot: | With the help of a talking freeway billboard, a “wacky
weatherman” tries to win the heart of an English newspaper
reporter, who is struggling to make sense of the strange world
of early-90s Los Angeles. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Wildly imaginative, but not entirely successful. The scene emulating
Escher’s Relativity is very cool.
| Released: | 1986 |
|---|
| Genre: | family/fantasy/adventure/musical |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | documentary |
|---|
| Director: | Jim Henson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Terry Jones & Elaine May; story by Dennis Lee & Jim Henson |
|---|
| Starring: | David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud |
|---|
| Plot: | Sarah, a teen, summons the goblins from her favorite book, the
Labyrinth, to steal her baby half-brother Toby. When the
goblins actually do steal him, she must solve the Goblin King’s
Labyrinth in 13 hours or else Toby will become a goblin. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A decent fantasy. Unfortunately, the music (by Alan Parsons, whose
albums I enjoy) often doesn’t suit the film.
| Released: | 1985 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/adventure/romance |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h1m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG-13/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Donner |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Edward Khmara & Michael Thomas & Tom Mankiewicz & David Peoples |
|---|
| Starring: | Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leo
McKern, John Wood |
|---|
| Plot: | Philipe Gastone, a thief, escapes from the dungeon at Aquila,
and meets Captain Navarre, who has been hunted by the Bishop’s
men for two years. Navarre and his true love, the Lady
Isabeau, have been cursed by the Bishop to be forever apart.
Navarre insists that Philipe help him re-enter the city to help
him kill the heavily guarded Bishop. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Gift to Erika, March 2008.
| Released: | 1982 |
|---|
| Genre: | family/animation/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h33m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | “25th Anniversary” |
|---|
| Features: | documentary, game |
|---|
| Director: | Jules Bass & Arthur Rankin Jr. |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Peter S. Beagle, based on his novel |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Tammy
Grimes, Robert Klein, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee,
Keenan Wynn, Paul Frees, Rene Auberjonois |
|---|
| Plot: | A brave unicorn and a magician fight an evil king who is
obsessed with attempting to capture the world’s unicorns. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A gorgeous and underrated fantasy. I love the Tangerine Dream score
on the theatrical version.
| Released: | 1986 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/adventure/romance |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG (theatrical release) |
|---|
| Edition: | “Ultimate Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | director’s cut & theatrical versions, commentary,
featurettes, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
|---|
| Screenplay: | William Hjortsberg |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, Arnon Milchan |
|---|
| Plot: | A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from both destroying
daylight and marrying the woman he loves. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
| AKA: | The Professional |
|---|
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h13m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Uncut International Version” |
|---|
| Features: | isolated music score |
|---|
| Director: | Luc Besson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Luc Besson |
|---|
| Starring: | Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello |
|---|
| Plot: | Professional assassin Léon reluctantly takes care of
12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and
teaches her his trade. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| AKA: | Monty Python’s Life of Brian |
|---|
| Released: | 1979 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “The Criterion Collection” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, documentary, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Terry Jones |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam,
Terry Jones, Michael Palin |
|---|
| Starring: | Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam,
Terry Jones, Michael Palin |
|---|
| Plot: | Three wise men visit a baby born in a stable in Bethleham,
before realizing that the real messiah was born next door. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (different edition) |
|---|
Quite charming, gorgeous, and very well acted by the young lead.
| Released: | 1995 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/family/fantasy/war |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h37m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | “Family Double Feature” with The Secret Garden |
|---|
| Director: | Alfonso Cuarón |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Richard LaGravenese & Elizabeth Chandler, novel by
Frances Hodgson Burnett |
|---|
| Starring: | Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham, Rusty Schwimmer |
|---|
| Plot: | A young girl is relegated to servitude at a boarding school
when her father goes missing in World War I and is presumed
dead. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A real gem. I also have fond memories of Forsyth’s Comfort and Joy.
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h51m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Bill Forsyth |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Bill Forsyth |
|---|
| Starring: | Peter Riegert, Denis Lawson, Fulton Mackay, Burt Lancaster |
|---|
| Plot: | An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an
entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things
don’t go as expected. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A classic of utopian/distopian SF. I remember in elementary school my
friends and I running around with plastic bingo chips in our hands,
pretending they were life-clock crystals.
| Released: | 1976 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/action/adventure |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen/fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h58m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Michael Anderson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Zelag Goodman, from the novel by William F. Nolan
and George Clayton Johnson |
|---|
| Starring: | Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan, Roscoe Lee
Browne, Farrah Fawcett, Peter Ustinov |
|---|
| Plot: | In the Year of the City 2274, humans live in a vast, domed
metropolis, protected from the outside world, ravaged by
nuclear holocaust. In the City, computerized systems provide
all needs and everyone can pursue endless hedonism. Until
Lastday, when all 30-year-olds must submit to Carrousel, with
certain death and the promise of rebirth. The alternative is
to become a Runner and seek out Sanctuary. Logan 5 is a
Sandman who is prematurely forced to become a Runner. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Steve Martin is at the top of his form, but Charles Grodin’s subtle
delivery steals the show.
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h30m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Director: | Arthur Hiller |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Neil Simon & Stan Daniels & Ed. Weinberger, based on the
book “The Lonely Guy’s Book of Life” by Bruce Jay
Friedman |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve Martin, Charles Grodin, Judith Ivey, Steve Lawrence,
Robyn Douglass, Merv Griffin, Dr. Joyce Brothers |
|---|
| Plot: | A writer for a greating card company learns the true meaning of
loneliness when he comes home to find his girl friend in bed
with another man. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2007 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h39m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Scott Frank |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Scott Frank |
|---|
| Starring: | Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode,
Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino |
|---|
| Plot: | Chris is a once promising high school athlete whose life is
turned upside down following a tragic accident. As he tries to
maintain a normal life, he takes a job as a janitor at a bank,
where he ultimately finds himself caught up in a planned heist. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Looper is a well-crafted, intelligent, complex, unpredictable, and
challenging SF thriller dealing with time travel, organized crime,
responsibility, love, and sacrifice. A must-see.
| Released: | 2012 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h59m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Rian Johnson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Rian Johnson |
|---|
| Starring: | Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano,
Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Pierce Gagnon, Summer Qing,
Tracie Thoms, Frank Brennan, Garret Dillahunt |
|---|
| Plot: | In 2074, time travel is controlled by the mob. When they want
to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past,
where a “Looper” hired gun awaits. In 2044 Joe is getting rich and
living large as a Looper, but gets worried when he hears that the
mob is “closing the loops”, sending many Loopers’ future selves
back in time for dispatch. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb;
Screenplay (final draft);
Theatrical Commentary Track. |
|---|
| Released: | 1995 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/thriller/fantasy/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h1m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Unrated Director’s Cut” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, score |
|---|
| Director: | Clive Barker |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Clive Barker |
|---|
| Starring: | Scott Bakula, Kevin J. O’Connor, Famke Janssen, Daniel von Bargen |
|---|
| Plot: | A private investigator gets more than he bargains for when he
encounters a performer whose amazing illusions captivate the
world. But are they really illusions? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A wondrous and awe-inspiring adaptation; Peter Jackson & crew really
did the books justice! Taken as a whole, The Lord of the Rings is an
epic of staggering proportions, a single film with a running time of
over eleven hours that has already become a classic. The Extended
Editions, to me, represent the definitive version of the films: more
moments, more character development, more story.
The six discs of documentaries, features, and galleries, in
combination with the multiple commentaries, are simultaneously
entertaining and informative. They could be used as the basis of an
introductory curriculum covering all aspects of the art of filmmaking.
Film versions of beloved books often betray the source material and
aren’t worthy adaptations. I went to see Fellowship the week it
opened, with some trepidation. I was impressed by the prologue and
then delighted by Hobbiton. By the time Gandalf handed his hat and
staff to Bilbo, I fully trusted that the technical and artistic
foundation was sound, and sat back to enjoy the story, vaguely
remembered from when I’d last read the books as a teenager.
(I intentionally refrained from re-reading the books until after I’d
seen all three films, not wanting to spoil the experience with
nit-picking. I’m glad I did, and when I finally did read the books
again, I was impressed by just how much had been incorporated into the
films. Dialogue and details sometimes had to be moved around or mixed
together to fit the medium, but the decision to use so much original
source material was very wise.)
These films are worthy adaptations of the books. They’re labors of
love, and it shows.
| Genre: | fantasy/adventure/action |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | Each is a 4-disc “Special Extended Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, and extras galore |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Jackson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, & Peter
Jackson, from the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien |
|---|
| Starring: | Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Liv
Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Sean Bean, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando
Bloom, Andy Serkis, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy
Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David
Wenham, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, John Noble, Ian Holm |
|---|
| Links: | Official site,
TheOneRing.net,
IGN FilmForce,
The Encyclopedia of Arda |
|---|
This Extended Edition gives fans more of a very good thing.
The Extended Edition of The Two Towers is essential viewing. The
added scenes (especially the flashback with Boromir, Faramir, and
Denethor) make this a truly satisfying film, as opposeed to the merely
satisfactory theatrical release. The real star of this film is
Gollum, and Gollum’s Song (over the end-titles) is heart-breaking.
The Extended Edition fills in many pieces missing from the story: the
Voice of Saruman; the Paths of the Dead; the Corsairs of Umbar; more
interaction between Faramir and Denethor; the courage of Merry and
Pippin; the Witch King’s Hour; the Houses of Healing; Frodo and Sam in
the company of orcs; Aragorn and the Palantír; the Mouth of Sauron.
Although not as essential as with The Two Towers, the additions
restore a lot of story and character development to the theatrical
action/adventure.
In August 2009, during a vacation visiting Mayumi’s family in Japan,
we stayed at the hotel where this film was shot, the Park Hyatt Tokyo,
a five-star hotel. We spent two nights there while exploring Tokyo
with the kids. We used loyalty points for the stay, which would have
been about $600/night (!) otherwise. Upon returning to Canada, we
felt we just had to get this movie.
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, featurettes, music video |
|---|
| Director: | Sofia Coppola |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Sofia Coppola |
|---|
| Starring: | Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi |
|---|
| Plot: | A movie star with a sense of emptiness, and a neglected
newlywed meet up as strangers in Tokyo, Japan and form an
unlikely bond. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A 6-episode Sci-Fi Channel mini-series, it’s like a super story arc of
The X Files that makes sense (it’s internally consistent) and
has a satisfying conclusion.
| Released: | 2006 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/fantasy/mystery/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 4h44m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Craig R. Baxley, Michael W. Watkins |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Laura Harkcom & Christopher Leone & Paul Workman |
|---|
| Starring: | Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Peter Jacobson, Dennis
Christopher, April Grace, Chris Bauer, Elle Fanning, Roger
Bart, Kevin Pollak |
|---|
| Plot: | A detective investigating a double murder receives a key which
opens any door, and opens into a mysterious motel room. From
inside the room, the door opens any door in the real world.
When his daughter becomes lost in the room, the detective has
to track down other objects that are being sought by
individuals and warring groups, while desperately seeking his
daughter’s return. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Originally a fake trailer from the Grindhouse double-feature.
| Released: | 2010 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/comedy/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h45m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, audience reaction track |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Rodriguez & Ethan Maniquis |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Robert Rodriguez, Álvaro Rodríguez |
|---|
| Starring: | Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal,
Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson |
|---|
| Plot: | After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to
assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal
rampage of revenge against his former boss. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1979 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” (1 disc, double-sided) |
|---|
| Features: | Australian & US-dubbed audio tracks; commentary;
featurettes; trivia |
|---|
| Director: | George Miller |
|---|
| Screenplay: | James McCausland and George Miller; story by George Miller
and Byron Kennedy |
|---|
| Starring: | Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley,
Tim Burns, Roger Ward |
|---|
| Plot: | In a crumbling future Australia, a savage motorcycle gang rules
the road, terrorizing innocent civilians and laughing in the
face of the police... until they cross officer Max Rockatansky. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Great action.
| AKA: | The Road Warrior |
|---|
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen/fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h35m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Director: | George Miller |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Terry Hayes & George Miller with Brian Hannant |
|---|
| Starring: | Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston |
|---|
| Plot: | In the post-apocolyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter
agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band
of bandits. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2001 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | additional scenes, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Frank Darabont |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Michael Sloane |
|---|
| Starring: | Jim Carrey, Bob Balaban, Brent Briscoe, Jeffrey DeMunn, Hal
Holbrook, Laurie Holden, Martin Landau |
|---|
| Plot: | Set in 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car
accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town
where he is mistaken for a long, lost son. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| AKA: | Jerome Bixby’s “The Man From Earth” |
|---|
| Released: | 2007 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h27m |
|---|
| Rating: | not rated |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Schenkman |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jerome Bixby |
|---|
| Starring: | John Billingsley, Ellen Crawford, William Katt, Annika
Peterson, Richard Riehle, David Lee Smith, Alexis Thorpe,
Tony Todd |
|---|
| Plot: | An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a
mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to
his colleagues he is an immortal who has walked the earth for
14,000 years. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Strange, funny, and moving. A brilliant performance by Jim Carrey.
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h58m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG (but R/MPAA, for language & brief nudity) |
|---|
| Features: | “Making Of” documentary; deleted scenes; music videos;
biographical notes & video clips of the real Andy Kaufman. |
|---|
| Director: | Milos Forman |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski |
|---|
| Starring: | Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, Paul Giamatti |
|---|
| Plot: | The life and career of the eccentric avant-garde comedian, Andy
Kaufman. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Silly and very funny. Well worth the price I paid ($9CDN), and more.
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h33m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Carl Reiner |
|---|
| Screenplay: | George Gipe, Steve Martin, & Carl Reiner |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve Martin & Kathleen Turner |
|---|
| Plot: | Steve Martin comedy about brain transplantation, marital
infidelity, and pure platonic love. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
Steve Martin’s site |
|---|
An excellent thriller.
“Is it safe?”
Open wide and say “Ahhh!”
| Released: | 1976 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h5m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | interviews, trailers, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | John Schlesinger |
|---|
| Screenplay: | William Goldman, based on his novel |
|---|
| Starring: | Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane,
Marthe Keller |
|---|
| Plot: | A graduate student is unwittingly caught in the middle of an
international conspiracy involving stolen diamonds, an exiled
Nazi war criminal, and a rogue government agent. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A fun 50’s SF B-movie spoof, with cameos galore.
| Released: | 1996 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/comedy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h46m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Tim Burton |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jonathan Gems |
|---|
| Starring: | Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce
Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker,
Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Jim Brown, Lukas
Haas, Natalie Portman |
|---|
| Plot: | The Earth is invaded by Martians with irresistible weapons and
a cruel sense of humor. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1995 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/fantasy/action/crime |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “New Line Platinum Series” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Charles Russell |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mike Werb; story by Michael Fallon & Mark Verheiden |
|---|
| Starring: | Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy
Yasbeck, Richard Jeni |
|---|
| Plot: | Bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss is transformed into a manic
super-hero when he wears a mysterious mask. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (different edition) |
|---|
I vaguely remember watching this on TV when it was first broadcast as
a mini-series. I remember it favourably, but I would have been 11 or
12 years old at the time.
| AKA: | Ray Bradbury’s “The Martian Chronicles” |
|---|
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 4h53m |
|---|
| Rating: | NR |
|---|
| Director: | Michael Anderson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Richard Matheson, from the novel by Ray Bradbury |
|---|
| Starring: | Rock Hudson, Gayle Hunnicutt, Darren McGavin, Roddy McDowall |
|---|
| Plot: | cannot be summarized |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
The Matrix was original and cool (even though the “human batteries”
concept is hokey). The Matrix Reloaded had some excellent fights
and chases. And at $6 each, the whole trilogy was worth getting.
| Genre: | action/adventure/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski |
|---|
| Starring: | Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo
Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Jada Pinkett Smith |
|---|
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h16m |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentaries, music-only audio track, extras |
|---|
| Plot: | A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true
nature of his reality and his role in the war against the
controllers of it. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h18m |
|---|
| Edition: | 2 discs |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Starring: | Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo
Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith |
|---|
| Plot: | Neo and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours
until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its
inhabitants. During this, Neo must decide how he can save
Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h9m |
|---|
| Edition: | 2 discs |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Plot: | The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive
invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at
another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Disc 2 menu:
- SKULL: “Anatomy of a Scene”, a Sundance Channel featurette.
- COMPASS: a behind-the-scenes photo gallery, as well as pages from
Leonard’s Journal.
- BOOK: read Nolan’s script while listening to the audio track of the
movie, including the margin notes, offering further thoughts on how
scenes might be filmed.
- GLOBE: international promotional material.
- BINOCULARS: international and North American theatrical trailers.
- CLOCK: alternate chronological version; see the easter egg
| Released: | 2000 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h53m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | Widescreen Limited Edition (“Psychiatric Report”, 2-disc) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, alternate chronological version
(see the menu above) |
|---|
| Director: | Christopher Nolan |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Christopher Nolan, based on a short story by Jonathan Nolan |
|---|
| Starring: | Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone
Junior, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harriet Sansom Harris, Callum
Keith Rennie, Larry Holden, Jorja Fox |
|---|
| Plot: | A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and
tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Boxed set of 3 films. Gift from Mayumi, birthday 2008.
| Director: | Robert Rodriguez |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/thriller/western |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Robert Rodriguez |
|---|
| Released: | 1992 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h21m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, short film “Bedhead”, “10-Minute Film School” |
|---|
| Starring: | Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gómez, Jaime de Hoyos, Peter
Marquardt |
|---|
| Plot: | A traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and
must hide from a gang bent on killing him. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1995 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h43m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, “Anatomy of a Shootout” |
|---|
| Starring: | Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Cheech
Marin, Steve Buscemi, Carlos Gómez, Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Plot: | A gunslinger is embroiled in a war with a local drug runner. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Starring: | Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke,
Eva Mendes, Danny Trejo, Enrique Iglesias, Marco Leonardi,
Cheech Marin, Rubén Blades, Willem Dafoe |
|---|
| Plot: | Hitman “El Mariachi” becomes involved in international
espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent and a corrupt Mexican
general. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Another satisfying adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s work, this film
succeeds on all levels. Spielberg has finally made another serious
and successful SF film for adults, the first since 1977’s Close
Encounters of the Third Kind.
| Released: | 2002 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/SF/thriller/crime/drama/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h26m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | 2 discs |
|---|
| Features: | documentaries |
|---|
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Scott Frank & Jon Cohen, from the Philip K. Dick short
story |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, Samantha Morton,
Kathryn Morris |
|---|
| Plot: | In 2054, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit,
but the head of the Precrime unit is accused of murder and sets
out to prove his innocence. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
Official site |
|---|
| Released: | 2006 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/family/fantasy/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h31m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Gil Kenan |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Dan Harmon & Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler; story by
Dan Harmon & Rob Schrab |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal,
Kevin James, Jason Lee, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner,
Fred Willard, Ryan Newman, Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Woody
Schultz, Ian McConnel, Spencer Locke, Jon Heder |
|---|
| Plot: | Three kids discover that their neighbor’s house is really a
living, breathing, scary monster. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Anyone with kids has probably already seen it. Several times.
Luckily, it’s quite entertaining for adults also, and stands up to
repeated viewings. A gift to Kaito & Erika, February 2003.
| Released: | 2001 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/family/comedy/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-disc “Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentaries, game, easter eggs |
|---|
| Director: | Pete Docter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Pete Docter et al. |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs,
Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Bob Peterson |
|---|
| Plot: | Monsters generate their city’s power by scaring children, but
they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by
children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley
find his world disrupted. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs,
Pixar site,
Disney site,
The Fanlisting |
|---|
Classic silliness.
| Released: | 1975 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/adventure/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h31m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | extra 24 seconds of film!, commentaries, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam,
Terry Jones, Michael Palin |
|---|
| Starring: | Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam,
Terry Jones, Michael Palin |
|---|
| Plot: | King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for
the Grail, encountering many very silly obstacles. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/family |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h36m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Tony Bill |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Alan Ormsby |
|---|
| Starring: | Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon, Joan Cusack,
Ruth Gordon |
|---|
| Plot: | When a boy comes to a new school and gets harassed by a bully,
he acquires the services of the school’s most feared kid as a
bodyguard. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An imaginative film suitable for young children. A gift to Erika,
Christmas 2003.
| AKA: | となりのトトロ (Tonari no Totoro [Japanese title]) |
|---|
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/family/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h27m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Director: | Hayao Miyazaki |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Hayao Miyazaki |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices; English version) Lisa Michaelson, Cheryl Chase |
|---|
| Plot: | Deep inside a tree trunk, sisters Satsuki & Mei discover a
fascinating new world inhabited by Totoros — amazing, charming
creatures who become their friends. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
Studio Ghibli (Japanese),
Nausicaa.net (fan website) |
|---|
| Released: | 2004 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h35m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurette, deleted scenes, “Peluca” short film |
|---|
| Director: | Jared Hess |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess |
|---|
| Starring: | Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Efren Ramirez, Aaron Ruell, Diedrich
Bader, Tina Majorino |
|---|
| Plot: | A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new
friend win the class presidency in their small western high
school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back
home. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/drama/romance/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h1m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Director’s Cut” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes, alternative ending, interviews |
|---|
| Director: | Oliver Stone |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Veloz, Richard Rutowski, Oliver Stone; story by
Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Starring: | Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy
Lee Jones, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield |
|---|
| Plot: | Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and
psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the
mass media. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A highly original and intelligent, low-budget vampire horror/western cross.
Stunning shot, engaging and complex characters, exciting, and superbly
acted. The music by Tangerine Dream is among their best and stands
alone.
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/western |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | 2 discs, deluxe |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, deleted scene, screenplay |
|---|
| Director: | Kathryn Bigelow |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red |
|---|
| Starring: | Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton,
Jenette Goldstein, Tim Thomerson, Joshua John Miller |
|---|
| Plot: | A young man tries to seduce a girl, but a nibble infects him
and forces him to join her and her family, a travelling band of
vicious nocturnal blood-suckers. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A wonderful story, beautiful cinematography.
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h45m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Carroll Ballard |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Ralph Furmaniak & Sam Hamm & Richard Kletter; narration
by Charles Martin Smith & Eugene Corr & Christina
Luescher; based on the book by Farley Mowat |
|---|
| Starring: | Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy, Zachary Ittimangnaq,
Samson Jorah |
|---|
| Plot: | A government researcher, sent to research the “menace” of
wolves in the north, learns about the true beneficial and
positive nature of the species. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Part of “The Essential Steve McQueen Collection” (6 film box set), a
gift from my parents, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 1959 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/war |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h4m |
|---|
| Rating: | ? |
|---|
| Director: | John Sturges |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Millard Kaufman; novel by Tom T. Chamales |
|---|
| Starring: | Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Steve
McQueen, Richard Johnson, Paul Henreid, Brian Donlevy, Dean
Jones |
|---|
| Plot: | A band of skilled O.S.S. operatives are in WWII Burma to train
the Kachin natives in modern warfare. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Highly original.
| Released: | 1990 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/horror |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Director: | Clive Barker |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Clive Barker, from his novel |
|---|
| Starring: | Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg, Charles Haid |
|---|
| Plot: | A community of mutant outcasts of varying types and abilities
attempts to escape the attentions of a psychotic serial killer
and redneck vigilantes with the help of a brooding young man
who discovers them. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/horror/mystery/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | 2-dics “infinifilm” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes, interactive features, alternate ending(s) |
|---|
| Director: | Wes Craven |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Wes Craven |
|---|
| Starring: | John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp,
Robert Englund |
|---|
| Plot: | When her best friend is brutally murdered, teenager Nancy
suspects the killer is a horrifying figure from her dreams.
Convinced that this vicious murderer is stalking her friends
and killing them as they sleep, Nancy races to bring him out of
her dream world before she falls asleep and becomes his next
victim. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/crime/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h30m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Mike Judge |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mike Judge |
|---|
| Starring: | Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu,
Diedrich Bader, Stephen Root, Gary Cole |
|---|
| Plot: | Comedic tale of company workers who hate their jobs and decide
to rebel against their greedy boss. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Part of “The Essential Steve McQueen Collection” (6 film box set), a
gift from my parents, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 1973 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/biography/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h30m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Franklin J. Schaffner |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr.; book by Henri
Charrière |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon,
Anthony Zerbe |
|---|
| Plot: | A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin
serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which
inspires the man to plot his escape. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Great humor & great truth.
You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller
coaster. Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride! I always wanted
to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a
ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited,
and so thrilled all together! Some didn’t like it. They went on
the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the
roller coaster. You get more out of it.
—Grandma
| Released: | 1989 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h9m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Ron Howard |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel; story by Lowell Ganz &
Babaloo Mandel & Ron Howard |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Jason
Robards, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Martha Plimpton, Keanu
Reeves, Joaquin Phoenix |
|---|
| Plot: | The Buckman family is a midwestern family all dealing with
their lives: estranged relatives, raising children, pressures
of the job, and learning to be a good parent and spouse. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h25m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Wim Wenders |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Sam Shepard, adaptation by L.M. Kit Carson |
|---|
| Starring: | Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell,
Aurore Clément, Hunter Carson |
|---|
| Plot: | A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His
brother finds him and helps to pull back his memory of the life
he led before he walked out on his wife and son four years
before. As his memory returns, he makes contact with people
from his past. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An excellent adaptation of the classic story, this film takes its
source material seriously and does it justice. A delight to watch.
Gift to Kaito & Erika, Christmas 2004.
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/family/action/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | alternate ending (worth watching!), deleted scenes,
featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | P.J. Hogan |
|---|
| Screenplay: | P.J. Hogan & Michael Goldenberg, based on the stageplay
and books by J.M. Barrie |
|---|
| Starring: | Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lynn
Redgrave, Richard Briers, Olivia Williams, Ludivine Sagnier |
|---|
| Plot: | The Darling family children receive a visit from Peter Pan, who
takes them to Neverland where an ongoing war with the evil
Pirate Captain Hook is taking place. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A powerful, disturbing, brilliant 90-minute music video of one of
rock’s classic albums.
| AKA: | The Wall |
|---|
| Released: | 1982 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/music |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h35m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Deluxe Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, 2 documentaries, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Alan Parker |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Roger Waters |
|---|
| Starring: | Bob Geldof |
|---|
| Plot: | The life and descent into madness of fictional
(semi-autobiographical) rock star Pink in the midst of his
physical and social isolation. A visually evocative cult film
based upon the music and visions of Roger Waters and Pink
Floyd. Relationships, drug abuse, sex, childhood, death and
fascism combine in a disturbing mix of episodic live action and
lyrical animation. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
easter eggs |
|---|
| Released: | 1998 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h4m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG-13/MPAA |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Gary Ross |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Gary Ross |
|---|
| Starring: | Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan
Allen, Jeff Daniels, J.T. Walsh, Don Knotts |
|---|
| Plot: | Two teenagers find themselves in a 1950’s sitcom where their
influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Tense kill-or-be-killed action. How do you fight an enemy who cannot
be seen and uses advanced technology? This film features two future
US state governors! Gift from Mayumi, Christmas 2004.
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/horror/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h46m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, documentary, featurettes, deleted scene |
|---|
| Director: | John McTiernan |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jim Thomas & John Thomas |
|---|
| Starring: | Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo,
Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura |
|---|
| Plot: | A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle,
find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/fantasy/thriller/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Director: | John Carpenter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Carpenter (as Martin Quatermass) |
|---|
| Starring: | Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong, Lisa Blount,
Dennis Dun |
|---|
| Plot: | A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted
church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Fun for adults & children alike.
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/family/adventure/comedy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, featurettes, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Rob Reiner |
|---|
| Screenplay: | William Goldman, based on his novel |
|---|
| Starring: | Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon,
Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Fred
Savage, Peter Falk |
|---|
| Plot: | A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil king, a
beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly
grandfather). |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs,
DVDReview.com (different edition) |
|---|
A prequel of sorts to Alien.
| Released: | 2012 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/mystery/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h4m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | Blu-Ray & DVD Combo |
|---|
| Features: | (on the Blu-Ray) commentaries, deleted scenes, alternate
beginning & ending, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, based on elements created by
Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett |
|---|
| Starring: | Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron,
Idris Elba, Guy Pearce |
|---|
| Plot: | A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind
on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the
universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the
future of the human race. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Pure Tarantino.
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | documentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, interviews, TV
shows & spots |
|---|
| Director: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino, stories by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary |
|---|
| Starring: | John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey
Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving
Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken,
Bruce Willis |
|---|
| Plot: | The stories of two mob hit men, a boxer and a pair of diner
bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1990 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h42m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Allan Moyle |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Allan Moyle |
|---|
| Starring: | Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Scott Paulin, Ellen Greene |
|---|
| Plot: | A teen runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he
speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A nearly-great film, with a stunning finalé—a beautiful visual
punch where words couldn’t possibly do the story justice.
| Released: | 1985 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/drama/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h31m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Features: | commentary |
|---|
| Director: | Geoff Murphy |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Bill Baer & Bruno Lawrence & Sam Pillsbury; based on the
novel by Craig Harrison |
|---|
| Starring: | Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Pete Smith |
|---|
| Plot: | A man wakes up to find himself literally alone in the world,
and goes about trying to find other survivors, as well as to
find out what happened. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/war |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h43m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Bob Hoskins |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Bob Hoskins & Nicole De Wilde |
|---|
| Starring: | Dexter Fletcher, Zoë Nathenson, Zoë Wanamaker, Bob Hoskins,
Ian McNeice |
|---|
| Plot: | A young military recruit goes AWOL after his first taste of
battle. He disguises himself with face paint and women’s
clothing to avoid being captured by his vengeful commanding
officer. He’s taken in by the leader of an eccentric group of
traveling gypsies, who thinks he’s a “rawney”—a half-mad,
half-magical woman who brings good fortune. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Funny & quirky. A gift on Father’s Day 2006, from my parents!
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/comedy/crime |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Joel Coen |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Ethan Coen & Joel Coen |
|---|
| Starring: | Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman,
William Forsythe |
|---|
| Plot: | A con and a cop get married. They can’t have children of their
own so decide to help themselves to one of another family’s
quintupelets. Their lives get more complicated than they
anticipated. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A gift for Erika, Christmas 2007.
| Released: | 2007 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/comedy/family |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h51m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Features: | animated shorts “Lifted” and “Your Friend the Rat”, deleted
scenes, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava (co-director) |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Brad Bird; story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad
Bird |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian
Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane
Garofalo |
|---|
| Plot: | Remy is a young rat in Paris who dreams of good food and
becoming a great chef. He visits the restaurant of his dead
cooking idol, where he makes an unusual alliance with Linguini, the
new garbage boy. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2011 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/horror/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h22m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes, deleted scenes, podcasts |
|---|
| Director: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Starring: | Michael Angarano, Kerry Bishé, Nicholas Braun, Kyle
Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Michael Parks, Kevin
Pollak, Stephen Root, Ralph Garman |
|---|
| Plot: | Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online
invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists
with a much more sinister agenda. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Intense! An SF/comedy classic.
| Released: | 1985 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen/fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Director: | Alex Cox |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Alex Cox |
|---|
| Starring: | Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, Tracey Walter,
Olivia Barash |
|---|
| Plot: | After frustrated punk rocker Otto Maddox quits his dead-end
supermarket job, he’s hired to work as an apprentice “repo
man”. In no time, the rookie is caught up in a series of
adventures involving government agents, UFO cultists, hired
thugs, and a lobotomized nuclear scientist, culminating in the
search for an incredibly valuable ’64 Chevy Malibu containing a
secret that can change the course of civilization overnight! |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs,
DVDReview.com,
Alex Cox’s Repo-Page,
Repo Man links page |
|---|
Intense & bloody.
| Genre: | crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition — Ten Years” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Starring: | Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi,
Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen |
|---|
| Plot: | Five total strangers team up for the perfect crime. But
something goes wrong. One of the men is a rat, an infiltrator
working for the cops. But who? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A teen classic. Great songs and an amazing score by Tangerine Dream.
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/crime |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen/fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h39m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Paul Brickman |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Paul Brickman |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Richard
Masur, Bronson Pinchot |
|---|
| Plot: | After his parents leave on vacation, Joel cuts loose. Joel
gets in over his head after late-night visit from Lana, a
gorgeous young prostitute. An unauthorised trip in his
father’s Porsche means a sudden need for lots of money, which
he raises in a creative way, with Lana’s help. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
It’s a lark!
| Released: | 1975 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/horror/musical/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | multiple versions; commentary |
|---|
| Director: | Jim Sharman |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jim Sharman & Richard O’Brien |
|---|
| Starring: | Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien,
Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Jonathan Adams, Peter
Hinwood, Meat Loaf |
|---|
| Plot: | A newly engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and
must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
There was no need for a remake. The original rocks.
| Released: | 1975 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen/fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h5m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | Norman Jewison |
|---|
| Screenplay: | William Harrison (from his short story) |
|---|
| Starring: | James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses
Gunn |
|---|
| Plot: | The year is 2018. There are no wars. There is no crime.
There is only... the Game. In a corporate controlled future,
an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the
world, and its most powerful athlete is out to defy those who
want him out of the game. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
The Unofficial Movie Website |
|---|
Quirky, original, and a lot of fun. The commentary is quite
interesting.
| AKA: | Lola Rennt (German title) |
|---|
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/thriller/crime/romance |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen/fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h21m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Tom Tykwer |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Tom Tykwer |
|---|
| Starring: | Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup |
|---|
| Plot: | Time is running out for Lola. She’s just received a frantic
phone call from her boyfriend Manni, who’s lost a small fortune
belonging to his mobster boss. If Lola doesn’t replace the
money in twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe
consequences. She only has one chance. Or does she? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
song lyrics |
|---|
| Released: | 1979 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/thriller/drama/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 3h3m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Tobe Hooper |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Paul Monash; novel by Stephen King |
|---|
| Starring: | David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia,
Lew Ayres |
|---|
| Plot: | Vampires are invading a small New England town.
It’s up to a novelist and a young horror fan to save it. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2006 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/crime/drama/mystery/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Linklater |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Richard Linklater, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick |
|---|
| Starring: | Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona
Ryder, Rory Cochrane |
|---|
| Plot: | An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved
with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity
as a result. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h43m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Director: | David Cronenberg |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Cronenberg |
|---|
| Starring: | Jennifer O’Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence
Dane, Michael Ironside |
|---|
| Plot: | A scientist sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to
hunt others like him. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An underappreciated gem. The film’s video-game-universe-comes-to-life
is a delight. Worth watching many times for all the details alone.
| Released: | 2010 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h52m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | four commentary tracks, deleted scenes, outtakes |
|---|
| Director: | Edgar Wright |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright; based on graphic novel by
Bryan Lee O’Malley |
|---|
| Starring: | Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Kieran
Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Brandon Routh, Alison Pill, Chris
Evans, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Brie Larson, Jason
Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza, Mae Whitman, Satya Bhabha, Keita
Saitou, Shota Saito |
|---|
| Plot: | Scott Pilgrim must defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes
in order to win her heart. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1993 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/family |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | “Family Double Feature” with A Little Princess |
|---|
| Director: | Agnieszka Holland |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Caroline Thompson, novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett |
|---|
| Starring: | Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott, Maggie Smith |
|---|
| Plot: | Three lonely children are forever changed as they learn to
trust each other while restoring and taking refuge in the
secret garden. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
“Don’t bury me! I’m not dead!”
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Wes Craven |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Richard Maxwell & Adam Rodman, inspired by the book by
Wade Davis |
|---|
| Starring: | Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield |
|---|
| Plot: | An anthropologist goes to Haiti after hearing rumors about a
drug used by black magic practitioners to turn people into
zombies. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Story & characters: that’s what dramas are all about, and that’s
what this film gets right. A moving, lasting classic; a great film.
“Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
| Released: | 1994 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h22m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Two-Disc Special Edition — 10th Anniversary” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentaries, Charlie Rose Show, “The
SharkTank Redemption” spoof |
|---|
| Director: | Frank Darabont |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Frank Darabont, from a story by Stephen King |
|---|
| Starring: | Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler,
Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore |
|---|
| Plot: | The life of Andy Dufresne changes when he is convicted and
jailed for the murder of his wife. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
Late Show spoof,
JibJab’s “Shawshank in a Minute” |
|---|
“Heeeere’s Johnny!”
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | horror/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h22m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18 |
|---|
| Edition: | “Stanley Kubrick Collection” |
|---|
| Features: | documentary |
|---|
| Director: | Stanley Kubrick |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson, based on the novel by
Stephen King |
|---|
| Starring: | Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers |
|---|
| Plot: | A family arranges to be the caretakers of an isolated hotel for
the winter. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Ultra-violent, ultra-noir, and ultra-entertaining. (“Frodo eats
people.” —Frank Miller, from the commentary.) A gift from Mayumi for
my birthday, 2006.
| AKA: | Frank Miller’s Sin City |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h27m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Recut & Extended” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | Theatrical cut & recut versions, commentaries, featurettes,
extras, graphic novel. |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller, with Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Frank Miller |
|---|
| Starring: | Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba,
Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Nick
Stahl, Michael Madsen, Elijah Wood, Alexis Bledel, Jaime
King, Carla Gugino, Josh Hartnett, Michael Clarke Duncan,
Rutger Hauer, Devon Aoki, Powers Boothe |
|---|
| Plot: | Four tales of crime adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novels:
a muscular brute is looking for the person responsible for the
death of his beloved Goldie; a man fed up with Sin City’s
corrupt law enforcement who takes the law into his own hands
after a horrible mistake; a cop who risks his life to protect a
girl from a deformed pedophile; and a hitman looking to make a
little cash. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1972 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/SF/drama/war |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h44m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | George Roy Hill |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Stephen Geller, based on the novel by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. |
|---|
| Starring: | Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans,
Valerie Perrine |
|---|
| Plot: | A man tells his story of how he became unstuck in time. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2002 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/mystery/romance/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h39m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Steven Soderbergh |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steven Soderbergh, novel by Stanislaw Lem |
|---|
| Starring: | George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Viola Davis, Jeremy
Davies, Ulrich Tukur |
|---|
| Plot: | A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an
isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An OK action/SF B-movie, worth the $6.88 I paid.
| Released: | 1998 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/action |
|---|
| Format: | letterbox widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h39m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, trailer, production notes |
|---|
| Director: | Paul W.S. Anderson |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Webb Peoples |
|---|
| Starring: | Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs, Connie Nielsen
Michael Chiklis, Gary Busey |
|---|
| Plot: | After being defeated and left for dead by his genetically
engineered replacements, Sergeant Todd must save a peaceful
community from destruction by the same soldiers. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1986
|
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/crime
|
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen
|
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m
|
|---|
| Rating: | R
|
|---|
| Director: | Jonathan Demme
|
|---|
| Screenplay: |
- Max Frye
|
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta
|
|---|
| Plot: | A free-spirited woman “kidnaps” a yuppie for a weekend of
adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her
ex-con husband shows up.
|
|---|
| Links: | IMDb
|
|---|
“May the schwartz be with you.”
| Released: | 1987 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h36m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Collector’s Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Mel Brooks |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan & Ronny Graham |
|---|
| Starring: | Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, John
Candy, George Wyner, Joan Rivers (voice), Dick Van Patten |
|---|
| Plot: | Planet Spaceball’s President Scroob sends Lord Dark Helmet to
steal Planet Druidia’s abundant supply of air to replenish
their own, and only Lone Starr can stop them. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An ultra-colorful, hyper-real blast. I reviewed it on my blog. An
underrated gem.
| Released: | 2008 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/family/sport |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h15m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski; based on animated
series by Tatsuo Yoshida |
|---|
| Starring: | Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan
Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Benno Fürmann, Hiroyuki Sanada,
Rain, Richard Roundtree, Paulie Litt, Roger Allam |
|---|
| Plot: | Speed Racer is a natural behind the wheel of his car, Mach 5.
With support from his family and friends, Speed takes on fierce
competitors to save his family’s business and protect the sport
he loves. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Incredibly original. A masterpiece. A gift/bribe from Frank
Siebenlist, December 2003.
| AKA: | 千と千尋の神隠し (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi [original
Japanese title]); Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (International:
English title) |
|---|
| Released: | 2001 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/animation/family/drama/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h5m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | 2 discs |
|---|
| Features: | documentaries |
|---|
| Director: | Hayao Miyazaki |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Hayao Miyazaki |
|---|
| Starring: | (voices) Rumi Hiiragi & Miyu Irino; (English version)
Daveigh Chase & Jason Marsden |
|---|
| Plot: | In the middle of her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen
10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by witches,
monsters, and ancient spirits. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs,
Studio Ghibli (Japanese),
Disney’s Miyazaki site,
Nausicaa.net (fan website) |
|---|
Funny & touching, and still holds up well.
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/fantasy/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h51m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “20th Anniversary” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, “making of” featurette, screen tests |
|---|
| Director: | Ron Howard |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel and Bruce Jay Friedman;
story by Brian Grazer |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy, John Candy |
|---|
| Plot: | A man is reunited with a mermaid who saved him from drowning as
a boy. He falls in love with her, not knowing who or what she
is. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1986 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h28m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary; featurette; music video |
|---|
| Director: | Rob Reiner |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans;
based on the novella The Body by Stephen King |
|---|
| Starring: | Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell,
Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko |
|---|
| Plot: | After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood
journey to find a body of a missing boy. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
“Green means go. Red means stop. Yellow means go very fast.”
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/drama/romance/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h55m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Director: | John Carpenter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Bruce A. Evans & Raynold Gideon, Dean Riesner |
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard
Jaeckel |
|---|
| Plot: | An alien who has crash-landed in the United States takes on the
the appearance of a woman’s dead husband and enlists her help
to escape from pursuing authorities and rendezvous with a
spacecraft on the other side of the country. As he learns how
to be more human the alien begins to take on more and more
qualities of the woman’s husband, drawing the woman closer. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2009 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h6m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurette, gag reel |
|---|
| Director: | J.J. Abrams |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman |
|---|
| Starring: | Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce
Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho,
Anton Yelchin, Ben Cross, Winona Ryder, Chris Hemsworth,
Jennifer Morrison |
|---|
| Plot: | An alternate-(future)-history origin story of James T. Kirk and
his first mission aboard the USS Enterprise. This timeline
reboot is due to a time-travelling vendetta against the
future’s Ambassador Spock by the Romulan Captain Nero. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
The best in the series.
| Released: | 1982 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h56m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “The Director’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, text commentary, interviews, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Nicholas Meyer |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Jack B. Sowards, story by Harve Bennett & Jack
B. Sowards, characters by Gene Roddenberry |
|---|
| Starring: | William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James
Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Bibi
Besch, Merritt Butrick, Paul Winfield, Kirstie Alley,
Ricardo Montalban |
|---|
| Plot: | Admiral Kirk’s midlife crisis is interrupted by the return of
an old enemy looking for revenge and a potentially destructive
device. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
It doesn’t suck!
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/fantasy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h20m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | 2 discs; commentary; deleted scenes; documentary; featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | George Lucas |
|---|
| Screenplay: | George Lucas |
|---|
| Starring: | Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian
McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Jimmy Smits,
Frank Oz (voice), Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker |
|---|
| Plot: | After three years of fighting in the Clone Wars, Anakin
Skywalker concludes his journey towards the Dark Side of the
Force, putting his friendship with Obi Wan Kenobi and his
marriage at risk. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Perhaps it was because I was a child when I first saw them, but I
enjoy these three films much more than the later prequels.
| Released: | 2004 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/fantasy/action/adventure |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | Special Edition boxed set (4 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries; includes bonus disc with documentary,
featurettes, extras |
|---|
| Links: | Official site,
DVDReview.com,
easter eggs |
|---|
The original blockbuster, that changed how blockbusters were made.
| AKA: | Star Wars |
|---|
| Released: | 1977 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h3m |
|---|
| Director: | George Lucas |
|---|
| Screenplay: | George Lucas |
|---|
| Starring: | Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing,
Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew,
David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice) |
|---|
| Plot: | Luke Skywalker teams up with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo,
leaves his home planet, and tries to save the Rebel leader
Princess Leia from the Imperial clutches of the evil Darth
Vader. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
Star Wars: The Changes - Part One |
|---|
The darkest and best of the Star Wars films.
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h9m |
|---|
| Director: | Irvin Kershner |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Leigh Brackett & Lawrence Kasdan; story by George Lucas |
|---|
| Starring: | Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee
Williams, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker,
Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz (voice), David Prowse, James Earl
Jones (voice) |
|---|
| Plot: | While Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training from Yoda,
his friends are relentlessly pursued by Darth Vader as part of
his plan to capture Luke. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
Star Wars: The Changes - Part Two |
|---|
A bit too cute & light-hearted at times, and the climax gives us a
sense of déjà vu. But it is fun.
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h16m |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Marquand |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Lawrence Kasdan & George Lucas; story by George Lucas |
|---|
| Starring: | Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee
Williams, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker,
Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz (voice), David Prowse, James Earl
Jones (voice), Ian McDiarmid |
|---|
| Plot: | Han Solo is imprisoned by Jabba the Hutt, the Empire is
building a new Death Star, and Luke hasn’t finished his Jedi
training. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
Star Wars: The Changes - Part Three |
|---|
All 9 episodes of a wonderful short-lived series of folk tales from
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Magical, dark, and beautiful. Some of
these scenes have stuck in my mind since I saw them when they were
first broadcast.
| AKA: | Jim Henson’s The Storyteller |
|---|
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 3h15m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “The Definitive Collection” with The Storyteller: Greek Myths |
|---|
| Directors: | Jim Henson, Steve Barron, Jon Amiel, Charles Sturridge,
Paul Weiland, Peter Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Anthony Minghella |
|---|
| Starring: | John Hurt, Brian Henson |
|---|
| Plot: | A retelling of classic folk tales, fables, and legends. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A follow-up to The Storyteller.
| AKA: | Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Greek Myths |
|---|
| Released: | 1990 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/drama/fantasy |
|---|
| Format: | fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h35m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “The Definitive Collection” with The Storyteller |
|---|
| Directors: | David Garfath, John Madden, Tony Smith, Paul Weiland |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Nigel Williams |
|---|
| Starring: | Michael Gambon, Brian Henson |
|---|
| Plot: | A storyteller in a labyrinth tells his dog the stories of
Perseus and Medusa, Icarus and Daedalus, Theseus and the
Minotaur, and Orpheus & Euridyce. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A slick futuristic mystery/thriller, with some incredible POV
sequences. At $6.88 in the bargain bin at WallyWorld, I couldn’t
resist. It was more than worth the price.
| Released: | 1995 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/thriller/SF/mystery/action |
|---|
| Format: | letterbox widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h25m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Features: | trailers, 2 deleted scenes, extensive discussion/dissection
of opening POV sequence by the director |
|---|
| Director: | Kathryn Bigelow |
|---|
| Screenplay: | James Cameron & Jay Cocks; story by James Cameron |
|---|
| Starring: | Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom
Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D’Onofrio |
|---|
| Plot: | An ex-cop black-market peddler of “clips”—experiences
recorded directly from the cerebral cortex—is having a
bad night when he is confronted with the brutal rape/murder of
a friend. Convinced that his ex-girlfriend is somehow involved
and in danger, he sets out to protect her and solve the murder.
Set in a possible-future Los Angeles on the eve of the
millenium amid racial tension, riots, and general chaos. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
An innovative cult hit. A lot of fun to watch.
| Released: | 1979 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h10m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Rush |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Lawrence B. Marcus, adaptation by Richard Rush, based on
the novel by Paul Brodeur |
|---|
| Starring: | Peter O’Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey |
|---|
| Plot: | Vietnam veteran Cameron is on the run from the police when he
stumbles onto the set of a war movie directed by megalomaniac
Eli Cross. But when the young fugitive is forced to replace a
dead stunt man, he falls in love with the movie’s leading lady
while trying to avoid getting arrested or killed. Is Eli
trying to capture Cameron’s death on film? And what happens to
a paranoid stunt man when illusion and reality change places? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (different edition) |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/SF/action/adventure |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton, &
Tom Mankiewicz; story by Mario Puzo; based on characters
by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster |
|---|
| AKA: | Superman: The Movie |
|---|
| Released: | 1978 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h34m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Expanded Edition” (1 double-sided disc) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentaries, deleted scenes, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Donner |
|---|
| Starring: | Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot
Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford |
|---|
| Plot: | An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where
he grows up to become his adoptive home’s first and greatest
super-hero. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h7m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Donner (uncredited) & Richard Lester |
|---|
| Starring: | Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty,
Jackie Cooper, Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, Jack
O’Halloran |
|---|
| Plot: | Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to marry Lois, unaware
that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are
conquering Earth. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
The first and second are great. The third is OK, and its ending
begs—almost demands—a sequel, which came in 2009. The Governator was
only able to participate (briefly) via CG effects though.
Made for quite a low budget, this one could have been the epitomy of
bad B-movie SF. But some great ideas, including an intelligent
treatment of time travel, and almost non-stop action made it a
classic. It proves that money isn’t everything. This one made Ahnold
famous.
| Released: | 1984 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/thriller/action |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h47m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | double-sided disc, documentaries, extras |
|---|
| Director: | James Cameron |
|---|
| Screenplay: | James Cameron with Gale Anne Hurd, additional dialogue by
William Wisher, acknowledgement to the works of Harlan Ellison |
|---|
| Starring: | Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield |
|---|
| Plot: | In the year 2029, the ruling super-computer, Skynet, sends an
indestructible cyborg back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah
Connor, before she can fulfill her destiny. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs,
DVDReview.com |
|---|
Great non-stop action with depth and ideas. Not for the faint of
heart. Definitely not for children.
| Released: | 1991 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/action/thriller/drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h32m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Extreme DVD” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | special edition of film; commentary; documentaries; DVD ROM
content; metal outer case |
|---|
| Director: | James Cameron |
|---|
| Screenplay: | James Cameron & William Wisher Jr. |
|---|
| Starring: | Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong,
Robert Patrick, Joe Morton |
|---|
| Plot: | A shape-shifting cyborg is sent back from the future to kill
John Connor before he can grow up to lead the Resistance; a
protector is sent, too. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (different edition),
easter eggs |
|---|
Not as good as 1 or 2, but decent action. Bought it cheap,
second-hand, for completeness.
| Released: | 2003 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/action/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h49m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-Disc Widescreen” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, featurettes, extras |
|---|
| Director: | Jonathan Mostow |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Brancato & Michael Ferris; story by John Brancato &
Michael Ferris & Tedi Sarafian; based on characters by
James Cameron & Gale Anne Hurd |
|---|
| Starring: | Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna
Loken |
|---|
| Plot: | T-X, a female “Terminatrix”, is sent back in time to kill the
adult John Connor. Once again, the Resistance manages to send
a protector. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1991 |
|---|
| Genre: | adventure/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h9m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, alternate ending |
|---|
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Callie Khouri |
|---|
| Starring: | Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen,
Brad Pitt |
|---|
| Plot: | An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take
off in a ’66 Thunderbird. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 1988 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/thriller/action |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h35m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | John Carpenter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | John Carpenter (as “Frank Armitage”); based on a short
story by Ray Nelson |
|---|
| Starring: | Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster |
|---|
| Plot: | A down-on-his-luck construction worker discovers a pair of
special sunglasses through which he is able to see the world as
it really is: people being bombarded with subliminal messages,
and aliens in charge of a massive campaign to keep humans
subdued. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Great soundtrack. “Thief” and “Risky Business” turned me on to
Tangerine Dream, and from there I discovered the world of modern
instrumental music (a.k.a. new age, electronic, and a half dozen other
names).
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h2m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Director’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Michael Mann |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Michael Mann, from the novel “The Home Invaders” by Frank
Hohimer |
|---|
| Starring: | James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, James Belushi,
Robert Prosky |
|---|
| Plot: | A highly skilled jewel thief falls for a woman he meets out on
the town and gets hired by the local godfather to pull a few
heists. In return, the mob arranges a steady flow of cash and
a black-market adoption for Frank and his girlfriend. When he
tries to quit the mob, various bad things happen to illustrate
the point that he can’t quit. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A classic horror/thriller which still holds up very well. “Who Goes
There?”, the classic SF story by John W. Campbell Jr. upon which this
movie was based, is a must-read. This film succeeds in conveying the
cloying paranoia that the story exudes, even though it adds the
effects and gore that modern horror audiences seem to require.
| Released: | 1982 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/horror/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h49m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | 2004 “Collector’s Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, documentary, extras |
|---|
| Director: | John Carpenter |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Bill Lancaster, based on the story “Who Goes There?” by
John W. Campbell Jr. |
|---|
| Starring: | Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David
Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart |
|---|
| Plot: | Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting
alien that perfectly mimics and assumes the identity of
everyone that it kills. Who can be trusted? |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com (different edition),
Official site,
fan site |
|---|
What is reality?
| Released: | 1999 |
|---|
| Genre: | mystery/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, galleries, trailers, music video |
|---|
| Director: | Josef Rusnak |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Josef Rusnak & Ravel Centeno-Rodriguez, based on the
novel Simulacron-3 by Daniel F. Galouye |
|---|
| Starring: | Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dennis
Haysbert, Armin Mueller-Stahl |
|---|
| Plot: | Computer scientist Hannon Fuller has discovered something
extremely important. He’s about to reveal the discovery to his
colleague, Douglas Hall, but knowing someone is after him, the
old man leaves a letter in his computer-generated virtual
1930’s, filled with seemingly real people with real emotions.
Fuller is murdered in our real world the same night, and Hall
is suspected. Unable to recall what he was doing the night
Fuller was murdered, he enters the virtual world in order to
find the letter, but has to confront the unexpected. The truth
is harsher than he could ever imagine… |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
“I don’t remember yesterday. Today it rained.”
| Released: | 1975 |
|---|
| Genre: | thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h57m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Sydney Pollack |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Lorenzo Semple Jr. & David Rayfiel, based on the novel
Six Days of the Condor by James Grady |
|---|
| Starring: | Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von
Sydow, John Houseman |
|---|
| Plot: | A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and
must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can
really trust. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A great Gilliam epic. Intelligent enough for children and exciting
enough for adults.
| Released: | 1981 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/adventure/comedy/family |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h56m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | documentary, interview |
|---|
| Director: | Terry Gilliam |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Michael Palin & Terry Gilliam |
|---|
| Starring: | John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine
Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Ralph Richardson, Peter
Vaughan, David Warner, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker,
Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Jack Purvis, Tiny Ross, Craig
Warnock |
|---|
| Plot: | A young boy accidently joins a band of dwarves as they jump
from time-period to time-period looking for treasure to steal. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A great story, and a classic film. One of the best ever. A gift from
Mayumi & my kids on Father’s Day 2006.
| Released: | 1962 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h10m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Legacy Series” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, interviews, featurettes, “A Conversation With
Gregory Peck” documentary, international theatrical poster
replica postcards |
|---|
| Director: | Robert Mulligan |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Horton Foote, based on the novel by Harper Lee |
|---|
| Starring: | Gregory Peck Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, Robert Duvall,
John Megna, Brock Peters |
|---|
| Plot: | A lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man
against an undeserved rape charge and his kids against
prejudice. Told from a child’s perspective. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A real shocker.
| Released: | 1985 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/crime/drama/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h56m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary; documentary; deleted scene; alternate ending |
|---|
| Director: | William Friedkin |
|---|
| Screenplay: | William Friedkin & Gerald Petievich;
based on the novel by Gerald Petievich |
|---|
| Starring: | William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer,
John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel, Dean Stockwell |
|---|
| Plot: | A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring
down the counterfeiter who killed his partner. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Part of “The Essential Steve McQueen Collection” (6 film box set), a
gift from my parents, birthday 2008.
| Released: | 1980 |
|---|
| Genre: | romance/western |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h37m |
|---|
| Rating: | R/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | William Wiard |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Thomas McGuane and Bud Shrake; based on “Life of Tom
Horn, Government Scout and Interpreter, Written by Himself” |
|---|
| Starring: | Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth |
|---|
| Plot: | A renowned former army scout is hired by ranchers to hunt down
rustlers but finds himself on trial for the murder of a boy
when he carries out his job too well. Tom Horn finds that the
simple skills he knows are of no help in dealing with the
ambitions of ranchers and corrupt officials as progress marches
over him and the old west. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A groundbreaking and revolutionary film for its time—the first
feature film to embrace computer graphics. It’s not a great film, but
it’s fun, and has stunning visuals. 2004 Father’s Day gift.
| Released: | 1982 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/fantasy/adventure/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h36m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Edition: | “20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition” (2 discs) |
|---|
| Features: | commentary; documentary; featurettes; deleted scenes;
extras |
|---|
| Director: | Steven Lisberger |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steven Lisberger, from a story by Steven Lisberger &
Bonnie MacBird |
|---|
| Starring: | Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan,
Barnard Hughes |
|---|
| Plot: | A hacker is digitized and abducted into the world of a computer
ruled by the despotic MCP (Master Control Program). He is
forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only
chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
Tron-Sector (fan website) |
|---|
| Released: | 1993 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/romance/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h1m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Two-Disc Special Edition, Unrated Director’s Cut” |
|---|
| Features: | commentaries, storyboard track, deleted & extended scenes,
alternate ending, featurettes, photo gallery |
|---|
| Director: | Tony Scott |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Starring: | Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Val
Kilmer, Bronson Pinchot, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Brad
Pitt, Tom Sizemore, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson,
Saul Rubinek, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn |
|---|
| Plot: | Clarence meets and marries call girl Alabama, accidentally
takes a suitcase full of cocaine from her pimp, and tries to
sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to
reclaim it. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A great, funny, thought-provoking, and original story, with a great
soundtrack.
| Released: | 1998 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/SF |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h43m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Features: | trailers |
|---|
| Director: | Peter Weir |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andrew Niccol |
|---|
| Starring: | Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone,
Holland Taylor, Ed Harris |
|---|
| Plot: | An insurance salesman/adjuster discovers his entire life is
actually a TV show. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h12m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Edition: | “Two-Disc Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | James McTeigue |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski,
graphic novel by David Lloyd |
|---|
| Starring: | Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry,
John Hurt |
|---|
| Plot: | A shadowy freedom fighter known only as “V” uses terrorist
tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon
rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best
chance at having an ally. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
I saw this in the theater with my wife. I was expecting a chick
flick, but was pleasantly surprised. My wife expected a romantic
thriller, and was somewhat disappointed.
| Released: | 2001 |
|---|
| Genre: | drama/romance/SF/thriller/mystery |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h15m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes, trailers, music video |
|---|
| Director: | Cameron Crowe |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Cameron Crowe, based on the film Abre Los Ojos written
by Alejandro Amenábar & Mateo Gil |
|---|
| Starring: | Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell,
Jason Lee, Noah Taylor |
|---|
| Plot: | A successful publisher finds his life taking a turn for the
surreal after a car accident with a jaded lover. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
DVDReview.com,
easter eggs |
|---|
The inspiration for the car chase in Death Proof.
| Released: | 1971 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m (U.S.), 1h45m (U.K.) |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | U.S. & U.K. theatrical versions, commentary |
|---|
| Director: | Malcolm Hart |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Guillermo Cain |
|---|
| Starring: | Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger |
|---|
| Plot: | Kowalski works for a car delivery service. He takes a bet that
he can deliver a 1970 Dodge Challenger from Colorado to Frisco,
California in less than 15 hours. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Twisted, vintage Cronenberg.
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Genre: | fantasy/horror/mystery/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h29m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Director: | David Cronenberg |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Cronenberg |
|---|
| Starring: | James Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry |
|---|
| Plot: | A lowly cable TV operator begins to see his life and the future
of media spin out of control in a very unusual fashion when he
acquires a new kind of programming for his station. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Interesting animation (variations on rotoscoping), but I found the
film itself to be a bit tedious.
| Released: | 2001 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/fantasy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h40m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | Richard Linklater |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Richard Linklater |
|---|
| Starring: | Wiley Wiggins (voice) |
|---|
| Plot: | A man in a dream state encounters many characters who, one by
one, talk about their views on the meaning, perception, and
reality of human existence. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
Christmas 2008.
| Released: | 2008 |
|---|
| Genre: | animation/adventure/comedy/drama/family/romance/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h38m |
|---|
| Rating: | G |
|---|
| Edition: | “3-Disc Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, “BURN·E” & “Presto” animated shorts, deleted
scenes, “The Pixar Story” documentary, BnL shorts,
featurettes, digital copy |
|---|
| Director: | Andrew Stanton |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon;
original story by Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter |
|---|
| Starring: | (voice talents of) Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin;
Fred Willard |
|---|
| Plot: | In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot
inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately
decide the fate of mankind. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
Fun and frightening at the same time.
| Released: | 1983 |
|---|
| Genre: | SF/thriller/war/drama |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h54m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG/MPAA |
|---|
| Director: | John Badham |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Lawrence Lasker & Walter F. Parkes |
|---|
| Starring: | Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, Ally Sheedy |
|---|
| Plot: | A young man finds a back door into a military central computer
in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly
starting World War III. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|
| Released: | 2009 |
|---|
| Genre: | mystery/SF/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 3h6m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-Disc Special Edition Director’s Cut” |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes, “digital copy” |
|---|
| Director: | Zack Snyder |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Hayter and Alex Tse; based on the graphic novel
written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons |
|---|
| Starring: | Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle
Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino,
Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie |
|---|
| Plot: | In an alternate 1985 where former superheroes exist, the murder
of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach into his own
sprawling investigation, uncovering something that could
completely change the course of history as we know it. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Features: | featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Gore Verbinski |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steve Conrad |
|---|
| Starring: | Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Michael Rispoli,
Gil Bellows |
|---|
| Plot: | A Chicago weather man (Cage), separated from his wife and
children, debates whether professional and personal success are
mutually exclusive. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
“This whole world is Wild at Heart and crazy on top!”
| Released: | 1990 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/drama/romance/thriller/comedy |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h4m |
|---|
| Rating: | R |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | documentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | David Lynch |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Lynch, based on the novel by Barry Gifford |
|---|
| Starring: | Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, J.E. Freeman,
Crispin Glover, Diane Ladd, Calvin Lockhart, Isabella
Rossellini, Harry Dean Stanton, Grace Zabriskie |
|---|
| Plot: | Young lovers Sailor and Lula run from a variety of weirdos that
Lula’s mother hired to kill Sailor. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
From the cheapo bin at Wally-World.
| Released: | 1998 |
|---|
| Genre: | crime/thriller |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen & fullscreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h48m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Features: | commentary; deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | John McNaughton |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Stephen Peters |
|---|
| Starring: | Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards |
|---|
| Plot: | In south Florida, a high school counselor is accused of rape by
a manipulative rich girl and her trailer trash classmate. The
cop on the case begins to suspect a conspiracy and dives into
an elaborate and devious web of greed and betrayal to find the
truth. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
A great, funny, tragic, thought-provoking film. A gift from Oliver
Rutherfurd, Christmas 2003.
| Released: | 1982 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/romance |
|---|
| Format: | widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 2h16m |
|---|
| Rating: | 14A |
|---|
| Director: | George Roy Hill |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Steve Tesich, from the novel by John Irving |
|---|
| Starring: | Robin Williams, Mary Beth Hurt, Glenn Close, John Lithgow |
|---|
| Plot: | This film chronicles the life of T.S. Garp and his mother,
Jenny. Whilst Garp sees himself as a “serious” writer, Jenny
writes a feminist manifesto at an opportune time, and finds
herself as a magnet for all manner of distressed women. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
“Pardon me, boy. Is this the Transylvania station?”
| Released: | 1974 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/SF/horror |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h46m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, outtakes, trailers, documentary, deleted scenes |
|---|
| Director: | Mel Brooks |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Gene Wilder & Mel Brooks; based on characters in the
novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley |
|---|
| Starring: | Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn,
Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr |
|---|
| Plot: | Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson, after years of living down the
family reputation, inherits granddad’s castle and repeats the
experiments. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2008 |
|---|
| Genre: | comedy/drama/romance |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | 18A |
|---|
| Edition: | “2-disc Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | deleted scenes, making of, webisodes, Comic-Con, outtakes,
featurette |
|---|
| Director: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Screenplay: | Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Starring: | Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes,
Traci Lords, Jeff Anderson, Katie Morgan, Ricky Mabe,
Brandon Routh, Justin Long |
|---|
| Plot: | Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their
respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film
together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense
that they may have more feelings for each other than they
previously thought. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb |
|---|
| Released: | 2005 |
|---|
| Genre: | action/adventure/comedy/family/fantasy/SF |
|---|
| Format: | anamorphic widescreen |
|---|
| Runtime: | 1h41m |
|---|
| Rating: | PG |
|---|
| Edition: | “Special Edition” |
|---|
| Features: | commentary, featurettes |
|---|
| Director: | Jon Favreau |
|---|
| Screenplay: | David Koepp & John Kamps, based on the book by Chris Van
Allsburg |
|---|
| Starring: | Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart,
Tim Robbins |
|---|
| Plot: | Two young brothers are drawn into an intergalactic adventure
when their house is magically hurtled through space because of
the board game they are playing. |
|---|
| Links: | IMDb,
easter eggs |
|---|