Movies

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 5.1; Commentary by Kevin Costner and producer Jim Wilson; Commentary by director of photography Dean Semler and editor Neil Travis, Unknown

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered.

Summary: Lt. John Dunbar is dubbed a hero after he accidentally leads Union troops to a victory during the Civil War. He requests a position on the western frontier, but finds it deserted. He soon finds out he is not alone, but meets a wolf he dubs "Two-socks" and a curious Indian tribe. Dunbar quickly makes friends with the tribe, and discovers a white woman who was raised by the Indians. He gradually earns the respect of these native people, and sheds his white-man's ways.

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 5.1; English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Another World, Another Time... In the Age of Wonder.

Summary: Jim Henson's fantasy epic The Dark Crystal doesn't take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But like Star Wars it takes the audience to a place that exists only in the imagination and, for 94 minutes, on the screen. Recalling the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Henson tells the story of a race of grotesque bird-like lizards called the Skeksis - gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. A prophecy tells of a Gelfling (a small elfin being) who will topple their empire, so in their reign of terror they have exterminated the race, or so they think...The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal (which gives the Skeksis their power) and restore the balance of the universe.
Henson and co-director Frank Oz have pushed puppetry into a new direction: traditional puppets, marionettes, giant bodysuits and mechanical constructions are mixed seamlessly in a fantasy world of towering castles, simple huts, dank caves, a giant clockwork observatory and a magnificent landscape that seem to have leaped off the pages of a storybook. Muppet fans will recognize many of the voice actors--a few characters sound very close to familiar comic creations--but otherwise it's a completely alien world made familiar by a mythic quest that resonates through stories over the ages. --Sean Axmaker

Sound: Mono

Comments: What would you be like after 20 years aboard DARK STAR the spaced-out spaceship. The ultimate cosmic comedy!

Summary: Low-budget story of four astronauts in deep space, whose mission is to destroy unstable planets in star systems which are to be colonised. The late Commander Powell is stored in deep freeze, where he is still able to offer advice. As their mission nears completion, they must cope with a runaway alien which resembles a beach-ball, faulty computer systems, and a "smart bomb" who thinks it is God.

Languages: German, Dolby Digital 5.1; English, Dolby Digital 5.1; English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Commentary by director 'Wolfgang Petersen' , Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: This is the story of 42 raw recruits caught up in a war they didn't understand, and the Captain who must lead them in their struggle to survive.

Summary: Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller Das Boot was released as both a theatrical film and a six-hour mini-series, and remains the most expensive production ever made by a German studio. The expanded "Director's Cut" of the movie was re-released 1997 and it is this version that is available for home viewing. This epic story became an instant classic on its first release, provoking critical and audience acclaim worldwide for its sympathetic and entirely truthful portrayal of a German U-boat crew. Faithfully adapted from the bestselling novel by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Petersen and his committed cast (led by the amazing Jürgen Prochnow) were concerned to ensure that every detail was rendered with painstaking accuracy--both physical and psychological--and the result is not only the best submarine drama ever made but also arguably the finest cinematic portrait of men at war and the terrible madness they must endure.
On the DVD: The 200-minute "Director's Cut" version of the movie not only has several major scenes restored that were not in the theatrical release but also has been digitally remastered with significantly improved sound (new sound effects have been added) and anamorphic picture. (The six-hour TV version has yet to be released.) Here, the viewer can watch the movie in the original German, with or without subtitles, or in an English dubbed version that uses the voices of many of the original cast. On the utterly engrossing commentary track, director Wolfgang Petersen and star Jürgen Prochnow talk animatedly and in great detail about every aspect of making this epic story--from model shots using Barbie dolls to meeting the Captain of the original U-boat. This is one of the most consistently rewarding commentaries on disc. Also included is a five-minute featurette that promotes this new version. --Mark Walker

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Commentary by director Irwin Winkler and Kevin Kline; Commentary by director Irwin Winkler and writer Jay Cocks, Unknown

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: A love that would never die and music that would live forever.

Summary: De-Lovely is an original musical portrait of American composer Cole Porter, filled with his unforgettable songs. In the film, Porter is looking back on his life as if it was one of his spectacular stage shows, with the people and events of his life becoming the actors and action onstage. Through elaborate production numbers and popular hits like "Anything Goes," "It's De-Lovely," and "Night and Day," Porter's elegant, excessive past comes to light - including his deeply complicated relationship with his wife and muse, Linda Lee Porter.

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Comments: Laugh... or I'll blow your lips off!

Summary: Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are "The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta." Searching for answers, Rigby encounters assorted low-lifes: dangerous men and women who were the hallmarks of the classic detective movies of the 40's and 50's. Filming in black and white allows scenes from old movies to be cut into this film. It is through this process that Rigby's assistant is none other than Philip Marlowe himself.

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Summary: Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot has a set of murder suspects on a boat in the Nile after a rich heiress is killed. Can he find the culprit before they reach port ?

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: Winner of 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture 1978

Summary: Michael, Steven and Nick are young factory workers from Pennsylvania who enlist into the Army to fight in Vietnam. Before they go, Steven marries the pregnant Angela and their wedding-party is also the men's farewell party. After some time and many horrors the three friends fall in the hands of the Vietcong and are brought to a prison camp in which they are forced to play Russian roulette against each other. Michael makes it possible for them to escape, but they soon get separated again.

Sound: Mono

Comments: You Must Pass the "D-13" Test To Prepare You for the Horrifying Experience of Dementia 13. If You Fail the Test...You Will Be Asked to Leave the Theater!

Summary: John Haloran has a fatal heart attack, but his wife Louise won't get any of the inheritance when Lady Haloran dies if John is dead. Louise forges a letter from John to convince the rest of his family he's been called to New York on important business, and goes to his Irish ancestral home, Castle Haloran, to meet the family and look for a way to ensure a cut of the loot. Seven years earlier John's sister Kathleen was drowned in the pond, and the Halorans enact a morbid ritual in remembrance. Secrets shroud the sister's demise, and soon the family and guests begin experiencing an attrition problem.

Languages: English, DTS 5.1 ES; English, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX; French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Commentary by director Lee Tamahori and producer Michael G. Wilson; Commentary by Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike, Unknown

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Events don't get any bigger than...

Summary: Pierce Brosnan gives one last mission as James Bond. Starting off in North Korea, Bond is betrayed and captured. 14 months later, Bond is set free, but traded for Zao (Yune) who was captured by MI6. When back in his world, Bond sets off to track down Zao. Bond gets caught up in yet another scheme which sends him to millionaire Gustav Graves (Stephens). Another MI6 agent known as Miranda Frost (Pike) is also posing as a friend of Graves. Bond is invited to a presentation held by Graves about a satellite found in space which can project a huge laser beam. Bond must stop this madman with a fellow American agent, known as Jinx (Berry). Whilst Bond tries to stop Graves and Zao, will he finally reveal who betrayed him?

Sound: Mono

Comments: Dieser Film ist ein Loblieb auf die Schule, aber es ist möglich, daß die Schule es nicht merkt.

Summary: "Pfeiffer, mit drei f." -- "Also wat is en Dampfmaschin? Da stelle mer uns janz dumm." Wer kennt sie nicht, diese Sätze aus Die Feuerzangenbowle, ein Film, der 1944 unter der Regie von Helmut Weiß entstand. Der Schriftsteller Hans Pfeiffer wird auf Grund einer Wette in das Pennälerleben zurückversetzt. Der Film zeigt Heinz Rühmann in einer seiner Paraderollen als Schüler Pfeiffer, der eigentlich kein Schüler mehr ist und ganz nebenbei die Liebe seines Lebens trifft. Bis es soweit ist, muss er aber noch Professor Schnauz ausbooten und einige Pennälerstreiche mit mehr oder weniger gutem Ausgang überstehen.
Der Film, der sich ziemlich genau an die Romanvorlage von Heinrich Spoerl hält, hat auch heute noch nichts von seinem Reiz verloren. Mit Erich Ponto und Paul Henckel. Notizen am Rande: Die Feuerzangenbowle ist nicht die erste Verfilmung des Romans. Bereits 1933 verfilmte Robert A. Stemmle (Emil und die Detektive, Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse) diese Vorlage. Die Hauptrolle spielte ebenfalls Heinz Rühmann. Der Film erschien allerdings unter dem Titel So ein Flegel und ist heute leider nur noch fragmentarisch erhalten. --Ursula Steingaß

Sound: Dolby Digital

Summary: The owner of an IT firm wants to sell up. The trouble is that when he started his firm he invented a nonexistent company president to hide behind when unpopular steps needed taking. When potential purchasers insist on negotiating with the "Boss" face to face the owner has to take on a failed actor to play the part. The actor suddenly discovers he is a pawn in a game that goes on to sorely test his (lack of) moral fibre.

Languages: French, Dolby Digital 5.1; English, Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: A Comedy. A Thriller. A Romance.

Summary: Young Parisian mail courier is content with his bohemian lifestyle, his circle of friends and listening to opera, particularly one exceptional American diva who refuses to be recorded. So enamored with her, he makes an illegal tape of her at a concert. But when the tape is confused with one implicating a police chief with the mob, he must use all his ingenuity to survive. Particularly notable for its stylish New-Wave production values and extended motorcycle chase scene.

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 5.1; Commentary by director Lars Von Tier and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, Unknown

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: A quiet little town not far from here.

Summary: The beautiful fugitive, Grace (Nicole Kidman), arrives in the isolated township of Dogville on the run from a team of gangsters. With some encouragement from Tom (Paul Bettany), the self-appointed town spokesman, the little community agrees to hide her and in return, Grace agrees to work for them. However, when a search sets in, the people of Dogville demand a better deal in exchange for the risk of harbouring poor Grace and she learns the hard way that in this town, goodness is relative. But Grace has a secret and it is a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever began to bare its teeth...

Summary:

Sound: Dolby Digital

Comments: Life is one long insane trip. Some people just have better directions.

Summary: Donnie Darko is a thought-provoking, touching and distinctive offering from relative newcomer, Richard Kelly (II). It's 1988 in small-town America and Donnie, a disturbed teenager on medication and undergoing psychoanalysis for his blackouts and personality disorders, is being visited by a being in a rabbit suit whom he calls Frank. It's this anti-Harvey that saves Donnie from being crushed to death when an airplane engine falls from the sky onto his house. This is the beginning of their escalating relationship, which, as Donnie follows Frank's instructions, becomes increasingly violent and destructive. Added to this is Frank's warning of the impending apocalypse and Donnie's realisation that he can manipulate time, leading to a startling denouement where nearly everything becomes clear.
"Nearly everything", because Donnie Darko is a darkly comic, surreal journey in which themes of space, time and morality are interwoven with a classic coming-of-age story of a teenage boy's struggle to understand the world around him. The film leaves the viewer with more questions than it answers, but then that's part of its charm. Performances are superb: Jake Gyllenhaal underplays the mixed-up kid role superbly and Donnie's episodes of angst positively erupt out of the screen. There are also some starry cameos from Mary McDonnell as Donnie's long-suffering mother, Patrick Swayze as Jim Cunningham, the personal-development guru with a terrible secret, and Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore as Donnie's progressive teachers. Undoubtedly too abstruse for some tastes, Donnie Darko's balance of outstanding performances with intelligent dialogue and a highly inventive story will reward those looking for something more highbrow than the average teenage romp. --Kristen Bowditch

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 5.1; English, DTS 5.1; English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French, Unknown

Subtitles: English, French, zh-CHS, Thai, Korean

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: the hot-line suspense comedy

Summary: U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on placating a drunken Soviet Premier and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that "such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious". Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world ?

Sound: Dolby Digital

Summary:

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 5.1; French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: A spectacular journey through the wonders of space and the mysteries of time, from the boundaries of the incredible to the borders of the impossible.

Summary: In the far future, a duke and his family are sent by the Emperor to a sand world from which comes a spice that is essential for interstellar travel. The move is designed to destroy the duke and his family, but his son escapes and seeks revenge as he uses the world's ecology as one of his weapons.