
Editorial Review:
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Back when Jack Nicholson was a Hollywood unknown appearing in Roger Corman quickies such as Crybaby Killer and Little Shop of Horrors, it wasn't unusual for Corman to make a movie in just a few days. That was the case with this nifty little thriller, which was filmed in just three days using the same sets that Corman had used in his Boris Karloff thriller The Raven, which Corman had finished ahead of schedule. In fact, the sets were being torn down almost as fast as Corman could film them, but that hasn't stopped this moody little gem from acquiring a modicum of cult status over the years. Karloff plays the alleged baron of an isolated castle on the Baltic coast, where a Napoleonic officer (played by Nicholson!) appears after becoming intrigued by the presence of a mysterious and beautiful woman. Karloff's baron has a dark history, of course, and creepy atmosphere makes up for the minimal plot, which makes The Terror a vintage treat for horror fans. --Jeff Shannon
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Sleeper Cell - American Terror - The Complete Second Season
Director: Leon Ichaso , Clark Johnson , Ziad Doueiri , Guy Ferland , and Leslie Libman Manufacturer: Showtime Ent. ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000L43PGQ Release Date: 2007-03-20 |
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Sleeper Cell: American Terror is so consistently excellent that the series' cancellation seems woefully premature. Citing budgetary costs and the popularity of newer shows (like Weeds), executives at Showtime ended the series after this superb second season, which benefits from its limited 8-episode run by maintaining a riveting combination of brisk pacing, intelligent plotting, and an admirably meaningful effort to explore the true nature of Muslim faith. For posterity, both seasons of Sleeper Cell will gain lasting value for their astute and illuminating depiction of Islamic devotion on both sides of the battle against radical Islamic terrorism. In this regard, American Terror is even better than the first season, as it deepens our understanding of the religious and philosophical differences between undercover FBI agent Darwyn Al-Sayeed (Michael Ealy) and Farik (Oded Fehr), the radical Islamic terrorist (with connections to Al-Qaeda) who continues to mastermind attacks on American soil. As American Terror begins, Farik is enduring brutal torture at the hands of his American captors while Darwyn, still undercover, is pretending to lead a new sleeper cell consisting of a former Latino gang member (Kevin Alejandro) who became an extremist in prison; a closeted gay Iraqi ex-patriot (Omid Abtahi) raised in London; and a Dutch nanny (Thekla Rueten) with personal reasons for hating America.While Farik's former right-hand-man Ilija (Henri Lubatti) struggles in vain to return to a quiet, normal life, American Terror takes all of its characters into darker, more dangerous territory, and heightened realism gives the series even greater emotional impact as unexpected tragedies befall several supporting characters. While Ealy and Fehr continue to anchor the series with their finely nuanced performances, these episodes ultimately lead to a powerful finale that, in many respects, returns Darwyn to where he began--with potentially greater threats looming in his future. While Fox TV's 24 favors nonstop action and increasingly implausible plotting, Sleeper Cell: American Terror presents a frighteningly authentic scenario that honors Islam while demonstrating how it's been perverted by radicals with evil intentions. Because the second season has a cliffhanger ending that may never be resolved, it's a pity the series wasn't allowed to continue, and the DVD extras offer minimal compensation: They consist of "Infiltrating the Final Cell," an interesting interview between Ealy and two of Sleeper Cell's FBI consultants; "The Enemy Within" (a first-season recap); and "Farik's Story," a pointless 90-minute assembly of nearly all of Oded Fehr's scenes from American Terror. Why bother, when it's all better viewed in the context of the episodes? --Jeff Shannon
Description
In SLEEPER CELL: AMERICAN TERROR, the Muslim undercover FBI agent, Darwyn (Michael Ealy), discovers that another terrorist cell in Southern California is planning a catastrophic attack that will be more successful than the last attempt. Meanwhile, Farik escapes out of the country and directs another terrorist operation, beginning a parallel storyline between Southern California and the Middle East.
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Anne Frank - The Whole Story
Starring: Ben Kingsley , Brenda Blethyn , Hannah Taylor-Gordon , Tatjana Blacher , and Joachim Król Director: Robert Dornhelm Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005LC5R Release Date: 2001-08-28 |
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Anne Frank: The Whole Story delivers exactly what it promises: the incredibly moving complete story of Anne Frank, going beyond what the Jewish teenage girl wrote in her widely read diary. Anne, along with her family and friends of her family, hid in a secret annex behind her father's office in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland. She dutifully kept a diary, which became a worldwide bestseller when her father published it in the 1950s. The story has been adapted for television and movies before, but this version, which played on ABC television, moves beyond what Anne wrote, meeting up with the Frank family before Anne receives her diary, and following her past the diary's last entries into Auschwitz and Birkenau. Hannah Taylor Gordon is a superb Anne, bringing to life the multifaceted girl, in turns intelligent, dreamy, creative, spoiled, and bratty, a girl like any other except that Anne is a Jew in Nazi-occupied Holland. The only one who outshines Gordon is Ben Kingsley as Anne's father, Otto Frank. His quiet performance is extraordinarily powerful; as he watches his family slip away, it is impossible not to feel his grief. This brave film is difficult in parts to watch--the concentration camp scenes are brutal--but this is a remarkable adaptation of Anne's life, and it is a film to be shared and discussed and remembered. --Jenny BrownDescription
Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, and Hannah Taylor Gordon star in the stirring tale of one of the most influential young women of the 20th century. Based on Melissa Muller's critically acclaimed book, ANNE FRANK goes beyond the story you already know and paints the true portrait of Anne both before and after she went into hiding. Get to know the high-spirited and popular girl before the war, and experience the challenges of the brave people who risked their lives trying to keep her safe. ANNE FRANK also explores the enduring mystery of who betrayed the Frank family and reveals what happened next.
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Nacho Libre (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Jack Black , Ana de la Reguera , Héctor Jiménez , Darius Rose , and Moises Arias Director: Jared Hess Manufacturer: Paramount ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000HRMAPO Release Date: 2006-10-24 |
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This Jack Black vehicle seems, on the surface, like a perfect fit for the actor: an opportunity to showcase Black's unique style with the extreme facial gestures and exuberant physicality that have become his forte. Black plays Ignacio, a lowly cook in a monastery in central Mexico who feeds orphans by day, and wrestles in the town square at night. Ignacio teams up with Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez), a street urchin who tormented him, to form a tag-team duo that goes up against the strangest wrestlers Mexico has to offer. Besides doing it for money to feed the orphans, Ignacio is also fighting to win the forbidden affections of Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera) with predictable difficulty. While the movie has likeable characters and the plot is enjoyable enough, it can't overcome its plodding pace and formulaic structure enough to keep the movie interesting throughout. Jack Black is a very strong comedic actor, and the wrestling scenes offer plenty of chances for slapstick, physical comedy, but watching him run around in red briefs and blue tights amounts to half the laughs in the movie, and there's just not enough here for him to really work with. When he plays a more well-formed character, as in School of Rock and High Fidelity, his strengths really show. But in Nacho Libre he's saddled with a caricature. Weighed down by too much low-brow humor and a script that goes nowhere, Nacho Libre just can't make full enough use of Black's talents to overcome the obstacles. --Daniel VanciniDescription
Jack Black is at his comic best as Ignacio, a disrespected cook at a Mexican monastery that can barely afford to feed the orphans who live there. Inspired by a local wrestling hero, he decides to moonlight as the not-so-famous Luchador "Nacho Libre" to earn money for the monastery -- not to mention the admiration of beautiful nun Sister Encarnacion.
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Jaws 3
Starring: Dennis Quaid , Bess Armstrong , Simon MacCorkindale , Louis Gossett Jr. , and John Putch Director: Joe Alves Manufacturer: Universal Studios ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00008WFU4 Release Date: 2003-06-03 |
Product Description
Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Simon MacCorkindale and Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr. star in the most terrifying Jaws adventure ever. Everyone at Florida s Sea World is thrilled with the new Undersea Kingdom, a maze of underwater plexiglass tunnels that permits visitors to get closer to marine life than ever before. The opening ceremonies include many important guests and one uninvited baby shark who accidentally enters the park s lagoon through a faulty sea gate and subsequently dies. The young shark s 35-foot mother soon follows her offspring, creating the most horrifying tale of terror ever filmed in the water. Directed by original Jaws designer, Joe Alves, written by Richard Matheson and Carl Gottlieb and filled with heart-pounding special effects, this Jaws will have you screaming for your life.
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Trilogy of Terror
Starring: Karen Black , Robert Burton (III) , John Karlen , George Gaynes , and Jim Storm Director: Dan Curtis Manufacturer: Dark Sky Films ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000FFJZO2 Release Date: 2006-08-29 |
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Dan Curtis, the creator and producer of such out-of-the-ordinary TV classics as the willfully offbeat gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and the proto-X-Files series The Night Stalker, remains best known for the Zuni fetish doll that terrorizes Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror. The wild-eyed doll, with its snapping jaws and screeching yells, borders on camp, yet its relentless attacks and single-minded, homicidal drive make it an absolutely terrifying figure in the climactic chapter of this trilogy of short films based on stories by Richard Matheson. In the first story, "Julie," Karen Black plays a mousy college professor blackmailed by an obsessed student, and in "Millicent and Therese" she plays sisters consumed with an intense hatred of one another that comes to a head when their father dies. Both of these films conclude with Twilight Zone-ish twists and are more clever than gripping, kept alive mostly by Black's gleefully theatrical performances. With "Amelia," however, Black delivers an almost solo show, playing against the famous Zuni fetish doll, a wooden statue that comes to life when the a protective chain slips off the figure and releases the evil spirit. Curtis turns her apartment into a claustrophobic cage trapping the increasingly hysterical woman as the unstoppable figure hacks at her legs with a kitchen knife and chomps down on her arms and neck with the relentless intensity of a bulldog. It's still a classic of small-screen horror. --Sean AxmakerDescription
Legendary producer / director Dan Curtis (DARK SHADOWS, THE NIGHT STALKER) teams up with writers Richard Matheson (I AM LEGEND, THE TWILIGHT ZONE) and William F. Nolan (LOGAN'S RUN, BURNT OFFERINGS) to present three tales of horrific suspense in this made-for-television anthology that also showcases the tremendous acting talent of Karen Black (FIVE EASY PIECES, THE DAY OF THE LOCUST), who plays no less than four distinct roles. In "Julie," an aggressive college student seduces and ultimately blackmails his seemingly shy English professor. In "Millicent and Therese," two polar-opposite sisters become increasingly hell-bent on the undoing of one another. And in "Amelia," a woman falls prey to a murderous Zuni fetish doll.
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The Monster That Challenged the World/It! The Terror From Beyond Space
Starring: Marshall Thompson , Shirley Patterson , Kim Spalding , Ann Doran , and Dabbs Greer Director: Edward L. Cahn , and Arnold Laven Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0007R4T26 Release Date: 2005-02-15 |
Description
IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE: Original Theatrical Trailer
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Night of the Living Dead
Starring: Tony Todd , Patricia Tallman , Tom Towles , McKee Anderson , and William Butler Director: Tom Savini Manufacturer: Sony Pictures ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000K3TO Release Date: 1999-10-05 |
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Mutiny on the Bounty (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Marlon Brando Manufacturer: Warner Home Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000HWZ4C0 Release Date: 2006-11-07 |
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Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip.... Based on the classic novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, this magnificently-photographed three-hour tour charts the tortuous and tragic course of the Bounty, which, in 1787, sailed from England to Tahiti on a "grocer's errand" to transplant breadfruit plants in Jamaica. As the voyage progresses, tensions mount between the heartless disciplinarian Captain Bligh (a commanding Trevor Howard) and his chief officer, Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando), who does not subscribe to Bligh's philosophy that cruelty with cause is not cruelty. Richard Harris costars as John Mills, an abused crewmember who plants the seeds of treason against Bligh. Mutiny on the Bounty is a see-worthy saga that boasts a provocative Brando performance (his Christian is initially so foppish he makes Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow look like Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk) and great action set pieces (a raging storm as the Bounty attempts to navigate Cape Horn). And in how many did this film inspire dreams of sailing away to Tahiti? Brando was among them. He married his ravishing costar Tarita, and later bought himself a French Polynesian island. This "Special Edition" replicates the film's original prestigious road show presentation, complete with Overture, Intermission, Entr'acte, and Exit music. --Donald Liebenson
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Leviathan
Starring: Peter Weller , Richard Crenna , Amanda Pays , Daniel Stern , and Ernie Hudson Director: George P. Cosmatos Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: 0792839684 Release Date: 1998-09-29 |
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The expression "an ugly drunk" takes on a whole new meaning when the thirsty crew of an American deep-sea mining station investigates a mysteriously capsized, Russian wreck and brings back some experimental vodka that turns the unlucky imbiber into a plasma-craving fish creature. (Has there ever been a better reason for abstinence?) Although this "Aliens meets 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" story doesn't add anything new to the classic horror and sci-fi formulas that it so obviously borrows from, it's a fun monster film all the same, with impressive, gnarly effects, a better-than-expected cast (Peter Weller and a scene-stealing Ernie Hudson are the standouts), and an insanely detailed production design by Alien veteran Ron Cobb. Director George P. Cosmatos went on to direct Tombstone. --Andrew WrightDescription
Plunge into this go-for-the-jugular sci-fi thriller starring Peter Weller (Robocop) and Richard Crenna (Rambo). Featuring nonstop action, nerve-shattering suspense and awesome creaturesfrom the OscarÂ(r)-winning* special effects wizard (Stan Winston) who brought dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park and The Lost World, this terrifying underwater adventure will scare you senseless! On the dark and forbidding ocean floor, the crew of a deep-sea mining rig discovers a sunken freighter that harbors a deadly secret: a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. With a storm raging on the surface and no hope of rescue, the captain (Weller) and his team are propelled into a spine-tingling battle for survival against the ultimate foea hideous monster thatcannot die...and lives to kill! *1986: Visual Effects, Aliens; 1991: Visual Effects and Makeup, Terminator 2: Judgment Day; 1993: Visual Effects: Jurassic Park
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Tower of Terror
Starring: Steve Guttenberg , Kirsten Dunst , Nia Peeples , Michael McShane , and Amzie Strickland Director: D.J. MacHale Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00008L3SY Release Date: 2003-08-05 |
Amazon.com
Kirsten Dunst stars as plucky teen niece to Steve Guttenberg in this 1997 telefilm that sets out to provide background for one of Disney/MGM Studios' popular thrill-rides, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Guttenberg plays Buzzy, a down-on-his-luck former journalist relegated to concocting stories for a Weekly World News-inspired tabloid. When an elderly woman approaches Buzzy with a compelling ghost story, he's persuaded to investigate. Dunst is Anna, who joins Buzzy in his search to find out the truth about the mysterious 1939 disappearance of five people--including a Shirley Temple-like child star--at the eerily abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel. There are some scary segments, which may truly frighten sensitive younger viewers. Still, for older kids and adult viewers, Dunst's presence and a fairly fun story makes this an engaging film. (Ages 8 and older) --N.F. MendozaDescription
Big-screen stars Steve Guttenberg (THREE MEN AND A LITTLE LADY) and Kirsten Dunst (DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL) encounter a host of haunts in this delightfully spooky mystery! Buzzy Crocker (Guttenberg) is a hard-luck photojournalist whose unexpected encounter with an old woman leads him to investigate an unexplained, decades-old disappearance. It seems that one Halloween night, many years ago, five partygoers vanished in the elevator of the Hollywood Tower Hotel ... and ever since, their ghosts have remained trapped inside the dilapidated old building! In an action-filled story that delivers creepy fun for everyone, Buzzy ultimately teams with his niece (Dunst) to solve the mystery while managing to save their lives and capture the biggest story of the year!DVD:
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