Library
Sorted By: Title
DVDs in Collection: 294
Page # 12

Sin City
Drama Dimension Home Video R
Brutal and breathtaking, "Sin City" is Robert Rodriguez's stunningly realized vision of Frank Miller's pulpy comic books. In the first of three separate but loosely related stories, Marv (Mickey Rourke in heavy makeup) tries to track down the killers of a woman who ended up dead in his bed. In the second story, Dwight's (Clive Owen) attempt to defend a woman from a brutal abuser goes horribly wrong, and threatens to destroy the uneasy truce among the police, the mob, and the women of Old Town. Finally, an aging cop on his last day on the job (Bruce Willis) rescues a young girl from a kidnapper, but is himself thrown in jail. Years later, he has a chance to save her again.
Based on three of Miller's immensely popular and immensely gritty books ("The Hard Goodbye", "The Big Fat Kill", and "That Yellow Bastard"), "Sin City" is unquestionably the most faithful comic-book-based movie ever made. Each shot looks like a panel from its source material, and director Rodriguez (who refers to it as a "translation" rather than an adaptation) resigned from the Directors Guild so that Miller could share a directing credit. Like the books, it's almost entirely in stark black and white with some occasional bursts of color (a woman's red lips, a villain's yellow face). The backgrounds are entirely digitally generated, yet not self-consciously so, and perfectly capture Miller's gritty cityscape. And though most of Miller's copious nudity is absent, the violence is unrelentingly present. That may be the biggest obstacle to viewers who aren't already fans of the books and who may have been turned off by "Kill Bill" (whose director, Quentin Tarantino, helmed one scene of "Sin City"). In addition, it's a bleak, desperate world in which the heroes are killers, corruption rules, and the women are almost all prostitutes or strippers. But Miller's stories are riveting, and the huge cast--which also includes Jessica Alba, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood, Nick Stahl, Michael Clarke Duncan, Devin Aoki, Carla Gugino, and Josh Hartnett--is just about perfect. (Only Bruce Willis and Michael Madsen, while very well-suited to their roles, seem hard to separate from their established screen personas.) In what Rodriguez hopes is the first of a series, "Sin City" is a spectacular achievement. "--David Horiuchi"</p>
<span class="h1"><strong>More "Sin City" at Amazon.com</strong></span>

Sin Eater - Die Seele des Bösen
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entert.
Autor und Regisseur Brian Helgeland versucht etwas anderes mit Sin Eater, und das zählt immerhin. Dieser grüblerische, übernatürliche Thriller wurde von den Kritikern einstimmig abgelehnt, und es ist leicht zu sehen, warum der Film floppte: Er ist voll von ernsthaften, quasi religiösen Überlegungen,sowohl visuell als auch thematisch sehr düster, und er verlangt vom Zuschauer permanente Aufmerksamkeit. Gleichzeitig geben diese Qualitäten Sin Eater aber auch ein gewisses Kultpotenzial, während er die Geschichte von Alex (Heath Ledger) erzählt, einem rebellischen Priester aus dem obskuren Randbereich des Katholizismus, der den Tod seines exkommunizierten Lehrmeisters untersucht und die Existenz eines modernen "Sündenfressers" entdeckt, der in der Lage ist, Seelen vom Bösen zu reinigen und sich Alex als seinen Wunschnachfolger ausgesucht hat. Eine sorgengeplagte Schönheit (Shannyn Sossamon) und ein böser Kardinal (Peter Weller) bieten wahlweise Hoffnung und Verdammnis, aber letztlich hängt es vom individuellen Zuschauer ab, ob Sin Eater etwas von langfristigem Interesse liefern kann. --Jeff Shannon

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Action & Adventure Paramount Home Video PG

Sky High
PG
The idea of a high school for superheroes will appeal to teens and preteens, who struggle powerlessly with petty authoritarians, bullying peers, and their own rampant hormones, and "Sky High" spotlights young Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano, "Lords of Dogtown"), the son of top-of-the-heap superheroic couple the Commander (Kurt Russell, "Tango & Cash") and Josie Jetstream (Kelly Preston, "View from the Top"). Unfortunately, though he's about to be dropped into the midst of kids who can stretch, turn to living stone, or shoot fire, Will has yet to develop any powers at all--and may never develop them. His development anxieties (and some entertaining metaphors for high school social hierarchies) contrast with a bubbling plot by an old foe of the Commander's to destroy Sky High and all of superhero-dom. "Sky High" has a great supporting cast (including Bruce Campbell, "Army of Darkness"; Dave Foley, "NewsRadio"; Lynda Carter, "Wonder Woman"; and Cloris Leachman, "Young Frankenstein") and a handful of funny, offhand bits, but the bulk of the movie is bland and obvious. Younger kids may not mind the clumsy action scenes, generic dialogue, and tacky production design, but even comic-book-loving teenagers will label "Sky High" bargain-basement. "--Bret Fetzer"

Sleepless
Horror Artisan Entertainment R
The opening of this film is superior to that of his Renaissance giallo 'Suspiria' its a full on assault on your senses But I wont spoil it, or will I be travelling at night on a train for a while.There are 2 ways you can rate this film, for its murder set pieces or for Storyline , for the first it stands head above shoulders better than any Hollywood tripe, this has some very very nasty voyeuristcally sadistic killings, It left a very bad taste in my mouth and I'm not a horror wimp , lets just say some poor gal got a mouthful of music like you can't imagine. This film is a good enough start to Argentos millennial debut but the storyline starts promising and no thanks to such poor dubbing on the VHS the end conclusion is incoherent , and your left feeling like you've half wasted your time, as Argento fans will know this is same old problem that ruins his films. In the dubbing we get American / Cockney / italian characters and its just stupid , all his artistry is sacrificed by this which will culminate in 'Virgin viewers' blaming the director- and fair enough they lace the mans wallet. On the + side Max Von Sydow gives a pretty good performance I cant tell if the other actors were incompetent or let down by bad dubbing. For entertainment the film does deliver but you need a strong stomach to watch this , Argento anoraks will love it and you'll need an anorak its bloodsoaked, if you want a story though rent Snow White.By the way Dario's answer to why he kills so many women is simple 'his mum never let him leave the light on and he thought of her as a monster' , Can you imagine being his enemy ?

Sleepy Hollow
Horror Paramount Studio R
The films of Tim Burton shine through the muck like a jack-o-lantern on a foggy October night. After such successes as "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Edward Scissorhands", it should come as no surprise that "Sleepy Hollow" is a dazzling film, a delicious reworking of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Dark and moody, the film is a thrilling ride back to the turn of the 19th century. Johnny Depp stars as Ichabod Crane, a seemingly hapless constable from New York City who is sent to the small town of Sleepy Hollow to solve the mystery of the decapitations that are plaguing the town. Crane is a bumbling sort, with a tremendous faith in science over mysticism, and he comes up against town secrets, bewitching women, and a number of bodies missing heads. Christina Ricci, as beautiful as ever, is Katrina Van Tassel, the offbeat love interest who alternately charms and frightens Crane.
The film, while occasionally gory (as one should expect from a movie about a headless horseman), is not terribly frightening, although it is suspenseful. Both Depp and Ricci are convincing, and the art direction and production values give the village its harsh feel. Toward the end, once the secrets are revealed, the film does slow down; however, this stylistic horror film provides many tricks and even more treats. "--Jenny Brown"

Somewhere in Time - Collector's Edition
Drama Universal Studios PG

Song for a Raggy Boy
Drama
Based on a true story, "Song for a Raggy Boy" is the story of one man's courage to stand up and fight against the tough fascist regime in a boys Irish Reformatory School in 1939.

Soul Plane
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Unrated

Species
Science Fiction Mgm/Ua Studios R

Species II
Science Fiction Mgm/Ua Studios R
"They could f**k the human race out of existence!" warns Michael Madsen in this inevitable--and inevitably contrived--sequel to 1995's surprise sci-fi hit. He's referring to a celebrated astronaut (Justin Lazard) infected with alien DNA from his history-making Mars landing, and the half-alien Eve (Natasha Henstridge), who was created from alien-human embryo splicing by biochemist Dr. Laura Baker (Marg Helgenberger) in an effort to discover the alien species's vulnerabilities on Earth. While the astronaut sows his gruesomely wild oats with doomed women (resulting in a bevy of creepy kids in alien cocoons), Eve goes into heat until she and the astronaut can consummate their procreative lust. Sex and death are served up like money-shots in a porno flick, with an emphasis on gory flesh-regeneration, explosive pregnancies, and slimy-tentacled intercourse. All of which makes this is the kind of derivative schlock that only a true fan could love, but it's boosted to a tolerable level of entertainment by the returning cast (Madsen, Henstridge, and Helgenberger) from the previous film. --Jeff Shannon

Species III
Science Fiction Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer R

Spider-Man
Action & Adventure Columbia Tristar Hom PG-13

Spider-Man 2
Action & Adventure Columbia Tri-Star PG-13

Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones
Science Fiction Twentieth Century Fox Home Video PG

Star Wars Trilogy
Science Fiction Twentieth Century Fox Home Video PG
Was George Lucas's Star Wars Trilogy, the most anticipated DVD release ever, worth the wait? You bet. It's a must-have for any home theater, looking great, sounding great, and supplemented by generous bonus features. The Movies The Star Wars Trilogy had the rare distinction of becoming a cultural phenomenon, a defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas's story is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of Jedi knights, the Force, and droids. Over the course of three films--A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983)--Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the roguish Han Solo (Harrison Ford) join the Rebel alliance in a galactic war against the Empire, the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), and eventually the all-powerful Emperor (Ian McDiarmid). Empire is generally considered the best of the films and Jedi the most uneven, but all three are vastly superior to the more technologically impressive prequels that followed, Episode I, The Phantom Menace (1999) and Episode II, Attack of the Clones (2002). How Are the Picture and Sound? In a word, spectacular. Thanks to a new digital transfer, you've never seen C-3PO glow so golden, and Darth Vader's helmet is as black as the Dark Side. And at the climactic scene of A New Hope, see if the Dolby 5.1 EX sound doesn't knock you back in your chair. Other audio options are Dolby 2.0 Surround in English, Spanish, and French. (Sorry, DTS fans, but previous Star Wars DVDs didn't have DTS either.) There have been a few quibbles with the audio on A New Hope, however. A few seconds of Peter Cushing's dialogue ("Then name the system!") are distorted, and the music (but not the sound effects) is reversed in the rear channels. For example, in the final scene, the brass is in the front right channel but the back left channel (from the viewer's perspective), and the strings are in the left front and back right. The result feels like the instruments are crossing through the viewer. What's Been Changed? The rumors are true: Lucas made more changes to the films for their DVD debut. Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) has been added to a scene in Jedi, Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor) replaces Clive Revill with slightly revised lines in Empire, Temuera Morrison has rerecorded Boba Fett's minimal dialogue, and some other small details have been altered. Yes, these changes mean that the Star Wars films are no longer the ones you saw 20 years ago, but these brief changes hardly affect the films, and they do make sense in the overall continuity of the two trilogies. It's not like a digitized Ewan McGregor has replaced Alec Guiness's scenes, and the infamous changes made for the 1997 special-edition versions were much more intrusive (of course, those are in the DVD versions as well). How Are the Bonus Features? Toplining is Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, a 150-minute documentary incorporating not only the usual making-of nuts and bolts but also the political workings of the movie studios and the difficulties Lucas had getting his vision to the screen (for example, after resigning from the Directors' Guild, he lost his first choice for director of Jedi: Steven Spielberg). It's a little adulatory, but it has plenty to interest any fan. The three substantial featurettes are "The Characters of Star Wars" (19 min.), which discusses the development of the characters we all know and love, "The Birth of the Lightsaber" (15 min.), about the creation and evolution of a Jedi's ultimate weapon, and "The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of Star Wars" (15 min.), in which filmmakers such as Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron talk about how they and the industry were affected by the films and Lucas's technological developments in visual effects, sound, and computer animation. The bonus features are excellent and along the same lines as those created for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Each film has a commentary track, recorded by Lucas, Ben Burtt (sound design), Dennis Muren (visual effects), and Carrie Fisher, with Irvin Kershner joining in on the film he directed, The Empire Strikes Back. Recorded separately and skillfully edited together (with supertitles to identify who is speaking), the tracks lack the energy of group commentaries, but they're enjoyable and informative, with a nice mix of overall vision (Lucas), technical details (Burtt, Muren, Kershner), and actor's perspective (Fisher). Interestingly, they discuss some of the 1997 changes (Mos Eisley creatures, the new Jabba the Hutt scene) but not those made for the DVDs. There's also a sampler of the Xbox game Star Wars: Battlefront, which lets the player reenact classic film scenarios (blast Ewoks in the battle of Endor!); trailers and TV spots from the films' many releases; and a nine-minute preview of the last film in the series, Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (here identified by an earlier working title, The Return of Darth Vader). Small extra touches include anamorphic widescreen motion menus with dialogue, original poster artwork on the discs, and a whopping 50 chapter stops for each film. "The Force Is Strong with This One" The Star Wars Trilogy is an outstanding DVD set that lives up to the anticipation. There will always be resentment that the original versions of the films are not available as well, but George Lucas maintains that these are the versions he always wanted to make. If fans are able to put this debate aside, they can enjoy the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han for years to come. --David Horiuchi

Stealth
Action & Adventure Columbia Tristar Hom PG-13
Featuring the best special effects that money can buy and a screenplay that any six-year-old could follow, "Stealth" is a pure action thriller that starts fast and never slows down. Moving up from "The Fast and the Furious" and "xXx", director Rob Cohen proves himself as a master of popcorn entertainment for teenagers, turning this derivative military sci-fi action thriller into a dazzling showcase for impressive aerial action sequences, featuring digital effects and highly detailed model work (by James Cameron's Digital Domain effects company, among others) that are so realistic you could swear the movie's high-tech aircraft are absolutely real. The plot serves the effects (it should be the other way around), and it's a cheesy hybrid of "Top Gun", "The Right Stuff", "Firefox" and "Behind Enemy Lines", in which a close-knit trio of Naval Air Force aces (Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, and Jamie Foxx) pilot state-of-the-art "Talon" fighter-bombers, ready to scramble on orders from their not-entirely trustworthy commander (Sam Shepard). They're teamed up with an ultra-high-tech UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) nicknamed "EDI," an artificially intelligent fighter drone that's as erratically dangerous (after its circuitry is damaged by lightning) as it is deadly effective. With a standard third-act rescue mission amidst the threat of global warfare, "Stealth" is brainless entertainment from start to finish, but the aerial action and epic-scale pyrotechnics ensure that it's never, ever boring. Cohen may be guilty of dumbing down his recycled plots for mass appeal, but there's no denying his skills as an action auteur. Move over, Michael Bay, you've got serious competition. "--Jeff Shannon"

The Stepford Wives
Comedy Paramount Home Video PG-13

Stuck On You
Comedy Fox Home Entertainme PG-13

Taegukgi 太極旗飄揚
War R
A drama about the fate of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War.



Created using DVDpedia