Fantasy - Page 72

Manufacturer: Henstooth Video Brand: Henstooth Video

Good Hawk and his bad brother, Voltan, vie for the power of a magical flying sword. Among its many dubious distinctions, Hawk the Slayer is the only sword-and-sorcery movie to feature Silly-String® as a medieval weapon! This splendidly wretched British fantasy also boasts such magical wonders as an automatic fast-action crossbow and an archer who shoots instantly replenished arrows in rapid succession, never missing his target! At the lowest ebb of his career, Jack Palance is gleefully hammy as Voltan, the disfigured (i.e., irredeemably evil) elder brother of Hawk (John Terry), who swears vengeance after Voltan kills their father, kidnaps a virginal abbess (Annette Crosbie), and threatens a nunnery for ransom. Add an ultracheesy '80s soundtrack (imagine Rick Wakeman playing roller disco) and some respectable British thespians (Patrick Magee, Roy Kinnear, Harry Andrews), and you've got a poor man's Willow with a dash of Krull, laughably awful and surprisingly entertaining. Fully aware of its own low-budget absurdity, Hawk the Slayer is a Bad Movie classic, guaranteed to satisfy connoisseurs of garbage. (Trivia note: Terry survived his titular heroics and was guest-starring on the popular TV series 24 when this DVD was released in late 2002.) --Jeff Shannon

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Brand: Warner Brothers Model: 9808559

Stephen King's The Shining (DVD)Jack Torrance and his family move into the sprawling, vacant Overlook Hotel to get away from it all. Away from the alcoholism that derails Jack's writing career. Away from the violent outbursts that mar Jack's past. But Jack's young son Danny knows better. He possesses a psychic gift called the shining. - a gift the hotel's vile spirits desperately want.]]> Stephen King's The Shining is a new adaptation from the author himself, made for television, that bears very little resemblance to the 1980 Stanley Kubrick version. That's not surprising since Kubrick threw out most of King's novel and presented his own version of the story. Here King redresses the balance in a miniseries that follows his original almost to the letter, and manages to be effectively creepy despite the budget and censorship limitations of the TV format. Stephen Weber takes over the role of Jack Torrance, the caretaker who slowly descends into madness in the haunted Overlook Hotel. His performance is as far from Jack Nicholson as you could get, with his insanity building slowly and menacingly rather than being virtually mad from the get-go. Rebecca De Mornay is superb as Wendy Torrance, struggling to hold her fragile family together amid the spooky goings-on. Young Courtland Mead plays Danny, whose unique gifts give the story its title, as one of those infuriating TV brats who overacts left, right, and center. Fortunately, there are enough creepy moments and a number of frights to hold the whole thing together, the woman-in-the-bathtub scene being a standout shocker. Sure, there is nothing quite like Nicholson's "Here's Johnny!" moment, but this is the story King wanted to tell and it still shines brighter than most of the other recent screen adaptations of his work. --Jonathan Weir

Manufacturer: Castle Rock Brand: Warner Manufacturing Model: 4938380 Color: Color

In 1995, it was promising to hear that Mel Brooks was creating "the companion piece to Young Frankenstein." He had also brought in the heavyweight of deadpan--Leslie Nielsen. As Lt. Frank Drebin in the Police Squad movies, Nielsen has no peer for silly stuff--just the player Brooks would seem to need for a strong movie, as any fan of Brooks perpetually hopes a new film may rekindle his madcap magic. Alas, the end results in Dracula: Dead and Loving It include a sprinkling of amusements and one big belly laugh. Brooks and his writers use a very tight adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, but the spoofs can be spelled out as we go, as if they are paint-by-number. Some are jabs at Coppola's version of Dracula, but most are attached to classic Dracula films. If any real pleasure comes from the movie it's thanks to the efforts of the cast. Peter MacNicol plays the crazed Renfield to the letter, Steven Weber has a good time as the tight British Harkin, and Lysette Anthony charms as the doomed Lucy. Brooks and Nielsen ham it up just fine. There's even a surprisingly controlled performance by Harvey Korman (a character spoofing Anthony Hopkins's role in the misfire The Road to Wellville). As with Brooks's period comedies, the film looks better than it needs to and includes a few tricky special effects for good measure. This has nothing to do with the audience laughing--we need bigger jokes. And when you double over laughing in one scene--involving a stake through the heart and a bucket of blood--you want the movie to achieve Brooks's days of glory, when hearty laughter was the norm, not an isolated moment. --Doug Thomas

Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Brand: MATLIN,MARLEE

WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW?! is a new type of film. It is part documentary, part story, and part elaborate and inspiring visual effects and animations. The protagonist, Amanda, played by Marlee Matlin, finds herself in a fantastic Alice in Wonderland experience when her daily, uninspired life literally begins to unravel, revealing the uncertain world of the quantum field hidden behind what we consider to be our normal, waking reality. She is literally plunged into a swirl of chaotic occurrences, while the characters she encounters on this odyssey reveal the deeper, hidden knowledge she doesn't even realize she has asked for. Like every hero, Amanda is thrown into crisis, questioning the fundamental premises of her life ? that the reality she has believed in about how men are, how relationships with others should be, and how her emotions are affecting her work isn't reality at all! The unlikeliest cult hit of 2004 was What the (Bleep) Do We Know?, a lecture on mysticism and science mixed into a sort-of narrative. Marlee Matlin stars in the dramatic thread, about a sourpuss photographer who begins to question her perceptions. Interviews with quantum physics experts and New Age authors are cut into this story, offering a vaguely convincing (and certainly mind-provoking) theory about... well, actually, it sounds a lot like the Power of Positive Thinking, when you get down to it. Talking heads (not identified until film's end) include JZ Knight, who appears in the movie channeling Ramtha, the ancient sage she claims communicates through her (other speakers are also associated with Knight's organization). What she says actually makes pretty good common sense--Ramtha's wiggier notions are not included--and would be easy to accept were it not being credited to a 35,000-year-old mystic from Atlantis. --Robert Horton

Manufacturer: Universal Studios Home Entertainment Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)

The legendary Gary Cooper is synonymous with the image of the strong, silent American hero. In a career that spanned five decades and included over one hundred films, this tall, stoic "everyman" defined quiet courage and strength of character like no leading man before or since. Now five fan favorites from this Hollywood legend's illustrious career are available here for the first time on DVD. Journey with "Coop" from the sophisticated streets of Paris and the brutal backcountry of China, to the sweltering sands of the Sahara, the dangerous battlefields of British India and beyond in this thrilling collection you'll treasure forever.

Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Brand: TCFHE Model: 2218808

Deborah Kerr stars in this "horrifying Gothic ghost tale" (Newsweek) based on Henry James' "The Turn Of The Screw,' a powerful psychological drama about innocence possessed by evil. Shortly after coming to live with orphans Flora and Miles in their dark, eerie mansion, the new governess (Kerr) mistakes their strange behavior for preciousness. But she soon comes to believe that the charming, beautiful children are possessed by evil, malicious spirits - the souls of their previous governess and estate manager who are now dead. With its shocking conclusion and sinister cinematic effects. The Innocents "catches an eerie, spine-chilling mood right from the start" (Variety) that never lets up.

Manufacturer: Universal Studios Home Entertainment Brand: Universal Studios Model: 2220563

America's most beloved comedy team pair up with a cast of monsters and The Keystone Kops in this collector's set filled with 6 classics. The last installment in this hilarious franchise includes revealing documentaries and interviews that give an in-depth look at the genius behind Abbott and Costello and their continued popularity. Also featured is the making of the original classic Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which spawned an industry of comedy/horror films. Partnered with great legends like Boris Karloff, these masterpieces truly stand the test of time.Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)As American policemen in London, Bud and Lou meet up with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)The boys follow a con man to Hollywood after being swindled into buying a phony movie studio.Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)Bud and Lou stumble upon a sacred medallion that holds the key to a legendary treasure.The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)This compilation includes classic routines from 18 of Bud and Lou's most popular films.Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld (1994)The popular comic hosts a tribute to Bud and Lou in this insightful retrospective.Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters (2000)A behind-the-scenes look at the duo's popular series of films as Bud Abbott and Lou Costello meet up with Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man.

Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay Brand: Anchor Bay Home Entertainment

Upon being confronted by a mysterious stranger, Youko is told of her destiny and pulled away into another world. Thus begins Youko's perilous journey to the Kingdom of Kei on an epic road of espionage, terror, and betrayal. The mystic world of The Twelve Kingdoms assails her with one challange after another. Will Youko embrace her destiny? Extras include interviews, making of, character designs, art galleries, and textless openings and closings.

Manufacturer: Paramount Brand: Paramount Pictures

Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd. They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky, The Addams Family ." The hit 1960s series was great fodder for these two 1990s box office smashes with great reincarnations of Gomez and Morticia Addams by Julia and Huston, and, of course, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester. Includes The Addams Family (1991/99 min.) and Addams Family Values (1993/94 min.). Color/PG-13/widescreen. The Addams Family Director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) brings his distinctly cartoonish sensibility to this feature film version of the old Charles Addams comic strip. Anjelica Huston was born to play Morticia Addams, matriarch of the ghoulish Addams clan, while the late Raul Julia is a very agreeable, lusty Gomez. But it's Christina Ricci who arguably steals the show as their stone-faced daughter, Wednesday. As is often the problem with adaptations of comics or television shows, somehow an original story has to be implemented that doesn't clutter things up. But clutter is an issue here as the script gets tangled on a lame plot concerning efforts to steal the Addams' house and fortune. Still, it's fun to see an ideal cast reanimate an old favorite. --Tom Keogh The Addams Family ValuesThis somewhat more cohesive follow-up to The Addams Family has the same director, Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black), but a better story line. Joan Cusack plays a busty gold digger who ingratiates herself into the Addams home and convinces Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) that she wants to marry him. Besides Lloyd, the cast includes Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia, ideal as those Brontëan lovers, Morticia and Gomez. But Christina Ricci again walks away with the best moments as the chilly Wednesday Addams, making life miserable for two camp counselors (Peter MacNicol and Christine Baranski) who want her to fit in with other kids.--Tom Keogh

Manufacturer: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Brand: Buena Vista Home Video Model: 4968409

Charming rogue pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back for a grand, swashbuckling, nonstop joyride filled with devilish pirate humor, monstrous sea creatures, and breathtaking black magic. Now Jack's got a blood debt to pay -- he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghostly Ruler of the Ocean Depths . . . but ever-crafty Jack isn't about to go down without a fight. Along the way, dashing Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the beautiful Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) get caught up in the thrilling whirlpool of misadventures stirred up in Jack's quest to avoid eternal damnation by seizing the fabled Dead Man's Chest! Take the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, add a dash of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a lot more rum. Shake well and you'll have something resembling Dead Man's Chest, a bombastic sequel that's enjoyable as long as you don't think too hard about it. The film opens with the interrupted wedding of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), both of whom are arrested for aiding in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the first film. Their freedom can only be obtained by getting Captain Jack's compass, which is linked to a key that's linked to a chest belonging to Davy Jones, an undead pirate with a tentacle face and in possession of a lot of people's souls. If you're already confused, don't worry--plot is definitely not the strong suit of the franchise, as the film excels during its stunt pieces, which are impressively extravagant (in particular a three-way swordfight atop a mill wheel). It may help to know that Dead Man's Chest was filmed simultaneously with some of Pirates 3, so don't expect a complete resolution (think more The Empire Strikes Back) or the movie will feel a lot longer than it really is. Bloom shows a tad bit more brawn this time around, but he's still every bit as pretty as the tomboyish Knightley. (Seriously, sometimes you think they could swap roles.) Bill Nighy (Love, Actually) weighs in as Davy Jones and Stellan Skarsg�...