Monday, November 14, 2011

Alien Anthology [Blu-ray]

  • Condition: New
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • AC-3; Box set; Dolby; DTS Surround Sound; Dubbed; Subtitled; Widescreen
In this action-packed sequel to Alien, Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, the only survivor from mankind's first encounter with the monstrous Alien. Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew are received with skepticism - until the mysterious disappearance of colonists on LV-426 leads her to join a team of high-tech colonial marines sent in to investigate.

Personally supervised by director James Cameron, this special edition includes scenes eliminated prior to the film's 1986 release which broaden the narrative scope and enrich the emotional impact of the film.Aliens is one of the few cases of a sequel that far surpassed the original. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, who awakens on Earth only to discover that she has been hibernating in space so ! long that everyone she knows is dead. Then she is talked into traveling (along with a squad of Marines) to a planet under assault by the same aliens that nearly killed her. Once she gets there, she finds a lost little girl who triggers her maternal instincts--and she discovers that the company has once again double-crossed her, in hopes of capturing one of the aliens to study as a military weapon. Directed and written by James Cameron, this is one of the most intensely exciting (not to mention intensely frightening) action films ever, with a large ensemble cast that includes Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, and Michael Biehn. Weaver defined the action woman in this film and walked away with an Oscar nomination for her trouble. --Marshall FineBrace yourself for a whole new breed of Blu-ray: Four powerful films...eight thrilling versions...in dazzling, terrifying, high-def clarity with the purest digital sound on the planet. Two bonus dics and over 65 hours o! f archival and never-before-seen content, including the totall! y immers ive MU-TH-UR mode feature, makes this definitive Alien collection!Review of Alien
A landmark of science fiction and horror, Alien arrived in 1979 between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as a stylishly malevolent alternative to George Lucas's space fantasy. Partially inspired by 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, this instant classic set a tone of its own, offering richly detailed sets, ominous atmosphere, relentless suspense, and a flawless ensemble cast as the crew of the space freighter Nostromo, who fall prey to a vicious creature (designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger) that had gestated inside one of the ill-fated crew members. In a star-making role, Sigourney Weaver excels as sole survivor Ripley, becoming the screen's most popular heroine in a lucrative movie franchise. To measure the film's success, one need only recall the many images that have been burned into our collective psyche, including the "facehugger," the "c! hestburster," and Ripley's climactic encounter with the full-grown monster. Impeccably directed by Ridley Scott, Alien is one of the cinema's most unforgettable nightmares. --Jeff Shannon

Review of Aliens
Aliens is one of the few cases of a sequel that far surpassed the original. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, who awakens on Earth only to discover that she has been hibernating in space so long that everyone she knows is dead. Then she is talked into traveling (along with a squad of Marines) to a planet under assault by the same aliens that nearly killed her. Once she gets there, she finds a lost little girl who triggers her maternal instincts--and she discovers that the company has once again double-crossed her, in hopes of capturing one of the aliens to study as a military weapon. Directed and written by James Cameron, this is one of the most intensely exciting (not to mention intensely frightening) action films ever,! with a large ensemble cast that includes Bill Paxton, Lance H! enriksen , Paul Reiser, and Michael Biehn. Weaver defined the action woman in this film and walked away with an Oscar nomination for her trouble. --Marshall Fine

Review of Alien 3
The least successful film in this series was directed by stylemaster (and content-underachiever) David Fincher. Ripley, the only survivor of her past mission, awakens on a prison planet in the far corners of the solar system. As she tries to recover, she realizes that not only has an alien gotten loose on the planet, the alien has implanted one of its own within her. As she battles the prison authorities (and is aided by the prisoners) in trying to kill the alien, she must also cope with a distinctly shortened lifespan that awaits her. But the striking imagery makes for muddled action and the script confuses it further. The ending looks startling but it takes a long time--and a not particularly satisfying journey--to get there. --Marshall Fine

Review of Alien Resurrection
Perhaps these films are like the Star Trek movies: The even-numbered episodes are the best ones. Certainly this film (directed by French stylist Jean-Pierre Jeunet) is an improvement over Alien 3, with a script that breathes exciting new life into the franchise. This chapter is set even further in the future, where scientists on a space colony have cloned both the alien and Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who died in Alien 3; in doing so, however, they've mixed alien DNA with Ripley's human chromosomes, which gives Ripley surprising power (and a bad attitude). A band of smugglers comes aboard only to discover the new race of aliens--and when the multi-mouthed melonheads get loose, no place is safe. But, on the plus side, they have Ripley as a guide to help them get out. Winona Ryder is on hand as the smugglers' most unlikely crew member (with a secret of her own), but this one is Sigourney's all ! the way. --Marshall Fine

The Devil Came On Horseback

  • An up-close, honest, and uncompromising look at the crisis in Darfur, THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK exposes the ongoing tragedy in Sudan as seen through the eyes of one American witness. Using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, the film goes on an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where in 2004, Steidle became
The Devil Came on Horseback is an intense, vivid autobiographical report from the heart of violent Darfur and a call to action by a former American Marine who became a military observer for the African Union. The first extensive on-the-ground account of the genocide in Sudan, it leads us through the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens and the frustrating complexity of international inaction. At the same time, it is a powerful memoir of one soldier's ! awakening to conscience and his awkward, heroic transformation from Marine to humanitarian. While bearing witness to unmentionable atrocities, this compelling story offers evidence that the actions of just one committed person have the power to transform the world.
This intense, vivid report and call to action
from the heart of violent Darfur, by a former
Marine working as an unarmed military
observer for the African Union, is a powerful
memoir of a young man's awakening to
conscience and the first extensive on-theground
account of the genocide in Sudan.


Former United States Marine Brian Steidle served for six months in Darfur
as an unarmed military observer for the African Union. There he witnessed
first-hand the ongoing genocide, and documented every day of his experience
using email, audio journals, notebook after notebook and nearly 1,000
photographs. Gretchen Steidle Wallace, his sister, who wrote this ! book with
Brian, corresponded with him throughout his ti! me in Da rfur. Fired upon,
taken hostage, a witness to villages destroyed and people killed,
frustrated by his mission's limitations and the international community's
reluctance to intervene, Steidle resigned and has since become an advocate
for the world to step in and stop this genocide.


The Devil Came on Horseback depicts the tragic impact of an Arab
government bent on destroying its black African citizens, the maddening
complexity of international inaction in response to blatant genocide, and
the awkward, yet heroic transformation of a former Marine turned
humanitarian. It is a gripping and moving memoir that bears witness to
atrocities we have too long averted our eyes from, and reveals that the
actions of just one committed person have the power to change the world.
This intense, vivid report and call to action
from the heart of violent Darfur, by a former
Marine working as an unarmed militaryobserver for the African Union, is a powerful
memoir of a young man's awakening to
conscience and the first extensive on-theground
account of the genocide in Sudan.


Former United States Marine Brian Steidle served for six months in Darfur
as an unarmed military observer for the African Union. There he witnessed
first-hand the ongoing genocide, and documented every day of his experience
using email, audio journals, notebook after notebook and nearly 1,000
photographs. Gretchen Steidle Wallace, his sister, who wrote this book with
Brian, corresponded with him throughout his time in Darfur. Fired upon,
taken hostage, a witness to villages destroyed and people killed,
frustrated by his mission's limitations and the international community's
reluctance to intervene, Steidle resigned and has since become an advocate
for the world to step in and stop this genocide.


The Devil Came on Horseback depicts the tragic im! pact of an Arab
government bent on destroying its black Af! rican ci tizens, the maddening
complexity of international inaction in response to blatant genocide, and
the awkward, yet heroic transformation of a former Marine turned
humanitarian. It is a gripping and moving memoir that bears witness to
atrocities we have too long averted our eyes from, and reveals that the
actions of just one committed person have the power to change the world.An up-close, honest, and uncompromising look at the crisis in Darfur, THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK exposes the ongoing tragedy in Sudan as seen through the eyes of one American witness.

Using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, the film goes on an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where in 2004, Steidle became witness to a genocide that to-date has claimed over 400,000 lives. As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. Unprepa! red for what he would witness and experience, Steidle returned to the U.S. armed with his photographs, intent on exposing the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed.

A 2007 world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, this astonishingly propulsive and dramatic film from award-winning filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern (The Trials of Darryl Hunt), is a heartfelt account of what this particular American witness saw and, just as important, what he did afterward.

DVD Features: Bonus Short Film: Supporting Survivors; Take Action Save Darfur: How to HelpThe Devil Came on Horseback presents a first-person account of the genocide in Darfur. Former Marine Captain Brian Steidle joined the African Union in 2004 to help monitor the cease-fire in Sudan. As he puts it, "All I had was a camera, a pen, and paper. I was totally unprepared for what I'd see." An unarmed military civilian, he describes his observations, via voice-over and audio record! ings, as filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern alternate b! etween t heir contemporary footage and his images of slaughtered civilians and incinerated villages. When his contract ends, Steidle leaves in disillusionment. He wrote his reports and took his pictures, but nothing changed. Since reporters lacked the same degree of access, he goes to The New York Times, and they publish his photographs. The soldier-turned-activist proceeds to spread the word everywhere he can. Aside from Steidle, the film features his sister Gretchen Wallace, founder of Global Grassroots (an organization working with female victims in Sudan and Rwanda), and Senator Barack Obama, who has also made Darfur his personal mission. The title comes from a loose translation of janjaweed, the government-backed Arab militias behind the atrocities to which Steidle bore witness. (Steidle and his sister use the same title for the book they wrote together.) As in their previous documentary, The Trials of Darryl Hunt, Sundberg and Stern maintain a measured tone, but t! heir subject's horrifying images speak for themselves. The Devil Came on Horseback is accompanied by Wallace's Supporting Survivors, a short film about Global Grassroots. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

The Darkness

  • Use manifestations of the Darkness to devour, impale or implode your enemies
  • Summon and command an army of Darklings - impish and hilarious demonites that commit unspeakable acts
  • Use the absence of light strategically - shadows feed the Darkness so seek the shadows wherever possible
  • Fight your way through the dark and seedy underbelly of New York City, as well as the ethereal realm of the Darkness
  • Play as Darklings in online multiplayer games
Darkness â€" the second installment in The Brookehaven Vampires series:
Not long ago, Laney Alexander was living a carefree life - that is, until she was thrown into a world full of creatures only the imagination thought possible. Now, after surviving a terrifying night, Laney and Oliver are lying low at Julz’s place. They are relieved to be in each other’ arms once again, but fate seems to have other plans…
Julz is not happy to have visitors in her home and emotions are running high. Laney is pushed to her limits as she watches Carter fight for his life and her relationship with Oliver becomes strained as she discovers secrets about Julz that could tear them apart.
As Laney reaches her boiling point, disaster strikes and her life is shattered. Laney must come to terms with what has unfolded, but will she lose her way and let the darkness consume her, or will she find her light in Oliver?
Secrets will be revealed. Hearts will be broken. Lives will be lost. Darkness will fall.Darkness â€" the second installment in The Brookehaven Vampires series:
Not long ago, Laney Alexander was living a carefree life - that is, until she was thrown into a world full of creatures only the imagination thought possible. Now, after surviving a terrifying night, Laney and Oliver are lying low at Julz’s place. They are relieved to be in each other’ arms once again, but fate seems ! to have other plans…
Julz is not happy to have visitors i! n her ho me and emotions are running high. Laney is pushed to her limits as she watches Carter fight for his life and her relationship with Oliver becomes strained as she discovers secrets about Julz that could tear them apart.
As Laney reaches her boiling point, disaster strikes and her life is shattered. Laney must come to terms with what has unfolded, but will she lose her way and let the darkness consume her, or will she find her light in Oliver?
Secrets will be revealed. Hearts will be broken. Lives will be lost. Darkness will fall.Product InformationThe Darkness gives you awesome and terrible powers in a new twist onhorror-based adventure. On his 21st birthday the Darkness awakens within JackieEstacado a mafia hitman for the Franchetti crime family. With his new powersJackie is able to wreak terrifying havoc on his enemies. Jackie must learn tofully command the Darkness so he can take back control of the Franchetti familywhich is ruled by his uncle Paulie a despicable man! who is almost universallydespised. Based on the popular comic book "The Darkness." Traditionalmultiplayer modes as well as all-new innovative game modes Next-gen graphics andgameplay featuring advanced voice-synching and facial animations and fullyinteractive environments.Product Features Use manifestations of the Darkness to devour impale or implode your enemies Summon and command an army of Darklings - impish and hilarious demonites that commit unspeakable acts Use the absence of light strategically - shadows feed the Darkness so seek the shadows wherever possible Fight your way through the dark and seedy underbelly of New York City as well as the ethereal realm of the Darkness Play as Darklings in online multiplayer games

The Chorus (Les Choristes)

  • An inspirational story in the rich tradition of MUSIC OF THE HEART and MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, THE CHORUS has moved critics everywhere to declare it one of the year's very best films! When he takes a job teaching music at a school for troubled boys, Cl ment Mathieu is unprepared for its harsh discipline and depressing atmosphere. But with passion and unconventional teaching methods, he's a
An inspirational story in the rich tradition of MUSIC OF THE HEART and MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, THE CHORUS has moved critics everywhere to declare it one of the year's very best films! When he takes a job teaching music at a school for troubled boys, Clément Mathieu is unprepared for its harsh discipline and depressing atmosphere. But with passion and unconventional teaching methods, he's able to spark his students' interest in music and bring them a newfound joy! It also puts him at odds with the school's overbear! ing headmaster, however, locking Mathieu in a battle between politics and the determination to change his pupils' lives!By getting nominated for Academy Awards in both the Foreign Language Film and Best Song categories, Les Choristes (The Chorus) made a rare (for a European film) double impression at the 2004 Oscars. This sentimental tale follows the arrival of a new teacher at a remote boys school in 1949 France (the war is a largely unspoken but ghostly presence). With disciplinary problems rampant, and the policies of the old-fashioned headmaster not helping, Monsieur Mathieu decides to introduce choral singing as a way to bridge the gap with his students. You don't need a crystal ball to figure out where this will go, although the movie uses its atmospheric location and lush vocal arrangements well. Bald, dumpy Gerard Jugnot provides a refreshingly offbeat hero (though securely in the traditions of the My Most Memorable Teacher movie); he's sort of a younger Phil! ippe Noiret. Director Christophe Barratier works in the winsom! e-cute m ode that makes a certain kind of French movie into an overly sweet bon bon, although at least this bon bon sings. --Robert Horton

The Best of Dudley Do-Right, Vol. 1

  • DoRight always does right somehow! He's back! The only Mountie ever to arrest a redwood tree . for loitering!!! With a little dumbluck, this squarejawed Canadian always gets his man." .Featuring Dudley's most hilarious casefiles!Learn how he joined the Mounties in "Mother Whiplash's Log Jam"! Empathize with his unrequited love for the fair and lovely Nell in "Niagara Falls." Pity his
BASED ON THE CLASSIC CARTOON SERIES, THE FILM FOLLOWS THE HILARIOUS EXPLOITS OF THE DEDICATED BUT HAPLESS DUDLEY. DUDLEY MUST FACE THE EVIL SNIDELY WHIPLASH WHO PLANS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. SET IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES, DUDLEY BECOMES A MASKED MAN ON A MISSION AS HE TRIES TO DEFEAT THE VILLIAN.Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, The Mummy) brings his considerable charm to this awkward live-action version of the classic cartoon Dudley Do-Right. The first half of the movie lays out the basic! elements of the cartoon (none-too-bright Canadian Mountie battles melodrama villain Snidely Whiplash with pluck and dumb luck) with little wit or imagination, but lots of pratfalls and broad gags. But about halfway into it, when Whiplash has taken over the town of Semi-Happy Falls and become its leading citizen, the movie takes a curious turn: Since Whiplash has become, to all appearances, a good guy, Dudley decides the only way to fight him is to turn into a bad guy. Next thing you know, Dudley is decked out in black leather and cruising around on a motorbike while Whiplash fumes impotently. Bullwinkle fans may decry this departure, but it gives the movie a much-needed burst of energy and the opportunity for some entertainingly surreal images--like Whiplash up to his neck in a mudbath with cucumber slices on his eyes, consulting with his henchmen about dealing with that unpredictable Do-Right. With Alfred Molina, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Monty Python's Eric! Idle. --Bret FetzerDoRight always does right somehow!! He's ba ck! The only Mountie ever to arrest a redwood tree ... for loitering!!! With a little dumbluck, this squarejawed Canadian always gets his man." .Featuring Dudley's most hilarious casefiles!Learn how he joined the Mounties in "Mother Whiplash's Log Jam"! Empathize with his unrequited love for the fair and lovely Nell in "Niagara Falls." Pity his pathetic allergy in "Marigolds"! Each cartoon pits him against that nefarious ne'erdowell Snidely Whiplash! Wittily written and voiced, these timeless classics are a fond salute to oldtime melodrama and remain some of the funniest cartoons ever made.

Forbidden Lie$

  • FORBIDDEN LIES (DVD MOVIE)
Studio: Independent Film Dev/dba Release Date: 09/28/2010 Run time: 70 minutes Rating: Nr

Flyboys: A True Story of Courage

  • Blue and red hardcopy. Dust jacket with scenes or flying aircraft.
Inspired by the true story of the legendary Lafayette Escadrille, this action-packed epic tells the tale of America's first fighter pilots. These courageous young men distinguish themselves in a manner that none before them had dared, becoming true heroes who experience triumph, tragedy, love, and loss amid the chaos of World War I. Hang on for the ride of your life!

World War I aviation action gets an impressive digital upgrade in Flyboys, a welcome addition to the "dogfight" sub-genre that includes such previous war-in-the-air films like Hell's Angels, Wings, and The Blue Max. While those earlier films had the advantage of real and genuinely dangerous flight scenes (resulting, in some cases, in fatal accidents during production), Flyboys takes full (and safe) advantage of the digital revo! lution, with intensely photo-realistic recreations of WWI aircraft, authentic period structures, and CGI environments requiring a total of 850 digital effects shots, resulting in an abundance of amazing images, many of them virtually indistinguishable from reality. Unfortunately, the film's technical achievement is more impressive than its screenplay, which conventionally and predictably tells the fact-based story, set in France in 1916, of the daring young pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, a pioneering French air-combat unit that welcomed American enlistees prior to the United States' entry into the war.

There's a familiar cliché to match every thrilling scene of aerial combat, but director Tony Bill manages to keep it all interesting, from the romance between a young American maverick (James Franco) and a pretty French girl (newcomer Jennifer Decker) to the exciting action in the air, which includes a stock variety of heroes (many of them composites of real-lif! e WWI pilots) and an intimidating villain known only as "The B! lack Fal con," whose Fokker Dr-1 triplane (one of many in the film) recalls the exploits of German "ace of aces" Manfred von Richtofen, the dreaded "Red Baron" of legend. With impeccable production values that will impress even the most nit-picking aviation buffs, Flyboys (like Superman Returns and Apocalypto, also released in 2006) was also one of the first feature films to be shot with Panavision's state-of-the-art Genesis digital cameras, resulting in beautiful images that meet or exceed the visual nuance of film. Flyboys also benefits from painstaking attention to physical detail, making it easier to forgive its shortcomings as a generic and formulaic slice of romanticized history. So while some viewers may have wished for a more realistic and grown-up depiction of the Lafayette Escadrille, it's safe to say that Flyboys will be thrilling its target audience for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon

Extras ! from Flyboys



Director Tony Bill on Filming Dogfight Sequences

...On throwing away the script for pilot training

...On the real-life stunt pilot who stars in the film

Beyond Flyboys



More "War in t! he Sky" Films

SPA124 Lafayette Escadrille: American Volunteer Airmen in World War 1



More "Military and War" Films

Stills from Flyboys




FLYBOYS is the true story of young American airmen who were shot down over Chichi Jima. Eight of these young men were captured by Jap! anese troops and taken prisoner. Another was rescued by an American submarine and went on to become president. The reality of what happened to the eight prisoners has remained a secret for almost 60 years. After the war, the American and Japanese governments conspired to cover up the shocking truth. Not even the families of the airmen were informed what had happened to their sons. It has remained a mystery--until now. Critics called James Bradley's last book "the best book on battle ever written." FLYBOYS is even better: more ambitious, more powerful, and more moving. On the island of Chichi Jima those young men would face the ultimate test. Their story--a tale of courage and daring, of war and of death, of men and of hope--will make you proud, and it will break your heart.

Capturing the Friedmans

  • Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and with over $3 million at the box office to date, Capturing The Friedmans is nothing short of the most riveting, provocative, and hotly debated films of the year. Despite their predilection for hamming it up in front of home-movie cameras, the Friedmans were a normal middle-class family living in the affluent New York suburb of G
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and with over $3 million at the box office to date, Capturing The Friedmans is nothing short of the most riveting, provocative, and hotly debated films of the year. Despite their predilection for hamming it up in front of home-movie cameras, the Friedmans were a normal middle-class family living in the affluent New York suburb of Great Neck. One Thanksgiving, as the family gathers at home for a quiet holiday dinner, their front door ! explodes, splintered by a police battering ram. Officers rush into the house, accusing Arnold Friedman and his youngest son Jesse of hundreds of shocking crimes. The film follows their story from the public?s perspective and through unique real footage of the family in crisis, shot inside the Friedman house. As the police investigate, and the community reacts, the fabric of the family begins to disintegrate, revealing provocative questions about truth, justice, family, and -ultimately-truth. With an abundance of exclusive DVD bonus features supplied on a second disc, Capturing the Friedmans is sure to capture you and pin you to your seat.A Sundance Grand Jury prize winner and a true conversation starter, Capturing the Friedmans travels into one apparently ordinary Long Island family's heart of darkness. Arnold and Elaine Friedman had a normal life with their three sons until Arnold was arrested on multiple (and increasingly lurid) charges of child abuse. Becaus! e the Friedmans had documented their own lives with copious ho! me movie s, filmmaker Andrew Jarecki is able to sift through their material looking for clues. Yet what emerges is more surreal than fiction: the youngest Friedman son went to jail, the eldest became a birthday-party clown. In the end, we can't be sure whether Arnold Friedman is a monstrous child molester or the victim of railroading. The portrait of a disconnected family is deeply disturbing, either way, and this film is further proof that a documentary can be just as spellbinding as anything a great storyteller dreams up. --Robert Horton

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