Film Archive 1997
| RIDICULE |
| 010397 |
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| During the pre-revolutionary reign of Louis XVI, a young engineer travels to Versailles to petition the king to help him save the people of his region from a mosquito infestation. Upon his arrival, the naive country squire discovers lust in the form of a widowed countess, love in the form of his host's beautiful daughter, ultimate power in the form of wit, and the ultimate weapon in the form of ridicule. Academy Award Nominations: Best Foreign Language Film. |
| A TIME TO KILL |
| 010397 |
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| This adaptation of John Grisham's bestseller takes place in the small town of Canton, Mississippi, where two White rednecks kidnap, rape and savagely beat a young Black girl. The men are caught, but the child's deeply enraged father, Carl Lee Hailey, takes justice into his own hands by killing the thugs himself at the courthouse. Now Carl Lee Hailey is the one on trial, a highly controversial and fiery proceeding that begets numerous racial issues and incidents, some involving the Ku Klux Klan and the NAACP. At the center of this storm is White lawyer Jake Brigance, who not only faces an all-White jury, but personal attacks on his life should he win the case. Brigance, Hailey and Ellen Roark, a rich law student aiding Jake, face a tough road ahead of them, one that will change their lives forever. |
| THE FIRST WIVE'S CLUB |
| 011097 |
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| Three former college chums -- vain Elise, brassy Brenda and wimpy Annie -- reunite after the death of a friend. Soon, the ladies discover that they've all been recently dumped by their smarmy husbands for younger, nubile women. The neurotic trio decide to band together and seek vengeance, using such bureaucratic methods as the IRS and the legal system. But their dogged efforts lead the femmes to break laws themselves. Lots of them. So will revenge be sweet for these first wives? Or will they land in the slammer instead? |
| MICROCOSMOS |
| 011097 |
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| This film provides a fascinating, up-close view of the world of insects, snails, and other tiny invertebrates as they work, eat, fight and procreate. This acclaimed French documentary was filmed with special microscopic cameras and high-resolution microphones, which bring the viewer into the subjects' figurative living room. |
| TRAINSPOTTING |
| 011797 |
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| A kinetic, intimate look inside the subculture of heroin abuse, this acclaimed adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel follows the misadventures of Renton, a brash, twenty-something Edinburgh junkie, and his nihilistic chums Tommy, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie. Alternately comic and off-putting, the film ultimately comes down to Renton's choice between self-destruction or life. The stellar soundtrack should not be missed. |
| BOUND |
| 011797 |
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| The Wachowskis’ remarkable directorial debut is a revisionist take on the film noirs of the 1940s. Part THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, SIN CITY (a gritty detective comic book that inspired the look of the film), and THELMA & LOUISE (an admittedly key influence), BOUND brilliantly evokes the moody atmosphere of early noir, but with a unique, modern edge. |
| EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU |
| 012497 |
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| In this film, director Woody Allen mixes song-and-dance with his usual array of neurotic, upscale New Yorkers suffering romantic woes. While the impending wedding of young lovers Holden and Skylar is the centerpiece of the film, we also get to know various members of Skylar's family -- and their dysfunctional love lives. The characters often express their feelings through such classic tunes as "Just You, Just Me" and "My Baby Just Cares for Me," making this one of the more unique movies in Allen's oeuvre. |
| BREAKING THE WAVES |
| 013197 |
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| Danish director Lars von Trier’s BREAKING THE WAVES is a sweeping romantic fable that is photographed like a low-budget documentary, resulting in a strikingly original motion picture from one of contemporary cinema’s most distinct visionaries. Bess (Emily Watson) is a shy young woman living in a small Scottish shore town. When she meets Jan (Stellan Skarsgard), the two immediately fall in love. Jan is a rig worker who immediately embraces Bess’s absolute innocence. Soon after, they are married. Their magical existence comes to a crashing halt when Jan is forced to return to sea for an extended period of time. In a series of intense dialogues with God, Bess begs for Jan’s return back to shore immediately, and when Jan is paralyzed in a freak accident, her wish is granted. Convinced that her prayers caused Jan’s tragedy, Bess devotes her life to redeeming herself however she can. Jan insists that she experience sexual relations with a series of strangers, relating to him her escapades. Obeying his wish, she begins to see that her actions are restoring Jan’s health, sparking her into committing one reckless final sacrifice. Watson delivers one of the most stunningly naked screen debuts in screen history, filling BREAKING THE WAVES with an intensity that is tragic, yet somehow hopeful. |
| STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT |
| 020797 |
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| The Borg have once again targeted the Federation; this time, their devious plot threatens not only the present, but Earth's past as well. While Commander Riker, Deanna Troi, and Geordi La Forge work hard on the surface of 21st-century Earth to keep history on schedule, the rest of the crew plays a desperate game with the genetically-networked attackers above the planet, matching former Locutus Jean-Luc and cybernetically-naive Data against the erotic, mechanized cunning of the Borg queen. Resistance is futile. Academy Awards nominations: 1--Best Makeup. |
| GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS |
| 020797 |
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| Vittorio De Sica's beautifully photographed masterpiece, THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS, is a return to the fine dramas (SHOESHINE, THE BICYCLE THIEF) of his early days as a director. Based on the autobiographical novel by Giorgio Bassani, the film covers the lives of several Jewish characters from the onset of Mussolini's anti-Semitic edicts in 1938 to the arrest and deportation of all of the Italian Jews in 1943. The lead character, Giorgio (Lino Capolicchio), is a middle-class student invited by the fabulously wealthy Finzi-Continis to research his thesis in the family's private library. While pursuing his studies, Giorgio falls in love with the family's beautiful daughter, Micol (Dominique Sanda), who rebuffs his advances. Meanwhile, Mussolini is slowly dissolving the rights of all Italian Jews, though the Finzi-Contini family appears unable to accept this fact, let alone deal with its consequences. Viewed from the perfect vision of hindsight, the GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS is more than just a story of unrequited love set in turbulent times--it is a tragic, cautionary account of how the most elevated and aristocratic members of a society can ignore their approaching destruction. |
| ROMEO + JULIET |
| 021497 |
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| This ambitious undertaking takes William Shakespeare's classic tale of star cross'd lovers and relates the story in a glossy music video style in modern day (1996) Florida. Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes play the eponymous lovers kept apart by rival industrialist families. Bookended by newscastsers reciting Shakespeare's prose as their copy, this clever glam updating of ROMEO AND JULIET is one of the most unusual adaptations of the Bard's work in the history of cinema. The stylish and colorful sets earned the film an Oscar nomination for art direction. John Leguizamo gives a memorable performance as a devilish Tybalt. |
| HYPE |
| 021497 |
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| A clever chronicle of the commodification of the Pacific Northwest's celebrated "grunge" rock scene, whose members were lifted out of underground obscurity and propelled into the national spotlight--sometimes to their surprise--after the major-label success of the seminal grunge-pop trio Nirvana. Features rare interviews and performances from the gamut of grungesters, from the candy-pop stylings of The Posies to the rage rock of riot grrrls 7 Year Bitch and the country-punk swaggering of the Supersuckers. |
| THIEVES |
| 022197 |
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| André Téchiné deconstructs this story of a botched car theft and turns it into a somber, intricate, multifaceted story of a family torn apart by crime and a young thief's effect on those who love her. THEIVES commences with the death of crime boss Ivan (Laurence Cote) as seen through the eyes of his young and angry son, Justin. Through a series of flashbacks and narrative shifts, Ivan's brother, Alex (Daniel Auteuil), is introduced. Alex's job as a policeman has ostracized him from his family of criminals, and has entangled him in a bizarre and insidious love triangle with petty thief Juliette and her obsessed lover, Marie (Catherine Deneuve). As Alex investigates his brother's death, Téchiné leads the viewer through his passionless affair with Juliette, his own obsession with Marie, and his brother's world of teenage thugs and suburban crime. Filmed in the breathtaking Alps region of France, the film unravels as each character becomes interconnected and implicated in the crime. Alex's failed love and obsession for Juliette merges with his need to vindicate himself to his family as he simultaneous attempts to connect with his young nephew and forge a romantic liaison with equally troubled Marie. |
| SLEEPERS |
| 022197 |
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| Tommy, John, Michael, and Shakes are four young teenage punks growing up in the streets of Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen in the mid-1960s. When these four friends pull a prank that that goes awry, they find themselves serving time at the Wilkinson School for Boys, where they are repeatedly and sadistically violated and tortured by four guards--the most menacing being Noles, portrayed by Kevin Bacon. Fifteen years later, the foursome is still dealing with the emotional repercussions of their abuse. Tommy (Billy Crudup) and John (Ron Eldard) have become common criminals, and when they spot Noles in a local watering hole they can’t pass up the chance for revenge. It’s up to Shakes (Jason Patric), a low-profile newspaper employee, and Michael (Brad Pitt), a lawyer with the district attorney’s office, to save their friends while keeping the details of their tortured childhoods secret. Dustin Hoffman appears as Danny Snyder, and Robert De Niro stars as Father Bobby, the local neighborhood priest who is as comfortable on the streets or in a bar as he is behind the pulpit. Based on the allegedly true story by Lorenzo Carcaterra, the film is directed by Barry Levinson (DINER, RAIN MAN). |
| SLING BLADE |
| 022897 |
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| After catching his mother and her boyfriend "in flagrante delicto" and dispatching both of them with a farm implement known as a sling blade, a simpleminded 11-year-old boy is sent to a mental hospital where he spends the next 25 years. Upon his release, the emotionally and mentally stunted man-child returns to his Arkansas hometown and takes a job in a local garage, only to have the past inexorably repeat itself. An indie-film triumph, adapted by star-writer-director Thornton from his 1993 short, "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade." Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Actor--Billy Bob Thornton. Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay. |
| PARADISE LOST |
| 022897 |
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| In 1993, three eight-year-old boys were found brutally murdered in the woods of West Memphis, Arkansas. Though the evidence suggested the masterwork and skill of a seasoned killer, the police hastily assigned the blame to three alienated boys with a predilection for heavy metal music and black clothing. The directors' omnipresent yet unobtrusive camera draws the viewer into an intensely gripping trial and investigation, during which an atmosphere of small town "Satanic panic" and a case filled with holes reveals itself. All sides of the story are carefully explored--the emotions and opinions of victims' families, lawyers, and the boys themselves--as the trial slowly builds to its shocking outcome. The masterful editing of Berlinger and Sinofsky transforms the often dry courtroom documentary into smooth and compelling storytelling, and the most articulate of the condemned boys, Damien Echols, emerges as the fascinating centerpiece. Effective use is made of heavy metal band Metallica's early music, which gives an audio soundtrack to the alienation and hopelessness of the accused boys. Powerful and often heart wrenching, this award-winning documentary is, in the fact of its reality, more frightening, tragic, and unforgettable than many works of fiction. |
| MARS ATTACKS |
| 022897 |
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| Director Tim Burton unleashes MARS ATTACKS!, a vicious, affectionate, brightly-colored homage to 1950s alien invasion movies. When a shiny silver flying saucer lands in the Nevada desert, a group of skull-faced Martians exit the gleaming craft. Although they claim to be peaceful, they promptly "vaporize" a gathering of unfortunate Earthlings, kicking off a bizarre high-tech war with wild special effects. This studiously campy sci-fi spoof, based on a series of Topps bubble-gum cards, gleefully parodies not only schlock B-horror movies, but also overblown blockbusters such as INDEPENDENCE DAY. This subversive film is helped along by an all-star cast including Jack Nicholson in dual roles as both a clueless U.S. President (with First Lady Glenn Close) and a Las Vegas sleazebag. The film follows the wacky WAR OF THE WORLD--like proceedings from the points of view of numerous colorful characters, from the inane U.S. Press Secretary (Martin Short) to a trailer-park family (Lukas Haas and Sylvia Sidney), singer Tom Jones (as himself). |
| WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY |
| 030797 |
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| A wry and amusing musical about a world famous candymaker who hides five golden tickets in candy bars for five lucky children. Young, good-natured Charlie (Peter Ostrum) wins one of the tickets hidden amongst thousands of Wonka chocolate bars. What have Charlie and the other four kids won? A tour through Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, led by the loveable, eccentric, but often mean-spirited Wonka (Gene Wilder) himself. The factory itself is like a fantasy world: crazy color schemes, wild inventions, secret rooms, busy oompa-loompas, and lots and lots of delectable sweets. But Wonka has a hidden agenda, and during the tour he tests each child's character and honesty. Based on Roald Dahl's children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." |
| LOST HIGHWAY |
| 030797 |
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| Director David Lynch ups the weird ante with this "psychological fugue." Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) is a jazz saxophonist who is married to the beautiful Renee (a brown-haired Patricia Arquette). After receiving menacing videotapes taken from inside their home, the couple begin to worry. Fred’s fear is compounded when he meets a mysterious man (Robert Blake) at a flamboyant party. Fred wakes up to discover that Renee has been murdered, and Fred is convicted of the crime. Trouble is, he doesn’t remember anything from that night. Sitting in a jail cell, he undergoes a miraculous transformation, waking up as Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty), a young mechanic. When Pete meets a dangerous client’s sexy girlfriend, Alice Wakefield (a blonde Arquette), a passionate affair blossoms that threatens to expose Pete. In typical Lynch fashion, he makes no effort whatsoever to explain his film or justify its bizarre occurrences, resulting in an enigmatic thriller that feels like the viewer has unknowingly walked into another person’s dream. The screenplay adheres to many universal film noir conventions, but Lynch and co-screenwriter Barry Gifford’s psychological angle gives them a freedom to do anything that they so desire (a concept they giddily embrace). For fans of surreal, visually arresting cinema, Lynch delivers once again. |
| PRISONER OF THE MOUNTAINS |
| 031497 |
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| When an oddball pair of Russian soldiers are captured and taken prisoner by a Chechen father hoping to barter them for the release of his captive son, the two disparate hostages begin to develop an unexpected--and frequently humorous--bond of friendship. Inspired by the Leo Tolstoy novella "A Prisoner of the Caucasus." Academy Award Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film. |
| CRASH |
| 032197 |
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Based on the 1973 novel by J. G. Ballard. James and Catherine Ballard are a married couple whose sex life has been reduced to recounting tales of mutual infidelity to turn each other on. One night, James causes a head-on collision with a car carrying Dr. Helen Remington, killing her husband and severely injuring her and himself. Subsequent encounters with each other find that they are oddly sexually aroused by the danger of car accidents and potential accidents, and, with Catherine, soon fall in with a cult of car crash fetishists. The group is led by Vaughan, a former scientist twisted by his own disfigurement in an accident, and, as a result, a man obsessed with car crashes as a liberation of sexual energy. Vaughan inducts the Ballards and Dr. Remington into his surreal world of sex in the back seats of cars, re-enactments of famous car crashes (i.e. James Dean and Jayne Mansfield), viewing photos of accident victims and screenings of collision videos as pornography, and fender benders as mating rituals. |
| RANSOM |
| 032897 |
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| A headstrong airline tycoon pays the ransom for his abducted son, despite the pleas of his wife and FBI agents, then must gamble on the consequences of attempting to turn the tables on the kidnapper, setting up a gut-wrenching confrontation between the anguished father and the increasingly desperate criminals. This tightly conceived nail-biter, with head-spinning plot twists, is another fine effort from the director of "Apollo 13." |
| MICHAEL |
| 032897 |
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| John Travolta literally spreads his wings in this tale of a slightly sinful archangel plopped down in Iowa. The cocky cherub's mission of healing frequently takes a back seat to his delight in such earthly pleasures as dancing, smoking, and drinking, but ultimately his divine duty wins out. As the film's tag line states, "He's an angel... Not a saint." |
| KOYLA |
| 040497 |
Elderly Rajasaheb wants to marry young and comely Gauri to satisfy his sexual lusts, but Gauri refuses to marry unless she actually sees a photo of the man she is marrying. So Rajasaheb sends a picture of his faithful but deaf and dumb servant, Shanker. Shanker and Gauri are married but in name only. Will faithful Shanker stand up to the powerful Rajasaheb for his bride? |
| FIRST STRIKE |
| 040497 |
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| In director Stanley Tong's action-packed film, martial arts megastar Jackie Chan (as a Hong Kong police officer named Jackie) battles on land, in the air, and underwater in his efforts to help both the CIA and a Russian intelligence agency retrieve a stolen Ukrainian nuclear warhead. Sent on an easy tailing job, Jackie gets more than he bargained for and is soon fighting for survival on a frozen mountaintop against gun-toting baddies on skis and snowmobiles. Luckily the chase sends him to warm Australia, but danger still comes at Jackie from all angles--including sharks from below. As with other scintillating Tong-Chan partnerships, FIRST STRIKE features classic Chan-style slapstick comedy and balletic fight sequences, including an unforgettable warehouse brawl in which his only allies are a stepladder and a broomstick. Chan's already incomparable legend as a daredevil stuntman is fortified by a virtually unbroken string of dangerous acrobatics and by the news, upon the film's release, that its star contracted severe hypothermia after filming a plunge into an ice-glutted lake. |
| WAITING FOR GUFFMAN |
| 041197 |
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| This mock documentary, set in the fictional town of Blaine, Missouri, chronicles the attempts of its talent-free residents to put on a show celebrating the burg's 150th anniversary. From the fey director Corky St. Clair to the Dairy Queen girl, the cast and crew scream incompetence. Furthermore, St. Claire has invited Guffman -- a Broadway producer -- to see the production, with the hopes that they will eventually make it to the Great White Way. Can the local yokels make something out of nothing? |
| BOOTY CALL |
| 041197 |
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| A pair of friends out on a double date in New York's Chinatown run into a little problem after dinner--both of their lovely young women are ready to take things to a more intimate level, but neither fella has the requisite latex protection! Thus begins a series of misadventures as the guys hit the streets looking in vain for the goods to insure their "booty call" isn't a wrong number. |
| ONE FINE DAY |
| 041197 |
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| A rakish, irresponsible, and sexy single dad and a neurotic, standoffish, and sexy single mom join up on a collison course with romantic mayhem when each fails to deliver his/her respective child to a class field trip. Academy Award Nominations: Best Original Song ("For the First Time"). |
| THE SHINING |
| 041897 |
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| Opening with spectacular aerial shots of a beautiful, mountainous landscape, Stanley Kubrick's horror classic THE SHINING, based on Stephen King's best-selling novel, sucks the viewer into his frightening tale with quiet, relaxing visuals--but the ominous soundtrack warns that all is not right at the gorgeous Overlook Hotel. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson at his eyebrow-raising best), a Vermont schoolteacher, accepts a job as the winter caretaker of the glorious early-20th-century resort that operates only in warm weather because the snowy roads deny access in the colder months. Jack brings his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), with him, as well as his young son, Danny (Danny Lloyd)--who brings with him a little boy named Tony who lives in his mouth. As the Torrances settle in for the long, lonely months ahead, strange, unexplainable things start occurring in the hotel--and in every scene Jack seems to be growing a little more evil and dangerous.... |
| FIERCE CREATURES |
| 041897 |
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| This reunion of the cast of A FISH CALLED WANDA is not a sequel, but features the trademark humor of John Cleese, Kevin Kline, and Jamie Lee Curtis, including Kline's genius double performance as an aging media mogul and his buffoon of a son. A riotous and scatterbrained story of frantic English zoo keeper (John Cleese) whose demesne is threatened by a tightfisted down sizing Australian media mogul, Vince McCain (Kevin Kline). A visit by the mogul's bumbling son, Rod McCain (Kevin Kline again) prompts a rash of changes at the zoo, including the order that the animals be made more fierce. In an effort to attract a huge parade of visitors the corporate moguls want to create a theme park atmosphere with only violent animals on display. In protest, the liberal zoo keepers fight back in a hilarious effort to prove the ferocious temperament of animals like the meerkat, deemed the "piranhas of the desert." When Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis), a hard-nosed marketing genius, is sent to the zoo to look after the operation she is forced to look after Rod, as he creates marketing mayhem, with false celebrity sponsors, Disneyland-like costumes for the zoo keepers and advertisements run amok. As Willa spends more time around the downtrodden zoo keepers and their fearless leader, she realizes that the McCain empire must be stopped, coming up with a delirious plan to quell the media moguls and take back the zoo. |
| LA CEREMONIE |
| 042597 |
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| In Claude Chabrol's LA CEREMONIE, the wealthy Lelievre family live in a grand estate in the calm isolation of the French countryside. All that lacks in their lustrous lifestyle is the perfect maid, who they believe to have found in the shy and recalcitrant Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire). The match seems to be perfect and Sophie proves to be "a bit bizarre, but a real pearl" according to Madame Lelievre (Jacqueline Bisset). Sophie remains distanced from the family and only comes out of her shell when she meets Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), the spirited and gruff local postal clerk with a grudge against the Lelievres. The two spark a friendship based on their mutual distrust of the slightly aloof Lelievres and they soon learn that they have similar secret pasts. But as Sophie and the postal clerk work themselves into a veritable frenzy of hatred and disdain, Sophie hides an even more troubling secret that fills every moment of her life with shame and terror, and only serves to increase her antagonism towards the Lelievres. |
| METRO |
| 042597 |
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| Hostage negotiator Scott Roper's wisecracking personality and devil-may-care manner might sometimes arouse the ire of his sergeant, but he's the only man for the job when a demented killer terrorizes the streets of San Francisco. A textbook role for Murphy, who also executive produces. |
| SUBURBIA (BOGOSIAN) |
| 050297 |
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| Richard Linklater’s fascination with suburban American youth is brought to the screen once again with this adaptation of Eric Bogosian’s stage play. The story follows a group of unmotivated high school graduates who spend their days and nights getting drunk and hanging out in front of their small town’s local convenience store. Jeff (Giovanni Ribisi) is the cynical and bitter boyfriend of Sooze (Amie Carey), a performance artist who is planning on moving to New York City to escape the confines of Burnfield. Buff (Steve Zahn) is an energetic goofball who drinks and eats to excess along with Tim (Nicky Katt), an alcoholic ex-Marine living off checks from the government. One particular night, their former classmate Pony (Jayce Bartok) returns to the parking lot to hang out with the group. Pony has recently hit the big time as a successful musician, which sparks massive friction between the friends. At the same time, the convenience store’s clerk, Nazeer (Ajay Naidu), has become fed up with their loitering, causing a confrontation that threatens to end the night in violence. Like DAZED AND CONFUSED and SLACKER, two other portraits of small town American life, Linklater creates a recognizable atmosphere that allows his actors to deliver Bogosian’s lines with a realism that is poignant, humorous, and believable. |
| WHEN WE WERE KINGS |
| 050997 |
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| Twenty-two years in the making, this documentary chronicles one of the most famous heavyweight championship bouts in history, the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974. Along with highlights of underdog Ali's stunning victory and infamous "Rope-A-Dope" tactics, the film also covers the back-story of the event and its cultural significance, with footage of Ali's goodwill tours, concert footage featuring B.B. King and James Brown, interviews with George Plimpton, Norman Mailer and Don King, and more. Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature. |
| SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER |
| 050997 |
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| Director John Badham's hit film propelled John Travolta to stardom, made white polyester suits an instant fashion craze, and garnered praise for its portrayal of blue-collar life. Nineteen-year-old Brooklyn native Tony Manero (Travolta) lives for Saturday nights at the local disco, where he's king of the club, thanks to his stylish moves on the dance floor. But outside of the club, things don't look so rosy. At home, Tony fights constantly with his father and has to compete with his family's starry-eyed view of his older brother, a priest. Nor can he find satisfaction at his dead-end job at a paint store. However, things begin to change when he spies Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) in the disco and starts training with her for the club's dance competition. Stephanie dreams of the world beyond Brooklyn, and her plans to move to the big city just over the bridge soon change Tony's life forever. This portrait of young Brooklyn natives struggling to escape their sheltered lives for freedom and adventure in the big city of Manhattan defined a generation of disco dancers and 1970s youths rebelling against the more traditional expectations of their parents. Set to the popular dance music of the Bee Gees, this instant cinematic sensation revealed the fashions and aspirations of an underground culture to the world. |
| TRAVELLER |
| 051697 |
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| A seasoned grifter, Bokky, welcomes a neophyte into his loose-knit clan of peripatetic Irish-American scam artists, who, in the manner of modern-day snake oil salesmen, make a living cheating small-town rubes across the rural South. But a change of heart is in store for Bokky after he falls in love with a woman he defrauded. An atmospheric, languid directorial debut from "Twister" cinematographer Green. |
| MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL |
| 051697 |
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| This classic Monty Python comedy, directed by Pythons Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, is a hilarious send-up of the grim circumstances of the Middle Ages as told through the story of King Arthur and framed by a modern-day murder investigation. When the mythical king of the Britons leads his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail, they face a wide array of horrors, including a persistent Black Knight, a three-headed giant, a cadre of shrubbery-challenged knights, the perilous Castle Anthrax, a killer rabbit, a house of virgins, and a handful of rude Frenchmen. |
| INVENTING THE ABBOTS |
| 052397 |
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| In the placid, potboiler-perfect 1950s hamlet of Haley, Illinois, life revolves around the wealthy and powerful Abbott family, which boasts three strapping brunette daughters in addition to its other assets. On the other side of the proverbial tracks live two fatherless brothers--one idolizes the Abbotts, while the other seeks to destroy the family by systematically deflowering and debasing the sisters. |
| SPIKE AND MIKE'S SICK AND TWISTED |
| 052397 |
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| Spike and Mike, noted collectors of occasionally offensive, often disturbing, and frequently downright hilarious animated shorts present a gathering of 35 of their grossest favorites, including "Dog Pile," "Finger Food," "Chainsaw Bob," "No Neck Joe," "Lloyd's Lunchbox" and more. |
| GRIDLOCK'D |
| 053097 |
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| When a friend OD's and winds up in a coma, a mismatched pair of Detroit junkies strive to seek help in kicking their heroin habit in government-sponsored programs, only to find themselves drowning in the comical--and sadly accurate--bureaucratic morass of sanctioned detox centers. An authentic, scathingly satiric black comedy debut from actor-turned-writer/director Vondie Curtis Hall, featuring the final big screen performance of murdered rapper Tupac Shakur. |
| KAMA SUTRA |
| 053097 |
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| Set in 16th century India, this film chronicles the sexual adventures of Maya, a beautiful, voluptuous servant girl. After seducing the king the night before his wedding, Maya is labeled a whore and expelled from the village. After a hot affair with a sculptor, Maya decides to become an "artist" herself by studying the lovemaking techniques set forth in the Kama Sutra. After her training ends, she sets her sights on becoming the chief prostitute of the king, a move that will affect the lives of many -- and possibly destroy the monarchy... |
| THE DAYTRIPPERS |
| 060697 |
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| When a content housewife discovers a love letter addressed to her husband, she impetuously piles the family into the station wagon to confront her husband directly, embarking on a journey of discovery into affairs of the heart. |
| PINK FLAMINGOS |
| 060697 |
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| In this high watermark of the "Divine" films, the contest is on to decide who is the World's Champion of Grossness, prompting Divine to eat the excrement of a dog (no fooling) on screen. |
| ABSOLUTE POWER |
| 061397 |
|
| In this slick political thriller, an emotionally disconnected, aesthetically refined master thief is out for one final score before retiring to his treasure-lined hideaway. But during a robbery at a mansion near Washington, he witnesses a bizarre sex murder involving the President of the United States. As the president's slimy handlers frantically cover the crime up, the career criminal--and only outside witness--becomes the Secret Service's prime target. His relationship with his estranged daughter hangs in the balance. Adapted from the best-selling novel by David Baldacci. |
| LE SAMOURAI |
| 061397 |
|
| When a stoic, icily professional assassin is witnessed leaving the scene of a nightclub "hit" by a barroom pianist who doesn't let on to the cops, he discovers that he's being set up for something worse than jail. New wave noir from Melville, the tough-guy darling of the "Cahiers du Cinema" crowd. Based on the novel "The Ronin" by Joan McLeod. |
| CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION |
| 062097 |
|
| A blindly idealistic Australian Communist believes so fervently in the Revolution that she writes weekly love letters to Joseph Stalin, conceives his child (or so she believes), and raises a son in the tradition of iron-fisted tyranny. A scathing, idiosyncratic satire of ideological zealotry in general, comprising straight narrative, newsreels and archival footage, and farcical comedy. |
| FOOLS RUSH IN |
| 062097 |
|
| After their rash one-night-stand results in an unanticipated pregnancy, two virtual strangers--a stuffy, upwardly mobile white Manhattanite and an intense Chicana artist--impetuously decide to tie the knot Vegas-style. But can they survive the pressures of their worlds-apart backgrounds and fall in love for real? |
| BROKEN ENGLISH |
| 062797 |
|
| A close-knit Croatian family flees the ethnic conflicts of their homeland for the relative tranquility of New Zealand. But when the daughter falls in love with the Maori cook at the Chinese restaurant where she hostesses, the family patriarch boils over with rage and racially-motivated hostility. Produced by the creative team behind "Once Were Warriors." Available in "R" and "NC-17" versions. |
| FEMALE PERVERSIONS |
| 062797 |
|
| Adapted from feminist-Freudian therapist Louise J. Kaplan's theoretical treatise, "Female Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary," this provocative, symbolism-heavy feature examines women's incongruent roles in society by delving into the mind of a powerful young attorney whose conflicting professional ambitions and physical desires threaten to drive her to madness. |
| PRIVATE PARTS |
| 062797 |
|
| Radio's larger-than-life bad boy, and self-proclaimed "King of All Media," Howard Stern exposes his "Private Parts" in this adaptation of his best-selling autobiography. Tracing his evolution from hopelessly geeky student to top-rated shock jock, the film not only chronicles his legendarily off-color on-air demeanor (Lesbian Dial-a-Date; frequent nude guests) and his continuous battles with management over content and co-hosts, but it also examines his unexpectedly touching and sincere relationship with his wife, Alison. |
| BRASSED OFF |
| 070497 |
|
| When government cutbacks threaten a century-old Yorkshire mine, the brass band consisting of the miners and their families struggles to keep it together in the face of economic repression and emotional turmoil. |
| CHASING AMY |
| 070497 |
|
| Kevin Smith's third film was critically acclaimed for its adroitness in balancing complex, adult sexual issues with jokes about bodily functions. The two Garden State guys this time around are Holden (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee). At a comic book convention, the co-creators of "Bluntman and Chronic" meet Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), a New Jersey native who draws a comic entitled "Idiosyncratic Routine." Holden thinks they click, but proceeds to discover that Alyssa is a lesbian--then manages to convince her to take a chance on him anyway. The real conflict comes when Holden gets hung up on Alyssa's checkered sexual past. What's more, Banky mounts an anti-Alyssa campaign whose intensity and bile Holden can't understand. The script came out of Smith's real-life relationship with Adams, and represents a flowering of the themes of friendship and sexual jealousy which the director first explored in CLERKS. Smith fans can rest assured, however, that STAR WARS is discussed (this time as a racist allegory) and that Jay and Silent Bob do appear to dispense relationship wisdom (and collect royalties for their comic book likenesses). |
| CHEF IN LOVE |
| 071197 |
|
| The sweeping story of a French traveler and chef who visits Georgia at the end of an opulent age and falls in love with a princess who shares his love of fine foods and recipes. Their moments of bliss, however, are shattered when the rumbling trouble of the Russian Revolution pushes its way to the Black Sea. Academy Award Nominations: Best Foreign Language Film. |
| AUSTIN POWERS |
| 071197 |
|
| AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY is the first in the comic series starring this bodacious 1960s spy played by the hilarious Mike Myers. Decked out in the gaudiest mod attire--ruffled shirts, tight-fitting candy-colored suits, horn-rimmed glasses, and prosthetic teeth--Austin Powers is anything but subtle. His near-constant exclamations of "Groovy, Baby," accompanied an uncandid flash of his flirtatious smile, only add to his wonderfully exaggerated hipster persona. Plotwise, Austin Powers and his enemy Dr. Evil (also played by Myers) awake from 30 years of frozen, cryogenic sleep to find themselves in the year 1997. A conniving Dr. Evil plots a reign of terror and mass destruction, but finds that his ideas and methods are a bit out of date. Our hero encounters a similar dilemma, realizing that he is definitely behind the times. A series of well-meaning though bumbling efforts to thwart the insidious Dr. Evil keep Austin Powers and his devastatingly beautiful partner Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley) hard at work as they travel from London to Las Vegas. With this tongue-in-cheek send up of James Bond spy films and 1960s cliches, director Jay Roach compliments Myer's over-the-top performance with a lighthearted soundtrack, fun photography, and amusingly retro sets. |
| ALL OVER ME |
| 071897 |
|
| An intense, naturalistic portrait of a changing friendship between two teenage girls, set in New York's gritty Hell's Kitchen. The symbiotic, loving relationship between riot-grrrl teens Ellen and Claude degrades after Ellen begins dating a rough-hewn, mean-spirited older boy, and Claude tries on a lesbian identity with the help of a new gay male friend. Suffused with alternative music-scene bit parts and cameos, including Hailey (of the Murmurs) and Timony (of Helium). |
| LOVE! VALOR! COMPASSION! |
| 071897 |
|
| The big screen adaptation of Terrence McNally's tenderhearted, bittersweet Broadway smash about the bucolic bonding adventures of eight gay New York City dwellers. The boys meet thrice at a picturesque lakeside country getaway to share stories, reminiscences, and their fears--about commitment, the specter of AIDS, and life in general. |
| ULEE'S GOLD |
| 072597 |
|
| Ulee, a Florida beekeeper, must struggle not only to earn a living, but to keep his two grandchildren from falling into the same self-destructive paths blazed by their parents. With a son in prison and the children's mother having long abandoned the family, he has his work cut out for him. But when he receives news that his daughter-in-law has been found, drugged out and hitting rock bottom, he dutifully shoulders the burden--only to find that in so doing, he has unwittingly opened the door to the world's dark side which he had tried so desperately to keep closed. Fonda won a Golden Globe as Best Actor for his turn as the Zen-like patriarch. Academy Award Nomination: Best Actor--Peter Fonda. |
| ANACONDA |
| 080197 |
|
| A big-budget B-movie thrill ride, ANACONDA stars Jon Voight as Sarone, a hardened, crusty river man riding the Amazon who is rescued by a film crew when the propeller on his boat malfunctions. The crew, led by director Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez), hopes to make a documentary about the Amazon tribe known as The People of the Mist. She is joined by her cinematographer (Ice Cube) and a scientist (Eric Stoltz), among others. Unfortunately for all of them, a monstrous, 40-foot anaconda--which habitually swallows its prey whole--is on the rampage. The snake, which is a marvel of effects technology achieved through a seamless combination of animatronics and computer animation, helped make this one of the box office success stories of 1997. |
| SHALL WE DANCE |
| 080197 |
|
| From his seat on a commuter train, a respected but downtrodden Tokyo office worker espies a beautiful woman in the window of a dance studio. Mesmerized, he signs up for ballroom dance instruction at the school, despite the threat of losing face by participating in such an "undignified" public spectable. However, he soon discovers that he has a natural aptitude--and a natural love--for dancing, much to the dismay of his perplexed wife and daughter. |
| LIAR LIAR |
| 080897 |
|
| An unctuous, smooth-talking divorce attorney's propensity for propitious prevarication may wow the juries, but his five-year-old son Max wants an end to the lies. So when Dad blows off the boy's birthday bash with yet another weak excuse, Max wishes his dad to spend a whole day incapable of lying. And lo and behold, the wish comes true, with hilariously disastrous results in the courtroom. |
| BREAKDOWN |
| 080897 |
|
| After their new Jeep conks out on a desolate stretch of Arizona highway, a well-heeled Massachusetts couple accepts the help of a polite and seemingly honest trucker (J.T. Walsh), who drives the wife (Kathleen Quinlan) to a diner while the husband (Kurt Russell) stays behind to "protect" the vehicle. After saying goodbye, the husband gets two surprises--the Jeep starts, and his wife never actually arrived at the diner. What's more, the trucker doesn't recollect having picked her up at all. This taut suspense film, directed by Jonathan Mostow, is light on special-effects bombasticism and heavy on the old-fashioned Hitchcockian chills. |
| THE SAINT |
| 081597 |
|
| Simon Templar (Val Kilmer), AKA The Saint, realizes his skill for trickery during his childhood in a Far East orphanage. He uses his natural born gifts, including a penchant for bizarre and effective disguises, to obtain things for people which they can not obtain themselves. When he is hired by a Russian crime boss (Rade Serbedzija, BEFORE THE RAIN) to use his chameleon-like abilities to lift the secrets of cold fusion from Oxford-based scientist Emma Russell (Elizabeth Shue), he has little idea he might fall in love with his victim--or be double-crossed by his snakelike employer. Based on the character created by author Leslie Chateris, which spawned dozens of novels and a popular 1960s British television series starring Roger Moore. |
| WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY |
| 081597 |
|
| Overworked Parisienne Chloe takes leave of her flat for an overdue vacation, only to discover upon her return that her cat, Gris-Gris, has taken a vacation of his own and can't be found. Her search leads her on a voyage through her shabby, bohemian neighborhood, which is haunted by the twin specters of gentrification and social decay. Atmospheric, funky, and full of improvisational spirit. |
| THE VAN |
| 081597 |
|
| Based on the third of Irish writer Roddy Doyle's "Barrytown" trilogy, following THE COMMITMENTS and Frear's THE SNAPPER. This heartwarming exploration of working class Dubliners struggling to get by features the gritty and realistic dialogue of Doyle's own life experience, as well as superb character acting from its all-Irish cast. A pair of unemployed suburban Dubliners (Colm Meany and Donal O'Kelly) decide to renovate an abandoned fish and chips van to start their own mobile fast food business. Much to their suprise, their new business becomes wildly successful, landing the two life-long friends in numerous outrageous business dilemmas as they juggle fast food fame with their wives and eccentric families. Full of heart and big on laughs, this tale of working class triumph is a sweet and moving tribute to Doyle's Ireland. |
| ROMY AND MICHELLE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION |
| 081597 |
|
| A pair of none-too-bright best girl friends, ashamed to go to their ten-year high school reunion with nothing to show for the past decade, decide to exorcise their teenage demons by showing up at the bash and pretending they've come a long way, baby. While their ruse holds up against the former jocks and cheerleaders, a spiteful loser from their past is determined to ferret out the truth. |
| DREAM WITH THE FISHES |
| 082297 |
|
| An unlikely friendship blossoms between two misfits--Terry (David Arquette), a suicidal and generally pathetic voyeur, and Nick (Brad Hunt), his terminally ill neighbor (also the object of Terry's spying)--after Nick thwarts Terry's attempt to leap off a bridge. Drawn together by their proximity to death, the two men embark on a mission to buck the rules during their last days; bank-robbing, acid-dropping, nude bowling, and other quirky misadventures follow. |
| ADDICTED TO LOVE |
| 082297 |
|
| Two jilted lovers, an astronomer and a one-time biker chick, team up to spy on their involved exes only to fall in love with each other. A sparkling romantic comedy with hints of dark wit. |
| OPERATION CONDOR |
| 082997 |
|
| Jackie Chan is the world's greatest secret agent, code name CONDOR, who has been sent to track down stolen Nazi gold buried beneath the Sahara. He is pursued by a band of terrorists trying to beat him to the hidden bounty. Along the way he must protect a pair of beautiful yet klutzy women. A high-spirited action-comedy with plenty of good-natured slapstick fun for everyone. |
| CAREER GIRLS |
| 082997 |
|
| Director Mike Leigh follows up his Oscar-nominated SECRETS AND LIES with CAREER GIRLS, a bittersweet drama that deals with the passage of time between two friends. Annie (Lynda Steadman) and Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge) were college roommates in London. Six years later, Annie is taking the train back into London to reunite with her friend. The resulting connection sparks flashbacks from the past, where we learn that Annie was even more shy and defensive than she is currently. Helping to pull her out of her shell was Adrian (Joe Tucker), a fellow student who had an affair with both girls while they were still in school. While apartment hunting for Hannah, they bump into Adrian, who is now a real estate agent. Sadly, he doesn’t remember either of them. The reunion also triggers memories of Ricky (Mark Benton), an overweight, self-conscious friend whose fragility seemed ready to cave him in at any moment. When Hannah and Annie track Ricky down, they find that he has only gotten worse and are forced to reevaluate their current lives and face up to their muddled discontentment. Steadman, Cartlidge, and Benton deliver subtle yet deeply engaging performances in CAREER GIRLS, another moving character study from acclaimed director Leigh. |
| TRIAL AND ERROR |
| 090597 |
|
| After burying himself under an alcoholic avalanche at his bachelor party the night before an important trial, an up-and-coming defense attorney reluctantly relinquishes his briefcase to his best friend, a flamboyant out-of-work actor. It's chaos in the courtroom, territory previously covered by Lynn in "My Cousin Vinny." |
| MRS. BROWN |
| 090597 |
|
| While grieving for her dead husband, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria falls under the healthy influence of John Brown, the unapologetically brash Scottish manservant who oversees the royal retreat at Balmoral. When the two become close friends--and perhaps even physical intimates--the royal family and the nation reel from the scandal. Dench garnered a Golden Globe as Best Actress for her portrayal of the title character. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Actress--Judi Dench, and Best Makeup. |
| THE FULL MONTY |
| 091297 |
|
| In hopes of raising a few quid after their steel factory shuts down, a desperate group of working-class blokes in Sheffield decide to form an exotic male dance troupe, a la Chippendales, with one difference--despite their, well, average-at-best physiques, they're going to go "the full monty," meaning they'll offer their audience total nudity. Surprisingly bittersweet moments and well-intentioned social commentary imbue this raucous, feel-good comedy from England. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. Academy Award: Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. |
| BATMAN AND ROBIN |
| 091297 |
|
| The Caped Crusader returns to battle the abominable Mr. Freeze and green-thumbed Poison Ivy. To save his ailing wife, Dr. Victor Fries turns to a life of crime after a hideous accident makes him unable to tolerate even moderate temperatures, while Dr. Pamela Isley falls victim to mutated plant DNA when things go awry in a jungle laboratory funded by Wayne Industries. Of course, though their interests are diametrically opposed (Freeze wants another Ice Age; Ivy wants to make the world safe for plants), the two villains team up to defeat Gotham's dynamic duo of Batman and Robin, who are joined by butler Alfred's motorcycle-obsessed niece as Batgirl. And when Alfred is diagnosed as having the same terminal disease as Freeze's wife, the trio find themselves not only fighting an altruistic battle, but a personal one as well. A frenetic, colorful, and often overwhelming sequel to "Batman," "Batman Returns," and "Batman Forever." |
| GROSSE POINT BLANK |
| 091297 |
|
| A nihilistically philosophical hit man reluctantly accepts an assignment in Detroit, coinciding with his 10-year high school reunion in the ritzy suburb of Grosse Point, Michigan. While in town, he tries to patch things up with the girlfriend he abandoned on prom night, avoid being killed by an over-zealous competitor's henchmen, and survive his surreal homecoming. A bullet-ridden, darkly comedic tale of self-discovery from star-writer-producer Cusack. Recommended. |
| WEED |
| 091997 |
|
| documentary about pot culture and propaganda. |
| THE PILLOW BOOK |
| 092697 |
|
| An arresting Japanese model seeks to indulge her fantasy of having calligraphy inked on her body, a whim based partly on her father's habit of painting poetry on her face when she was a girl and partly on readings from the 10th-century erotica tome "The Pillow Book." But the tables are turned when she meets a bisexual English translator who wants to be her canvas instead. An assault on the senses in the best Greenaway tradition, featuring frames-within-frames, elaborate costuming and production design, painterly shot composition, and utterly frank scenes of nudity and violence. |
| THE FIFTH ELEMENT |
| 092697 |
|
| A visual feast combining ancient mysticism, cyberpunk sensibilities, flamboyant entertainment personalities, and gun-toting alien mercenaries. In the 23rd century, Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), an ex-special forces agent who now practices as a down-and-out cabbie, finds himself caught in a struggle to defy a prophesied Evil from destroying the Earth when a mysterious woman (Milla Jovovich) falls into the back seat of his cab. Pursued by both the government and a powerful magnate enlisted by the forces of Evil (Gary Oldman), the woman is the key to Earth's salvation, known only as the Fifth Element. This was French auteur Besson's first offering with Hollywood backing. Academy Award Nomination: Best Sound Effects Editing. |
| CON AIR |
| 100397 |
|
| Nothing makes good-guy non-recidivist offender Cameron Poe happier than the thought of returning to society, where his angelic wife and the equally angelic little girl he's never known are waiting. And nothing makes him angrier than the passel of psychopathic murderers and rapists aboard his prison transport plane--especially when, under the direction of ringleader Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, they revolt and hijack their own plane. Fortunately, our hero's been trained by the Army as an elite one-man-fighting-machine, and a dogged Justice Department agent waits on the ground to help him bring the fanatical fly-boys in for a bloody crash landing--in Vegas! A hyperactive Molotov cocktail blended from the frenetic efforts of high-octane action producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("The Rock"), hipster-schtick screenwriting specialist Scott Rosenberg, and music video director West. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Original Song ("How Do I Live"), and Best Sound. |
| IN THE COMPANY OF MEN |
| 101097 |
|
| In writer-director Neil LaBute's debut feature film, a pair of thirtysomething white-collar businessmen, embittered by their shallow lives and bad experiences with women, target and romance a beautiful deaf secretary (Stacy Edwards) solely for the purpose of dumping her and thus gaining revenge on her sex. While one of the junior execs, Chad (Aaron Eckhart), is relentlessly cold-blooded and cruel, his partner, Howard (Matt Malloy), proves to be a spineless tagalong. When their manipulative game ends, one of them is in for a shocking surprise. |
| CONSPIRACY THEORY |
| 101797 |
|
| A crackpot Big Apple cabbie finds himself in a heap of trouble after his self-published conspiracy 'zine elicits the interest of some shady government heavies--and leads to the unexplained murders of all five subscribers. As the J. Edgars close in, he takes to the lam with the one person who may be able to help him--a Justice Department attorney with a mysterious murder of her own to solve. |
| KICKED IN THE HEAD |
| 101797 |
|
| A shiftless, slackerly New York twentysomething gets in over his head after incompetently delivering a bag of coke for his shady uncle. Pursued by both mobsters and his cloying ex-girlfriend, he tries to shake off his troubles in the company of a vampish flight attendant (played with sneering relish by Fiorentino). Martin Scorsese executive-produces. |
| PONETTE |
| 102497 |
|
| After a car crash injures her and claims the life of her mother, intelligent and inquisitive four-year-old Ponette contends with the loss and her attendant questions about the nature of human existence. A sensitive and thoughtful meditation that authentically renders the child's perspective. Thivisol won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival. |
| THE VAMPIRE LOVERS |
| 102497 |
|
| The very life force of a young woman is slowly drained from her each time she makes love to her lesbian lover. Her angry father is understandably upset at her choice of a vampire for a sexual partner. The incomparable Pitt is in fine form in this erotically charged 1970 effort from England's Hammer House of Horror! |
| SPAWN |
| 103197 |
|
| The ambitious, visually extravagant big-screen adaptation of comic artist Todd McFarlane's popular eponymous Gothic serial, helmed by first-timer Dippe (formerly of Industrial Light & Magic). After burning to death in the munitions factory he was commanded to destroy, a reluctant CIA operative strikes up an uneasy bargain with the devil--he'll lead the armies of Hell in their war against the earth in exchange for the opportunity to see his wife from afar. Available in the original theatrical version and in an R-rated director's cut. |
| THE PRINCESS BRIDE |
| 110797 |
|
| Director Rob Reiner breathes vividly colored cinematic life into William Goldman’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE, effectively evoking the wondrous, wide-eyed spirit of the witty 1973 novel. When a sick boy (Fred Savage) receives a visit from his doting grandfather (Peter Falk) who intends to read to him from his favorite book, he's not exactly pleased to be extracted from his world of video games. However, his mood quickly changes as he, along with the viewer, is transported to a place out of time--to Florin, a kingdom in the ultimate imaginary land, complete with dashing heroes, cowardly princes, rhyming giants, shrieking eels, rodents of unusual size, fancy swordfights, and yes...even some kissing. |
| MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS |
| 110797 |
|
| Four grown, emotionally distant siblings return to their parents' chilly Maine estate for Thanksgiving weekend, their first reunion in three years. Tension mounts as old wounds reopen amidst the cranberry sauce, thanks to animosity between the paterfamilias and his one son (Wyle, of "ER" fame)--and between the eldest daughter and the entire brood. Screened at the Sundance Film Festival. |
| THE ICE STORM |
| 111497 |
|
| It is Thanksgiving 1973, and the Carvers and the Hoods are two prototypical suburban families seemingly living the good life in New Canaan, Connecticut. Behind their New Age philosophies and polyester fashions, however, lies deep discontent. One husband carries on an unsatisfying affair with the other family's wife, while his teenage daughter experiments sexually with both of the neighbor's boys. When a winter storm descends upon their upper middle class neighborhood, buried resentments bubble over, leading to a tragedy neither family will ever forget. |
| RAISING ARIZONA |
| 112197 |
|
| A childless couple unable to adopt decide that a couple who just had quintuplets won't mind if they steal one of the babies. Thus begins the Coen brothers' madcap romp RAISING ARIZONA. Holly Hunter stars as Ed, a cop who is devastated when she learns that she cannot get pregnant. Nicolas Cage is her husband, H.I., an ex-con who wants nothing more than to make his wife the happiest woman in the world. So if she wants a baby, she's going to have a baby, one way or another. |
| THE YEAR OF THE HORSE |
| 120597 |
|
| After teaming with rock icon Neil Young for 1995’s DEAD MAN, director Jim Jarmusch was moved to make this documentary about Young’s historic affiliation with the backing band Crazy Horse. Incorporating old footage with new footage he shot on the band’s 1996 European tour, Jarmusch provides a revealing glimpse into the growth and journey of one of rock music’s most legendary musical pairings. The band members--Young (guitar/vocals), Ralph Molina (drums/vocals), Frank "Poncho" Sampedro (guitar/keyboards/vocals), and Billy Talbot (bass/vocals)--stress throughout the film that though they might not be the world’s most accomplished musicians, when they get together to play, a certain magic happens that years of training cannot compete with. Jarmusch deftly blends his new concert footage (shot on grainy super-8mm) with priceless glimpses from the past--most notably, the band’s 1976 tour through the U.K., including a memorable breakfast table scene in which they set fire to a flower vase. One of Jarmusch’s most ingenious maneuvers is dissolving from a late 1990s performance of "Like a Hurricane" into a 1976 performance to show just how much the band has grown since their early years. Poncho repeatedly mocks the filmmaker for trying to do the impossible, but YEAR OF THE HORSE nonetheless captures rock music’s ability to thrill countless audiences. |
| SHE'S SO LOVELY |
| 120597 |
|
| Married mom Maureen and her doting husband, Joey, find their lives of domestic tranquillity rent asunder by the resurgence of Maureen's first husband, Eddie, an alcoholic so violent and obsessive that Maureen had him committed. But she's nonetheless torn between her present state of stability and the unequivocal passion of her former life. SHE'S SO LOVELY is a difficult, demanding romantic comedy with characters who wear their flaws proudly, directed by Nick Cassavetes from his late father John's unsold script; Sean Penn snagged the Best Actor award at Cannes. |
| TELLING LIES IN AMERICA |
| 121297 |
|
| An immigrant teenager circumnavigates the social strictures of 1950s Cleveland by scamming his way into the good graces of local hotshot D.J. Billy Magic, an unctuous sort whose friendship with the boy brings out his tender side. A relative breath of fresh air from screenwriter Joe Eszterhaus, whose own childhood informs the story. |
| BOX OF MOONLIGHT |
| 121297 |
|
| Al, a burned-out, milquetoasty, middle-aged engineer, nears his emotional breaking point when his rural out-of-town job falls through. Alone and shiftless, he stays on the road with vague hopes of recapturing the excitement of his boyhood summers at scenic Splatchee Lake, but what he finds instead is inspiration from the colorful lakeside locals, including the Kid, an ininhibited coonskin-capped junkman. The third effort from acclaimed independent auteur Di Cillo ("Living in Oblivion"), who cut his teeth as a cinematographer for Jim Jarmusch. |
| EXCESS BAGGAGE |
| 121297 |
|
| Spoiled, rich Emily feels neglected by her successful and slightly shady dad, so she fakes her own abduction in hopes of soliciting a big fat ransom as evidence of his love. The plan goes awry when, after stashing herself in the trunk of her Beemer, she's stolen along with it by a goofily adorable car thief. The two clash immediately, but before you can say "screwball," romantic sparks fly. Created by Silverstone's production company. |
| PEACEMAKER |
| 121297 |
|
| Brash Special Forces Intelligence Officer Thomas Devoe (Clooney) teams up with anti-smuggling official Dr. Julia Kelly (Kidman) to track down runaway nuclear bombs which have fallen into the dastardly hands of a Yugoslavian terrorist determined to draw attention to the slaughter in his former homeland by nuking midtown Manhattan. Clooney makes another run at action stardom, this time under the direction of his "ER" producer, Leder. Based on the writings of investigative journalists Andrew and Leslie Cockburn. |
| WINGS OF THE DOVE |
| 121997 |
|
| A social-climbing young woman gains a foothold in the late Victorian upper crust by virtue of her wealthy and cultured aunt's social connections, but finds marriage to her true love, a poor hack journalist, incompatible with her new station. She cooks up a plan to use her lover to bilk a guileless and fabulously wealthy American woman of her considerable fortune, but putting the scheme into action sparks painful conflicting emotions. A sleek adaptation of the eponymous Henry James novel, with the source material's bitterness tempered by a more sympathetic characterization of its heroine. Academy Award nominations: 4, including Best Actress--Helena Bonham Carter; Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Cinematography. |
| EVENT HORIZON |
| 121997 |
|
| In this eerie science-fiction ghost story, an astrophysicist (Sam Neill), haunted by the memory of his wife's suicide, joins a rescue mission to salvage his life's work: the Event Horizon, a prototype spacecraft capable of faster-than-light travel that has been missing for seven years. Their arrival triggers contact with something beyond human experience--and more dangerous than ever imaginable. Similar in plot to Andrei Tarkovsky's eponymous screen adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's science-fiction novel SOLARIS, EVENT HORIZON provides some truly disturbing moments in its often potent combination of horror and sci-fi. |
| CONTACT |
| 121997 |
|
| Devoted astronomer Dr. Ellie Arroway undertakes an emotional and spiritual journey after receiving the message she's waited for all her life--a mysterious signal beamed in from alien beings, who pass along instructions for building and piloting a craft that will presumably survive the passage from Earth to their home. While struggling to fund her mission, Arroway also struggles with her feelings about the nature of things, particularly after meeting a charismatic New Age believer who questions her disbelief in God. A deliberately-paced, meditative adaptation of the eponymous novel by Ann Druyan and "pop" astronomer Carl Sagan, who died during production. Academy Award Nomination: Best Sound. |
| KISS THE GIRLS |
| 122697 |
|
| North Carolina police detective Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) tracks an elusive psychopath whose modus operandi is not necessarily killing the young women he abducts but "collecting" them as trophies. Unfortunately, his quarry includes the detective's own law-student niece, so his race against time, with the help of a no-nonsense medical intern Dr. Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) who escaped the "collection," is all the more desperate. A spare, by-the-numbers thriller. Based on the series of novels by James Patterson. |
| PICTURE PERFECT |
| 122697 |
|
| A plucky, perky, Prada-clad junior ad executive pulls out all the stops hoping to snag a coveted account, but what her superiors really want is a mature, settled employee. What's a girl to do but increase her credibility by inventing a fiance from out of town, based on a random photo taken at a friend's wedding? But the ruse backfires when it attracts the office Lothario--and our heroine really does fall in love. |