Abbott, Bruce

Danielle Steel's Kaleidoscope

The Blue and the Gray (The Complete Miniseries)

Before Ken Burns, Glory, and Gettysburg, the Civil War proved an effective backdrop for this 1982 miniseries--available complete and uncut on this three-disc set--about two families divided by the War Between the States. John Hammond stars as John Geyser, a Southerner caught "betwixt and between" when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper published by his uncle. Like a Civil War-era Forrest Gump, he finds himself "where history's in the making," from the Battle of Bull Run to the scene of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Stacy Keach costars as an Army scout who takes the "fresh off the farm" Geyser under his wing. Julia Duffy is the schoolmarm who loves Keach. The ham-handed dialogue is a guilty pleasure ("What's wrong with this land that produces such a bitter fruit?" asks the embittered Geyser). The meticulously mounted battle scenes, though, are a Civil War reenactor's dream. --Donald Liebenson

H.P. Lovecraft's Bride of Re-Animator

The mad Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) the tormented Dr. Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) and the beheaded Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale) return in this terrifying sequel to Re-Animator the most deliriously outrageous horror movie of the decade. It's been eight months since the Miskatonic Massacre stained the halls with blood-and Dr. West and Dr. Cain's experiments have taken a bizarre turn. Now they have gone beyond re-animating the dead...into the realm of creating new life. The legs of a hooker and the womb of a virgin are joined to the heart of Dr. Cain's dead girlfriend-and the bride is unleashed upon her mate in a climax of sensual horror. Features: Full Screen Version 2.0 Dolby Stereo Surround Scene AccessInteractive MenusSystem Requirements:Run Time: 99 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 012236125624 Manufacturer No: 12562

Casual Sex?

Derivative fluff from 1987, made tolerable by its bawdy exuberance and an appealing performance by Michael J. Fox, who was still enjoying TV stardom and the career momentum he earned by traveling Back to the Future. Here he plays a Kansas farm boy who dreams of scoring big in New York City, but reality turns out to be brutal to his ambition. When his uncle (Richard Jordan) gives him a mail-room job in the high-rise headquarters of a major corporation, Fox occupies an empty office and poses as a young executive, winning the attention of a lovely young colleague (Helen Slater) and having an affair with his boss's wife (Margaret Whitton). Sporadically amusing as a yuppie comedy and rather off-putting as a wannabe sex farce, the movie's still recommendable for its lively cast and a breezy style that almost succeeds in updating the conventions of vintage screwball comedy. Whitton is a standout performer here, so you may wonder why her comedic talent has been underrated, apart from a good role in the first two Major League movies. This may be little more than a big-screen sitcom, but it's not without its charms. --Jeff Shannon

Bad Dreams

From The Director Of THE CRAFT, The Screenwriter Of DIE HARD, & The Producer Of THE TERMINATOR In the mid-70s, the members of the love cult Unity Fields sought `the ultimate joining' by dousing themselves with gasoline and committing mass suicide. A young girl blown clear of the fiery explosion was the only survivor. Thirteen years later, Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3) awakens from a coma inside a psychiatric hospital with only buried memories of that horrific day. But now, her fellow patients are each being driven to their own violent suicides. Has the sect's hideously burned leader (Richard Lynch) returned to claim his final child, or is something even more depraved lurking within her BAD DREAMS? Bruce Abbott (RE-ANIMATOR), Harris Yulin (SCARFACE), E.G. Daily (THE DEVIL'S REJECTS) and Dean Cameron (SUMMER SCHOOL) co-star in this intense horror shocker directed by Andrew Fleming (THE CRAFT, DICK), co-written by Steven de Souza (DIE HARD, 48 HRS) and produced by Gale Anne Hurd (ARMAGEDDON, T2).

The Blue and the Gray - Recut

Before Ken Burns, Glory, and Gettysburg, the Civil War proved an effective backdrop for this 1982 miniseries--available complete and uncut on this three-disc set--about two families divided by the War Between the States. John Hammond stars as John Geyser, a Southerner caught "betwixt and between" when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper published by his uncle. Like a Civil War-era Forrest Gump, he finds himself "where history's in the making," from the Battle of Bull Run to the scene of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Stacy Keach costars as an Army scout who takes the "fresh off the farm" Geyser under his wing. Julia Duffy is the schoolmarm who loves Keach. The ham-handed dialogue is a guilty pleasure ("What's wrong with this land that produces such a bitter fruit?" asks the embittered Geyser). The meticulously mounted battle scenes, though, are a Civil War reenactor's dream. --Donald Liebenson

A remarkable ensemble of screen legends, including Gregory Peck, Stacy Keach, Lloyd Bridges, Geraldine Page and Colleen Dewhurst star in one of the most compelling, thoughtful and comprehensive Civil War films ever produced. Based on the works of Pulitzer Prize winner Bruce Catton, The Blue and the Gray is recognized for its historic accuracy, dramatic intensity and spectacular battle sequences. Filmed entirely on location in Arkansas with over 160 characters and 6,300 extras, this searing saga contains all the stirring conflict and narrative lyricism of such cinematic masterpieces as Gone with the Wind and Glory. The film brilliantly reconstructs an eternally fascinating and controversial era in American history when families and nation were divided between the black and the white, the North and the South and .

Re-Animator (The Millennium Edition)

Stuart Gordon's adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's Herbert West: Re-Animator puts a Night of the Living Dead spin on the classic Frankenstein story. Jeffrey Combs furrows his brow and bugs his eyes as the preternaturally intense Herbert West, a maverick medical student whose gory, gooey experiments cause bloody corpses and body parts to jerk to life. Bruce Abbot is the studious roommate drawn into his extracurricular experiments, which soon involve the dean's daughter (the frequently naked Barbara Crampton) and the college's cadaverous, calculating star professor (David Gale), who literally loses his head over a battle for West's discovery. In this world, that's only a minor setback. Charged with sick gallows humor and a ghoulish gallery of undead beasties, Re-Animator, like Evil Dead II, is one of the most inspired and inventive--and funniest--horror films of the 1980s. Combs, Abbot, and Gale reunite for the almost-as-entertaining sequel Bride of Re-Animator. --Sean Axmaker

Re-Animator (Millennium Edition)

Stuart Gordon's adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's Herbert West: Re-Animator puts a Night of the Living Dead spin on the classic Frankenstein story. Jeffrey Combs furrows his brow and bugs his eyes as the preternaturally intense Herbert West, a maverick medical student whose gory, gooey experiments cause bloody corpses and body parts to jerk to life. Bruce Abbot is the studious roommate drawn into his extracurricular experiments, which soon involve the dean's daughter (the frequently naked Barbara Crampton) and the college's cadaverous, calculating star professor (David Gale), who literally loses his head over a battle for West's discovery. In this world, that's only a minor setback. Charged with sick gallows humor and a ghoulish gallery of undead beasties, Re-Animator, like Evil Dead II, is one of the most inspired and inventive--and funniest--horror films of the 1980s. Combs, Abbot, and Gale reunite for the almost-as-entertaining sequel Bride of Re-Animator. --Sean Axmaker

Prophecy Collection

The Prophecy - DVD- Big-screen favorite Christopher Walken heads an all-star cast in this chilling and suspenseful thriller! At the scene of a bizarre murder, L.A. homicide detective Thomas Dagget (Elias Koteas -- EXOTICA) discovers a lethal heavenly prophecy now being fulfilled on earth! Yet in his fight to stop the forces of evil -- led by the powerful angel Gabriel (Walken) -- Dagget finds an unlikely ally in an elementary school teacher (Virginia Madsen -- THE HAUNTING). Together they race against time and terror to save the world as we know it! Also starring Eric Stoltz (PULP FICTION) and Viggo Mortensen (THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) -- critics everywhere praised THE PROPHECY for its high-powered thrills and knockout performances -- don't miss it! The Prophecy II - DVD- Big-screen favorite Christopher Walken (THE PROPHECY, PULP FICTION) returns in a riveting performance as the menacing angel Garbriel! When the powers of good and evil again descend to earth in a battle over humankind, the only hope for survival is the unborn child of an innocent woman (Jennifer Beals). With the help of a mysterious stranger, she races to protect her child and save all humanity ... unless Gabriel catches her first! With edge-of-your-seat thrills and suspense, THE PROPHECY II is an unforgettable motion picture experience! The Prophecy 3: The Ascent - DVD- Christopher Walken (SUICIDE KINGS, THE PROPHECY) and Vincent Spano (THE TIE THAT BINDS) star in THE ASCENT, the third thrilling installment of the action-packed PROPHECY trilogy! As fearsome armies of rebel angels continue to wage war in heaven and on earth, Pyriel, the brutal Angel of Genocide, rises to power with the evil intent to destroy all of humankind! The only one on earth with the ability to stop the bloodshed is Danyael, who was born of an angel and a woman. But he is unaware of his true purpose ... until, during a harrowing journey of discovery, Danyael meets Gabriel (Walken), the fallen angel who has acted as his secret guardian! Brace yourself for an epic battle of the ages as Danyael sets out to confront Pyriel in a bid to save the world and fulfill his ultimate destiny!

Re-Animator