Ackroyd, David

The Mountain Men

Against the Wall

This HBO docudrama depicts the notorious 1971 prison revolt at the Attica State Penitentiary in upstate New York. One can sense the mastery of veteran theatrical feature director John Frankenheimer in the movie's gripping suspense and gritty, hard-hitting realism. The semifictionalized narrative is told from the point of view of young Michael Smith (Kyle MacLachlan), a newly recruited prison guard. (The real Smith worked as a consultant on the film.) When Smith arrives at Attica, the place is a revolt waiting to happen. When riots break out and the inmates take command of the prison, Smith and several other guards are held hostage. In this powder-keg climate, a relationship develops between Smith and the rebellion's wise, cool-headed leader, Jamaal (the superb Samuel L. Jackson), a political prisoner representing the African Liberation Movement. The insurrection at Attica became emblematic of protests taking place all over the United States at the time. "We've got a civil war going on in this country," says one prison guard, "This is where we hold the line." Against the Wall illustrates in no uncertain terms which side won this particular battle, and at what tragic cost. Then it goes one step further, becoming a platform for contemporary prison reform. The film's terrific performances include Clarence L. Williams III as a wild-eyed, malcontent prisoner, Frederic Forrest as a rabid prison guard, and Anne Heche as Smith's stalwart wife. --Laura Mirsky

A young guard witnesses the Attica prison uprising as he becomes a hostage in the prisoners negotiations. Based on a true story.

Power, Passion and Murder

Set in a frenetic shallow Hollywood of the '30's this is the story of a rising young starlet whose affair with a powerful studio boss ruins her and forces him to make the most difficult choice of his life.System Requirements:Running Time 104 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 787364477197 Manufacturer No: 44771-9

Raven

At the height of his financial troubles, Burt Reynolds took just about any acting job that came along. Some were critically acclaimed projects like Boogie Nights. And some were like Raven. Burt is the title character, the leader of a special ops team who discovers the decoder he was sent to recover is slated to be sold to U.S. enemies, for the personal enrichment of some top CIA officials. He decides to sell the decoder himself while killing the men who betrayed him, but his former brother-in-arms sets out to stop him. Burt's smart: if you're going to do a low-budget, cookie-cutter, action flick like this, play the villain. It's a whole lot more fun. Even so, he seems to be holding back. He did five films in 1997, the year Raven came out, so maybe he was just tired, but the trademark boyish grin lacks its usual gleam. Director Russell Solberg is a stuntman who's worked on such films as Tombstone and Die Hard, so at least the action scenes are pretty good. --Geof Miller

Burt Reynolds leads a elite team of soldiers for hire on a dangerous mission to recover military hardware from the Soviets. But things go awry when the CIA gets in the way, leading Reynolds on a quest for payback. Explosive action in the tradition of "Eraser" and "Rambo."

Memories of Me

Billy Crystal and Alan King will keep you in stitches in director Henry Winkler s heartwarming comedy about a feuding father and son who discover that love is a family trait. With a script by Crystal and Oscar® winner* Eric Roth Memories of Me is well written well directed [and] smart and tender (Roger Ebert Siskel & Ebert ). They say like father like son but for Abe (King) and Abbie (Crystal) Polin nothing could be further from the truth. Abe is king of the Hollywood extras. As an actor he s an expert at being a face in the crowd. His son Abbie is a respected New York heart surgeon who s always felt like a bit player in his father s life. When Abbie suffers a mild heart attack he decides it s time to mend family ties...or break them altogether. So he heads out to Hollywood where his efforts at reconciliation lead to hilarious consequences. *1994: Adapted Screenplay Forrest GumpSystem Requirements:Running Time: 103 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 027616884466 Manufacturer No: 1004366

No Strings Attached

Power, Passion & Murder

Power, Passion, and Murder

Power, Passion & Murder

Against the Wall [Region 2]

This HBO docudrama depicts the notorious 1971 prison revolt at the Attica State Penitentiary in upstate New York. One can sense the mastery of veteran theatrical feature director John Frankenheimer in the movie's gripping suspense and gritty, hard-hitting realism. The semifictionalized narrative is told from the point of view of young Michael Smith (Kyle MacLachlan), a newly recruited prison guard. (The real Smith worked as a consultant on the film.) When Smith arrives at Attica, the place is a revolt waiting to happen. When riots break out and the inmates take command of the prison, Smith and several other guards are held hostage. In this powder-keg climate, a relationship develops between Smith and the rebellion's wise, cool-headed leader, Jamaal (the superb Samuel L. Jackson), a political prisoner representing the African Liberation Movement. The insurrection at Attica became emblematic of protests taking place all over the United States at the time. "We've got a civil war going on in this country," says one prison guard, "This is where we hold the line." Against the Wall illustrates in no uncertain terms which side won this particular battle, and at what tragic cost. Then it goes one step further, becoming a platform for contemporary prison reform. The film's terrific performances include Clarence L. Williams III as a wild-eyed, malcontent prisoner, Frederic Forrest as a rabid prison guard, and Anne Heche as Smith's stalwart wife. --Laura Mirsky