Atkinson, Jayne

The Village (Widescreen Vista Series)

Even when his trademark twist-ending formula wears worrisomely thin as it does in The Village, M. Night Shyamalan is a true showman who knows how to serve up a spookfest. He's derailed this time by a howler of a "surprise" lifted almost directly from "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim," an episode of The Twilight Zone starring Cliff Robertson that originally aired in 1961. Even if you're unfamiliar with that Rod Serling scenario, you'll have a good chance of guessing the surprise, which ranks well below The Sixth Sense and Signs on Shyamalan's shock-o-meter. That leaves you to appreciate Shyamalan's proven strengths, including a sharp eye for fear-laden compositions, a general sense of unease, delicate handling of fine actors (alas, most of them wasted here, save for Bryce Dallas Howard in a promising debut), and the cautious concealment of his ruse, which in this case involves a 19th-century village that maintains an anxious truce with dreadful creatures that live in the forbidden woods nearby. Will any of this take anyone by genuine surprise? That seems unlikely, since Emperor Shyamalan has clearly lost his clothes in The Village, but it's nice to have him around to scare us, even if he doesn't always succeed. --Jeff Shannon

A truce kept between the inhabitants of a small community in Pennsylvania, circa 1890, and the creatures that live in the woods surrounding it is threatened when a young man is determined to explore beyond the boundaries of the village.
Genre: Suspense
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 13-DEC-2005
Media Type: DVD

Triple Feature: Free Willy/Free Willy 2 - The Adventure Home/Free Willy 3 - The Rescue

Fun excitement and the whale that captured the world's imagination add up to big family entertainment. A lonely boy understands the plaintive cries of the orca confined to an aquatic park's too-small tank and does something about it in Free Willy (Disc 1/Side A). Watch and understand why "audiences have gone wild for Willy" (Richard Corliss Time). The boy rejoins Willy in his new ocean home and together they confront a burning oil spill in Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (Disc 1/Side B) "the ideal family movie" (Caryn James The New York Times). And Free Willy 3: The Rescue (Disc 2) - "the best of the Free Willy pictures" (Siskel & Ebert) - adds a grittier edge with a story about an illegal whaling operation. Don't miss 3 whales of a tale!Running Time: 296 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569769472 Manufacturer No: 76947

Blank Check

All it takes is a little quick thinking and 11-year-old Preston Waters' life becomes a million-dollar adventure! When a crook runs over Preston's bike, he thinks it's his unlucky day. But when a quick settlement puts a blank check in his hand -- he fills it in for a million bucks! Now Preston is rich beyond his wildest dreams! He's got his own pad, his own limo driver, and he's spending the money like there's no tomorrow! The only problem with having a million dollars is keeping it -- especially when the FBI and the bad guys are after the loot! Join the spending spree of a lifetime as Preston tries to hang on to the cash -- and you cash in on the laughs!

The Village (Full Screen Edition) - Vista Series

A truce kept between the inhabitants of a small community in Pennsylvania, circa 1890, and the creatures that live in the woods surrounding it is threatened when a young man is determined to explore beyond the boundaries of the village.
Genre: Suspense
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 13-DEC-2005
Media Type: DVD

Even when his trademark twist-ending formula wears worrisomely thin as it does in The Village, M. Night Shyamalan is a true showman who knows how to serve up a spookfest. He's derailed this time by a howler of a "surprise" lifted almost directly from "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim," an episode of The Twilight Zone starring Cliff Robertson that originally aired in 1961. Even if you're unfamiliar with that Rod Serling scenario, you'll have a good chance of guessing the surprise, which ranks well below The Sixth Sense and Signs on Shyamalan's shock-o-meter. That leaves you to appreciate Shyamalan's proven strengths, including a sharp eye for fear-laden compositions, a general sense of unease, delicate handling of fine actors (alas, most of them wasted here, save for Bryce Dallas Howard in a promising debut), and the cautious concealment of his ruse, which in this case involves a 19th-century village that maintains an anxious truce with dreadful creatures that live in the forbidden woods nearby. Will any of this take anyone by genuine surprise? That seems unlikely, since Emperor Shyamalan has clearly lost his clothes in The Village, but it's nice to have him around to scare us, even if he doesn't always succeed. --Jeff Shannon

The Free Willy Collection

A little boy named Jesse befriends a killer whale named Willy and rescues him through his many misadventures.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 085393337827

Free Willy (10th Anniversary Edition)

Some of us will never understand why this boy-and-his-whale tale became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a tear-jerking story could touch the hearts of kids and parents the world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy is such a majestic creature. The story couldn't be more conventional--it's like Old Yeller and The Black Stallion with a big sea mammal--but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy) recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon

Captured at sea and confined in a small tank at an aquatic park Willy (Keiko the Orca whale) is an unhappy and unpredictable attraction. No one understands Willy - except a scruffy street kid named Jesse who knows what it's like to be without a family. Together these two form a special bond... one so strong that they're willing to risk it all to find a way home.Running Time: 112 min.System Requirements:Interactive Menus Production Notes Theatrical Trailer Video Format: Widescreen (no AR specified) Standard 1.33:1 (4.3) Enhanced for 16x9 TVs Subtitles: English Spanish and French Track Info: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround French: Dolby Digital Surround Spanish: Dolby Digital SurroundFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 085392415922 Manufacturer No: 24159

12 and Holding

The raw and fragile lives of three preteens unravel in 12 and Holding, a rich and compelling independent film. When an outgoing boy named Rudy is accidentally killed by two other boys, Rudy's twin brother Jacob (Conor Donovan) starts visiting the killers in prison to try to make sense of his life and of his parent's diverse reactions; his mother (Jayne Atkinson, 24) craves revenge while his father (Linus Roache, Priest) tries to move forward. Meanwhile, two of the twins' friends also spin off in diverse directions: Precocious Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) becomes fixated on a troubled construction worker (Jeremy Renner, North Country), while overweight Leonard (Jesse Camacho) obsesses on losing weight and forcing his obese family to lose weight as well. 12 and Holding moves fluidly between these three stories, gradually building an emotional intimacy with the characters that is unsettling, sad, and finally rewarding. The movie hits a few false notes, but the vast majority of the scenes feel vivid and honest, much like director Michael Cuesta's previous film, L.I.E.. Both the adults (including Annabella Sciorra, Jungle Fever) and the kids give excellent performances; Renner's wrenching turn stands out, but the entire cast makes this a memorable and complex film. --Bret Fetzer

Shocking and intricate pre-teen coming of age tale where adolescence and adulthood collide, exploring the complexities of children losing their innocence and adults struggling to guide them. Sparked by the tragic death of Jacob's twin brother, a trio of friends band together as they grapple with feelings of revenge, grief and experiences of growing up. As each family's personal challenges are revealed, they learn to better understand each other and their own realities.

Free Willy 2 - The Adventure Home

Psst: don't tell anybody, but this time the whale, and all of his whale pals and relatives, are either computer-generated images or old-fashioned miniatures (models). The humans in this film are reasonably real, however, including Jason James Richter, returning to his role as the former delinquent whose advocacy for an imprisoned orca turned his life around in Free Willy. You may recall that Willy jumped the aquarium fence, so to speak, at the end of that 1993 family movie, and regrouped in open seas with the pod from which he had been cruelly snatched. This 1995 sequel again finds Willy in trouble at the hands of the civilized world, this time due to an oil slick and explosion that may very well kill him or cause him to be locked away again. Meanwhile, Richter's growing character has other problems, including a troublesome half-brother and the rumblings of puppy love. One way in which this film is superior to its predecessor is a greater range of visual opportunities, i.e., shooting out on the ocean instead of in the whale hero's old tank. Of course, it helps that master cinematographer László Kovács (Five Easy Pieces) is behind the camera. Followed by another sequel. --Tom Keogh

In this sequel willy has rejoined his whale family, or pod, and is living in the pacific northwest seas. Jesse and Willy meet again when an oceanic disaster separates willy, his brother and sister from the rest of their pod.

Free Willy

Some of us will never understand why this boy-and-his-whale tale became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a tear- jerking story could touch the hearts of kids and parents the world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy is such a majestic creature. The story couldn't be more conventional--it's like Old Yeller and The Black Stallion with a big sea mammal--but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy) recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon

Our Town

Thornton Wilder's venerable and shiver-inducing Our Town may be one of the most frequently produced plays in the American repertory, but rarely has it been graced by the likes of Paul Newman's sure hand and stellar clarity. The star was asked by the Artistic Director of the Westport County Playhouse--who just happens to be Joanne Woodward, Newman's wife--to inhabit the role of the all-seeing stage manager in a live production of the show (which subsequently played Broadway). As evocatively re-staged for this video version, the New Hampshire town of Grover's Corners breathes again its crisp air and sad aura of mortality. The show is well acted, especially by vets Jayne Atkinson and Jeffrey DeMunn and heartbreaking newcomers Maggie Lacey and Ben Fox. Newman holds down the center, and his meticulous gestures and singsong voice perfectly conjure up the stage manager's detached but vaguely regretful view of life's transience. The moon is still bright over Our Town. --Robert Horton