Czerny, Henry

Fido

It doesn't take long for the hilarity of Fido's central idea to kick in: the world is reeling from the Zombie War, and the undead are being contained in two different ways. Some of them are roaming loose in fenced-off wilderness zones. The rest are, thanks to the good people at the ZomCom corporation, docile and domesticated--indeed, available as house servants for the upwardly-mobile. Such is the case with the Robinson family, a suburban clan who seem to have stepped straight out of an old episode of Lassie. Little Timmy is happy about the new manservant, whom he promptly dubs "Fido," and Fido himself is fine as long as the mechanical collar around his neck doesn't malfunction (in which case he will revert to being a cannibalistic brain-eating zombie). Fido is played, in a stroke of inspiration, by the Scots comedian Billy Connolly, although you wouldn't be able to recognize him without already knowing he's in the movie. Dylan Baker and especially Carrie-Anne Moss are just right as Timmy's parents, who have accidentally wandered out of a John Cheever novel and into a George Romero world. Director Andrew Currie skillfully gets the 1950s satire and the zombie action right, although there's no way to disguise that this premise is too thin to spread out over feature length. For a while, though, Fido hits a stride--a staggering, vacant-eyed stride. --Robert Horton

Clear and Present Danger (Special Collector's Edition)

The third installment in the cinematic incarnation of Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan and the second starring Harrison Ford, this follow-up to Patriot Games is a more complex, rewarding, and bolder film than its predecessor. Ford returns as Ryan, this time embroiled in a failed White House bid to wipe out a Colombian drug cartel and cover up the mess. The script, by Clancy and John Milius (Red Dawn), has an air of true adventure about it as Ryan places himself in harm's way to extract covert soldiers abandoned in a Latin American jungle. There are a couple of remarkable set pieces expertly handled by Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce, especially a shocking scene involving an ambush on Ryan's car in an alley. The supporting cast is superb, including Willem Dafoe as the soldiers' leader, Henry Czerny as Ryan's enemy at the CIA, Joaquim de Almeida as a smooth-talking villain, Ann Magnuson as an unwitting confederate in international crime, and James Earl Jones as Ryan's dying boss. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, closed captioning, optional French soundtrack, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

CIA agent Jack Ryan's assignment is to investigate the murder of one of the President's friends, a prominent U.S. businessman with secret ties to Colombian drug cartels.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 6-MAY-2003
Media Type: DVD

Chaos

An action-heavy thriller with a metaphysical twist, Chaos pits action stars of the past (Wesley Snipes) and present (Jason Statham from The Transporter) against each other in a race to uncover the truth behind a seemingly perfect heist. Statham (sporting a come-and-go American accent) is a troubled cop who is called out by Snipes' bank robber to stop him from executing a scheme that will end with not only all participants evading capture, but no money removed from the vaults. It's an engaging premise, and one made moderately more so by Snipes' interest in chaos theory, and director Tony Giglio orchestrates the action with a professional hand. Unfortunately, the pieces fall together in an entirely predictable manner, which stranded the leads (as well as Ryan Phillippe as Statham's rookie partner) in an overly familiar story and undermines the novel spin of Snipes' plan. Those looking for no-frills entertainment, or longtime fans of Statham and Snipes, will find it an agreeable timewaster. --Paul Gaita

After a deadly bank heist Detectives Quentin Conners (Jason Statham) and Shane Dekker (Ryan Phillippe) are drawn into a mysteriouscase where nothing is what it seems. Pulling the strings is a criminal mastermind (Wesley Snipes) who seems to kill without warningor reason. Abound with random acts of violence and deception - the only hope for survival is finding an order to the chaosSystem Requirements:Running Time: 106 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: R UPC: 031398224594 Manufacturer No: 22459

Mission Impossible (Special Collector's Edition)

Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt leader of a crack squad of intelligence operatives in this labyrinthine action-thriller based on the hit 1960s-'70s television series. When a dangerous mission in Prague goes inexplicably wrong Hunt finds himself out in the cold. A mole has infiltrated the CIA and suspicions are that it's Hunt. His only chance: Find out who the real mole is and turn the tables. The plan takes him on an incredibly suspenseful infiltration of CIA security leading to a spectacular chunnel climax that would make Hitchcock proud. Thanks to crisp inventive direction from Brian De Palma and Danny Elfman's dynamite electronica score (including a catchy update of the original Lalo Schifrin theme) this mission is great fun. The talented roster of stars backing Cruise includes Ving Rhames Vanessa Redgrave John Voight Kristin Scott Thomas and Jean Reno. A witty script by Robert Towne (CHINATOWN SHAMPOO) and David Koepp keeps the ball rolling in unexpected directions with the paranoia always set to high. A box-o