Fujioka, John

The Private Eyes

Don Knotts and Tim Conway star in The Private Eyes, a 1980 comedy about two bumbling detectives solving a murder. It's an impressively incompetent affair. Every ancient joke falls with a muffled thud as Knotts and Conway ham their way through the pointless story: The lord and lady of a capacious manor are killed, and the lord's ghost seems to have returned to knock off the staff one by one. There's an austere housekeeper, a snooty butler with compulsive twitches, a sexy upstairs maid, a deformed groomsman, and a buxom young heir to the estate, who of course is going to be in some state of undress before the movie is over. People get killed, their bodies disappear, Knotts and Conway wander aimlessly through secret passageways, dimly seeking some way out of this movie. Conway cowrote the script, so he gets most of the blame; Knotts was probably just happy to have the work. --Bret Fetzer

Mortal Kombat

based on the best-selling home video game, this action adventuretells of a group of expert fighters who compete in a dangerous tournament for the fate of mankind on a mysterious island.

American Yakuza

In America, they call it the Mafia... In Japan they call it Yakuza. When they meet they call it war! Viggo Mortensen (G.I. Jane) and Michael Nouri (The Hidden) star in this explosive action-thriller about the first American accepted into the savage brotherhood of Japan's criminal underworld. Sent to infiltrate the American arm of the Yakuza, FBI agent Nick Davis (Mortensen) rises through the ranks of assassins and is soon adopted into the powerful Tendo crime family. His work brings him into brutal conflict with not only the Italian mob, but also a hard-nosed FBI taskforce guided by unscrupulous Agent Littman (Robert Forster). Caught dead center in a war between the Yakuza, the mob, and the FBI, Davis must decide what's more important: his old loyalties--or his new bond of blood.

American Ninja

Get ready for breathtaking action and electrifying martial arts magic as a young American becomes one of the greatest masters of Ninjitsu, the deadliest art of the Orient. American Ninja is entertainment as swift and sure as the flashing blade of a samurai's sword! Stationed in the Philippines, 18-year-old U.S. Army private Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff) is escorting a supply convoy when it is ambushed by rebelsone of whom he recognizes as a Black Ninja warrior. Instinctively, Joe defends himself using the esoteric martial art of Ninjitsuan ability that puts him under suspicion by his commander and fellow soldiers. Alone in his fight against corruption, the boy finally discovers the secret of his mysterious pasta secret that pits him against the evil Black Star Ninja in the ultimate martial arts battle.

Steel Dawn

Patrick Swayze stars with his wife Lisa Niemi and Emmy Award-winner Anthony Zerbe in this post-apocalyptic action adventure. They call him Nomad, a man without a home, without a past. A new breed of warrior trained in the arts of swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, roaming the vast desert wastelands in a postnuclear age...in a time when laws are useless and water is more precious than blood. When Nomad's old friend and mentor is brutally slain by the notorious swordsman Sho, Nomad heads for the desolate valley of Meridian to avenge his death. There he meets the beautiful Kasha, one of the many farmers being terrorized by the sinister warlord Damnil. The desperate farmers appoint Nomad their peacemaker, charged with protecting them against Damnil's diabolic plot to control all the water in the valley. But as Nomad begins to help Kasha's farm, thwarting Damnil's carefully laid plans, he becomes the target of Damnil's savage army, face-to-face with the bloodthirsty Sho, fighting for revenge, honor...and love.

Pearl Harbor - The Director's Cut (Three-Disc Vista Series)

Sometimes bigger is actually better. Nearly matching the size of director Michael Bay's ego, this massive four-disc set is a veritable Pearl Harbor archive, and ironically, Bay's film remains the least interesting component. It's a purely conventional Hollywood take on the tragedy, using a clichéd love triangle between two ace pilots (Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck) and a Pearl Harbor nurse (Kate Beckinsale) as an "intimate" means of spectacularly re-creating the attack that thrust America into World War II. The director's cut adds little to the previous DVD release, apart from authentic R-rated carnage during the Japanese raid, and minor expansion of the Hartnett-Beckinsale romance. Commentaries range from superfluous (Bay and film historian Jeanine Basinger) to highly entertaining (Ben Affleck and costars) and technically informative (primary production team), and a spirited examination of visual effects (with Bay and ILM supervisor Eric Brevig) is guaranteed to fascinate anyone interested in physical effects and CGI. A broad "making of" documentary is noteworthy for one-time viewing, while abundant historical records make this a valuable compilation of definitive materials.

The History Channel's "One Hour over Tokyo" and "Unsung Heroes of Pearl Harbor" provide depth that Bay's movie lacks, and Charles Kiselyak's interactive timeline is arguably the finest feature included, providing an in-depth historical perspective on U.S.-Japan relations. Even a brief reenactment of a Pearl Harbor nurse's journal is moving in a way that Bay's film can only try to be, while the "Interactive Attack Sequence" provides a multifaceted exploration of the entire production process (a highly educational feature for aspiring filmmakers). All in all, these four discs offer an admirable balance between Bay's technically impressive but ill-conceived epic and a thorough, fitting tribute to those who endured hell on that fateful Sunday in 1941. --Jeff Shannon

PEARL HARBOR: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT Vista Series DVD is the most extensive exploration of moviemaking ever presented. Four discs showcase more than 60 new shots in the film and over 12 hours of new special features. There's never been anything like it before. History comes alive in the unforgettable epic motion picture PEARL HARBOR, the spectacular blockbuster brought to the screen by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay. Astounding visual and audio effects put you at the center of the event that changed the world -- that early Sunday morning in paradise when warplanes screamed across the peaceful skies of Pearl Harbor and jolted America into World War II. This real-life tale of catastrophic defeat, heroic victory, and personal courage focuses on the war's devastating impact on two daring young pilots, Ben Affleck (ARMAGEDDON) and Josh Hartnett (BLACK HAWK DOWN), and a beautiful, dedicated nurse, Kate Beckinsale (SERENDIPITY). PEARL HARBOR is extraordinary moviemaking -- a breathtaking reenactment of the "date which will live in infamy" and a heartfelt tribute to the men and women who lived it.

The Last Flight of Noah's Ark

When a B-29 bomber strays from its course, its crew -- high-living pilot Noah Dugan (Elliott Gould), a prim missionary (Geneviève Bujold), her cargo of farm animals, and two stowaway orphans -- must make an emergency landing on an unmapped island in the South Pacific. In order to survive, the foursome, along with two unexpected allies, convert the downed plane into the oddest sea-going vessel ever and then set sail -- animals and all -- on a perilous search for civilization in this Disney adventure for the whole family.

Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes

American Samurai

Raised from birth by a Samurai Master, two stepbrothers are torn apart by jealousy and rage when the family's sacred Samurai sword is bestowed upon the adopted son. When the two are played by David Bradley and - in his dynamic movie debut - Mark Dacascos, only one result is possible: awesome action. Vowing revenge, Kenjiro (Dacascos) becomes a Yakuza gangster drawn to the dangerous world of "live blade" fighting. The other son Drew (Bradley) becomes a journalist and travels halfway around the world to investigate the bizarre death of a fellow reporter - a search leading him into the Yakuza underworld - and into the sights of his murderous brother. American Samurai is your ticket to razor-edged excitement!

Prey of the Jaguar