Gross, Michael

Big Business

Two sets of identical twins, separated at birth and reared in drastically different environments, are reunited in the big city of Manhattan, for a series of comedic mishaps.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 13-JAN-2004
Media Type: DVD

Tremors

Who would have guessed that this clever, fast-paced creature feature from 1990 would become a beloved miniclassic worthy of its own Collector's Edition DVD? Tremors didn't actually break any new ground (even though its tunneling worm monsters certainly did), but it revved up the classic monster-movie formulas of the 1950s with such energetic enthusiasm and humor that it made everything old seem new again. It's also got a cast full of enjoyable actors who clearly had a lot of fun making the film, and director Ron Underwood strikes just the right balance of comedy and terror as a band of small-town rednecks battles a lot of really nasty-looking giant worms. The special effects are great, the one-liners fly fast and furious between heroes Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward (and yes, that's country star Reba McEntire packin' awesome firepower), and it's all done with the kind of flair one rarely associates with goofy monster flicks like this. Followed by a direct-to-video sequel (Tremors: Aftershocks), this horror thriller was given the deluxe treatment for its DVD release. Bonus features include an original "making-of" documentary, previously unseen video showing the creation of the worm-creatures, outtakes from the film, the original ending not shown in theaters, theatrical trailers, and a gallery of production photographs. If you're a fan, consider this a must-have disc! --Jeff Shannon

Batman Beyond - The Movie

It's difficult to imagine the people of Gotham City walking the streets without their Dark Knight to protect them. But in this animated Batman tale set in the not-too-distant future, Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman) decides to call it quits and retire the Bat-suit. After Wayne retreats to his mansion to live the life of a hermit, Gotham is soon overrun by criminals and gangs with such catchy names as the Jokerz. In this hive of villainy lives a young man by the name of Terry McGinnis. Like Wayne, his father had been killed, leaving him traumatized and seeking revenge (all comparisons though, should end there). As luck would have it, he stumbles across the Wayne mansion and eventually the Batcave. Now an old dusty relic, the once proud Batcave lies dormant like a wax museum, displaying trophies of Batman's career. Among these artifacts is the latest-model augmented Bat-suit, boasting flying capabilities and enough power to make Superman look like a wimp. Naturally the exuberant Terry takes the suit and embarks upon a mission of revenge against the duplicitous antagonists responsible for his father's death.

This is by no means a run-of-the-mill take on the Dark Knight. Like Warner's Emmy Award-winning cartoon of Batman in the present day, the story and action is tight and well thought out. From the opening credits (which are eerily reminiscent of David Fincher's unsettling opening shots in Seven), you enter a world in need of a hero. Unlike the later live-action movies, Batman Beyond will strike a chord with fans of the DC comic. This world of Gotham is darker, edgier, and filled with detestable bad guys. No more puns, no more chumming up to the police, and no more letting up on the violence. This is a Batman for the future and one that will have you rooting every time he inflicts his dark sense of justice upon a wrongdoer. (Ages 11 and older) --Jeremy Storey

In the Line of Duty: The FBI Murders

100 Million BC

Ground Control

Mrs. Harris

Drama) The sensationalistic murder of diet guru Dr. Herman Tarnower is explored in this decidedly low-key take on the tabloid cover story from first-time director Phyllis Nagy. As the inventor of the popular "Scarsdale Diet" Dr. Herman Tarnower (Ben Kingsley) became an overnight success during the peak of the early 1980s diet craze. Despite the popularity of the Dr. Tarnower's revolutionary "lose one pound per day" diet the womanizing ways of the Casanova cardiologist would soon come to a brutal end at the hands of his jealous prescription drug-addicted lover Jean Harris (Annette Bening). Driven to despair after their fourteen-year romance failed to result in marriage and enraged by Dr. Tarnower's shameless status as a ladies man Harris confronts her former lover in one violent final act of desperationTagline: Nothing is more dangerous than the truth.Running Time: 92 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 026359331121 Manufacturer No: 93311

Mrs. Harris is HBO's fact-based tale about the tumultuous relationship between Jean Harris and Scarsdale Diet author Dr. Herman Tarnower, whom she is accused of shooting to death in a jealous fit of rage. But it's also a cautionary tale about what can happen when a woman is so obsessed with a man she'd rather die--or kill--than be left behind. As Harris notes when she's on trial for his murder, she doesn't understand how "something that ugly and sad could've happened between two people who didn't argue, except over the use of the subjunctive." As the oddly paired lovers, Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley do a formidable job with their roles. She is a well-educated social climber teaching at a girls' prep school. He is a wealthy doctor who loves her enough to propose marriage, but not enough to go through with it. She sticks around for 14 years, hoping she'll outlast all his other mistresses. When her best friend suggests she find someone worthy of her, Harris scoffs, "I despise decent men. ... Cruelty isn't a crime. Boredom is." Unfortunately, the film--even with all the sensationalistic background material--is a meandering production that evokes boredom and impatience rather than viewer's pity, anger, or understanding. --Jae-Ha Kim

Tremors 4 - The Legend Begins

Tremors 2: Aftershocks

When a remote Mexican oilfield comes down with a nasty case of Graboids (for the uninitiated: giant carnivorous worms with tunneling abilities that put Bugs Bunny to shame), it's up to those veteran monster exterminators Burt and Earl (Michael Gross and the wonderful Fred Ward, reprising their roles from the first film) to save the day--and accumulate some much-needed payola in the process. But this time, the slimy critters may have a few new tricks up their...um, sleeves. Although denied a chance to appear in theaters, this unjustly neglected sequel delivers the same winning mixture of cornpone and gore that made the original Tremors a cult classic. A hoot-and-a-half for horror and SF fans, with some genuine scares and a welcome sense of humor. --Andrew Wright

Sometimes They Come Back / Sometimes They Come Back Again

And sometimes they come back... for the franchise! Aaaaaaaaargh! Though a TV movie franchise is a somewhat subliminal thing. This double-feature DVD contains one movie based on a story by Stephen King, and another movie based loosely on the first movie. More of a variations on a theme than a continuance. In Sometimes They Come Back, Tim Matheson is made to relive a boyhood tragedy that claimed the life of his brother when the group of bullies who waylaid him in a train tunnel way back when come back from the dead to settle an old score. Convincingly scary as this is, side B is even better, having upped the ante from the demonic bullies of the first movie to the satanic worshippers of the second. This time it's Michael Gross who needs to learn that you can't escape your past, having as a kid thwarted the satanists who claimed the life of his sister, and who lately have returned to kill his mother and are now after his daughter. The effects are great here, with a standout being the formation of a demon from a pool of blood. One of the Arquette clan, Alexis Arquette, as head of the satanic ritualists (Vinnie Barbarino meets Marilyn Manson), is a kind of special effect all by himself, grinning and mugging with uncontained glee at the most splatter-heavy moments. Followed by a sequel, Sometimes They Come Back... for More. --Jim Gay