Hytner, Steve

The Prophecy

A prime candidate for cult status (it even spawned a sequel), this apocalyptic 1995 horror flick belongs in the darker corners of the comedy-horror sub-genre that includes Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mimic, and Phantoms--and like those movies it's a mixed blessing with some highlights worth savoring.

This one's got Christopher Walken in its favor, starring as the Angel Gabriel, who's really mad at God for allowing humans into heaven (because, you see, humans have souls and angels don't, and God plays favorites). Gabriel takes his anger out on the human race, coming to Earth to capture the soul of the most evil human alive in an effort to defeat the "good" angels that remain in God's good graces. One of the good angels is played by Eric Stoltz, who captures the evil soul before Walken does and transfers it into the body of a little girl. Are you with us so far? Don't worry if you're not, because writer-director Gregory Widen filled The Prophecy with so many wild ideas that he didn't bother to connect them to a coherent plot.

Add Viggo Mortensen as the devil and Elias Koteas as a priest-turned detective who's tracking Walken and it's clear that Widen was attempting something ambitious here. He nearly succeeded, since The Prophecy jumpstarts its heaven-and-hell rivalry with enough action, humor, and intelligence to make the movie sufficiently entertaining. It was enjoyable enough to entice Walken back for the sequel, so if you're into this kind of thing, this one's a keeper. --Jeff Shannon

Big-screen favorite Christopher Walken (PULP FICTION, BATMAN RETURNS) heads an all-star cast in this chilling and suspenseful thriller! At the scene of a bizarre murder, L.A. homicide detective Thomas Dagget (Elias Koteas -- EXOTICA) discovers a lethal heavenly prophecy now being fulfilled on earth! Yet in his fight to stop the forces of evil -- led by the powerful angel Gabriel (Walken) -- Dagget finds an unlikely ally in an elementary school teacher (Virginia Madsen -- CANDYMAN). Together they race against time and terror to save the world as we know it! Also starring Eric Stoltz (PULP FICTION) -- critics everywhere praised THE PROPHECY for its high-powered thrills and knockout performances -- don't miss it!

In the Line of Fire (Special Edition)

This smart, tautly directed thriller from Wolfgang Petersen is about the cat-and-mouse games between a Secret Service agent named Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) and the brilliant, psychopathic assassin (John Malkovich) who's itching to get the President in his cross hairs. The back-story--Horrigan is haunted by his inability to prevent John Kennedy's assassination (Eastwood is computer-generated into archival footage)--is more than a little hokey, but the plotting itself is smartly, even ingeniously, constructed. Petersen manages a viselike grip on the tension and Eastwood even gets to deliver an ever-more-timely lecture on the diminished nature of the office of President. Eastwood's as gruff and as infuriating to the by-the-book Powers That Be as ever, and Malkovich oozes delightful menace. Renee Russo capably costars as a colleague with whom Horrigan gets friendly. --David Kronke

Haunted by his failure to protect President Kennedy, a secret service agent is now tormented by a psychopath threatening the current president.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 2-AUG-2005
Media Type: DVD

Love Stinks

In Love Stinks, Seth (French Stewart from TV's 3rd Rock from the Sun), a sitcom writer-producer, meets Chelsea (Bridgette Wilson, Billy Madison) at his best friend's wedding. He's immediately smitten by her blonde babeness; she's attracted to his income and single status. For the next 45 minutes she tries to get him to commit though a combination of skimpy outfits and wild mood swings. When she finally realizes he's not going to, she turns into a vengeful harpy and tries to make his life hell. This might be funny if you believe that women are manipulative, money hungry, marriage-fixated psychotics--but maybe not. The standard of wit is best expressed in the line, "Drop the probe and step away from my ass," declared by Seth as he's about to receive an unrequested colonic in a spa. It's always wise to be wary of comedies with a comedy writer as the main character, especially when the movie is written and directed by a comedy writer. Writer-director Jeff Franklin previously made two TV movies starring the Olsen Twins; this may have been his attempt to exorcise some relationship gone awry. Love Stinks also features Bill Bellamy (Love Jones, Def Jam's How to Be a Player) and supermodel Tyra Banks. --Bret Fetzer

The Prophecy 3: The Ascent

Christopher Walken (SUICIDE KINGS, THE PROPHECY) and Vincent Spano (THE TIE THAT BINDS) star in THE ASCENT, the third thrilling installment of the action-packed PROPHECY trilogy! As fearsome armies of rebel angels continue to wage war in heaven and on earth, Pyriel, the brutal Angel of Genocide, rises to power with the evil intent to destroy all of humankind! The only one on earth with the ability to stop the bloodshed is Danyael, who was born of an angel and a woman. But he is unaware of his true purpose ... until, during a harrowing journey of discovery, Danyael meets Gabriel (Walken), the fallen angel who has acted as his secret guardian! Brace yourself for an epic battle of the ages as Danyael sets out to confront Pyriel in a bid to save the world and fulfill his ultimate destiny!

The Haunted Mansion (Widescreen Edition)

Lush production design and sparkling special effects make The Haunted Mansion pretty to look at. Terence Stamp (The Limey), as a malevolent ghost of a butler, provides a suitable air of menace as dematerializes to and fro. Marsha Thomason (Black Knight) is lovely as a real estate agent hired to sell a haunted mansion, but in truth the ghostly owner of the mansion believes she is the reincarnation of his lost love. Wallace Shawn (My Dinner with Andre) and Dina Waters (Six Feet Under) make a modestly amusing comic pair as a ghostly husband and wife who bustle about. Jennifer Tilly (Bound), as a green disembodied head in a crystal ball, glitters appropriately. The movie also features endless clichés, futile attempts at humor, and Eddie Murphy. If you're looking for a movie based on a Disneyland ride, try the very clever Pirates of the Caribbean instead. --Bret Fetzer

From the studio that brought you PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ... here's the fright-filled comedy adventure loaded with hair-raising laughs and eye-popping special effects! Eddie Murphy (DADDY DAY CARE) stars as a real estate agent whose family comes face-to-face with 999 grim, grinning ghosts in the creepy old Gracey Manor! Now with the help of supernatural psychic Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly, LIAR, LIAR) they must hilariously battle to break the mansion of its age-old curse ... and do it before the clock strikes 13!

The Haunted Mansion (Full Screen Edition)

Lush production design and sparkling special effects make The Haunted Mansion pretty to look at. Terence Stamp (The Limey), as a malevolent ghost of a butler, provides a suitable air of menace as dematerializes to and fro. Marsha Thomason (Black Knight) is lovely as a real estate agent hired to sell a haunted mansion, but in truth the ghostly owner of the mansion believes she is the reincarnation of his lost love. Wallace Shawn (My Dinner with Andre) and Dina Waters (Six Feet Under) make a modestly amusing comic pair as a ghostly husband and wife who bustle about. Jennifer Tilly (Bound), as a green disembodied head in a crystal ball, glitters appropriately. The movie also features endless clichés, futile attempts at humor, and Eddie Murphy. If you're looking for a movie based on a Disneyland ride, try the very clever Pirates of the Caribbean instead. --Bret Fetzer

From the studio that brought you PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ... here's the fright-filled comedy adventure loaded with hair-raising laughs and eye-popping special effects! Eddie Murphy (DADDY DAY CARE) stars as a real estate agent whose family comes face-to-face with 999 grim, grinning ghosts in the creepy old Gracey Manor! Now with the help of supernatural psychic Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly, LIAR, LIAR) they must hilariously battle to break the mansion of its age-old curse ... and do it before the clock strikes 13!

Totally Baked (Unrated) (Ws)

Totally Baked is the hilarious totally offbeat cannabis comedy in the tradition of Half Baked guaranteed to give you the munchies.Totally Baked spoofs the legalization of Marijuana with a uproariously funny tone guaranteed to please audiences. It s hysterical and informative at the same time A Cult Classic! John Merriman from the Austin Film Festival. Featuring some of today s biggest stoner comedians who will do anything to save their bud including Craig Shoemaker Doug Benson Mark Cohen Dan Gabriel Jason Gillearn Rich Hardesty Al Madrigal Jackie The Joke Man Martling Henry Phillips Jasper Redd Tom Rhodes Ron Schock. System Requirements:Run Time: 70 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/SCREWBALL COMEDY UPC: 883476000787 Manufacturer No: SM0078DVD

Forces of Nature

Plane crashes, pickpockets, hurricanes--heaven and hell is moving to prevent our able hero Ben (Ben Affleck) from marrying his sweetie (Maura Tierney) in Savannah. At every turn he runs into someone else despairing about the woes of married life. And of course, temptation proves overwhelming in the face of traveling companion Sarah (Sandra Bullock), the wild woman whom he can't seem--or doesn't want--to lose.

After a wayward bird flies into the engine of his airplane, Ben is forced to find another way to his wedding. He finds himself stuck with Sarah, whom he carried from the plane after she was whacked in the noggin by his laptop. The heat between them is unmistakable, and the drama in the film comes from the "will he or won't he," both in terms of sleeping with Sarah and meeting up with his bride. Forces of Nature is a fun and sentimental road-trip film, but Ben is such a strait-laced noodge, you can't help but want him to fall flat on his face just a little. Bullock is the life of this film, although her free-spirited ways get a bit tired (responsibility is not all bad). The highlight of this movie, though, is definitely the cinematography. The beautiful rain shots and the colors of the scenes lend to the unsettling mood. While the jokes are not rip-roaring, Forces is to be reckoned with for those times when a lighthearted film is what you need. --Jenny Brown

The Marrying Man

"Hot gets you into trouble," cautions high-living 1940s-era playboy Alec Baldwin. He doesn't know the half of it. Days before his marriage to Hollywood studio heiress Elisabeth Shue, he falls madly in bed with shapely lounge singer Kim Basinger and ends up in an unlikely shotgun marriage. They divorce, they remarry, they divorce, they... you get the picture. Baldwin, all cool confidence in his sharp suits, and Basinger, who looks poured into her stylish, curve-hugging gowns, fell in love while shooting this 1991 film. Unfortunately their onscreen chemistry, apart from a couple of simmering bedroom scenes, is anything but combustible.

Neil Simon based his original screenplay on a real-life Hollywood story of l'amour fou, but even in his hands the ping-ponging romance feels contrived. Without that troublesome heat of uncontrollable passion, this amiable comic drama winds up lukewarm. --Sean Axmaker

Millionaire playboy Charley Pearl has got it all. Charm, looks, style, and he's about to marry the daughter of the most powerful man in Hollywood. But a funny thing happens on his way to the altar ... he meets sultry Las Vegas lounge singer Vicki Anderson. And it's lust at first sight! Charley discovers the hard way that his attraction to Vicki is going to get him into trouble over and over again! Handsome Alec Baldwin (THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER) and sexy Kim Basinger (BATMAN) heat up the screen in one of the most sizzling and funny romances in modern courtship history! See for yourself what all the heat's about!

In the Line of Fire

Between his directorial duties on A Perfect World and The Bridges of Madison County, Clint Eastwood starred in this pulse-racing 1993 thriller. In the Line of Fire was directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the brilliant director of the World War II U-boat masterpiece Das Boot. Eastwood gives one of his best performances as Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, who still feels responsible for the death of JFK 30 years earlier. Horrigan gets a shot at redemption when challenged by a psychotic but highly intelligent assassin (John Malkovich) who intends to kill the current U.S. president. Tension builds as this intellectual cat-and-mouse game reaches its climactic confrontation, but not before we've seen the killer at work, covering his trail with ruthless precision. Tightly scripted by Jeff Maguire, the film cuts Malkovich loose as one of the most memorable screen villains of the 1990s, and costars Rene Russo as Eastwood's sharp Secret Service colleague and romantic partner. --Jeff Shannon