Kristen, Marta

Old Yeller 2-Movie Collection (Old Yeller/Savage Sam)

OLD YELLER: Walt Disney's first and quintessential film about a boy's love for his dog is now an American original as much as it is a Disney classic. No film better portrays the powerful emotions of hope, courage, and friendship. When his younger brother adopts a frisky lop-eared stray, 15-year-old Travis (Tommy Kirk), acting "man-of-the-house," tries to shoo him away. But Old Yeller soon proves he is anything but "yellow" when he protects the family farm and saves Travis' life. From its charming simplicity to its gripping conclusion, the drama, humor and heart of OLD YELLER belong in everyone's collection. SAVAGE SAM: Now discover what happens next in SAVAGE SAM, the sequel to Walt Disney's classic adventure OLD YELLER, where adopting a new pup sets the stage for more thrills in the untamed West. With his two young masters Travis and Arliss Coates (Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran), gentle and true-blue Sam faces even greater dangers than Yeller. From the ferocious attacks of wolves and wildcats to tracking renegade wrongdoers, our four-legged hero proves his pedigree. SAVAGE SAM is a compelling story of love, devotion, and trust that is sure to win your heart.

Lost in Space (New Line Platinum Series)

TV's Robinson family takes a galactic wrong turn with state-of-the-art visuals and effects. Starring William Hurt (One True Thing Michael) and Gary Oldman (Air Force One The Fifth Element) as Dr. Smith.Running Time: 130 min.System Requirements:Starring: Gary Oldman William Hurt Matt LeBlanc Mimi Rodgers Heather Graham Lacey Chabert Jack Johnson Director: Stephen Hopkins Produced by M.Koch S.Hopkins A.Goldsman; written by Akiva Goldsman; running time of 130 minutes; Closed Captioned. Copyright: 1998 New Line Widescreen aspect ratio 2.35:1 Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) Subtitled in English Two audio commentaries featuring director Stephen Hopkins writer/producer Akiva Goldsman and the Special Effects Wizards Two featurettes: "Building the Special Effects" and "The Future of Space Travel" Deleted scenes production designs theatrical trailer "The Television Years" featuring complete synopses of all the television episodes biographies of current and former cast members Enhanced PC features including the original script from the film interactive games and more. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: PG-13 UPC: 794043466724

Packed with more than 750 dazzling visual effects, this $70 million adventure does more (and less) than give the 1965-68 TV series a state-of-the-art face-lift. Aimed at an audience that wasn't born when the series originally aired, the sci-fi extravaganza doesn't even require familiarity, despite cameo appearances by several of the TV show's original cast members. Instead it's a high-tech hybrid of the original premise with enough sensory overload to qualify as a spectacular big-screen video game, supported by a time-travel premise that's adequately clever but hardly original. It's certainly never boring, and visually it's an occasionally awesome demonstration of special effects technology. But in its attempt to be all things to all demographics, the movie's more of a marketing ploy than a satisfying adventure, thankfully dispensing with the TV show's cheesy camp but otherwise squandering a promising cast in favor of eye-candy and ephemeral storytelling. In keeping with the movie's high-tech appeal, the DVD is a feature-packed marvel, including two audio commentaries, deleted scenes, two featurettes covering special effects and the original TV series (featuring complete biographies and episode guides), the original screenplay, and interactive games. --Jeff Shannon

Beach Blanket Bingo

Terminal Island

Lost in Space Forever

The first indication that this made-for-TV tribute to Lost in Space was hastily slapped together is its choice of hosts. Instead of picking somebody associated with the show, or with show creator Irwin Allen, or even with science fiction, the producers picked sitcom star John Larroquette. That's the first of a series of awkward choices (Larroquette's banter with the Robot is particularly awful), which reaches its nadir in a segment in which Billy Mumy, Jonathan Harris, and the Robot reunite--in character as Will Robinson, Dr. Smith, and the Robot--on the reconstructed deck of the Jupiter 2, and pretend to get lost in space... forever! Ick.

The fact that Billy Mumy was a producer and cowriter on this project only erodes the credibility he built up for himself by being half of the musical duo Barnes & Barnes (whose "Fish Heads" video was directed by character actor Bill Paxton). Was Mumy really "one of the busiest and most versatile child actors of the decade"? (Busiest, perhaps.) Was the premiere of the 1998 film version of Lost in Space really "the most eagerly anticipated in motion picture history"? Doubtful. But there are some nice moments pulled out of the archive. Clips from the original pilot are shown in length with no annoying commentary, and the screen test of Guy Williams (Prof. John Robinson) shows a charming man who might be described as a '60s version of George Clooney. Recommended for hardcore fans of the show who are willing to sort through the modern-day crap for the archival gems. --Andy Spletzer

An all-new surprise filled tribute to the classic "Lost in Space" television series and hit motion picture! Inspired by New Line Cinema's international blockbuster, "Lost in Space Forever" celebrates more than three decades of everyone's favorite science fiction fantasy show. With host John Larroquette at the helm, the Jupiter 2 takes off for a rollicking ride through the classic series' greatest moments--from the most memorable alien encounters to the funniest outtakes. "Lost in Space Forever" traces the series' evolution from straightforward space age adventure to wildly imaginative camp classic through its current incarnation as a big budget feature with state of the art special effects. With this documentary, viewers get the inside "scoop" on the show that thrilled millions around the world and continues to be shown to this day.

Battle Beyond the Stars

Twenty-first-century science fiction fans accustomed to special-effects orgies like The Matrix may snigger at the quaint, Flash Gordon-like spaceships in Battle Beyond the Stars. But executive producer Roger Corman's belated entry into the '70s sci-fi craze surpasses expectations with sharp performances and a witty script by John Sayles (his third for Corman, including 1978's Piranha). The story, lifted wholesale from Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954), finds the dictator Sador (John Saxon) threatening the planet of Akira. Its pacifist inhabitants are no match for Sador's devastating weapon, the Stellar Converter, but young Shad (Richard Thomas) decides to fight back. Borrowing the ship of notorious mercenary Zed the Corsair, he recruits a band of mercenaries, each of whom has a personal reason to join the fight. Among them are a lizard-like humanoid (Morgan Woodward), an improbable space cowboy (George Peppard), a zaftig female warrior (Sybil Danning), and brooding killer-for-hire Gelt (Robert Vaughn, reprising his Magnificent Seven role). Battle's final showdown is somewhat anticlimatic, but the surprisingly stellar cast (which includes Sam Jaffe and Darlanne Fluegel) and the indie spunk of Sayles' script, with its light meditations on death and honor, will charm newcomers and repeat audiences alike. New Concorde's digitally remastered DVD features commentary by Sayles and Terminator 2 producer Gale Anne Hurd, Battle's assistant production manager. Oh, and those spaceships? Designed by Titanic director James Cameron. Still laughing? --Paul Gaita

Seven mercenaries are recruited from throughout the galaxy to save a peaceful planet from the threat of an evil tyrant bent on dominating and enslaving the entire universe.

The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen

If you had a baking soda-powered Seaview submarine when you were a kid, then you're probably a fan of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, either the movie or the TV show, where that high-tech sub originated. And therefore you're probably a fan of that show's creator, producer-director Irwin Allen, the subject of this documentary. Allen is probably best known for starting the disaster film craze in the '70s with hit movies like The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, where he earned the title of "Master of Disaster." But perhaps he's best loved for the string of TV series he made in the '60s: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and the bizarre Land of the Giants. The documentary glosses over Allen's film career, rightly spending more time on the TV shows, revealing Allen's penchant for monster costumes and using stock footage. We find out that Allen often filmed some sequences for black-and-white shows in color so he could use them later as stock footage. Also, when he needed to shoot a sequence that was supposed to be inside a whale, he saved a fortune by using leftover sets from Fantastic Voyage. The format of the documentary is corny, hosted by Bill Mumy and June Lockhart, along with "The Robot," all from Lost in Space, all hamming it up. But there is such a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage that any fan of Allen's TV shows will want to own this disc. Especially noteworthy is a bonus 55-minute featurette of series proposals, including lengthy footage of two shows that didn't make it, City Beneath the Sea and The Man from the 25th Century. That's worth the price of the disc. --Jim Gay

An all-star tribute to the creator of "Lost In Space" and other sci-fi classics! The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen is the definitive documentary on Irwin Allen, Hollywood's famous "master of disaster" and creator of some of the most successful movies and television series of all time. This tribute to the prolific producer/director contains 100 minutes of classic scenes, never-before-seen outtakes, bloopers and behind-the-scenes glimpses from favorites like "Lost In Space," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "The Time Tunnel," "Land of the Giants," The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno! So put on your space suit and climb aboard the Jupiter 2 for this once-in-a-lifetime look at motion picture and television history hosted by Bill Mumy and June Lockhart.

Body Count

The eternally scantily clad Alyssa Milano (Body Count executive producer as well as star) gives a solid performance as the newest member of a wealthy clan whose constant in-fighting is terminally interrupted by a deadly pack of art thieves determined to add a few more skeletons to the already overstuffed family closet. This well-constructed, dark-edged melding of Die Hard and Peyton Place mostly runs like a dream, despite a few off-putting flashes of lame humor (courtesy of swaggering head killer Ice-T), and a Usual Suspects-inspired ending that, while certainly surprising, doesn't really seem to fit the material. All in all, this is a well-acted, surprisingly artful slice of pulp containing a welcome vein of genuine dread. --Andrew Wright

Justin Theroux is Daniel Beckett, the black sheep son of a wealthy New York art dealer. He and his girlfriend, Suzanne (Alyssa Milano), are meeting his family for Thanksgiving at their sprawling country estate. During dinner, Daniel's domineering father informs him he must join the family business or be cut off from their vast wealth. Daniel and Suzanne retreat downstairs to the basement when... ...screams and gunfire erupt from above! A band of murderous thieves, lead by Jim (Ice T), has entered the house and is killing off Daniel's family. Knowing that the only way to survive is to take the offensive and fight back, Daniel and Suzanne eliminate the killers one by one. With the body count rising, a shocking twist to this deadly game of cat and mouse proves that blood isn't always thicker than water.

Savage Sam

Sam is no ordinary dog. He is the son of Yeller, the four-legged hero who won your heart in Walt Disney's classic adventure, OLD YELLER. With his two young masters Travis and Arliss Coates (Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran), gentle Sam faces even greater dangers than Yeller did. From the ferocious attacks of wolves and wildcats to the hostile actions of renegade Indians, Savage Sam presents a heartwarming story of love, devotion, and trust set in the sprawling pioneering days of the untamed West.

Body Count/Out of Sync