Fido
by Andrew Currie
from Lions Gate
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
Steven Spielberg Presents Taken
from Dreamworks Video
Steven Spielberg's alien abduction opus Taken is what happens when you cross-breed Close Encounters of the Third Kind with The Waltons. Obviously flushed with the success of the TV miniseries Band of Brothers, Spielberg's Dreamworks studio has created an equally epic 10-part story chronicling 50 years of habitual abduction over several generations of three American families. Beginning with the most notorious alien cover-up in U.S. history, the 1947 "crash" at Roswell, New Mexico, Taken introduces the "Greys" and the families they routinely abduct, probe, and, in a couple of cases, impregnate over the course of the ten 90-minute episodes. The three families are: the Keys, from which first Russell, then his son Jessie, then grandson Danny, are all abducted; the Clarkes, who are descended from a liaison between lonely put-upon housewife Sally Clarke and one of the Roswell crash survivors; and the Crawfords, the ruthless G-men who are committed to uncovering the purpose behind the alien visitations at any cost.
It's this question that forms the main thread of the story: but even though the Greys' actions are at best ambiguous and at worst hostile, the viewer can't help feeling that after all this systematic abuse of their human test subjects the aliens will in the end present them with a cure for cancer. In fact, Taken is Spielberg at his most touchy-feely: for all its science fiction trappings it's basically a soap opera, lacking the sinister undercurrent of either Dark Skies or The X-Files. Nevertheless, it's an engaging series with decent performances--most notably Joel Gretsch as psychotic Owen Crawford--good special effects, and an engaging enough storyline to make it entertaining, if somewhat disposable, TV. --Kristen Bowditch
City Hall
by Harold Becker
from Turner Home Ent
This complex 1996 drama directed by Harold Becker (Sea of Love) attempts to explore big-city corruption and the flexibility of what's right and wrong in the political arena. John Cusack (Say Anything) plays the senior aide to mayor John Pappas (Al Pacino), a popular and seasoned politician whose administration is threatened when what seems to be an accidental shooting of a child reveals a nest of corruption and lifelong personal debts that tests Cusack's loyalty to the man he thought he knew. Pacino turns in a finely textured performance as a man who has his own lofty ideals, but whose pragmatism sets in motion a series of events with tragic results. Cusack admirably captures the essence of someone polished and savvy at his job who must cope with fundamental disillusionment. This political thriller suffers at times from a lack of focus, but still offers an insightful and poignant treatise on the quagmire of politics in the modern age and the human toll it sometimes exacts. --Robert Lane
He's a consummate politician who walks a mile in your shoes, feels your pain. But there may be more to populist New York City populist mayor Al Pacino than meets the eye. Year: 1996 Director: Harold Becker Starring: Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello Special Features: Interactive menus, Scene access Video Format: A: Standard; B: Widescreen Sound: English: Dolby Surround 2.0; French; Subtitles: English, French Region Coding: 1 (U.S. and Canada)
Deadly Skies
by Sam Irvin
from Regent
Earth is headed for destruction from a wayward asteroid and only Madison Kelsey (Rae Dawn Chong) a lone astronomer is aware of it. Failing of course to convince the authorities Kelsey is left with no choice but to track down our leading heartthrob Antonio Sabato Jr. Well actually it's Antonio Sabato Jr. playing an outed former Air Force colonel and this time our hero is not only gay but also has a hot boyfriend as well! In a race against time Chong and everyone's favorite underwear model (and sexiest man alive!) must penetrate the heavily guarded military base to gain access to the military laser in order to save the planet and its oblivious inhabitants.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 796019794589 Manufacturer No: 79458
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
from New Line Home Video
English-professor-turned-horror-auteur Wes Craven brings both careers to play in this ingenious reinterpretation of the Nightmare on Elm Street series as a modern-day fairy tale--a sort of Hansel and Gretel for big kids. Heather Langenkamp, star of the original film, plays Heather Langenkamp, an actress and mother wracked with nightmares as Los Angeles is rocked with unexplained earthquakes. Meanwhile, her son starts sleepwalking and croaking Freddy Krueger threats. Is it a coincidence that Wes Craven (playing himself) is turning his own troubled dreams into a new screenplay, which he calls "a sort of nightmare in progress"? According to his visions, the imaginary Freddy has become the embodiment of ancient evil and is trying to break out of his movie prison and into the physical world. It's a rather literal and glib explanation, but words have never been Craven's strong suit. His central thesis, the cultural importance of stories, is more resonant in the web of imagery arising from dreams, movies, and the subconscious. Robert Englund and John Saxon play themselves and their movie characters (though this Freddy is decidedly less wisecracking and more demonic). It's a thoughtful, imaginative, and often gripping modern horror film that echoes with suggestions of The Exorcist and Poltergeist. Though less of a fun-house thrill ride than previous Nightmares, it's scarier and smarter than any of the other series sequels. --Sean Axmaker
Heather Langenkamp learns the Nightmare movies were protecting the world from a real-life demon. Also starring Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Bob the Butler
by Gary Sinyor
from First Independent
Likable Bob (Tom Green) can't hold a job, and alphabetically finds employment using the phonebook. Once in the "B's," he stumbles upon "Butler School" and is soon hired by Anne (Brooke Shields), single mother of 2 and business owner, who desperately needs help. Through trouble ensues, Bob's relationship with the kids leads to an unlikely romance with Anne and a very happy ending.
Poison
by Todd Haynes
from Fox Lorber
Part horror film, part drama and part expose, Poison weaves three stories into one outrageous jigsaw puzzle that juxtaposes a disturbing sensuality with an offbeat moral conscience.
Jack Frost
by Michael Cooney
from Simitar Ent.
After a serial killer gets doused with some toxic, mutating ooze, a small town must deal with the terrible wrath of his new deep-freeze form (to say nothing of his horrific carrot nose and eyes made out of hellish coal). Although clearly indebted to the superior horror-comedy of Sam Raimi (the venerable director of The Evil Dead trilogy), this killer snowman movie is somewhat less than abominable (sorry), with a cheerful, wonky sense of humor, some intentionally cheesy special effects, and a creative enthusiasm that belies the obviously low budget. Good fun for the less-discriminating horror fan, although potential viewers should be warned in advance that a blatantly misogynist scene in a female victim's bathtub crosses the line between enjoyably tasteless and downright disgusting. --Andrew Wright
Brotherhood of Murder
by Martin Bell
from Showtime Ent.
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