Norton, Terry

Mandela and de Klerk

Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine both received Emmy nominations for their performances in this made-for-TV movie. The plot follows Nelson Mandela's 27-year struggle to end apartheid. That segregation was abolished without bloodshed also had much to do with the political maneuverings of South African President F.W. de Klerk, played with convincing and tired resolution by Caine. Poitier plays the more powerful personality, and shines as the self-assured leader. Filmed in Cape Town, this extremely talky and sometimes static film is intriguing as a historical study. As a drama, it is a bit dry. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Mandela & De Klerk was filmed in South Africa. Most of the locations are those where the actual events took place, and the dramatized sequences are augmented with newsreel footage to ensure the most accurate portrayal possible of recent historical events.

From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money

B-movie mavens turned A-list genre fiends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino teamed up in 1996 to take vampire gothic south of the border into spaghetti Western territory for the gory cult film From Dusk Till Dawn. The high-concept mix of southwestern criminals versus supernatural nasties proved too irresistible for either of the video-hound creators to allow it to remain dead (or undead, as the case may be), so they plotted and produced a pair of direct-to-video sequels. Tarantino takes a story credit on the first, a heist film coscripted and directed by Scott Speigel. A Mexican bank robbery helmed by drawling criminal Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) turns into a literal bloodbath when his crew are turned into hungry bloodsuckers. Speigel, a buddy of Sam Raimi, tops both Tarantino and Rodriguez for sheer cinematic acrobatics, putting his camera in the most absurd places (even from inside the mouth of a vampire chomping down on a victim) and driving the film with adrenaline-charged overkill, but despite some clever scenes and a hilarious Psycho spoof, it turns into another aggressively trashy latex-mask and rubber-bat gorefest as cops and robbers team up against the fanged gang. Bo Hopkins costars as the police detective dogging Patrick's trail. Bruce Campbell and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen make cameos in the jokey opening sequence and Speigel and fellow director Kevin Smith briefly appear as vampire bait. Bartender Danny Trejo is the only returning cast member. --Sean Axmaker

Get ready for nonstop action when a bank-robbing gang of misfits heads to Mexico with the blueprints for the perfect million-dollar heist! But when one of the key crooks wanders into the wrong bar ... and crosses the wrong vampire ... the thieving cohorts one by one develop a thirst for blood to match their hunger for money! Ultimately, the last fully human burglar (Robert Patrick -- THE FACULTY, STRIPTEASE, TERMINATOR 2) is forced to join with his arch rival, a Texas sheriff (Bo Hopkins -- PHANTOMS, THE NEWTON BOYS, U-TURN), in an action-packed, kill-or-be-killed battle to stop these evil creatures and save their own lives!

Borderline

The ex-husband (who's won custody of the kids) of a prison shrink is murdered, causing her to become the prime suspect when the actual murderer is really her former patient. Gorgeous Gina Gershon sets off sparks in this erotically-charged thriller.

Second Skin

Natasha Henstridge smokes a cigarette and hides her eyes behind dark glasses while coolly sizing up her next assignment, and then launches into action. Is she a femme fatale, or merely a hard-boiled fiction fan looking for a job in Angus MacFadyen's musty, messy bookstore? Before we can find out, she's clipped in a hit and run and wakes up with amnesia. Or is it just a ruse, and if so, why? Of course nothing is as it seems in this sleek, slick, modern film noir. MacFadyen has an awful lot of money for a man who actively dissuades browsers and buyers from his store; Henstridge is shadowed by a couple of menacing-looking characters; and somewhere in the back of it all a creepy Peter Fonda is pulling the strings as a calmly meticulous and coldly ruthless crime boss. Darrell James Roodt directs this twisting tale of secret identities, double crosses, hidden pasts, and concealed loyalties with all the grit and depth of a fashion layout: it's handsome but hollow. Thankfully there's the criminally underrated Henstridge at the center of all the mysteries, a sexy, assured, riveting presence who gives weight to the film's most enigmatic character. Perhaps it's not so hard after all to understand loner MacFadyen risking his present for a future with the fiery, dangerous Henstridge. --Sean Axmaker

Pavement

A middle-aged nurse has been found brutally murdered in her apartment. The killer took his time showing the victim no mercy. The cops led by Detective Buckley (Lauren Holly) are on the case unaware that the victim's brother (Robert Patrick) a tracker from Alaska is shadowing them. When similar victims are discovered the cops soon realize that they're looking for a serial killer. But what do the victims share in common? The clues lie in their murderer a cold-hearted methodical torture twisted and tormented by the pain of being alive bent on revenge for the simple crime of being born. Whether the cops and the tracker can follow the clues to the killer will be a test of their ability to observe? to analyze? and to survive. analyze...and to survive.Running Time: 91 min.System Requirements:Running Time 91 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: R UPC: 026359211928

Boy Called Twist

BOY CALLED TWIST (DVD MOVIE)

American Kickboxer 1

Pulse-pounding action reigns supreme when international kickboxing champions John Barrett and Keith Vitali star in this high-impact look behind the scenes of the professional fight game. B.J. Quinn (Barrett) is the best of the best in the ring - until he's sent to jail and suspended from fighting after a freak accident. Now title-hungry Jacques Denard (Brad Morris) whose testimony clinched B.J.'s imprisonment is on the warpath. First he pulverizes B.J.'s chief rival to the world kickboxing title (Vitali). Then he publicly challenges B.J. to a final showdown. The ultimate physical and spiritual test of championship minds and bodies is about to detonate. Grab your ringside seat!Running Time: 92 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 012569703216

Second Skin

Natasha Henstridge smokes a cigarette and hides her eyes behind dark glasses while coolly sizing up her next assignment, and then launches into action. Is she a femme fatale, or merely a hard-boiled fiction fan looking for a job in Angus MacFadyen's musty, messy bookstore? Before we can find out, she's clipped in a hit and run and wakes up with amnesia. Or is it just a ruse, and if so, why? Of course nothing is as it seems in this sleek, slick, modern film noir. MacFadyen has an awful lot of money for a man who actively dissuades browsers and buyers from his store; Henstridge is shadowed by a couple of menacing-looking characters; and somewhere in the back of it all a creepy Peter Fonda is pulling the strings as a calmly meticulous and coldly ruthless crime boss. Darrell James Roodt directs this twisting tale of secret identities, double crosses, hidden pasts, and concealed loyalties with all the grit and depth of a fashion layout: it's handsome but hollow. Thankfully there's the criminally underrated Henstridge at the center of all the mysteries, a sexy, assured, riveting presence who gives weight to the film's most enigmatic character. Perhaps it's not so hard after all to understand loner MacFadyen risking his present for a future with the fiery, dangerous Henstridge. --Sean Axmaker

Styx

Borderline [Region 2]