10 Things I Hate About You
from Touchstone Pictures
It's, like, Shakespeare, man! This good-natured and likeable update of The Taming of the Shrew takes the basics of Shakespeare's farce about a surly wench and the man who tries to win her and transfers it to modern-day Padua High School. Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) is a sullen, forbidding riot grrrl who has a blistering word for everyone; her sunny younger sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is poised for high school stardom. The problem: overprotective and paranoid Papa Stratford (a dryly funny Larry Miller) won't let Bianca date until boy-hating Kat does, which is to say never. When Bianca's pining suitor Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gets wind of this, he hires the mysterious, brooding Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to loosen Kat up. Of course, what starts out as a paying gig turns to true love as Patrick discovers that underneath her brittle exterior, Kat is a regular babe. The script, by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, is sitcom-funny with peppy one-liners and lots of smart teenspeak; however, its cleverness and imagination doesn't really extend beyond its characters' Renaissance names and occasional snippets of real Shakespearean dialogue. What makes the movie energetic and winning is the formula that helped make She's All That such a big hit: two high-wattage stars who look great and can really act. Ledger is a hunk of promise with a quick grin and charming Aussie accent, and Stiles mines Kat's bitterness and anger to depths usually unknown in teen films; her recitation of her English class sonnet (from which the film takes its title) is funny, heartbreaking, and hopelessly romantic. The imperious Allison Janney (Primary Colors) nearly steals the film as a no-nonsense guidance counselor secretly writing a trashy romance novel. --Mark Englehart
A cool cast of young stars is just one of the things you'll love about this hilarious comedy hit! On the first day at his new school, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt -- HALLOWEEN: H2O, TV's "3RD Rock From The Sun") instantly falls for Bianca (Larisa Oleynik -- THE BABY SITTERS CLUB), the gorgeous girl of his dreams. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date ... until her ill-tempered, completely un-dateable older sister Kat (Julia Stiles -- THE BOURNE IDENTITY, SAVE THE LAST DANCE) goes out too! In an attempt to solve his problem, Cameron singles out the only guy who could possibly be a match for Kat: a mysterious bad-boy (Heath Ledger -- A KNIGHT'S TALE, THE PATRIOT) with a nasty reputation of his own! Also featuring a hip soundtrack -- this witty comedy is a wildly entertaining look at exactly how far some guys will go to get a date!
The Baby Sitters Club
by Melanie Mayron
from Sony Pictures
100 Girls
by Michael Davis (II)
from Lions Gate
Self-described "tragically glib" college freshman Jonathan Tucker finds true love in a girls' dorm elevator during a blackout, but when he forgets to get her name he has 100 suspects to sift through, one by one! It may sound like the premise of just another teen sex farce, but writer-director Michael Davis makes it the starting point of the boy's getting of wisdom. Amiable young star Tucker brings an excited and endearing innocence to his journey, and Emmanuelle Chriqui is a delight as the "promiscuous" girl who teaches him a thing or three about crippling stereotypes. Larisa Oleynik, Jaime Pressly, Marissa Ribisi, and Katherine Heigl are just a few of the other girls who help him along. 100 Girls is a refreshingly frank, funny, and sexy exploration of the dynamics of young men and women and the power of first impressions, reputations, and expectations. --Sean Axmaker
When a blackout knocks out an elevator in a college girl's dorm, Matthew and a mystery girl connect carnally and emotionally. But he's left in the dark as to her true identity. He's got 100 suspects, and a slew of hilarious schemes to worm his way into the hearts and panty drawers of each and every one of them!
100 Girls
by Michael Davis
from Lions Gate
100 GIRLS - WS (DVD MOVIE)
Louis Armstrong - Satchmo
by Terry Hughes
from Sony
Black Sabbath - The Best of Musikladen Live
Satan had a smaller budget upon first entering the music business, judging from the low-rent look of these 1970 Black Sabbath performances from German TV. Replete with cheesy post-psychedelic graphics and stonily blank facial expressions, the clips nonetheless put across the power of Sabbath's rudimentary metal on ace versions of "Black Sabbath," "Paranoid," and "Iron Man." One is more frightened for Ozzy Osbourne than of him, though, during the hilariously awful rendition of "Blue Suede Shoes" that closes this well-mastered DVD. --Rickey Wright
In 1970, Black Sabbath made two appearances on the Beat Club/Musikladen television series. With their original line-up featuring Tony Iommi on guitar, Terry "Geezer" Butler on bass drums, and Ozzie belting out the vocals. These rare appearances highlight enormous energy projected by this popular rock band. Includes Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Iron Man and Blue Suede Shoes.
Cinema Combat: Hollywood Goes to War (1998)
In the trenches with dozens of classic and favorite war movies! For nearly a hundred years, Hollywood has been bringing movie audiences to the front lines of battle with heartstopping combat spectaculars, intense psychological dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies. Host Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now) narrates this compelling documentary featuring spectacular highlights spanning generations of great war films from Cecil B. De Mille's "The Little American" in 1917 to 1989's "Born on the Fourth of July" starring Tom Cruise. This comprehensive look at combat and film also includes dazzling real-life newsreels, archival photographs and rare behind-the-scenes footage that chronicle some of the greatest war films ever made.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir - The Songs of Christmas
by Terry Hughes
from Image Entertainment
In the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's The Songs of Christmas, the 11 hymns and carols of faith and sacred devotion to Jesus and the blush of the holiday season--from "Joy to the World" to "O Divine Redeemer"--are recorded live in digital stereo in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, under the stellar direction of Jerold Ottley and, yes, the music is glorious, tear-jerking, and heartwarming. But you can fast-forward over the rest of the presentation, which includes sermonistic "Spoken Word" by J. Spencer Kinard and ritualistic and stalwart scenes of Christmas. --Paula Nechak
The sights and sounds of the Christmas season. The best loved traditional and sacred music is blended with festive holiday scenes to bring the true meaning of Christmas delightfully into focus. This program was recorded live in digital stereo in the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A special Christmas address given by J. Spencer Kinard completes the joyful message of this sacred season. Songs: Joy to the World!, Do You Hear What I Hear?, Silver Bells, Winter Wonderland, O Divine Redeemer, O Holy Night, O Come Emmanuel, The Christmas Song, Away in a Manger, Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Sara K: No Cover
by Terry Hughes
from Chesky Records
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