Outerbridge, Peter

Lucky Number Slevin (Widescreen Edition)

Set in the New York underworld where nothing is as it seems Lucky Number Slevin is an action-packed fun-as-hell roller coaster ride (Venice Magazine). When down-on-his-luck Slevin (Josh Hartnett) stumbles into a running feud between the city s most feared crime bosses (Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley) he ignites an all-out war. Tracked by a mysterious assassin (Bruce Willis) and distracted by his flirtatious neighbor (Lucy Liu) Slevin must try to cheat death by turning the tables on the gangsters. If you take the best parts of Pulp Fiction The Usual Suspects and The Professional what you get is Lucky Number Slevin (Shawn Edwards Fox-TV).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 796019794817 Manufacturer No: 79481

How boring it is to label a movie Tarantino-esque anymore. The thing is, when it comes to an offering like Lucky Number Slevin, the shoe fits, and the result is anything but boring. Gruesome killings, arid wit, self-reflexive pop culture references, an A-list cast, and style-heavy production values abound, which gives the proceedings an epoxy bond that seals the Q.T. homage factor. Josh Hartnett--who spends a lot of buffed-up time with his shirt off--is Slevin Kelevra, a hapless fellow visiting his New York friend Nick. But Nick has disappeared, which sets off a mistaken-identity thrill ride when two goons grab Slevin (he's in Nick's apartment so he must be Nick) and take him to their crime lord boss, the Boss (Morgan Freeman). The Boss doesn't care about Slevin's wrong-man protests; he just wants the $96,000 Nick owes him. In one of many offers he can't refuse, Slevin has to agree to murder the son of the Boss's felonious arch rival, the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) or take the bullet himself. But Slevin turns out to be no ordinary patsy. Thrown into the ingeniously designed production, clever plot twists, and academic nods to Bond, Hitchcock, and obscure old cartoons are Lucy Liu as a sexy coroner, Stanley Tucci as an obsessed cop, and Bruce Willis as a wily hit man with his finger in many pots. With so much visual and narrative trickery, there's almost too much to absorb in one viewing of this convoluted jigsaw puzzle of revenge and entertaining mayhem. Lucky Number Slevin isn't quite up to par with similarly brainy thrillers like Memento and The Usual Suspects, but the prospect of seeing it again in order to get your bearings is just as appealing.--Ted Fry

Cool Runnings

Based on an improbable but true story, Cool Runnings concerns the Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Director Jon Turteltaub (Phenomenon) does a fine job with both the absurdity of the situation (the athletes had never even seen snow) and the passion behind it (their desire to compete and win). John Candy, in one of his last roles, is touching as a disgraced coach who seizes the opportunity to work with the Jamaicans as a chance for redemption. The bobsled scenes look good, and the races are exciting. The climax, which is entirely unexpected, takes the film to a wholly different level, even if events in the story don't quite match the facts. --Tom Keogh

Based on a true story, this is the comedic saga of four Jamaican athletes going to extremes to compete as bobsled racers at the Winter Olympics. With few resources and virtually no clue about winter sports, it's an uphill course for this troupe from the tropics who are sliding on thin ice as they go for the gold in Calgary, Canada. Refusing to let anything stand in their way, these four Jamaicans enlist the help of a down-and-out ex-champion American slider named Irv. Unavoidably drawn back to a sport he had come to loathe, Irv is faced with coaching a team of complete novices. But once committed, he is determined to turn them around and to somehow right the wrongs of his own failed career. It's a bumpy ride but with pride, determination, and dignity, the bobsledders make their impossible dreams come true.

Better Than Chocolate

Better than Chocolate is a sexy romp of love and lust with surprising results. Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) meets the woman of her dreams Kim (Christina Cox) just hours before her mother Lila (Wendy Crewson) and brother Paul (Kevin Mundy) move in with her. When the four end up sharing a loft Maggie believes she must keep her affair a secret but it is Maggie's clandestine romance that inadvertently introduces her family to a host of new experiences all of which are potentially better than chocolate.Features: Dolby Stereo Letter-Box Director Commentary English Spanish and French Subtitle Trailer Scene AccessInteractive MenusFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 031398725336 Manufacturer No: 71178

Many lesbian movies are long on charm and short on production values; Better Than Chocolate has a solid dose of both and steamy sex scenes to boot. Our heroine Maggie (Karyn Dwyer), a clerk at a lesbian bookstore, meets footloose butch Kim (Christina Cox) and, after Kim's van is towed away, they move in together. Unfortunately for their romantic bliss, Maggie's mother, Lila (Wendy Crewson), and teenage brother move in that very evening thanks to Lila's impending divorce. But what really complicates matters is that Maggie can't bring herself to come out to her mother; even when she tries, Lila steamrolls through the conversation, like she knows what's coming and doesn't want to hear it. Interwoven with this is the struggle of Judy (Peter Outerbridge), a male-to-female transsexual who's in love with the bookstore's owner, Frances (Ann-Marie MacDonald), who's freaking out because customs officers are holding a list of books at the border that they claim are obscene. The overlapping plots are deftly juggled, the personal and political are compellingly interwoven, and, most satisfying of all, the characters have problems that aren't going to be easily resolved. A handful of candy-colored lip-synching musical numbers give the movie some flash and the sex scenes give the movie some heat, but it's the elements of sorrow and ambiguity that really make the joy in Better Than Chocolate something to savor. --Bret Fetzer

10.5: Apocalypse

10.5 Apocalypse explodes in a shockwave of thrills, blazing action and exciting special effects. Sequel to "10.5" - the highest rated miniseries of the 2003/2004 television series.

Mission To Mars

If Brian De Palma directed Mission to Mars for 10-year-olds who've never seen a science fiction film, he can be credited for crafting a marginally successful adventure. Isolated moments in this film serve the highest purpose of its genre, inspiring a sense of wonder and awe in the context of a fascinating future (specifically, the year 2020). But because most of us have seen a lot of science fiction films, it's impossible to ignore this one's derivative plot, cardboard characters, and drearily dumb dialogue. Despite an awesome and painstakingly authentic display of cool technology and dazzling special effects, Mission to Mars is light years away from 2001: A Space Odyssey on the scale of human intelligence.

After dispensing with a few space-jockey clichés, the movie focuses on a Mars-bound rescue mission commanded by Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), whose team (Tim Robbins, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O'Connell) has been sent to retrieve the sole survivor (Don Cheadle) of a tragic Mars landing. During the sequence en route to Mars, De Palma's in his element with two suspenseful scenes (including a dramatic--albeit somewhat silly--space walk) that are technically impressive. But when this Mission gets to Mars, the movie grows increasingly unconvincing, finally arriving at an alien encounter that more closely resembles an astronomical CGI video game. But this is a $75 million Hollywood movie, and no amount of technical wizardry can lift the burden of a juvenile screenplay. Kudos to Sinise, his costars, and the special effects wizards for making the most of hoary material; shame on just about everyone else involved. --Jeff Shannon

From the director of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE comes the thrilling, eye-popping science fiction adventure MISSION TO MARS, starring Gary Sinise (SNAKE EYES) and Tim Robbins (HIGH FIDELITY). The year is 2020, and the first manned mission to Mars, commanded by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle, OCEANS 11), lands safely on the red planet. But the Martian landscape harbors a bizarre and shocking secret that leads to a mysterious disaster so catastrophic, it decimates the crew. Haunted by a cryptic last message from Graham, NASA launches the Mars Recovery Mission to investigate and bring back survivors -- if there are any. Confronted with nearly insurmountable dangers, but propelled by deep friendship, the team finally lands on Mars and makes a discovery so amazing, it takes your breath away. MISSION TO MARS is an action-packed rocket ride that will enthrall you with its stunning special effects and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Lucky Number Slevin (Full Screen Edition)

How boring it is to label a movie Tarantino-esque anymore. The thing is, when it comes to an offering like Lucky Number Slevin, the shoe fits, and the result is anything but boring. Gruesome killings, arid wit, self-reflexive pop culture references, an A-list cast, and style-heavy production values abound, which gives the proceedings an epoxy bond that seals the Q.T. homage factor. Josh Hartnett--who spends a lot of buffed-up time with his shirt off--is Slevin Kelevra, a hapless fellow visiting his New York friend Nick. But Nick has disappeared, which sets off a mistaken-identity thrill ride when two goons grab Slevin (he's in Nick's apartment so he must be Nick) and take him to their crime lord boss, the Boss (Morgan Freeman). The Boss doesn't care about Slevin's wrong-man protests; he just wants the $96,000 Nick owes him. In one of many offers he can't refuse, Slevin has to agree to murder the son of the Boss's felonious arch rival, the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) or take the bullet himself. But Slevin turns out to be no ordinary patsy. Thrown into the ingeniously designed production, clever plot twists, and academic nods to Bond, Hitchcock, and obscure old cartoons are Lucy Liu as a sexy coroner, Stanley Tucci as an obsessed cop, and Bruce Willis as a wily hit man with his finger in many pots. With so much visual and narrative trickery, there's almost too much to absorb in one viewing of this convoluted jigsaw puzzle of revenge and entertaining mayhem. Lucky Number Slevin isn't quite up to par with similarly brainy thrillers like Memento and The Usual Suspects, but the prospect of seeing it again in order to get your bearings is just as appealing.--Ted Fry

Set in the New York underworld where nothing is as it seems Lucky Number Slevin is an action-packed fun-as-hell roller coaster ride (Venice Magazine). When down-on-his-luck Slevin (Josh Hartnett) stumbles into a running feud between the city s most feared crime bosses (Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley) he ignites an all-out war. Tracked by a mysterious assassin (Bruce Willis) and distracted by his flirtatious neighbor (Lucy Liu) Slevin must try to cheat death by turning the tables on the gangsters. If you take the best parts of Pulp Fiction The Usual Suspects and The Professional what you get is Lucky Number Slevin (Shawn Edwards Fox-TV).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 796019794824 Manufacturer No: 79482

Men With Brooms

Call it The Full Monty on ice. With tongue firmly in cheek, director-writer-star Paul Gross applies the old underdog sports-team formula to that great Northern obsession: curling. (You thought hockey was the national obsession? So did Canada.) You know the score: estranged teammates reunite to fulfill a dead man's last request, win glory for their fictional hometown, and earn back their hibernating self-respect. Square-jawed Gross recalls his Due South days as the amiable team captain, a boy scout with an impish streak. Leslie Nielsen turns down the usual goofball shtick to play Gross's crotchety, self-medicating father. There are enough issues here to fuel a dozen movies and none of them packs the punch of a pint of Molson's beer, which is just the right tone for this off-center sports spoof, a story of little victories, big stones, and beavers on the move. --Sean Axmaker

Population 436

Jeremy Sisto (Thirteen TV's 'Six Feet Under') and Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst (Be Cool) star in this thrilling story about a U.S. census taker who is assigned to assess the population in a remote mountain community. The census taker becomes trapped in this prison-like town full of 'golden rules' (that no one ever breaks) that doesn't allow its population to drop below or exceed exactly 436 citizens a number in accordance with 'God's Law.' He eventually learns that NO ONE is ever allowed to leave Rockwell Falls and that the town citizens will do whatever it takes to maintain the status quo. After fending off a lobotomy and pretending to go along with the program the U.S. census taker eventually tries to escape. Will the population finally be altered or will the story of Rockwell Falls live on? Director/producer of TV's long-running Director/producer of TV's long-running science fiction thriller 'X-Files' Michelle Maxwell (TV's 'Night Stalker' 'Without A Trace') directs this bone-chilling film. The people of Rockwell Falls refer to their town of perfect balance as 'the most perfect place on Earth' - where numbers rule the universe everybody's watching divine order is law and God punishes those that are lacking in faith in order to save the people from themselves. SPECIAL FEATURES: Alternate Ending System Requirements:Running Time 92 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: R UPC: 043396145078 Manufacturer No: 14507

Kissed

Cross over into a world where life ends and true passion begins where the thrill of life is not in the living but in the transcendence into death. Kissed is a "gripping" (Vogue) love story that "will haunt you for a good long time" (Rolling Stone).Ever since she was a young girl Sandra has been fascinated with death. When she takes part-time work at a funeral parlor her obsession with the dead begins to consume her every thought and desire. Her secret obsession however interferes with her burgeoning relationship with her boyfriend Matt forcing him to embark on a personal crusade to prove that he will go to great lengths and sacrifices to make her love him!System Requirements:Running Time: 79 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 027616878922 Manufacturer No: 1003765

Cold Creek Manor

A family moves into a new home and end up terrorized by its dark past.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVD

Turn off your brain and Cold Creek Manor just might turn into an entertaining thriller. Taking an uncharacteristic detour into nonsensical plot mechanics, director Mike Figgis expertly pushes buttons with this nerve-jangling but ultimately hackneyed story (by Richard Jeffries) about a documentary filmmaker (Dennis Quaid) who moves his wife (Sharon Stone) and two kids into a run-down rural mansion once owned by the family of a simmering ex-convict (Stephen Dorff), who's got secret reasons for wanting Quaid's family to leave. This rote potboiler wants to be as thrilling as Fatal Attraction, but it's more like Pacific Heights--fun to watch as the tension escalates with Dorff's violent behavior, but seriously flawed as plot holes proliferate. With a few good shocks and slinky support from Juliette Lewis, it's perfectly enjoyable as a popcorn distraction, but maybe they should've called it Cold Creaky Manor instead. --Jeff Shannon