Pressman, Lawrence

9 to 5 - Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition - Widescreen

With a nod to Preston Sturges's classic dark comedy Unfaithfully Yours (about a man who fantasizes about murdering his possibly philandering wife), this 1980 cotton-candy-feminist-vendetta film concerns a monstrous boss (Dabney Coleman) whose more capable underlings dream of ways of punishing him. That much of the film is particularly fun, but the rest of it descends into silliness when the women stumble onto a real-life opportunity to teach him a lesson. Fonda, the biggest star in the film at the time, takes a back seat to Parton's and Tomlin's showier roles. Written and directed by the late Colin Higgins (who made a lot of people happy in the '70s with his script for the beloved Harold and Maude). --Tom Keogh

On the DVD
What's on the "Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition" DVD of one of the more enduring comedies of the 1980s? The cast were obviously delighted for the opportunity to travel down memory lane, providing a commentary. Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin recorded their bits in one city while Jane Fonda recorded hers simultaneously in another city, as they watched the movie again together. The three leads--one, Parton, a rookie actress--made for a well-balanced comedic team whose friendship has endured off-screen for 25 years, a friendship that comes across in their banter. A "Nine At 25" featurette finds the cast and producer dishing such tidbits as the fact Parton came to the set having memorized the entire script, everyone else's parts included. A "9 to 5" karaoke feature may entertain depending on how many drinks one has had at the office party, but the words don't always seem in sync with the music.

To celebrate the release of this edition of 9 to 5, the cast, sans Dabney Coleman, reunited in Los Angeles for a party in which Dolly sang the theme song, memories were shared, and actresses dressed as '80s office workers acted busy in cubicles and reception desks.

The Cast of 9 to 5 Celebrate 25 Years of Sticking It to the Boss (click for larger image)

In this witty satirical farce secretaries Dolly Parton Jane Fonda and office manager Lily Tomlin live every female worker's dream after discovering they share the same resentment towards their egotistical sexist boss (Dabney Coleman). When they get an unexpected chance to take revenge they turn their male controlled workplace into a modle office - even as their scheme spins wildly out of control.Episodes-Bonus Features:Feature - Pan Scan and Widescreen format available.Inside LookCommentary by Producer Bruce Gilbert and actors Jane Fonda Dolly Parton and Dabney ColemanNine @ 25 Featurette10 Deleted ScenesRemembering Collin HigginsGag ReelSinging Nine to Five KaraokeOriginal Theatrical TrailerSystem Requirements:Running Time 110 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 024543231523 Manufacturer No: 2233152

American Pie - Unrated (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

Anyone who's watched just about any teenage film knows that the greatest evil in this world isn't chemical warfare, ethnic cleansing, or even the nuclear bomb. The worst crime known to man? Why, virginity, of course. As we've learned from countless films--from Summer of '42 to Risky Business--virginity is a criminal burden that one must shed oneself of as quickly as possible. And while many of these films have given the topic a bad name, American Pie quietly sweeps in and gives sex some of its dignity back. Dignity, you may say? How can a film that highlights intercourse with fruit pies, premature ejaculation broadcasted across the Internet, and the gratuitous "gross-out" shots restore the dignity of a genre that's been encumbered with such heavyweights as Porky's and Losin' It? The plot may be typical, with four high school friends swearing to "score" by prom, yet the film rises above the muck with its superior cast, successful and sweet humor, and some actually rather retro values about the meaning and importance of sex. Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, and Eddie Kaye Thomas make up the odd quartet of pals determined to woo, lie, and beg their way to manhood. The young women they pursue are wary girlfriend Vicky (Tara Reid), choir girl Heather (Mena Suvari), band geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), and just about any other female who is willing and able. Natasha Lyonne as Jessica, playing a similar role as in Slums of Beverly Hills, is the general adviser to the crowd (when Vicky tells her "I want it to be the right time, the right place," Jessica responds, "It's not a space shuttle launch, it's sex"). The comedic timing hits the mark--especially in the deliberately awkward scenes between Jim (Biggs) and his father (Eugene Levy). And, of course, lessons are learned in this genuinely funny film, which will probably please the adult crowd even more than it will the teenage one. --Jenny Brown

Nine to Five - Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition - Full Screen

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 6-FEB-2007
Media Type: DVD

With a nod to Preston Sturges's classic dark comedy Unfaithfully Yours (about a man who fantasizes about murdering his possibly philandering wife), this 1980 cotton-candy-feminist-vendetta film concerns a monstrous boss (Dabney Coleman) whose more capable underlings dream of ways of punishing him. That much of the film is particularly fun, but the rest of it descends into silliness when the women stumble onto a real-life opportunity to teach him a lesson. Fonda, the biggest star in the film at the time, takes a back seat to Parton's and Tomlin's showier roles. Written and directed by the late Colin Higgins (who made a lot of people happy in the '70s with his script for the beloved Harold and Maude). --Tom Keogh

On the DVD
What's on the "Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition" DVD of one of the more enduring comedies of the 1980s? The cast were obviously delighted for the opportunity to travel down memory lane, providing a commentary. Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin recorded their bits in one city while Jane Fonda recorded hers simultaneously in another city, as they watched the movie again together. The three leads--one, Parton, a rookie actress--made for a well-balanced comedic team whose friendship has endured off-screen for 25 years, a friendship that comes across in their banter. A "Nine At 25" featurette finds the cast and producer dishing such tidbits as the fact Parton came to the set having memorized the entire script, everyone else's parts included. A "9 to 5" karaoke feature may entertain depending on how many drinks one has had at the office party, but the words don't always seem in sync with the music.

To celebrate the release of this edition of 9 to 5, the cast, sans Dabney Coleman, reunited in Los Angeles for a party in which Dolly sang the theme song, memories were shared, and actresses dressed as '80s office workers acted busy in cubicles and reception desks.

The Cast of 9 to 5 Celebrate 25 Years of Sticking It to the Boss (click for larger image)

Mighty Joe Young

Charlize Theron is the latest stunning blonde to be hanging around some big ape in a Hollywood movie, this one a remake of the 1949 semi-classic with echoes of the superior King Kong. Theron plays the daugher of an American researcher killed by poachers in Africa. The baby gorilla left in her care grows up to become a hugely tall and broad specimen named Joe, living in the mountains as a mostly unseen legend among people who live there. Along comes an eco-minded emissary (Bill Paxton) from a California sanctuary, who talks the jungle girl into providing safe haven for Joe at the L.A. facility. The transition is not without discomfort, but everything is aggravated via a conspiracy of poachers to get Joe into their own greedy hands. Director Ron Underwood (City Slickers) uses a combination of special-effects techniques to give Joe life and personality, and he succeeds quite effectively. The requisite giant-ape-goes-amok scenes are all in place--a couple of them pretty intense--as is a conclusion that finds the simian hero performing a stunning feat of escalation. Underwood attempts to give a little modern spin to some classic Hollywood conventions regarding wild hearts lost in civilization, and the results are pretty agreeable family fare. --Tom Keogh

In the classic tradition of heroic Disney adventures comes the extraordinary MIGHTY JOE YOUNG -- a thrilling story full of excitement, friendship, courage, and heart. The legendary Joe, a playful, smart fifteen-foot-tall gorilla, and his lifelong best friend Jill Young (Charlize Theron) have grown up together in the remote mountains of Central Africa. When Joe's peaceful existence is shattered by poachers, Jill and zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) rescue their innocent friend and move him to the safety of an animal conservancy in California. But Joe's safety is short-lived. No longer a myth, his notoriety makes him a target for an enemy from his past -- a ruthless hunter who will do anything to capture the Mighty Joe. From the moment you meet him to his incredible display of courage, Mighty Joe Young will fill your eyes with wonder and your heart with magic.

American Wedding - Unrated (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

You re on the guest list for this UNRATED American Wedding the version you couldn t see in theaters! The American Pie gang returns to wreak havoc with a new rite of passage when Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) decide to get married! Of course Stifler (Seann William Scott) will be there (bridesmaids!) and more importantly will throw the ultimate bachelor party (strippers!). So RSVP for the outrageously UNRATED American Wedding experience in this hilariously hot frantically funny final chapter of the unforgettable American Pie saga!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 025192379925 Manufacturer No: 61023799

The producers of the American Pie movies pushed their luck with a third slice of their lucrative raunchy comedy franchise, and American Wedding cooked up surprisingly well. It's the sourest serving of Pie, with half of the original cast missing, and there's something undeniably desperate about comedic highlights (involving dog poop, a lusty old lady, two strippers to offset the absence of Shannon Elizabeth, and the ill-advised use of a trimming razor) that arise more from obligation than inspiration, on the assumption that another penile mishap is guaranteed to please. And yet, that's just what this movie does for devoted Pie-munchers: It gives 'em what they want, especially when the notorious Stifler (Seann William Scott) nearly ruins the frantic nuptials of Jim (Jason Biggs) and his band-camping sweetheart Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). Eugene Levy and Eddie Kaye Thomas also return for some reliable comic relief, but the one who's laughing most is three-time Pie writer Adam Herz--laughing loudly and often, all the way to the bank. --Jeff Shannon

Doogie Howser, M.D. - Season One

"THE COMPLETE PREMIERE SEASON PLUS ALL-NEW BONUS MATERIALS FEATURING NEIL PATRICK HARRIS Neil Patrick Harris stars as Douglas "Doogie" Howser, a whiz kid who breezed through high school in 9 weeks, graduated from Princeton at 10 and passed his medical board at 14. But as a 16-year-old doctor, Doogie must now find a way to balance the demands of professional medicine with the everyday pressures of being a teenager. In this debut season, Doogie experiences his first kiss, loses his first patient, fights the system at Eastman Medical Center, and discovers some unique lessons about life, death and growing up with the help of his best friend Vinnie (Max Casella), his parents (Belinda Montgomery and James Sikking), his new girlfriend Wanda (Lisa Dean Ryan), his boss Dr. Canfield (Lawrence Pressman) and more. When you're a boy genius, life can be a mystery: This is DOOGIE HOWSER, M.D. This collection includes all 26 first season episodes of the hit comedy-drama created by Emmy® winners Steven Bochco (HILL STREET BLUES, L.A. LAW, NYPD BLUE) and David E. Kelley (ALLY McBEAL, CHICAGO HOPE, THE PRACTICE), and featuring revealing new interviews with Steven Bochco and Neil Patrick Harris produced exclusively for this collection. FEATURES FEATURES • All 26 Episodes From Season One • Brand New Interviews with Co-Creator/ Producer Steven Bochco & Star Neil Patrick Harris • 8-Page Journal With Liner Notes & Color Photos"

Shaft

Gordon Parks (The Learning Tree) directed this 1971 detective story about John Shaft (Richard Roundtree), an African American private eye who has a rocky relationship with cops, an even rockier one with Harlem gangsters, and a healthy sex life. The script finds Shaft tracking down the kidnapped daughter of a black mobster, but the pleasure of the film is the sum of its attitude, Roundtree's uncompromising performance, and the thrilling, Oscar-winning score by Isaac Hayes. Parks seems fond of certain detective genre clichés (e.g., the hero walking into his low-rent office and finding a hood waiting to talk with him), but he and Roundtree make those moments their own. Shaft had a couple of sequels and a follow-up television series, but none had the impact this movie did. --Tom Keogh

Doogie Howser, M.D.: Season Two

Oh, the torments of being a teenaged surgeon! It's funny that a nation known for distrusting intellect would embrace a show about a young genius who becomes a doctor at 14. Debuting in 1989, Doogie Howser, M.D. originally emphasized Doogie's medical career, contrasting the issues of life and death with star Neil Patrick Harris's chipmunk cheeks and buoyant energy. Season Two tilted more towards Doogie's life as a teenager--particular the bubbling of his adolescent hormones, often sparked by the schemes of Doogie's best friend, the relentless horndog Vinnie Delpino (Max Casella, later to appear in Ed Wood and The Sopranos). The show's sexual frankness can be startling--it's hard to imagine a contemporary show that would openly advocate condoms, as Doogie does when he makes public health promotions for a music video channel.

Given the gimmicky nature of the premise, it's also surprising how emotionally complex Doogie Howser, M.D. could be. The season opens with a realistic investigation into Doogie's lost youth and closes with a multi-episode storyline about Doogie's girlfriend Wanda (Lisa Dean Ryan, Surfacing) struggling with depression after losing her mother in a car crash. Of course, the show was just as often silly (Vinnie enlists his friends to make a zombie/slasher movie) or awash in sentimentality--Doogie's journal entries, which conclude every episode, could be wincingly sappy. But even at its weakest, producer Stephen Bochco (creator of L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues, who created Doogie Howser, M.D. with David Kelley, creator of Ally McBeal) kept the writing and directing crisp, and the cast (including James Sikking, Belinda Montgomery, and Lawrence Pressman as the adults in Doogie's life) turned in solid work. Harris successfully carried off the role of a genius who still had the emotional confusions of youth; it's jarring to see him as an adult in a short interview, included as an extra, as well as an interview with Casella (who, it turns out, was already in his 20s when the show began). The show rested on Harris' shoulders, and, like his character, he carried his responsibilities lightly and with style. Warning: Repeated exposure to the theme song will inspire suicidal thoughts; fast forward through the credits to preserve your sanity. --Bret Fetzer

Doogie Howser, a whiz kid who breezed through high school, graduated from Princeton, and passed his medical board by age 14, must now find a way to balance the demands of professional medicine with the everyday pressures of being a teenager.

Doogie Howser, M.D.: Season Four

He began as a 16 year old doctor, but now `boy genius' Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris) is a young man dealing with the adult dilemmas of self-doubt, sexual relationships, racial tensions, new roommates, gun control, child abuse and beyond. This fourth and final season includes such fanfavorite episodes as "There's A Riot Going On", "The Adventures Of Sherlock Howser", "You've Come A Long Way, Babysitter", the Emmy® Award winning "Doogie Got A Gun", and much more. Max Casella, Kathryn Layng, Lawrence Pressman, James Sikking, Belinda Montgomery and Markus Redmond co-star in this last season of the hit comedy/drama from creator/producers Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley that remains one of the best loved series of the 90s

Doogie Howser, M.D. - Season Three

Doogie Howser, a whiz kid who breezed through high school, graduated from Princeton, and passed his medical board by age 14, must now find a way to balance the demands of professional medicine with the everyday pressures of being a teenager.