Russ, William

American History X

Edward Norton's Academy Award nominated role as a White Supremist who sees the error of his ways while jailed for murder. Unfortunately he leaves prison to find his brother (Edward Furlong) heading down the same path.Running Time: 119 min.System Requirements:Directed by Tony Kaye Writing credits David McKenna Cast overview first billed only: Edward Norton Edward Furlong Beverly D Angelo Jennifer Lien Ethan Suplee Fairuza Balk Avery Brooks Elliott Gould Stacy Keach William Russ Guy Torry Joseph Cortese Jason Bose Smith Antonio David Lyons Alex Sol ;Runtime: USA:117;Sound Mix: Dolby Digital / SDDSFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 794043473920

Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate, Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father, and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach), a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach, California, all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.

The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or, in Danny's mind, martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric, Danny is easily swayed into the violent, hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released, Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate, and American History X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions, awkward sentiment, and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been, both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon

Cruising (Deluxe Edition)

A sadistic serial killer is targeting New York's gay community and in response the NYPD sends rookie cop Steve Burns undercover to find the killer. Burns who is straight poses as a homosexual and enters the world of gay S&M sex clubs learning their rules and mores as he goes along. But as Burns arduously tracks down the murderer he finds himself growing attracted to these clubs and the gay lifestyle forcing him to question -- and possibly confront -- his own sexual identity.System Requirements:Running Time: 102 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 085391167969 Manufacturer No: 116796

Al Pacino hunts for a serial killer in a lurid world of gay leather bars in Cruising. Because of his resemblance to the victims of a series of slayings, cop Steve Burns (Pacino) goes undercover as a gay man, wandering through wild, gyrating bacchanalias straight out of a Tom of Finland painting, hoping that the killer will be drawn to his dark, tormented eyes. Cruising is a peculiar movie, a gritty police procedural that director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) tried to push into a quasi-metaphysical dimension with some casting tricks and subliminal images. Due to the controversy the movie sparked in the gay community, Friedkin goes to great lengths in the commentary and featurettes to defend the authenticity of the movie's sources (about a bizarre scene where a muscular black man wearing nothing but a jock strap and a cowboy hat appears out of nowhere and slaps a suspect being interrogated by the police, Friedkin claims this actually happened, though no context is offered). The movie passes no apparent judgment on the overtly sexual scenes in gay bars...yet clearly these scenes are expected to provoke unease in the viewer. Cruising is sure to provoke arguments: Is Pacino's performance vulnerable or tentative? Is the movie about homophobia or homophobic itself? What does the ending mean? Yet there's no denying it's claimed a place in cinematic history; far more people know about it than have seen it. For that--as well as the stylish cinematography--Cruising is worth seeing. --Bret Fetzer

Wanted Dead or Alive

The Border

This is one of Jack Nicholson's most underrated performances and director Tony Richardson's most overlooked films. Nicholson is a member of the U.S. Border Patrol who moves with his materialistic wife (Valerie Perrine) to a small Texas town. There, his new colleagues try to pull him into the web of corruption that runs through the local department and he's tempted, because the illicit cash will help pay the bills that his charge-happy wife is running up. But his conscience gets the better of him when he gets involved in a case of a young Mexican woman whose baby is stolen to be sold for adoption. Nicholson simmers, stews, and eventually explodes. The superior cast includes Perrine, Harvey Keitel, and Warren Oates. --Marshall Fine

Boy Meets World - The Complete First Season

Boy Meets World joined the ABC network's successful "TGIF" lineup in 1993, and instantly distinguished itself from the dewy-eyed hokum that passes for much family viewing with its relative sophistication, emotional complexity, and smart, stylish dialogue. In a way, Boy Meets World, starring Ben Savage, picked up where ABC's The Wonder Years (1988-1993), featuring older brother Fred Savage, left off. Both shows looked at the world from the point of view of largely unformed and untested boys as they faced dilemmas concerning love, loyalty, and ethics within their families, among friends, and at school. But where The Wonder Years was an arch and poignant series with nostalgic, grown-up appeal--and which had a young hero often at a loss for words--BMW looked more like a broader, conventional sitcom where chatter never ceased. The show was and is more easily taken for granted, but its unusual gracefulness and wit can't be denied after a couple of viewings.

Boy Meets World lasted seven seasons, and one of the real pleasures of following the series is that its story and character changes are largely organic, rather than forced by cast departures or other pressures. Thus the auspicious first meeting of Savage's 11-year-old Cory Matthews and his classmate Topanga (Danielle Fishel) in season 1 leads, quite sweetly and logically, to a deeper relationship in subsequent seasons. Cory's attachment to his formidable yet compassionate 6th-grade teacher, Mr. Feeny (William Daniels in a tailor-made performance), who also happens to be Cory's neighbor, grows and deepens as Feeny eventually becomes the principal at Cory's high school and a mentor beyond. Season 1 also introduces Cory's likeable father (William Russ), a grocery store manager, and mother (Betsy Randle), a homemaker and realtor, as well as appealing siblings Eric (Will Friedle) and Morgan (Lindsay Ridgeway) and best friend Shawn (Rider Strong). A slightly surreal tone (a little similar to Family Ties) keeps the jokes coming, but BMW is at its most touching when Cory's awareness of and empathy for the needs of others expands. --Tom Keogh

Go back to the beginning with Cory, Topanga, Shawn and all your favorite characters in Boy Meets World's hilarious first season. With the help of his family and his teacher, Mr. Feeny, Cory (Ben Savage) explores life, relationships and the strange, wild world of sixth grade.

Aspen Extreme: Top Gun On The Slopes!

In this heart-pounding action-adventure, two buddies abandon their blue-collar world to become ski instructors in Aspen, Colorado. There, they discover the electrifying playground of the rich and famous -- experiencing firsthand extreme skiing, wealth, and seduction. Surrounded by temptation, and Aspen's alluring lifestyle, the two friends soon face the toughest challenge of their lives ...

Disorganized Crime

Lou Diamond Phillips (COURAGE UNDER FIRE) and Fred Gwynne (PET SEMATARY, MY COUSIN VINNY) team up with a gang of professional criminals who have everything it takes to rob a bank -- except their boss, Corbin Bernsen (MAJOR LEAGUE, L.A. LAW), a car, and a plan. The only things they do have going for them are a cop, Ed O'Neill (MARRIED ... WITH CHILDREN) and his partner, who are dumber than they are! By the time the gang hits the bank vault, it's a safe bet there's going to be organized insanity -- and disorganized crime! This hilarious hit from the makers of STAKEOUT delivers an arresting combination of action, suspense, and comedy!

Pastime

An over the hill pitcher playing in the minor leagues befriends a talented young pitcher.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 3-MAY-2005
Media Type: DVD

You don't have to be a baseball lover to appreciate this funny, touching story of minor-league ball and major-league dreams. Pastime is the most realistic depiction of the nonglamour side of sports as played by the people who seem to love it the most. William Russ stars as an aging pitcher, now in his 40s, who only got to pitch once in the majors. Still hanging on in the minors in the late 1950s, he can't believe his career could be over. Ridiculed for his enthusiasm by his much-younger teammates, he befriends the team's outcast, a young black pitcher (Glenn Plummer) with a cannon for an arm, and imparts what wisdom he has to offer. A movie that will make you ask: Why isn't Russ a star? --Marshall Fine

Death Bed - The Bed that Eats

Prepare yourselves... The strangest bedtime story ever told! Released for the first time here after 25 years in obscurity, Cult Epics brings you DEATH BED, George Barry's uniquely weird journey through a world of wind demons, carnivorous furnishings and the spirit of Aubrey Beardsley!

At the edge of a grand estate, near a crumbling old mansion lies a strange stone building with just a single room. In the room there lies a bed. Born of demonic power, the bed seeks the flesh, blood and life essence of unwary travellers… Three pretty girls arrive on vacation, searching for a place to spend the night. Instead, they tumble into nightmares - and the cruel, insatiable hunger of the Bed! DEATH BED is a one-of-a kind experience: comic, horrific and dreamlike, that truly has to be seen to be believed. Discover this neglected marvel of American horror for yourself!

Dead of Winter

This unofficial remake of the minor film noir classic My Name Is Julia Ross stars Mary Steenburgen as an out-of-work actress lured to the mansion of a crazy millionaire (Roddy McDowall). Once there, she realizes she has been kidnapped and is being groomed to play someone else. While eerie and unsettling, this 1987 film is also wrapped in a thick, anachronistic melodrama, making it hard to see the movie as anything but an instant artifact. The question is, why did director Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) have anything to do with it? On the plus side, McDowall is quite creepy as an elegant psychopath. --Tom Keogh

Academy Award® winner* Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall star in a pulse-pounding thriller in the tradition of the legendary master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. "You'll find yourself on the edge of your seat" (Los Angeles) with this bone-chilling tale of deception, blackmail and murder in which no one is who they seem to be and any mistake could be your last. When actress Katie McGovern (Steenburgen) is summoned to an isolated estate for a screen test, she finds that her mysterious hosts, Mr. Murray (McDowall) and Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes), have plans for her'that have nothing to do with acting! And when the deadly money-making scheme erupts in a firestorm of double-crosses and cold-blooded murder, Katie realizes she has only one chance at survival: She must turn the tables on her enemies by giving the performance of her life! *1980: SupportingActress, Melvin and Howard