Ruttan, Susan

Chances Are

Cybill Shepherd plays a pregnant woman whose husband is killed before their baby is born; once he gets to heaven, he begs for a chance to come back to her and his unborn child. The twist is that he returns in the form of Robert Downey Jr., boyfriend to Cybill's daughter (Mary Stuart Masterson). When the daughter brings him home from college, he gets his memory back--and starts coming on to her mom. Sounds like a Jerry Springer show--"Help! My dad has been reincarnated as my boyfriend!"--but this Emile Ardolino film actually has a passable amount of charm and wit, once it gets into gear. It gives you a sense of just how funny and charming Downey can be, given the right material. --Marshall Fine

Helter Skelter (Director's Cut)

Solid performances are the high point of this 2004 adaptation of L.A. prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's book about Charles Manson's Family, the Tate-La Bianca murders, and the subsequent trial that caught the world's attention in 1969. While the 1976 TV movie focused mainly on Bugliosi (here played by Bruno Kirby), writer-director John Gray turns his film's attention to cult member Linda Kasabian (a typically fine Clea DuVall), who eventually testified against Manson (a mannered Jeremy Davies) and his followers after they were arrested for several brutal murders, including actress Sharon Tate. Gray gets chilling turns from Allison Smith, Marguerite Moreau, and Mary Lynn Rajskub as "Manson Girls" Patricia Krenwinkle, Susan Atkins, and Squeaky Fromme, respectively, and the production is atmospherically photographed, but the dialogue is often ham-fisted, and rushes to an all-too-early conclusion (midway through the trial). The DVD offers the 180-minute film in a 1:78:1 anamorphic transfer, and includes a brace of deleted scenes (including some violent moments cut for TV broadcast), commentary by Gray and executive producer Mark L. Wolper, and footage of Davies in rehearsal. --Paul Gaita

Jeremy Davies stars as convicted killer Charles Manson in this new television movie based on the true story of the August 1969 Tate/LaBianca murders, as chronicled in the bestselling book Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. Almost 35 years ago Manson's followers, at his instruction, brutally massacred seven people over two consecutive nights in Los Angeles and scrawled bloody messages on the walls of the crime scenes. The first night, director Roman Polanski's wife, eight-month-pregnant actress Sharon Tate, was murdered along with coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, Voytek Frykowski and Steven Parent. The second night, supermarket chain president Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, were found stabbed to death in their home.

Bad Dreams

From The Director Of THE CRAFT The Screenwriter Of DIE HARD & The Producer Of THE TERMINATOR In the mid-70s the members of the love cult Unity Fields sought the ultimate joining by dousing themselves with gasoline and committing mass suicide. A young girl blown clear of the fiery explosion was the only survivor. Thirteen years later Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3) awakens from a coma inside a psychiatric hospital with only buried memories of that horrific day. But now her fellow patients are each being driven to their own violent suicides. Has the sect s hideously burned leader (Richard Lynch) returned to claim his final child or is something even more depraved lurking within her BAD DREAMS? Bruce Abbott (RE-ANIMATOR) Harris Yulin (SCARFACE) E.G. Daily (THE DEVIL S REJECTS) and Dean Cameron (SUMMER SCHOOL) co-star in this intense horror shocker directed by Andrew Fleming (THE CRAFT DICK) co-written by Steven de Souza (DIE HARD 48 HRS) and produced by Gale Anne Hurd (ARMAGEDDON T2). System Requirements:Running Time 84 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 013131309294 Manufacturer No: DV13092

L.A. Law - The Movie

LA Law: The Movie reunites the cast of the award winning television series for a two-hour network film. Nearly the entire original cast returns to the fictional law firm, McKenzie-Brackman. Following the series finale, founding Partner Leland McKenzie (Richard A. Dysart) retires thereby leaving Douglas Brackman Jr. (Alan Rachins) as Senior Managing Partner. Another former Partner is summoned in effort to stop the execution of a past client. However, the prosecution is lead by his old flame Grace Van Owen (Susan Dey). Meanwhile, McKenzie-Brackman divorce attorney, Arnie Becker (Corbin Bernsen) deals with his own divorce from his estranged wife. In addition to the memorable cast of the series, the reunion also includes new additions to the firm.

Krippendorf's Tribe

This outrageous comedy stars Richard Dreyfuss (MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS) and sexy Jenna Elfman (TV's DHARMA AND GREG), who discover that primitive culture is as close as your own backyard! Instead of documenting a previously unknown trible in New Guinea, Professor James Krippendorf (Dreyfuss) has blown the last two years ... and all his grant money ... rearing his out-of-control kids! Desperate to bluff his way past impatient colleagues, Krippendorf decides to focus his camera on the wildest tribe he can find: his own outragoues offspring! With a top cast including Lily Tomlin (DISNEY'S THE KID) -- you'll find the crowd-pleasing lengths taken to pull off this hoax absolutely hilarious!

Funny About Love

Comic story of a New York cartoonist whose biological clock has gone off.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 9-AUG-2005
Media Type: DVD

Sweet 15

Jack Reed: One of Our Own

JACK REED: ONE OF OUR OWN is just one movie from a series of Brian Dennehy television movies where he played tough guy investigator Jack Reed. In this movie Reed must protect a woman who has been marked for murder to the point that she moves into his house to live with him and his family.System Requirements:Run Time: 96 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 844628090209 Manufacturer No: DH9020

Jack Reed: A Search for Justice

Brian Dennehy stars as tough-as-nails South Chicago police officer Jack Reed, who must battle corruption and apathy in his own department. When a grisly murder is discovered, the tension ratchets up as all roads lead to a well known bigwig likely to be protected by the city's elite.

In a tour-de-force performance, veteran Dennehy faces insurmountable obstacles, both inside and outside the department to bring the perpetrator to Justice.

Deadly Justice