Turturro, Aida

The Sopranos - Season 6, Part 2

Completing the run of one of the most acclaimed television shows in broadcast history, season 6, part II of The Sopranos will be remembered mostly not for what happened during the season, but for what didn't happen at the very end. Creator David Chase pulled off a series ending that was as controversial as it was surprising and unforgettable, leaving countless fans to look away from the show and to blogs and articles for answers to the biggest mystery since "who shot J.R.?": what happened to Tony Soprano? But before we get to that point, there are nine episodes to digest, and they are some of the best in the run of the show since season 3. As Tony's (James Gandolfini) paranoia and suspicions grow, his family makes choices that are threatening to bring big changes to his personal life, and his other "family" is crashing headlong towards an inevitable showdown with Phil Leotardo and the New York crew. Episode 1, "Soprano Home Movies," starts off peacefully enough with Tony and Carmela (Edie Falco) enjoying a relaxing summer weekend at Bobby and Janice's (Steve Schirripa and Aida Turturro) bucolic lake house, and by the end of the episode Tony has effectively taken Bobby's soul, proving Tony's ruthlessness and ending any doubt about his will to maintain dominance over those around him. In "Kennedy and Heidi," one of the season's signature episodes, Christopher's (Michael Imperioli) drug use continues to spiral out of control, forcing Tony to take matters into his own hands and resolve things with his nephew once and for all.

Inevitably it's all leading up to that big finale, and it's deftly handled over the last two episodes, "The Blue Comet" and "Made in America" (an episode replete with subtle references to The Godfather). Things finally start to get resolved with Phil's crew, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese), A.J. (Robert Iler), and Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), and as for Tony… Cut to black. To quote from another hit HBO show of the same era, "everything ends," even The Sopranos, and while the way Chase chose to end The Sopranos may not be to the liking of fans hoping for a definitive resolution, give the man credit for not stooping to clichés or tired old scenarios. As A.J. says in one of the last lines of the entire series, quoting his father, "Try to remember the times that were good." That's good advice. --Daniel Vancini

Last year, Tony Soprano cheated death when he was shot by his now institutionalized Uncle Junior. While Tony continues to muse about his second chance at life, he faces a myriad of immediate, stress-inducing crises at home, at work and from the law. Tony's wife Carmela plans for a future she's not sure will arrive, and son AJ and daughter Meadow find that adulthood holds its own surprises. Meanwhile, at work, Tony comes to doubt the allegiances of many of those closest to him ¿ no one, not Paulie, Bobby, Silvio or even Christopher is above suspicion. The clock is ticking. Time is running out. But on who?

What About Bob?

Murray plays a therapy patient who won't leave his therapist alone, even when the therapist goes on vacation.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 1-JUL-2003
Media Type: DVD

Crocodile Dundee Triple Feature

CROCODILE DUNDEE: Paul Hogan's hilarious endearing performance made "Crocodile" Dundee the biggest box-office comedy smash of 1986! Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee (Hogan) is a free spirited Australian who hunts crocodiles with his bare hands stares down giant water buffaloes and drinks mere mortals under the table. But he's about to face the ultimate torture test--a trip to New York City. Beautiful and tenacious reporter Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) gets more than just a story as the "wonder from Down Under" rocks the Big Apple to its core. CROCODILE DUNDEE II: Paul Hogan is definitely the funniest character who ever took a bite out of The Big Apple in "CROCODILE" DUNDEE II. Just as the eccentric Australian is starting to adjust to life in New York City. Dundee and his beautiful girlfriend (Linda Kozlowski) are targeted for death by a gang of ruthless drug dealers. Dundee evens the odds by leading the big-city hoods into the treacherous Australian outback. And before long the bad guys find out that Down Under could mean six feet down under! If you liked "CROCODILE DUNEE" you're going to love "CROCODILE" DUNDEE II! CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LOS ANGELES: He's wrestled crocodiles Down Under and fought crime in New York but can Mick "Crocodile" Dundee swim with the sharks in L.A.? Paul Hogan returns as Crocodile Dundee in this hilarious third installment of the beloved film series. After Mick's girlfriend Sue (Linda Kozlowski) is assigned to the L.A. bureau of her father's newspaper Mick Sue and their son Mikey head to Hollywood. Once in La-La Land Sue suspects foul play at a movie studio and Mick uses his Outback smarts to bring the bad guys to justice.System Requirements:Running time: 302 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 097361232140 Manufacturer No: 123214

Deep Blue Sea

With a voracious trio of mako sharks wreaking havoc, Deep Blue Sea dares to up the ante on Jaws, but director Renny Harlin trades the nuanced suspense of Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster for the trickery of the digital age. In other words, why build genuine terror when you can show ill-fated humans getting torn into bloody chunks? The aforementioned makos have been lab rats in an effort to harvest a miracle cure for Alzheimer's disease from the brains of sharks, but the research has an unfortunate side effect: the sharks get smarter, and they're determined to break out of Aquatica, the deep-sea complex where they've been penned.

Model-actress Saffron Burrows plays the researcher; Thomas Jane pulls double-duty as shark expert and action hunk; Samuel L. Jackson's the corporate sponsor who chooses the worst time for an Aquatica tour; and rapper LL Cool J is nicely cast as Aquatica's cook and comic relief. Michael Rapaport, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Stellan Skarsgård round out the cast, most of whom are turned into shark food as the makos turn Aquatica into a floating junkyard. Harlin takes devilish pleasure in providing sudden, unexpected shocks--no small feat in such a derivative thriller--and as a series of action set-pieces, Deep Blue Sea never disappoints. It's inevitable that Burrows should end up in her underwear like Sigourney Weaver in Alien, but even then the movie offers a credible reason for the strip-down; that Deep Blue Sea can be simultaneously ridiculous and sensible is just another one of its shlocky charms. --Jeff Shannon

Fallen

An ancient demon, a fallen angel, pursues a police officer who is beginning to understand how the demon passes from human to human.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD

Although it received mixed reactions from critics and audiences alike when released in 1998, this supernatural thriller benefits from a sustained atmosphere of anticipation and dread, and its combination of detective mystery and demonic mischief is handled with ample style and intelligence. Under the direction of Gregory Hoblit (who fared better with Primal Fear), Denzel Washington plays detective John Hobbes, who witnesses the gas-chamber execution of a serial killer (Elias Koteas). But when another series of murders begins, Hobbes suspects that the killer's evil spirit has survived and is possessing the bodies of others to do its evil bidding. Even Hobbes's trusted partner (John Goodman) thinks the detective is losing his grip on reality, but the dire warnings of a noted linguist (Embeth Davidtz) confirm Hobbes's far-out theory, and his case intensifies toward a fateful showdown. Although its idea is better than its execution, and the story's film noir ambitions are never fully accomplished, this slickly directed thriller has some genuinely effective moments in which evil forces are entwined into the fabric of everyday reality. Among the highlights is a memorable scene in which Detective Hobbes must track the killer as the evil spirit is transferred between many people via physical contact. Even if the film is ultimately less than the sum of its parts, it's an intriguing hybrid that resides in the same cinematic neighborhood as Seven and The Silence of the Lambs with a cast that also includes Donald Sutherland and James Gandolfini. Included on the DVD is a full-length audio commentary by director Hoblit, screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, and producer Charles Roven. --Jeff Shannon

Manhattan Murder Mystery

Woody Allen was going through his off-screen scandal with Mia Farrow when Manhattan Murder Mystery was produced, so Diane Keaton was brought in to fill the role intended for Farrow. The reunion of Keaton and Allen only improves this already enjoyable Allen comedy, since they're so comfortable with each other's neuroses that they're delightfully convincing as a married couple who suspect their neighbor of murdering his wife. Actually, it's Keaton who obsesses about the possible foul play; Woody just wants them to mind their own business. But pretty soon they've recruited their friends (Alan Alda, Anjelica Huston) as amateur sleuths, and the movie turns into a Nancy Drew mystery for sophisticated Manhattanites. With a typical abundance of Woody Allen witticism and some memorable comic suspense, this engaging throwback to vintage Hollywood mysteries is guaranteed to please even the most noncommittal Woody Allen fans, and the Allen-Keaton chemistry is, as always, a genuine pleasure. --Jeff Shannon

Bringing Out the Dead

Martin Scorsese comes home to the mean streets of New York with Bringing Out the Dead, the hyperkinetic tale of an ambulance driver (Nicolas Cage) on three sleep-deprived, adrenaline-fueled nights amongst the dead and dying of the city. Less a coherent narrative than a mood piece, the film is a welcome return to form for Scorsese, who takes Joe Connelly's memoir and spins it into a slightly surreal, darkly comic tale of one man's redemption. Frank Pierce (Cage) is a man who feels impotent in his job as an EMT--less a lifesaver, he's more of a grief mop as he sardonically puts it, bearing witness to the pain and suffering of others. Haunted by the specter of a young homeless girl, something stirs in Frank when he meets Mary (Patricia Arquette), the daughter of a heart attack victim Frank attends to. In a world where human interaction usually means putting someone on a stretcher, or bantering frenetically with his coworkers, Frank seems headed for certain physical and nervous collapse.

Scorsese, screenwriter Paul Schrader (of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull), and cinematographer Robert Richardson put a vivid spin on the New York of the early 90s with amazing visual flair and keen, economical storytelling. The film practically pulses with life, and hits the perfect note of ragged exhaustion. Cage, after a recent career slump, turns in an exceptional performance, by turns manic and weary. In fact, this is one of the best casts ever assembled for a Scorsese film: in addition to the quietly effective Arquette, there are great performances by John Goodman, Ving Rhames, and Tom Sizemore as Cage's ambulance partners, as well as Mary Beth Hurt (as an ER doctor), pop star Marc Anthony (as a drug addict), and especially Cliff Curtis (as a drug dealer who winds up in an unusual scrape). It's not a masterpiece in the vein of Taxi Driver, but Bringing Out the Dead ranks as a stunning Scorsese joyride. --Mark Englehart

Jersey Girl

Jami Gertz and Dylan McDermott star in this charming romantic comedy about a would-be Cinderella and her reluctant uptown prince. Toby Mastellone (Gertz) wants more out of life than big hair and earrings. She wants a life in Manhattan with Mr. Right. So she goes out looking for him at a Mercedes dealership - and crashed right into Sal Torme (McDermott). Sal can afford the insurance - but can he afford a high-risk affair with a working girl from Hackensack?System Requirements:Running Time: 95 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396017849 Manufacturer No: 01784

Junior

Arnold Schwarzenegger as a pregnant man? The Terminator with cramps and morning sickness? That was all the teasing audiences needed to flock to this 1994 farce, which reunited Arnold with his director and costar from Twins, Ivan Reitman and Danny De Vito. Reitman had also directed the Austrian muscleman in Kindergarten Cop, and they brought the same breezy quality of those earlier films to this enjoyable fluff, in which Arnold plays a scientist who uses his own body to test a revolutionary new fertility drug. His colleague De Vito talks him into the experiment, which succeeds beyond their wildest expectations when Arnold begins a full-term pregnancy. Emma Thompson offers a wealth of comedic support as the biologist who moves into Schwarzenegger's lab while he's coping with his "maternal" condition, and Pamela Reed (who was also in Kindergarten Cop) adds to the fun as De Vito's pregnant ex-wife. What's surprising about this mainstream hit is not that it makes the most of its absurd premise, but that it's also sweetly heartwarming in its treatment of role reversal and the joys and pains of pregnancy. It's a good-natured vehicle for a different side of Schwarzenegger's star appeal, and the fact that it works at all is a tribute to Reitman and his cleverly talented cast. --Jeff Shannon

Woo

A pic about a man who can not get a date and is then cursed witha beautiful neurotic woman he can't get rid of.Running Time: 80 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794043693625