Vrana, Vlasta

Heavy Metal (Collector's Edition)

As long as there is a need for adolescent male sexual fantasy, there will be an audience for Heavy Metal. Released in 1981 and based on stories from the graphic magazine of the same name (possibly the greatest publication to simultaneously provoke imagination and masturbation), the film has since become the most popular single title in Columbia/TriStar's entire film library. That's an amazing fact considering just how silly and senseless the movie really is--an aimless, juvenile amalgam of disjointed stories and clashing visual styles, employing hundreds of animators from around the world with a near-total absence of creative cohesion. It remains, for better and worse, a midnight-movie favorite for the stoner crowd--a movie best enjoyed by randy adolescents or near-adults in an altered state of consciousness.

With a framing story about a glowing green orb claiming to be the embodiment of all evil, the film shuttles through eight episodic tales of sci-fi adventure, each fueled by some of the most wretched rock music to emerge from the 1980s. The most consistent trademark is an abundance of blood-splattering violence and wet-dream sex, the latter involving a succession of huge-breasted babes who shed their clothes at the drop of a G-string. It's all quite fun in its rampantly brainless desire to fuel the young male libido, and for all its incoherence Heavy Metal remains impressive for the ambitious artistry of its individual segments. Courtesy of producer Ivan Reitman (who'd just scored a hit with Stripes), voice talents include several Canadian veterans of Second City comedy, including John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty. --Jeff Shannon

Based on the fantastical illustrated magazine Heavy Metal producer Ivan Reitman enlists the world s greatest comic book artists to create the otherworldly tale of a glowing green orb from outer space that spreads destruction throughout the galaxy. Only when encountered by its one true enemy - to whom it is inexplicably drawn - will goodness prevail throughout the universe. Lavishly drawn vignettes of the orb s dark victories include the character voices of John Candy and Harold Ramis plus a pounding soundtrack by Black Sabbath Blue Oyster Cult Cheap Trick Devo Donald Fagen Don Felder Grand Funk Railroad Sammy Hagar Journey Nazareth Stevie Nicks Riggs and Trust. Highly imaginative and full of surprising special effects Heavy Metal set the standard for alternative contemporary animation. An intoxicating experience not to be missed.System Requirements:Voices By: John Candy and Harold Ramis. Directed By: Gerald Potterton. Running Time: 90 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 1999 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating:  UPC: 043396039292 Manufacturer No: 03929

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - The Movies (The Movie aka Revelations / The Heart Within)

After six acclaimed seasons DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN delighted fans by revisiting Colorado Springs and its beloved characters with two feature-length television movies.DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN: THE MOVIE finds Dr. Mike Sully and a posse of townsfolk traveling down to Mexico to rescue a kidnapped Katie. In DR. QUINN: THE HEART WITHIN Mike and Sully travel to Boston to celebrate Colleen's graduation from Harvard Medical School--only to find Dr. Mike's mother terminally ill and Sully targeted for assassination by a corrupt government official.A pioneering television Western DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN brought a fresh approach to America's westward expansion with a combination of historical authenticity and modern sensibilities. Now travel back to the 19th century American frontier with more tales of courage conviction and romanceSystem Requirements:Running Time 180 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 733961755022 Manufacturer No: AAE-75502

Secret Window

Academy Award® nominee Johnny Depp (2003 Best Actor Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) gives his most riveting performance in this action/suspense thriller featuring a top-notch cast including John Turturro Maria Bello Academy Award® winner Timothy Hutton (1981 Best Supporting Actor Ordinary People) and Charles S. Dutton. Following a bitter separation from his wife (Bello) famed mystery writer Mort Rainey (Depp) is unexpectedly confronted at his remote lake house by a dangerous stranger named John Shooter (Turturro). Claiming Rainey has plagiarized his short story the psychotic Shooter demands justice. When Shooter's demands turn to threats - and then murder - Rainey turns to a private detective (Dutton) for help. But when nothing stops the horror from spiraling out of control Rainey soon discovers he can't trust anyone or anything. A shocking psychological thriller from the writer of Panic Room David Koepp.System Requirements:Running Time: 104 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396036635 Manufacturer No: 03663

Johnny Depp gets high off another acting challenge in this tricky adaptation of a Stephen King yarn. Although the mood is too sinister to allow for the mischief of his Pirates of the Caribbean turn, Depp still manages to embroider his role here with plenty of quirky business. He plays a writer, depressed and nearly divorced, who's stuck in an isolated cabin (shades of The Shining) when a stranger (John Turturro) arrives, accusing him of plagiarism. Writer-director David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) does his best to make the rickety material compelling--he gets the maximum out of the cabin set, for instance--but the problems inherent in the King story eventually win out. The climactic scenes are particularly unpleasant, especially in contrast to the cleverness of Depp's performance. A Philip Glass score adds class, but this one ultimately feels like a disappointment. --Robert Horton

Human Trafficking

The Lifetime cable channel made TV history with this ambitious, acclaimed original miniseries on the horrifying phenomenon of human trafficking, or sexual slavery. It follows the fictional cases of young women around the world, lured or abducted, sometimes right off the street, into a world of unspeakable brutality--which the filmmakers show in almost overwhelming detail at times. Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland star as American government officials bent on exposing and stopping the phenomenon, and both are more than serviceable in their roles. But the revelation is Robert Carlyle, the Scottish star of The Full Monty and Trainspotting, who here is transformed into a ruthless criminal mastermind behind his own trafficking network. Even his Eastern European accent is spot-on and blood-chilling. The supporting cast of women and girls is strong, and in some cases, truly heartbreaking. And while sometimes almost unbearably harsh, the film serves as a reminder this terrible situation still exists and thrives; and told through the characters, is also a well-paced thriller. --A.T. Hurley

Nominated for Two Golden Globes® - Best Actress and Best Actor in a TV Miniseries; Lifetime Television's most-watched miniseries of 2005. Featuring Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winner Donald Sutherland (The Italian Job), Academy Award® and Golden Globe® Award winner Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite) and Trainspotting's Robert Carlyle, Human Trafficking is at once a gripping thriller, a cautionary tale, and one of the most fundamentally important stories of our time. DVD Features include: Interviews with Mira Sorvino and Robert Carlyle, Behind the Scenes with the cast and crew, and A "Take Action" Guide to shop human trafficking now!

Wicker Park

No, Josh Hartnett doesn't make the most convincing corporate up-and-comer in the world, but then Matthew, his character in this pensive romantic drama, is supposed to be uncomfortable in his business costume. He's a photographer at heart, a sensitive guy who abandoned that passion when Lisa (Diane Kruger), his enigmatic other true love, abandoned him. Their romance had an oddly abrupt end after Lisa left without a word, so when Matthew thinks he sees her upon returning to Chicago, he starts lying to his fiancée and practically stalking his old flame before becoming entangled in a strange tryst with a lovesick nurse (Rose Byrne). The MGM publicity department busied itself trying to promote this remake of L'Appartement (1996) as some kind of heavy-breathing Fatal Attraction, and director Paul McGuigan certainly fills it with enough slick split-screens and MTV-soundtrack moments to hype it, yet it isn't even remotely a thriller. There are flashbacks upon flashbacks--Vanilla Sky begins to feel linear in comparison--and the screenplay insists on spelling everything out so we'll be sure to get how thoughtful it really is, but it all isn't half bad. Though Hartnett is a little out of his depth, his gentle, beleaguered masculinity works well, and the women are both compelling: Kruger redeems herself after being more wooden than the Trojan Horse in Troy, and Byrne is quite good. Even Matthew Lillard does solid work as Matthew's vulnerable, big-talking buddy. Somewhere in all of it is a surprisingly adult look at the things people do when love seems either too perilously close or too far away to believe in. --Steve Wiecking

Enter the torrid and treacherous world of Wicker Park where deception and seduction walk hand in hand. Starring an outstanding cast of Hollywood's hottest young stars including Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor) Rose Byrne (Troy) Matthew Dillard (Scream) and Diane Kruger (Troy) Wicker Park) is a sizzling action-packed noir thriller that will leave you breathless.What if the woman you loved disappeared without a word? Without a trace? How far would you go to find her again? When Matthew (Hartnett) glimpses his lost love (Kruger) in a crowded cafe he's determined not to lose her a second time. But determination soon turns to obsession as Matthew finds himself on a dangerous and chilling journey where no one is who they seem...and chance meetings with a sexy brunette (Byrne) might unravel friendships careers...and lives.System Requirements: Running Time 115 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 027616921529 Manufacturer No: 1008121

Heavy Metal 2000

Instead of cartoon vignettes that chronicle adolescent fantasies of sex and drugs in the near future, this sequel to 1981's Heavy Metal follows but one story. On a distant planet, a fountain of eternal life has been locked away by a race of supposedly wise people, who have buried the only key deep in space. If found, the key will give directions to the planet, but will also drive the finder crazy--which is exactly what happens. On his way to the planet of youth, Tyler (voice of venerable character actor Michael Ironside) wipes out most of a space colony and kidnaps a sexy woman. His big mistake is that he doesn't kill the woman's sister, Julie (voice of B-movie actress Julie Strain), who then sets out on a mission of rescue and revenge. Created with an uneasy blend of computer and traditional cel animation, Heavy Metal 2000 is utterly predictable. Even the sex scenes are bland and politically correct, eschewing the joy of dirty sex in favor of glimpses of T&A and lots of violence and gore. Of course, one big reason for this movie is to supplement its heavy metal soundtrack, which includes Pantera, Monster Magnet, MDFMK, Insane Clown Posse, Billy Idol, and others. It's probably better to think of it more as a string of music videos than as a story. --Andy Spletzer

Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to Me typifies the horror genre prior to the self-reflection and irony that saturated the genre in the late '80s and '90s. A solid cast, decent acting, a well-written script, and relatively high production values result in a solid movie that is engaging on its own in addition to offering a glimpse into the history of '80s horror. The plot follows the rules of the genre (later parodied in such films as the Scream and Scary Movie series). A number of teenagers (played by actors who appear visibly older than their characters) from an elite prep school get into mischievous sexual situations fueled by alcohol and pot smoking. As teens start to disappear, murdered in a variety of violent ways, the film suggests a number of suspects. Is the killer the troubled star played by Melissa Sue Anderson who lost her overbearing, social-climbing mother in a car accident that she survived? Or is it the stern school mistress, the wacky, cool social clown, the social misfit, or none of the above? The film keeps you guessing until the final scene. Happy Birthday is a must-see for serious fans of the horror genre and this release is a solid digital mastering of the movie. Hardcore fans should note that the DVD release was not able to secure the rights to the original soundtrack so this version features an alternate soundtrack of largely nondescript '80s electronic music. --Brian Saltzman

The Amateur

At 29, Charles Heller was a mathematician without equal. At the CIA he was a computer expert wtihout peers. But when terrorists murder the most important woman in his life, he becomes an assassin without experience. To avenge her death, the CIA trained him, briefed him, armed him, and then... they abandoned him. The first 11 minutes will rivet you to your seat. IN A WORLD OF PROFESSIONALS, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR AN AMATEUR.

The Assignment

This intense thriller is a work of fiction with a factual basis. Aidan Quinn stars as Annibal Ramirez, an American naval officer with a striking resemblance to real-life international terrorist Carlos "the Jackal" Sanchez, the scourge of innocent people all over the world in the 1970s and '80s. Mistaken for Sanchez by the Israeli Mossad, Ramirez is arrested but subsequently recruited by the Mossad and the CIA to pose as Sanchez and set him up as a traitor to his underwriters. Ramirez leaves his family, receives training in all aspects of Sanchez's life, and is pulled into the netherworld of terrorism and espionage. Director Christian Duguay (Screamers) wisely emphasizes character growth over obligatory action, drawing compelling portraits of an American intelligence official (Donald Sutherland) preoccupied with Sanchez, his Israeli counterpart (Ben Kingsley), and Ramirez himself, a man whose identity has merged with a monster's. --Tom Keogh

The Audrey Hepburn Story

Jennifer Love Hewitt is a beautiful and talented actress with style and charm. She is not, however, Audrey Hepburn, and try as she might, she is unable to embody the gamine actress in the made-for-television biopic The Audrey Hepburn Story.

Making the Hepburn bio was a gusty move for Hewitt, and one has to admire her chutzpah. But the role, if it was to be dared, would have been better off in the hands of an unknown. As it is, it's difficult to shake the image of Hewitt in her television and teen roles, and while she mastered the wide-eyed look, her eyes are not doelike enough and her accent borders on ludicrous. If you can move past this, though, the story of Hepburn's life--even given her do-gooder qualities--is interesting fodder for exploration, although at times the script feels as if it's trying to create tension where there is little. Desertion by her father, a brief stint in the resistance in wartime Netherlands, and affairs with fellow actors create drama, but not enough to enliven the film. Part of the problem is the entire film is told from flashback from the set of Breakfast at Tiffany's, so much of Hepburn's great work is left untouched.

Yet, despite the flaws, fans will appreciate the paean to Hepburn, as we glimpse into the difficulties of her early career and her budding stardom. The two girls who play the childhood Hepburn excel in their roles, and the strong supporting cast--including Frances Fisher as her mother and Eric McCormack as Mel Ferrer--brighten the film, which ultimately brings a touch of Hepburn's elegance to our own humdrum lives. --Jenny Brown

Experience the struggles triumphs and tender romances of beloved screen star Audrey Hepburn in this drama starring Jennifer Love Hewitt (I Know What You Did Last Summer Can't Hardly Wait). The gamine beauty's rise to fame seemed like a fairy tale but her childhood was filled with pain: from the estranged father whose love she desperately sought to her turbulent upbringing in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. Despite her past Hepburn's grace and charm made her destined for stardom with one memorable performance (her Oscar®-winning role in Roman Holiday Best Actress-1953) leading to others (Sabrina Breakfast At Tiffany's My Fair Lady). Filled with heart-felt performances by Hewitt and co-stars Frances Fisher (Titanic) and Eric McCormack (TV's "Will & Grace") this captivating bio-pic is a loving tribute to a true legend.System Requirements:Running Time: 133 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 043396047242 Manufacturer No: 04724