Zacapa, Daniel

Seven (New Line Platinum Series)

Psychological thriller about two detectives on the trail of a vicious serial killer who chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. The killer plans each murder down to the finest detail and as the detectives close in he patiently awaits the final confrontration. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 10/07/2003 Starring: Brad Pitt Morgan Freeman Run time: 127 minutes Rating: R Director: David Fincher

The most viscerally frightening and disturbing homicidal maniac picture since The Silence of the Lambs, Seven is based on an idea that's both gruesome and ingenious. A serial killer forces each of his victims to die by acting out one of the seven deadly sins. The murder scene is then artfully arranged into a grotesque tableau, a graphic illustration of each mortal vice. From the jittery opening credits to the horrifying (and seemingly inescapable) concluding twist, director David Fincher immerses us in a murky urban twilight where everything seems to be rotting, rusting, or molding; the air is cold and heavy with dread. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are the detectives who skillfully track down the killer--all the while unaware that he has been closing in on them, as well. Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey are also featured, but it is director Fincher and the ominous, overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere of doom that he creates that are the real stars of the film. It's a terrific date movie--for vampires. --Jim Emerson

Seven (Single Disc Edition)

Psychological thriller about two detectives on the trail of a vicious serial killer who chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. The killer plans each murder down to the finest detail and as the detectives close in he patiently awaits the final confrontration. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 06/06/2006 Starring: Brad Pitt Margan Freeman Run time: 127 minutes Rating: R

The most viscerally frightening and disturbing homicidal maniac picture since The Silence of the Lambs, Seven is based on an idea that's both gruesome and ingenious. A serial killer forces each of his victims to die by acting out one of the seven deadly sins. The murder scene is then artfully arranged into a grotesque tableau, a graphic illustration of each mortal vice. From the jittery opening credits to the horrifying (and seemingly inescapable) concluding twist, director David Fincher immerses us in a murky urban twilight where everything seems to be rotting, rusting, or molding; the air is cold and heavy with dread. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are the detectives who skillfully track down the killer--all the while unaware that he has been closing in on them, as well. Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey are also featured, but it is director Fincher and the ominous, overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere of doom that he creates that are the real stars of the film. It's a terrific date movie--for vampires. --Jim Emerson

Up Close & Personal

Here's a classic Hollywood star vehicle. Up Close and Personal--the story of Tally Atwater (Michelle Pfeiffer), an inexperienced but ambitious TV news personality, and her well-weathered journalistic mentor, Warren Justice (Robert Redford)--was carefully tailored to fit its stars. What began as a screenplay based on the biography of troubled TV anchorwoman Jessica Savitch (Golden Girl, by Alanna Nash) took more than eight years to reach the screen, written and rewritten, on and off, over the years by husband-and-wife team John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion, mainly because they needed the work to qualify for the splendid Writers' Guild health-insurance plan. Although the considerable charisma of Pfeiffer and Redford go a long way, in many respects Nash's original nonfiction book (and even Dunne's peculiarly disingenuous "insider" account of the writing of the screenplay, Monster: Living Off the Big Screen) offers tales more compelling than the one that eventually made it to the screen. But, all things considered, that's a little like comparing apples and oranges, since the slick Up Close and Personal bears about as much resemblance to its gritty original source material as...well, an apple does to an orange. Critic Roger Ebert, who awarded the movie three stars, nevertheless said he was reminded of the time producer Samuel Goldwyn commissioned a screenplay about the Lindbergh kidnapping. Only, to quote Goldwyn, "it can't be about kidnapping, which is against the Code. For legal reasons, we have to change the name from Lindbergh. And the kid's father shouldn't fly." Read the book, see the movie, read the book about writing the movie. Anyone interested in how movies are made will learn an entertaining lesson about the studio system by devouring all three. --Jim Emerson

Passion brought them together only success could tear them apart. Tally atwater is young reporter who gets her first break from veteran newsman warren justice. He becomes her mentor and she becomes a respected news anchor while their personal relationship grows. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/13/2004 Starring: Robert Redford Michelle Pfeiffer Run time: 124 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Jon Avnel

Tequila Sunrise

The mix is dangerous the romance is sizzling the action is explosive with three of the most exciting performers on screen at any one time. A cool cunning drama of friendship and betrayal a seductive blend of action and romance. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 02/08/2005 Starring: Mel Gibson Kurt Russell Run time: 116 minutes Rating: R Director: Robert Towne

Robert Towne is one of Hollywood's most celebrated screenwriters, but because his directorial efforts have been few and far between, anticipation was high when this star-powered crime story was released in 1988. Critical reaction was decidedly mixed, but there's plenty to admire in this silky, visually seductive film about a drug dealer (Mel Gibson) whose best friend from high-school (Kurt Russell) is now working for the Los Angeles sheriff's drug detail. Their personal and professional conflicts are intensified by their love for the same woman, a waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) at the Italian restaurant they both frequent. There's a big deal going down with a drug lord (the late Raul Julia), but as it twists and turns, Towne's story is really more about personal loyalties and individual honor. And even if it doesn't quite hold together, the movie's got a fantastic look to it (courtesy of the great cinematographer Conrad Hall), and the three stars bring depth and dimension to their well-written roles. --Jeff Shannon

Tequila Sunrise/Conspiracy Theory

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 05/02/2006

Seven

The most viscerally frightening and disturbing homicidal maniac picture since The Silence of the Lambs, Seven is based on an idea that's both gruesome and ingenious. A serial killer forces each of his victims to die by acting out one of the seven deadly sins. The murder scene is then artfully arranged into a grotesque tableau, a graphic illustration of each mortal vice. From the jittery opening credits to the horrifying (and seemingly inescapable) concluding twist, director David Fincher immerses us in a murky urban twilight where everything seems to be rotting, rusting, or molding; the air is cold and heavy with dread. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are the detectives who skillfully track down the killer--all the while unaware that he has been closing in on them, as well. Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey are also featured, but it is director Fincher and the ominous, overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere of doom that he creates that are the real stars of the film. It's a terrific date movie--for vampires. --Jim Emerson

A retiring cop and his replacement track a psychotic killer who's using the seven deadly sins as a guide. Starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Witness Protection

Bobby Batton (Tom Sizemore) is a middle-class father and family man who just happens to make his living as a mobster. After surviving a midnight attempt on his life in his own home, he packs up and hustles his family off to a motel, where he tries to figure out who wants him dead. The FBI offers him a choice: face prison time on previous indictments, or turn state's evidence and enter the Witness Protection Program. The family soon finds itself in an interim facility run by the agency, a sterile apartment with all the personality of a hotel suite, trying to leave their past behind and make the adjustment to new lives and new identities. Batton's family is about as "normal" as a mobster's family could be, but things soon begin to fall apart under the strain of their situation. The reliable Sizemore and costar Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are both good in their roles, as is Forest Whitaker as a sympathetic federal official, but they never quite rise above the shopworn story. To the screenwriter's credit, Batton's character has some real depth; on the surface, he's a fairly unsympathetic figure, a slimy mob type who's made his living as a professional criminal. When things are turned upside down, though, he shows himself to actually care about his family and struggle to make things work out. That aside, though, this is still a fairly average made-for-cable drama, with a cast making the best of an uncompelling screenplay and flat direction. --Jerry Renshaw

Bobby batton and his family have disappeared without a trace. They cant be reached by phone or by mail. There is no forwarding address. The government will soon sell their house their two cadillacs and their furniture. When the battons leave a safe house in boston the entire family will cease to exist. Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 06/01/2004 Starring: Tom Sizemore Forest Whitaker Run time: 65 minutes Rating: R

Resurrection Blvd - The First Complete Season

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/23/2006 Rating: Nr

Showtime's Resurrection Blvd. is an engrossing series about the fortunes and fate of the Santiago family, who take pride in their deep, East L.A. roots and have, for generations, pinned their hopes for success on developing a boxing champion from among their male kin. The 20 first-season episodes included here focus on patriarch Roberto Santiago (Tony Plana), confident of eldest son Carlos's chances of winning a middleweight crown until the latter (Michael DeLorenzo) is seriously wounded by an angry ex-boyfriend of his sister Victoria (Marisol Nichols). In Carlos's place steps youngest brother Alex (Nicholas Gonzalez), a bookish, affable student who takes to boxing rigorously and alienates Roberto by signing with a crooked promoter (Ray Wise).

Around the edges of the central story, other Santiagos navigate love lives, ethics, and ambitions as grand as the American Dream. Middle brother Miguel (Maricio Mendoza) disappears for a while, uncertain of his place in the family. Sister Yolanda (Ruth Livier), a dedicated paralegal with her eye on law school, discovers a serious act of negligence at her firm and isn't sure what to do. Aunt Bibi (Elizabeth Pena), lively and strong, finds her hopes crashing when she can't buy the building housing her beauty shop. Watching all this and understanding more than he lets on is Uncle Ruben (Daniel Zacapa), an ex-fighter made mute by brain damage.

The pacing of events is fairly glacial, and individual episodes could certainly be tighter. But the leisurely programs allow for lots of pleasant frills, including a cameo by Cheech Marin and a nice, recurring role for Paul Rodriguez as a business manager. Certainly the strongest element of Resurrection Blvd. is the cast, which clearly thrives on 20 hours of breathing room and really shines in the season finale's 12-round showdown. --Tom Keogh

Fallen Angels

When a turn of the century prison reformatory is slated for demolition a grisly discovery is made. Hidden deep underground beneath the west cell block is a sub-basement structure that has not been entered in 100 years. Inside are the skeletal remains of several brutally slain children. As a CSI team arrives at the prison an even more disturbing discovery is made that will eventually unveil a legion of seven demons and their even more chilling origins: each demon is responsible for one of the seven deadly sins. Seven deadly sins...Seven deadly demons...Seven more deadly ways to die..Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL UPC: 896010001232 Manufacturer No: 1000028537

Coronado

A young womans visit to switzerland to surprise her fiance finds only an empty post office & clues that lead her to a secret military installation in central america. Things are not what they seem as she & a seasoned reporter get caught up in the action of a political revolution. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/27/2005 Starring: Clayton Rohner John Rhys-davies Rating: Pg13