Lafia, John

The Dead Zone - The Complete Fourth Season

The fourth season may fall a little short of the three that preceded it, but The Dead Zone remains one of the smartest, most intriguing series on television. As its adherents well know by now, the show, based on Stephen King's 1979 novel of the same name, was adapted for TV by Michael and Shawn Piller, with actor Anthony Michael Hall (who's also one of the producers) starring as Johnny Smith, who recovered from a horrific car accident and resulting six-year coma to find that his fiancee (Nicole deBoer) is now married to the town sheriff (Chris Bruno), who's helping raise her and Johnny's son. What's more, Johnny is now possessed of some remarkable and unsettling powers: simply by touching another person, or objects touched by others, Smith experiences visions that illuminate events that have happened, will happen, or are simultaneously taking place elsewhere. It must be handy to know which elevator button to push when you're looking for someone who's in trouble, or to realize that it's okay to jump off a hundred-foot bridge because you've seen yourself surviving the fall, but Smith's visions are rarely comforting and not always reliable, leading to moments of genuine suspense and intrigue.

With eleven episodes (plus a "bonus episode" from December, 2005) spread out over three discs, The Dead Zone is at its best when dealing with the series' one ongoing storyline: i.e., the machinations of Congressman Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), the dumb, arrogant puppet of sinister forces who aim to put him in the White House, where, by accident or design, he may preside over Armageddon, according to Smith's visions. Unfortunately, only three Season Four episodes address that story, and they fail to advance it much further; indeed, Episode 11, "Saved," serves mainly as a cliffhanger for subsequent seasons. The remaining stories, in which Johnny helps the cops pursue various psychopaths, perverts, missing persons (including a Lennon-esque rock star presumed dead many years before), and such, are good but considerably more pedestrian. Still, while other shows may have cooler special effects, more action, and larger doses of tension-relieving humor, The Dead Zone stands out for its overall smarts and classy production values. Bonus features include deleted scenes, audio commentary on a few episodes, and a featurette focusing on production design. --Sam Graham

The Dead Zone - The Complete Third Season

Based on the characters and story from the best-selling book by Stephen King "The Dead Zone" is a unique psychological thriller that combines a rich mix of action the paranormal and a continuing quest for justice.System Requirements: Running Time 508 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 031398167587 Manufacturer No: 16758

Three seasons into it, The Dead Zone has cemented its stature as one of television's most ambitious and compelling series, combining action, psychological drama, and elements of sci-fi and the supernatural in twelve episodes contained on three discs in this handsome, bonus-filled package. Based on Stephen King's 1979 novel (later a feature film starring Christopher Walken), The Dead Zone was adapted for TV by Michael and Shawn Piller, with actor Anthony Michael Hall (previously best known for his roles in the mid-'80s hits The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles) as star, co-producer, and occasional director. Hall ably plays Johnny Smith, who has recovered from a six-year coma to discover that he now has some rather remarkable powers; merely by touching other people, or objects touched by others, Smith has visions that illuminate events that have happened, will happen, or that are taking place elsewhere. He has put this ability to use as a psychic, working with the police in the Maine town in which the stories take place.

Understanding all of this may take a while for the uninitiated; not only does Smith jump both forward and back in time, but he often sees himself in his visions, and sometimes we're watching the Johnny of the present with the one from the past onscreen at the same time. The Dead Zone has a lot on its hands in each episode, with a stand-alone storyline (a Rep. Gary Condit-Chandra Levy takeoff in "Finding Rachel," a Columbine-esque school shooting in "Cycle of Violence") balancing the ongoing matter of Smith's visions--how they came to be ("Collision" details the car accident that led to his coma and, eventually, his powers), how to interpret them, and whether they're a blessing or a curse. All of that is mixed together with his strange new personal life (his pregnant fiancé, played by Nicole De Boer, married the local sheriff while Johnny was out of commission). And then there's the overriding series theme, which is heavily featured in the first two episodes of this season but mentioned only occasionally thereafter: Armageddon is coming, Johnny alone lives through it, he might even cause it… and maybe he's the only one who can prevent it.

It's a tough act to pull off week after week, but while the show occasionally seems about to collapse under its own weight, it mostly succeeds, albeit without a shred of humor and an ultra-serious, portentous vibe that gets a little tedious. At the very least, The Dead Zone makes for consistently intriguing viewing. The generous bonus features include commentary (by Hall and many others) for every episode, three featurettes, and more. --Sam Graham

The Dead Zone - The Complete First Season

Based on the characters and story from the best-selling book by Stephen King, The Dead Zone is unique psychological thriller that combines a rich mix of action, the paranormal and a continuing quest for justice. Johnny Smith's life is interrupted by a near fatal car crash that leaves him in a deep comma for six years. When he regains consciousness he discovers that he now possesses amazing psychic powers.-powers that allow him to see into the life of anyone he touches.

* BONUS DISC OFFER/CORRECTION: All Dead Zone DVD Box Set purchases made prior to 9/20/03 are eligible (with proof of receipt) to receive a fifth Bonus Disc featuring the Unaired Dead Zone Season One Pilot Episode and other Special Features. See DVD insert for details.

System Requirements:
Starring: Anthony Michael hall, Nicole De Boer, Chris Bruno, John L. Adams, David Ogden Stiers, and Kristen Dalton.

Format: DVD MOVIE

The Dead Zone - The Complete Second Season

Based on the characters and story from the best-selling book by Stephen King The Dead Zone is a unique psychological thriller that combines a rich mix of action the paranormal and a continuing quest for justice.Episodesepisode 1 Valley of the Shadowepisode 2 Descentepisode 3 Ascentepisode 4 The Outsiderepisode 5 Precipitateepisode 6 Scarsepisode 7 Misbegottenepisode 8 Cabin Pressureepisode 9 The Man Who Never Wasepisode 10 Dead Men Tell Talesepisode 11 Playing Godepisode 12 Zionepisode 13 The Stormepisode 14 Plagueepisode 15 Deja Voodooepisode 16 The Huntepisode 17 The Mountainepisode 18 The Combinationepisode 19 VisionsSystem Requirements: Runnig Time 822 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 031398120247 Manufacturer No: LG1202D

10.5: Apocalypse

10.5 Apocalypse explodes in a shockwave of thrills, blazing action and exciting special effects. Sequel to "10.5" - the highest rated miniseries of the 2003/2004 television series.

Chucky - The Killer DVD Collection

Includes:Child's Play 2Child's Play 3Bride Of ChuckySeed Of ChuckyFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 025193092427 Manufacturer No: 61030924

The most unlikely horror-movie icon this side of Leprechaun, the homicidal doll Chucky has blossomed into one of the most recognizable faces of fright fare over the last two decades, and this double-disc set chronicles four of his most monstrous misadventures. The original--and still quite creepy--Child's Play feature (from 1988) is not included in the set (that title is owned by MGM, and this set is a Universal release), so the Killer DVD Collection kicks off with the more formulaic Child's Play 2 (1990) and 3 ('91, directed by Lost producer/director Jack Bender), both of which are saved only by veteran character actor Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. The series received a much-needed shot in the arm in 1998 with Bride of Chucky, an over-the-top revamp that dispensed with the tired horror-movie mechanics and dove headfirst into a gleeful mix of camp and gore; much of the credit for that film's success must go to Hong Kong director Ronny Yu (Bride with White Hair), who imparts much visual flair to the proceedings and Jennifer Tilly as an amoral moll whose attempt to free the killer that possesses Chucky results in another monster doll on the loose. The fifth (and to date, final) Child's Play/Chucky feature, Seed of Chucky, rounds out the set; it strives for the humor-horror quotient of Yu's film, and yields mixed results.

No extras are featured on the first two sequels, but both Bride and Seed offer up commentaries and featurettes for the devoted Chucky fans. Bride gets two commentaries--one with Yu, and the other with Dourif, Tilly, and scriptwriter Don Mancini, while Seed's commentary has Mancini (who was promoted to director) and Tilly. Making-of featurettes for both features are also included, as well as a clip of Tilly on The Tonight Show. None of these supplements will be new to the longtime Child's Play collector--all have been released on previous single and multi-disc sets--and buyers should know that they will find the R-rated versions of Bride and Seed here, and not the unrated versions (which have also been previously released). So it's fans looking to fill in the Chucky gap in their DVD libraries that will benefit the most from the Killer DVD Collection. --Paul Gaita

The Dead Zone (TV Pilot)

Based on the characters and story from the best-selling book by Stephen King, The Dead Zone is unique psychological thriller that combines a rich mix of action, the paranormal and a continuing quest for justice. Johnny Smith's life is interrupted by a near fatal car crash that leaves him in a deep comma for six years. When he regains consciousness he discovers that he now possesses amazing psychic powers - powers that allow him to see into the life of anyone he touches.

Man's Best Friend

This story centers around a high-tech biotechnology lab. From its confines comes "Max," a genetically engineered killing machine in the guise of a household pet dog.

Child's Play 2

The Chucky Collection (Bride Of Chucky/Child's Play 2/Child's Play 3)