Simoneau, Yves

The 4400 - The Complete First Season

The 4400, which began as a five-week miniseries on the USA Network, is built around a deceptively simple, dramatically rich premise. What if all the people, who had ever been abducted by aliens, were suddenly returned to Earth? What would happen? Although they look exactly as they did when they left, they have no knowledge of where they were or why they were taken. Now some even have special powers, like clairvoyance. As with ABC's Lost, which centers on the survivors of a plane crash, The 4400 features a large cast of characters and a host of mysteries to be solved. If the special effects, which are kept to a minimum, can be a little cheesy at times, the concept--and the skillful execution of the concept--easily makes up for it.

Produced by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope and created by Scott Peters (The Outer Limits), The 4400 is set in Seattle, where the 4400 are returned. The principal characters include Dennis Ryland (Peter Coyote of E.T.), the local supervisor of Homeland Security. He's joined by agents Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch of Taken), whose nephew was one of the returnees, and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie of Romper Stomper), who takes in one of the youngest returnees.

Guest stars include Michael Moriarty (Law and Order) in "Pilot" and Lee Tergeson (Oz) in "Becoming." Billy Campbell (Once and Again) also appears in several episodes as Jordan Collier, a real-estate magnate and returnee who becomes an advocate for others like himself, many of whom are having problems adjusting to a changed world. Like Lost, one of the biggest success stories of 2004, The 4400 debuted to strong ratings and was renewed for a full season. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

During the past century, thousands of people have gone missing. When 4400 of them return all at once unharmed and looking the same as when they disappeared, the government investigates, unsure of how this can be possible. What the government does not know is that the presence of these 4400 will change the human race in many unexpected ways.

Dead Man's Walk

Set in the Texas Republic in the early 1840'sia time in which three cultures - Anglo Hispanic and Comanche were in furious conflict over the same harsh land we are introduced to Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call the heroes of Lonesome Dove.Gus (David Arquette) and Call (Jonny Lee Miller) are young rangers ripe for adventure and they get it with the Texas-Santa Fe expedition an ill-conceived effort on the part of some freebooters and adventurers to capture Santa Fe and annex New Mexico.Led by the land pirate Caleb Cobb (F. Murray Abraham) and guided by the legendary Bigfoot Wallace (Keith Carradine) and his mountain-man friend Shadrach (Harry Dean Stanton) the group fights several engagements with the great Comanche warchief Buffalo Hump (Eric Schweig) is whittled down by the silent Apache Gomez (Victor Aaron) and is captured without resistance by the Mexican army. Marched south by a resolute Mexican officer Captain Salazar (Edward James Olmos) they survive bear attacks ice storms and the rigors of the barren desert known as the Jornada del Muerto.In the end they arrive at the leper colony of San Lazaro where black and white beans are drawn to determine which of the invaders will die. Accompanying the men on this trek is the colorful amply fleshed whore known as the Great Western - Matilda Jane Roberts (Patricia Childress).In Austin Gus meets the love of his life Clara Forsythe (Jennifer Garner) and in San Lazaro they encounter the great English lady Lucinda Carey (Haviland Morris) who in the startling climax helps them survive a last encounter with the wild men led by the great Comanche Buffalo Hump. br> SPECIAL FEATURES :Full screen version 2.0 Dolby surround Scene selection Digitally Mastered System Requirements:Running Time: 283 Minutes Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 707729113751 Manufacturer No: 11375

Ruffian

(Sports / Doc) Based on the story of the great filly who was undefeated until suffering a fatal breakdown in a match race against Foolish Pleasure at Belmont Park in 1975 . Only lasting two short seasons on the track Ruffian was unbeaten through her first ten starts shattering records at nearly every race. It was the much anticipated 11th race on July 7 1975 in front of a packed house at Belmont and a television audience of 18 million viewers that proved to be her last. Hailed as the battle of the sexes Ruffian went head-to-head with Kentucky Derby winning colt Foolish Pride in what became the last match race in professional horse racing. Just short of the one mile marker Ruffian went down hard with a broken leg ultimately leaving doctors with no other option than to put the horse to sleep. The next day she was buried at Belmont and to this day remains the only horse granted that honor. System Requirements:Running Time: 89 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES Rating: NR UPC: 796019802840 Manufacturer No: 80284

Nuremberg

The trial of Nazi war criminals following the Allied victory in Europe in World War II is dramatized in this uneven TV movie starring Alec Baldwin as Robert Jackson, a U.S. Supreme Court justice who served as the chief prosecutor for the Allies. The gravity of the controversial concept of having a war crimes trial, and the political maneuvering between Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union that made it possible, is explained fairly well in the early portions of the film, even if Baldwin at times delivers lines that seem to have been lifted from a high school history textbook. Scenes of Nazi officers being rounded up and jailed are evocative, as are scenes of a ruined Germany. But a subplot involving Baldwin's character having an extramarital affair with his secretary, played by Jill Hennessy, seems utterly extraneous. Perhaps the intent was to show that even someone taking a moral stand on a global stage can be flawed, but Baldwin's Supreme Court justice faces no consequences from his infidelity. Baldwin dominates the courtroom scenes as the outraged prosecutor, while Hennessy has little to do beyond looking great in her 1940s wardrobe. And as the film progresses the brilliant performance of Brian Cox as Hermann Goering simply seizes all attention, as Hitler's deputy is uncannily portrayed as a brilliant manipulator to the very end. Nuremberg is consistently interesting, and to its credit it does contain much serious material on the Nazi war crimes, but it is in the end a flawed production. --Robert J. McNamara

Napoleon (TV Miniseries) (3-Disc Collector's Edition)

One of the Great Lives gets the full-scale miniseries treatment in this lavish international co-production (which aired on A&E). Even at a six-hour running time, there's barely room for all the extraordinary twists and turns of Napoleon Bonaparte's turbulent career as Emperor of France, from his brilliant early military victories after the Revolution to his megalomaniacal attempts to reign over all of Europe. While there are battle scenes galore, and court ceremonies staged with eye-popping pomp and circumstance, this production keeps returning to the intent, watchful face of Christian Clavier's Napoleon. The hawk-eyed, pint-sized actor appears born to play the role, and he draws out the humanity within the icon. Clavier dominates the film, although Isabella Rossellini's Josephine is heartfelt enough to convince you of the passion between these two, which later turned into a kind of pragmatic contract. (Hard to keep your love life straight when you're trying to rule the world.) John Malkovich, in his exquisite-decadent mode, provides amoral political advice as Talleyrand. Napoleon has the usual problems of international moviemaking, including the toneless line readings of supporting actors and the patchwork of accents. And it must move from A to B to C in predictable fashion, the curse of the historical biography. Abel Gance's silent epic Napoleon remains the cinematic standard for this life, but A&E's version gives a satisfying dramatic overview. --Robert Horton

From the campaign that transformed the Corsican outsider into a French hero to his bitter, final defeat at Waterloo, NAPOLEON charts the course of the man who defied centuries of tradition and forced his will upon a continent. Adapted by Didier Decoin (Les Miserables, Jakob the Liar) from Max Gallo's bestselling novel, this epic production explores the private struggles, political intrigues and bloody battles that marked Napoleon's tempestuous rise and rule. Directed by Yves Simoneau (Nuremburg, Amelia Earhart), NAPOLEON boasts an extraordinary international cast featuring Isabella Rossellini, Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich, and Christian Clavier.

44 Minutes

In North Hollywood on a calm summer day in 1997, fifty police officers were defenseless against two lone gunmen armed with AK 47 assault rifles and full military body armor. Only their extreme courage, valor and training put and end to the massacre inspiring a new motto for the L.A.P.D. - "The Day Willpower Beat Firepower." Based on the true story of the North Hollywood shootout.

Lonesome Dove Collection (Lonesome Dove/Streets of Laredo/Dead Man's Walk)

Lonesome Dove began life as a Larry McMurtry screenplay written for the big screen, with John Wayne, James Stewart, and Henry Fonda in mind for the roles of aging Texas Rangers Gus McCrae, Woodrow Call, and Jake Spoon. That too-good-to-be-true project never happened, and McMurtry shelved the story for some years and then revived it as a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The latter was subsequently adapted for the glorious 1989 television miniseries starring Robert Duvall as Gus, one of the most endearing and heroic figures to come out of Old West mythology, Tommy Lee Jones as the equally noble but taciturn Woodrow, and Robert Urich as their fallen comrade, Jake. Set in the late 19th century in a sleepy Texas town, we meet Gus and Woodrow long after they put their days of settling the West behind them. Busy as cattle ranchers yet spiritually idle, the two head out on one last great adventure to set down new stakes in Montana, a journey that is fraught with terrible dangers, reunions with old loves, and unexpected collisions with destiny. An exemplary and moving Western drama with magnificent performances from Duvall and Jones (and great support from Anjelica Huston, Rick Schroder, Danny Glover, and Diane Lane), Lonesome Dove paved the way for three sequels, two of which are in this collection. Streets of Laredo features James Garner this time as Woodrow Call, who is hired by a railroad company to track down a young criminal and comes face to face with his own past. The other is Dead Man's Walk, a powerful prequel in which we meet Gus (David Arquette) and Woodrow (Jonny Lee Miller) as young men and Rangers recruits, facing their first challenges together. The jewel in the crown of this collection is the original film, but the other titles are highly enjoyable and bring a sense of sweeping narrative to the proceedings. --Tom Keogh

Mother's Boys

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 14-OCT-2003
Media Type: DVD

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Ignition

Federal Judge Faith Matheson (Lena Olin) is preparing to try the most explosive case of her career involving corruption within some of the highest levels of the military. But the power of her final ruling could severly impact attempts of the US army to launch the first rocket into space in over thirty years. Suddenly finding herself in grave danger the Judge is assigned the protective services of Conor Gallagher (Bill Pullman) a former Marine Corps helicopter pilot decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor. But the stakes are higher than either ever imagined and as they dig deeper and deeper they are pulled into a dangerous web of conspiracy treason and murder.System Requirements:Running Time: 99 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396005440