Smith, Mel

Bean: The Movie

Translating Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean character from British television to the big screen takes a bit of a toll, but there are some hilarious sequences in this popular comedy. Bean, a boy-man twit with a knack for getting into difficult binds (and then making them worse and worse and worse), is a London museum guard who is sent to Los Angeles in the company of the famous painting Whistler's Mother. He's mistaken as an art expert by the well-meaning curator (Peter MacNicol) of an L.A. museum, but Bean's famously eccentric behavior soon causes the poor guy to almost lose his family and job. The insularity of Bean's TV world is sacrificed in this film, and that change diminishes some of the character's appeal. But Atkinson is a man naturally full of comedy, and he doesn't let his fans down. --Tom Keogh

Dream On - Seasons 1 & 2

One hopes that at the annual HBO characters Christmas party, Larry Sanders, Carrie Bradshaw, and Tony Soprano make a point to raise a toast to Martin Tupper, the hapless hero of Dream On. This groundbreaking 1990 sitcom from future Friends creators David Crane and Marta Kaufman ushered in a bold new era of original cable programming not bound by broadcast network content restrictions. Hence, the profanity and nudity (you didn't see that on Knott's Landing!), which distinguished the series and helped put HBO on the pop culture map. Brian Benben stars as Martin, a New York book editor still reeling from the breakup of his marriage. The show's gimmick is that baby boomer Martin, a member of the first television generation, flashes on vintage TV clips that express his innermost feelings and desires. When his wife, Judith (Wendie Malick), visits Martin in "The First Episode," he fantasizes reconciliation, but she wants him to sign the divorce papers so she can remarry. The scene is punctuated by clips (from an old Twilight Zone episode, perhaps?) in which boxer Lee Marvin is pummeled in the ring and knocked out. But the clips and the language and the sex would get old fast if we didn't like the characters. Benben has the Everyman charm of a young George Segal, and he wears his anxiety to hilarious effect. He is devoted to his young teenage son, and still loves Judith, who is marrying a paragon, never seen, but described at one point as a "Ghandi for our times." His dating relationships spectacularly crash and burn (cue clip of disabled aircraft). In one episode, he comes undone when he discovers his new lover was a porn star. At the office, he is at the mercy of his caustic secretary (Denny Dillon). Dream On is of more than prurient interest. This was one of those lightning-in-a-bottle series blessed with a fresh vision, a seamless ensemble, and smart writing. To finally have it on DVD is a Dream come true. --Donald Liebenson

Radioland Murders

Despite George Lucas's name in the credits (as executive producer) and several experiments in computer-generated imagery (seamlessly included but to little avail), this film qualifies as a major dog, a door-slamming farce in which the doors are funnier than the people slamming them. Set in a radio studio on a night in 1939 that a new radio network is being launched, the frenetic and scattered story blends a growing pile of corpses, network and sponsor politics, the crazed efforts involved to put on radio shows, and the on-again, off-again marriage of head writer Roger (Brian Benben) and secretary Penny (Mary Stuart Masterson), the only one who seems to have it together. Benben has a Groucho-like sense of timing and delivery, but he can't elevate surprisingly weak comic material. --Marshall Fine

From the mind of George Lucas Radioland Murders is a star-studded madcap murder-mystery that brings back the heyday of live radio and will keep you laughing and guessing until the show-stopping finale! An all-star ensemble cast comes together in this side-splitting whodunit that lovingly recreates an era known for its big band sound and art deco look.System Requirements:Running Time: 108 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 025192012426 Manufacturer No: 20124

Mr. Bean's Holiday/Bean: The Movie

National Lampoon's Blackball

Try as he might, Cliff Starkey just can't keep out of trouble. With a dead-end career, there's not much that makes him want to get out of bed in the mornings… except his one passion: Lawn Bowls. Almost as soon as he learned how to walk, he displayed a genius for the sport. To the dismay of the elderly, uptight bowls fraternity in town, Cliff honed his mastery of the game alone, playing by no one's rules but his own. Now, the time has come for his skill to be recognized, and Rick Schwartz (Vince Vaughn), an American sports agent, is going to ensure that this `Bad Boy' of bowls gets the spotlight he deserves. Cliff's rock `n' roll attitude and army of screaming female fans soon take England by storm, and he finds himself on the way to super-stardom! But can he take on the stuffy, business-like attitude of the Bowls Association and his senior arch-rival, Ray Speight? Starkey is only one match away from super-stardom as he joins forces with Ray in a ball-busting championship showdown!

Radioland Murders

Despite George Lucas's name in the credits (as executive producer) and several experiments in computer-generated imagery (seamlessly included but to little avail), this film qualifies as a major dog, a door-slamming farce in which the doors are funnier than the people slamming them. Set in a radio studio on a night in 1939 that a new radio network is being launched, the frenetic and scattered story blends a growing pile of corpses, network and sponsor politics, the crazed efforts involved to put on radio shows, and the on-again, off-again marriage of head writer Roger (Brian Benben) and secretary Penny (Mary Stuart Masterson), the only one who seems to have it together. Benben has a Groucho-like sense of timing and delivery, but he can't elevate surprisingly weak comic material. --Marshall Fine

As Chicago radio station WBN celebrates its first night on the air, someone is murdering the company employees one by one, and the station's secretary and her estranged writer-husband must join forces to find the killer. From the mind of George Lucas, creator of "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones," comes this mystery-comedy-adventure set in the heyday of live radio. It's an enegetic, fast-paced romp, sparkling with a brilliant cast, dozens of guest stars, hilarious complications, and a toe-tapping melange of musical standards.

Bean: The Movie

Translating Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean character from British television to the big screen takes a bit of a toll, but there are some hilarious sequences in this popular comedy. Bean, a boy-man twit with a knack for getting into difficult binds (and then making them worse and worse and worse), is a London museum guard who is sent to Los Angeles in the company of the famous painting Whistler's Mother. He's mistaken as an art expert by the well-meaning curator (Peter MacNicol) of an L.A. museum, but Bean's famously eccentric behavior soon causes the poor guy to almost lose his family and job. The insularity of Bean's TV world is sacrificed in this film, and that change diminishes some of the character's appeal. But Atkinson is a man naturally full of comedy, and he doesn't let his fans down. --Tom Keogh

Blackball [Region 2]

Bean: The Movie [Region 2]

Translating Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean character from British television to the big screen takes a bit of a toll, but there are some hilarious sequences in this popular comedy. Bean, a boy-man twit with a knack for getting into difficult binds (and then making them worse and worse and worse), is a London museum guard who is sent to Los Angeles in the company of the famous painting Whistler's Mother. He's mistaken as an art expert by the well-meaning curator (Peter MacNicol) of an L.A. museum, but Bean's famously eccentric behavior soon causes the poor guy to almost lose his family and job. The insularity of Bean's TV world is sacrificed in this film, and that change diminishes some of the character's appeal. But Atkinson is a man naturally full of comedy, and he doesn't let his fans down. --Tom Keogh

Bean: The Movie [Region 2]

Translating Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean character from British television to the big screen takes a bit of a toll, but there are some hilarious sequences in this popular comedy. Bean, a boy-man twit with a knack for getting into difficult binds (and then making them worse and worse and worse), is a London museum guard who is sent to Los Angeles in the company of the famous painting Whistler's Mother. He's mistaken as an art expert by the well-meaning curator (Peter MacNicol) of an L.A. museum, but Bean's famously eccentric behavior soon causes the poor guy to almost lose his family and job. The insularity of Bean's TV world is sacrificed in this film, and that change diminishes some of the character's appeal. But Atkinson is a man naturally full of comedy, and he doesn't let his fans down. --Tom Keogh