Thomas, Betty

28 Days (Special Edition)

To appreciate 28 Days, it's best to be thankful that director Betty Thomas hasn't forced Sandra Bullock into a remake of Clean and Sober. Instead Thomas has balanced her comedic sensibility (evident in Dr. Dolittle and Private Parts) with the seriousness of alcoholism and substance abuse, and she succeeds without compromising the gravity of the subject matter. Some critics have scoffed at the movie's breezy, formulaic portrait of 27-year-old boozer and pill-popper Gwen Cummings (Bullock), but this smooth-running star vehicle does for Bullock what Erin Brockovich did for Julia Roberts, focusing her appeal in a substantial role without taxing the limits of her talent. It's no wonder that Susannah Grant (who wrote both films) was one of the hottest new screenwriters of 1999. She writes "Hollywood Lite" without insulting anyone's intelligence.

As played by Bullock, Gwen is an alcoholic in denial whose latest bender with boozer boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West) ruins the wedding of her sister (Elizabeth Perkins) and lands her in a month-long rehab program with the requisite gang of struggling drunks and junkies. Newcomer Alan Tudyk steals his scenes as a gay German rehabber who might've dropped in from a Berlin performance-art exhibit, and Steve Buscemi aptly conveys the weary commitment of a counselor who's seen it all. Thomas has surrounded Bullock with a sharp ensemble, and the addition of singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III (as a kind of Greek chorus crooner) is sublimely inspired. Certainly no surprises here--the warring sisters will reconcile, and at least one rehabber will fail to recover--but there's ample pleasure to be found in Bullock's finely tuned performance, and in Thomas's inclusion of flashbacks and tangents that add depth and laughter in just the right dosage. --Jeff Shannon

A disastrous drunken episode lands successful N.Y. journalist Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) in rehab where she encounters a bizarre assortment of characters and unique rituals during her touching and often hilarious road to recovery.System Requirements:Starring: Sandra Bullock Steve Buscemi Viggo Mortensen Elizabeth Perkins and Diane Ladd. Directed By: Betty Thomas. Running Time: 104 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396050648

Private Parts

Give credit to director Betty Thomas for making the notorious Howard Stern, self-proclaimed "king of all media," into a nerdish but appealing media rebel who loves his wife and family. Even if you hate Stern's rude radio show, you may discover that the underdog charm of this warm, whimsical film (based on Stern's autobiography) turns you into a fan--for the length of the film at least. Stern delivers a winning performance as the clumsy college kid and aspiring disc-jockey-turned-demon-shock-jock, who becomes an unlikely hero as he battles station managers, network executives, and conservative "arbiters of decency" in the name of unfettered bad taste. Mary McCormack is fine as his understanding wife, Alison, and longtime Stern sidekicks Robin Quivers and Fred Norris acquit themselves nicely appearing as themselves. By the end of this smart, funny little film, don't be surprised if you find yourself cheering for the slob. --Sean Axmaker

John Tucker Must Die

An unlikely sisterhood plots a girl-powered revenge in John Tucker Must Die. When the class-overachiever (Arielle Kebbel, Aquamarine), the head cheerleader (Ashanti, Coach Carter), and the vegan alterna-girl (Sophia Bush, One Tree Hill) discover they're all dating the same guy--namely, star basketball player John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe, Desperate Housewives)--they recruit a bashful new girl named Kate (Brittany Snow, The Pacifier) to become the ideal girl to break Tucker's heart. But as Kate uses the gang's combined wiles to lure Tucker, his interest gives her a social standing she's never had before...an intoxicating experience that may cost her a chance at honest love with another boy. John Tucker Must Die contrasts male and female behavior to cunning comic effect. The portrait of high school life is typically absurd, but the engaging cast, sprightly plot, and crisp dialogue will draw you in. It's a testament to the smooth guiding hand of director Betty Thomas (The Brady Bunch Movie, Private Parts) that ex-Playmate Jenny McCarthy's performance can genuinely be called understated. One of 2006's best teen comedies. --Bret Fetzer

Hollywood's hottest young hunk, Jesse Metcalfe (TV's Desperate Housewives), delivers big laughs on campus in this "hot, hilarious film!'" (NBC-TV, Miami) When three gorgeous gals discover they've all been duped by smooth-talking stud John Tucker (Metcalfe), they hatch a devious revenge scheme to turn the tables on him. Now Tucker is going to have to change his ways...or the school jock will soon become the class joke!

Can the tantalizing teen trio turn this "serial dater" into a one-woman man? Find out in the hit movie that proves revenge isn't just sweet, it's hysterically funny.

The Brady Bunch Movie / A Very Brady Sequel

The Brady Bunch Movie
The big-screen version of the hugely popular 1970s television sitcom takes an original angle: instead of simply re-creating the old series, the film spoofs it by presenting the merged family as blithely unaware that fashions and customs have changed in the '90s. Shelley Long and Gary Cole are hilarious as the ultra-square yet libidinous Mr. and Mrs. Brady, Christopher Daniel Barnes is an ideal Greg, and Christine Taylor seems practically cloned from the original Marcia. But director Betty Thomas (Private Parts) shifts the emphasis away from comparisons between old and new Bradys and concentrates on quasi-surreal parodies and set pieces featuring the Brady kids doing their spirited, singing thing for a disbelieving public. Smart, sharp, and happy to share its conspiratorial mood with an appreciative audience, The Brady Bunch Movie is a kick.

A Very Brady Sequel
This second ironic send-up of the old Sherwood Schwartz sitcom is even funnier than The Brady Bunch Movie. Shelley Long and Gary Cole return as the married heads of the merged family known as the Bradys, and Christopher Daniel Barnes and Christine Taylor reprise their roles as eldest stepsiblings Greg and Marcia. As with the first film, the clever premise finds the Brady clan caught in a kind of '70s time warp, while the rest of the world has moved well into the '90s. Greg is still looking for a "groovy girlfriend," Mr. Brady thinks the idea of a cable that sends 50 channels to one's TV set must be a joke, and Mrs. Brady spends hours at the beauty shop only to look exactly the same as she went in. There's a plot involving an imposter (Tim Matheson) who claims to be Carol's long-lost husband, but the real charge in this comedy comes from the way these pseudohip characters deal with sexual taboos (is there any real reason that Greg and Marcia shouldn't get it on?) and the incredulous reactions of other people. --Tom Keogh

Dr. Dolittle

There's something intrinsically funny about tactlessly truth-telling talking animals. And there are plenty of those--and laughs to go with them--in this 1998 reimagining of Hugh Lofting's children's story. Murphy plays the doctor in question, a modern-day San Francisco physician who discovers that he can understand what animals have to say. Director Betty Thomas makes the most of an amazing voice cast for the animals, led by Norm McDonald and including everyone from Garry Shandling to Julie Kavner to Albert Brooks. The story itself is pretty slim--will the conscientious doctor sign his soul away to a greedy HMO?--but Murphy makes the most of it, often providing priceless reactions to animal voices only he can hear. --Marshall Fine

A successful physician and devoted family man, John Dolittle (Murphy) seems to have the world by the tail, until a long-suppresses talent possessed as a child - the ability to communicate with animals- is suddenly reawakened with a vengeance! Now every creature within squawking distance wants the good doctor's advice, unleashing an outrageous chain of events that turn his world upside down!

Featuring an all-star menagerie of voice talent (including Chris Rock, John Leguizamo, Norm MacDonald, Albert Brooks, Gary Shandling and Ellen DeGeneres), this wild and woolly free-for-all is your prescription for hilarious hijinks and "mischievous fun!" (The New York Times)

I Spy

Eddie Murphy needed a comeback after The Adventures of Pluto Nash, but I Spy didn't provide it. As with his previous turkey, Murphy's the least of this movie's problems; his spitfire delivery begs for better plotting and dialogue, and his teaming with Owen Wilson had even more promise than Wilson's Shanghai comedies with Jackie Chan. But this unfunny hash--bearing no resemblance to the 1960s Bill Cosby-Robert Culp TV series that inspired it--undermines Murphy and Wilson at every turn, stranding them in scenes that play well in isolation but never form a coherent action-comedy. It's not that director Betty Thomas is incapable; she just seems uninterested, going through the motions while Eddie, Owen, and Famke Janssen play spy games in Budapest, chasing after a villain (Malcolm McDowell, wasted again) who's stolen a sleek, invisibility-cloaked jet bomber called the Switchblade. Explosions, shootouts, double-crosses... ignore it all, and find what pleasure you can in Eddie and Owen's aimless banter. --Jeff Shannon

Superstar Eddie Murphy (The Nutty Professor) teams up with Owen Wilson (Zoolander Behind Enemy Lines) for a hilarious action-packed thrill ride. Famke Janssen (X-Men GoldenEye) also stars as an ultra-sexy secret agent. A super-powerful experimental spy plane is stolen by an evil arms dealer and is about to be handed over to an international terrorist. The U.S. Government drafts an egotistical boxing star (Murphy) to join a suave special agent (Wilson) on a dangerous top-secret mission to get the plane back. Armed with the latest high tech gadgets and a whole lot of attitude this ultimate odd couple might be able to save the world - if they can just get along.System Requirements:Starring: Eddie Murphy Owen Wilson Famke Janssen Malcolm McDowell Gary Cole Viv Leacock Phill Lewis Darren Shahlavi Blake Lirette Larry Merchant and Johnny Gill. Directed By: Betty Thomas. Running Time: 97 Min. Color. This film is presented in both "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats. Copyright 2003 VPD Inc.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396087064 Manufacturer No: 08706

The Brady Bunch Movie

The big-screen version of the hugely popular 1970s television sitcom takes an original angle: instead of simply re-creating the old series, the film spoofs it by presenting the merged family as blithely unaware that fashions and customs have changed in the '90s. Shelley Long and Gary Cole are hilarious as the ultra-square yet libidinous Mr. and Mrs. Brady, Christopher Daniel Barnes is an ideal Greg, and Christine Taylor seems practically cloned from the original Marcia. But director Betty Thomas (Private Parts) shifts the emphasis away from comparisons between old and new Bradys and concentrates on quasi-surreal parodies and set pieces featuring the Brady kids doing their spirited, singing thing for a disbelieving public. Smart, sharp, and happy to share its conspiratorial mood with an appreciative audience, The Brady Bunch Movie is a kick. --Tom Keogh

THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE brings the lovable family of the 1970's into the modern world, to see how their good old-fashioned values pan out in the streets of Los Angeles. The Brady's house still sparkles with the same orange and olive green furniture as the original show, but the surrounding area has changed drastically. Confronted by carjackers, new fashion trends and popular culture in general, the Brady's remain perky and pleasant to the world around them. When their next-door neighbors try to buy the Brady's home in an attempt to raze the neighborhood and develop a mini-mall, the Brady family must unite and find a solution.

The Late Shift

Loyalties ran deep. People were polarized. And, for a while, folks followed it in the news with bated breath. No, it wasn't an election year; it was the battle for late-night television, bitterly fought by Jay Leno and David Letterman.

Even before Johnny Carson retired, Letterman and Leno were jockeying for The Tonight Show. Letterman had a proven record, but at a later time slot, with an edgier crowd. Leno had the guest-host position and the support of the network. HBO dramatizes the struggle for the 11 p.m. slot in The Late Shift, a made-for-cable movie that reveals the seedier side of talk television. Kathy Bates gives a hysterical--both in the funny and the manic sense--performance as Leno's manager. John Michael Higgens is a convincing Letterman and Daniel Roebuck (with mounds of latex on his chin) gets the Leno voice right. And while the studio execs and agents (played humorously by Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr., Treat Williams, among others) appear as sharks, both Leno and Letterman come off sympathetically. Even though the outcome is well known, The Late Shift is an entertaining look at the craziness that is late-night TV. --Jenny Brown

When Johnny Carson announces his retirement from the Tonight Show it throws the networks and their executives two talk-show stars and millions of late night television viewers into a frenzy. Who could replace the most important talk-show host in history? It soon comes down to the Tonight Show's guest host Jay Leno and the later late night star David Letterman in a fight to the finish. Take a peek behind television's most famous curtains to witness for yourself the madness the mayhem and the money that made the battle for the Tonight Show hot-seat one of the most brutally contested- and hilarious- battles in television history. We all know who replaced Johnny Carson but no one knew how he got there until now.Running Time: 102 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 026359128424

My Breast (True Stories Collection)

My Breast is the true story of Joyce Wadler (Meredith Baxter, Family Ties), a plucky, high-profile magazine writer who discovers a lump in her breast. When the lump is diagnosed as malignant, she must make the difficult decision of choosing between two surgeries: a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. Joyce's friends rally to her side, but her selfish boyfriend, Nick (Jamey Sheridan, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), can't bring himself to acknowledge her condition. After undergoing a lumpectomy, Joyce receives wonderful news - the cancer hasn't spread. However, her celebration with Nick is short-lived and the two soon part. When Nick returns to rekindle their romance, Joyce decides its time to take stock of her relationships and shed her old baggage once and for all.

Doctor Dolittle Giftset

Episode Description:

The Dr. Dolittle Giftset includes: **Dr. Dolittle 1 **Dr. Dolittle 2 and **Dr. Dolittle 3

Note: Dr. Dolittle 1 and 2 available in both Pan Scan and Widescreen Versions.