Yaitanes, Greg

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set)

Conspiracies abound in Children of Dune, Sci-Fi Channel's praiseworthy miniseries sequel to Frank Herbert's Dune, loyally adapted from the Herbert novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by John Harrison, who passed directorial duties (due to a scheduling conflict) to Greg Yaitanes, a 31-year-old TV director and Dune neophyte tackling his biggest assignment to date. Uninitiated viewers face a disadvantage; it's best to read Herbert's books and/or see the first miniseries before plunging into this remarkably coherent tangle of political intrigue, unfolding 12 years after the events of Dune.

To his horror, Maud'Dib--Arrakis emperor Paul Atreides (Alec Newman, reprising his Dune role)--has become the unintended figurehead of a violent dictatorship, and his enemies are multiplying. Vanishing into the desert, he waits as destiny shapes his twin heirs Leto II (James McAvoy) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks), who must contend with their scheming aunt Alia (Daniela Amavia) while Princess Wensicia (Susan Sarandon), of the enemy House Corrino, plots her own attack on Maud'Dib's familial empire. Exiled Atreides matriarch Lady Jessica (Alice Krige, giving the film's finest performance) returns to Arrakis, where the enormous, desert-dwelling sandworms face an uncertain future. As always, the spice must flow, and the universe's most coveted commodity remains at the center of this richly detailed and physically impressive production. Special effects range from awesome (fly-over shots of the capital city, Arakeen) to awful (the saber-tooth tigers look like Jumanji rejects), and Dune devotees will endlessly debate the miniseries' strengths and weaknesses. Some may desire more action to punctuate the film's inherent verbosity, but consensus will surely conclude that this is Dune done right, with monumental effort and obvious devotion from everyone involved. --Jeff Shannon

2nd & 3rd books of the dune chronicles adapted for the screen. 2 disc. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/25/2004 Starring: Alec Newman Alice Krige Run time: 266 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Greg Yaitanes

Over There - The Battle Begins (Pilot Episode)

The pilot episode of Steven Bochco's Over There is as riveting, unexpected, and shocking as the series premieres of the legendary producer's Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue. The first television drama set in an existing war being waged by the United States, Over There concerns the first tour of duty for a young, U.S. Army unit sent to Iraq. Unlike any number of movies and TV shows starring middle-age actors portraying American fighting forces in past wars, Over There's combat soldiers look and act like the barely-out-of-high-school young adults (many of whom, in Over There, joined the military out of economic necessity) most of our real-life troops actually are.

Whatever one's feelings about the Iraq war, Bochco and co-writer and director Chris Gerolmo (Citizen X) cut through the politics to get to the individuals whose lives are on the line, who left behind families to find themselves in a most alien environment, fired upon for reasons they may not fully understand. Gerolmo does a superb job of showing us combat conditions in desert sandstorms, with rookie soldiers hanging tough under intense heat while insurgents fire from a distance at anything that moves. This is a new kind of war show, yet in many ways Over There embraces a few sentimental conventions, notably scenes in which the unit's members explain the origins of their nicknames ("Angel," "Dim," "Doublewide," "Mrs. B," and more). In the Bochco tradition, when violence comes, it comes as a grievous surprise. --Tom Keogh

From producer Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue," "L.A. Law," "Hill Street Blues") comes the first scripted television series set in a current, ongoing war involving the United States. Gritty, intense, evocative and emotional, "Over There" takes you to the front lines of battle and explores the effects of war on a U.S. Army unit sent to Iraq on their first tour of duty, as well as the equally powerful effects felt at home by their families and loved ones.

A must-see show for all Americans, "Over There" is not about politics or policies. It's a true-to-life depiction of our courageous soldiers—the everyday heroes who fight for freedom under extraordinary conditions.

Includes an exclusive behind the scenes featurette!

Empire

The lavishly produced six-hour mini-series Empire aspires to capture the flavor and grandeur of Rome--or, failing that, the flavor and grandeur of Gladiator, a highly successful movie about Rome. Most writers, including Shakespeare, use the assassination of Julius Caesar as a climax; Empire opens with it, then follows a fictional gladiator named Tyrranus (Jonathan Cake, Inconceivable) as he protects and substitute-parents Caesar's nephew Octavius (Santiago Cabrera, Love and Other Disasters), fated to be emperor of Rome. Many have complained about how Empire plays fast and loose--very, very loose--with historical truth (the series labored over accurate details while running amok with preposterous turns of plot, ranging from Octavius hiding out in a gladiatorial prison to the emperor-to-be's romance with a rosy-lipped vestal virgin). Of course, Shakespeare did his own embellishing and it worked out fine; alas, the writers of Empire are not our modern Shakespeares. The machinations of Rome play out with cheesy speeches and cornball declamations; even a powerhouse actress like Fiona Shaw (Empire obeys the Hollywood rule that hot-tempered Romans must only be played by emotionally repressed Brits) can't inject fire into this pompous, ponderous dialogue. The scheming between Octavius and Marc Anthony (Vincent Regan, Unleashed) briefly harkens back to the genuinely thrilling duplicities of I, Claudius, but only briefly. Cabrera looks like he'd be more comfortable with the machinations of The O.C.; Cake musters some dignity but in the last few hours does little but grimace, as if wondering where he'd parked his car. The dvd release has reintegrated some unrated, unaired scenes, but don't get your hopes up. The gladiatorial combat has all the finesse and suspense of locker room buddies snapping towels at each other; the lone orgy scene works hard at fleshpottiness, but nothing kills decadence like effort. There are only two extra features: A typically self-lauding making-of doc, accompanied by a demonstration of how Rome was assembled in a computer. --Bret Fetzer

Set in ancient rome the story picks up when julius caesar is assassinated by the roman senate. Julius passes his power to his 18 year old nephew octavius which sends rome into chaos & sets the stage for this sweeping epic. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 07/04/2006 Starring: James Frain Santiago Cabrera

Lost - The Series Pilot Episodes, Part I & Part II [UMD for PSP]

No Description Available.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 22-AUG-2006
Media Type: 3\"" Mini DVD for PH

Alias - The First Three Complete Seasons (Amazon.com Exclusive)

Alias: The Complete First Season - English/Spanish DVD- Golden Globe Award-winning actress Jennifer Garner (Best Actress In A Television Series, 2002) is Sydney Bristow. Syd's not exactly your average grad student. Her life might appear normal, but she's hiding a secret life working as a spy for the CIA. Sydney's world is turned upside down when she learns she may work for the very enemy she thought she was fighting. Now she's entangled in a covert lifestyle where she is forced to question the allegiances of everyone, including those closest to her. Entertainment Weekly says ALIAS is "a spy-fi roller coaster of killer gadgets, double roundkicks, triple crosses, poignant confessionals, cliff-hangers, sliced-off fingers, conspiracies, outrageous outfits, exotic locales, flirtations, mythologies -- and that's just before the first commercial break." Now see the 22 mesmerizing episodes that launched it all in this 6-disc set. You'll also experience never-before-seen extras that give you special access inside the world of ALIAS. See the show everyone has been talking about that has redefined series television. This edge-of-your-seat collection with its heart-pounding action of unpredictable plot twists will have you gasping for air and begging for Season 2! Alias: The Complete Second Season - English/Spanish DVD - The action gets even hotter in ALIAS' sensational second season. Double agent Sydney Bristow faces the greatest challenge of her life when her mother, an enemy long thought dead, turns herself in to the CIA. As family relationships change and Sydney's friends take on new roles, her life becomes even more tangled and dangerous. It's "like watching a 2,000-piece puzzle assembled before your eyes," says Entertainment Weekly. Experience all 22 scintillating episodes of season two with exclusive bonus features that take you inside the world of ALIAS. Your favorite characters are back, joined by special guest stars, as Sydney fights to reclaim her life and the action builds to a spectacular climax. "Think Bond with feelings, Dostoyevsky with smart bombs," says GQ Magazine. This comprehensive six-disc collection will have you hooked from episode one's incredible start to the season's stunning final minute. Alias: The Complete Third Season - DVD - The mystery and excitement reach unimaginable heights in ALIAS' spectacular third season. Special Agent Sydney Bristow awakens to an all-new world of intrigue from the very first moment of episode one, and her life is turned upside down as the action accelerates through the season's final frame. It's "pure, crazy, spy-fantasy fun" raves the Boston Globe. Enjoy all 22 episodes in this amazing six-disc collection and get inside the action with a world of exclusive bonus features. "In its third season, this ABC series rewrites all the rules -- successfully" says the New York Daily News. It's addictive television at its best.

Plan B

Academy Award-winner Diane Keaton ("Something's Gotta Give" "The First Wives Club") stars in this "Married to the Mob" farce! A meek bookkeeper and widow of a New York Mob victim must become the hit man for the Mob boss in order to pay back her husband's debt. Instead of carrying out the deeds she drives each of her proposed victims down to Florida to hide at her estranged brother's house. The boss gets wind that the victims may not be dead and pays a visit to Florida where he uncovers her flimsy plan and the hilarity ensues. With an all-star cast including Paul Sorvino ("Bulworth" "Goodfellas") Oscar-nominee Bob Balaban ("A Mighty Wind " "Gosford Park") Oscar-nominee Burt Young ("Rocky I-V" "Once Upon a Time in America") and Natasha Lyonne ("American Pie 1&2" "Scary Movie 2").Running Time: 100 min.System Requirements:Run Time: 100 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 012569693371 Manufacturer No: 69337

Hard Justice/Outside the Law

Explosive action times two! Starring action favorite David Bradley (American Ninja Cyborg Soldier).Hard Justice: Hardboiled ATF agent Nick Adams goes undercover to find his partner's killer in prison. But when he discovers the warden is running an illegal gun ring out of the prison basement Nick realizes that his own life is in danger. Attacked from all sides he finds the only way to survive is to fight... and justice only comes the hard way!Outside the Law: When a woman is brutally murdered Detective Brad Kingsbury is called in to solve the crime. After questioning beautiful Tanya Borgman she becomes the prime suspect... but Brad is helplessly drawn to her entering a dangerous affair that could cost him his job and his life. Turn up the heat with this action-packed thrill ride!Hot cult action cast! Anna Thomson (Bad Boys The Crow) Charles Napier (First Blood The Blues Brothers) Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser) Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Devil's Rejects) Vernon Wells (The Road Warrior Fortress).Hard Justice is rated R for non-stop brutal violence and for language.Outside the Law is rated R for sexuality violence and language.System Requirements:Running Time 185:05 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 014381165326 Manufacturer No: ID1653LIDVD

Las Vegas: Then & Now

Cypher [Region 2]

Touching Evil