Wesley Snipes

Blade (New Line Platinum Series)

The recipe for Blade is quite simple; you take one part Batman, one part horror flick, and two parts kung fu and frost it all over with some truly campy acting. What do you get? An action flick that will reaffirm your belief that the superhero action genre did not die in the fluorescent hands of Joel Schumacher. Blade is the story of a ruthless and supreme vampire slayer (Wesley Snipes) who makes other contemporary slayers (Buffy et al.) look like amateurs. Armed with a samurai sword made of silver and guns that shoot silver bullets, he lives to hunt and kill "Sucker Heads." Pitted against our hero is a cast of villains led by Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), a crafty and charismatic vampire who believes that his people should be ruling the world, and that the human race is merely the food source they prey on. Born half-human and half-vampire after his mother had been attacked by a blood-sucker, Blade is brought to life by a very buff-looking Snipes in his best action performance to date. Apparent throughout the film is the fluid grace and admirable skill that Snipes brings to the many breathtaking action sequences that lift this movie into a league of its own. The influence of Hong Kong action cinema is clear, and you may even notice vague impressions of Japanese anime sprinkled innovatively throughout. Dorff holds his own against Snipes as the menacing nemesis Frost, and the grizzly Kris Kristofferson brings a tough, cynical edge to his role as Whistler, Blade's mentor and friend. Ample credit should also go to director Stephen Norrington and screenwriter David S. Goyer, who prove it is possible to adapt comic book characters to the big screen without making them look absurd. Indeed, quite the reverse happens here: Blade comes vividly to life from the moment you first see him, in an outstanding opening sequence that sets the tone for the action-packed film that follows. From that moment onward you are pulled into the world of Blade and his perpetual battle against the vampire race. --Jeremy Storey

Wesley Snipes plays a half-mortal half-immortal charged with ridding the earth of a race of vampires led by Stephen Dorff in this action-packed blockbuster.Running Time: 120 min.System Requirements:Starring: Wesley Snipes Stephen Dorff et al. Director: Stephen Norrington Edition Details: Region 1 encoding (for use in US and Canada only) Color Closed-captioned Dolby Widescreen Commentary by Audio commentary by actor Wesley Snipes (qv) actor Stephen Dorff (qv) writer David S. Goyer (qv) cinematographer Theo Van de Sande (qv) production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (qv) and producer Peter Frankfurt (qv) Commentary by Isolated musical score with commentary by composer Mark Isham (qv) Theatrical trailer(s) Featurette "La Magra" including the original ending Featurette "Designing Blade" Featurette "The Origins of Blade" Featurette "The Blood Tide" "House of Erebus" information about the different vampire houses Widescreen anamorphic format Number of discs: 1 Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 794043470929

Blade - Trinity (New Line Platinum Series)

Even skeptical fans of the Blade franchise will enjoy sinking their teeth into Blade: Trinity. The law of diminishing returns is in full effect here, and the franchise is wearing out its welcome, but let's face it: any movie that features Jessica Biel as an ass-kicking vampire slayer and Parker Posey--yes, Parker Posey!--as a vamping vampire villainess can't be all bad, right? Those lovely ladies bring equal measures of relief and grief to Blade, the half-human, half-vampire once again played, with tongue more firmly in stone-cold cheek, by Wesley Snipes. With series writer David S. Goyer in the director's chair, the film is calculated for mainstream appeal, trading suspenseful horror for campy humor and choppy, nonsensical action. The franchise still offers some intriguing ideas, however, including Drake (Dominic Purcell), the original vampire, whose blood contains the secret that could destroy all blood-suckers in a plot that incorporates a sinister "blood farm" where humans are held--and drained--in suspended animation. And Biel's wise-cracking sidekick (Ryan Reynolds) in her cadre of "Nightstalkers" provides comic relief in a series that's grown increasingly dour. All of which makes Blade: Trinity a love-it-or-hate-it sequel... supposedly the last in a trilogy, but the ending suggests otherwise. --Jeff Shannon

The final battle begins and the trinity comes to an end! Blade is back and his enemies have grown in number since they resurrected their king Dracula. Together with a new group of vampire hunters called the Nightstalkers led by Whistler's strong but beautiful daughter Abigail and the wise-cracking Hannibal they must finally defeat the vampires or face inevitable extinction.Running Time: 123 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 794043781926

U.S. Marshals (Special Edition)

An ultimately futile attempt to make lightning strike twice, this so-called spinoff from 1993's blockbuster The Fugitive avoids the label of "sequel" by forging ahead without the first film's star, Harrison Ford. The idea is to showcase the return of Tommy Lee Jones in his Oscar-winning role as tenacious U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard, this time testing his mettle against a covert government operative (Wesley Snipes) accused of murdering two secret service attachés. Unfortunately, Jones and the entire cast have been trapped in a rambling plot, and the underdog status that made Ford such a compelling hero is sacrificed to an evenly matched and eventually tiresome game of cat and mouse, with a villain whose identity is far too predictable. With no dramatic buildup and several superfluous characters to distract its focus, the film's momentum plays out like a rote exercise compared to the high stakes of the earlier film. --Jeff Shannon

Ladies and gentlemen be alert. We are going to initiate a hard-target search for a fugitive in an ever-widening perimeter. We will wade through swamps prowl Manhattan streets search every house and doghouse. We'll eat on the run sleep tomorrow watch our backs. And since Marshal Sam Gerard leads the hunt we will experience suspense action and daring twists every breathless step of the way. Returning to his Oscar-winning role from The Fugitive Tommy Lee Jones is Gerard joining an A-team including Wesley Snipes Robert Downey Jr. and director Stuart Baird. (Executive Decision) to deliver adrenaline-rush excitement. The suspect: armed extremely dangerous perhaps linked to a spy ring. The chase: highlighted by an out-of-control 727 a death match in a ship's cargo hold a 12-story plunge onto a moving train and more heart-pounding sequences. The movie: U.S. Marshals.Running Time: 132 min.System Requirements:Widescreen format aspect ratio 1.85:1 16X9 enhanced Languages: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) and French (Dolby Surround Stereo) Subtitles in English French and Spanish Audio commentary by director Stuart Baird "Anatomy of a Plane Crash" interactive special effects segment a documentary on the history of the U.S. Marshals 2 trailers and 3 TV spots. Additional Information Produced by Anne & Arnold Kopelson; written by John Pogue; DVD released on 07/21/1998; running time of 131 minutes; Closed Captioned. Copyright: 1998 Warner Bros.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 085391562528

Demolition Man

Years before the fast-food chain hired a talking chihuahua as its official spokeshound, Taco Bell got some high-profile product placement in this dopey thriller set in the year 2032, when the sprawling megacity of "San Angeles" has banned violence and profanity, and where virtually all the restaurants are Taco Bells. (So much for democracy!) Sylvester Stallone plays an ex-cop who's been thawed out after 36 years of imprisonment for manslaughter, and Wesley Snipes plays his nemesis who also emerges from deep-freeze and proceeds to wreak havoc. It's not nearly as funny as the similarly plotted Austin Powers,; but this special-effects-laden comedy-thriller does have a few highlights, including the pre-stardom Sandra Bullock as the cop-trainee who teaches Stallone proper behavior (and sexual etiquette) in the future's conservative society. Co-starring is Rob Schneider as a frantic sidekick who matches Stallone's one-liners with idiotic wit. --Jeff Shannon

Blade II (New Line Platinum Series)

Aptly described by critic Roger Ebert as "a vomitorium of viscera," Blade II takes the express route to sequel success. So if you enjoyed Blade, you'll probably drool over this monster mash, which is anything but boring. Set (and filmed) in Prague, the plot finds a new crop of "Reaper" vampires threatening to implement a viral breeding program, and they're nearly impervious to attacks by Blade (Wesley Snipes), his now-revived mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), and a small army of "normal" vampires who routinely combust in a constant conflagration of spectacular special effects. It's up to Blade to conquer the über-vamps, and both Snipes and director Guillermo del Toro (Mimic) serve up a nonstop smorgasbord of intensely choreographed action, creepy makeup, and graphic ultraviolence. It's sadistic, juvenile, numbing, and--for those who dig this kind of thing--undeniably impressive. With the ever-imposing Ron Perlman as a vampire villain. --Jeff Shannon

Get set for more action, more vampires and more Wesley Snipes in this second monster-hit installment in the Blade franchise.

New Jack City (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Some pundits called it a flawed, exploitative action film that glamorized drug dealing and the luxury of a lucrative criminal lifestyle, spawning a trend of films that attracted youth gangs and provoked violence in theaters. Others hailed it as a breakthrough movie that depicted drug dealers as ruthless, corrupt, and evil, leading dead-end lives that no rational youth would want to emulate. However you interpret it, New Jack City is still one of the first and best films of the 1990s to crack open the underworld of cocaine and peer inside with its eyes wide open. It's also the film that established Wesley Snipes as an actor to watch, with enough charisma to bring an insidious quality of seduction to his role as coke-lord Nino Brown, and enough intelligence to portray a character deluded by his own sense of indestructible power. Director Mario Van Peebles stretched his otherwise-limited talent to bring vivid authenticity and urgency to this crime story, and subplots involving a pair of tenacious cops (Ice-T, Judd Nelson) and a recovering coke addict (Chris Rock) provide additional dramatic tension. Although some critics may hesitate to admit it, New Jack City deserves mention in any serious discussion about African American filmmakers and influential films. --Jeff Shannon

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: PAYNE/ROCK/ICE T/NELSON
Title: NEW JACK CITY
Street Release Date: 08/29/2006
Domestic
Genre: ACTION / ADVENTURE

Murder at 1600

There were two movies about murder and the U.S. presidency released in 1997, and when you compare it to Absolute Power, this one is clearly the lesser of the two. That doesn't mean it's a bad movie, but it does make it a mildly disappointing one, and it illustrates the hazards of crafting a film to fit the persona of its leading man. In this case, you've got Wesley Snipes, a young, savvy man of action, playing a Washington, D.C., police detective assigned to investigate the murder of a woman in the White House. The president's son is a prime suspect, but there's a cover-up underway that forces Snipes to intensify his investigation beyond normal parameters. For a while at least, this makes Murder at 1600 a sharp and interesting film, and while the national security advisor (Alan Alda) seems highly cooperative (but don't be so sure), Snipes meets a secret service member (Diane Lane) who shares his belief in a high-level conspiracy. Unfortunately, that's when the film takes a downward plunge, resorting to a series of thriller clichés including an unlikely chase through secret tunnels beneath the White House. We're not suggesting this couldn't happen, but it's the kind of thing you typically see in movies that have run out of original ideas before they're over. Kinda makes you want to watch Absolute Power again, doesn't it? --Jeff Shannon

In the midst of an international crisis, a young woman is found murdered at the White House. A Washington DC homicide cop must determine if the coverup is meant to protect the President or to make him look guilty.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 16-JUL-2002
Media Type: DVD

King of New York (Special Edition)

This low-budget crime thriller has the feel of a major blockbuster and owes its roots to the hard-edged crime movies of the 1930s. Christopher Walken stars as a drug kingpin who is released from prison and vows to use his position and influence--and criminal enterprise--for charitable means. But a core group of New York cops are all over him and his gang, determined to go to war, whatever the cost, to bring him down. Eventually his empire--headquartered at, of all places, Donald Trump's Plaza Hotel--crumbles under the weight of double-crossing and a body count of open warfare with the cops. This is one of the most stylish films of the last decade, with a strong supporting cast (including Lawrence Fishburne, Wesley Snipes, and David Caruso) and some truly enthralling set pieces, including a stunning car chase and gunfight across a rain-soaked Queensboro Bridge. The film's tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top style offsets its nihilism; and its riveting visuals will have audiences hooked from beginning to end. --Robert Lane

Passenger 57

It's Die Hard on a plane in this action thriller, starring Wesley Snipes as an antiterrorist specialist whose early retirement is interrupted when his flight is overtaken by a bloodthirsty villain (Bruce Payne). Watching this at home is pretty much an excuse to order pizza and kick back, as the familiar rhythms of maverick-cop-versus-international-criminal take over and nothing new or fresh in the formula emerges. The supporting cast includes Elizabeth Hurley (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) as a gun-wielding, junior terrorist, which is fun simply for being unexpected. --Tom Keogh

Sugar Hill (1994)

Roger Ebert tagged Sugar Hill as one of the best of 1994. Leon Ichaso's film is not an action flick; no, this stylish drama wants to be a small gangster epic. Call it Roemello's Way: a thoughtful drug lord (Wesley Snipes) wants to get out of his business but takes forever to do so. A Shakespearean tragedy slowly--far too slowly--evolves. While it has a definite street-smart sense, no new ground is covered. Snipes is worth watching, though, and Clarence Williams III (seen far too seldom on screen) is terrific as his doomed father. --Doug Thomas

A life of crime has earned Roemello Skuggs and his brother, Raynathan money, power and respect. Now Roemello, weary of the destructive world, wants to start a new life with a sophisticated woman from a respectable family. But Raynathan needs his help in a bloody war, as the mob tries to mob in on their territory. The harder roemello tries to walk away, the more he's pulled back into the only world he's ever known and the more determined he becomes to bury the past.