Suspense

24 - Season Six

It s 20 months after the end of season 5 and Jack is back. A series of suicide bombings across the United States has CTU pushed to their limits and the only way to stop the attacks will be to sacrifice their star agent. But are they being misled and can Jack uncover the real mastermind before the bombings begin? Of course it s going to take more than weapons to stop Bauer from uncovering the truth but what he finds it just the beginning of a much larger conspiracy involving nation states the U.S. government and a host of other factors that make this season of 24 the most exciting to date.System Requirements:Running Time: 1012 mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543462927 Manufacturer No: 2246292

Creating and executing a TV series in which each season takes place in the course of just one day, with each episode occupying a single hour, is no mean feat, but the makers of 24 have pulled it off admirably. And while many of the show's longtime adherents seem to agree that this sixth season (with 24 episodes offered on six DVDs, plus a seventh disc loaded with bonus features) is perhaps its weakest, relative newcomers, freed from the expectations generated by the five that preceded it, will find it to be riveting entertainment. This is a show that hits the ground running and then proceeds to relentlessly ratchet up the tension, balancing its disparate elements--terrorism and espionage, political intrigue and treachery, personal drama--with remarkable aplomb. Indeed, the first episode is barely underway before we're told that a plague of terrorist bombings is sweeping the United States, killing many hundreds and leaving the nation in disarray. President Wayne Palmer (DB Woodside), in office for just three months following the assassination of his brother, agonizes over the proper course of action while some of his advisers counsel restraint and others urge him to adopt measures that will radically restrict Americans' (especially those of Muslim descent) civil liberties. Meanwhile, Jack Bauer (star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland) has been released after two years in a Chinese prison, but only so he can be handed over to Abu Fayed (Adoni Maropis), a particularly nasty villain who proposes to trade Jack's life for the location of Hamri Al-Assad (Alexander Siddig), who's suspected of being the mastermind behind the current reign of terror. That's only the beginning, of course. Soon Jack (who, despite being severely tortured during his imprisonment, is still cool enough to coordinate a manhunt while simultaneously disarming a bomb set to detonate in two minutes) and his counter-terrorism cronies are dealing with the specter of a nuclear holocaust on American soil, more political assassination, Jack's feckless family, and a good deal more. And that's only in the first twelve hours! It doesn't all work--especially in the second half. Some of the characters are less than convincing (Jack's brother Graem, portrayed by Paul McCrane, is weak in every respect; in fact, the entire family sideshow is fairly ridiculous), while the casting is sometimes off the mark (Woodside does his best, but he lacks the gravitas needed in a plausible Chief Executive) and the story contains multiple plot points that will challenge even those willing to totally suspend their disbelief. By and large, though, 24 more than lives up to its own hype as the tube's most addictive program. Bonus material includes commentary on selected episodes, deleted scenes, a preview of Season 7, several featurettes, and a whole lot more. --Sam Graham

24 - Season Two

Twenty-four hours of a counter-terrorist agent's attempt to prevent a terrorist's nuclear device from exploding in Los Angeles.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 9-SEP-2003
Media Type: DVD

Jack Bauer is having another one of his "very bad days" in the second season of the groundbreaking real-time thriller 24. Once again the hours are ticking by with more guaranteed cliffhangers than a convention of mountain climbers. Holed up in a Los Angeles condo and estranged from his daughter, Jack is no longer on the government payroll; unfortunately for him, this small fact doesn't seem to matter to President David Palmer and the NSA, who call him back in to the CTU and give him 24 hours to infiltrate a terrorist organization that is planning to detonate a dirty bomb in the city of angels. All Jack wants is to get his daughter out of the city, unfortunately Kim's new employer, the abusive father of the child she is nannying, has other ideas.

Fans of the original won't be disappointed, as there are more than enough shock moments in the first few hours to hint at the climactic build-up to come, while newcomers can quickly get involved in the lives of Jack and his family. There are some new characters to bolster the veteran cast and, interestingly (although not surprisingly), Jack's character has taken an altogether darker, more psychopathic turn. The danger the characters find themselves in also has a much more global, not to mention topical, impetus, grounded as it is in the war against terrorism. Although the territory is more familiar this time around, this second season is just as much a high-tension, taut, adrenalin-fuelled ride as the first, and one that will have you glued to your TV for the next 24 hours. --Kristen Bowditch

Lucky Number Slevin (Widescreen Edition)

Set in the New York underworld where nothing is as it seems Lucky Number Slevin is an action-packed fun-as-hell roller coaster ride (Venice Magazine). When down-on-his-luck Slevin (Josh Hartnett) stumbles into a running feud between the city s most feared crime bosses (Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley) he ignites an all-out war. Tracked by a mysterious assassin (Bruce Willis) and distracted by his flirtatious neighbor (Lucy Liu) Slevin must try to cheat death by turning the tables on the gangsters. If you take the best parts of Pulp Fiction The Usual Suspects and The Professional what you get is Lucky Number Slevin (Shawn Edwards Fox-TV).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 796019794817 Manufacturer No: 79481

How boring it is to label a movie Tarantino-esque anymore. The thing is, when it comes to an offering like Lucky Number Slevin, the shoe fits, and the result is anything but boring. Gruesome killings, arid wit, self-reflexive pop culture references, an A-list cast, and style-heavy production values abound, which gives the proceedings an epoxy bond that seals the Q.T. homage factor. Josh Hartnett--who spends a lot of buffed-up time with his shirt off--is Slevin Kelevra, a hapless fellow visiting his New York friend Nick. But Nick has disappeared, which sets off a mistaken-identity thrill ride when two goons grab Slevin (he's in Nick's apartment so he must be Nick) and take him to their crime lord boss, the Boss (Morgan Freeman). The Boss doesn't care about Slevin's wrong-man protests; he just wants the $96,000 Nick owes him. In one of many offers he can't refuse, Slevin has to agree to murder the son of the Boss's felonious arch rival, the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) or take the bullet himself. But Slevin turns out to be no ordinary patsy. Thrown into the ingeniously designed production, clever plot twists, and academic nods to Bond, Hitchcock, and obscure old cartoons are Lucy Liu as a sexy coroner, Stanley Tucci as an obsessed cop, and Bruce Willis as a wily hit man with his finger in many pots. With so much visual and narrative trickery, there's almost too much to absorb in one viewing of this convoluted jigsaw puzzle of revenge and entertaining mayhem. Lucky Number Slevin isn't quite up to par with similarly brainy thrillers like Memento and The Usual Suspects, but the prospect of seeing it again in order to get your bearings is just as appealing.--Ted Fry

24 - Season Three

Twenty-four hours of a counter-terrorist agent's attempt to prevent a drug dealer from using a bioweapon in the United States.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 7-DEC-2004
Media Type: DVD

There's not one cougar to be found in 24's dynamic third season, and that's good news for everyone. After Jack Bauer's daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) survived hokey hazards in season 2, she's now a full-time staffer at CTU, the L.A.-based intelligence beehive that's abuzz once again--three years after the events of "Day Two"--when a vengeful terrorist threatens to release a lethal virus that could wipe out much of the country's population. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) attempts to broker a deal for the virus involving drug kingpin Ramon Salazar (Joaquim de Almeida), whose operation Jack successfully infiltrated at high personal cost: to maintain his cover, he got hooked on heroin. That potentially deadly triangle--drug lords, addiction, and bioterrorism on a massive scale--sets the 24-hour clock ticking in a tight, action-packed plot involving a potential traitor in CTU's midst; the return of TV's greatest villainesses in Nina Meyers (Sarah Clarke) and former First Lady Sherry Palmer (Penny Johnson Jerald); a troubled romance between Kim and Jack's new partner Chase (James Badge Dale); and a scandalized reelection campaign by president David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), who monitors CTU as they struggle to (literally) save the day.

The intricately woven subplots that are 24's greatest strength are masterfully developed here, and character arcs are equally strong, especially among CTU staffers Tony (Carlos Bernard) and his wife Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth); CTU director Ryan Chappelle (Paul Schulze), who is season 2's tragic bargaining chip; and the annoying but well-intentioned Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), who makes pivotal contributions with by-the-book efficiency. It's 24's superior casting that overcomes the series' occasional lapses in credibility, and season 3's twists make marathon viewing a nerve-wracking delight. By the time it's all over, 24 once again leaves you gratefully exhausted. As always, Sutherland anchors the series in the role he was born to play. When Jack takes a private moment to release 24 hours' worth of near-fatal tension and psychological anguish, Sutherland proves that 24's dramatic priorities are as important as its thriller momentum. DVD extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes (about the prison break sequence, climactic F-18 Hornet air-strike, and real-life bio-weaponry) that pay welcome tribute to the series' hard-working crew, who create Emmy-worthy television under pressures as intense as 24 itself. --Jeff Shannon

24: Season One (Special Edition)

Follow 24 hours in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) in the thrilling first season of this innovative Emmy Award-winning television series. Taken together the 24 hour-long episodes track one full day (from midnight to midnight) using split screens and a real-time clock to tell a tense interweaving story about Bauer his wife and daughter and a presidential candidate targeted for assassination among others.System Requirements:Running Time: 1056 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 024543488088 Manufacturer No: 2248808

All new content on Disc 7:

**Trailer Farm: Burn Notice, Prison Break Season 2, 24 Season 7 Tune-in Trailer

**EXTENDED AND DELETED SCENES:
*Alan and Teri discuss Jack's Profession
*Kim and Rick discuss Jack's Profession
*Jack and Officer Hamilton Talk About Palmer
*Officer Hamilton Dies
*Carl "Chats" with Barry
*Alan and Teri at the Hospital
*Ira Spares Kim and Teri and Discusses His Contingencies
*Kim Comforts Teri in Captivity
*The Palmers Visit an Elementary School
*Nina and Tony Discuss Jack's Marriage
*Jack Gives Rick a Second Chance
*Nina Searches the Hospital Room
*Nina Pulls Prints from the Hospital Phone
*Nina Tells Tony She Wants to Bring Kim and Teri Back to CTU
*Kim Confronts Nina and Teri in the Safehouse
*Teri Comforts Kim
*Andre Drazen at the Cafe
*Jack Plans to Use Elizabeth Nash as a Spy
*Teri Asks Kim Not to Tell Anyone What Eli Did to Her
*Johan Calls Andre to Tell Him the Women Escaped
*Teri's Amnesia
*The FBI Comes for Carl
*Phil is Wounded and Confesses His Feelings to Teri
*Kim is Held Hostage by the Drazens
*Teri Tells Nina About Her Pregnancy
*Alternate Ending *The Genesis of 24 *The Rookie: Coffe Run, Get this To...

Beyond 24 on DVD

Watch the new hit Burn Notice on DVD

Check out Saving Grace starring Holly Hunter

Catch up on Prison Break on DVD

Stills from 24 (Click for larger image)

Three Days of the Condor

Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack continued their longtime collaboration (the actor and director have worked together on Jeremiah Johnson, The Way We Were, The Electric Horseman, and Out of Africa, among other films) with this taut spy drama. Redford plays a reader for U.S. intelligence who becomes a hunted man after he is not among the victims of a mass murder of his colleagues. Faye Dunaway does solid work as the frightened and mystified woman whom he forces to conceal him, and Max von Sydow is appropriately cool as a professional assassin. That same, sustained tone of danger and expectation that made Pollack's The Firm so much fun can be found in this 1975 thriller, albeit with an appropriate dose of post-Watergate paranoia. --Tom Keogh

24 - Season Five (Slim-Pack)

Arguably the series' best season to date, season 5 of 24 literally starts with a bang and never lets up, with an intricate executive-level conspiracy to control Central Asia's oil supply. Piling crisis upon crisis in an escalating series of deceptions, twists, and deeply hidden agendas, the day-long ordeal begins with a devastating political assassination connected to a disgraced former CTU agent (Peter Weller) and a radical group of Russian separatists (led by British actor Julian Sands) threatening to release lethal nerve gas in Los Angeles to protest a U.S./Russian treaty about to be signed by President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin). As Logan's unstable wife Martha (Jean Smart), Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce (Glenn Morshower), and chief of staff Mike Novick (Jude Ciccolella) gradually uncover the conspiracy, CTU maverick Jack Bauer (series star Kiefer Sutherland) emerges from self-imposed exile to aid his CTU colleagues in a life-threatening quest for the truth. Meanwhile, CTU chief Bill Buchanan (James Morrison) is thwarted by an inexperienced, overbearing superior (Sean Astin) and an executive takeover of CTU led by Homeland Security chief Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson), forcing Bauer and his CTU loyalists to "go dark" and work independently to honor the memory of a slain friend and leader. Also figuring in are CTU's resident hacker-nerd extraordinaire, Chloe O'Brian (played to perfection by Mary Lynn Rajskub), Bauer's estranged daughter (Elisha Cuthbert), and his beloved CTU colleague Audrey Raines (Kim Raver).

Pivoting on a declaration of martial law and a mysterious cabal of unnamed conspirators, "Day 5" shocked even loyal 24 fans with a high body count including several important supporting characters. It all adds up to an exceptional season that earned Sutherland a well-deserved Emmy (for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series), equally deserving Emmy nominations for Itzin and Sharp, and an Emmy win for co-executive producer Jon Cassar's direction of the riveting season premiere. And while the breathtaking twists of 24 don't always hold up to intense scrutiny, these 24 episodes (running about 43 minutes each) are tightly written and flawlessly directed with an involving emphasis on thriller plotting and dramatic focus on the complex and operatically tragic relationship between President Logan and his traumatized wife. Add it all up, and you've got an addictive reason to look forward to season 6. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Discs 1-6 contain four episodes each, with several episodes including optional viewing of extended or alternate takes of selected scenes. A total of 12 full-length episode commentaries are provided by 24's primary cast and crew, allowing listeners a comprehensive appreciation of the series' extended "family" of talent, along with a wealth of production anecdotes, revealing observations about plotting and character, and a welcome overview of individual personalities and contributions. Disc 7 is packed with features, beginning with a season 6 prequel that offers a tantalizing glimpse of things to come, with an interrogation and escape scenario set seven months after the events of "Day 5"; by comparison, the season 6 trailer offers little more than a recap of season 5. The featurettes are all well-crafted and worth a look, beginning with a "Supporting Players" profile of 24's extended cast (including some surprising glimpses of their off-screen hobbies and activities); a detailed documentary about 24's innovative and hard-working camera crew; a profile of music composer Sean Callery, who demonstrates his versatile mood-setting techniques; a detailed exploration of the "Presidential Retreat" set with production designer Jonathan Hodges and colleagues; a "100th Episode Reel" with tightly-edited clips from seasons 1-5; and a sampling of cast and crew photos from 24: Behind the Scenes, a picture book published in November 2006. Kudos to Sparkhill Productions for continuing to provide 24 bonus features as well-made as the series itself. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond 24: Season 5

More "Edge-of-your-Seat" TV DVDs

24: Seasons 1-5

24: Behind the Scenes (Paperback)

Stills from 24: Season 5

Eighteen months after faking his own death, Jack Bauer is forced to return to Los Angeles when it becomes apparent that the only four people who know he is still alive are being systemically targeted for assassination. The assassinations coincide with the signing of an anti-terrorism treaty between Russia and the U.S., leading Jack to suspect a link between the assassinations, the treaty, and a group of Russian terrorists. But as events slowly unfold it becomes apparent that the day's horrific events were originally set in motion by someone within our country's own administration - an individual with the power and resources to thwart Jack's every move.

Nancy Drew

With her magnifying glass and fingerprint powder in hand Nancy Drew leaves River Heights for La-La-Land...but not to meet that guy on Smallville as her boyfriend Ned fears. No she's out to solve one of the greatest mysteries ever: the death of movie star Dehlia Draycott. But the bigger mystery is how our perky plaid-clad sleuth will fit in with the text-messaging teen queens of mean she meets at Hollywood High.Running Time: 95 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/FRIENDS UPC: 085391160670 Manufacturer No: 116067

Nancy Drew is an iconic girl detective created by Carolyn Keene with a passion for mystery and all things old. The small-town Nancy Drew (played by Julia Roberts' niece Emma Roberts) is about to experience a serious case of culture shock as she heads to Hollywood on an extended business trip with her father Carson Drew (Tate Donovan) and prepares to join the 21st century (well, sort of) at Hollywood High. Having promised her father that she'll give up sleuthing in favor of becoming a "normal" teenager, Nancy tries her best to resist the lure of the age-old mystery of famous actress Dehlia Draycott's (Laura Harring) death, but living in Dehlia's old booby-trapped mansion full of clues proves too powerful a force for Nancy to resist. Feeling completely out of place with high school peers who prove self-absorbed and obsessed with fashion, Nancy makes an unlikely friend in 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter), the brother of one of the meanest girls at school. Hormones and hero worship land Corky right in the middle of Nancy's dangerous detective work and inspire some good old-fashioned jealousy when Nancy's close friend Ned (Max Thieriot) visits from River Heights. Nancy's deductive skills are as sharp as ever, and her inspired detective work will profoundly impact the lives of complete stranger Jane Brighton (Rachael Leigh Cook), her own father, and a host of others. Offering a faster pace for modern audiences than the classic Nancy Drew films, this 2007 movie is sure to enthrall a whole new generation of tweens and teens while simultaneously living up to their parents' expectations. Rated PG for mild violence, thematic material, and brief language. --Tami Horiuchi

Funny Games (2008)

In 1997 writer-director Michael Haneke (CACHE) made the controversial Austrian thriller FUNNY GAMES about two young men who terrorize a family on vacation. A decade later Haneke was convinced by producer Chris Coen to bring the story to America filming a nearly word-for-word shot-for-shot English-language version even re-creating the locations and sets as obsessively as possible. Shortly after Ann (Naomi Watts) George (Tim Roth) and Georgie (Devon Gearhart) arrive in their country home Peter (Brady Corbet) an eerily polite young man dressed all in white including odd white gloves appears on the doorstep asking Ann if he can borrow some eggs for their neighbor. Peter is joined by Paul (Michael Pitt) and the Leopold-and-Loeb-like duo are soon doing horrible things to Ann George and Georgie torturing them both physically and psychologically (nearly all the violence occurs off-screen) for no apparent reason other than they can referring to the whole thing as a game. And the biggest game of all is whether the family will be alive at the end. FUNNY GAMES is an intense experience driven by Haneke's careful manipulation of both the film itself and the audience. He's trying to shake up the viewer even having Paul address the audience directly several times with Paul fully aware of what he is doing and how the audience is most likely responding. And in one unforgettable scene Haneke pulls the cathartic rug right out from under the viewer playing with the actual medium of cinema in an infuriating and ingenious way. Roth and Watts give outstanding performances as the victims matched by Pitt and Corbet's deeply unsettling creepiness. Just as Peter and Paul (who also call themselves Tom and Jerry and Beavis and Butt-Head) alternate between calm and violent the soundtrack alternates between classical music by Handel Mozart and others and hardcore punk from John Zorn and Naked City. Though difficult to watch FUNNY GAMES is ultimately a rewarding and illuminating fi

Michael Haneke is a modern master, which his spellbinding films Cache and The Piano Teacher proved to an international audience. When it came time for a Hollywood remake of his ultra-disturbing 1997 picture Funny Games, who better than Haneke himself to helm the new version? And indeed, the second Funny Games bears the impeccable sense of control and technique that the Austrian version had: it is a horrifyingly precise account of a family terrorized by two psychopathic young thugs at a vacation home. For anyone who's already seen the '97 film, this new one--a nearly shot-by-shot transcription of the original--will seem superfluous, no matter how impressive the performances of Naomi Watts and Tim Roth are. (Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are suitably creepy as their menacers, too.) For newbies, the movie might be as infuriating and thought-provoking as Haneke intends it to be. That's because Funny Games is an intellectual game itself, a direct rebuke to the audience that gobbles up gratuitous violence and cynical manipulation. Haneke sets up our expectations, and then refuses to provide the conventional catharsis… or the conventional anything. All of this was pretty bracing in the first go-round, but feels like gamesmanship in the remake. Even if you dig what Haneke's up to, this is a brutal movie-watching experience. --Robert Horton

Cassandra's Dream

Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell star as working class brothers whose dreams of better lives leads to desperation greed and deadly betrayal. When gambling debt and an expensive courtship place them in a financial bind a rich uncle (Tom Wilkinson Michael Clayton) offers them an out in exchange for committing murder. Featuring gripping performances from an all-star cast; "this family tragedy puts us near the edge of our seats and pulls us right along on its downward spiral" (William Arnold Seattle Post Intelligencer). Woody Allen returns in razor-sharp form with this "intense intelligently-written and directed" (Jeffrey Lyons Reel Talk) thriller that challenges how far a man should go in the name of family.System Requirements:Running Time: 109 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 796019810647 Manufacturer No: 81064

Scottish Ewan McGregor and Irish Colin Farrell play two Cockney brothers who get in over their heads when a wealthy relative asks for a favor. Woody Allen's sleek thriller Cassandra's Dream begins in innocent times: Ian (McGregor) and Terry (Farrell) buy a sailboat and name it Cassandra's Dream. But soon Terry falls afoul of gambling debts and Ian falls head over heels for a sultry actress who doesn't take him seriously, leading them to ask their uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) for money, which he's happy to give them--if they'll get rid of a man who's going to testify against him. The first half of Cassandra's Dream zips along with short, concise scenes and charismatic performances by the lead lads. Newcomer Hayley Atwell (Brideshead Revisited) is alluring as the actress, while Sally Hawkins (Persuasion) brings warmth and sympathy to the underwritten role of Terry's girlfriend Kate. The second half--as with many of Allen's later films--seems to run out of steam, though there's still much to admire about Allen's clean, unfussy filmmaking. Regrettably, he seems to have lost the ability to sustain his imaginative spark. The weakness is in the writing; too many of the characters are barely sketched and clumsy lines of dialogue jar the ear in otherwise well-shaped scenes. But just when you're ready to throw up your hands, there's a moment of understated grace, in which Allen's simple visuals capture something with crystalline clarity. Cassandra's Dream is a frustrating movie, but it has its rewards. --Bret Fetzer