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Zulu

"Sentries have come in from the hill, sir.... They report Zulus to the southeast. Thousands of them." One of the best pure action movies ever made, this rousing adventure recounts the true story of a small 18th-century regiment of British troops (including a very blue-blooded turn by a young Michael Caine) endlessly besieged by an seemingly unceasing number of fierce attackers. Although the basic premise has since been executed with more technical skill and panache (most notably by Aliens and Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans), it's unlikely that anything will ever top the utter spectacle and, above all, sheer unbelievable size of the combat scenes that almost wholly comprise the last half of this film. A gloriously exhilarating essential for anyone looking to get lost in the heat of cinematic battle, topped off with a healthy dose of gallows humor. Not to be missed. Richard Burton voiced the stirring narration. Zulu was followed by a slightly dry but still recommended prequel, Zulu Dawn. --Andrew Wright

A towering cinematic achievement. An astonishing true story. And "a battle film in the grand tradition of Four Feathers and Gunga Din" (Time)! Filmed against the exotic locales of Africa and starring Stanley Baker (The Guns of Navarone) Jack Hawkins (Lawrence of Arabia) and Michael Caine (in his first major motion picture role) Zulu is a thrilling account of one of history's fiercest battles!As a terrifying war chant echoes across the majestic African plains 4000 Zulu tribesmen rise up from the tall grass that hides them. Furiously beating their swords against their shields the warriors descend upon a small garrison of English soldiers. "Usuto! Usuto! (Kill! Kill!)" they cry as they launch into a battle with the vastly outnumbered English militia... who must manifest incredible skill and incomparable bravery just to survive.System Requirements:Starring: Stanley Baker Michael Caine Jack Hawkins James Booth Ulla Jacobsson Directed By: Cy Endfield Running Time: 138 Min. Color Copyright 2003 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 027616885807 Manufacturer No: 1004529

Zoolander (Special Collector's Edition)

Charge your micro-mini cell phones and whip up some orange mocha Frappuccino, 'cuz Zoolander is on the runway, and you're gonna laugh your booty off! Based on a sketch created by writer-director Ben Stiller and cowriter Drake Sather for the 1996 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, Zoolander is a delirious send-up of New York's fashion scene as epitomized by male model Derek Zoolander (Stiller), a dimwitted preener who's oblivious to a Manchurian Candidate-like plot to turn him into a brainwashed assassin. Tipped off by a reporter (Christina Taylor), Zoolander teams with rival model Hansel (Owen Wilson) to foil the poodle-haired fashion designer (Will Ferrell) who's behind the nefarious scheme. The goofy plot's only half the fun; with roles for Stiller's parents (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara), dozens of celebrity cameos, endlessly quotable dialogue, and improvisational energy to spare, Zoolander is very smart about being very stupid, easily matching the Austin Powers franchise for inspired comedic lunacy. --Jeff Shannon

As Derek Zoolander searches for meaning in his life at the end of his fashion modeling career, he is brainwashed by the evil fashion guru Mugatu to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 12-DEC-2003
Media Type: DVD

Zulu Dawn

Cy Endfield co-wrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of Isandhlwana, which remains the worst defeat of the British army by natives, with the British contingent outnumbered 16-to-1 by the Zulu tribesmen. The film's opinion of events is made immediately clear in its title sequence: ebullient African village life presided over by King Cetshwayo is contrasted with aristocratic artifice under the arrogant eye of General Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole). Chelmsford is at the heart of all that goes wrong, initiating the catastrophic battle with an ultimatum made seemingly for the sake of giving his troops something to do. His detached manner leads to one mistake after another, and this is wryly illustrated in a moment when neither he nor his officers can be bothered to pronounce the name of the land they're in. That it's a beautiful land nonetheless is made clear by the superb cinematography, which drinks in the massive open spaces that shrink the British army to a line of red ants. Splendidly stiff-upper-lipped support comes from a heroic Burt Lancaster and a fluffy, yet gruff, Bob Hoskins. Although the story is less focused and inevitably more diffuse than the concentrated events of Rorke's Drift which followed soon after, Zulu Dawn is an unflinchingly honest depiction of British Imperial diplomacy. --Paul Tonks

A prequel to the war epic "Zulu", this dramatic story recounts the breathtaking defeat of British forces at the hands of a 25,000 strong and relentlessly determined Zulu army in 1870. The all-star cast, and extravagant production quality make Zulu Dawn a spectacular film with a guaranteed place in the list of Hollywood Greats.

Zach Galifianakis - Live at the Purple Onion

Zach Galifianakis' stand-up comedy DVD spoofs the classic recorded stand-up performance film format by interjecting road trip footage of Zach and buddy in their red VW bus, and fake interviews with Zach's fake brother, "Seth," between his live stage bits. The splintered, slackerish feel that this editing lends the film reinforces Galifianakis's cool, enigmatic stage presence. Galifianakis' self-deprecating, sensitive guy-persona suits his love of deadpan one-liners in the tradition of Steven Wright. Sketches of the forgetful vegan who accidentally eats meat, or the pretentious illiterate who indignantly proclaims that he can't read, satirically poke fun at the self-righteous. Cut to a shot of the comedian's bus broken down off the freeway, then back to stage, where Zach riffs on his failed efforts to barter jokes for a fixed vehicle. Some segments, such as when Seth confesses his brother's affinity for making homemade ecstasy, are funnier than the Purple Onion performance. Like those on the Chappelle Show, these pre-taped skits rescue slow moments and elevate the stage act into more heavily crafted commentary. Graced with a dry wit, Zach Galifianakis, the self-professed "man who is bored by everything," won't bore lovers of good sarcasm. --Trinie Dalton

Zach Galifianakis started his so-called career in back of a hamburger joint in New York. Well-known and loved by the Comedy Central crowd he is one of the Comedians of Comedy played director Alan Finger in the series Dog Bites Man and wowed the critics with his acclaimed VH1 show Late World With Zach.A master of the one-liner with an absurd rambling style Zach's sharp resonating humor makes his show at the famed Purple Onion in San Francisco one of the funniest performances in recent comedy.Off-stage you will meet Seth Galifianakis Zach's "twin brother." In an emotional interview with Brian Unger he sheds some light on his "brother" Zach revealing how he came to be who he is today.Extras:The Awkward Slapping Bit (outtake)Zach ShavesOuttakes From Brian Unger's Interview With Seth GalifianakisMore...Performance recorded June 9 and 10 2005 at The Purple Onion in San Francisco CASystem Requirements:Run Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 826663103656 Manufacturer No: DVD10365

Zorba the Greek

If you think Zorba the Greek is a simple-minded homage to a man with a zest for life, then you haven't seen the movie. Basil (Alan Bates), a reticent British writer, comes to the Mediterranean island of Crete to revive a mine his father owned. On the way, he meets a Greek roustabout named Zorba (Anthony Quinn) and hires him to help, little suspecting that Zorba's exuberance will lead him to some dark and troubling places--frankly, if the last 30 minutes of Zorba the Greek are what it means to embrace life, some viewers will want to shut the door in life's face. But there's no denying the movie's ambitious scope and implacable force, even as it paints an alien and disturbing portrait of life in a Greek village. On top of that, gorgeous cinematography and one of the greatest film scores ever give this movie almost demonic energy. --Bret Fetzer

On the Greek isle of Crete, Basil (Alan Bates), a shy inhibited writer from England is befriended by Zorba (Anthony Quinn) a boisterous peasant with an astonishing love for life. When Zorba agrees to work at Basil's abandoned mine, it is the beginning of a lesson for the young man as he gradually moves from an observer of the world to a participant. This acclaimed classic co-stars Irene Paps and Lila Kedrova in an Oscar winning performance. "An utterly absorbing and sharply memorable film" (The Hollywood Reporter)

Zathura (Special Edition)

Zathura, a smart and stylish kid's adventure, launches into action when Danny (Jonah Bobo) twists the key of a dusty science fiction game--a game that unleashes a localized meteor shower and wrenches Danny's house into orbit around a distant ringed planet, bringing Danny's brother Walter (Josh Hutcherson, Kicking and Screaming) and sister Lisa (Kristen Stewart, Panic Room) along. Soon a defective robot, a rangy astronaut (Dax Shepard, Without a Paddle), and an alien spaceship enter the picture. Only by completing the game can the kids return their house to its proper space-time coordinates, but the game board falls into the hands of some nasty, carnivorous lizards. Zathura has some obligatory emotional conflict and resolution between the two brothers, but that's pretty much beside the point; what makes Zathura a delight is the wonderful design, the skillful escalation of disasters, and the adroit direction of Jon Favreau (Elf), who is quickly becoming the go-to guy for mass-market movies with wit and timing. Some situations may be too intense for younger kids; Favreau ratchets up the suspense at a few points. Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji). Also featuring Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption). --Bret Fetzer

In Columbia Pictures' heart-racing sci-fi adventure Zathura two squabbling brothers are propelled into deepest darkest space while playing a mysterious game they discovered in the basement of theirold house. On their fantastic journey they are joined by a stranded astronaut and must survive meteor showers hostile lizard-like aliens a rocket-propelled robot run amok and an intergalactic spaceship battle. Unless they finish the game and reach the planet Zathura they could be trapped in outer space forever.DVD Features: Available Subtitles: English FrenchAvailable Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1) Jon Favreau and Peter Billingsley commentary Featurette: The Making of Zathura Visual Effects Documentary The Cast of Zathura Zorgons Robots and 'Frozen Lisa' Making the Game Miniatures and the World of Zathura The World of Chris van AllsburgSystem Requirements:Running Time 101 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 043396134751 Manufacturer No: 13475

Zoom - Academy for Superheroes

Peter Hewitt s (GARFIELD: THE MOVIE) family-friendly adventure film ZOOM stars Tim Allen as an aging former superhero who is reluctantly called back on the job. Years ago Jack (Allen) was adopted for a government program that capitalized on the oddities of unusual children. Under the influence of super-strength-building Gamma rays Jack became the lightning-fast Zoom and joined the Zenith team a group of other similarly cultivated superheroes that included his brother Concussion (Kevin Zegers). But Concussion went bad betrayed his fellows and Zoom was the only one to survive; since then he has rescinded his powers. Now the government alarmed at Concussion s approach from another dimension wants to put together another Zenith team with Jack as their leader. The officials including Chevy Chase and Rip Torn assemble a motley crew of youths that includes a six-year-old "princess" with superhuman strength (Ryan Newman) and an innocuous-looking chubby boy who can grow parts of his body at will (Spencer Breslin). Two teenagers (Michael Cassidy and Kate Mara) are also on hand and they fall in love while the initially reluctant Jack who suffered much at the hands of the Zenith team and has since become bitter about the possibility of heroes begins to open up to the kids. He also finds love with the bumbling admiring child psychologist (Courtney Cox) who has been assigned to the case. Although the story is somewhat formulaic and the characters thinly drawn the film s message comes across strongly: the qualities that make a misfit are the very ones that give strength.System Requirements:Running Time: 83 mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN Rating: PG UPC: 043396141506 Manufacturer No: 14150

The bright colors and simple stories of classic superhero comics are the template for Zoom--none of that moody, bleak X-Men nonsense here. Retired superhero Captain Zoom (Tim Allen, The Shaggy Dog) gets pulled out of mothballs when the government decides to assemble a new team of super-powered kids. The motley quartet includes a herculean little girl (Ryan Newman), an invisible slacker (Michael Cassidy, The O.C. ), a telekinetic hot chick (Kate Mara, 24), and a chunky lad whose body inflates to enormous size (Spencer Breslin, The Cat in the Hat, The Kid). But Zoom has lost his super-speed and gained a cynical chip on his shoulder; will he regain his faith in heroes in time to battle an impending menace? There's nothing original about Zoom, but the engaging cast--which also includes Courteney Cox (Friends), Kevin Zegers (Transamerica), and Rip Torn (Men in Black, Forty Shades of Blue)--could have given some pep to a competent formulaic script. Unfortunately, they were saddled with this one. But the saddest aspect of Zoom is the sight of Chevy Chase (Foul Play, Fletch) trying to muster a scrap of his lost talent. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Zoom (click for larger image)

Beyond Zoom at Amazon.com

The Book, Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy

Superheroes on DVD

Other Family Films Adapted from Books