Film Archive 1995
| CLERKS |
| 010195 |
 |
| Made for less than the cost of an SUV, Kevin Smith's first film finds 22-year-old Quick Stop clerk Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) called into work on his precious day off. There he is besieged by customers ranging from the agitated to the insane, not to mention Randal (Jeff Anderson), the clerk from the video store next door whose commitment to service is made clear when he observes, "This job would be great if it wasn't for the f@&%!#* customers." Dante's love life is a shambles, and the situation at the store goes from bad to worse, but he and Randal are never so beleaguered that they can't find time to discuss why the destruction of the Death Star in RETURN OF THE JEDI may have been morally dubious (uninvolved contractors were probably aboard). In fact, it was the clerks' clever dialogue, saturated with pop-culture references, that elevated CLERKS to cult-hit status among Generation-Xers and transformed Kevin Smith from film school dropout to indie auteur. Smith himself plays Silent Bob, while Jason Mewes plays Jay, his drug-dealing other half. Together the duo provide added comic relief, continuity, and wisdom in each of the the director's films. |
| FRESH |
| 010695 |
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| There's only one thing making this inner-city delivery boy's job dangerous: the merchandise. 12-year-old Fresh is a drug courier whose morning deliveries make him late for school. Luckily, he's also got age on his side. Fresh is small enough not be noticed, smart enough to stay quiet and quick enough to avoid trouble, so he's sitting pretty. But life can still be rough for a little kid in the 'hood. When Fresh witnesses a murder, there's nothing he can do but keep his mouth shut, if he wants to stay alive. |
| ED WOOD |
| 010695 |
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| A stranger-than-fiction true story of the early career of Edward D. Wood, Jr., the undisputed "worst movie director of all time," Tim Burton's ED WOOD is nevertheless a delightful, zany, and ultimately moving film. Wood was the auteur behind GLEN OR GLENDA? (1953) and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959), and it is during the making of these two no-budget flicks that Wood is profiled. His friendship with the aging, drug-addicted, former film star Bela Lugosi--who he cast in his movies--is one of the most poignant characters ever portrayed on film. Wood had an infectious enthusiasm which inspired his cohorts, including transsexual wannabe Bunny (Bill Murray), the psychic Criswell (Jeffrey Jones), and behemoth wrestler Tor Johnson (George "The Animal" Steele). To a large extent, ED WOOD celebrates bad filmmaking raised to the level of a fine art form. With his fetishistic style of dressing in for pumps, narrow skirts and angora sweaters, Ed Wood was as much of an outsider as his actors. Perhaps the final irony is that ED WOOD may be one of the best films of all time about one of the worst filmmakers of all time. |
| I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT |
| 011395 |
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| When Leonor, a widow with a daughter stricken with dwarfism, becomes intrigued with mystery man Ludovico D'Andrea, she is shocked to find him in love with her daughter. She consents to their marriage, on the grounds that he protect her from mocking references to small people. When the circus comes to town, with its usual group of dwarves, Leonor attempts to use all her power to banish it. However, she fails, and soon her daughter disappears the day the circus leaves town. |
| HOOP DREAMS |
| 012095 |
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| The product of 5 years of filming and 250 hours of footage, this documentary premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival where it won the audience award. In Chicago's inner-city, 14-year-olds William Gates and Arthur Agee are high school basketball players who dream of making it to the NBA. This compilation follows four years in their parallel lives, as William and Arthur go through trials and triumphs, successes and setbacks both on and off the court. |
| MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE |
| 012795 |
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| Robert Altman produced this evocative portrait of renowned writer and wit Dorothy Parker that chronicles her boozy adventures both in Manhattan as a writer for The New Yorker and member of the celebrated Algonquin roundtable and later in Hollywood as a screenwriter. Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers a stunning performance as the drunken, depressed, but undeniably clever Mrs. Parker, and she’s ably assisted by a stellar supporting cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Peter Gallagher, Stephen Baldwin, Wallace Shawn, Matthew Broderick, Lili Taylor, Jennifer Beals, and Campbell Scott as her main partner in crime, the equally besotted wit Robert Benchley. Director Alan Rudolph captures the brilliance as well as the tragedy of these literary celebrities. The result is an unsparingly honest portrait of alcoholism and ego, and a loving celebration of Parker's gutsy battle against sexual discrimination and her own romantic failures in pursuit of artistic expression. Featuring sumptuous photography that conveys the decadence of the period and a great score by Mark Isham, the film is a treat for the eyes and ears as well as the mind. |
| INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE |
| 020395 |
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| Horror author Anne Rice penned the screenplay for this full-blooded adaptation of her novel, which chronicles the life of 18th-century nobleman Louis (Brad Pitt) after he is bitten by powerful, charismatic vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise). Though enthralled with the undead lifestyle at first, Louis is unable to warm up to killing humans and grows despondent. To comfort Louis, Lestat creates another vampire (Kirsten Dunst in a star-making peformance), a young girl who from then on cannot age. Antonio Banderas appears as Armand, a 400-year-old vampire, and Christian Slater plays the radio producer who interviews the remorseful Louis. |
| RED |
| 020395 |
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| The final installment of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's brilliant THREE COLORS trilogy, RED stands for Fraternity (of Liberty and Equality) in the French flag and national motto. Valentine Dussaut (the angelic Irene Jacob), a young student and model, accidentally hits a dog with her car. She attends to its injuries, only to discover that the animal's bitter owner, Judge Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant), doesn't care for it--or anything--anymore. Valentine adopts the dog, but it runs away, straight back to the judge's home. When she returns to fetch the animal, she is shocked to find the judge eavesdropping on his neighbors' telephone conversations. Although initially morally disgusted, Valentine finds herself mesmerized by him; his sorrow and isolation intrigue her, and mirror her own feelings of sadness. Soon their relationship evolves into a platonic, yet passionate love that frees the judge from his guilt and cynicism, and opens a future of happiness for Valentine. Kieslowski’s last film as a director is a bona fide work of art--aesthetically pleasing, philosophically challenging, and supremely engaging. As in the other films of the trilogy where he makes intentional use of the colors of the titles BLUE and WHITE within the films, here he employs the color red, on several levels, to further explore and illuminate the themes of this particular story. Although the director’s early death was a tragic loss for the film world, his THREE COLORS trilogy will stand forever as one of cinema’s most profound achievements. |
| THE PROFESSIONAL |
| 020395 |
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| Leon (Jean Reno) is a precise, calculating hit man--a consummate professional, with no family and no friends. However, he has casually befriended Mathilda (Natalie Portman, in an auspicious debut), a 12 year-old neighbor whose entire family, including her adored 4-year-old brother, is wiped out by some crooked DEA agents. The girl pleads with Leon to teach her how to be a "cleaner" and avenge her little brother's death. However, once she learns a few skills, Mathilda saunters into the DEA offices with the sole intention of killing the psychotic agent (Gary Oldman) who actually masterminded the executions. But her intended victim turns the tables on her, and Leon must rescue her. LEON was French director Luc Besson's first film shot in America. |
| FONG SAI YUK II |
| 021095 |
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| Rebels during the Manchu Dynasty encounter intrigue and treachery within their own ranks, and only kung fu expert Fong Sai Yuk (Jet Li) can save the day. Meanwhile he must juggle two rival prospective wives and his overbearing mother. A spectacular action film from Corey Yuen, director of MY FATHER IS A HERO and THE DEFENDER. |
| THE LAST SEDUCTION |
| 021795 |
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| The director of "Red Rock West" delivers this unusual thriller about a femme fatale who absconds with her husband's drug money. Fiorentino is enchantingly wicked as the cold-blooded beauty who uses men like toys. |
| DRAGON INN |
| 021795 |
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| This action-packed Hong Kong film, produced by Tsui Hark, is a clear predecessor of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. In the movie, an evil eunuch warlord (Donnie Yen) conspires against the Ming Dynasty and meets his match in the form of a motley band of acrobatic warriors led by the rebel Chow (Tony Leung) and the manager of the titular inn, the mysterious Jade (Maggie Cheung). This epic production features masterful fight sequences and a stunning finale shot in the Gobi desert. |
| THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE |
| 022495 |
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| King George III does some very odd things, but then who is to argue with the king? Well, his ambitious son, for one. He's not getting any younger, and all he does is sit around waiting for his father to die. So when the king starts behaving like a real madman, the Prince of Wales lobbies Parliament to assign him the power of prince regent. What ensues is a political struggle between the prime minister, a royalist, and the opposition party. In the meantime, the king is slowly being tortured by the strange practices of 18th-century medicine: He is bled regularly, and his feces are analyzed by all manner of doctors. To rectify this atrocity, the king's distressed entourage solicits the aid of a country doctor who's as unsuccessful as his predecessors but a little more humane. When it seems as if he will be forced to abdicate his throne, George III regains his sanity just in time to assure the Parliament that he's able to rule. Directed by Nicholas Hytner and featuring an Oscar-nominated tour-de-force performance from Nigel Hawthorne, THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE is an unforgettable romp through a crucial period in English history. |
| RIVER WILD |
| 030395 |
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| In THE RIVER WILD, Gail (Meryl Streep), a former river guide, plans a white-water rafting trip to celebrate her son Roarke’s (Joseph Mazzello) birthday and patch up her troubled marriage to her workaholic husband, Tom (David Strathairn). As the family begins their river adventure, they meet Wade (Kevin Bacon), a novice rafter with a magnetic personality. When the family finds Wade and his friend, Terry (John C. Reilly), stranded and abandoned by their guide, Gail and Tom decide to help them navigate the rapids. However, family fun turns to terror when Wade and Terry show their true colors--they’re really criminals trying to evade the police following a major heist. To make matters worse, their escape route requires that they run the Gauntlet, deadly rapids where three rivers converge in violently tumultuous waters. This taut thriller from director Curtis Hanson (BAD INFLUENCE, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL) features Streep in her first role as an action-adventure heroine, while Bacon is truly menacing as the psychotic Wade, a desperate criminal in over his head. |
| DRUNKEN MASTER II |
| 030395 |
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| From a land where honor and tradition reign, comes the legend of a martial-arts hero unlike any other. The "Drunken Master" can turn just one drink into devastation and humiliation for his enemies. His technique is fast, furious...and powerfully funny. |
| DISCLOSURE |
| 031095 |
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| Tom Sanders comes into work and finds a big surprise waiting for him: his ex-lover, sexy and fierce Meredith Johnson, is about to seize the vice-president position he expects and deserves. Once she's settled into her posh office, Meredith all-too-innocently invites Tom up after work for an "office chat," only to ply him with fine wine and make some strong advances towards him. When Tom resists, Meredith threatens him, and within days, Tom has decided to file a sexual harassment suit against her. Since nobody believes that a man could be victimized like this, Tom must use all his ingenuity to prove his innocence and her manipulativeness. |
| TO LIVE |
| 031795 |
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| When the irresponsible Xu Fugui loses his family's fortune during a gambling spree, he causes his loved ones incredible hardship. Fugui's father dies from a heart attack upon hearing the news, and his pregnant wife abandons him. Unable to put bread on the table, even for himself, Fugui works as a street vender, and when his wife notices his uncustomary humility, she returns. Within a year, Fugui desires to open a shop but is unable to raise the necessary funds. Instead of money, the local loan shark gives him his old shadow puppets. Soon, Fugui masters the art of puppetry, which increases his paltry income -- but also serves as propaganda for the imminent Communist Revolution. |
| EXOTICA |
| 032495 |
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| A moody, psychological study of one man's all-consuming guilt and obsessions. Francis, a tax accountant whose wife and child have both died, finds himself irresistibly drawn to a local strip joint known as "Exotica". Every night he goes there to gaze upon Christina, a friend of his deceased daughter whose performance consists of shedding the little-girl costume she wears onstage. But the dancer's ex-boyfriend, disturbed by Francis's creepy presence, demands that he stay away from both the club and the young woman. So Francis hires a friend to keep an eye on Christina and report all her doings to him. However, he still cannot accept the loss of his child nor keep his mind off Christina. It's almost as if only death and Christina's fall from grace sustain him. |
| VANYA ON 42ND STREET |
| 032495 |
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| David Mamet wrote the screenplay for this staging of Andre Gregory's play, "Vanya," itself based on Chekhov's masterpiece, "Uncle Vanya." A group of actors enter a theatre on New York's 42nd Street and run through a full-length rehearsal of "Vanya" --no costumes, no sets and no 19th-century pretensions. |
| DROP ZONE |
| 032495 |
|
| When U.S. marshals Pete Nessip (Wesley Snipes) and his brother, Terry (Malcolm Jamal Warner), escort Earl Leedy (Michael Jeter), a criminal computer hacker, on a flight headed straight to federal prison, little do they expect terrorist skydivers to foil their mission and capture the hacker. Terry is murdered during the attack and after the plane lands, FBI agents suspect Nessip for the terrorism, suspend him, and it is up to his ingenuity to prove his innocence while at the same time seeking revenge on Terry's killers. Nessip begins to investigate the possibility of involvement by an ex-DEA renegade and daredevil skydiver, Ty Moncrief (Gary Busey), who was the mastermind behind the attack that freed Leedy. In order to learn more about the world of skydiving, Nessip joins a championship skydiving school in Florida, run by Jessie Crossman (Yancy Butler) who informs him of a legendary jump on Washington, D.C. on July 4th, which is rumored to be the one time, every year, where security is lessened over the capitol's air space. Director John Badham's action thriller features harrowing skydiving action sequences. |
| HIGHER LEARNING |
| 033195 |
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| The third installment in John Singleton's trilogy about South Central Los Angeles, HIGHER LEARNING examines mid-1990s university politics from racial, sexual, and economic standpoints. At fictional Columbus University (where a statue of the explorer stands witness to the dominant culture's supremacy), three freshman arrive to find a campus ready to explode. Malik (Omar Epps) wavers among the influences of revolution-preaching super-senior Fudge (Ice Cube), no-excuses Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), and his motivated girlfriend Deja (Tyra Banks). Kristen (Kristy Swanson), another neophyte, is thrown into sexual confusion when she meets a charismatic lesbian, while the socially inept Remy (Michael Rapaport) can only fit in with the local skinheads. The storylines cross and complicate as each character tries to discover what's right, but the potential for violence grows with every wrong choice they make. Singleton recruited an emsemble of considerable talent to flesh out the complex plot, which allows him to deal efficiently with a breadth of concerns without preaching. |
| IQ |
| 033195 |
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| On a sunny afternoon in Princeton, New Jersey, of the 1950s, love strikes in the oddest way: Albert Einstein's niece Catherine (Meg Ryan), and her uptight fiancé James (Stephen Fry), stop at a gas station for car repairs, and when dim-witted grease monkey Ed Walters (Tim Robbins) appears, he falls head over heels in love with Catherine. But, how can he, an academic nobody, win the heart of such an intellectual? By chance, Catherine leaves her pocket watch behind, and when Ed personally returns it to her home, who but the illustrious Albert Einstein (Walter Mathau) answers the door! When Einstein realizes Ed's genuine and passionate love for his beloved niece, the mathematical genius sets his analytical mind on high drive, and experiments with every imaginable theory to get the two into each other's arms. With the help of his brainy cronies (Lou Jacobi, Gene Saks and Joe Maher) Einstein concocts an elaborate theory of cold fusion and space travel for Ed to adopt and use to impress the brainy Catherine. Soon Ed is bombarded by media and political attention for a theory he knows nothing about as he struggles to win the heart of his intellectual love with heartwarming and hilarious results. Walter Mathau is superb as the legendary Einstein, spouting mathematical theories and delightfully witty banter in this highly entertaining romance. |
| MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE |
| 033195 |
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| An unremarkable bus conductor becomes obsessed with mounting a production of Oscar Wilde's controversial "Salome" in 1960's Dublin. Forging a group of amateurs into a polished cast, he struggles to overcome conflicts with his censorship- minded sister and within himself. |
| QUEEN MARGOT |
| 040795 |
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| This acclaimed film presents the epic 16th-century saga of Margot de Valois (Isabelle Adjani) and her tragic arranged marriage to Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil). In order to create an alliance between the Protestants and the Catholics, Margot is betrothed to Henri, one of the leaders of the French Protestants. Margot, despite her initial hostility, eventually becomes Henri's main ally in a convoluted and conspiratorial court. However, determined not to consummate her relationship with Henri, Margot takes a Protestant lover (Vincent Perez) and during the St. Bartholomew's Night Massacre, in which the Catholics slaughter the Protestants, helps him escape. The events that follow change not only Margot's life but the course of French history. |
| SHALLOW GRAVE |
| 040795 |
|
| After three Edinburgh roommates (Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, and Kerry Fox) finally choose a new roommate they can live with, they find him dead on the floor with a suitcase full of cash. While trying to remove the body and extricate themselves from the situation, they wade hip-deep into a world of drugs, greed, and madness. Danny Boyle's first feature film is a delightfully circuitous, nail-biting, and unpretentious noir, with the director--and screenwriter John Hodge--focusing on the gradual psychological disintegration of the roommates. Boyle and Hodge would gain even greater acclaim across the Atlantic with their hit follow-up, TRAINSPOTTING. Eccleston would go on to appear in films such as ELIZABETH and THE OTHERS. McGregor, of course, would become Rent Boy and eventually Obi-Wan Kenobi, among many other screen roles. |
| STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE |
| 041495 |
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| This acclaimed, Oscar-nominated film set in Cuba follows the unlikely friendship between David (Vladimir Cruz), an uptight conservative, and Diego (Jorge Perrugoria), his flamboyantly gay neighbor. At first David balks at Diego's anti-Castro leanings (which have grown especially strong in light of the government's suppression of homosexuality). However, David soon finds irresistible Diego's access to American contraband (magazines, alcohol, etc.), and with the help of a vivacious neighbor, they negotiate their disappointments and ultimately find the pleasures of life. Combining drama with a bit of humor, this film provides a light, but realistic look at the Cuban Revolution, government persecution of marginalized groups, and the tendency of human kindness to overcome hardship. |
| DUMB AND DUMBER |
| 041495 |
|
| When best friends Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne both get fired, Lloyd convinces Harry to travel to Colorado to search for his dream woman, Mary Swanson. Little does Lloyd know that Mary's in Aspen trying to find her kidnapped husband. Soon the two have gotten mixed up in the crime, and their wacky exploits are leading the FBI straight to the crooks. |
| PRIEST |
| 042195 |
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| Father Greg Pilkington arrives in Liverpool parish where hypocrisy reigns among the other priests and the congregation as a whole. In a misguided attempt to improve matters, Father Pilkington visits his parishioners at their homes, only to have them repeatedly reject him. But the Father himself is not without sin, for the police catch him in a car, breaking his priestly vow of celibacy with a male lover. His homosexuality makes headlines, and he becomes a target of relentless public scrutiny, cruelty and alienation. |
| BEFORE SUNRISE |
| 042195 |
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| Director Richard Linklater continues his streak of films that take place over the course of one day (after SLACKER and DAZED AND CONFUSED) with this romantic tale of two twenty-somethings who meet each other on a train headed to Vienna. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is a self-involved American with a Eurorail pass, and Celine (Julie Delpy) is a beautiful French student who is headed back to Paris. After spending time getting to know each other in the lounge car, Jesse takes the plunge and asks Celine to spend the day with him in Vienna, since his plane doesn’t leave for the States until the next morning. She consents, and the couple spends the next 24 hours walking the gorgeous streets of Vienna, becoming even closer as they share stories from their pasts and hopes for their futures. |
| TANK GIRL |
| 042895 |
|
| In the year 2033, the world's water supply is controlled by Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell), a maniacal dictator who presides over the Water & Power company. Tank Girl (Lori Petty), a tough punk water poacher, struggles alongside her comrades to deliver the valuable resource to parched persons around the globe. But when Tank Girl is captured by Kesslee, he makes her work as one of his human automatons in the W & P mines. Her fate goes from bad to worse when Kesslee makes her a proposition: She can go free if she agrees to exterminate the ravenous Rippers--half-man, half-kangaroo beasts. But before she's forced to answer, along comes Jet Girl (Naomi Watts), who rescues Tank Girl from Kesslee's clutches. Now these two spunky chicks will do whatever it takes to destroy Kesslee and hydrate the desert planet. The film is based on the comic book by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. |
| ONCE WERE WARRIORS |
| 042895 |
|
| For Jake and Beth Heke, life in their suburban ghetto is going from bad to worse. Jake's just lost his job, their delinquent teenage son Boogie has to appear in court and they can't make ends meet with five growing kids. Late that night, they host another one of Jake's raunchy drinking parties while the children lie awake in their bedroom. When their oldest son asks for money, which Beth discovers Jake has gambled away, it ignites a vicious argument that Jake solves by giving Beth one of his brutal beatings. The tide of violence continues to ebb and flow in the Heke household until a terrible tragedy makes them confront the dysfunctional state of their family. |
| WINDOW TO PARIS |
| 050595 |
|
| In this offbeat comic fantasy, a magical window enables a group of poor Russians to travel back and forth between their drab St. Petersburg home to Paris, France. Nikolai, a young music teacher, rents a room in an apartment owned by Gorokhov and his family. After the two men get drunk one night, they discover a secret window in Nikolai's closet that leads to the roof. After climbing through the window, the drunken pair go down to the street below and continue their binge at a series of bars, before returning home. Only the next day do they realize they actually visited the City of Lights. The two continue traveling through the window, gradually becoming familiar with the vastly different culture they've discovered. While this passage enables Nikolai to meet and fall in love with a Parisian taxidermist, Gorokhov and his family use the magic window to steal as many wordly goods as they can from France. But their fun won't last long because they learn that the window will soon be closing -- and it won't open again for 20 years. |
| THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN |
| 051295 |
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| A group of Welsh villagers band together to defend their town's honor during WWI when an English mapmaker comes to town and declares their local "mountain" to be fifteen feet too short to qualify. The locals will stop at nothing to keep the befuddled cartographer in town long enough to change his mind. |
| THE SUM OF US |
| 051295 |
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| Harry, a gregarious and (sometimes) overbearing widower, and his gay son Jeff discuss love, loneliness and how to find that perfect someone. In the process, thanks to canny, interfering dad, both men begin romances. However, Harry discovers that not everyone appreciates his tolerance of Jeff's homosexuality... and it may cost him his new partner. |
| FORREST GUMP |
| 051295 LATENITE |
|
| The title character leads viewers through an accidental travelogue of American social history from the early 1960s through the present in this revisionist fable. Vietnam, desegregation, Watergate and more are presented from the perspective of Hanks' lovably slow-witted character as he finds himself embroiled in situations he can't quite comprehend. Academy Award Nominations: 13, including Best Picture, Best Actor--Tom Hanks, and Best Director. Academy Awards: 6, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Adapted Screenplay. |
| LEGENDS OF THE FALL |
| 051295 |
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| Director Edward Zwick's epic romance, set against the backdrop of WWI and the wide sky and rugged terrain of Montana, stars Anthony Hopkins as William Ludlow, an idealistic retired colonel who disapproves of the war and the army's indecent treatment of Native Americans. Abandoned by his blue-blooded wife, Ludlow raises his three sons in the remote foothills of Montana with the help of Native American friends. Before the war, Samuel (Henry Thomas) brings home his fiancée from the East Coast, Susannah (Julia Ormond), a stunning beauty who can ride, rope, and hunt like the Ludlow boys. When the war breaks out, Samuel, the youngest and most idealistic son, enlists in the army. Brothers Alfred (Aidan Quinn) and Tristan (Brad Pitt) follow suit, more as protectors than as cohorts. Despite their best efforts, however, Samuel dies in battle. Upon returning home, Tristan becomes involved with Susannah, who is devastated by her loss but profoundly attracted to the brooding brother. However, tormented by his inability to save his little brother's life, Tristan abandons her and sets out on a long journey of self-discovery. During his absence, Alfred reveals his own passion for Susannah. Although she does not reciprocate his feelings, Susannah--who has despaired of ever seeing Tristan again--agrees to become his wife. Ultimately, Tristan does return, setting off a dangerous conflict between the brothers. |
| PULP FICTION |
| 051995 |
|
| Writer-director Quentin Tarantino revisits the seedier side of Los Angeles--following 1992’s RESERVOIR DOGS--with this funny, violent, tongue-in-cheek tribute to the less "classic" side of filmmaking--the potboilers and capers, the Blaxploitation flicks and gangster movies. The film interweaves three tales, told in a circular, fractured manner, which only fully connect by the time the final credits roll. The first story focuses on Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), two hit men on duty for "the big boss," Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), whose gorgeous wife, Mia (Uma Thurman), takes a liking to Vincent. In the second, a down-and-out pugilist (Bruce Willis), who is ordered to take a fall, decides that there’s more money in doing the opposite. The final chapter follows a pair of lovers (Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth) as they prepare to hold up a diner. |
| FARINELLI |
| 051995 |
|
| The life story of Carlo Broschi, who at age seven had surgery to become a castrato to preserve his sweet voice. He went on to become one of the most celebrated opera singers of the 18th century, taking on the name Farinelli. As his fame grows, tension builds with his less talented brother Riccardo. Golden Globe Winner, Best Foreign Film. |
| SECRET OF ROAN INISH |
| 052695 |
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| Sent to live with her grandparents in a quaint coastal Irish town, 10-year-old Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is fascinated by the village's rich folk culture--especially the local myths about a half-human, half-seal creature known as a selkie. Fiona becomes convinced that her supposedly deceased little brother is living with the selkies, and she travels to the beautiful, enchanted island of Roan Inish, where her grandparents once lived, to confirm her suspicions. |
| DON JUAN DEMARCO |
| 052695 |
|
| In this breezy romantic comedy, an aging psychologist gets a new lease on life when he's assigned the task of "curing" a young man who's convinced he is the legendary lover Don Juan de Marco. |
| JUST CAUSE |
| 052695 |
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| Harvard law professor Paul Armstrong travels to the Florida Everglades in order to overturn the death sentence of a man he believes was wrongly convicted. He soon finds, though, that his years in academia have softened him to the real world, where he tangles with the cop who first handled the case and who may have coerced the defendant's confession. As Armstrong closes in on the truth he also endangers his life. |
| AMATEUR |
| 060295 |
|
| After falling from the window of a New York City apartment, a man named Thomas (Martin Donovan) awakens as an amnesiac. Wandering into a diner, he meets Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert), an former nun who writes pornography while waiting patiently for God to reveal her mission in life. A deeply spiritual yet sexually curious woman who has yet to be physically intimate with anyone, Isabelle invites Thomas to stay at her apartment, where she propositions him. But before they can consummate their relationship, the clairvoyant Isabelle senses a connection between Thomas and infamous porn star Sofia (Elina Löwensohn). Though Thomas now seems kindhearted, as he and Isabelle search out his true identity, they come upon some unpleasant truths about the man he was. |
| TOMMY BOY |
| 060295 |
|
| After Tommy (Chris Farley) barely graduates from college, he returns home to the midwest where his father (Brian Dennehy), the owner of an auto parts factory, immediately employs his dumber than dumb son. While Tommy was away at school, his father had fallen in love with a beautiful woman (Bo Derek) and now desires to marry her. During the wedding ceremony, however, Tommy's dad tragically dies from a heart attack, which puts the company's -- and its 300 employees' -- future at stake. It is up to Tommy to use any available intelligence to keep his father's factory from going under. This road comedy uses the seriously comedic chemistry between the late Farley and his SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE buddy David Spade to brilliant effect. |
| CRUMB |
| 060995 |
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| CRUMB traces the lives of underground cartoonist Robert Crumb and his extraordinarily dysfunctional family. As children, the three Crumb brothers escaped from their abusive home by indulging in an imaginative life centered on comic books, but Robert is the only one who has fashioned any sort of normal existence. Now a famous cartoonist, he creates work that revels in the darker side of the human condition, hilarious and often offensive work that is obviously influenced by his troubled upbringing. |
| BAR GIRLS |
| 060995 |
|
| Girl meets girl, loses girl, gets girl again -- in this witty, articulate portrait of the wacky world of amorous relationships among a group of young lesbians in an L.A. bar. Loretta, on a bet with a friend, uses her best pick-up line to snare Rachael, a beautiful actress, in Girl Bar one night. Later that evening, in Loretta's apartment, the two swap stories about the present state of their love affairs, which are both pretty messy. However, Loretta and Rachael fall in love and set up house together, promising to be monogamous. A wrench is thrown into their domestic bliss in the person of J.R., a strapping policewoman who is new to the bar. What follows is a humorous, high-octane cocktail of infidelities, jealousies, cat fights, and, finally, understanding and reconciliation among the bar girls. |
| GRAND ILLUSION |
| 061695 |
|
| Calling on his own experiences as an aviator in WWI as well as those of his comrades, Jean Renoir's antiwar masterpiece bids farewell to the class constrictions of European society and calls for the unity of humankind across class and national boundaries. Set in the German prison camps of WWI, the film stars Jean Gabin as Marechal, and Marcel Dalio as Rosenthal. Like the charming aristocrat de Boldieu (Pierre Fresnay), these two French aviators were shot down and now spend most of their time escaping from German prison camps before inevitably being recaptured. Between escapes, they do what they can to amuse themselves, which includes running a talent show, but after a tunnel they've dug is discovered, the three are sent to Wintersborn, a forbidding fortress of a prison, which is commanded by former ace pilot von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim). The humane commandant practices noblesse oblige toward de Boldieu, hoping for an alliance across national lines. But he comes to learn that this phrase has a different meaning for the Frenchman. One of the great films of all time, GRAND ILLUSION perhaps most purely embodies director Jean Renoir's characterstic humanism, manifested less here in camera technique than an instinctive ability to educe truthful performances from his cast. |
| BEFORE THE RAIN |
| 061695 |
|
| Shot in Macedonia and London, "Before the Rain" is a haunting study of war and its tragic consequences -- especially when the fighting occurs between neighbors. Divided into three sections, the connection between seemingly disparate events and people only becomes clear at the film's end. In "Words," a pure and innocent Macedonian monk breaks his vows in order to hide an Albanian girl accused of murder. "Faces" dramatizes an Englishwoman's struggle to choose between her husband and her lover, a Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer who is about to return to his native Macedonia. And "Pictures," the final segment, follows the photographer as he tries to comprehend the violence and bloodshed that have so transformed his nation's landscape and turned one-time friends into bitter enemies. |
| DOGFIGHT |
| 061695 |
|
| It’s 1963 and four young Marines are spending their last night stateside in San Francisco before shipping out to Vietnam. The night’s festivities include a dogfight: the Marine that finds the ugliest "date" and brings her to a party being held later that night wins. Flippant, coarse, and handsome Eddie Birdlace (River Phoenix) isn’t having any luck finding an appropriate date until he meets Rose (Lili Taylor), a shy ugly duckling waitress who worships folksingers and hopes to one day join their ranks. Charmed by the young Marine, Rose agrees to attend the party with him, unaware that she’s a candidate in the cruel contest. When Rose inadvertently finds out why she’s been invited, Birdlace’s conscience gets the better of him, and he is determined to make amends by taking her out for a night on the town. As they wander the streets of San Francisco, this unlikely pair begins to fall in love. Phoenix and Taylor deliver touching performances in this Nancy Savoca (TRUE LOVE, HOUSEHOLD SAINTS) film, capturing the anxiety, awkwardness, wonder, and tenderness of budding love. |
| OUTBREAK |
| 061695 |
|
| In director Wolfgang Petersen's fast-paced, intelligently written thriller, Dustin Hoffman plays Col. Sam Daniels, an expert on infectious diseases who is called in to study the outbreak of a deadly illness in Zaire. He finds a virus that spreads so quickly it could wipe out an entire nation in just a few weeks, and he believes that it might have spread to the United States. With the help of his ex-wife (Rene Russo), who works at the Centers for Disease Control, Daniels tracks the virus to the quiet seaside town of Cedar Creek, California. His superiors' reticence to help begins to raise questions in Daniels's mind, and he must find a cure before a panicky U.S. army general decides to kill the town's populace in order to save the world. The all-star cast includes Hoffman, Russo, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Morgan Freeman, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. |
| PICTURE BRIDE |
| 062395 |
|
| After 16-year-old Riyo travels all the way from Japan to a Hawaiian sugarcane plantation for an arranged marriage, she is shocked to discover that Matsuji, her husband-to-be, is 43 years old. With not a penny to her name, Riyo has no choice but to wed Matsuji, but she refuses to sleep with him and dedicates herself to working hard in the fields so she can earn enough to return to Japan. Meanwhile, Matsuji clumsily but tenderly attempts to win Riyo's affections. Just as Riyo begins to respond to her husband's flirtations, bigger, less personal problems arise. The long-standing racial and ethnic tensions between the white landowners and the Asian plantation workers break out into open warfare, causing poverty, despair and death. |
| ROB ROY |
| 062395 |
|
| This epic adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's novel details the adventures and misfortunes of Scottish clan leader Rob Roy McGregor (1671-1734). Rob Roy, a man of steely integrity and honor, requests a loan from the Marquis of Montrose in order to enlarge his farm. The Marquis agrees, but his henchmen immediately set a trap: they send the money with Rob's friend McDonald -- and then murder him. Now Roy must pay Montrose £1000 pounds or he will lose his land. There's one way to free himself from the debt, however; all he has to do is slander the Duke of Argyll, the Marquis' bitter enemy. The moral Scotsman refuses to participate in this nefarious scheme, and is forced to become an outlaw. But the evil Marquis will truly test the clan leader's strength by attacking the thing Rob Roy loves most in the world -- his wife Mary. |
| LATCHO DROM |
| 063095 |
|
| This magical, enticing film offers a musical and choreographic vision of the Gypsies' trek from their original home in India, through the Middle East, to Eastern and Central Europe. Filmmaker Tony Gatlif -- who himself has Gypsy blood -- captures his people's ever-changing culture. In each new country where the Gypsies settled, their songs, dances and costume absorbed elements of local traditions; thus, there are Indian drums, Oriental belly-dancing, Hungarian violins and Spanish guitars. Yet throughout the centuries, certain things remained, including the rich, rough sound of Gypsy singing and a clear passion for complex rhythms. Though "Latcho Drom" ("have a safe journey" in Romany) has no narration, song lyrics speak poignantly of the Gypsies' tragic history of oppression and violence -- including their victimization by the Nazis during World War II. |
| FUNNY BONES |
| 063095 |
|
| A wildly eccentric film about a struggling stand-up comedian who must find his own voice outside his famous father's comedic orbit. Tommy tries out an act in Las Vegas, but his egoistic father George derails the show. In frustration, Tommy scolds the audience and bolts from the stage, and flees town. He goes back to his childhood home, the seaside vaudeville hub of Blackpool, England, in search of inspiration. The comedians he auditions there are a disappointing, Fellini-esque lot from the past. Then Tommy meets Jack, who is both genuinely very funny and very scary. Seeing Jack and his family perform their act, Tommy realizes that George is not the original he pretends to be. |
| BAD BOYS |
| 063095 |
|
| Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) is a happily married family man. Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) is a smooth-talking bachelor. Both are cops in the narcotics division of the Miami police department. When $100 million dollars worth of seized heroin is stolen from their police station, the mismatched duo are forced to switch identities to placate the only witness (Tea Leoni) who can lead them to the drug lord responsible and save their jobs before the FBI closes them down. This explosion-heavy, chase-filled, gun-smoking action comedy is directed by Michael Bay (ARMAGEDDON, PEARL HARBOR) and features comedic odd-couple-style bantering between the aptly paired Smith and Lawrence. |
| BURNT BY THE SUN |
| 070795 |
|
| In 1936, Sergei Petrovich Kotov, his wife Marussia and daughter Nadia take refuge in the countryside. But the arrival of a mysterious man shatters their hopes for a peaceful existence. At first, Mitia, who once was Marussia's lover, seems charming-- he's handsome, plays the piano, and easily wins Nadia's affections. Gradually, however, it becomes clear that Mitia's visit may have terrible repercussions for the innocent family.A retired soldier decorated for his efforts during the Bolshevik revolution enjoys his life in the country with his young wife and dazzling little daughter until their idyllic peace is rippled by the arrival of a man from their past who, unknown to them, is an agent for the Secret Police. Nikita Mikhalkov's powerful portrait of viciousness during the Stalin era won the 1994 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. |
| THE UNDERNEATH |
| 070795 |
|
| With this cerebral remake of the 1949 film noir gem CRISS CROSS, director Steven Soderbergh has renounced melodrama and suspense to instead create an art film with the emotional weight of Greek tragedy. The film weaves three time frames together to tell its story. In the present, Michael Chambers (Peter Gallagher) returns to Austin, Texas, for his mother’s wedding. In the past, he flees town to escape an outrageous gambling debt, ditching his girlfriend, Rachel (Alison Elliott), in the process. And in the future, when Rachel’s new boyfriend, Tommy (William Fichtner), a dangerous club owner, catches them having an affair, Michael comes up with a plan for Tommy to rob the armored car he drives. Soderbergh handles his material so deftly that the viewer is left to question whether it is fate or personal responsibility that drove the characters to their ends. Cinematographer Elliot Davis shoots each section with a distinct look in order to further distinguish the film’s three chapters, giving the film a visual aesthetic that is overtly stylish and moody. As the flighty Michael, Gallagher is an attractive--and surprisingly comical--presence. His interactions with the rest of the cast (most notably, Elliott) are at turns hysterical, dramatic, and suspenseful. |
| FRENCH KISS |
| 071495 |
|
| When Kate's fiancé calls from Paris to tell her he's in love with another woman, Kate determines to do anything to get him back. She even overcomes her fear of flying so she can chase him down in the romantic city of lights. Then, while airborne, the panicky Kate meets Luc, a somewhat sleazy character who just happens to be a thief -- and who secretly plants a stolen possession in her bag. Luc intends to retrieve the loot when they land; unfortunately a conman grabs the bag first, thwarting Luc's well-laid plans. Soon he and Kate are frantically scouring the beautiful French countryside in hopes of getting back her precious carry-on. The romantic situation hardly goes smoothly, either: Kate continues her obsession with ex-fiancé Charlie, while Charlie's new girlfriend takes a liking to Luc... who unexpectantly falls in love with the broken-hearted Kate. |
| WIGSTOCK: THE MOVIE |
| 072195 |
|
| A documentary look at the annual Labor Day festival-in-drag held in lower Manhattan. The founder of Wigstock, Lady Bunny, hosts the festivities for an audience of 20,000, who witness a fantastic array of costumes and celebrity impersonators. Famous stars such as Alexis Arquette, RuPaul and Lypsinka also make appearances. Director Barry Shils uses footage from the 1993 and 1994 Wigstocks as well as behind-the-scenes interviews that reveal the men behind the elaborate gowns. |
| TALES FROM THE HOOD |
| 072195 |
|
| This politically tinged anthology puts a new spin on tales of the strange and the supernatural. While three hoods sit around a mortuary waiting for their supplier to arrive with dope, the owner helps them pass the time by telling stories about the very weird things he's witnessed. In one, a black rookie cop tries but fails to prevent some crooked policemen from beating an African-American community leader to death... but the victim finds a way to get his revenge. The second is a heart-wrenching drama about domestic violence that only magic can end, and the third story is a wickedly funny parody of racist Southern politicians, featuring a candidate who resembles several real public figures. Finally, in the last episode, a violent black gang members finds himself imprisoned with a white supremacist killer -- and the two surprisingly find a lot in common... |
| SMOKE |
| 072895 |
|
| In 1990, novelist Paul Auster was asked to contribute a Christmas story to the New York Times. The resulting piece, "Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story," forms the basis for his screenplay for SMOKE. Directed by Wayne Wang and set in a Brooklyn cigar store, Auster expanded the story to include four other characters whose lives intertwine with Auggie Wren’s. As Auggie, the manager of the store that serves as a neighborhood meeting place, Harvey Keitel gives a restrained, mellow performance. The other characters, Paul (William Hurt), a blocked writer; Rashid (Harold Perrineau Jr.), a troubled youth; Ruby (Stockard Channing), Auggie’s former lover; and Cyrus (Forest Whitaker), Rashid’s long-lost father, form a web of relationships over a few summer days. Auster, who had previously adapted his novel THE MUSIC OF CHANCE into a taut script, here exhibits a loose, almost improvisational style as he lets his characters simply talk about their lives. Wang eschews the big, somewhat melodramatic style he used in THE JOY LUCK CLUB for relaxed, natural direction that allows the actors, who are all terrific, to project an everyday realism seldom seen in American movies. The actual Christmas story appears at the end in a beautiful black-and-white montage, accompanied by a bittersweet Tom Waits song. |
| THE POSTMAN |
| 072895 |
|
| Chilean poet Pablo Neruda has been exiled from his native land and is now residing on one of Italy's small and charming islands. It is there that he meets Mario, a simple man with a simple mind, whom Pablo hires as his personal mailman. Although Pablo is initially cold towards Mario, the two eventually develop a friendship, with Pablo teaching the eager Mario the joys of poetry. When Mario falls for Beatrice, a sexy barmaid, Pablo even helps him win her heart, via poetic love letters. But later, after the postman and Beatrice wed, Pablo is allowed to return to Chile, and does. Mario is now left with many aspirations, but without the wherewithal to achieve them. Years later, the Italian, now bored with his life and wife, realizes that the man who changed his perspective on the world has forgotten all about him. Desperate, Mario makes an outrageous attempt to get Pablo's attention. But only time will tell if the poet will respond. |
| CRIMSON TIDE |
| 072895 |
|
| When Russian rebels gain control of nuclear weapons in the USSR, the United States retaliates by deploying the USS Alabama, a nuclear submarine commanded by Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman). Veteran soldier and Naval legend Ramsey selects Lt. Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington)--a Harvard graduate who prefers using brains over weapons--as his Executive Officer. While submerged, the Alabama is attacked by a Russian sub and loses radio contact just as an order is being transmitted from headquarters. Old Navy dog Ramsey firmly believes that the interrupted transmission ends with an order to fire their nuclear missiles at the Russian rebels. Hunter, desperate to avoid starting World War III, is determined to re-establish radio contact and act only after complete orders are received. Without the second-in-command’s agreement, the missiles cannot be launched, and soon Ramsey and Hunter are engaged in a tense battle of wills, forcing the crew to choose sides. In the tradition of TOP GUN and TRUE ROMANCE, director Tony Scott keeps the tension running high in this fast-paced military thriller. Hackman scores as the tradition-bound Ramsey, and Washington is superb as the thoughtful young officer who feels compelled to take a stand against his superior. |
| DIE HARD: WITH A VENGEANCE |
| 080495 |
|
| Superhero cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) returns in DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE. Freshly expelled from the NYPD, McClane encounters a number of threatening phone calls from a terrorist calling himself Simon (Jeremy Irons). Simon tests McClane’s wits, and allows him the chance to stop each bomb by solving a riddle. In addition to using his previously learned anti-terrorism tactics (DIE HARD, DIE HARD 2) , McClane enlists an angry store clerk, Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) to decipher Simon’s tricky enigmas. |
| J. LYLE |
| 081195 |
|
J. Lyle is sitting in a chair, when his guts climb out of his body, crawl to his shoulder and begins to discuss what he should do. There is the Good: The Heart, The bad: The Brain and the Ugly: The Penis, and also a couple of others. In the end they sing a song about how it takes guts to sing this song. |
| KISS OF DEATH |
| 081195 |
|
| KISS OF DEATH opens with ex-convict Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) attempting to distance himself from his shady past. His cousin, Ronny (Michael Rapaport), shows up at his door begging for help with one more heist, and Jimmy agrees to participate against his better judgment. Things go sour when a detective is shot, and Jimmy is left to take the fall. As Jimmy's hopes for a normal life with his wife (Helen Hunt) and daughter fade, he becomes a pawn of the police in their attempts to bring down a psychotic gangster named Little Junior (Nicolas Cage). |
| PURE FORMALITY |
| 081895 |
|
| Two legendary screen talents go head-to-head in this intriguing, utterly original psychological thriller, described by one critic as "Colombo meets Kafka." Gerard Depardieu stars as Onaff, a famed French novelist who is arrested in a small provincial town when he is found breathless and disoriented in a raging storm. Although he has committed no crime, the local police call in The Inspector (Roman Polanski, in a brilliantly brittle performance), who interrogates Onaff about the identity of a mutilated murder victim found near Onaff's home. Almost all of the action takes place in the dark and leaky provincial police station, where Onaff and The Inspector spend the entire evening playing a brutal game of cat-and-mouse. Through flashbacks, distortions, and outright lies, the well-matched adversaries plumb the depths of the mystery before reaching the astonishing truth. A dark and suspenseful rumination on memory and the ability to reconstruct one's own life story, this character-driven thriller is a clausterphobic homage to the surreal storytelling of Kafka and Samuel Beckett. Featuring a haunting soundtrack from Italian master Ennio Morricone, A PURE FORMALITY is a chilling drama directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. |
| JUDGE DREDD |
| 081895 |
|
| It is the 22nd Century, and Mega City One (formerly known as New York City), replete with flying vehicles, armored lawmen and 65 million citizens, has become a violent and anarchic land. As a result, the law enforcement consists of men known as judges, and each one serves as cop, judge, and occasionally executioner, allowed to mete out "justice" as he sees fit. The most elite and feared of these is the emotionless, snarling Judge Dredd. But when Dredd's clever, vile, vengeful archenemy Rico escapes from prison, he successfully frames Dredd for murder. With the judge, who has received a life sentence, out of his way, Rico begins a killing spree with judges as his special targets. But when Dredd escapes from prison and sets out to stop the deranged psycho, will a startling, familial, revelation about Rico affect his progress? |
| DANCE ME OUTSIDE |
| 081895 |
|
| Director Bruce McDonald explores the sensitive, and tense, relationship between life on an American Indian reservation and life in the outside world. When Native American Silas Crow is forced to write a personal essay in order to get a much-desired job, he tells the story of the rape and murder of an Indian girl by a drunken thug. When the killer received a lenient two-year sentence for manslaughter, the Native American community felt shock and anger -- and tried desperately to deal with the after-effects of this lack of justice. |
| LITTLE ODESSA |
| 081895 |
|
| A Russian hit man is instructed to execute an Iranian jeweler in Brighton Beach. There is one problem, however: Joshua can't show his face in the old neighborhood. His father despises him, and Volkov, the local mob boss, wants him dead. Nonetheless, Joshua clandestinely returns to Brooklyn only to discover that his mother is dying of a brain tumor, his little brother is a high school dropout, and his father is having an affair with a younger woman. Nor has Volkov forgotten his promise to do Josh in -- a killer's already been lined up. Joshua finds his only solace in the bed of a young woman he knew years ago. |
| FIRST KNIGHT |
| 081895 |
|
| On the way to meet King Arthur, her future husband and ally, Lady Guenevere and her retinue are attacked by Arthur's mortal enemy, the malicious Malagant. Prince Malagant wants possession of Guinevere's land, which lies between Arthur's kingdom and his own. However, the daring Lancelot intercedes and foils the attack. In return, this roaming-sword-for-hire asks for a kiss from the lovely Lady -- a request that Guinevere coldly refuses. They meet again when Lancelot turns up at one of Camelot's public tournaments, and proves to Arthur that he deserves to become the King's first knight. So when Malagant strikes again, kidnapping Queen Guinevere, Lancelot once more serves as her rescuer. But now, Guinevere's reaction is no longer chilly -- and the two proceed to fall in love, betraying Arthur's trust and friendship. |
| BROTHERS MCMULLEN |
| 082595 |
|
| Jack is the married oldest brother who's cheating on his perfect wife. Barry is the relationship-wary middle brother who, to his surprise and dismay, is finally falling in love. But Patrick, the most religious brother, ironically is the one who must deal with issues of premarital sex and abortion--a situation that leaves him consumed with guilt. Fortunately for the siblings, however, they're all temporarily living under the same roof, where they can discuss their problems and philosophies--and help each other make it through this troubled time. |
| JOHNNY MNEMONIC |
| 082595 |
|
| Loosely based on a story by cyber-pioneer William Gibson, this futuristic thriller centers on a the title character (Keanu Reeves), a courier who loads vital data straight into his brain for storage and safe transport. Johnny has given up brainspace that his childhood memories occupied in order to save space for his chosen profession. He wants to pull one last job before he retires, and the one he gets is particularly perilous. He's got 48 hours to transport a large load of data from Beijing to Newark--and some futuristic samurai don't want him to make it to his destination! The directorial debut of conceptual artist Robert Longo is full of arresting visuals painting a bleak, yet eye-popping, vision of the future. |
| INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE |
| 082595 |
|
| Two diametrically different teenage girls--one a well-heeled, demure African-American bookworm, the other a riotous, gas-pumping Anglo tomboy--find themselves falling in love. |
| CONGO |
| 082595 |
|
| An African mountain gorilla who's been taught sign language by a young primatologist is returned to the jungles of the Congo in this adaptation of Michael Crichton's 1980 sci-fi adventure novel. During their journey they cross paths with greedy corporate scavengers searching for a hidden cache of diamonds. |
| SPECIES |
| 090195 |
|
| A team of scientists decide they must gas to death a young girl named Sil. Why? Because she is the result of an experiment in which human DNA was mixed with that of a (possibly nefarious) alien race. But Sil has plans of her own, so she breaks out of the gas chamber and escapes. This prompts Fitch, the head scientist, to gather a team to track the child down. Unfortunately, they may have trouble recognizing their prey, because Sil has turned herself into a lethal, sexy, adult woman... whose goal is to procreate as soon as possible. The fetching mutant embarks on a number of sexual encounters -- most of which have gruesome results for her partners. Will Sil, who finally changes into a hideous, slimy monster, defeat our heroes... and breed a new generation of mutants? |
| NINE MONTHS |
| 090195 |
|
| Samuel Faulkner's (Hugh Grant) fruitful, happy life completely falls apart when long-time girlfriend Rebecca (Julianne Moore) suddenly announces she's pregnant. The thought of fatherhood and responsibility terrifies Samuel -- who just happens to be a child psychologist. Although he does try hard get used to the idea, the months fly by without a change in his attitude -- clearly, he still does not want a baby. So Rebecca, fed-up with his infantile behavior, walks out on him. Miserable at the loss of his girlfriend, Samuel begins to reconsider his life, and eventually realizes that his existence can only be complete if Rebecca -- and their child -- remain a part of it. Now Samuel must find a way to convince Rebecca that he's not only ready for fatherhood, but for marriage as well... |
| KIDS |
| 090895 |
|
| A bleak and uncompromising look at the dangerous world of New York street kids. The film focuses on the sexual experiences of Telly, a teen-aged seducer who desires only virgins. When Jennie -- who's had sex solely with Telly -- tests HIV positive, she frantically searches the city to tell him he's infected. Eventually, she finds him, but too late, for he's already deflowered his latest adolescent conquest. |
| UNDER SIEGE |
| 090895 |
|
| Action hero Steven Seagal stars as former Navy SEAL Casey Ryback in this high-octane action thriller set aboard the battleship "USS Missouri." A hero with a mind of his own, Casey has been demoted to ship's cook for insubordination. But he's still got the heart of a patriot, and when William Strannix, a dangerously wacked ex-CIA operative-turned-terrorist takes over the ship, Casey hangs up his chef's hat and goes into attack mode. The stakes are high: Strannix, in an act of vengeance against the U.S. government, plans to launch the battleship's nuclear missiles at Honolulu. Casey -- assisted by a stripper who was stranded aboard the ship during an aborted farewell party -- must race against the clock to save the U.S. from an atomic nightmare. |
| BATMAN FOREVER |
| 091595 |
|
| The third installment in the "Batman" series. Here the Caped Crusader must once again contend with two strange-looking, personality-impaired villains. First, there's maniacal ex-DA Harvey Two-Face, so named because half his countenance has been horribly disfigured by acid. Then there's the wise-cracking, hyperactive Riddler, whose alter-ego Edward Nygma is a nerdy, highly disgruntled ex-employee of Bruce Wayne. Together, these two masterminds plan to conquer the world with a device that not only mesmerizes users with 3-D television images, but also transports the viewer's thoughts into the Riddler's mind. Batman also has to contend with two other new people in his life. One is lovely psychiatrist Chase Meridian, who has fallen in love with Batman AND Bruce Wayne. Then there's Dick Grayson, a young, orphaned acrobat who desperately wants to become Batman's crime-fighting sidekick in order to get revenge on the man responsible for his parents' death: Harvey Two-Face. |
| VIRTUOSITY |
| 091595 |
|
| In 1999 Los Angeles, an imprisoned ex-cop is given one last shot at redemption when he's turned loose to track down a virtual killer who has escaped the confines of cyberspace. Computer-generated special effects--and a pre-stardom performance from Russell Crow as the digital killer--enhance this thriller from the director of 1992's THE LAWNMOWER MAN. |
| LOVE AND HUMAN REMAINS |
| 091595 |
|
| This acclaimed black comedy is boldly directed by Canadian Denys Arcand. The story revolves around a group of thirty something citydwellers. The pack includes David (Thomas Gibson), an acerbic bisexual actor-turned-waiter, who shares an apartment with his ex-lover Candy (Ruth Marshall), a book reviewer who's so disappointed in her relationships with men that she's decided to try a lesbian affair. A teenage busboy named Kane (Matthew Ferguson) lusts after David, while Jerri (Joanne Vannicola) and Robert (Rick Roberts) the bartender, both have designs on Candy. David and his old friend Bernie (Cameron Bancroft) ironically lament the state of their lives in the 1990s. In the midst of all this confusion, Benita (Mia Kirshner), a clairvoyant dominatrix, tries to shed some light on things. Meanwhile, there's a serial killer stalking the streets of Montreal, which makes the prospect of dating a stranger more complicated than ever. The bawdy sensational screenplay is based on Brad Fraser's play UNIDENTIFIED HUMAN REMAINS AND THE TRUE NATURE OF LOVE. |
| WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING |
| 092295 |
|
| Lucy Moderatz, a charming but shy token seller, spends her evenings home alone with her cat and her holidays working for the Chicago Transit Authority -- she has neither family nor boyfriend to keep her company. But she does have a secret crush: sexy Peter Callaghan, a regular customer who has never even given her a second glance. One day, Peter is mugged on the subway platform and falls in front of an oncoming train. The courageous Lucy jumps down onto the tracks and pushes him to safety, but the ordeal leaves Peter in a deep coma. Lucy remains at his side in the hospital until his family arrives -- at which point a confused nurse, who misunderstood one of Lucy's comments, informs the Callaghans that Lucy is Peter's fiancee. And Lucy just can't manage to set them straight. But now she's beginning to fall in love with Peter's handsome and kind brother, Jack, and has one big problem: what will happen when Peter wakes up? |
| UNZIPPED |
| 092295 |
|
| This documentary captures renowned fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi as he prepares for 1994's New York fall fashion show. The film, narrated by Mizrahi himself, treats us to a behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous world of haute couture. We have the opportunity to follow Mizrahi's designing process from start to finish, and to see how he finds his inspiration in pop culture. We also find out what happens when Mizrahi learns that a rival designer has, by coincidence, copied his "Eskimo" fashion theme. The film climaxes in the kinetic, frenzied, and supermodel-filled fall fashion show. Whether meeting with his staff, or conducting a conversation with his loving mom, Mizrahi's charismatic personality shines through, making this one of the most delightful portraits of the fashion industry ever filmed. |
| PULP FICTION |
| 092995 |
|
| Writer-director Quentin Tarantino revisits the seedier side of Los Angeles--following 1992’s RESERVOIR DOGS--with this funny, violent, tongue-in-cheek tribute to the less "classic" side of filmmaking--the potboilers and capers, the Blaxploitation flicks and gangster movies. The film interweaves three tales, told in a circular, fractured manner, which only fully connect by the time the final credits roll. The first story focuses on Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), two hit men on duty for "the big boss," Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), whose gorgeous wife, Mia (Uma Thurman), takes a liking to Vincent. In the second, a down-and-out pugilist (Bruce Willis), who is ordered to take a fall, decides that there’s more money in doing the opposite. The final chapter follows a pair of lovers (Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth) as they prepare to hold up a diner. |
| LIVING IN OBLIVION |
| 092995 |
|
| Filmmaker Nick Reve has only one thing on his mind: completing his low-budget, independent film. That may sound simple, but every day is a challenge. Take this morning, for example, which has already gotten off to a terrible start. First, his star players, egotistical heart-throb Chad Palomino and insecure but gifted Nicole, aren't getting along. It seems they haven't recovered from their bad one-night stand. Nick's tough assistant director Wanda has just broken it off with her cameraman beau Wolf, so he's in a rotten mood, too. And the technicians can't get the equipment working. To top it all off, Nick's mentally impaired mother has escaped from her rest home and walked onto the set. It's one of those days where Murphy's Law reigns supreme... and anything can happen next. |
| RED FIRECRACKER, GREEN FIRECRACKER |
| 100695 |
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| The family owners of a fireworks factory in turn-of-the-century China reluctantly turn over the reins to their daughter in the absence of a male heir. Disguised as a man and forbidden to marry, she follows her path until she meets an artist who awakens her passion. Now she must either accept her fate or challenge her ancestral heritage in the face of love. |
| SAFE |
| 100695 |
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| SAFE is an unnerving story about a housewife, Carol (brilliantly played by Julianne Moore), who falls physically and psychologically ill from her environment. Director Todd Haynes casts an instantly eerie spell with hypnotic cinematography as Carol's stoic, perfect world is introduced. Her home is exquisite, her husband (Xander Berkeley) loving, her son (Chauncey Leopardi) typical, her best friend loyal. But after Carol learns her friend Linda's (Susan Norman) brother has died mysteriously, Carol begins to experience her own strange symptoms. Her illness eventually transforms her seemingly protected, upper middle-class existence into a terror of everyday life. She becomes so ill--with her doctor and friends concluding it's all psychological--that she begins to investigate a cult-like healing center that provides a protective bubble from what its followers call "the twentieth century disease"--a kind of allergy to everything modern or chemical. With its stunning art direction and an impressive performance by its star, SAFE is both a chilling tale of existential dread and a witty commentary on modern suburban life. |
| CLUELESS |
| 100695 |
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| Loosely based on Jane Austen's classic, "Emma," high school teenagers in Beverly Hills (many of whom seem to be named after singers who now do television infomercials) change outfits, have nose jobs and cellular phones, and take care of everybody else's, except their own, social lives. |
| BELLE DU JOUR |
| 101395 |
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| An exquisite tale of self-discovery and tragic passion, Luis Bunuel's 1967 BELLE DE JOUR is one of the crowning achievements of the director's brilliant career. Famous for giddily manipulating audiences in order to make his point, Bunuel boldly blurs the line between fantasy and reality once again. It is this gleeful mischievousness that makes BELLE DE JOUR such a classic. Catherine Deneuve's performance reaffirms her status as one of world cinema's most electrifying actresses. |
| SHOWGIRLS |
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| High-strung, statuesque Nomi Mallone (Elizabeth Berkely) is determined to be a dancer in Las Vegas, whatever it takes--but she starts out as a stripper. Through her seamstress roommate (Gina Ravera), Nomi catches the attention of the voracious bisexual Cristal (Gina Gershon), star of an extravagant pagan sex show called "Goddess" which plays nightly at the swanky Stardust Casino. Through Cristal's influence, Nomi gets a chance to audition for "Goddess" and is soon involved in all sorts of sordid backstage goings-on, including bitchy dueling with Cristal over Stardust head honcho Zack (Kyle McLachlan). Maligned by many critics upon its original release, SHOWGIRLS has since become a true camp classic, revived for midnight showings and beloved for its decadence, high nudity yield, and outrageously catty dialogue (courtesy of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas). Its director is Paul Verhoeven (ROBOCOP, TOTAL RECALL), so one can safely assume SHOWGIRLS' over-the-top hostility and sexuality is meant to be a satire of American culture. One of the first big-budget Hollywood movies to be released with an NC-17 rating, its lack of box office success meant few others would have the guts to follow. |
| SISTER MY SISTER |
| 101395 |
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| An eerie psychological drama based on the true story of two sisters, Christine and Lea, who were maids in a provincial French town in 1932 and gained fame when they brutally murdered their cruel employers. Christine and Lea live and work in the house of Madame Danzard, a widow and the domineering mother of young Isabelle. The sisters have minimal contact with the outside world, no social life, and are continually berated and badgered by Madame. In this hothouse atmosphere, Christine and Lea develop an incestuous relationship. The tension between upstairs and downstairs comes to a head one day when the sisters, having blown an electrical fuse, murder Madame and Isabelle so as not to be chastised, once again. |
| BIJOU 15TH ANNIVERSARY |
| 101795 |
| information coming soon. |
| CLOCKERS |
| 102795 |
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| Director Spike Lee examines the violent world of urban drug dealing through the eyes of Strike (Mekhi Phifer), a 19-year-old "clocker," short for round-the-clock pusher. Strike agrees to kill a fellow employee of his boss Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo), an influential, popular drug lord. But when the hit goes down, it is Strike's moral, law-abiding brother Victor (Isaiah Washington) who confesses, shocking everyone. The detective assigned to the case, Rocco Klein (Harvey Keitel), doesn't believe Victor--the more that Klein, along with others in Strike's life, start putting the heat on, the more the clocker finds himself up against the wall. The question is: Who is the real killer? A gritty, realistic adaptation of Richard Price's best-selling novel, Lee's film is also one of his most highly invigorating. Shooting with a gritty, washed-out film stock, with startling moments of saturated primary color, CLOCKERS feels like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the daily lives of a group of New York City drug dealers, featuring a star-making performance by Phifer. |
| PUSHING HANDS |
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| Mr. Chu (Sihung Lung) is a venerable tai chi master who moves from Beijing to New York, hoping to spend his last years in peace and comfort with his only son (Bo Z. Wang). There's just one problem--he just can't seem to get along with his son's caucasian wife (Deb Snyder), a nervous writer who misinterprets Chu's every move. Even Chu's expertise in the tai chi exercise of "pushing hands" can't help him achieve harmony and balance in his son's conflicted household. |
| DOUBLE HAPPINESS |
| 102795 |
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| Jade is a twenty-something Chinese-Canadian struggling actress. But she is caught between two worlds -- traditional and modern -- and this is affecting important aspects of her life, from the men she dates to how she fares at auditions. In terms of men, Jade reluctantly satisfies her parents' old world standards by letting them choose her dates, and even letting them decide how she'll look when she goes out. But on the sly, Jade's modern attitudes are reflected in the motorcycle jackets she wears, and her involvement in an interracial relationship. Meanwhile, on auditions, Jade would prefer to play non-"Asian" characters, but nonetheless finds herself being typecast at every turn. How will Jade rectify the dichotomies that are affecting her life -- without losing her family? |
| THE NET |
| 102795 |
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| When computer programmer Angela Bennett boots up some new software, she gets more than she expected -- she gets access to restricted government files. Very soon after, the colleague who had sent her the new program dies in a plane crash. The panicked Angela nevertheless decides to continue as planned and go on vacation to Mexico, where she meets a handsome computer hacker. But her "romantic conquest" cares only about her disc with the top-secret information. By the time Angela discovers his duplicity, and realizes she's in danger, it's too late: her visa is gone, her name and address and credit cards are wiped off the computer, and she's wanted for a number of violent crimes. In fact, as far as the net goes, she doesn't exist at all. Now, Angela must assume another person's name and past if she's ever going to get home and prove her true identity. |
| JEFFREY |
| 110395 |
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| When the condom breaks in the middle of sex, the terrified Jeffrey concludes that it's high time to protect himself from AIDS by swearing off sex for good. However, the minute he makes this decision, he walks into the gym and spies the beautiful Steve, pumping iron and ready for an intimate encounter. And every time the newly celibate Jeffrey rejects Steve's provocative advances, it becomes a little harder to say no. Soon, Jeffrey realizes that Steve is the man of his dreams... until he finds out that his beloved is HIV positive. |
| SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT |
| 110395 |
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| Lasse Hallstrom (THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, MY LIFE AS A DOG) directs this romantic comedy in which Julia Roberts plays Grace, a decent but naive southern woman who, happening to drive by her husband, Eddie (Dennis Quaid), one afternoon, is shocked to discover him locked in a passionate embrace, in public, with another woman. She immediately confronts her errant hubby, setting the town gossips' tongues wagging, and moves back in with her wealthy parents, provoking reactions from her imperious dad (Robert Duvall), who believes that a wife's duty is to stand by her man, and her sarcastic sister, Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick), who thinks that the bum got what he deserved. Soon Grace has caused a town scandal by openly questioning anyone who may have had an affair with Eddie and also starts to unearth problems in her parents' relationship. The film is ultimately a story about women who attempt reconciliation with their cheating spouses by exploring a new set of rules on their own terms. The screenplay is by Callie Khouri, the Academy Award- winning screenwriter of THELMA AND LOUISE. |
| MONTH BY THE LAKE |
| 111095 |
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| A middle-aged British woman taking her traditional holiday at Lake Como finds herself attracted to a gentleman staying at the resort, and the two become friendly companions. But when a young American babysitter flirts with her new friend the woman contrives to make him jealous with a young Italian--who ends up falling for her! |
| MALLRATS |
| 111095 |
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| Director Kevin Smith's sophomore effort is bigger and more farcical than CLERKS, but, at its center, remains the story of two guys who know a lot about STAR WARS and comic books and all-too-little about women. T.S. (Jeremy London) has just been dumped by girlfriend Brandi (Claire Forlani), while Brodie has finally played too many games of Sega hockey for Rene (Shannen Doherty). The boys go to the mall to console themselves around establishments such as Burning Flesh tanning salon, Rug Munchers carpet outlet, and Buy Me Toys, but they can't seem to stay out of trouble. Their misadventures finally come to focus around Brandi's involvement in a DATING GAME-like show being taped in the mall. While trying to win back their respective girlfriends, the duo manage to do quite a bit of damage with the aid of Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), who have even less to do on a Saturday in suburban New Jersey than T.S. and Brodie. Smith's ability to evoke the settings of his youth is as sharp and unerring as ever, while most of the ensemble delights in chewing the scenery--especially Michael Rooker as Brandi's game-show producer father and Ben Affleck as a slacker-hating thug. |
| NADJA |