After the success of Jurassic Park in 1993, the floodgates opened for digital special effects, and Jumanji is nothing if not a showcase for computer-generated creepiness guaranteed to give young children a nightmare or two. Whether that was the filmmakers' intention is up for debate, since this is a PG-rated adventure revolving around a mysterious board game that unleashes a terrifying jungle world upon its players, including gigantic spiders, huge mosquitoes, a stampede of rhinos, elephants, and every other jungle beast you can imagine. Robin Williams plays a man-child who's been trapped in the world of "Jumanji" for 26 years until he's freed by two kids who've discovered the game and released its parade of dangerous horrors. A chaotic and misguided attempt at family entertainment, the movie does offer a few good laughs, and the effects are frequently impressive, if not entirely convincing to the eye. --Jeff Shannon
Meet Joe Black seemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic fantasy--a remake of 1934's Death Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Brest's overindulgent three-hour running time, those who gear into its deliberate pace will find that Meet Joe Black offers ample reward for your attention. Brad Pitt plays Death with a capital D, enjoying some time on Earth by inhabiting the body of a young man who'd been killed in a shockingly sudden pedestrian-auto impact. Before long, Death has ingratiated himself with a wealthy industrialist (Anthony Hopkins) and pursues romance with the man's beautiful daughter (newcomer Claire Forlani), whom he'd briefly encountered while still an earthbound human. Under the assumed identity of "Joe Black", he samples all the pleasures that corporeal life has to offer--power, romance, sex and such enticing pleasures as peanut butter by the spoonful. But Death has a job to do, and Meet Joe Black addresses the heart-wrenching dilemma that arises when either father or daughter (the plot keeps us guessing) must confront his or her inevitable demise. The film takes its own sweet time to establish this emotional crisis and the love that binds Hopkins's semi-dysfunctional family so closely together. But if you've stuck with the story this far, you may find yourself surprisingly affected. And if Meet Joe Black has really won you over, you'll more than appreciate the care and affection that gives the film a depth and richness that so many critics chose to ignore. --Jeff Shannon
Relive the spellbinding tale of The Legend of Korra, brought to you by the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Follow Avatar Korra's heroic journey as she battles against a multitude of threats, enters the spirit world, discovers Airbenders, and sets things right in Republic City. Bonus Features: Book Three: Change: 4 The Spirit of an Episode Featurettes Book Four: Balance: Kuvira vs. Prince Wu; Republic City Hustle: Part 1
Written and created by Nic Pizzolatto, the acclaimed HBO series True Detective returns after a three-and-a-half-year absence, this season focusing on a new case and featuring an impressive new cast. Mahershala Ali (Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for Moonlight) stars as Wayne Hays, a retired detective who has been tormented for 35 years by a case involving the 1980 disappearance of a 12-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister in the town of West Finger, Arkansas. As the aging Hays, his memory failing, ruminates on details of his investigation with the producer of a truecrime documentary, we learn about the case, and Hays' past, tracking stories in 1980, when the crime took place, and 1990, when a shocking discovery reignited interest in the case. Through these flashbacks, we get to know key characters like Roland West (Stephen Dorff), Wayne's partner at the time of the murder; Amelia Reardon (Carmen Ejogo), a schoolteacher and writer; as well as county officials, FBI agents, family members and suspects. Each of the eight episodes adds a new piece to the puzzle of what happened on that fateful night in 1980 and how that one event shaped the lives of so many people for so many years.
Join the Ghost crew as they embark on their most important mission in Star Wars Rebels' fourth and final season! As the Rebellion struggles against the might of the Empire, Ezra leads the Ghost crew back to his home world to defeat the oppresive forces under the command of cunning Grand Admiral Thrawn. Old friends are reunited and new alliances are forged as the critically acclaimed series builds to a transformative conclusion that reveals our heroes' destinies. Features: Rebels Recon: Inside Heroes Of Mandalore In The Name Of The Rebellion The Occupation and Flight Of The Defender Inside Kindred and Crawler Commandeers Inside Rebel Assault Inside Jedi Night And DUME Inside Wolves And A Door And A World Between Worlds Inside A Fool's Hope And Family Reunion - And Farewell
Written and created by Nic Pizzolatto, the acclaimed HBO series True Detective returns after a three-and-a-half-year absence, this season focusing on a new case and featuring an impressive new cast. Mahershala Ali (Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for Moonlight) stars as Wayne Hays, a retired detective who has been tormented for 35 years by a case involving the 1980 disappearance of a 12-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister in the town of West Finger, Arkansas. As the aging Hays, his memory failing, ruminates on details of his investigation with the producer of a truecrime documentary, we learn about the case, and Hays' past, tracking stories in 1980, when the crime took place, and 1990, when a shocking discovery reignited interest in the case. Through these flashbacks, we get to know key characters like Roland West (Stephen Dorff), Wayne's partner at the time of the murder; Amelia Reardon (Carmen Ejogo), a schoolteacher and writer; as well as county officials, FBI agents, family members and suspects. Each of the eight episodes adds a new piece to the puzzle of what happened on that fateful night in 1980 and how that one event shaped the lives of so many people for so many years.
If it hadn't been for Brad Pitt signing on to play the lead role of obsessive Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer, there's a good chance this lavish $70 million film would not have been made. It was one of two films from 1997 (the other being Martin Scorsese's exquisite Kundun) to view the turmoil between China and Tibet through the eyes of the young Dalai Lama. But with Pitt onboard, this adaptation of Harrer's acclaimed book focuses more on Harrer, a Nazi party member whose life was changed by his experiences in Tibet with the Dalai Lama. Having survived a treacherous climb on the challenging peak of Nanga Parbat and a stint in a British POW camp, Harrer and climbing guide Peter Aufschnaiter (nicely played by David Thewlis) arrive at the Tibetan city of Lhasa, where the 14-year-old Dalai Lama lives as ruler of Tibet. Their stay is longer than either could have expected (the "seven years" of the title), and their lives are forever transformed by their proximity to the Tibetan leader and the peaceful ways of the Buddhist people. China looms over the land as a constant invasive threat, but Seven Years in Tibet is more concerned with viewing Tibetan history through the eyes of a visitor. The film is filled with stunning images and delightful moments of discovery and soothing, lighthearted spirituality, and although he is somewhat miscast, Pitt brings the requisite integrity to his central role. What's missing here is a greater understanding of the young Dalai Lama and the culture of Tibet. Whereas Kundun tells its story purely from the Dalai Lama's point of view, Seven Years in Tibet is essentially an outsider's tale. The result is the feeling that only part of the story's been told here--or maybe just the wrong story. But Harrer's memoir is moving and heartfelt, and director Jean-Jacques Annaud has effectively captured both sincerity and splendor in this flawed but worthwhile film. --Jeff Shannon
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star in this black comedy about married assassins from director Doug Liman.
A double bill of family adventure films based on novels by Chris Van Allsburg. Zathura (Dir. Jon Favreau 2005): Actor-turned-director Jon Favreau (Elf) delivers another work of intelligent charming family fare with this space adventure. Older brother Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and the younger Danny (Jonah Bobo) are constantly at war with one another bickering over the mediating voice of their long-suffering father (Tim Robbins). When he has to go to the office to replace so
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-speciesthought to be mere mythsrise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.
The Last Samurai: Decorated Civil War veteran Nathan Algren (Cruise) is sent to Japan to train and lead the Emperor's troops in modern Western gunpowder intensive warfare to eliminate the country's remaining rebelling samurai. Captured and imprisoned by the outlawed warriors Algren is slowly swayed by their strict adherence to the honourable code of Bushido and when the Emperor's forces mass once again Algren offers to join his former captors in an effort to preserve their way of life... Alexander: The Director's Cut: Oliver Stone's Alexander is based on the true story of one of history's most luminous and influential leaders Alexander the Great (Colin Farrell) - a man who had conquered 90% of the known world by the age of 27. Alexander led his virtually invincible Greek and Macedonian armies through 22 000 miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years and by the time of his death at the age of 32 had forged an empire unlike any the world had ever seen. The film chronicles Alexander's path to becoming a living legend from a youth fueled by dreams of myth glory and adventure to his lonely death as a ruler of a vast Empire. Alexander is the incredible story of a life that united the known world and proved if nothing else fortune favours the bold. This release of Oliver Stone's Alexander features his director's cut (167 mins); which re-imagines and re-shapes the original theatrical film with virtually hundreds of edits and re-configurations of sequences. Troy: In 1193B.C. the dandy Trojan prince Paris (Bloom) irresponsibly spirits away the unhappy wife of Menelaus (Gleeson) the Spartan king. Demanding the return of Helen the Greeks launch a thousand ships and lay siege to Troy. Under the command of Agamemnon (Cox) revered warrior Achilles (Pitt) leads the Greek forces against the Trojan defenders commanded by Hector (Bana) who carries the fate of his nation on his shoulders...
Join the Ghost crew as they embark on their most important mission in Star Wars Rebels' fourth and final season! As the Rebellion struggles against the might of the Empire, Ezra leads the Ghost crew back to his home world to defeat the oppresive forces under the command of cunning Grand Admiral Thrawn. Old friends are reunited and new alliances are forged as the critically acclaimed series builds to a transformative conclusion that reveals our heroes' destinies. Bonus: Rebels Recon Audio Commentary Ghosts Of Legend Force Of Rebellion Kevin Kiner: The Rebel Symphony
'I Saw The Light' is the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music.
From visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes this noir-style psychological thriller starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett. When a manipulative carnival man (Cooper) teams with an equally deceptive psychiatrist (Blanchett) to grift the wealthy in 1940s New York society, he learns that his new partner in crime might be his most formidable opponent yet. NIGHTMARE ALLEY is directed by del Toro, who co-wrote the film with Kim Morgan, based on William Lindsay Gresham's novel.
Ambitions threaten the Saxon kingdoms Alfred had once dreamed of uniting. In the wake of his father's death, the new King, Edward (Timothy Innes), is intent on isolating Wessex and strengthening his reinforcements against possible Dane incursions. Alliances are beginning to fracture as Lord Aethelred (Toby Regbo) of Mercia makes ambitious plans to establish himself as a rival to Wessex. When Northumbria also faces hostility, Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) believes the timing is right to take back his ancestral home. Fate shifts in a different direction; news comes that Mercia is in turmoil, and Uhtred's affection for Aethelflaed (Millie Brady) drives him back into the politics that threaten to break out into war. Just as it seems as if peace can be found between the Saxons, a new and unprecedented Dane enemy takes them by surprise. Uhtred begins to realise that his destiny is tied to Alfred's dream and he becomes determined to resolve Saxon struggles before the possibility of a united England slips from their grasp forever.
When young Alan Parrish and his friend Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) begin to play a mysterious board game they don't realise its unimaginable powers until Alan is magically transported into the untamed jungles of Jumanji. Twenty-six years later Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) discover the dusty board and reawaken the game as they begin to play. Instantly the forces of Jumanji release a fully-grown bewildered Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) into their world. With each roll of
Every weekend in the basements and car parks of bars across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded just as long as they have to.
Steven Spielberg directs this heartwarming romantic adventure USA Today calls a ""winner"". Pete Sandrich (Richard Dreyfuss) is a legendary pilot with a passion for daredevil firefighting. However Dorinda (Holly Hunter) the woman he loves and Al (John Goodman) Pete's best friend know that legends can't take risks forever. After sacrificing himself to save Al the ace pilot faces his most challenging mission: helping Dorinda move on with her life. Breathtaking cinematography and exhilarating aerial choreography highlight this compelling adventure that co-stars Brad Johnson and features a special appearance by Audrey Hepburn.
The teen pop sensations make their big screen debut as they find themselves replaced by sinister clones!
Kingdom Hospital is horror novelist Stephen Kings adaptation of Danish director Lars Von Triers cult mini-series The Kingdom, geared very much for an American audience. The story unfolds across 15 hours, telling the story of a hospital in Maine thats been built on the site of a 19th Century mill fire that killed most of its young occupants--themes that King fans will be familiar with. In the present day, Kingdom Hospital is haunted by the ghost of ten-year-old child labourer Mary and, even more bizarrely, a fearsome giant anteater-like creature called Antubis. It falls to the ace doctor Hook (Andrew McCarthy), the paraplegic artist Jack Coleman (Peter Rickman) and the hypochondriac psychic Sally Druse (Diane Ladd) to enlist the help of a surreal assortment of hospital staff and patients to help Mary and save Kingdom Hospital itself from certain doom. Fans of Stephen King will probably enjoy the blend of black comedy, spectral horror and general weirdness, which owes a big debt to previous television series like Twin Peaks and even ER. But too often, Kingdom Hospital seems to be trying too hard to make itself into a cult series, something which King is just not a subtle enough writer to carry off. But Kingdom Hospital looks good, especially the CGI Antubis, who steals every scene in which he appears. Generally, though, the series is more of an entertaining experiment than a cult-in-the-making. --Ted Kord
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