Schultze Gets the Blues (DVD)
$20.74
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Schultze Gets the Blues (DVD)
After portly German salt miner Schultze (Horst Krause) and his cronies are forced into retirement, the emptiness of their nowhere, smalltown-Germany existence becomes sadly apparent. The only bachelor in his circle, Schultze falls into a dull routine of playing accordion in a polka band, fishing, napping, and tending to his garden gnomes. Then a chance encounter with Cajun zydeco music turns his life around, a little. Soon he is cooking jambalaya for his pals and playing zydeco to the somewhat shocked denizens of his sleepy burg. When his friends arrange for him to be sent to the U.S. for a German folk festival, Schultze seizes the opportunity to visit the Louisiana bayou, and so his one chance at a wild adventure in life begins. Overcoming the language barrier through his hat-doffing, old-world charm, Schultze finds himself strangely at home in this new environment. SCHULTZE is a slow-moving but lovely little tale about facing mortality, and how the power of both music and human kindness can transcend borders and boundaries, no matter what one's age. Director Michael Schorr plays this--his feature film debut--in a wonderfully deadpan, minor key. The film manages to be deeply moving without ever resorting to standard fish out of water cliches or manipulative soundtrack cues. Krause is resoundingly authentic in the title role, and the various (actual location) landscapes are rendered with haunting, lyrical realism.
Comedy
Stage Beauty (DVD)
$20.74
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Stage Beauty (DVD)
Billy Crudup and Claire Danes give extraordinary performances in Richard Eyre's STAGE BEAUTY, set in Restoration England in the 1660s. After Oliver Cromwell's 18-year ban on stage productions, King Charles II took the throne and encouraged the return of the theater; however, women were not permitted to act, so men had to play the female roles. In STAGE BEAUTY, Crudup stars as Ned Kynaston, the biggest star of the day, wowing audiences as Desdemona in Shakespeare's OTHELLO. The gorgeous actor's dresser, Maria (whose full name is Margaret Hughes), is not only deeply devoted to Kynaston, she is also in love with him and the theater, so much so that after his performance, she runs to the nearby Cockpit Tavern to play Desdemona herself, even though it is against the law. All the while, diarist Samuel Pepys (Hugh Bonneville) scribbles notes on all that is going on around him, detailing the transition from the last great male actor playing female roles to the first great female actress to take the stage in England.Reminiscent of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (in fact, the excellent Tom Wilkinson plays a theater owner in both films), STAGE BEAUTY features a splendid supporting cast, including Rupert Everett as Charles II, Zoe Tapper as his mistress Nell Gwyn, Ben Chaplin as the bisexual Duke of Buckingham, and Richard Griffiths as Sir Charles Sedley, who takes Hughes under his wing. STAGE BEAUTY is a treat for lovers of Shakespeare and the craft of acting, as the competition--and possible romance--between Kynaston and Hughes leads to a deep examination of character, personality, loyalty, and love.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseAnamorphic WidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Deleted Scenes Audio Commentary Production Interviews Behind the Scenes Footage Trailers
Comedy
My First Mister (DVD)
$20.74
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My First Mister (DVD)
A rebellious teenage girl (Leilee Sobieski) who dresses in Gothic garb and wears harsh metal jewelry in the piercings that cover her face, finds a friend in a conservative middle-aged man (Albert Brooks) working in a men's clothing store. While the pair initially seem like total opposites, they soon learn that have a lot in common and can really relate to each other.Using a first-person narrative that is reminiscent of Wynona Ryder's unhappy teenagers in HEATHERS and GIRL INTERRUPTED, this film gives its full, uninterrupted attention to the cryptic mutterings of its protagonist, Jennifer (Sobieski). She has a vivid imagination and the ability to see the worst in everything. Her English teacher is evil and has fangs, her classmates are buxom bimbos who have recently undergone nose jobs, and her weird mother (when not talking about the benefits of women eating blood in the form of brisket for dinner) has friends that are fatter than elephants. Jennifer's visions are illustrated by distorted camera angles that make comedy of her exaggerations. But when Jennifer meets Randall (Brooks), a boring and equally pessimistic guy, her perspective changes. She wants him to accept her. And when he reaches out to her, she accepts him. MY FIRST MISTER therefore becomes a sweet story about friendship, self-motivation, and changing your life for the better.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseAnamorphic WidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital Surround - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Audio Commentary - 1. Christine Lahti - DirectorInteractive Features: Scene Access Interactive Menus
Comedy
Second Best (DVD)
$20.74
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Second Best (DVD)
Set in a dull New Jersey town, this melancholic comedy from director Eric Weber follows in the tradition of films such as SIDEWAYS and AMERICAN SPLENDOR by focusing on the mid-life doldrums of disgruntled white men. Self-proclaimed loser Elliot (Joe Pantoliano) has dreams of becoming a published author, but he suffers from serious emotional and professional stagnancy. His publishing goal might not be so farfetched if he spent half as much time pursuing it as he does complaining to anyone who will listen. Set on the notion that life has dealt him a bad hand, Elliot relentlessly burdens his neighbors and friends with confessional stories about the pains of feeling inadequate. In an effort to get his work out there, Elliot whittles his life`s disappointments down to depressing one-page essays, which he signs The Biggest Loser. He pays a local high-school dropout to post the essays around the neighborhood once a week. Read aloud by Elliot, these defeatist columns form the film`s narration. When his old pal Richard (Boyd Gaines), who left town and became a successful Hollywood film producer, comes back to visit, Elliot finds himself scrambling to make sense of his life. Richard`s presence triggers something in Elliot, and unleashes a deep-seated jealousy that has been growing for years. Over the course of Richard`s tumultuous visit, Elliot, Richard, and their friends are each forced to reexamine how they measure success. While Elliot is at times an unsympathetic and unlikable character, he is very realistic, and SECOND BEST, with its honest performances, is an unglamorized study of unrealized dreams.
Comedy
The Emperor's New Clothes (DVD)
$20.74
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The Emperor's New Clothes (DVD)
THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES recasts history in 19th Century France. Based on the novel by Simon Leys, THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON, the film supposes that Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile in St. Helena and returned to Paris in 1821, whereas the history books say he died that year. With imaginative photography, beautiful costumes, an upbeat orchestral score, and solid acting, the film is a fanciful, witty, comedic delight. Starting out in St. Helena, Napoleon (Ian Holm) enjoys a pampered existence, even as a prisoner, and is treated with great respect by those who serve him. Therefore, when he devises a scheme to trade places with a servant on a ship so that he may escape, the deckhand he chooses (also Holm) thinks he's the luckiest man alive, waited on hand and foot in St. Helena. Napoleon returns to Paris under the guise of this ship servant. When he arrives, he expects to be recognized, received with joy by his people, and made emperor once again. Instead, he is ignored. Days later, the deckhand in St. Helena dies, literally erasing Napoleon's existence. From there, Napoleon must adjust to daily life in the free world as nothing more than a simple Everyman. Fortunately, he finds a loving wife, Pumpkin (Iben Hjejle), to help him with the transition.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - EnglishInteractive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
Comedy
A Diva's Christmas Carol (DVD)
$20.74
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A Diva's Christmas Carol (DVD)
Vanessa Williams stars as Ebony Scrooge, a pampered and temperamental pop star who learns some valuable lessons about human compassion during a trip to New York just a few days before Christmas. Kathy Griffin, Rozanda Chilli Thomas or TLC, Duran Duran's John Taylor, Brian McKnight, and Nile Rodgers also star in this touching musical comedy version of Charles Dickens's beloved A CHRISTMAS CAROL. This family friendly production originally appeared on network television.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull ScreenAudio: Dolby Digital Stereo - EnglishInteractive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
Comedy
Lucky Break (DVD)
$20.74
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Lucky Break (DVD)
When a bank robbery goes bad, would-be robbers Jimmy (James Nesbitt) and his pal Rudy (Lennie James) find themselves in prison. The prison's warden (Christopher Plummer) just happens to be an amateur playwright who has just finished Nelson--the Musical, a production based on the life of Admiral Nelson. Jimmy and Rudy agree to star in an all-inmate staging of the play after they learn that it is to take place in the prison chapel--a place where they believe they can make a breakout to the outside world. Along the way, Jimmy also begins to fall for the in-house anger-management counselor (Olivia Williams). Mike Leigh regular Timothy Spall also stars in this comedy from the director of THE FULL MONTY.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 - EnglishAdditional Release Material: TrailerInteractive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
Comedy
Mean Machine (DVD)
$20.74
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Mean Machine (DVD)
In this remake of THE LONGEST YARD, Robert Aldrich's 1974 Burt Reynolds prison tale concerning inmates who organize themselves into a football team and compete against the guards, British director Barry Skolnick pulls together a ruthlessly funny cast and changes the resident sport to soccer. The leader of the prisoners, played by Vinnie Jones (LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS), is a former soccer star who is asked by the warden to coach a team of prison guards. Instead, he offers to put together a team of inmates, who will be able to scrimmage with the guards' team.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - EnglishAdditional Release Material: TrailerInteractive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
Comedy
The Real Blonde (DVD)
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The Real Blonde (DVD)
A satire on New York's fashion and entertainment industries from the director of Living in Oblivion. This wickedly comic tale follows a dazzling ensemble cast as they grapple with love, wrestle with temptation and search for the holy grail of...The Real Blonde.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Surround - English Dolby Surround - FrenchAdditional Release Material: Trailers - 1. Original TheatricalInteractive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
Comedy
'Til There Was You (DVD)
$20.74
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'Til There Was You (DVD)
Two young, upwardly mobile Angelenos lead separate lives destined to intersect--he's a standoffish architect and pathological liar looking out for number one, and she's a wistful, incurably romantic ghost writer looking for Mr. Right. She loves her ornate Gothic apartment building; he's been hired to raze it and replace it with postmoderny angular condos. The two stumble through a maze of near-misses and contrived coincidences on the rocky road to romance. A first feature for director Winant, formerly a producer for TV's My So-Called Life; that show's creator, Winnie Holzman, penned.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital Stereo - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Trailers - 1. Original TheatricalInteractive Menus: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
Comedy
Real Life (DVD)
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Real Life (DVD)
Satirist Albert Brooks makes his directorial debut in this hilarious mockumentary that focuses on the day-to-day life of a
typical
American family. Brooks plays himself, a producer who pitches a movie concept about filming a real American family for one year and editing it into a movie. Backed up by a team of psychologists and a respected institute dealing with human behavior, he promises not to let the cameras interfere in any way in their lives. But the problems begin on day one, and Brooks desperately tries to hold his project together. Obsessed with presenting what`s
real,
he is soon convinced that real life isn`t exciting enough for film. Brooks mercilessly parodies the Hollywood persona in this sharp satire of the entertainment industry that presages such later films as EDTV and THE TRUMAN SHOW as well as the television shows THE REAL WORLD, BIG BROTHER, and SURVIVOR.
Comedy
Stuart Saves His Family (DVD)
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Stuart Saves His Family (DVD)
Veteran 12-stepper Stuart Smalley (Al Franken) has a successful cable-access show until his worst nightmare comes true: He's moved to the dreaded 2:45 a.m. slot, a fate worse than death in the TV world. Eventually Stuart's show is canceled, and he must face unemployment with the help of his various 12-step sponsors. Just when he is as low as he can possibly get, he is forced to face his completely dysfunctional family for a funeral back home in Minnesota. This hotbed of addictive and compulsive behavior includes an alcoholic father (Harris Yulin), a passive mom (Shirley Knight), an overeating sister (Leslie Boone), and an all-around addict brother (Vincent D'onofrio). All of this bad behavior is almost too much for the recovered Stuart, as he is forced to face his family's weaknesses as they all battle to understand one another. Through a series of familial disasters and increasingly dysfunctional behavior, Stuart must decide whether his family is worth saving or if he must leave them all behind for good. Director Harold Ramis has successfully taken the popular SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skit and turned it into a charming little movie that is littered with small surprises throughout.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseAnamorphic Widescreen - 1.85Single Side - Dual LayerAudio: Dolby Digital MonoAdditional Release Material: Trailers - 1.Original Theatrical Trailer
Comedy