The Andromeda Strain
Scientists rush to isolate an alien germ brought back by a space probe.From the michael crichton novel. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 04/01/2003 Starring: James Olson Arthur Hill Run time: 131 minutes Rating: G Director: Robert Wise
The best-selling novel by Michael Crichton was faithfully adapted for this taut 1971 thriller, about a team of scientists racing against time to destroy a deadly alien virus that threatens to wipe out life on Earth. As usual with any Crichton-based movie, the emphasis is on an exciting clash between nature and science, beginning when virologists discover the outer-space virus in a tiny town full of corpses. Projecting total contamination, the scientists isolate the deadly strain in a massive, high-tech underground lab facility, which is rigged for nuclear destruction if the virus is not successfully controlled. The movie spends a great deal of time covering the scientific procedures of the high-pressure investigation, and the rising tensions between scientists who have been forced to work in claustrophobic conditions. It’s all very fascinating if you’re interested in scientific method and technological advances, although the film is obviously dated in many of its details. It’s more effective as a thriller in which tension is derived not only from the deadly threat of the virus, but from the escalating fear and anxiety among the small group of people who’ve been assigned to save the human race. The basic premise is still captivating; it’s easy to see how this became the foundation of Crichton’s science-thriller empire. –Jeff Shannon
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The Temptations
They were the rhythm and blues sensation five singers who created a sound and style that redefined the boundaries of popular song. But there was a price to be paid for their meteoric rise and when the pressures became to great to bear rivalries threatened to tear them apart forever. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 12/21/2004 Run time: 150 minutes Rating: Nr
Conceived as a television miniseries, this portrait of the epochal Motown vocal group scores as one of the most detailed re-creations of the ’60s pop milieu ever filmed. Told largely through the eyes of founding member Otis Williams (Charles Malik Whitfield), The Temptations portrays its protagonists as soul Everymen whose early triumphs closely followed, and helped expand, Motown Records’ emergence as “the Sound of Young America,” providing an inspirational fable for black Americans.
Inevitably, of course, the story is also a cautionary tale about the price of success for both the Temps and their mentor, Motown founder Berry Gordy (Obba Babatunde). With hit records and tours, Williams and his partners grapple with drugs, alcohol, depression, jealousy, and delusions of grandeur. In particular, the galvanic lead singer David Ruffin (Leon) serves as both a focal strength and potential destroyer for the group, as his ego combines with a mounting cocaine habit to create a monster. At the same time, Gordy’s eventual decision to leave his and the label’s home, Detroit, for Los Angeles marks a loss of innocence for the group and their label-mates. The film provides ample insider detail about how the former Ford assembly-line worker created and controlled his unique hit factory.
Based on the biography coauthored by Williams and former manager Shelly Berger, the project gets a vital boost from behind the camera, thanks to executive producer Suzanne DePasse, herself a former Motown exec, and director Allan Arkush (Rock ‘n’ Roll High School). That lineage probably pulls some punches in terms of individual characters and Gordy’s machinations, but it also affords The Temptations its convincing detail, as does the generous running time–a mixed blessing, due to the original two-part broadcast, which might have benefited from tightening for this video version. Giving the show its greatest kick are the group’s original hits, performed and choreographed convincingly in lip-synched sequences. –Sam Sutherland
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Alvin and the Chipmunks
A L V I N ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Struggling songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) opens his home to a talented trio of chipmunks named Alvin, Simon and Theodore, they become overnight music sensations. But when a greedy record producer (David Cross) tries to exploit the “boys”, Dave must use a little human ingenuity and a lot of ‘munk mischief to get his furry family back before it’s too late!
Families come in many different shapes and sizes, but few humans consider rodents members of the family. Dave Seville (Jason Lee) is no exception, so when this flailing musician finds three young talking chipmunks gorging themselves in his kitchen cupboards, Dave is quick to question his sanity and then toss the offending chipmunks outside into the rain and restore order. When Dave hears the chipmunks singing outside his window, he realizes that that unusual trio might just be the world’s next vocal sensation and he strikes a bargain with them–the chipmunks can stay with him if they sing his songs. While chipmunks Alvin (Justin Long), Theodore (Jesse McCartney), and Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) quickly begin to see Dave as a father figure, it’s strictly a business arrangement for Dave and he maintains an appropriate emotional distance. Dave’s frustration with the chipmunks mounts as they unwittingly wreak havoc on his personal life, but when Dave’s old friend and record label mogul Ian (David Cross) begins to exploit the chipmunks for personal gain, Dave suddenly realizes what an important part of his life, and indeed his family, the three chipmunks have become. Hilarity reins in this live action/CGI comedy with many memorable scenes–think chipmunks showering in the dishwasher, riding in remote control planes, and bouncing off the walls under the influence of a serious caffeine buzz. Catchy Chipmunks’ songs both new and old promise to lodge themselves in the minds of viewers long after the credits roll and even those none-too-enchanted with the premise of singing chipmunks can’t help but be entertained by this comical film. (Ages 6 and older with parental guidance due to mild rude humor) –Tami Horiuchi
Meet the Chipmunks
 Justin Long as Alvin |
 Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon |
 Jesse McCartney as Theodore |
Beyond Alvin and the Chipmunks
 More from Jason Lee |
 Alvin and the Chipmunks Music |
 More Kids & Family titles from Fox |
Stills from Alvin and the Chipmunks
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Great David Ruffin: The Motown Solo Albums 1
As co-lead vocalist for the Temptations, David Ruffin was responsible for some of the most memorable recordings in soul history: My Girl, I Wish It Would Rain, (I Know) Im Losing You, and Aint Too Proud to Beg, to name just a few. For those tracks alone, his place in that history is secure. He then embarked on a solo career a calling he had prior to the Tempts and further embellished his artistic reputation. Because his solo years were as tempestuous as his relationship with his prior bandmates, these albums have been somewhat overlooked the pantheon of soul. Heres a chance to readdress the oversight and remember: he is, indeed, the great David Ruffin.
The Great David Ruffin: The Motown Solo Albums Vol. 1 collects four of the late Ruffs out-of-print records in their entirety, beginning a series that will see all his solo work made available once again. Starting with his chart-topping My Whole World Ended, and proceeding through Feelin Good, David Ruffin (different than the out-of-print Motown/Hip-O Select release David), and Me N Rock N Roll Are Here to Stay, his catalogue has been painstakingly remastered from the original tapes. Rare photos have been excavated from the vaults to make the package look every bit as good as it sounds.
As noted author David Ritz says in the liner notes, He sang with tremendous authority and open-hearted passion; he transformed the mysterious knowledge of dark love into light; he gave voice to pain; he left us a legacy of music charged with the electricity of emotional truth.
While Ruffins solo career has been widely anthologized, his impact on soul music is too crucial for his catalogue to remain in the vaults. Working with producers such as Norman Whitfield, Johnny Bristol, Ivy Jo Hunter, Bobby Miller, Hank Cosby and others, Ruffin reached into his angst-ridden soul to create music that, in Whitfields words, kicks your ass. And thats how it should be.
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Now and Then
In the summer of 1970 four friends made a promise to return anytime they needed each other. That time has come. Its all for one and one for all in this heartwarming comedy about the childhood mischief of best friends who reunite after twenty years. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 12/11/2007 Starring: Demi Moore Rosie Odonnell Run time: 102 minutes Rating: Pg13
This obligatory girls’ version of Stand by Me begins with actors Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson, Demi Moore, and Rosie O’Donnell doing a lousy job of playing adult versions of the film’s youthful protagonists. The idea is that this quartet of characters is having a reunion, which serves as a preface to the main story about school chums who make a pact to stay close and supportive through thick and thin. The trouble is that Griffith, Moore, Wilson, and O’Donnell look like they’ve rehearsed their scenes for no more than a few minutes, and after boring us silly there’s little reason to get excited about anything else. Still, it’s nice to have a supporting cast that includes Janeane Garofalo and Bonnie Hunt, while among the girls are three young actresses who have been burning up the road in recent years: Christina Ricci (The Opposite of Sex), Thora Birch (A Clear and Present Danger), and Gaby Hoffmann (Strike). –Tom Keogh
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Paths of Glory
Safe in their picturesque chateau behind the front lines, the French general staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas): take the Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. Covering up their fatal blunder, the generals order the arrest of three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men’s defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the generals were to blame,nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad. A compelling masterpiece from world-class director/writer Stanley Kubrick and screenwriters Calder Willingham and JimThompson, Paths of Glory is a blistering indictment of military politics and “an unforgettable movie experience” (Newsweek).
Stanley Kubrick had already made his talent known with the outstanding racetrack heist thriller The Killing, but it was the 1957 antiwar masterpiece Paths of Glory that catapulted Kubrick to international acclaim. Based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb, the film was initiated by Kirk Douglas, who chose the young Kubrick to direct what would become one of the most powerful films about the wasteful insanity of warfare. In one of his finest roles, Douglas plays Colonel Dax, commander of a battle-worn regiment of the French army along the western front during World War I. Held in their trenches under the threat of German artillery, the regiment is ordered on a suicidal mission to capture an enemy stronghold. When the mission inevitably fails, French generals order the selection of three soldiers to be tried and executed on the charge of cowardice. Dax is appointed as defense attorney for the chosen scapegoats, and what follows is a travesty of justice that has remained relevant and powerful for decades. In the wake of some of the most authentic and devastating battle sequences ever filmed, Kubrick brilliantly explores the political machinations and selfish personal ambitions that result in battlefield slaughter and senseless executions. The film is unflinching in its condemnation of war and the self-indulgence of military leaders who orchestrate the deaths of thousands from the comfort of their luxurious headquarters. For many years, Paths of Glory was banned in France as a slanderous attack on French honor, but it’s clear that Kubrick’s intense drama is aimed at all nations and all men. Though it touches on themes of courage and loyalty in the context of warfare, the film is specifically about the historical realities of World War I, but its impact and artistic achievement remain timeless and universal. –Jeff Shannon
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The Great White Hype
He’s the flashiest, wildest, richest, most outspoken promoter the boxing world has ever known. He’s the Reverend Fred Sultan, and when the sport’s popularity wanes, he comes up with a heavyweight plan to turn things around.
Writer Ron Shelton (Tin Cup) and former National Lampoon scribe Tony Hendra collaborated on the script for this satire about a boxing promoter (Samuel L. Jackson) who gets behind a white fighter (Peter Berg) after his black slugger (Damon Wayans) is mired in a losing streak. While sharp and funny, it’s never quite clear what the point of it all is. Director Reginald Hudlin (Boomerang) isn’t strong enough or skilled enough as a filmmaker to make this level of satire leap off the screen; fortunately, he’s got powerful allies in Jackson, Berg, Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, and the rest of the cast. –Tom Keogh
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Third and a Mile: From Fritz Pollard to Michael Vick–an Oral History of the Trials, Tears and Triumphs of the Black Quarterback
An oral history of the fifty-year struggle to level football�s playing fields
Long after Jackie Robinson broke baseball�s color barrier, after Texas Western beat Kentucky to shake up the basketball world, America�s black quarterbacks found themselves trapped on football�s sidelines unable to play the game they loved unless they moved to wide receiver — or to Canada. A collection of voices young and old, William C. Rhoden�s Third and a Mile chronicles for the first time the heroic struggle to topple the sports world�s staunchest racial barrier. Filled with personal anecdotes and firsthand recollections, the book includes testimony from NFL greats such as Warren Moon, Doug Williams, Vince Evans, James Harris, Marlin Briscoe, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Daunte Culpepper, and Michael Vick.
The NFL�s first five black quarterbacks — Marlin Briscoe, James Harris, Vince Evans, Warren Moon, and Doug Williams — have come together to form The Field Generals — a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching and preserving the history of the African-American quarterback. These men have agreed to participate on all levels in the development and promotion of the book.
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- Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics
- Souled Out?: How Blacks Are Winning and Losing in Sports
- Third and a Mile: The Emergence of the Black Quarterback
- Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich
- Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present
Wanda Sykes – Sick and Tired
Wanda Sykes has been called “one of the funniest stand up comics” by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America. She won an Emmy in 2003 for her work on Inside the NFL and was showcased for 5 years on HBO’s The Chis Rock Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Now catch her hilarious stand up skills in this side-splitting program where she serves up comic truth and turns common sense into thought-provoking humor.
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Combat Zone
From the streets of an American city under siege, to the far-flung jungles of Vietnam or the deadly desert towns of Iraq, modern warfare is all about cutting-edge strategy, the latest weaponry and soldiers laying their lives on the line to overcome the enemy. Combat Zone takes you behind the lines of engagement of thirteen hard-fought armed conflicts and tells the true stories of the tactics, the firepower and the heroes who risked everything. Historical footage combined with gripping first-hand accounts from soldiers and analysis from military experts puts you right in the action.
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