Browse by Catagory:
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Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Release Date: 1994-12-14
Sales rank: 262
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Canterville Ghost (1944)
Release Date: 1992-12-02
Sales rank: 1679
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Star Wars Trilogy (Special Edition versions)
Release Date: 2000-11-21
Sales rank: 1404
The Star Wars trilogy had the rare distinction of becoming more than just a series of movies, but a cultural phenomenon, a life-defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas's original 1977 film is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of Jedi Knights, the Force, and droids. In the first film, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) gets to live out every boy's dream: ditch the farm and rescue a princess (Carrie Fisher). Accompanied by the roguish Han Solo (Harrison Ford, the only principal who was able to cross over into stardom) and trained by Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Luke finds himself involved in a galactic war against the Empire and the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones). The following film, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), takes a darker turn as the tiny rebellion faces an overwhelming onslaught. Directed by Irvin Kershner instead of Lucas, Empire is on the short list of Best Sequels Ever, marked by fantastic settings (the ice planet, the cloud city), the teachings of Yoda, a dash of grown-up romance, and a now-classic "revelation" ending. The final film of the trilogy, Return of the Jedi (1983, directed by Richard Marquand), is the most uneven. While the visual effects had taken quantum leaps over the years, resulting in thrilling speeder chases and space dogfights, the story is an uneasy mix of serious themes (Luke's maturation as a Jedi, the end of the Empire-rebellion showdown) and the cuddly teddy bears known as the Ewoks. Years later, George Lucas transformed his films into "special editions" by adding new scenes and special effects, which were greeted mostly by shrugs from fans. They were perfectly happy with the films they had grown up with (who cares if Greedo shot first?), and thus disappointed by Lucas's decision to make the special editions the only versions available. --David Horiuchi |
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Stephen King's The Stand (Boxed Set)
Release Date: 1995-04-18
Sales rank: 2742
After a government-spawned "superflu" wipes out more than 90 percent of the earth's population, the devastated survivors must decide whether to support or resist the advances of a mysterious stranger from way down South (heh-heh) who wishes to claim this new world order for himself. Although the six-hour length makes it nigh-impossible to digest in one sitting, this well-paced adaptation of Stephen King's apocalyptic magnum opus ranks among the best adaptations of the author's work, with strong performances from Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, and especially Jamey Sheridan as a good-old-boy version of Old Scratch. The opening scene, set to the strains of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," is one of the most chilling things ever shot for television. Director Mick Garris is no stranger to King's world, having also helmed Sleepwalkers, the recent television remake of The Shining, and the upcoming Desperation. --Andrew Wright |
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The Uninvited
Release Date: 1998-01-01
Sales rank: 5048
One of the spookiest ghost stories ever put to film, The Uninvited is also one of the few classic haunted-house movies to treat the subject with respect and seriousness. Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play a brother and sister who leave the city to live in a beautiful old house dramatically perched on a cliff overlooking the Cornish coast. As they discover some of the house's peculiarities--the unexplained chill that settles in certain rooms, the aroma of mimosas that wafts through the house, flowers that wilt when brought inside--they are told by local girl Gail Russell that the house is haunted, by the spirit of Russell's mother no less. The rationalist city folk first scoff at the idea but as Milland slowly falls in love with the frightened girl he investigates the legends and discovers some startling hidden truths. Donald Crisp costars as Russell's humorless, hard-bitten grandfather who forbids her visits to the house. Handsomely shot against the beautiful Cornish countryside, director Lewis Allen wisely suggests more than he shows and the uneasy tone and quietly restrained direction looks forward to such films as The Haunting and The Legend of Hell House. Though Allen ultimately reveals a suitably spine-tingling apparition, some of the film's best moments are chilling in their simplicity: nocturnal moans, slamming doors, and the dog's whimpering fear of the upstairs. --Sean Axmaker |
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Goosebumps: Stay Out of Basement
Release Date: 1996-09-03
Sales rank: 1418
When Margaret's dad gets fired from his job as a botanist, he begins acting weird and spending all his time in the basement. No one seems to notice his odd behavior or hear the strange noises coming from below -- except Margaret. She's really scared. Has her father turned into a mad scientist? Her brother, Casey, thinks she's nuts -- that is until he finds out that dad has been eating plant food! What is going on? Together Margaret and Casey venture down into the dark, creepy basement to unearth their father's spooky secret. |
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Goosebumps -The Haunted Mask
Release Date: 1996-03-12
Sales rank: 4367
Carly Beth is quiet and shy -- easily scared and overly trusting. She's never seen such a great Halloween mask -- really scary, really creepy, and really life-like. She has to have it -- to scare those boys who tease and humiliate her all the time! And when she does get it, the mask is every bit as weirdly spooky as she had hoped it would be. But wearing the mask seems to be causing strange things to happen to her and other people. Can the mask -- the symbol of her revenge -- be the cause of it all? What strange powers could a Halloween mask have? Unwilling to give up the mask, or to believe that it could be evil, she keeps on wearing it -- only to discover one day that she can't take the mask off. Carly Beth and the mask have become one. |
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Animorphs - The Invasion Series, Part 1: The Invasion Begins
Release Date: 1999-02-16
Sales rank: 1831
For those not familiar with the popular Nickelodeon TV series and the phenomenally successful Scholastic book series by K.A. Applegate, Animorphs centers on the adventures of five teens who can morph into animals and bugs. They battle the Yeerks, a frightful mercenary alien race (slimy, sluglike, gray-green, and the size of a rat) who want to control humans by entering their ears and taking over human minds. Don't dismiss Animorphs as a sci-fi Saved by the Bell. The acting is surprisingly topnotch and the stories are fun and thrilling. Animorphs: The Invasion Series, Part 1--The Invasion Begins introduces friends and morphers Jake (Shawn Ashmore), Rachel (Brooke Nevin), Marco (Boris Cabrera), Cassie (Nadia Nascimento), and Tobias (Christopher Ralph). Three episodes from the TV series, "My Name Is Jake," parts 1 and 2, and "The Underground," reveal how the Animorphs learn to use their gift and uncover the Yeerk plan. Part of the nasty alien plot is to acquire as many human controllers (those possessed by Yeerks) as possible. And despite the darkness of story, there's a sense of humor, too: one of the human controllers is the high school principal. For ages 6 and up. --N.F. Mendoza |
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I Come in Peace
Release Date: 1997-09-10
Sales rank: 1202
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Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones
Release Date: 2002-11-12
Sales rank: 324
The STAR WARS saga continues on DVD with Episode II Attack of the Clones. Anakin Skywalker has grown into an accomplished Jedi apprentice, and he faces his most difficult challenge yet as he must choose between his Jedi duty and forbidden love. Relive the adventure the way it was meant to be seen in spectacular digital clarity, including the climactic Clone War battle and Jedi Master Yoda in the ultimate lightsaber duel. Experience this 2-disc set that features over six hours of bonus materials, and see how Episode II unlocks the secrets of the entire STAR WARS saga.If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging "dark side" while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins. Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Wars as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, while lavish set pieces showcase George Lucas's supreme command of all-digital filmmaking. All of this makes Episode II a technological milestone, savaged by some critics as a bloated, storyless spectacle, but still qualifying as a fan-approved precursor to the pivotal events of Episode III. --Jeff Shannon |
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