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Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Actors: Rosanna Arquette, Steve Buscemi, Paul Calderon, Bronagh Gallagher, Peter Greene
ASIN : B000068DBC
Sales Rank : 761
Brand : TRAVOLTA/JACKSON/THURMAN
Studio : Miramax Entertainment
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780788830549
ISBN : 0788830546
UPC : 786936161571
Release Date : December 20, 2002
Publisher : Miramax Entertainment
Manufacturer : Miramax Entertainment
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Label : Miramax Entertainment
Running Time : 154

Description

Critics and audiences worldwide hailed PULP FICTION as the star-studded picture that redefined cinema in the 20th Century! Writer/director Quentin Tarantino (Academy Award(R) Winner -- Best Original Screenplay, 1994) delivers an unforgettable cast of characters -- including a pair of low-rent hit men (John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson), their boss's sexy wife (Uma Thurman), and a desperate prizefighter (Bruce Willis) -- in a wildly entertaining and exhilarating motion picture adventure that both thrills and amuses!

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With the knockout one-two punch of 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world, exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. But Pulp Fiction was more than just the follow-up to an impressive first feature, or the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, or a script stuffed with the sort of juicy bubblegum dialogue actors just love to chew, or the vehicle that reestablished John Travolta on the A-list, or the relatively low-budget ($8 million) independent showcase for an ultrahip mixture of established marquee names and rising stars from the indie scene (among them Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, and Phil Lamar). It was more, even, than an unprecedented $100-million-plus hit for indie distributor Miramax. Pulp Fiction was a sensation. No, it was not the Second Coming (I actually think Reservoir Dogs is a more substantial film; and P.T. Anderson outdid Tarantino in 1997 by making his directorial debut with two even more mature and accomplished pictures, Hard Eight and Boogie Nights). But Pulp Fiction packs so much energy and invention into telling its nonchronologically interwoven short stories (all about temptation, corruption, and redemption amongst modern criminals, large and small) it leaves viewers both exhilarated and exhausted--hearts racing and knuckles white from the ride. (Oh, and the infectious, surf-guitar-based soundtrack is tastier than a Royale with Cheese.) --Jim Emerson

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American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)

Actors: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Lymari Nadal
ASIN : B0011HOEY4
Sales Rank : 573
Director : Ridley Scott
Brand : Universal
Studio : Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Region Code : 1
Format : Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0025193228024
UPC : 025193228024
Release Date : December 19, 2008
Publisher : Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Universal Studios Home Entertainment
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Label : Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Running Time : 174

Description

Academy Award® winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe team with director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) for an epic story as powerful as it is true. Armed with ruthless, street-wise tactics and a strict sense of honor, crime boss Frank Lucas (Washington) rules Harlem's chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts (Crowe) sets out to bring down Lucas's multi-million dollar empire, it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation. American Gangster is "a brutal and brilliant film" (Pete Hammond, Maxim)

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Ridley Scott puts on his "sweeping saga" gameface again, this time not for the sci-fi vistas of Blade Runner or the ancient world of Gladiator but for an urban epic. American Gangster gives the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a real-life Harlem crime lord who built an empire on Southeast Asian heroin in the 1970s. Running parallel to Lucas's somewhat standard story is the investigation led by a persistent New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts is a more interesting character than Lucas--too honest for his own good, unlucky in his personal life--and this kind of character, easily patronized by others, fits Crowe like a polyester shirt. Scott's tendency to hit his points square on the noggin is much in evidence here, including the typecasting of the supporting roles and the predictable Serpico atmosphere of the whole thing. (And speaking of supporting actors, the film needs more Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose role as a Lucas sidekick feels cut down.) It succeeds as a kind of chewy entertainment, fueled by the presence of two big stars working their muscles. Both Washington and Crowe look pretty brawny here. --Robert Horton

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Great Crime and Gangster Films
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Stills from American Gangster (Click for larger image)

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Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition)

Actors: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O'Donnell
ASIN : B0000AOV4I
Sales Rank : 427
Director : Nora Ephron
Brand : Sony
Studio : Sony Pictures
Region Code : 99
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9781404939417
ISBN : 1404939415
UPC : 043396016323
Release Date : December 07, 2003
Publisher : Sony Pictures
Manufacturer : Sony Pictures
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Label : Sony Pictures
Running Time : 105

Product Description

A widowed father becomes a reluctant guest on a radio show thanks to the wiles of his worried son. Hes an instant hit with thousands of female listeners. Meanwhile writer annie reed inspired by sams story and by classic hollywood romance becomes convinced that its her destiny to meet sam. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 02/20/2007 Starring: Tom Hanks Meg Ryan Run time: 105 minutes Rating: Pg Director: Nora Ephron

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Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen)

Actors: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty
ASIN : B0013XZ2QK
Sales Rank : 706
Director : Mike Nichols
Brand : Universal
Studio : Universal Studios
Region Code : 1
Format : Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0025195004848
UPC : 025195004848
Release Date : December 22, 2008
Publisher : Universal Studios
Manufacturer : Universal Studios
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Label : Universal Studios
Running Time : 102

Description

Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in this compelling and witty film from Oscar®-winning director Mike Nichols and Primetime Emmy®-winning writer Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing). Based on the outrageous true story, Charlie Wilson's War shows how one congressman who loved a good time, one Houston socialite who loved a good cause and one renegade CIA agent who loved a good fight conspired to bring about the largest covert operation in history.

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Political movies about backroom negotiations need not be dry or heavy-handed, as Charlie Wilson's War delightfully proves. Based on the true story of playboy congressman Wilson's efforts to fund Afghanistan's defense against the Soviet invasion of the 1980s, the film is borne along on breezy attitude and a peppery script by West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin. Wilson, played by Tom Hanks (who also produced), is the perfect hero for this kind of tale, because there's nothing perfect or heroic about him: He's a highball-swilling, fanny-pinching gadabout who becomes radicalized on the issue of helping the Afghans against their mighty aggressor. He has help in the form of a right-wing Texas anti-Communist (Julia Roberts) with a genius for raising money, and a sardonic CIA operative (Philip Seymour Hoffman, stealing the show) who lacks all the social skills Wilson has in abundance. Sorkin's syncopated speech is just the ticket for director Mike Nichols, who understands exactly how to keep this kind of political comedy popping (the complicated story comes in at a hair over 90 minutes, amazingly). Some scoundrels are on the right side of the angels, and the movie's Charlie Wilson is one of them. --Robert Horton

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Films by Mike Nichols
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Stills from Charlie Wilson's War (Click for larger image)

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Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series)

Actors: Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss, Antonio Gil
ASIN : B00005K3OT
Sales Rank : 728
Director : Lasse Hallström
Brand : BINOCHE,JULIETTE
Studio : Miramax
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780788827006
ISBN : 0788827006
UPC : 786936145076
Release Date : December 07, 2001
Publisher : Miramax
Manufacturer : Miramax
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Label : Miramax
Running Time : 122

Description

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture, Best Actress (Juliette Binoche -- THE ENGLISH PATIENT), and Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench -- SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), CHOCOLAT is the beautiful and captivating comedy from the acclaimed director of THE CIDER HOUSE RULES! Nobody could have imagined the impact that the striking Vianne (Binoche) would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, Vianne begins to create mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness! But it is not until another stranger, the handsome Roux (Johnny Depp -- SLEEPY HOLLOW), arrives in town that Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires!

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With movies like Chocolat, it's always best to relax your intellectual faculties and absorb the abundant sensual pleasures, be it the heart-stopping smile of chocolatier Juliette Binoche as she greets a new customer, an intoxicating cup of spiced hot cocoa, or the soothing guitar of an Irish gypsy played by Johnny Depp. Adapted by Robert Nelson Jacobs from Joanne Harris's popular novel and lovingly directed by Lasse Hallström, the film covers familiar territory and deals in broad metaphors that even a child could comprehend, so it's no surprise that some critics panned it with killjoy fervor. Their objections miss the point. Familiarity can be comforting and so can easy metaphors when placed in a fable that's as warmly inviting as this one.

Driven by fate, Vianne (Binoche) drifts into a tranquil French village with her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol, from Ponette) in the winter of 1959. Her newly opened chocolatier is a source of attraction and fear, since Vianne's ability to revive the villagers' passions threatens to disrupt their repressive traditions. The pious mayor (Alfred Molina) sees Vianne as the enemy, and his war against her peaks with the arrival of "river rats" led by Roux (Depp), whose attraction to Vianne is immediate and reciprocal. Splendid subplots involve a battered wife (Lena Olin), a village elder (Judi Dench), and her estranged daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and while the film's broader strokes may be regrettable (if not for Molina's rich performance, the mayor would be a caricature), its subtleties are often sublime. Chocolat reminds you of life's simple pleasures and invites you to enjoy them. --Jeff Shannon

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2001 - A Space Odyssey (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Actors: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Alan Gifford
ASIN : B000UJ48SG
Sales Rank : 847
Director : Stanley Kubrick
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0012569791916
UPC : 012569791916
Release Date : December 23, 2007
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
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Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 148

Description

A space mission that could reveal man?s destiny is jeopardized by a malfunctioning shipboard computer. A dazzling journey that tops them all ? and showed the way for other effects-packed films that followed.

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When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon

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Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)

Actors: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper
ASIN : B00001ZWUS
Sales Rank : 676
Director : Steven Spielberg
Brand : Paramount
Studio : Dreamworks Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Limited Edition, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780783233536
ISBN : 0783233531
UPC : 667068443325
Release Date : December 02, 1999
Publisher : Dreamworks Video
Manufacturer : Dreamworks Video
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Label : Dreamworks Video
Running Time : 170

Product Description

A small band of u.S. Soldiers are sent on a mission during the tumultuous battle at normandy to find the lone survivor of four brothers in steven spielbergs brutally honest world war ii epic. Special features: cast and filmmakers bios: production notes: interactive menus: two theatrical trailers and more. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/14/2006 Starring: Tom Hanks Tom Sizemore Run time: 169 minutes Rating: R Director: Stephen Spielberg

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When Steven Spielberg was an adolescent, his first home movie was a backyard war film. When he toured Europe with Duel in his 20s, he saw old men crumble in front of headstones at Omaha Beach. That image became the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, his film of a mission following the D-day invasion that many have called the most realistic--and maybe the best--war film ever. With 1998 production standards, Spielberg has been able to create a stunning, unparalleled view of war as hell. We are at Omaha Beach as troops are slaughtered by Germans yet overcome the almost insurmountable odds.

A stalwart Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier, who takes a small band of troops behind enemy lines to retrieve a private whose three brothers have recently been killed in action. It's a public relations move for the Army, but it has historical precedent dating back to the Civil War. Some critics of the film have labeled the central characters stereotypes. If that is so, this movie gives stereotypes a good name: Tom Sizemore as the deft sergeant, Edward Burns as the hotheaded Private Reiben, Barry Pepper as the religious sniper, Adam Goldberg as the lone Jew, Vin Diesel as the oversize Private Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as the soulful medic, and Jeremy Davies, who as a meek corporal gives the film its most memorable performance.

The movie is as heavy and realistic as Spielberg's Oscar-winning Schindler's List, but it's more kinetic. Spielberg and his ace technicians (the film won five Oscars: editing (Michael Kahn), cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), sound, sound effects, and directing) deliver battle sequences that wash over the eyes and hit the gut. The violence is extreme but never gratuitous. The final battle, a dizzying display of gusto, empathy, and chaos, leads to a profound repose. Saving Private Ryan touches us deeper than Schindler because it succinctly links the past with how we should feel today. It's the film Spielberg was destined to make. --Doug Thomas

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William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Actors: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Gérard Depardieu, Kate Winslet
ASIN : B00005JLCI
Sales Rank : 774
Director : Kenneth Branagh
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0053939268324
UPC : 053939268324
Release Date : December 14, 2007
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
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Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 242

Product Description

Studio: Castle Rock Hm Video Release Date: 08/14/2007 Run time: 242 minutes

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It's the greatest work of literature, but nobody had ever filmed Hamlet uncut--until Kenneth Branagh went about the task for his lavish 1996 production. The result is a sumptuous, star-studded version that scores a palpable hit on its avowed goal: to make the text as clear and urgent as possible. Branagh himself plays the melancholy son of the Danish court, caught in a famous muddle about whether to seek revenge against his royal father's presumed slayer… the man who now sits on the throne and shares the bed of Hamlet's mother. (Or, as the song "That's Entertainment" summarizes the plot: "A ghost and a prince meet / And everyone winds up mincemeat.") As a director, Branagh (who shot the movie in 70 mm.) uses the vast, cold interiors of a vaguely 19th-century manor to gorgeous effect; the story might scurry down this hallway, into that back chamber, or sprawl out into the enormous main room. With its endless collection of mirrors, the place is as big and empty as Citizen Kane's Xanadu.

That all works; what doesn't work is Branagh's tendency to over-direct the big dramatic moments. He indulges in quick cutting and flashbacks as though to fend off the audience's objections to the four-hour running time, and the style sometimes looks like wasted energy. The experienced Shakespearians in the cast come off nicely; Derek Jacobi's Claudius, Richard Briers' Polonius, and Michael Maloney's Laertes are just terrific. Julie Christie is a suitably attractive Gertrude, and Kate Winslet makes the most of Ophelia's mad scenes. Branagh's habit of folding in unexpected American performers is on the mark, too: Billy Crystal is surprisingly good as the Gravedigger, Robin Williams predictably camps up Osric, and Charlton Heston is an inspired choice as the grandiloquent Player King. The biggest irony here is that Branagh himself is not quite spot-on as Hamlet. Of course he speaks the lines beautifully, but Branagh's screen personality radiates certainty and clarity of vision; there's little of the doubt that might make him Hamlet-esque. Still, tremendous credit for fending off slings and arrows to get the movie made. --Robert Horton

Browse By Genre Online

Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

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American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)

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Classic Christmas Collection (It's a Wonderful Life / White Christmas)

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Ocean's Trilogy (Ocean's Eleven / Ocean's Twelve / Ocean's Thirteen)

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Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition)

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Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen)

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Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series)

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2001 - A Space Odyssey (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)

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William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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