DVDpedia : Library : Title : M

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Warner Home Video - DVD

Genre: Drama

Duration: 101

Summary: In 1960s China, French diplomat Rene Gallimard falls in love with an opera singer, Song Liling - but Song is not at all who Gallimard thinks.

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Drama

Duration: 102

Summary: As a bleak and chilling mood piece, "The Machinist" gets under your skin and stays there. Christian Bale threw himself into the title role with such devotion that he shed an alarming 63 pounds to play Trevor Reznik (talk about "starving artist"!), a factory worker who hasn't slept in a year. He's haunted by some mysterious occurrence that turned him into a paranoid husk, sleepwalking a fine line between harsh reality and nightmare fantasy--a state of mind that leaves him looking disturbingly gaunt and skeletal in appearance. (It's no exaggeration to say that Bale resembles a Holocaust survivor from vintage Nazi-camp liberation newsreels.) In a cinematic territory far removed from his 1998 romantic comedy "Next Stop Wonderland", director Brad Anderson orchestrates a grimy, nocturnal world of washed-out blues and grays, as Trevor struggles to assemble the clues of his psychological conundrum. With a friendly hooker (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and airport waitress (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) as his only stable links to sanity, Trevor reaches critical mass and seems ready to implode just as "The Machinist" reveals its secrets. For those who don't mind a trip to hell with a theremin-laced soundtrack, "The Machinist" seems primed for long-term status as a cult thriller on the edge. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Image Entertainment

Genre: Kids & Family

Duration: 96

Summary: "Cat City" is an outdated James Bond spoof supposedly involving cats and mice, but the characters are just humans with animal heads and tails. Although the animation is a bit more polished, this 95-minute feature recalls the worst kidvid shows of the '70s and '80s. One pointless scene follows another as the characters natter in amateurish voices, mistimed gags fall flat, and the inane plot involving plans for the ultimate anticat weapon stumbles to its conclusion. Hispanic viewers will understandably take offense at the stereotypical depiction of the Mexican vampire bats. The jacket calls "Cat City" the "animated sensation that rocked critics and censors around the world." But except for a few brief shots of a rat in pasties and a G-string, and the possible double-entendre of the inept musical number "Pussy Talk," sung by a cat in baby-doll pajamas, the film would have a hard time qualifying for a PG rating. If "Cat City" were genuinely shocking, it'd be more fun. The film was made by the talented artists at the Pannonia Studio in Budapest in 1987. It's regrettable that this drivel is appearing on video instead of their brilliant, challenging features, "The White Mare's Son" and "Heroic Times". "--Charles Solomon"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: AV Channel

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 100

Summary: Australia released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), SYNOPSIS: A group of mobsters fight for control in this satirical comedy-drama. Vic (Richard Dreyfuss) is a not-especially-stable crime boss who -- following a spell in a mental hospital after being diagnosed with schizophrenia -- is sent home and is ready to resume his place as supreme leader of the mob. Mickey Holliday (Jeff Goldblum), Vic's enforcer and right hand man, is trying to get everything squared away for Vic's return, which may complicate his personal life, since he's been having an affair with Vic's girlfriend Grace (Diane Lane), as well as her sister Rita (Ellen Barkin). While Vic has been away, a number of other gangsters have been squabbling over who will take control of his territories, including Jake Parker (Kyle MacLachlan), Jules Flamingo (Gregory Hines), and Jacky Johnson (Burt Reynolds). However, it's the seriously eccentric Ben London (Gabriel Byrne) who turns out to be Mickey's and Vic's most potent rival as the various gangsters shoot it out over who gets what piece of the pie. Inspired in part by the "Rat Pack" crime flicks of the 1960s -- such as Ocean's Eleven and Robin and the Seven Hoods -- Mad Dog Time (also released under the title Trigger Happy) was written and directed by former actor Larry Bishop, son of Rat Packer Joey Bishop, who pops up in a small role. Larry's co-star from Wild in the Streets, Christopher Jones, appears in a supporting role as a gunman; it was his first film appearance since Ryan's Daughter in 1970. SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailer(s), Interactive Menu, Cast/Crew Interview(s),

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 188

Summary: A mixing and matching of friends in the San Fernando Valley.

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Criterion

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 96

Summary: This Belgian satire (in French with English subtitles) is dark, dark, dark--but also right on the money in its sly sendup of the media's fascination with violence and its complicity therein. This mock documentary has a trio of filmmakers shooting a cinéma vérité feature about a garrulous serial killer who lets the film crew follow him around as he selects victims and then dispatches them. But at what point does filmmaking become participation? These hapless documentarians soon find out as their subject eventually pulls them into his world, including a gun battle with a rival film crew and their own criminal star. Gruesomely hilarious, with a deadpan wit that's hard to resist. "--Marshall Fine"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 118

Summary: A film about the life and career of the eccentric avant guarde comedian, Andy Kaufman.

Theatrical: 1976

Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 140

Summary: While other films directed by Nicolas Roeg have attained similar cult status (including "Walkabout" and "Don't Look Now"), none has been as hotly debated as this languid but oddly fascinating adaptation of the science fiction novel by Walter Tevis. David Bowie plays the alien of the title, who arrives on Earth with hopes of finding a way to save his own planet from turning into an arid wasteland. He funds this effort by capitalizing on several highly lucrative inventions, and in so doing becomes the powerful leader of an international corporate conglomerate. But his success has negative consequences as well--his contact with Earth has a disintegrating effect that sends him into a tailspin of disorientation and metaphysical despair. The sexual attention of a cheerful young woman (Candy Clark) doesn't do much to change his outlook, and his introduction to liquor proves even more devastating, until, finally, it looks as though his visit to Earth may be a permanent one. "The Man Who Fell to Earth" is definitely not for every taste--it's a highly contemplative, primarily visual experience that Roeg directs as an abstract treatise on (among other things) the alienating effects of an over-commercialized society. Stimulating and hypnotic or frightfully dull, depending on your receptiveness to its loosely knit ideas, it's at least in part about not belonging, about being disconnected from the world--about being a stranger in a strange land when there's really no place like home. "--Jeff Shannon".

Theatrical: 2001

Studio:

Genre: Drama

Duration: 116

Summary: A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.

Theatrical: 1979

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 96

Summary: "Manhattan", Woody Allen's follow-up to Oscar-winning "Annie Hall", is a film of many distinctions: its glorious all-Gershwin score, its breathtakingly elegant black-and-white, widescreen cinematography by Gordon Willis (best-known for shooting the "Godfather" movies); its deeply shaded performances; its witty screenplay that marked a new level in Allen's artistic maturity; and its catalog of Things that Make Life Worth Living. But "Manhattan" is also distinguished in the realm of home video as the first motion picture to be released "only" in a widescreen version. You wouldn't want to see it any other way. Allen's "Rhapsody in Gray" concerns, as his own character puts it, "people in Manhattan who are constantly creating these real, unnecessary, neurotic problems for themselves, because it keeps them from dealing with more unsolvable, terrifying problems about the universe." It's a romantic comedy about infidelity and betrayal, the rules of love and friendship, young girls (a radiant and sweet Mariel Hemingway) and older men (Allen), innocence, and sophistication. (a favorite phrase is used to describe a piece of sculpture at the Guggenheim: "It has a marvelous kind of negative capability.") The movie's themes can be summed up in two key lines: "I can't believe you met somebody you like better than me," and "It's very important to have some kind of personal integrity." OK, so they may not sound like such sparkling snatches of brilliant dialogue, but "Manhattan" puts those ideas across with such emotion that you feel an ache in your heart. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Warner Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 106

Summary: It's enlightening to view Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! as his twisted satire of the blockbuster film Independence Day, which was released earlier the same year, although the movies were in production simultaneously. Burton's eye-popping, schlock tribute to 1950s UFO movies actually plays better on video than it did in theaters. The idea of invading aliens ray gunning the big-name movie stars in the cast is a cleverly subversive one, and the bulb-headed, funny-sounding animated Martians are pretty nifty, but it all seemed to be spread thin on the big screen. On video, however, the movie's kooky humor seems a bit more concentrated. The Earth actors (most of whom get zapped or kidnapped for alien science experiments) include Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rod Steiger, Michael J. Fox, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown, Tom Jones, and Pam Grier. The digital video disc features an isolated track for Danny Elfman's score, as well as a few other clever and nasty little Martian surprises. --Jim Emerson

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Weinstein Company

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 97

Summary: Pierce Brosnan gives one of his finest performances in "The Matador", a low-key buddy comedy with an agreeably sinister twist. Light-years from his former James Bond image, Brosnan is unshaven, unnerved and unpredictable as freelance assassin Julian Noble, who encounters desperate businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) in the bar of a modern Mexico City hotel. Danny is intrigued when Julian reveals that he's a "facilitator of fatalities," and his wife "Bean" (Hope Davis) is equally fascinated when Julian shows up unexpectedly, six months later, at Danny's home in Denver. Having lost his touch as a reliable hit-man, Julian needs Danny's help with "one last job," but the logistics of Julian's lethal profession (involving an employer played by Philip Baker Hall) are secondary to writer-director Richard Shepard's offbeat, slightly uneven character study, which gives Kinnear and Brosnan a memorable opportunity to riff on their established screen personas. In making Julian a likable yet tormented drifter who's made a habit of "running from any emotion," Brosnan creates an edgy yet sympathetic character as mysterious as he is fun to be around; if you're going to befriend a hired killer, you could do far worse than a guy like Julian. As Brosnan plays him, he's worthy of a sequel, but "The Matador" is the kind of entertainingly quirky movie that's a hard act to follow. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 124

Summary: The passion of mad love and the cold calculations of social climbing collide in Woody Allen's "Match Point". Former tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, "Velvet Goldmine") stumbles into good fortune when Chloe Hewett (Emily Mortimer, "Lovely & Amazing"), the daughter of a wealthy businessman, falls in love with him. But when Chris meets Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson, "Lost in Translation"), a much deeper passion is stirred--and his desire isn't deterred when he discovers that Nola is already dating Chloe's brother. But when their affair threatens Chris's increasingly cozy lifestyle, Chris begins to consider a drastic solution. "Match Point" starts deftly and ends with cunning; though the middle bogs down in banal plot mechanics, Woody Allen fans have justly hailed it as a comeback after Allen's last few cinematic stumbles. Despite weaknesses (Allen still seems to have lost touch with the mundane realities of life; his characters operate in a strange, weightless world of wealth and privilege), the strong performances and clean direction carry the movie through. Also featuring Brian Cox ("X-Men 2", "Adaptation"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Sci-Fi

Duration: 136

Summary: A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it.

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Sci-Fi

Duration: 138

Summary: Neo and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. During this, Neo must decide how he can save Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams.

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Sci-Fi

Duration: 129

Summary: The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Western

Duration: 127

Summary: Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 100

Summary:

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Fantasy

Duration: 178

Summary: A media mogul acts as a guide to Death, who takes the form of a young man to learn about life on Earth and in the process, fall in love with his guide's daughter.

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Crime

Duration: 113

Summary: Guy Pearce ("L.A. Confidential") and Joe Pantoliano ("The Matrix") shine in this absolute stunner of a movie. "Memento" combines a bold, mind-bending script with compelling action and virtuoso performances. Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that "the incident" that robbed Leonard of his wife also stole his ability to make new memories. Unable to retain a location, a face, or a new clue on his own, Leonard continues his search with the help of notes, Polaroids, and even homemade tattoos for vital information.
Because of his condition, Leonard essentially lives his life in short, present-tense segments, with no clear idea of what's just happened to him. That's where "Memento" gets really interesting; the story begins at the end, and the movie jumps backward in 10-minute segments. The suspense of the movie lies not in discovering what happens, but in finding out "why" it happened. Amazingly, the movie achieves edge-of-your-seat excitement even as it moves backward in time, and it keeps the mind hopping as cause and effect are pieced together.
Pearce captures Leonard perfectly, conveying both the tragic romance of his quest and his wry humor in dealing with his condition. He is bolstered by several excellent supporting players, and the movie is all but stolen from him by Pantoliano, who delivers an amazing performance as Teddy, the guy who may or may not be on his side. "Memento" has an intriguing structure and even meditations on the nature of perception and meaning of life if you go looking for them, but it also functions just as well as a completely absorbing thriller. It's rare to find a movie this exciting with so much intelligence behind it. "--Ali Davis"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Anime / Drama

Duration: 114

Summary: Although these three shorts were made to be shown together, they have little in common beside lavish production values. In "Magnetic Rose," a two-bit salvage rig answers an SOS in deep space from the palatial ship of a former opera diva. Koji Morimoto ("Fly Peek!") blends shimmering visuals and snatches of Puccini, turning the derelict vessel into a lovely, fatal siren's song. Nerdy researcher Nobuo Tanaka takes an experimental drug and begins emitting a murderous gas in Tensai Okamura's ("Kikaider") "Stink Bomb." Too silly to be scary, but too grim to be funny, it's the weakest entry. In "Cannon Fodder," Katsuhiro Otomo ("Akira") uses long tracking shots and an acid palette of khaki greens and faded reds to depict a militarized civilization where gargantuan machines dominate vapid little people. This brief but timely vision of the insanity of war suggests a mixture of 19th century Prussia and World War II Japan. (Rated PG-13: profanity, violence, tobacco and alcohol use) "--Charles Solomon"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action

Duration: 98

Summary: Two men who keep an eye on aliens in New York City must try to save the world after the aliens threaten to blow it up.

Theatrical: 1972

Studio: Fox Lorber

Genre: Drama

Duration: 88

Summary: Rainer Werner Fassbinder had 12 features under his belt when he finally found success at home and earned international acclaim for "The Merchant of Four Seasons". Hans Hirschmüller stars as Hans, who returns from a stint in the French Foreign Legion with high hopes and grand plans for the "economic miracle" of 1950s Germany. Fired from the police force for dallying with a hooker, he sets himself up as a street peddler selling fruits and vegetables from a pushcart, much to the horror of his bourgeois family and his socially conscious lover, who leaves him in disgust. Settling for a loveless marriage with a manipulative wife (Irm Hermann), Hans sinks into depression and ill health and finally falls silent as his new partner quietly usurps his place. It's a chilly but compelling portrait of a mercenary, often unfeeling family desperate to grab a piece of the economic boom, and Fassbinder invests it with a mix of street realism, melodrama, black comedy, and theatrical flourish. At the center is Hans, a prisoner of an unhappy life except for the moments he takes his cart to the streets and calls out his wares like a character in some working-class opera---until even that is denied him and he embarks on a special, utterly Fassbinderian escape. It's an unforgettable climax to one of Fassbinder's best films. Hanna Schygulla, Kurt Raab, and Ingrid Caven are among Fassbinder's familiar stock company of costars, and Fassbinder briefly appears in a small role. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Anime / Adventure

Duration: 108

Summary: Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban must find the mystery behind robot girl Tima.

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 123

Summary: A man tries to transport an ancient gun called The Mexican, believed to carry a curse, back across the border, while his girlfriend pressures him to give up his criminal ways.

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Anime Works

Genre: Anime / Action

Duration: 29

Summary:

Theatrical: 1988

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 127

Summary: Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is a tough ex-cop turned bounty hunter. Jonathan The Duke Mardukas (Charles Grodin) is a sensitive accountant who embezzled $15 million from the Mob, gave it to charity and then jumped bail. Jack s in for a cool $100,00 if he can deliver The Duke from New York to L.A. on time. And alive. Sounds like just another Midnight Run (a piece of cake in bounty hunter slang), but it turns into a cross-country chase. The FBI is after The Duke to testify the Mob is after him for revenge and Walsh is after him to just shut up. If someone else doesn t do the job, the two unlikely partners may end up killing each other in this hilarious, action-filled blockbuster from producer-director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop).

System Requirements:
Starring Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Dennis Farina Directed by Martin Brest Running time: 2 Hours 7 Minutes Copyright Universal Studios 2003

Format: DVD MOVIE

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Thriller

Duration: 122

Summary: Tragi-comic, romantic whodunnit set in a run down hotel which plays host to mentally ill people too poor to afford medical insurance.

Theatrical: 2004

Studio:

Genre: Anime / Kids

Duration: 103

Summary:

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Action

Duration: 145

Summary: In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence.

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Éditions Montparnasse

Genre: Animation

Duration: 5

Summary: Suivez les aventures loufoques et passionnantes de nombreux insectes dans cette série d'animation tout bonnement excellente. Extrêmement bien réalisé, chaque épisode ne durant que quelques minutes vous enchantera, vous fera rire ou vous fera réfléchir... Pour les petits ET les grands !

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Éditions Montparnasse

Genre: Animation

Duration: 5

Summary: Although children aren't entomologists, when they take a trip to the country and start roaming through fields and meadows, they do spend an incredible amount of time observing insects. Unlike grownup specialists, our knee-high observers with scabby knees have a peculiar perception of these tiny creatures, readily imagining them in utterly weird, surrealistic situations. Such an offbeat, and often comic vision provides the basis for how MINUSCULE will be showing insects in their day-to-day existence, "at grassroots level," as if we were right there with them. So forget everything you've ever learned about segmented, winged or wingless little creatures, because you're about to discover bug reality. MINUSCULE revolves around the day-to-day existence of insects. Although the series calls to mind a wildlife documentary, it's a documentary in which the insects are presented in burlesque situations, with a fair amount of philosophical contemplation thrown in. You might call it a cross between Tex Avery and Microcosmos, or grassroots slapstick. Or a docu-cartoon series.

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Éditions Montparnasse

Genre: Animation

Duration: 5

Summary: La série des 4 dvd de Minuscule est une réussite totale, on ne s'en lasse pas. Ils conviennent à tous les âges. Les cadrages, les décors naturels, la bande son, le design des insectes et la précision de leurs comportements rendent l'ensemble ultra convaincant. Je suis fan et ma petite famille aussi.

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Arcades Video

Genre: Animation

Duration: 62

Summary: Apparemment le dernier de la série, snif. En plus sur ce dernier dvd, un making off qui dévoile les secrets de fabrication, les coulisses de Minuscule. Trop fort ce Thomas Szabo.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Horror

Duration: 101

Summary: This visually stunning film is the product of a collaboration of award-winning graphic novelist Neil Gaiman (creator of the much-lauded "Sandman" series), his frequent collaborator Dave McKean ("Cages"), and The Jim Henson Company, themselves no strangers to elaborate fantasies such as "The Dark Crystal". and "Labyrinth". As with the latter film, "MirrorMask" focuses on a young woman unhappy with her daily existence; here, the artistically inclined Helena (Stephanie Leonides), is at odds with her circus performer parents. When a careless insult appears to send her mother (Gina McKee) into a coma, Helena withdraws into the dark and elaborate world of her drawings, in which a scenario very similar to her predicament in the real world is unfolding. Gaiman and director McKean create arresting images to populate Helena's world, and the Henson Company brings them vividly to life with CGI; though the story is occasionally murky, the fantasy elements are imaginative enough to enthrall what will undoubtedly be the film's toughest customers--younger viewers. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Genius Products (TVN)

Genre: Horror

Duration: 126

Summary: Writer-director Frank Darabont, who showcased the softer side of Stephen King in his film adaptations of "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile", turns to darker material for "The Mist", his latest King adaptation about a group of ordinary townspeople trapped in a supermarket by a mysterious fogbank. Thomas Jane is top-billed as a Maine illustrator who attempts to calm the frightened shoppers, but his job is cut out for him from the get-go, first by the discovery of malevolent creatures lurking in the mist, and then by the mad mutterings of Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), a local eccentric who calls for Old Testament-style sacrifices to appease the supernatural forces. Darabont delivers monster movie thrills and understated social commentary with equal skill, and he's well supported by his cast (which includes Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, William Sadler and Jeffrey DeMunn) and the vivid special effects by KNB EFX, which effectively mix CGI with models and stop-motion animation (the terrific monsters were designed by legendary comic book artist Bernie Wrightson). And for those curious about how the novella's downbeat ending has translated to film, suffice it to say that Darabont's conclusion is at once different and more unsettling than King's. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio:

Genre: Sci-Fi

Duration: 88

Summary: Recent stories, fears and oblivion seen through a metaphor. A 30-passenger convoy vanishes in the closed circuit of the Buenos Aires underground system. Research will be initiated towards finding the cause of this dematerialization. A young topologist (surfaces mathematician) leads the investigation based on some lost maps and technical data sheets. He cannot find the whereabouts of the old scientist who designed the intricate weft of the subway web, until the unexpected aid from a young girl will ease the obtention of the first clues. Everyting seems to be futile, but a random event that will risk his life gets him into an impossible train, were he will face up the amazing final revelation.

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Bmg Distribution (VI

Genre: Music

Duration: 110

Summary: After a year of touring, Moloko had director Dick Carruthers film their final UK show of 2003 at the Brixton Academy on November 22nd. The result brilliantly captures the energy of Moloko's live performances.

Theatrical: 1991

Studio:

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 105

Summary:

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: 2 Entertain Video

Genre: TV Series / Animation

Duration: 170

Summary: This is the most depressing programme ever made. Here is why you must buy it: the nightmarish portrayal of New-Labour Britain in Monkey Dust is so extremely shocking and ruthlessly bleak that you sometimes wish you could just dismiss it. Yet the way it manages to ring true throughout makes for deeply disturbing and always compelling viewing. The fact that it is consistantly hilarious as well is an incredible achievement. Monkey Dust demands repeat viewing and remains just as good each time. Absolutely essential. Come on BBC, put series 2 and 3 out now!



N.B. To the reviewer who said "the creator is seventy something", you're a fair way off - Harry Thompson sadly died last year at the age of 45.

Theatrical: 2001

Studio:

Genre: Animation

Duration: 92

Summary: Monsters generate their city's power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley find his world disrupted.

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Adventure

Duration: 91

Summary: King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for the Grail, encountering many very silly obstacles.

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: NewVideo

Genre: TV Show

Duration: 125

Summary: Volumn #2 - Your either too young to have seen Monty Pyton Live! or too old to remember. Either way, it's new to you.
Live at the Hollywood Bowl and Live at Aspen plus more.

Theatrical: 1982

Studio: A&E Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 77

Summary: The Monty Python troupe perform a combination of classic sketches and new material at the Hollywood Bowl.

Theatrical: 1969

Studio: A&E Home Video

Genre: TV Series / Comedy

Duration: 30

Summary: New for 2005, "The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset" packs together the original 14-DVD megaset with the two-disc "Monty Python Live" in space-saving Thinpaks. While more cautious fans may want to pick and choose among the previously released individual volumes of "Monty Python" for their collection, true Pythonites will want to own this definitive megaset that contains all 45 episodes (in chronological order) of "Monty Python's Flying Circus". This "persistently silly" collection encompasses three-and-a-half seasons of dead parrots, cross-dressing lumberjacks, loonies, upper class twits, and spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, and spam. Click past the occasional clunker and go directly to such signature sketches as the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Spanish Inquisition, the Fish-Slapping Dance, the Dead Parrot Sketch, the Lumberjack Song, the Cheese Shop, the Argument Clinic, and Nudge, Nudge. Taken as a whole, one marvels at how Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam thoroughly subverted television convention with "something completely different," like sketches with no punch lines ("Your average TV viewer isn't going to understand this"). A warning to the uninitiated: there is much "material that some may find offensive, but which is really smashing." Violations of something called the "Strange Sketch Act" are the least of the troupe's offenses, as witness the Oscar Wilde Sketch, the Dirty Vicar Sketch, and the Most Awful Family in Britain Sketch, all of which achieve "the really gross awfulness" all Python fans are looking for. Say no more.
Monty Python TV shows, movies, records, and books are a time capsule of their anarchic lunacy. But more precious is an audience with Python, and as close as we can get is "Live at the Hollywood Bowl", the long-sought-after 1982 concert film in which the Fab Six perform their greatest hits before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Robert Klein moderates "Live at Aspen", the irreverent 1998 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival tribute that reunited John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones onstage for the first time in 18 years on the occasion of the troupe's 30th anniversary. Highlights include a shockingly funny moment involving Graham Chapman's ashes, and a joyous "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" sing-along. Less essential is 1989's clip show "Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python", which also does not include "The Oscar Wilde Sketch," "Cheese Shop," "Nudge-Nudge," and many other signature sketches. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1979

Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 94

Summary: "Blessed are the cheesemakers," a wise man once said. Or maybe not. But the point is Monty Python's Life of Brian is a religious satire that does not target specific religions or religious leaders (like, say, Jesus of Nazareth). Instead, it pokes fun at the mindless and fanatical among their followers--it's an attack on religious zealotry and hypocrisy--things that that fellow from Nazareth didn't particularly care for either. Nevertheless, at the time of its release in 1979, those who hadn't seen it considered it to be quite "controversial." Life of Brian, you see, is about a chap named Brian (Graham Chapman) born December 25 in a hovel not far from a soon-to-be-famous Bethlehem manger. Brian is mistaken for the messiah and, therefore, manipulated, abused, and exploited by various religious and political factions. And it's really, really funny. Particularly memorable bits include the brassy Shirley Bassey/James Bond-like title song; the bitter rivalry between the anti-Roman resistance groups, the Judean People's Front and the People's Front of Judea; Michael Palin's turn as a lisping, risible Pontius Pilate; Brian urging a throng of false-idol worshippers to think for themselves--to which they reply en masse "Yes, we must think for ourselves!"; the fact that everything Brian does, including losing his sandal in an attempt to flee these wackos, is interpreted as "a sign." Life of Brian is not only one of Monty Python's funniest achievements, it's also the group's sharpest and smartest sustained satire. Blessed are the Pythons. --Jim Emerson

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Drama

Duration: 127

Summary: A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn from familiar 20th century sources.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Fox Home Entertainme

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 120

Summary: Released amidst rumors of romance between costars Angelina Jolie and soon-to-be-divorced Brad Pitt, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" offers automatic weapons and high explosives as the cure for marital boredom. The premise of this exhausting action-comedy (no relation to the 1941 Alfred Hitchcock comedy starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery) is that the unhappily married Smiths (Pitt and Jolie) will improve their relationship once they discover their mutually-hidden identities as world-class assassins, but things get complicated when their secret-agency bosses order them to rub each other out. There's plenty of amusing banter in the otherwise disposable screenplay by Simon Kinberg ("xXx: State of the Union", "Fantastic Four"), and director Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity") gives Pitt and Jolie a slick, glossy superstar showcase that's innocuous but certainly never boring. It could've been better, but as an action-packed summer confection, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" kills two hours in high style. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Drama

Duration: 145

Summary: A lost woman with amnesia is helped by a plucky ingenue new to L.A. But is everything what it seems to be?

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Funimation

Genre: Anime / Manga

Duration: 650

Summary:

Theatrical: 1988

Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Genre: Anime / Adventure

Duration: 86

Summary: When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wonderous forest spirits who live nearby.