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Summary: "Nothing is as it seems" in "The Recruit", a guessing-game thriller that employs plot twists and conflicting loyalties as its primary raison d'etre. Surrounded by potential deception, a newly recruited CIA officer (Colin Farrell) must determine if his manipulative instructor (Al Pacino) is being honest when he identifies Farrell's fellow recruit and love interest (Bridget Moynihan) as an enemy "mole" assigned to steal a dangerous computer virus from CIA headquarters. While claiming to offer an insider's look at CIA training methods, this engrossing yet ultimately predictable plot is pure Hollywood fantasy; any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental, leaving the perpetually unshaven and scruffily coiffed Farrell to fend for himself in Pacino's cynical arena while tracing his familial roots in the spy game. Wearing its cleverness on its sleeve, "The Recruit" is an adequately elaborate puzzle of perceptions. "Everything is a test", as Farrell soon realises, and attentive viewers will enjoy piecing it all together.--"Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Sound: AC-3

Summary: You can take the agent out of the CIA, but you can't take the CIA out of the agent--or so discovers Frank Moses, to his chagrin. Frank, played by Bruce Willis, simply wants to live his simple life with his government pension. But when a troop of black-ops guys descends on his house one night and blows it to smithereens, Frank realizes he needs to get a few of his old colleagues together and find out what's what. That's the premise of "Red", a jolly action flick based on a rather more serious graphic novel. Because Frank's old posse includes kicky roles for Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and a tea-pouring, hot-lead-spraying Helen Mirren, the movie boasts a certain appeal just at the "Holy cow, can you believe who's in this thing?" level. Actually, the rest of the cast is pretty sweet as well: Mary-Louise Parker steals much of the film as Frank's unsuspecting civilian date (swept into the action because she might innocently become a CIA target, too), Brian Cox hams it up as Frank's former Soviet adversary (wistfully recalling how he always wanted to assassinate a US president), and Karl Urban ("Star Trek") supplies brawn and brains as the current CIA agent in charge of bringing the hammer down on Frank. The breezy tone barely pauses to notice the semi-serious story point at the heart of the plot (a hazily recalled disaster in Guatemala many years earlier), nor the dead bodies that pile up around the edges of the action. "Flightplan" director Robert Schwentke lets his actors act up, which is not a capital crime given the skills of the cast list, and he shoves the plot along with fitting speed. It's not art, but as a multiplex diversion, "Red" scatters a decent share of legitimate jolts and rim-shot one-liners. "--Robert Horton"

Summary: Not quite the large-scale epic it promised to be, "Reign of Fire" is still an enjoyable entry in the post-catastrophe genre. It opens in present-day London with a boy witnessing the rebirth of the race of dragons, who are supposed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and now devastate the world again. Skipping the collapse of society with a montage of magazine articles about the world in flames, we jump into the future where the remnants of humanity cower in enclaves and fire-breathing raggedy-winged bat-lizards prowl the land. Christian Bale commands a castle in Northumberland, trying to preserve humanity, while Matthew McConaughey is an iron man warrior intent on tracking down and destroying the dragon king, making for a hero-against-hero clash of values which, for a change, finds the British preserver of life, rather than the Yankee animal-killer, getting the girl and the glory.
The film consists mostly of scrabbling about in the ruins, and it rather skimps on the big dragon battles the script seems to demand. There's little here that hasn't been done before in "The Day of the Triffids" on television or that slew of Italian "Mad Max" imitations of the early 1980s. But director Rob Bowman ("The X-Files") and a good cast handle themselves well, and the few times that the dragons do show up they deliver an acceptable burst of fiery horror. --"Kim Newman"
On the DVD: "Reign of Fire" has a fairly perfunctory set of additional features on disc. A brief (under 10 minutes) making-of documentary consists mainly of computer geek animators obsessing about CG effects; back in the real world, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" looks at the on-set pyrotechnics. Director Rob Bowman chats affably about the project in a separate interview. Trailers for the movie and video game form the balance. The subdued (ie. gloomy) colours come up well in the anamorphic widescreen print, and the evocative soundscape is suitably full of sub-woofer-friendly rumblings, thuddings and explosions. --"Mark Walker"

Summary: This movie is spectacular. It has an incredble story line that isn't about a couple of gangs shooting up, but a man in despare, torn between saving his family and the child of a cop. This man is on the run, and desperate. No cheese, this movie delivers the story line in an excellent way without going over the top

Summary: Given that "Resident Evil" is a Paul Anderson movie based on a computer game which was itself highly derivative (especially of George A Romero and James Cameron films), it's probably unfair to complain that it hasn't got an original idea or moment in its entire running time. In the early 1980s, Italian schlock films such as "Zombie Flesh Eaters" and "Zombie Creeping Flesh" tried to cram in as many moments restaged from American originals as possible, strung together by silly characters wandering between monster attacks. This is a much-improved, edited, photographed and directed version of the same gambit.
As amnesiac Milla Jovovich remembers amazing kung fu skills and anti-globalist Eric Mabius mutters about evil corporations, a gang of clichéd soldiers with nary a distinguishing feature between them (except for Michelle Rodriguez as a secondary tough chick) are trapped in an underground scientific compound at the mercy of a tyrannical computer--which manifests as a smug little-girl-o-gram--fending off flesh-eating zombies (though gore fans will be disappointed by the film's need to stay within the limits of the 15 certificate) and CGI mutants, not to mention the ever-popular zombie dogs. It's tolerably action-packed, but zips past its borrowings ("Aliens", "Cube", "Deep Blue Sea") without adding anything that future schlock pictures will want to imitate.
On the DVD: "Resident Evil" on disc has the expected trailers, both teaser and theatrical; a half-hour making-of; zombie make-up tests; featurettes on music (with Marilyn Manson), production design and costume. A lively commentary track features Anderson, Jovovich, Rodriguez and producer/zombie Jeremy Bolt--Jovovich upbraids Anderson for talking about different gradings of film stock over her nude scene and everyone else talks about how much she hurt them by punching them out during action sequences. Anderson mentions an alternate commentary track with visual effects designer Richard Yuricich, but it isn't included. --"Kim Newman"

Summary: 2002's popular video-game-derived hit "Resident Evil" didn't inspire confidence in a sequel, but "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" defies odds and surpasses expectations. It's a bigger, better, action-packed zombie thriller, and this time Milla Jovovich (as the first film's no-nonsense heroine) is joined by more characters from the popular Capcom video games, including Jill Valentine (played by British hottie Sienna Guillory) and Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr, from 1999's "The Mummy"). They're armed and ready for a high-caliber encounter with devil dogs, mutant "Lickers," lurching zombies, and the leather-clad monster known only as Nemesis, unleashed by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation responsible for creating the cannibalistic undead horde. Having gained valuable experience as a respected second-unit director on high-profile films like "Gladiator" and "The Bourne Identity", director Alexander Witt elevates this junky material to the level of slick, schlocky entertainment. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Summary: Years after the Raccoon City disaster, Alice is on her own; aware that she
has become a liability and could endanger those around her, she is
struggling to survive and bring down the Umbrella Corporation led by the
sinister Albert Wesker and head researcher Dr. Isaacs. Meanwhile, traveling
through the Nevada Desert and the ruins of Las Vegas, Carlos Olivera, L.J.,
and new survivors K-Mart, Claire Redfield, and Nurse Betty must fight to
survive extinction against hordes of zombies, killer crows and the most
terrifying creatures created as a result of the deadly T-Virus that has
killed millions. This DVD is an officially released overseas import which is
compatible with all UK & European DVD players. It has the original English
soundtrack which can be selected from the DVD setup menu.

Summary: A barrage of 3-D effects enlivens Paul W.S. Anderson's "Resident Evil: Afterlife", the fourth entry in the seemingly endless action-science fiction horror franchise based on the popular Capcom video game series. Plot, dialogue, and character development all remain secondary considerations; what's key here are the set pieces that allow Milla Jovovich to unleash maximum damage to virally infected zombies, villainous henchmen, and just about anyone else who stands in the way of her stopping the shadowy Umbrella Corporation. Jovovich retains the blend of grit and pulchritude that have made her a fanboy favorite (though said viewers may decry the film's bit of shower-scene interruptus), and she's well supported by returning cast members Ali Larter and Boris Kodjoe ("Undercovers") and "Prison Break"'s Wentworth Miller, who, as Claire's brother, is back behind bars in a postapocalyptic jail overrun by plague zombies. And the 3-D effects are impressive and give a shot of adrenaline to the already hyper-driven action and CGI elements. Those looking for more than what the "Resident Evil" franchise is designed to provide--souped-up, B-movie thrills--are advised to lower their expectations; franchise devotees should be pleased, especially by the film's final scene, which (naturally) sets up another sequel. "--Paul Gaita"

Summary: "Road Trip" is a mostly agreeable, by-the-numbers teen flick with a handful of inspired sequences, most of them involving MTV's resident disturbed soul, Tom Green. It concerns a sleepy University of Ithaca student named Josh (Breckin Meyer) who accidentally mails a video of his sexual encounter with an infatuation (Amy Smart) to his long time girlfriend (Rachel Blanchard), who's seemingly avoiding him while at school in Austin, Texas. Naturally, he recruits some pals--Seann William Scott as the lech, DJ Qualls as the hopeless nerd and Paulo Costanzo as the doper genius--to hit the open highway and intercept the package. Even more naturally, mayhem ensues: a car explodes, a bus is stolen, a nerd is deflowered, French toast is horribly violated and an elderly man bogarts both pot and Viagra.
The film's humour is more democratic than politically correct, as everyone--women and minority characters, not just the hipster white guys--have a hand in the high jinks. Green plays Barry Manilow (no, not that one), a professional student (eight years and counting)--he relates the film's story to sceptical prospective students while leading them on a tour of the college. In particular, in an already justly famous sequence of scenes, he sadistically anticipates and endeavours to accelerate a mouse's demise at the jaws of a python. It's very much in the vein of "American Pie", perhaps a smidgen tamer, but at least its characters don't really learn any dopey lessons in the end. Director and co-screenwriter Todd Phillips, who earlier made the much-questioned documentary "Frat House", again proves he's more adept at staging fictional comic sequences than real ones. --"David Kronke, Amazon.com"

Summary: Sharper and deeper than Robin Williams's previous road material, "Live on Broadway" is a mature comedian's view of all things to do with power, prejudice and paranoia in the 21st century. On the anthrax scare of 2001: "The Senate cleared out of their building but told the rest of us 'Get on with your normal lives'!" On his solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over Jerusalem: "Time share!" On the pitfalls of America's deepening alliance with Britain: "The House of Commons is like Congress with a two-drink minimum". A viewer may have to slog through Williams's tedious breast fetishism, but patience is quickly rewarded with bitchy takes on Martha Stewart facing prison, solid satire about French existentialist judges at the Olympics and subversive op-eds about the Bush administration's inability to clarify terrorist threats to the public ("Has the CIA become the Central Intuitive Agency?"). --"Tom Keogh"

Summary: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) is difficult to describe, yet so easy to indulge in. If you like a bit of camp, singing, perversion, muscle, transvestism, dancing, parody, and Tim Curry, then this is the film for you! With many wonderful lines, and superb song lyrics, I cannot help take RHPS with me wherever I go, whether it be quoting Frank 'N' Furter's lines (and doing the mock Chelsea accent) at unsuspecting friends - 'You must be awwwfully proud of him Janet' - or singing to an audience of imaginary Transylvanians in the shower - 'I'm a sweet transvestite' (though I'm not, of course). The plot is less Rocky, more Mocky Horror, which only adds to the general sense of decadence in Frank's castle, and from beginning to end the audience is taken on a hedonistic ride into the mind of Richard O'Brien's fantasy world (I'm very grateful). As the film and theatre show are so well known, there is not much point in re-telling the story, but I can hopefully add some light "over at the Frankenstein place". The lips we see in the opening credits belong to the show's creator, and the castle in which the fun takes place really exists in Windsor (it is now a hotel, and very nice too!). You might want to look out for some typical B-movie editing problems, such as the magically disappearing/reappearing carpet in the "Time Warp" scene (look closely), and the trickle of blood at the Freezer's entrance (Eddie is killed inside!), but I can't help think that such mistakes add to the charm - as Frank would say, 'Well, how nice!" Tim Curry has a truly sensual voice, and legs that any woman OR man would die for, while Susan Saradon, Little Nell, and Barry Bostwick never fail to entertain - '[Riff Raff, from inside the front door] You're wet. [Janet, at the doorstep] Yes, it's raining. [Brad, also at the doorstep] Yes. [Riff Raff] Yes.' In the end, the film speaks for itself, so I don't have to (doesn't mean I won't). Buy it, watch it, re-watch it, get your friends to watch it, and before long you'll be preaching to the converted! Have fun.

Summary: Cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak, the cameraman behind "Speed", "Lethal Weapon 4", and "The Devil's Advocate", makes his directorial debut with a lively but by-the-numbers film that mixes Hong Kong action pyrotechnics with gritty urban gang drama. Jet Li stars as a jailed cop named Han who hightails it to Oakland, California, to seek revenge for the gang-related murder of his brother. What he finds, though, is a fierce war between his father's syndicate and that of Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo) for control of the city's precious waterfront land, as both groups are trying to make a deal with a corrupt football-team owner to build a new stadium. The political shenanigans are basically just a backdrop for the kick-ass action, and to give Li a number of enemies to lock limbs with. It also provides him with a love interest, Trish (hip-hop star Aaliyah), who's O'Day's daughter and like Han, the only straight arrow in a family of crooked mobsters. Li and Aaliyah have a teasing, gentle chemistry, and when they're onscreen together, the movie lights up and glides along smoothly. Li even finds a way to work Aaliyah into one of his action set pieces, using her arms and legs to fight a female adversary because "I can't hit a girl!" However, when these two aren't onscreen (and that's a fair amount of the time) the movie plods along, despite a stately turn by Lindo and Isaiah Washington and Russell Wong as two family allies who may not be as loyal as they seem. Li's action, though, is still phenomenal as ever, from his prison breakout (as he takes out a platoon of guards--strung upside down by one leg) to a knockdown-dragout fight with the agile and dangerously sexy Wong. And despite the "Romeo and Juliet" overtones, this is one mighty chaste romance, albeit one with a happy ending for the star-crossed lovers. --"Mark Englehart, Amazon.com"

Summary: Robert De Niro stars as an American intelligence operative adrift in irrelevance since the end of the Cold War--much like a masterless samurai, aka "ronin". With his services for sale, he joins a renegade, international team of fellow covert warriors with nothing but time on their hands. Their mission, as defined by the woman who hires them (Natascha McElhone), is to get hold of a particular suitcase that is equally coveted by the Russian mafia and Irish terrorists. As the scheme gets underway, De Niro's lone wolf strikes up a rare friendship with his French counterpart (Jean Reno), gets into a more-or-less romantic frame of mind with McElhone and asserts his experience on the planning and execution of the job--going so far as to publicly humiliate one team member (Sean Bean) who is clearly out of his league. The story is largely unremarkable--there's an obligatory twist midway through that changes the nature of the team's business--but legendary filmmaker John Frankenheimer ("Seconds", "The Manchurian Candidate") leaps at the material, bringing to it an honest tension and seasoned, breathtaking skill with precision-action direction. The centrepiece of the movie is an honest-to-God car chase that is the real thing: not the how-can-we-top-the-last-stunt cartoon nonsense of Richard Donner ("Lethal Weapon") but a pulse-quickening, kinetic dance of superb montage and timing. In a sense, "Ronin" is almost Frankenheimer's self-quoting version of a John Frankenheimer film.There isn't anything here he hasn't done before but it's sure great to see it all again. "--Tom Keogh"

Comments: Box set

Summary: Opening with a Dido theme tune and featuring character-driven, sweet-natured melodrama, "Roswell" was a show with a surprisingly dedicated fan base, who twice won it reprieve from cancellation. One of its main strengths was, of course, the extent to which its premise--alien teenagers trying to sort out their identities while involved emotionally with their human contemporaries--was a free-floating metaphor for race and sexuality issues. Another was the strong ensemble that its cast developed; you believed in the strangeness of the alien trio and the well-intentioned normality of their three human friends. Jason Behr gave the alien Max a quiet authority and Majendra Delfino took the sidekick role of Maria and gave it both intensity and fine comic timing. It was also a show in which you were never sure what adults you could trust--William Sadleir trod a fine line of ambiguity as the local sheriff and Julie Benz was silkily sinister as an FBI agent. Anyone who ever loved this show will want these DVDs--and many others may want to find out what the fuss was about.
On the DVD: "Roswell" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The special features include commentaries on six episodes by writer Jason Kanims, the directors and various of the cast as well as a featurette on the making of the show and another on its adaptation from the original "Roswell High" series of young adult novels. The commentaries are unusually insightful on the casting process and the discs also include the auditions for the part of Tess as well as a deleted scene and a music video. --"Roz Kaveney"

Comments: Box set

Summary: Great character development here. You can see the strain of the alien message on Max and it gives you exactly what was missing in the first series - answers to questions! Although, on occasion some huge gaps are left unanswered and certainly aren’t followed in series 3. However, this season concentrates heavily on the mythology of the aliens and why they were put on earth in the first place.
Tess gets more annoying than ever in her quest for Max - give it up girl.

Summary: personaly i found that the third series was sumwat lacking compared to the previous season, but still a fantastic season. the first few episodes are are bit strange as they seem like a big leap from the previous season, but keep watching and youll get into it. this series focuses more on the relationships between the group which is great, however i would have like more si-fi also involved. i would of liked the ending to revert back to the subject of the original quest, x27;who are they? where do they come from? how can they get back?x27;. i was also dissapointed that there was no new aliens involed as an enemy of the royal 4. it was a shame this season was cut short of a few episodes. this is a truly underated show and this last season is a great addition and final to the previous seasons.

Summary: It's difficult to create a film that's fast paced, exciting and aesthetically appealing without diluting its dialogue. "Run Lola Run", directed and written by Tom Tykwer, is an enchanting balance of pace and narrative, creating a universal parable that leaps over cultural barriers. This is the story of young Lola (Franka Potente) and her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu). In the space of 20 minutes, they must come up with 100,000 deutsche marks to pay back a seedy gangster, who will be less than forgiving when he finds out that Manni incompetently lost his cash to an opportunistic vagrant. Lola, confronted with one obstacle after another, rides an emotional roller coaster in her high-speed efforts to help the hapless Manni--attempting to extract the cash first from her double-dealing father (appropriately a bank manager), and then by any means necessary. From this point nothing goes right for either protagonist, but just when you think you've figured out the movie, the director introduces a series of brilliant existential twists that boggle the mind. Tykwer uses rapid camera movements and innovative pauses to explore the theme of cause and effect. Accompanied by a pulse-pounding soundtrack, we follow Lola through every turn and every heartbreak as she and Manni rush forward on a collision course with fate. There were a variety of original and intelligent films released in 1999, but perhaps none were as witty and clever as this little gem--one of the best foreign films of the year. --"Jeremy Storey, Amazon.com"

Summary: The plot line may sound familiar: two mismatched cops are assigned as reluctant partners to solve a crime. Culturally they are complete opposites, and they quickly realise they can't stand each other. One (Jackie Chan) believes in doing things by the book. He is a man with integrity and nerves of steel. The other (Chris Tucker) is an amiable rebel who can't stand authority figures. He's a man who has to do everything on his own, much to the displeasure of his superior officer, who in turn thinks this cop is a loose cannon but tolerates him because he gets the job done. Directed by Brett Ratner, "Rush Hour" doesn't break any new ground in terms of story, stunts, or direction. It rehashes just about every "buddy" movie ever made--in fact, it makes films such as "Tango and Cash" seem utterly original and clever by comparison. So, why did this uninspired movie make over $120 million at the box office? Was the whole world suffering from temporary insanity? Hardly. The explanation for the success of "Rush Hour" is quite simple: chemistry. The casting of veteran action maestro Jackie Chan with the charming and often hilarious Chris Tucker was a serendipitous stroke of genius. Fans of Jackie Chan may be slightly disappointed by the lack of action set-pieces that emphasise his kung-fu craft. On the other hand, those who know the history of this seasoned Hong Kong actor will be able to appreciate that "Rush Hour" was the mainstream breakthrough that Chan had deserved for years. Coupled with the charismatic scene-stealer Tucker, Chan gets to flex his comic muscles to great effect. From their first scenes together to the trademark Chan outtakes during the end credits, their ability to play off of one another is a joy to behold, and this mischievous interaction is what saves the film from slipping into the depths of pitiful mediocrity. "--Jeremy Storey"

Summary: "Rush Hour 2" retains the appeal of its popular predecessor, so fans will enjoy the antics of the returning stars, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. The action--and there's plenty of it--starts in Hong Kong, where Detective Lee (Chan) and his LA counterpart Detective Carter (Tucker) are attempting a vacation, only to get assigned to sleuth a counterfeiting scheme involving a Triad kingpin (John Lone), his lethal henchwoman (Zhang Ziyi, from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and an American billionaire (Alan King). Director Brett Ratner simply lets his stars strut their stuff, so it hardly matters that the plot is disposable, or that his direction is so bland he may well have directed the film from a phone in a Jacuzzi.
At its best, "Rush Hour 2" compares favourably to Chan's glossiest Hong Kong hits, and when the action moves to Las Vegas (where Don Cheadle makes an unbilled cameo), the film goes into high-pitched hyper-drive, riding an easy wave of ambitious stunt-work and broad, derivative humour. However, echoes of "Beverly Hills Cop" are easy to see and stale ideas (including a comedic highlight for Jeremy Piven as a gay clothier) are made even more aggravating by dialogue that's almost Neanderthal in its embrace of retro-racial stereotypes. Of course, that's what makes "Rush Hour 2" a palatable dish of mainstream comedy: it insults and comforts the viewer at the same time, and while some may find Tucker's relentless hamming unbearable, those who enjoyed "Rush Hour" are sure to appreciate another dose of Chan-Tucker lunacy. "--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com"

Summary:
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker head for the City of Lights in the somewhat threadbare but sporadically exciting "Rush Hour 3", the second sequel to director Brett Ratner's 1998 cop-buddy hit. Chan's Inspector Lee and Tucker's Detective Carter hop from Los Angeles to Paris in pursuit of a Chinese triad only to find a mixed reception, including a brutal warning from a French cop (Roman Polanski) and anti-American sentiments from a cab driver (Yvan Attal) who eventually becomes an important and funny ally. Lee and Carter, when not fighting their way out of rooms full of martial arts gangsters and crazed assassins (Sun Ming Ming), follow a trail to a beautiful woman (Noemie Lenoird) who literally carries a vital clue on her person. Lee also holds secret meetings with a United Nations authority (Max Von Sydow), but his personal struggles with a criminal mastermind (Hiroyuki Sanada)--who happens to be an important figure in his life-- are at the heart of this movie.
The aging Chan still seems to defy the laws of physics with some of his more spectacular stunts. But it's true those stunts take a little more time than they used to, and judicious editing makes Chan look spry as ever. He frets charmingly in "Rush Hour 3", while Tucker revives his brash character's motormouth guile and whiny womanizing. There isn't a lot left to be discovered about Lee and Carter's compatibility, and even with a minor crisis over their loyalty to one another in "Rush Hour 3", their all-important relationship is almost too easy to take for granted now. Fortunately, the film's biggest thrills come from several wild fight scenes, especially a climactic battle on the Eiffel Tower that is rich in imagination. "--Tom Keogh"