Oil (VHS)
Suspense, intrigue and sabotage highlight this spectacular tale of a power struggle between the international oil cartels. The clash erupts with a billion dollar fire that threatens to annihilate an entire country.NR"
Director: Mircea Dragan
ACTORS: Stuart Whitman, Ray Milland, Woody Strode
Johnny English (DVD) Widescreen Edition When the British government fears that a plan is afoot to steal the royal family`s beloved crown jewels from their secure home in the Tower of London, secret agent Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is assigned to the c...
When the British government fears that a plan is afoot to steal the royal family`s beloved crown jewels from their secure home in the Tower of London, secret agent Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is assigned to the case. Unfortunately, English isn`t the British Secret Service`s first choice for the job; he`s just the only secret agent that is still alive. Even though English dreams of being a suave, debonair agent and has only the best intentions, the hapless Brit continually makes matters worse as he tries to save his country from falling into the clutches of French prison mogul Pascal Sauvage, played by John Malkovich. Among other things, English misuses secret agent gadgets, inadvertently leaks his plans to the bad guys, takes the most inopportune route into Sauvage`s castle, and generally makes silly mistakes--and somehow gets away with it. Physical comedian Atkinson, best known as Mr. Bean, shines in this film, which was directed by Peter Howitt (SLIDING DOORS). JOHNNY ENGLISH also features British comedian Ben Miller as Bough, English`s mild-mannered, but surprisingly effective sidekick from the agency. Australian singer and actress Natalie Imbruglia makes her feature film debut as Special Agent Lorna Campbell.
PG"
Director: Peter Howitt
ACTORS: Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller, John Malkovich
The Man Who Wasn`t There (DVD)
The Coen brothers` THE MAN WHO WASN`T THERE is a brilliantly photographed black-and-white absurdist noir set in Santa Rosa, California, in 1949. Ed Crane (the outstanding Billy Bob Thornton) is a slow-moving, barely talking barber who doesn`t seem to want much out of life. He has virtually no relationship with his wife, Doris (Frances McDormand), who has more fun with her boss, Big Dave (James Gandolfini). But when a strange character (Jon Polito) lets it be known that he`s looking for a silent partner to finance his dream business (something he calls dry cleaning), Ed sees a possible way out of his doldrums. Just like any good James M. Cain novel (which the Coens cited as a major influence on the story), blackmail, deceit, violence, murder, and double crossing ensue, all with the magic Coen twists and turns.
THE MAN WHO WASN`T THERE looks simply magnificent; the cinematography, the outfits, and the set designs perfectly capture this intriguing post-WWII paranoid world embodied by misfits, cheats, simpletons, con men, and other ne`er-do-wells. Thornton, who also supplies the wonderfully droll narration, gives a bravura performance as Ed, the everyman who has never strayed from the straight and narrow--until now. Always with a Chesterfield in his mouth, he wanders from scene to scene almost as if he`s a spectator--even though he`s at the center of everything that goes on. The supporting cast, as usual in a Coen brothers film, is outstanding, including McDormand, Gandolfini, Polito, Tony Shalhoub, Richard Jenkins, and Scarlett Johansson as a young potential piano prodigy.R"
Director: Joel Coen
ACTORS: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, Michael Badalucco, Katherine Borowitz
America So Beautiful (VHS)
In this eloquent tale of the search for the American Dream, a group of Iranian immigrants in 1979 Los Angeles struggle to find keep their families strong and to fulfill their dreams in the face of intense international conflict and American prejudice against people of Middle Eastern descent. The film stars wildly popular Iranian music star Mansour as Houshang, who wants only to escape his uncle`s Persian grocery store to pursue his fantasy of opening a disco. When he takes his family to the nightclub in hopes of getting them excited and involved, the evening turns into a saga of humor, pain, and ultimately, meaningful change. Notably, this film stars the acclaimed actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG) as an exiled Iranian actress.NR"
Director: Babak Shokrian
ACTORS: Mansour, Alan De Satti, Houshang Touzie, Diane Gaidry, David Fariborz Davoodian
Panic in the Skies (DVD)
Struck by lightning in midair, a 747 has begun hurtling its passengers towards their doom. With the pilot and copilot dead, there is no one to safely guide the plane down. Laurie (Jackson), the head flight attendant, and a passenger, Brett (Marino) take it upon themselves to try and save the plane. They are relieved to find that the auto-pilot can safely land them, but their relief doesn`t last long; they soon determine that the auto-pilot can`t lock in a suitable airport where the jumbo jet can land. Meanwhile, the Air Force is deciding whether they should just shoot the plane down over a deserted area rather than have it crash into a city.NR"
Director: Paul Ziller
ACTORS: Kate Jackson, Ed Marinaro, Erik Estrada, Maureen McCormick, Billy Warlock
