New DVDs
| Wall Street |
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Oliver Stone opened fire on the greed decade of the 1980s with this morality tale set on Wall Street. It stars Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox, an ambitious rookie stockbroker from a blue-collar background who is mesmerized by Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a Mephistophelean superbroker who specializes in corporate takeovers. Despite his initial resistance to Bud's entreaties, Gekko finally takes on the eager beaver as his protégé, schooling him in the kind of slash-and-burn maneuvers that have taken Gekko to the top. This style is far more attractive to Fox than the more prosaic but principled approach to investing preached by veteran Lou Mannheim (Hal Holbrook). And, at first, it's impossible to dispute his preference; as Bud's life moves into the fast lane, he quickly acquires an upscale apartment and a girlfriend to match, interior designer Darien (Darryl Hannah). But when Gekko demands that Bud not only break the law but directly undermine his union-leader father, Carl (Martin Sheen), and jeopardize the jobs and lives of his friends and family, he realizes that the cost of success might be more than he's willing to pay. WALL STREET is a riveting, testosterone-fueled tour of the Street's upper echelons, featuring standout performances by Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen. (2 hrs. 6 min.)
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| Killers |
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No description available (1 hr. 40 min.)
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| Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer |
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The modern Christmas classic is brought to life in this stop-motion animated feature. Rudolph is shunned by the other reindeer because of his strange red nose. Rudolph and Herbie the Elf decide to run away and wind up having a series of adventures, meeting the Abominable Snowman and making their way through the Land of Misfit Toys before coming back in time to help Santa on Christmas Eve.
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| Nico the Unicorn |
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After a car accident in which his father was killed, Billy travels with his mother to a new town in Vermont. There Billy has trouble fitting in at his new school, but when he rescues a pregnant pony, things take a turn for the mysterious as the newborn foal turns out to be a unicorn. A heartwarming fable for the whole family.
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| Christmas Dinosaur |
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In this animated holiday story, a small boy asks Santa for a robotic dinosaur, and is shocked to find a petrified dinosaur egg on Christmas morning.
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| Porky s |
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A raunchy, irreverent comedy classic released in the early 80s to set the tone for all other teen flicks of that era, PORKY'S takes a look at the sex lives of a group of teenage boys in 1950s Florida in all their obsessive, unfulfilled glory. Pee Wee, the main character in this group of six Angel Beach high schoolers, is so named for the size of his appendage; nonetheless, he wants nothing more than to lose his virginity. All six spend most of their time devising easy ways to score and spying on coeds in the shower, taking breaks only to insult their large dictator-like teacher, Ms. Ballbricker, and play pranks on each other. They devise a plan to take a trip to a divey strip club in the Everglades called Porky's, where they are sure to get some action; unfortunately, owner Porky doesn't much care for the underage likes of them, and after humiliating them and stealing their money, he kicks them out. The boys are deflated, but not for long! What follows is one of the most elaborate and uproarious revenge plots ever committed to film, one that cemented this movie's place within the canon of comedy forever. Director Bob Clark culled his own childhood memories to write the film over a period of 15 years, and the personal quality as well as the elements of racism that were characteristic of post-WWII Florida, lend the film an authenticity that rises above the mere sex comedy. It also stars Kim Cattrall, who went on to star as Samantha in SEX AND THE CITY. (1 hr. 34 min.) |
| The Brutal Truth |
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Nine best friends from high school--who have all taken distinctly different paths in life--reunite at a secluded mountain cabin for what they think is going to be a weekend of sweet memories and laughs. When Emily (Applegate)--the core of the group--reveals a shocking secret, the relaxing get-together takes a decidedly sordid turn. (1 hr. 29 min.)
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| Hair Show |
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Peaches, a hair stylist from Baltimore, and her estranged sister, Angela, the owner of an upscale salon in Beverly Hills, get reacquainted when Peaches decides to attend a celebration for Angela in L.A. The reunion is bittersweet and worsens when Angela finds out that Peaches is on the run from the IRS and has only a few days to pay $50,000 in back taxes. After some hilarious moments and passionate exchanges the two sisters join forces to fight off a pesky rival salon owner Marcella and save Peaches from her troubles by competing for a lucrative cash prize and bragging rights at the city's annual hair show. Hair Show proves that blood and family run thicker than water. (1 hr. 45 min.)
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| Playing for Time |
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This Emmy Award-winning television drama tells the story of a group of women prisoners in Auschwitz who survived the gas chambers by playing in a small orchestra. Based on a true story. A powerful adaptation of Holocaust survivor Fania Fanelon's autobiography. Fanelon, a Jewish singer-pianist, was imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. There, she was able to stay alive by becoming a member of the prison's female orchestra. In the process, she struck up a close relationship with Alma Rose, the musical group's leader, as well as the other members of the band. Playing for the Nazis, however, robbed the women of much of their dignity and most of them often questioned whether remaining alive was worth the abuse they constantly suffered. |
| Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town |
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Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney) is a young boy with an immense desire to do good things for others. In his home village of Sombertown, Kris has started a gift factory where he builds toys and gives them to all the local children. But when the evil ruler Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees) bans toys from the land, Kris is forced to go directly to Mother Nature and beseech her for assistance. With the help of magical elves and several special reindeer, Kris works hard to overcome the Burgermeister and deliver toys to all the children of the world, earning him the name Saint Claus, or Santa Claus. This timeless tale by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin is narrated by Fred Astaire. One of the first Rankin-Bass Christmas specials (it was preceded by THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY in 1968), SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN received acclaim from both children and adults alike and spawned a number of similar films, including THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS and THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS. The movie's detailed, macabre stop-action puppets and gothic tinge were clearly an influence on Henry Selick and Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and it remains an important animated film to the moviemakers of today. |