JH 1133295's Recommendations
More Treasures of the Twilight Zone
Three classic episodes from the popular "Twilight Zone" television series will curb your craving for kooks. "The Masks" stars Robert Keith as a dying man who summons his greedy heirs for a bizarre Mardi Gras ritual. In "Eye of the Beholder," a hideously disfigured woman contemplates her life if corrective surgery fails. In "The Howling Man," John Carradine plays an insane monk who keeps a mysterious prisoner locked in his monastery.
The Twilight Zone: Vol. 8
Creator Rod Serling's long-running, Emmy-winning television series brought science fiction to the masses. Viewers enjoyed the twisted, often-humorous mysteries as well as the show's thinly masked social commentary and philosophical discussions. Includes the classic episodes "The Fugitive," "To Serve Man," "Third from the Sun" and "The Shelter."
Sunrise
Director F.W. Murnau's emotional odyssey stars George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor as a country couple whose marriage is threatened when O'Brien falls prey to cosmopolitan temptress Margaret Livingston's feminine wiles. Imbued with an intoxicating ambiance in style and substance, the lyrical silent film -- which is, by turns, quixotic, blissful, sensual and terrifying -- chalked up Academy Awards for Best Actress (Gaynor) and Best Cinematography.
Jeff Tweedy: Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest
This first solo DVD release from gifted songwriter and American poet Jeff Tweedy compiles five nights from his 2006 acoustic tour, in which he performs solo as well as with Wilco, Uncle Tupelo and Loose Fur. Tweedy has gathered a remarkable cult following with his lengthy and prolific career, as seen in these shows from Seattle, Portland and Eugene, Ore., Humboldt State University and the Fillmore in San Francisco.
The Man Who Souled the World
Known as the man who ripped the skateboard industry from the hands of corporate America and transformed it into a counterculture phenomenon, Steve Rocco is an entrepreneurial madman who gave real skateboarders a platform to reach the globe. Directed by Mike Hill, this documentary tracks the rise of the indomitable Rocco, who kicked down the door of the mainstream world and ushered in the controversial wave of extreme sports and culture.
The Godfather
Director Francis Ford Coppola brings Mario Puzo's multigenerational crime saga to life in this Oscar-winning epic. When an organized crime family patriarch (Marlon Brando) barely survives an attempt on his life, his son Michael (Al Pacino) convinces his brother Sonny (James Caan) to let him take care of the would-be killers. Amid betrayals and corruption, Michael launches a campaign of bloody revenge that continues through the film's two sequels.
Treasures of the Twilight Zone
Three rarely seen, most-requested episodes of the original 1959-1965 series are presented uncut in this collection: "Where Is Everybody?" represents the series' premiere episode; "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is the Oscar-winning 1963 short subject (from France) that Rod Serling acquired and presented (as an episode) just once; and "The Encounter" features George "Mr. Sulu" Takei in an episode that was banned from later syndication.
Howl's Moving Castle
In this engaging anime based on a children's fantasy novel, 18-year-old Sophie works in her late father's hat shop in a humdrum town. But things get interesting when she's transformed into an elderly woman by the evil Witch of the Waste (voiced by Lauren Bacall). Determined to reverse the spell, Sophie seeks the help of the wizard Howl, who has an amazing moving castle that's fueled by a fire demon named Calcifer. Hayao Miyazaki directs.
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Stanley Kubrick's frequent collaborator and brother-in-law, Jan Harlan, offers a fascinating inside look at the genius behind such films as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket and Dr. Strangelove. Narrated by Tom Cruise, the documentary features interviews with family members as well as colleagues, including Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Malcolm McDowell, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and more.
Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!: Season 1
This offbeat comedic variety show from the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block is written by and stars duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim in a series of bare-bones, DIY-style sketches, parodies, animated shorts and musical numbers. A number of talented guests get in on the wackiness in each briskly paced 11-minute episode, including the likes of Bob Odenkirk, Weird Al Yankovic, Zach Galifianakis, John C. Reilly and many more.
Futurama: Vol. 1
Set in the year 3000, this sci-fi animated sitcom is straight from the addled brain of "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening. Contemporary pop cultural references abound as Fry, accidentally frozen 1000 years ago, thaws and gets a job risking life and limb delivering packages and performing charitable tasks for tax deductions. Joining him are one-eyed (and gorgeous) Leela, bumbling Bender and an odd assortment of characters and celebrity guests.
Planet Earth: The Complete Collection
Learn to see Earth in a completely new way by exploring the planet's most fascinating wildlife and challenging environments. This beautifully shot, Emmy-winning series takes viewers from the Himalayan Mountains to the depths of the ocean and everywhere in between, showing how all creatures great and small are connected. The program's epic $25 million budget was used to capture a host of rarely seen landscapes, habitats and animal behaviors.
GoodFellas: Special Edition
Murderers often come with smiles -- and problems of their own. Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro chew plenty of scenery, but the real focus of director Martin Scorsese's mob opus is Ray Liotta as real-world Irish-Italian mobster Henry Hill, a gangster who dreamed of making it to the top but landed in the witness protection program instead. Nominated for six Oscars (including Best Picture), the film's only win was Pesci's Best Supporting Actor statue.
Sigur Ros: Heima
In 2006, Icelandic ambient rockers Sigur Rós traversed their homeland to present a series of free concerts at surprising locations across the country. This atmospheric documentary captures the beguiling -- if unusual -- tour. Fans will appreciate the wealth of concert footage in which the band draws upon their entire catalog to perform such classic beauties as "Staralfur" and "Agaetis Byrjun" as well as previously unreleased tracks.
Venture Bros.: Season 1
Part of the Cartoon Network's edgy Adult Swim programming, this cartoon parodies 1960s adventure characters such as Jonny Quest and the Hardy Boys. Twins Hank and Dean think they're gifted, but they're really idiots. Their renowned but failed scientist dad, Doctor Venture, considers them an embarrassment and constantly pops "diet pills" to ease his pain. Macho bodyguard Brock Sampson follows the boys around the globe, continually rescuing them.
Veronica Mars: Season 1
Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) may only be 17 years old, but she's tough and smart enough to learn the ropes from her father (Enrico Colantoni), an ex-cop turned private investigator in their resort town of Neptune. No case is too daunting for Veronica, but when it comes to navigating high school and all its perils -- such as avoiding her ex, Duncan Kane (Teddy Dunn) -- Veronica must stumble through it all like her peers.
Twin Peaks: Season 1
The full first season of bizarre, ingenious, hysterical, terrifying stories set in the Pacific Northwest logging town of Twin Peaks follows quirky FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) as he tries to solve the murder of high school student Laura Palmer. As Cooper settles in, the town's facade of extreme normality begins to crack, revealing a barrage of schemes, fronts, and more.
Cinema Paradiso
A Sicilian boy named Salvatore (played by Salvatore Cascio and Marco Leonardi) is mesmerized by the American movies shown at the local theater and befriends Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), the gruff but warmhearted projectionist. Mentored by Alfredo, the boy grows up to become a famous movie producer -- but never forgets his roots. Tremendously affecting on nearly every level, Cinema Paradiso won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Lives of Others
Set in 1980s East Berlin, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut feature (which earned an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film) provides an exquisitely nuanced portrait of life under the watchful eye of the state police as a high-profile couple is bugged. When a successful playwright and his actress companion become subjects of the Stasi's secret surveillance program, their friends, family and even those doing the watching find their lives changed too.
State of Play
Powerful politico Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) is embroiled in a scandal when his research assistant dies in a freak accident and his former campaign manager Cal McAffrey (John Simm), now a reporter, realizes the incident may be linked to the death of a drug dealer. As McAffrey digs deeper, he uncovers a dangerous connection between government and big business in this exciting conspiracy thriller from the BBC.
Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly
Triple-threat comedian, screenwriter and actor Dave Chappelle takes the stage with his own blend of observant, laid-back comedy in this 60-minute stand-up special that originally aired on HBO in 2000. Dave takes on the police, racism, Sesame Street, the government and all other comers in the hilarious manner that's helped him gain his position as one of America's top comedians.
The 400 Blows
Director François Truffaut's first feature film, The 400 Blows, stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as 13-year-old Antoine Doinel, who runs away from school and his difficult family -- but finds it even tougher living on the streets of Paris and must resort to committing petty crimes.
Scenes from a Marriage (TV Version)
Widely considered one of Ingmar Bergman's best works, this intense drama follows the marriage of Marianne (Liv Ullmann) and Johan (Erland Josephson) as it deteriorates from seemingly perfect to mutual aggression and cruelty. When Marianne learns of Johan's infatuation with another woman, the relationship unravels, yet through it all, a deep, underlying love keeps the couple from breaking off all ties. This is the miniseries version of the film.
Chappelle's Show: Season 1
Renowned stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle stars in his own show, taking his repertoire of jokes and bringing them to life on television. From comedy sketches, man-on-the-street pieces and pop culture parodies, Chappelle is at home in front of a studio audience. No subject is sacred, and his unique look at movies, music, current events and the world at large provides a hilarious -- and occasionally defiant -- look at American culture.
La Haine
French director Mathieu Kassovitz's jolting drama traces a fateful day in the lives of alienated ghetto youths Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui) and Hubert (Hubert Koundé) -- a Jew, an Arab and an African, respectively. When their friend Abdel ends up comatose after a police beating, Vinz -- who's come into possession of a gun -- vows to dispense rough justice, sealing the destiny of all three. Benoît Magimel also stars.
