- When two CSA agents assassinate their mentors but don't remember the killings, master puzzle-solver Cathy Davis (Lea Thompson, Doubting Thomas), a.k.a. Jane Doe, is called in to find out why. What she soon uncovers is a secret government experiment in mind control that's being used to silence those who know too much. In a desperate race against the clock, Cathy must reveal who is behind the murder
CASUAL SEX - DVD MovieNever have the 1980s felt so painfully time-warped. This 1988 movie, which was directed by Geneviève Roberts and adapted by Wendy Goldman and Judy Toll from their stage play, is proof as to why we've rarely heard their names again.
Casual Sex? is an oxymoron of a title that chronicles the plight of two best-friends-since-childhood who are suffering from celibacy in the AIDS-addled '80s. One, Stacy (Lea Thompson), misses the easy promiscuity of the past though she l! ongs for a guy who is a true friend. Melissa (Victoria Jackson from
Saturday Night Live) has only had sex with two men--the second of whom was her fiancé, and she longs for her first orgasm. When they decide to take a holiday to the Oasis Spa in order to find some nice guys, they have little notion that they're about to find the wrong Mr. Right(s). Combine the tired premise with some asides to the screen (that probably worked better on stage) and a couple of role-playing fantasies, and
Casual Sex? is proof that a movie on this topic might be written by women, but it still might not have anything new or groundbreaking to reveal.
Casual Sex? ultimately pairs one of its protagonists with comic Andrew Dice Clay, who plays a Jersey thug named "The Vin Man," and it's embarrassing to watch him mug his way through the film. With such lines as "You and I have more in common now that we're both afraid of sex" and "Not being attracted to anybody scare! s me more than AIDS," viewers will wonder if these two have a! brain i n their heads at all. They ultimately come across as less than enlightened about sex and love and seem--along with the movie itself--more than a little desperate.
--Paula NechakCAROLINE IN THE CITY:FIRST SEASON - DVD Movie Of the NBC series that attempted to carry viewers from
Seinfeld to
ER in NBC's vaunted Thursday night line-up,
Caroline in the City came closest to "Must-See" status (no offense,
Veronica's Closet). Unlike other woman-anchored sitcoms,
Caroline in the City is not in the "you're going to make it after all" vein of
That Girl or
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. As with series creator Fred Barron's previous series,
Dave's World,
Caroline in the City revolves around an artist whose chaotic personal life provides a fount of material. Caroline (the babe-dorable Lea Thompson, best known as Marty McFly's mother in the
Back to the Future trilogy) is already a success. She draws the highly popul! ar "witty and carefree" comic strip about a hapless single woman who is not
Cathy. As this inaugural season unfolds, Caroline finds herself increasingly torn between two men. The first is Del (Eric Lutes), her on-again-off-again boyfriend for whom she creates Caroline merchandise for his dad's greeting card company. The second is Richard (Malcolm Gets), Caroline's new assistant and a struggling artist with a sardonic wit that's a tonic to the show. Caroline and Richard don't generate sparks like Sam and Diane or David and Maddie; They are more Ross and Rachel, and the season gets more involving once the romantic tension tightens. Adding spunk to the series is Annie (Amy Pietz), Caroline's neighbor and best friend, and a Broadway dancer (she's in
Cats). Annie and Richard make fine and funny natural-born enemies (they address each other as "tightass" and "tart"). Helping to get the fledgling series aloft like the
Caroline in the City parade balloon in the! Thanksgiving episode is a roster of fellow "Must-See" stars (! David Hy de Pierce and Jane Leeves from
Frasier, Matthew Perry from
Friends, and Jonathan Silverman from
The Single Guy), as well as future
Gilmore Girl Lauren Graham in a recurring role as Richard's flakey and impossible to shake girlfriend, and TV icons (Jean Stapleton as Caroline's aunt, Florence Henderson as herself, and in the poignant episode, "Caroline and the Watch," Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam, though it's off-putting to hear the former Buddy and Sally joke about "screwing"). A top 5 show in its first season,
Caroline would prove it was more than a time-slot hit (a series that benefits from the popular show that precedes it) when it went on to hold its own on Tuesday, and then Monday, nights. Those who were living for the
City will welcome its arrival on DVD. Those just making
Caroline's acquaintance should beware the bonus episode promos; some, like "Caroline and the Folks," contain major plot spoilers.
--Donald Liebens! onMary Maroni is a loving wife, a caring mother of three, and Bridgestones finest cupcake baker. Her simple life becomes a lot more complicated when her daughter secretly nominates her to run for mayor. Before she can react, a unfortunate accident involving the incumbent mayor sends her straight into office. With the love and support of her family to guide her, it is up to Mary to prove that she has the right ingredients to clean up the town. All rise for Mayor Cupcake!Never have the 1980s felt so painfully time-warped. This 1988 movie, which was directed by Geneviève Roberts and adapted by Wendy Goldman and Judy Toll from their stage play, is proof as to why we've rarely heard their names again.
Casual Sex? is an oxymoron of a title that chronicles the plight of two best-friends-since-childhood who are suffering from celibacy in the AIDS-addled '80s. One, Stacy (Lea Thompson), misses the easy promiscuity of the past though she longs for a guy who is a true! friend. Melissa (Victoria Jackson from
Saturday Night Live! ) ha s only had sex with two men--the second of whom was her fiancé, and she longs for her first orgasm. When they decide to take a holiday to the Oasis Spa in order to find some nice guys, they have little notion that they're about to find the wrong Mr. Right(s). Combine the tired premise with some asides to the screen (that probably worked better on stage) and a couple of role-playing fantasies, and
Casual Sex? is proof that a movie on this topic might be written by women, but it still might not have anything new or groundbreaking to reveal.
Casual Sex? ultimately pairs one of its protagonists with comic Andrew Dice Clay, who plays a Jersey thug named "The Vin Man," and it's embarrassing to watch him mug his way through the film. With such lines as "You and I have more in common now that we're both afraid of sex" and "Not being attracted to anybody scares me more than AIDS," viewers will wonder if these two have a brain in their heads at all. They ul! timately come across as less than enlightened about sex and love and seem--along with the movie itself--more than a little desperate.
--Paula NechakOne of the most talked-about movies of all time,
Howard the Duck, lands on DVD for the first time ever in an all-new Special Edition! From executive producer George Lucas and the pages of Marvel Comics comes this unbelievably funny comedy about a fast-talking, cigar-chomping, beer-loving duck from a parallel universe who crashes to Earth. Featuring brand-new bonus features, a digitally remastered picture and new 5.1 surround sound,
Howard the Duck Special Edition is a hidden treasure the whole family can enjoy.If you concentrate on the fact that
Howard the Duck was a notorious box office dud (still brought up today) and considered one of the worst films of the '80s, it's entirely possible to enjoy this special effects piffle. Howard, played by a special effect puppet, lives on a planet where d! ucks evolved instead of apes, but one day he's sucked into a v! ortex an d deposited on Earth. There he befriends Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson), lead singer for the Cherry Bombs, becomes their manager, and, oh yeah, saves the Earth from the Dark Overlords. Jeffrey Jones is the villain and Tim Robbins (!) is there for comic relief. And who can resist the culmination of synthesizer pop, the
Howard the Duck theme song, as realized by the Cherry Bombs? A midnight movie that your kids might watch more than you. --
Keith SimantonFrom "New York Times" bestselling author Kate White, editor-in-chief of "Cosmopolitan" magazine, comes a sizzling-hot mystery that takes listeners into the cutthroat world of fashion and celebrity magazines in the edgy and hip tradition of "The Devil Wears Prada." Abridged. 5 CDs.The only way football star Stefan Djordjevic (Tom Cruise) will avoid a life in the blast furnaces of his bleak Pennsylvania hometown is by winning a college scholarship. Even his coach (Craig T. Nelson) dreams of parlaying a winning! team into a college job far away from this graveyard of the American Dream. But it's not long before the two virtually ruin each other's chances for escape and their door to the future starts to close. Lea Thompson and Christopher Penn co-star.Most films about high school football players usually fall into one of two categories: glossy jock romance or locker-room sex farce. This one defies the odds and scores both as decent character study and decidedly unsentimental sports melodrama. It's not only a helluva coming-of-age yarn, but also, like Paul Newman's
Slapshot, it's a bracing look at the hopes and dreams of blue-collar survivors. Tom Cruise plays a mill-town football star determined to escape the same traps that ensnared his parents. Craig T. Nelson, in a terrific villain role, is the coach who takes revenge when Cruise's ambitions drift a little too close to home. Michael Chapman, Martin Scorsese's favorite cinematographer, made his directorial debut with thi! s gritty little winner, which benefits from being shot on loca! tion in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and which is set to a great Jennifer Warnes-Chris Thompson theme song. Lea Thompson and Christopher Penn co-star. In 1983, another Cruise vehicle had even better moves:
Risky Business.
--Glenn LovellJANE DOE:HOW TO FIRE YOUR BOSS - DVD Movie
