Clyde Paintball

Product Details Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Eric Mabius, Fred Ward, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, William Atherton Directors: Bharat Nalluri Writers: Chip Johannessen, James O'Barr Producers: Alessandro Camon, Bob Weinstein, Carrie Morrow, Chris Sievernich, Edward R. Pressman Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC Rated: R (Restricted) Number of tapes: 1 Studio: Walt Disney Video VHS Release Date: March 20, 2001 Run Time: 102 minutes

Clean-cut kid Alex Corvis (Eric Mabius) is framed and executed for the brutal murder of his girlfriend (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe). He is revived by a crow spirit guide to hunt down the corrupt policemen who committed the crime, and ultimately to unmask the mysterious scarred man who ordered her death. The macabre noirish spin James O'Barr's original graphic novels put on the superhero mythos translated reasonably well for the original film of the series, directed by Alex Proyas in 1994 and starring the late Brandon Lee. But the premise had already worn thin by the first sequel, 1996's The Crow: City of Angels, and this entry simply rehashes the same story (tragic hero in clown greasepaint avenges beautiful dead girlfriend by eliminating outlandish villains) without adding anything new to the mix. Mabius brings nothing to the role except boyish good looks, while Kirsten Dunst is wasted in a supporting role as the murdered girl's sister. The supporting cast includes career cad William Atherton as Dunst's red-handed dad, and Fred Ward as a police captain with a taste for recreational surgery. Director Bharat Nalluri (the minor U.K. cult pic Killing Time, 1998) ably handles the action scenes and faux postindustrial atmosphere but seems at odds with how to pace or stage dialogue scenes (not that X-Files scribe Chip Johannesson's script provides any worth the effort). Gore effects courtesy the KNB Group and a Sturm und Drang soundtrack featuring Kid Rock, Hole, and others will help hold the most loyal fans' interest. --Paul Gaita

After the Civil War, Confederate soldier Tom Selleck attempts to reunite with his family and reclaim his ranch from Union trespassers. But the situation doesn't change, Selleck is forced to resort to violence to get back what's his. Suzy Amis, David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and David Dukes co-star in this adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel. 94 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround stereo, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround stereo, French Dolby Digital Surround stereo.

Tom Selleck shows a harder side of his persona as a disillusioned Confederate who returns home in the waning days of the Civil War in this adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. His wife, Suzy Amis, isn't ready to forgive him for leaving his family behind for the "adventure" of war, and his children hardly remember him. Haunted by his actions in the war and caught in a power struggle in the Arizona territory, Selleck's soul-scarred survivor makes a last stand to protect the only thing left that matters to him--his homestead and his family. The film has its share of gunfights, showdowns, conspiracies, and Civil War rivalries, and even a runaway stagecoach, but its power lies in the somber exploration of how misunderstandings and conflicts tear at a marriage during such a volatile time, when ideals are set against duty to family. Director Dick Lowry's lean style makes the most of the gorgeous landscapes, and he creates a strong dramatic tension in the bubbling undercurrent between Selleck, who leaves behind the jovial character of his Louis L'Amour Westerns for a man hardened and embittered by war, and Amis, an excellent actress who brings to life a woman who shoots, speaks her mind, and harbors resentment just as well as any brooding male hero. Keith and David Carradine costar as Union wranglers who hold a grudge against the Confederate veteran. One of the most mature TV Westerns ever made. --Sean Axmaker

Leonardo DiCaprio gives an acclaimed performance in director Martin Scorsese's biopic of legendary businessman, movie mogul and flyer Howard Hughes. The film traces Hughes's early years in Hollywood, his affairs with actresses Katharine Hepburn (Best Supporting Actress Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), his contributions to the airline industry, and his struggles with crippling phobias. With Alan Alda, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Ian Holm. 170 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; audio commentary by Scorsese; deleted scene; "making of" documentary; featurettes; interviews; photo gallery. Two-disc set.

From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium reflecting his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction and costume design suggests an impassioned pursuit of craftsmanship from a bygone era; every frame seems to glow with gilded detail. And while DiCaprio bears little physical resemblance to Hughes during the film's 20-year span (late 1920s to late '40s), he efficiently captures the eccentric millionaire's golden-boy essence, and his tragic descent into obsessive-compulsive seclusion. Bolstered by Cate Blanchett's uncannily accurate portrayal of Katharine Hepburn as Hughes' most beloved lover, The Aviator is easily Scorsese's most accessible film, inviting mainstream popularity without compromising Scorsese's artistic reputation. As compelling crowd-pleasers go, it's a class act from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon DVD Features In his commentary track, director Martin Scorsese offers his own impressions of Howard Hughes and rattles off his memories of experiencing Hughes's films. He mentions how he made Cate Blanchett watch every Katharine Hepburn film from the '30s on the big screen, and observes that Kate Beckinsale had "a real sense of the stature of a Hollywood goddess." But in general he doesn't talk much about the craft of making the film. That area is covered better by editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who also appears on the commentary track, and producer Michael Mann makes a few appearances (all were recorded separately). The picture is brilliant, but the 5.1 sound is not as aggressive in the rear speakers and subwoofer as one might expect, other than some nice surround effects in the Hell's Angels flying sequence. The second disc collects almost three hours of features. There's one unnecessary deleted scene, and an 11-minute making-of featurette that's basically the cast and director heaping praise on each other. More interesting are the short featurettes on visual effects (including the XF-11 scene, of course), production design, costumes, hair and makeup, and score, and Loudon Wainwright discusses his and his children's musical performances. Historical perspective is provided by spotlights on Hughes's role in aviation and his obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a 43-minute Hughes documentary from the History Channel (part of the Modern Marvels series, it focuses on his mechanical innovations and spends less than a minute on his movies). More unusual are DiCaprio and Scorsese's appearance on an OCD panel, and a half-hour interview segment DiCaprio did with Alan Alda. --David Horiuchi The Personalities of The Aviator Click the links to explore more movies by these stars. Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes "Sometimes I truly fear that I... am losing my mind. And if I did it... it would be like flying blind." Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn Howard Hughes: "You're the tallest woman I have ever met." Katharine Hepburn: "And all sharp elbows and knees. Beware." Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner Howard Hughes: "Does that look clean to you?" Ava Gardner: "Nothing's clean, Howard. But we do our best, right?" Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow Jean Harlow in Hell's Angels: "Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?" Jude Law as Errol Flynn Errol Flynn in Captain Blood: "Up the riggings, you monkeys! Break out those sails and watch them fill with the wind that's carrying us all to freedom!" Director Martin Scorsese "You get a sense of Howard Hughes being Icarus with the wax wings. Those wings were great for a while, but he flies too close to the sun." --Martin Scorsese Other Movies by The Aviator's Oscar® Winners Production Designer Dante Ferretti Film Editor Thelma Schoonmaker Costume Designer Sandy Powell Cinematographer Robert Richardson See all the Oscar® winners at Oscar Central The Aviator at Amazon.com The Aviator soundtrack The Screenplay Howard Hughes: The Real Aviator Howard Hughes movies Great movies of the 1930s The films of Martin Scorsese