Category: Crime

Alien Nation

Alien Nation on VHS video. Starring James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp. Directed by Graham Baker. 1988.

Alien Nation on VHS video. Starring James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp. Directed by Graham Baker. 1988.

From the VHS cover:

Prepare Yourself

They have come to Earth to live among us. But there’s something about them we don’t know. Be prepared.

Drugs. Violence. Crime. The headlines of the near future are a lot like today’s — with one big difference. In L.A. alone, there are 300,000 humanoid extraterrestrials. “Newcomers” or, less politely, “slags.” Refugees from a disabled slave ship, they’ve stayed to live and work among us, to try to fit in. But there is something about them we do not know.
James Caan is Sykes, a veteran police detective out to avenge the death of his partner who was killed in a shootout with Newcomers. Many Patinkin is Sam Francisco, Sykes’ new partner and the force’s first Newcomer plainslothesman. Together they uncover a trail of murder leading to the most terrifying drug epidemic to ever hit Planet Earth.

DVD upgrade: Alien Nation

The TV series: Alien Nation – The Complete Series

Life after television: Alien Nation – Ultimate Movie Collection




Manhunter

Manhunter on VHS video. Starring William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan, Stephen Lang. Based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Directed by Michael Mann. 1986.

Manhunter on VHS video. Starring William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan, Stephen Lang. Based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Directed by Michael Mann. 1986.

From the VHS box cover:

Enter the mind of a killer… you might never return.

“It’s just you and me now, sport.”

He knows how to kill you. And how to get away with it. How to silence the family pet, how to break into your house, where and when you sleep. He’s cool. Cunning. Determined. He is also your only hope. Because he’s the detective tracking down an elusive serial killer who strikes when the moon is full.

William L. Petersen stars as Manhunter Will Graham. Graham has an uncanny knack for getting inside the head of his deranged quarry. That’s great for crimefighting. But is it good for Graham? The line between thinking like the killer and being the killer can be a narrow one.

“It’s the best detective story I ever came across,” says screenwriter/director Michael Mann about Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, the novel from which Manhunter was adapted. Mann should know a can’t-miss police thriller when he sees one; he’s the executive producer of Miami Vice and Crime Story. And the Miami Vice style he originated — electrifying visuals, a pulsing soundtrack, music video-inspired editing — is the perfect match for this sleek, frightening film.

Read Hannibal Lecter Book 1: Red Dragon

DVD upgrade: Manhunter (Limited Edition)


Original Gangstas

Original Gangstas on VHS. Starring Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier. With Paul Winfield, Isabel Sanford, Ron O'Neal, Richard Roundtree, Christopher B. Duncan, Dru Down, Shyheim Franklin. Directed by Larry Cohen, Fred Williamson. 1996.

Original Gangstas on VHS. Starring Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier. With Paul Winfield, Isabel Sanford, Ron O’Neal, Richard Roundtree, Christopher B. Duncan, Dru Down, Shyheim Franklin. Directed by Larry Cohen, Fred Williamson. 1996.

From the VHS box:

It’s time for some respect.

It’s one reunion you don’t want to miss. The top stars of ’70s Black Action films — Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Richard Roundtree and Ron O’Neal — take on the hottest new stars on the ’90s as explosive action rips the mean streets of Gary, Indiana. Thirty years ago five friends formed a street gang, the Rebels. But the Rebels — and the rules — have changed. Instead of rocks and bottles, today the gang uses automatic weapons. Now one drive-by killing too many has reunited the original Rebels. But it’s going to take the support of the entire community and one final showdown to reclaim the streets and show today’s Rebels who the real “Original Gangstas” are.

Co-starring Paul Winfield, Isabel Sanford, Christopher B. Duncan and rappers Dru Down, Shyheim, “Original Gangstas” features the year’s hottest rap/R&B soundtrack with music by Luniz, Ice-T, MC REN, the Geto Boys and more.

DVD upgrade: Original Gangstas



The Naughty Nineties

The Naughty Nineties on VHS. Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello. With Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson, Henry Travers. Directed by Jean Yarbrough. 1945.

The Naughty Nineties on VHS. Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello. With Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson, Henry Travers. Directed by Jean Yarbrough. 1945.

From the box:

Featuring Their Famous “Who’s On First” Routine

In this zany musical comedy, Bud plays a ham actor and Lou his dim-witted assistant on the Mississippi showboat, the River Queen.

When the boat docks in St. Louis, Bud and Lou try to rescue Captain Sam from a poker game with three card sharks, but they are too late. The gamblers win a controlling interest in the River Queen and — to Captain Sam’s dismay — set up a crooked casino operation on board.

Before ridding the showboat of the villains, Abbott and Costello perform several of their most famous bits including the hysterical “Who’s on First” dialogues that has become one of the most popular comedy routines ever captured on film.

DVD upgrade: The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 2 (Hit the Ice / In Society / Here Come the Co-Eds / The Naughty Nineties / Little Giant / The Time of Their Lives / Buck Privates Come Home / The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap)



Continue reading “The Naughty Nineties”

Maniac Cop

Maniac Cop on VHS. Starring Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z'Dar, Sheree North. Directed by William Lustig. 1988.

Maniac Cop on VHS. Starring Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z’Dar, Sheree North. Directed by William Lustig. 1988.

From the VHS cover:

You Have The Right To Remain Silent… Forever.

New York City is terrorized by a series of brutal mutilation murders. The public is outraged, because it’s discovered that the killer is a cop! Innocent policemen are killed by the panic-stricken public. The city is in an uproar. Will New York rid itself of this deadly menace.. MANIAC COP?

DVD upgrade: Maniac Cop (Special Edition)