Audio commentary

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines

With a reported budget of $172 million, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines starts in high gear and never slows down. The apocalyptic "Judgment Day" of T2 was never prevented, only postponed: John Connor (Nick Stahl, replacing T2's Edward Furlong), now 22 and disconnected from society, is being pursued yet again, this time by the advanced T-X, a sleek "Terminatrix" (coldly expressionless Kristanna Loken) programmed to stop Connor from becoming the savior of humankind.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator in this explosive adventure spectacle. His mission: to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. His opponent: the T-1000, the most lethal machine ever created, sent back through time to kill young John. His ally: Sarah Connor, John's mother, a woman warrior whose warnings go unheeded by a world careening toward a nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. T2 is a tour de force of stunts and astounding special effects, built around a touching and emotional human story.

Tequila Sunrise

Robert Towne is one of Hollywood's most celebrated screenwriters, but because his directorial efforts have been few and far between, anticipation was high when this star-powered crime story was released in 1988. Critical reaction was decidedly mixed, but there's plenty to admire in this silky, visually seductive film about a drug dealer (Mel Gibson) whose best friend from high-school (Kurt Russell) is now working for the Los Angeles sheriff's drug detail.

Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver is the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence. It is as if director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader had tapped into precisely the same source of psychological inspiration ("I just knew I had to make this film," Scorsese would later say), combined with a perfectly timed post-Watergate expression of personal, political, and societal anxiety.

Swimming With Sharks

Kevin Spacey stars as Buddy Ackerman, a corporate cutthroat who reigns over an entry level job anyone would kill for. The catch is, Buddy is the "Boss from Hell." Ask poor Guy (Frank Whaley), Buddy's personal assistant, who is eager to climb the corporate ladder. On his first day, Guy quickly learns that no opportunity this promising comes without a cost. He soon finds himself ducking everything from insults to paperweights as he tries to satisfy Buddy's needs. But when those "needs" involve Guy's girlfriend, he snaps.

Superman II

A trio of Krypton villains threaten havoc on Earth, while Superman and Lois Lane are just becoming involved in a long awaited love affair -- an affair which may cost Superman his super powers. Director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night) took over the franchise with this first sequel in the series. There is a lot to like about this movie, which finds Superman grappling with the conflict between his responsibilities as Earth's savior and his own needs of the heart.

Three O'Clock High

When a 17 year old, High-School Student named Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko), is an average young man, who has the worst day of his life, when he accidently touched a Bully named Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson), who doesn't liked to be touched, now he has to deal with Buddy, who wants to fight Jerry at three o'clock, Jerry will do anything to get himself out of the situation.

This Is Spinal Tap

Director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) solemnly alerts us to the glory that was Spinal Tap in his introduction to this "rockumentary" about the legendary British heavy-metal group, featuring lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), lead singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and a succession of drummers whose careers were cut short by spontaneously combusting on their stool, drowning in somebody else's vomit, or otherwise perishing in untimely fashion.

There's Something About Mary

There's Something About Mary is one of the funniest movies in years, recalling the days of the Zucker-Abraham-Zucker movies, in which (often tasteless) gags were piled on at a fierce rate. The difference is that cowriters and codirectors Bobby and Peter Farrelly have also crafted a credible story line and even tossed in some genuine emotional content. With Mary, the Farrelly brothers have created a consistently hilarious romantic comedy, made all the funnier by the fact that you know that they know that some of their gags go way over the line.

Swiss Family Robinson

With a shipwreck, the Robinson family becomes castaways on a lush tropical island. While the mother (Dorothy McGuire) isn't too happy about this fact, the father (John Mills) and the sons (James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran) are thrilled at the prospect of carving out a new life for themselves. In short order, the industrious Robinsons have constructed a treehouse with all the creature comforts and "utilities" of their home in Switzerland.

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