Movieline Online

THE FLICK: Like it or not, season two of “Alias” was defined by the post-Super Bowl spectacular that featured superspy Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) in even more revealing outfits than usual. The fact that it spun the series into a completely different direction was a fringe benefit. Give creator J.J. Abrahms credit for not letting his show sit on its laurels and keeping audience’s guessing just when they thought things were starting to make sense. Plot threads that will pique regular viewers interest: the return of Syndey’s mother (and her mysterious motivations), shifting personal and professional alliances, a budding romance with CIA handler Vaughn and plenty of one-shot supervillians and good guys like Ethan Hawke, Christian Slater and Rutger Hauer. Although the sense of discovery that made Season One appointment television is lacking and the formula is becoming a bit transparent, how do these next 22 episodes stand up? Very well, thank you very much. Many of the juicy secrets t...

THE FLICK: The DVD format has made it fashionable to label nearly every special edition re-release a “classic.” That’s capitalism at work. And it’s hard to argue when so many obscure one-hit-wonders not only get the digital treatment, but are also hailed as masterpieces in their own mini-genres. So for a film like “Once Upon A Time In The West,” director Sergio Leone’s finest work and a high point of the Western, to slip quietly into the night would have been more than a shame...it would have been embarrassment. Thankfully, Paramount came through and Leone’s epic not only shines on home video, it runs a few minutes longer to boot. Made from fragments of Leone’s own work, and those classic Westerns he idolized (most notably “High Noon” and “Johnny Guitar”), “Once Upon A Time...” is both the last gasp and an invigorating shot in the arm for a dying genre. Charles Bronson is another “man with no name” (although everyone calls him “Harmonica”), Henry Fonda is a cold-blooded killer (for the...

THE FLICK: Let’s sit back and marvel for a moment at the accomplishments of director Bryan Singer and the creative team behind “X-Men” and “X2.” Not only did they turn in a faithful adaptation of comicdom’s most beloved team of misunderstood mutant superheroes, but they made the often soap-operatic storyline accessible to anyone and everyone who was lucky enough to buy a ticket. And while the first film served as an excellent introduction to the mutant menace, “X2” is an improvement in almost every respect. More action. More characters. More depth. And more visual razzle dazzle - the only element that was lacking in Singer’s first go round with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and the gang. “X2” takes the idea of mutant prejudice to the next level by introducing the character of Stryker (Brian Cox), a right-wing military man with a grudge to bear against Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and his school for gifted youngsters. His plan for global mutant genocide forces the X-Men into action, teaming...

THE FLICKS: Attaching a quote to a box set that proudly labels Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi “perhaps the most devious and irresponsible filmmakers who have ever lived” is bound to either pull you in or turn you off. And Blue Underground’s immense 8-disc “Mondo Cane Collection” is likely the most gorgeous love it or leave it DVD product released this year. Comprised of five films, two directors cuts and a full-length documentary, some might question the loving care that went into acquiring and restoring films that have been decried as pornographic, racist, sensationalistic, and entirely fabricated. But extreme opinions add up to interesting filmmaking. And the “Mondo” films are always that. “Mondo Cane” (1962) (translated as Dog’s World) was the first of the so-called “shockumentaries,” gathering footage from around the world of the strange, bizarre, exotic, and just plain disgusting. It set the stage for latter day imitators like “Faces of Death” and a slew of other films th...

THE FLICK: Even before “Finding Nemo,” it was patently obvious that Pixar Studios had found the key to producing consistently outstanding animated films. What separates “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life” and “Monsters Inc.” from other family fare are strong scripts and characters that appeal to every age, not just children. It’s that ability to entertain beyond the so-called “target audience” that explains how “Nemo” swam to the of the box office last year...and now dives into home video with a two-disc collector’s edition DVD. More of a typical Disney plot, “Finding Nemo” follows the deep sea quest of Marlin, a clownfish (voiced by Albert Brooks) as he crosses the ocean to find his son who’s been scooped up and plopped in an Australian dentist’s fish tank. Marlin’s misadventures along the way, including a run-in with sharks, sea turtles, whales, ravenous seagulls, and a dimwitted tag-along named Dory (Ellen Degeneres), make for a charming, funny, and warmly familiar fish tale. THE FEATURES: ...