Glory (Edited for Educational Uses) [VHS]

Sony Pictures

Much Ado About Nothing (Widescreen/Full Scree

Much Ado About Nothing

Riverdance, the Irish hard-shoe sensation that took PBS viewers by storm, underwent its second incarnation with Live from New York City, a 1996 performance filmed at Radio City Music Hall. While most of the attributes from 1995's Riverdance: The Show remain--the dazzling ensemble choreography, Bill Whelan's energetic score, and the New Age-y view of Celtic mythology--the most significant difference is at the top, where Colin Dunne replaced bombastic lead dancer Michael Flatley. Though lacking Flatley's bravura, Dunne is a superb technician who works well with Flatley's former co-lead, Jean Butler. Flamenco dancer Maria Pagis returns, as do the Riverdance Singers (formerly known as Anuna) with soloist Katie McMahon and the orchestra with fiery fiddler Eileen Ivers. About a half-hour longer than the 1995 original, Live from New York City expands upon the second act's theme of the Irish leaving their homeland for other parts of the world. "Lift the Wings" becomes a set piece for the people who are saying goodbye (it's hard not to miss the original's solo voice of Aine Um Cheallaigh), and a new song, "Heal Their Hearts," is a showcase anthem for bass Morgan Crowley. In the most engaging new number, "Trading Taps," a trio of Irish dancers faces off against two urban American tappers. While much of this follow-up show will be familiar to those who know the original, it's different enough to be enjoyed on its own terms. It's also more stylishly shot, but that's also its biggest drawback--frenetic editing that allows only brief glimpses of the dancers and leaves the viewer dizzy. --David Horiuchi

Riverdance - Live From New York City [DVD]

Dan Aykroyd explores the possibilities of a very modern marriage when Kim Basinger orbits into his world in MY STEPMOTHER IS AN ALIEN. Basinger stars as Celeste, a sexy extra-terrestrial with a mission: seduce the sweetly unsuspecting Steve Mills (Aykroyd), a recently widowed astrophysicist, and get her hands on his research which may hold the key to saving her planet.

My Stepmother Is an Alien

Minnie Driver stars as an impoverished Jewish woman, Mary, living in an emphatically anti-Semitic England in the mid-19th century. Following the murder of her beloved father--who leaves his survivors strapped with his debts--she camouflages her identity as a Protestant of Italian descent and takes a job as governess to an unorthodox Scottish family. In this film by Sandra Goldbacher, sundry conventions from Victorian novels mix with a contemporary, feminist take on Mary's subsequent adventures. Mary asserts, with some effort, her authority over her willful charge (Florence Hoath); she dodges the insults of a vaguely ghoulish matriarch (Harriet Walter); and she becomes an aide, confidante, and lover to the man of the house (Tom Wilkinson), a naturalist dabbling with early experiments in photography. Goldbacher fails to make it all feel as fully realized as it could be (much of the detail and soul of Mary's life in London is too telescoped and impressionistic to sink in). But the film's middle section, in which the heroine's complicity with Wilkinson's married character engages her keen intelligence as well as her untapped sensuality, is deeply felt. It's nice to see Driver prove she can carry a film, though the dreamy, exotic photography by Ashley Rowe certainly pulls a viewer along as well. --Tom Keogh

The Governess [VHS]

All in the Family didn't feature a typical sitcom family. Indeed, no TV family prior remotely resembled the Bunkers, who were more likely representative of the average American family than those portrayed on the tube. What would Archie (Carroll O'Connor) have been without Michael Stivic, a.k.a. Meathead (Rob Reiner)? Certainly, in later episodes, after Gloria (Sally Struthers) and Mike moved away and then divorced, Archie had to find other liberal nemeses with which to do battle. But it was his early conflicts with the son-in-law he dubbed "Meathead" that set the tone for the series (based on a British sitcom), defined Archie's distinctive personality, and established the watershed issues that executive producer Norman Lear and his talented team brought to the small screen.  In "Meet the Bunkers," Archie and Mike have plenty to argue about during a surprise anniversary party. Meanwhile, Archie's put-upon wife, Edith (the brilliant Jean Stapleton), and daughter Gloria try to keep things upbeat. Archie likes Lionel (Mike Evans) just fine--but then Archie finds out that Lionel's parents, George and Louise (Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford), are the black family he's trying to prevent from moving in next door. Another wedding anniversary--this time that of the Stivics--offers a flashback of when Archie first meets Michael. Each episode encapsulates some of the series' finest elements: its ability to intrigue audiences through the irrepressible archconservative Archie Bunker, its ability to get its message across clearly, its intelligence, and never underestimating its audience. --N.F. Mendoza

All in the Family: Archie Meets Meathead

Wild Things

Based on a story by Clive Barker and skillfully written and directed by Bernard Rose, Candyman rises above most horror films by eerily suggesting that some urban legends--in this case a particularly frightening one--have a spooky basis in reality.

Candyman

Howards End is E.M. Forster's beautifully subtle story of the crisscrossing paths of the privileged and those they disdain--and of a remarkable pair of women who can see beyond class distinctions. Dramatic and tragic, but also surprisingly funny,

Howards End

Time is running out. Revelation is at hand--rivers are running red with blood, a desert is found shrouded in ice and the moon has turned crimson. Six signs of the Apocalypse have come to pass. Now only one woman can stop The Seventh Sign in this taut suspense thriller. Demi Moore (About Last Night,St. Elmo's Fire) stars as Abby Quinn, a young woman who discovers that she and her unborn child play a terrifying part in the chain of events destined to end the world. Already troubled with a difficult pregnancy, Abby grows more distraught when she and her husband (Michael Biehn, Aliens) rent their studio apartment to David, a mysterious drifter (Jurgen Prochnow, Das Boot). Now submerged in violent metaphysical experiences, Abby realizes that David is carrying out the mystical prophecies of Judgement Day and that she has been chosen as the instrument of The Seventh Sign. But can one woman alone stand between the wrath of God and the future of mankind? In the tradition of The Omen, The Seventh Sign takes you on an ominous, unforgettable odyssey to the edge of life and death.

The Seventh Sign

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