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This three-pack of DVDs collects all eight episodes of Kindred, a vampire series adapted from both a role-playing game and a cult novel. The series concerns itself with five clans of vampires who reside in San Francisco. The fragile truce that exists between the different groups continuously threatens to dissolve. The series episodes are titled "The Pilot," "Prince of the City," "Nightstalker," "Romeo and Juliet," "Live Hard, Die Young, and Leave a Good-looking Corpse," "The Rise and Fall of Eddie Fiori," "Bad Moon Rising," and "Cabin in the Woods." Fans of The X-Files and vampire enthusiasts will surely be entertained by this stylish, if short-lived, sci-fi series. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
While on the job at an abandoned Chicago office building, four electrical workers -- Dean (Richard Grieco), Ray (Richard Yearwood), Junior (Jason Jones), and Sheldon (Jeff Douglas) -- stumble upon a time portal. Instantly, Dean and Junior disappear, rematerializing in a modernistic alternate Chicago. Soon after, Ray and Sheldon follow their buddies -- a bad mistake, inasmuch as this parallel world is ruled by cannibalistic, spider-like humanoids. The four heroes link up with a group of survivors of the spider invasion, led by Dr. Morelli (Colin Fox), Elena (Kate Greenhouse), and Crane (David Newman). Will they be able to escape the rampaging arachnids and return to their own world, or will they be betrayed by a spy in their midst and delivered up to the omnivorous Spider Queen? Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the TV series Sliders, the made-for-cable Webs debuted June 28, 2003, on the Sci-Fi channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Grieco, Richard Yearwood, (more)
When a construction crew removes an ancient artifact from Indian holy ground, they inadvertently unleash an evil spirit known as the "Bone Eater" that grows more powerful with each victim it consumes. As the body count begins to multiply, it's up to a small town sheriff (Bruce Boxleitner), his daughter, and the town doctor (William Katt) to seek the wisdom of a wise Indian girl who could be their only hope of combating a force beyond human comprehension. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In the year 2068, the Earth's surface is in a cataclysmic upheaval, much of it transformed into wasteland by unstoppable storms (the byproduct, of course, of the destruction of the Ozone Layer). A few hardy souls have dedicated themselves to preserving and protecting what is left of mankind; among these is former Army Captain John Thomas Garth (Grant Show). Approached by Lapierre (Steve Bacic), a former comrade in arms and now in the employ of grasping eco-profiteer Anton Reich (Art Hindle), Garth is made an offer he can't refuse. In exchange for the opportunity to save his father and several other apocalypse survivors, Reich agrees to lead a small team of mercenaries into the near-impenetrable Vincent estate to "liberate" the priceless works of art that had been stored there before civilization collapsed. Accompanied by reconnaissance specialist Fernandez (Naomi Gaskin), sniper King (Matthew G. Taylor), and tech genius Ebershaw (Wayne Ward), Garth must find some way to circumvent Encrypt, the deadly computerized security system surrounding the estate. Other obstacles include the Rook, a human-destroying robot, and Diana (Vivian Wu), the holographic security chief at the estate -- and a double danger because she possesses not only the means of mass destruction, but also a conscience. A two-hour cable movie that has "series pilot" written all over it, Encrypt premiered June 14, 2003, on the Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grant Show, Vivian Wu, (more)
Perhaps inspired by the finale of the 1954 horror film Them!, the made-for-cable chiller Bugs explores the consequences stemming from a swarm of giant insects gathering in a major metropolitan subway systems. These bugs not only eat human beings, but tear their bodies apart and leave the fragments scattered to and fro. It is up to entomologist Emily Foster (Angie Everhart) and civil engineer Matt Pollock (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) to save humanity from the oversized scourges. Bugs made its Sci-Fi Channel debut September 4, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Angie Everhart, (more)
Seven teens on the way to a party discover that they're in danger of losing their heads to a vengeful ghost that won't stop killing until he's gathered enough gourds to make a complete collection in this low-budget shocker featuring Night Court's Richard Moll. Local legend around the "lost" town of Wormwood states that on All Hallow's Eve one-hundred years ago, a local lunatic tortured the town youngsters by submerging them in boiling oil. When the local townspeople discovered what was happening to their children, they ripped the man from his home and chopped off his head. Now, every seven years, the killer returns to claim another seven heads. Tonight is the night he is set to return to Wormwood, and as the unsuspecting teens make their way through the wilderness they wander right into town square. It's a foreboding place where bones line Main Street and the locals cower in fear of the supernatural wrath to come. Will these seven teens be able to keep their heads until the dawn sends this headless demon back to hell, or is it time for the savage specter's reign to finally come to an end? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Aaron Brown, Rebecca Mozo, (more)
After completing a three-year run on the Fox network, the sci-fi series Sliders appropriately resurfaced on cable's Sci-Fi Channel for an additional two seasons. When last we saw Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) and Maggie Beckett (Kari Wuhrer), the two sliders who had used Quinn's timing mechanism to travel to alternate worlds and universes throughout the time-space continuum, they had been hurtled centuries into the future. As the series' fourth season begins, Maggie and Quinn have reached his home earth, now in the thrall of the Kromaggs, a fascistic race of warrior sliders. As for the other former series regulars, prof. Arturo was killed near the end of season three, and Wade Wells has been shipped off to a Kromagg breeding camp; only Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks) is able to link up with Quinn and Maggie. Before long, Quinn discovers that his own parents had been sliders from a different world, and that he has been implanted with a microdot that will enable him to locate a powerful weapon capable of wiping out the Kromagg. As icing on the cake, this microdot will also ultimately reunite Quinn with his long-lost brother, Colin (Charlie O'Connell), who upon being rescued joins sliders Quinn, Maggie, and Cleavant in their quest to topple the Kromagg and save their world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Cleavant Derricks, (more)
The first season of The Invisible Man begins as lifelong criminal and chiseler Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca), facing life imprisonment courtesy of the "three strikes you're out" law, agrees to be paroled in the custody of his scientist brother Kevin (David Burke), who is conducting secret invisibility experiments on behalf of a shadowy (and perennially underfunded) government agency called--well, The Agency. No sooner has Kevin planted a quicksilver-filled "invisibility gland" in Darien's neck than terrorists burst in and murder the hapless scientist. As a result, Darien is left with the awkward gland permanently grafted to his person, enabling him to disappear from view whenever he becomes terribly frightened (which is often!). Unfortunately, Darien now faces the likelihood of succumbing to "Quicksilver Madness" unless he is regular injected with a temporary antidote by gorgeous government scientist Claire Keeply, aka The Keeper (Shannon Kenny). Thus, Darien is in no position to refuse an offer from The Agency's head man The Official (Eddie Jones) to use his invisibility on behalf of the United States' counterespionage activities--if he had refused, the antidote doses would have been immediately cut off (and of course there would have been no series). In the course of Season One, reluctant spy Darien is teamed with slovenly, neurotic veteran agent Bobby Howes (Paul Ben-Victor) and is regularly menaced by the sinister Chrysalis organization, whose minions include terrorists Arnaud DeThiel (Joel Bissonette) and Jarod Stark (Spencer Garrett). Darien also faces the danger of sudden exposure whenever a severe change in temperature renders him visible at the most inopportune moments. Season highlights included the poignant episode "Ralph", in which Darien pretends to be the imaginary friend of a little girl traumatized by witness an assassination; "Impetus", wherein Darien's troubles are doubled when he contacts a disease that causes rapid aging; "Liberty and Larceny", guest-starring Priscilla Barnes as Darien's criminal mentor Liz, who hopes to use his invisibility to her advantage; and "Ghost of a Chance" in which Darien poses as a ghost in order to persuade a South American prime minister to vote against a dangerous weapons system--only to face extermination at the hands of a real ghost! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Ventresca, Shannon Kenny, (more)
A routine mission to protect a contentious princess devolves into a seriously warped space adventure in this full-length animated comedy featuring the voices of Stephen Root, Jenny McCarthy, and John Melendez. Chode and his crew are safeguarding a royal pain in the backside when a team of indestructible clown assassins and insanely horny housewives send things spiraling out of control. Now, as a time-traveling assassin threatens to transform a boozy birthday party into a blood-soaked crime scene, it's up to Gus, Six, T'nuk, Whip, and Bob to ensure that their tempestuous charge arrives at her intended destination in one piece. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenny McCarthy, Stephen Root, (more)
This horror film focuses on a rogue weapons research scientist who, after losing his project to a shut-down by the American military, sets up camp in the Belzan forest of Chechnya. A team of hardcore Deltas are making their way through the wilderness to find the doctor's lab before the Russians do, but they're confronted by unanticipated terror when they run up against the scientist's project: a massive cloud of bloodthirsty bats. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Chokachi, Michael Jace, (more)
In 1923, after acclaimed director Cecil B. de Mille completed the first version of his Biblical epic The Ten Commandments, an odd event occurred that generated a wealth of speculation and mystery: de Mille - having shot on multi-million dollar sets to rival nearly anything in prior movie history - promptly traveled to the sand dunes on the California coast and buried his sets there. For nearly a century, the reasons belying this odd series of actions remained clouded in obscurity. Now, with his documentary Sands of Oblivion, filmmaker David Flores finally uncovers the truth: De Mille, it seems, acquired the majority of artifacts for the film on actual Middle Eastern burial grounds. The items included an odd prayer bowl, allegedly cursed with the spirit of Im-La-Ra - the god of chaos and fear. Certainly few other explanations could account for the devastating experiences had by the workers on the film crew - experiences that included devastating maniacal visions, sudden insanity and loss of control that led to murder. With Sands of Oblivion, Flores travels to the site of the initial burial and excavates the items once again, with a team of archaeologists, to investigate the truth behind these legendary events. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin, (more)
Two alien races have crash-landed on Earth and set out in search of the obelisk that monitors all life on the planet, and now the future fate of mankind lies in the efforts of one benevolent extraterrestrial to deactivate the device before his nemesis reaches it first. Sixty years ago, the Omega race left several ether-rods on the plane before blasting back into outer space. Now it's up to an Omegan named Jude to find those rods and deactivate the obelisk. Should he fail in his mission, malevolent Omega-cinterion Cronin will no doubt activate the device - effectively erasing all traces of mankind. As the race between the two aliens heats up and the threat of ultimate apocalypse grows, mankind remains blissfully unaware just how close to the brink they truly are. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason London, Mel Fair, (more)
Produced for the Sci-Fi Channel, this twisted variation on L. Frank Baum's classic tale follows a young girl named D.G. and her newfound friends as they embark on a wondrous adventure through the Outer Zone (O.Z.) on a mission to locate a powerful wizard known as the Mystic Man, and break the spell of the wicked sorceress Azkadellia. An ordinary girl suddenly thrust into an extraordinary world, D.G. (Zooey Deschanel) arrives on the Outer Zone prepared to follow the fabled Old Road and fulfill her destiny. When D.G. discovers that the evil Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson) has cast an oppressive spell over the Outer Zone, she enlists the aid of half-brained eccentric Glitch (Alan Cumming), kindly-but-cowardly beast Raw (Raoul Trujillo), and heartbroken former lawman Cain (Neil McDonough) in seeking out the wisdom of the fabled Mystic Man (Richard Dreyfuss) who lives at the end of the Old Road. With the future of the Outer Zone hanging in the balance, this adventurous group ventures down a perilous road that will find them doing battle with nightmarish flying monkey bats and Azkadellia's malevolent henchmen as they attempt to break a spell with the power to destroy them all. Perhaps before their journey is over, D.G. and her new friends will discover a few things that they never even knew about themselves as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zooey Deschanel, Neal McDonough, (more)
A man is forced to overcome his lifelong fear of snakes in order to protect his town from a mythical serpent that is growing at an alarming rate and swallowing up anything and anyone who happens to cross its slithering path. Les Daniels was just a young boy when his father was bitten and killed by an extremely poisonous snake. Years, later, Lee is still petrified of snakes. When Lee's brother inadvertently releases an extremely deadly serpent that was feared by ancient cultures, the one person with the power to defeat the creature is the same one who fears it most. Now trapped in a terrifying situation and forced to confront his painful past, Lee boldly sets up to stop the Meg Snake before it's too late. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Shanks, Siri Baruc, (more)
Planet Earth has been rendered inhabitable due to decades of toxic pollution and ecological disaster, and as a brave team of scientists venture out into space in search of a new home, they discover that the only habitable planet in range is home to a carnivorous, man-eating mutant. Mankind has abused their planet beyond the point of no repair, and now Mother Nature is wheezing out her final, strained death rattle. Perhaps if space explorers could just find a planet with a similar atmosphere to Earth, there would be hope for mankind yet. Upon landing on a planet lush with abundant foliage, it appears as if the human race will indeed continue on. But the deadly secret lurking just beneath this otherworldly paradise is enough to make their scorched home planet look like an island resort. Suddenly forced to choose between returning to a dying planet or fighting for their lives in the farthest reaches of space, the crew struggles to make a decision as the ranks begin to thin and hope starts to dwindle. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Patrick Flanery, David Sparrow, (more)
On the twentieth anniversary of the cult sci-fi hit Highlander, the legend is reborn in a new trilogy that follows Immortal Highlander Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) on his journey to discover the origin of the first Immortal and unlock the secret source of eternal life. As the world crumbles to chaos and the city falls down all around him, MacLeod's memories drift back to the time he spent with his one true love. Later, when MacLeod comes into contact with a close-knit band of Immortals that include the mysterious Methos and mortal Watcher Joe Dawson, the group sets out on a mission to uncover the secret that has eluded his people for centuries. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Peter Wingfield, (more)
The serine waters of Lake Placid stir once again in this sequel that finds laid-back Sheriff James Riley (John Schneider) teaming with an inquisitive Fish and Wildlife Agent (Sarah LaFleur), a quick-triggered big game hunter (Sam McMurray), and his intuitive guide (Joe Holt) to investigate suspicions that another killer crock may be on the loose in the rural community. Two years ago, a pair of thirty foot-long prehistoric crocodiles terrorized the residents of Lake Placid. While most of the locals assumed that the nightmare had ended when the murderous creatures were killed, local crocodile lover Sadie (Cloris Leachman) knows that the truth is far more terrifying. Beneath the surface of Lake Placid, the remaining predators have been quietly reproducing, awaiting the moment they will emerge from the water and cement their status on the top of the food chain. Now, as Sheriff Riley's rebellious teenage son (Shad Collins) departs for a relaxing lakeside camping trip, the desperate father realizes the danger that lies beneath the surface and races to confront a prehistoric predator that won't stop until it's consumed every last local. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Schneider, Cloris Leachman, (more)
An invisible, shape-shifting extraterrestrial has invaded a Russian nuclear power plant with the aim of causing international chaos, and now the only hope for the human race lies in one tough soldier. When Lieutenant Sean Lamber (Oliver Gruner) learns that the alien's aim is to bring about a devastating nuclear winter, he makes it his personal mission to prevent the extraterrestrial menace from executing its diabolical plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Gruner, Roger R. Cross, (more)
