Lisa Kay Movies

Tough Cardio Mix is one of three Firm videos released just in time for the 2001 post-holiday, resolution-making season. This intermediate-to-advanced workout, led by a variety of instructors, is a compilation of aerobic elements from previous Firm tapes: Fat Blaster, Firm Cardio, and Firm Strength. The first half uses step and box work, while the second half alternates high-impact, low-impact, and four-limb floor exercises; light weights are incorporated occasionally. The focus of every segment is on raising the heart rate; quick transitions between instructors, little time spent juggling equipment, and clear consistent cueing make this an efficient cardio workout. ~ Sarah Welsh, Rovi

Based on Helen Fielding's hugely popular novel, this romantic comedy follows Bridget (Renee Zellweger), a post-feminist, thirty-something British woman who has a penchant for alcoholic binges, smoking, and an inability to control her weight. While trying to keep these things in check and also deal with her job in publishing, she visits her parents for a Christmas party. They try to set her up with Mark (Colin Firth), the visiting son of one of their neighbors. Snubbed by Mark, she instead falls for her boss Daniel (Hugh Grant), a dashing lothario who begins to send her suggestive e-mails that soon lead to a dinner date proposition. Daniel reveals that he and Mark attended college together, during which time Mark had an affair with his fiancée. When Bridget finds Daniel cavorting with an American colleague, she decides to change her life with a new job as a TV presenter. At a dinner party, she bumps into Mark again, who expresses his affection for her; when Daniel claims he wants Bridget back, the two fight over who deserves her affections the most. Popular British performers Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, and Shirley Henderson appear in the supporting cast. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Fitness instructor Lisa Kay is your host for this exercise video, which demonstrates a routine combining aerobics and weight training for a more effective workout. The Firm: Lower Body Sculpt 1 presents a half-hour workout designed to tone legs, thighs, and buns; users can adjust the intensity level though the use of weights, and a step box can also be incorporated into the program. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An army of oversized arachnids have escaped from a top-secret military compound, leaving the citizens of a nearby city fighting for their lives in genre veteran Jeff Leroy's straight-to-video feature. When the military brings in the heavy artillery but fails to protect the terrified citizens, a horrific final solution offers a glimmer of hope despite the prospect of killing thousands of innocent civilians. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director David Moore collaborates with screenwriter Sarah Williams to explore the forbidden love that ultimately drove King Edward VIII to become the only British monarch ever to voluntarily step down from the throne. It was at a fashionable party in 1931 that Edward, Prince of Wales first met outspoken American Wallis Simpson. Though married at the time of their initial meeting, Simpson and her husband would subsequently accompany Edward to numerous parties and social gatherings. Aware of Edward's increasing infatuation with his unquestioningly faithful wife but unwilling to give up the perks that come with being in the royal inner circle, Simpson's husband willingly went along with the ruse before eventually abandoning the marriage to be with another woman. Much to the consternation of the royal family - who viewed a twice-divorced American as an improper match for the future king - Edward and Simpson would subsequently enter into a romance that was still going strong when Edward's father died in 1936. Now faced with the prospect of abandoning the woman he loves for the sake of fulfilling his royal birthright, Edward's refusal to end his relationship with Simpson was seen as a baffling and infuriating weakness driven by selfishness and recklessness by the rest of his family. Later, as Simpson is demonized by the press, the royal family, and the public at large, she offers to leave the country quietly so that Edward can assume his rightful position on the throne. But her offer had fallen on deaf ears, and on December 10, 1936 Edward renounced the throne for both himself and his descendents in order to follow his heart and be with the woman he truly loved. As a result of his decision, not one member of the royal family would attend the wedding of the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi