Wil Wheaton

Hollywood meets Bollywood in director Lorraine Senna's Pygmalion-like tale of a Tinseltown hanger-on who attempts to transform a Himalayan village belle into an A-list American celebrity. Having recently arrived in America to discover the man she was arranged to marry is far from the man of her dreams, Himalayan girl Shalini (Namrata Singh Gujral) sets out to seek her fortune in a foreign land where anything seems possible. Little does Shalini realize that southern-bred west-coast import Rob (Brad Raider) is attempting to make a name for himself in show-business, and has recently been challenged by the CEO of a Hollywood management company (Beau Bridges) pluck a superstar out of thin air. Now, as Shalini becomes Shelley and Rob does his best to school the culturally inquisitive beauty in the ways of Western society, the opportunity to see the world from an entirely different perspective prompts both to reevaluate their lives as love begins to blossom and the quest for fame takes a back seat to romance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Set the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, December focuses on five prep-school students (Wil Wheaton, Balthazar Getty, Brian Krause, Jason London and Chris Young) who are of enlistment age. Though encouraged by their headmaster to enter the army, the boys are wary of battle, and discuss the pros and cons of the situation. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Damion Dietz directed this low-budget indie comedy set in the Los Angeles suburb of Hope Springs, where Destiny Rutt (Stephanie Orff) enters a local beauty contest -- revealing her true feelings about this in voice-over. Unemployed gay slacker Scott (director Dietz) arrives in town and lands a job as Jesus, promoting the local Christian bookstore. Destiny is destined to meet Scott, and when it happens, he's overjoyed to find someone who believes his lies. This film was shown at Outfest '98 in Los Angeles. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

It is doubtful that while acting in D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation back in 1914, Lillian Gish ever dreamed that seven decades later she'd be co-starring with a cute dog in something called Hambone and Hillie. It all begins at a busy airport, where octogenarian Hillie (Gish) is accidentally separated from her beloved bow-wow Hambone. In a twinkling, Hambone and Hillie find themselves on opposite coasts of the USA. The rest of the film charts the efforts of both mistress and mutt to find each other again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When her daughter's lover begins exhibiting signs of becoming a dangerous abuser, a mother attempts to intervene. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV film, a down-and-out private eye's life is further complicated by the arrival of his estranged pre-teen son. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

This comedy chronicles the romantic exploits of a rather stodgy young man with a traffic fetish. Even as a child Charlie Dunlap was totally fixated by freeway traffic. Charlie's biggest idol is Alan Davenport, a radio traffic reporter. As a young man, Charlie falls in love with the lively, free-spirited Amy and they become lovers the night before she leaves for college. Their relationship disintegrates during her absence and Charlie ends up moving to LA to be near the great freeways. Even his rundown apartment overlooks the freeway. Single-minded Charlie is determined to get a job working for Alan Davenport, but his efforts to get hired at Metro Traffic are thwarted by an officious employee. He goes to a neighboring cafe and there discovers Amy working as a waitress. When not working, she performs with an experimental dance troupe that stages its productions at toxic-waste dump sites. Though he wants to start up their relationship again, she tells him she has found another. Charlie ends up having a passionate affair with his landlady. Later he meets Davenport and manages to achieve his dream and become his assistant. Through it all he still longs for Amy and in the end the two do indeed come together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Fans can finally boldly go where no man has gone before with the release of Star Trek: The Next Generation -- Season One on DVD. The episodes available on these discs include "Encounter at Farpoint," "Angel One," "The Arsenal of Freedom," "The Battle," "The Big Goodbye," and more. This seven-disc box set features video transfers in 1.33:1 full frame (the original aspect ratio of the TV show). Each of these 26 episodes look better than expected with solid color patterns and dark black levels. While some grain and softness appears from time to time, overall these episodes appear very clean and pleasing to the eye. The audio is featured in Dolby Digital 2.0 along with a newly created Dolby 5.1 remix, both presented in English. The new 5.1 remix should thrill fans of the show with a multitude of new directional effects and a richer, deeper sound than the 2.0 mix. There are moments on both soundtracks where a small amount of hiss is heard (as well as distortion in the dialogue), but for their age and budget, these soundtracks are both in excellent condition. Also included on each episode are subtitles in English. Star Trek: The Next Generation -- Season One features four solid extra features: a documentary on the origins of the show titled "The Beginning"; "Selected Crew Analysis" with the cast's thoughts and recollections on the production and their characters; a "Making of a Legend" documentary, which features more interviews with the cast, crew, and makers of the series; and "Memorable Missions," which is a funny and often intriguing selection of interviews with the cast discussing their favorite moments on the series. Also included in this box set is a companion booklet with information and dates on the selected episodes from the TV show's first season. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide

This seven-disc set contains all 26 episodes from the third season of the popular science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Some of the episodes included in this set are "Evolution," "The Ensigns of Command," "The Survivors," "Who Watches the Watchers," and more. Each episode is presented in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a featurette about the changes in the show during the third season, a featurette concerning changes in the characters during the third season, a making-of featurette for some of the episodes, and cast members sharing stories about some of the episodes. This is an outstanding set from Paramount. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

While tending to the needs of an ailing young boy, Data suddenly begins acting strangely and takes over the Enterprise. Riker and O'Brien's efforts to regain control of the ship are thwarted by a force-field activited by the inexplicably hostile Data. The outcome of this crisis rests in the hands of Data's creator Noonian Soong. Written by Rick Berman, "Brothers" is a tour de force for Brent Spiner, who plays both Data and Soong, as well as a third character named Lore. The episode originally aired October 13, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having at last been accepted into the Starfleet Academy, Wesley Crusher is invited on the eve of his departure to accompany Captain Picard on an important mission to Pentaurus Five. Alas, they are forced to make an emergency landing, in the course of which Picard is seriously injured. It is up to Wesley -- no longer a boy, not yet a man -- to save Picard's life and extricate himself and the Captain from their deadly dilemma. Co-scripted by Kasey Arnold-Ince and Jeri Taylor, "Final Mission" premiered November 24, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide