DVD

Independence Day
A group of intrepid humans attempts to save the Earth from vicious extraterrestrials in this extremely popular science-fiction adventure. Borrowing liberally from War of the Worlds, Aliens, and every sci-fi invasion film inbetween, director Roland Emmerich and producer and co-writer Dean Devlin present a visually slick, fast-paced adventure filled with expensive special effects and large-scale action sequences. The story begins with the approach of a series of massive spaceships, which many on Earth greet with open arms, looking forward to the first contact with alien life. Unfortunately, these extraterrestrials have not come in peace, and they unleash powerful weapons that destroy most of the world's major cities. Thrown into chaos, the survivors struggle to band together and put up a last-ditch resistance in order to save the human race. As this is a Hollywood film, this effort is led by a group of scrappy Americans, including a computer genius who had foreseen the alien's evil intent (Jeff Goldblum), a hot-shot jet pilot (Will Smith), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman). While some critics objected to the film's lack of originality and lapses in logic, the combination of grand visual spectacle and crowd-pleasing storytelling proved irresistable to audiences, resulting in an international smash hit. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

The Abyss
The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Cast Will Smith as Capt. Steven Hiller Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson Mary McDonnell as Marilyn Whitmore Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson Margaret Colin as Constance Spano Ed Harris as Bud Brigman Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Lindsey Brigman Michael Biehn as Lt. Coffey Leo Burmeister as Catfish De Vries Todd Graff as Alan "Hippy" Carnes Kimberly Scott as Lisa "One Night" Standing John Bedford Lloyd as "Jammer" Willis J.C. Quinn as "Sonny" Dawson Capt. Kidd Brewer Jr. as Lew Finier George Robert Klek as Wilhite Chris Murphy as Seal Schoenick Adam Nelson as Ensign Monk Richard Warlock as Dwight Perry Jimmie Ray Weeks as Leland McBride J. Kenneth Campbell as DeMarco Ken Jenkins as Gerard Kirkhill

Crew Russell Christian - Art Director Peter Childs - Art Director Joseph C. Nemec III - Art Director Howard Feuer - Casting Deborah Everton - Costume Designer James Cameron - Director Howard Smith - Editor Joel Goodman - Editor Conrad Buff - Editor Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score) Lee Orloff - Musical Direction/Supervision Kathryn Miles Kelly - Makeup Leslie Dilley - Production Designer Charles Skouras III - Production Designer Mikael Salomon - Cinematographer Dennis Skotak - Cinematographer Charles Skouras III - Production Manager Gale Anne Hurd - Producer Anne Kuljian - Set Designer Thomas D. Wilkins - Set Designer Andrew Precht - Set Designer Gershon Ginsburg - Set Designer David Kirk - Special Effects Joe Unsinn - Special Effects Scott E. Anderson - Special Effects Gene Warren, Jr. - Special Effects Roberto Viskin - Special Effects Robert Olmstead - Special Effects Matthew Yuricich - Special Effects Patrick Romano - Stunts Clay Boss - Stunts Richard Warlock - Stunts Richard Washington - Stunts Denney Pierce - Stunts Billy Oliver - Stunts Brett Jones - Stunts Alan Oliney - Stunts Michael Cassidy - Stunts Kerry Rossall - Stunts Marcia Holley - Stunts Loren Janes - Stunts Chris Columbus - Screenwriter James Cameron - Screenwriter Alex Funke - Visual Effects Supervisor Bob Beemer - Re-Recording Mixer Kevin Bartnof - Foley Artist Philip Barberio - Visual Effects Russell Christian - Art Director Peter Childs - Art Director Joseph C. Nemec III - Art Director Howard Feuer - Casting Deborah Everton - Costume Designer James Cameron - Director Howard Smith - Editor Joel Goodman - Editor Conrad Buff - Editor Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score) Lee Orloff - Musical Direction/Supervision Kathryn Miles Kelly - Makeup Leslie Dilley - Production Designer Charles Skouras III - Production Designer Mikael Salomon - Cinematographer Dennis Skotak - Cinematographer Charles Skouras III - Production Manager Gale Anne Hurd - Producer Anne Kuljian - Set Designer Thomas D. Wilkins - Set Designer Andrew Precht - Set Designer Gershon Ginsburg - Set Designer David Kirk - Special Effects Joe Unsinn - Special Effects Scott E. Anderson - Special Effects Gene Warren, Jr. - Special Effects Roberto Viskin - Special Effects Robert Olmstead - Special Effects Matthew Yuricich - Special Effects Patrick Romano - Stunts Clay Boss - Stunts Richard Warlock - Stunts Richard Washington - Stunts Denney Pierce - Stunts Billy Oliver - Stunts Brett Jones - Stunts Alan Oliney - Stunts Michael Cassidy - Stunts Kerry Rossall - Stunts Marcia Holley - Stunts Loren Janes - Stunts Chris Columbus - Screenwriter James Cameron - Screenwriter Alex Funke - Visual Effects Supervisor Bob Beemer - Re-Recording Mixer Kevin Bartnof - Foley Artist Philip Barberio - Visual Effects

Independence Day
A movie you either go with or completely resist, this cheerfully disreputable science fiction blockbuster actually has more in common with its '50s film brethren than many other modern films. Unlike their heavily dismissed follow-up effort Godzilla, Independence Day revels in its genre conventions and aliens-from-Mars clichés, not to mention its steadfast rah-rah patriotism that pervades throughout. Borrowing heavily from such films as Alien and especially Star Wars, the film has enough broad performance style and overheated exchanges to fit in nicely with the films it semi-parodies. In fact, at times, it almost feels like a product of Cold War paranoia, especially in designing its alien invaders as predators before we even get to know who they are. Director Roland Emmerich pulls out all the stops, and even if it's not to everyone's liking, you can't blame the guy for trying. An Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects, and part of the $300 million-plus box office club, though it's one of the rare blockbusters that has as many detractors as admirers. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
 

The Abyss
Turning away from the dystopias of The Terminator (1984) and Aliens (1986), James Cameron marshaled innovative special effects (and a motley crew of oil drillers) to assert that love is the answer in The Abyss (1989). Reportedly inspired by underwater footage of the recently located Titanic wreckage, Cameron decided to transfer his science-fiction-spectacle expertise to the deep sea. Shot underwater in a seven million gallon nuclear reactor tank, this extended yarn about nuclear subs, oil rig divers, and the interpersonal relations between the oddball Deepcore crew, their fearless leader Bud, his prickly almost ex-wife Lindsey, and gung-ho Navy SEALS feels authentically claustrophobic and other-worldly. The seraphic NTIs complete the sub-terrestrial wonder. Praised for its visual splendor and strong performances from Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, if not always for its plot, The Abyss was not quite the blockbuster it needed to be. But the ground-breaking, Oscar-winning special effects -- particularly the exploratory water node -- set the stage for the 1990s' explosion in CGI effects, beginning with Cameron's molten-metal T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Despite The Abyss's warm message about marital bonds, Cameron and producer-wife Gale Anne Hurd split during production. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
 

Disc Title: Independence Day - People Awards: Bill W. Benton: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Bob Beemer: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Chris Carpenter: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Clay Pinney: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (winner) Douglas Hans Smith: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (winner) Jeff Wexler: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Joseph Viscocil: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (winner) Volker Engel: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (winner)

Disc Title: The Abyss - People Awards: Anne Kuljian: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated) Dennis Muren: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (winner) Dennis Skotak: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (winner) Don Bassman: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Hoyt Yeatman: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (winner) John Bruno: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Visual Effects (nominated) Kevin F. Cleary: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Lee Orloff: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Leslie Dilley: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated) Mikael Salomon: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Cinematography (nominated) Mikael Salomon: American Society of Cinematographers, Best Cinematography (nominated) Richard Overton: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DDS: Dolby Digital Surround THX: THX-Certified Mastering Additional Features: cc Independence Day: Includes both the Special Edition, with 9 minutes of restored footage, plus the original theatrical version Independence Day: Anamorphic widescreen (aspect ratio 2.35:1) for both versions Independence Day: Scene-specific commentary by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin Independence Day: Commentary by Oscar-winning special effects supervisors Volker Engel and Doug Smith Independence Day: Sound - English 5.1 Dolby Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround Independence Day: Subtitles - English, Spanish The Abyss: Includes both the Special Edition, with 28 minutes of additional footage, plus the original theatrical version The Abyss: Widescreen format (aspect ratio 2.35:1) for both theatrical and special edition versions The Abyss: Commentary option for both versions (text only) The Abyss: Audio - English 5.1 Dolby Surround, English Dolby Surround The Abyss: Subtitles - English, Spanish The Abyss: DVD-ROM script & storyboard-to-screen comparison DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: PG13 DVD Discs Included: 2 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 324 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Independence Day 1. Opening Titles/July 2 2. Contact 3. At the White House 4. Approaching Earth 5. Chess Game 6. Compact Cable Chaos 7. Imperial Valley, California 8. Deployment/Def-Con 3 9. A Technical Kiss 10. Visual Range 11. The Code for Panic 12. Wake Up Call 13. Countdown to Extinction 14. Duty Calls 15. Get Out of Town 16. Trailer Camp Confrontation 17. Fighter Pilots Report 18. Strip Club 19. Nice Driving 20. Look Up the Number 21. Attempts to Communicate 22. The White House Legacy 23. The Clock Is Ticking 24. Communication Breakdown 25. Panic or Party 26. Time's Up 27. July 3 28. Battle Plans 29. First Attack 30. Two on Two 31. Canyon Chase 32. Welcome to Earth 33. Desert RV Caravan 34. The Truth Is Out There 35. Urban Survivors 36. Do You Know the Way to Area 51 37. Area 51 38. The Freak Show 39. Inside the Alien Attacker 40. Arriving With the Alien 41. In the Ruins of El Toro 42. Alien Surgery 43. Nuclear Attack 44. Rescue at El Toro 45. The First Lady's Death 46. July 4 - Solutions 47. Worldwide Plans 48. A Wedding 49. Independence Day 50. Using the Alien Attacker 51. Into the Mothership 52. Engage the Enemy 53. Adversity Makes Strange Bedfellows 54. Time for a Hero 55. Execute "Jolly Roger" 56. Victory 57. Credits 1. Opening Titles/July 2 2. Contact 3. At the White House 4. Approaching Earth 5. Chess Game 6. Compact Cable Chaos 7. Imperial Valley, California 8. Deployment/Def-Con 3 9. Visual Range 10. The Code for Panic 11. Wake Up Call 12. Countdown to Extinction 13. Duty Calls 14. Get Out of Town 15. Trailer Camp Confrontation 16. Fighter Pilots Report 17. Strip Club 18. Nice Driving 19. Look Up the Number 20. Attempts to Communicate 21. The Clock Is Ticking 22. Communication Breakdown 23. Panic or Party 24. Time's Up 25. July 3 26. Battle Plans 27. First Attack 28. Two on Two 29. Canyon Chase 30. Welcome to Earth 31. Desert RV Caravan 32. The Truth Is Out There 33. Urban Survivors 34. Do You Know the Way to Area 51 35. Area 51 36. The Freak Show 37. Arriving With the Alien 38. In the Ruins of El Toro 39. Alien Surgery 40. Nuclear Attack 41. Rescue at El Toro 42. The First Lady's Death 43. July 4 - Solutions 44. Worldwide Plans 45. A Wedding 46. Independence Day 47. Using the Alien Attacker 48. Into the Mothership 49. Engage the Enemy 50. Adversity Makes Strange Bedfellows 51. Time for a Hero 52. Execute "Jolly Roger" 53. Victory 54. Credits Side #2 -- The Abyss 1. The Abyss 2. Sinking of the Montana 3. Arrivals (Benthic Explorer) 4. Deepcore 5. Briefing 6. "Virgil, You Wiener" 7. Blowing Down 8. "You Need Me" 9. The Ring 10. Dive Briefing 11. Fluid Breathing (Beany Dip) 12. "Two and a Half Miles" 13. Search the Montana 14. Missile Compartment 15. Seeing Things 16. Newscast 17. MIRV Recovery 18. The Crane 19. What a Drag 20. Flooding 21. Cut Off From Above 22. A Dance of Light 23. "Something Not Us" 24. "Heeere's MIRV" 25. Some Huevos 26. "We Could Get Lucky" 27. Pseudopod 28. "Raise Your Hand" 29. Phase Three 30. Free Swim 31. Bud vs. Coffey 32. Launching Geek 33. Sub Chase 34. Drowning 35. A Matter of Death and Life 36. Deep Suit 37. Descent 38. One-Way Ticket 39. Non-Terrestrial Intelligence 40. The Writing on the Wall 41. Moderately Poor Shape 42. Back on the Air 43. The Ark 44. "We Should Be Dead" 45. Credits 1. The Abyss 2. Sinking of the Montana 3. Arrivals (Benthic Explorer) 4. Deepcore 5. Briefing 6. "Virgil, You Wiener" 7. "Willing" 8. Blowing Down 9. "You Need Me" 10. The Ring 11. Dive Briefing 12. Fluid Breathing (Beany Dip) 13. "Two and a Half Miles" 14. Search the Montana 15. Missile Compartment 16. Seeing Things 17. Newscast 18. MIRV Recovery 19. The Crane 20. What a Drag 21. Flooding 22. Cut Off From Above 23. Surveying the Damage 24. Left Behind 25. A Dance of Light 26. "Something Not Us" 27. Coffey Grinds 28. "Heeere's MIRV" 29. Some Huevos 30. "We Could Get Lucky" 31. Pseudopod 32. "Raise Your Hand" 33. Hippy's Discovery 34. Phase Three 35. Free Swim 36. Bud vs. Coffey 37. Launching Geek 38. Sub Chase 39. Drowning 40. A Matter of Death and Life 41. Deep Suit 42. Descent 43. Candles 44. One-Way Ticket 45. Non-Terrestrial Intelligence 46. "How Do You Know?" 47. The Wave 48. "Why Didn't You?" 49. Moderately Poor Shape 50. Back on the Air 51. The Ark 52. "We Should Be Dead" 53. Credits