MEN IN BLACK-SUPERBIT (DVD/WS 1.85/DD 5.1/DTS/ENG-FR-SP-PO-CH-KO-TH-SUB) DVD

Men in Black
For his fifth effort as a feature-film director, one-time cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld brought his cartoonish visual style and darkly humorous sensibilities to this adaptation of, appropriately enough, a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi comic book. Will Smith stars as James Darrel Edwards, a New York City cop with an athletic physique and a flippant, anti-authoritarian attitude toward law enforcement. After chasing down a mysterious perpetrator one night who turns out to be an alien, James is recruited by "K" (Tommy Lee Jones), a veteran of a clandestine government agency secretly policing the comings and goings of aliens on planet Earth. Nicknamed the "men in black" for their nondescript uniform of black suit, shoes, tie, and sunglasses, the agents are assigned to recover a bauble that's been stolen by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio). It seems the item is none other than the galaxy itself, and its theft has plunged humanity into the center of what's shaping up to become an interstellar war, unless K and his new wisecracking partner, now renamed "J," can stop the bad guy. On their side but somewhat in the dark is a pretty, unflappable city medical examiner (Linda Fiorentino) who has been zapped one too many times by K's ingenious memory-sapping device. Men in Black was a box office smash, inspiring an animated children's television series and a hit soundtrack album that featured a performance by star (and rapper) Smith. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Cast Tommy Lee Jones as K Will Smith as J Linda Fiorentino as Laurel Vincent D'Onofrio as Edgar Rip Torn as Zed Tony Shalhoub as Jeebs

Crew Thomas A. Duffield - Art Director Steven R. Molen - Associate Producer Debra Zane - Casting David Rubin - Casting Graham Place - Co-producer Mary Vogt - Costume Designer John Cameron - First Assistant Director Barry Sonnenfeld - Director Eric Brevig - Second Unit Director Jim Miller - Editor Steven Spielberg - Executive Producer Danny Elfman - Composer (Music Score) David Leroy Anderson - Makeup Rick Baker - Makeup Special Effects Robert W. Welch III - Production Designer Don Peterman - Cinematographer Laurie MacDonald - Producer Walter Parkes - Producer Sean Haworth - Set Designer Patrick M. Sullivan, Jr. - Set Designer Marco Rubeo - Set Designer Lawrence Hubbs - Set Designer Cheryl Carasik - Set Designer Industrial Light & Magic - Special Effects Peter Kurland - Sound/Sound Designer Ed Solomon - Screen Story Ed Solomon - Screenwriter James Murray - Puppeteer Howard Berger - Puppeteer Steven Sherman - Puppeteer Earl C. Ellis, Jr. - Puppeteer Greg Williams - Puppeteer Tim Blaney - Puppeteer Carl Johnson - Puppeteer Leonard MacDonald - Puppeteer Richard Galinson - Puppeteer Terri Hardin - Puppeteer Robin Howard - Puppeteer John Lundberg - Puppeteer Drew Massey - Puppeteer Todd Mattox - Puppeteer Clint Richards - Puppeteer Steven Ritz - Puppeteer Doug Seymore - Puppeteer Rico Topazio - Puppeteer Bill Bryan - Puppeteer Paul Berg - Puppeteer Mike Elizalde - Puppeteer Erich Fiedler - Puppeteer Len Levitt - Puppeteer Ed Alonzon - Puppeteer Bart Mixon - Puppeteer Jurgen Heimann - Puppeteer Mark Setrakian - Puppeteer Brad Abrell - Puppeteer Thom Fountain - Puppeteer Tim Ralston - Puppeteer Wayne Toth - Puppeteer Allan Trautman - Puppeteer

Men in Black
Because of its extensive ad campaign and huge box-office grosses, some viewers may be surprised at the comparatively small scale of this fun little science-fiction comedy. In fact, most of the reason the film works as well as it does is not the special-effects aspect, which is relatively modest, but the chemistry between its two leads. Tommy Lee Jones' wonderful deadpan delivery works as a perfect counterpoint to Will Smith's often frantic energy, and both actors are a joy to watch. The alien monsters are mostly of the cute and cuddly variety, making it more suitable for children than most violent alien epics of recent years, and it's so much fun that it's one of the rare films which actually raises hopes for a sequel. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
 

Cheryl Carasik: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated) Danny Elfman: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Musical or Comedy Score (nominated) David Leroy Anderson: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Makeup (winner) Rick Baker: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Makeup (winner) Robert W. Welch III: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated)

Golden Globe, Best Picture - Musical or Comedy (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish, Por, KO, TH, Canto Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DTS: Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1) Additional Features: cc Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video Widescreen presentation Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), English DTS Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Thai Scene selections DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: PG13 DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 98 min Part of Series: Superbit Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Start 2. Illegal Aliens 3. James Edwards 4. Edgar 5. Kay Takes Over 6. Jeebs 7. Simple Tests 8. Casablanca & Coffee 9. Customs & Gadgets 10. Agent Jay 11. In Grave Danger 12. Mr. & Mrs. Redgick 13. Interviewing Beatrice 14. At the Morgue 15. Little Dude & Big Dude 16. Girl He Left Behind 17. Exodus 18. A Weapon for Jay 19. Jewelry Store 20. Discharging His Weapon 21. Politics Specialist 22. Orion's Belt 23. Edgar at the Morgue 24. Deliver the Galaxy 25. The Little Red Button 26. Chapter 26 27. Edgar Sheds His Skin 28. Woman in Black