Description

Includes CSI Seasons 1-4 ... Read more

Description

Based on the characters and story from the best-selling book by Stephen King, The Dead Zone is unique psychological thriller that combines a rich mix of action, the paranormal and a continuing quest for justice. Johnny Smith’s life is interrupted by a near fatal car crash that leaves him in a deep comma for six years. When he regains consciousness he discovers that he now possesses amazing psychic powers - powers that allow him to see into the life of anyone he touches. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Compelling, Riveting...Yes!
I had, recently, seen brief bits of the DEAD ZONE television show and I had garnered an observation that the production, acting, special effects, and script were of a superior kind...and my main purpose/motivation for renting the DVD television premiere.

What I viewed was everything I expected and much more. The storyline/script is smartly written, with each scene vital and drawing the viewer in (i.e. you or me). The exploration of this man's coma/accident-induced powers...the untapped realm of the brain known as the "dead zone"...is explored with great imagination and emotional impact.

There was one scene that placed me in awe of the production values of this film. It involves the dead zone guy's Vietnamese doctor who, through his patient's powers, discovers that his mother is alive, not dead as the doctor had thought. In the reunion scene...a scene that will make you reach for the tissues, I have not seen in a long time a film that displayed such raw and genuine emotion (with special mention going to the actors in this scene). Just thinking about that scene makes me savor film and the power/art of film-making at its best. The exhileration of the reunion, with no dialogue whatsoever, was truly astounding. Once you see that scene, you'll know what I'm talking about (get the tissues in advance)...

I, too, cannot wait for the rest of the season to come out on DVD. And though I rented this movie, I plan to also buy it shortly.

I believe the reason this film was so effective as a pilot for the rest of the show is the directoral prowess of Michael Pillar whose ability in film production is most evident in the latter years of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Whether or not you like that latter television series, those shows, especially the 5th-7th seasons, were critically praised. Pillar's influence in the DEAD ZONE is visibly apparent. I do not know whether the rest of the series has held to the same production values, however, I have viewed several episodes that were quality-made.

This film deserves a 4.5 rating...

Great TV pilot on a DVD packed with extras for the fans
This TV series pilot movie (actually first 2 episodes of the series) is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. It is an excellent adaptation of the novel for an on-going TV series. Anthony Michael Hall shines in the role of Johnny Smith and brings a real sense of sympathy to the role. It's hard to believe you are watching a grown up "Rusty Griswold" from the "Vacation" movies.

I was happily surprised when I watched this movie and at the end it successfully makes you want more - and as a hook for a TV series its up there with pilots like that of "The Invisible Man (2000)".

This disc also has a host of extras such as commentary by the cast over the feature. They come out with a lot of interesting remarks on how long it took to film, cast changes and story changes and network interference in the plot and character outlines. There is also a look behind the scenes in a mini-documentary, TV ad spots etc.

If you enjoyed the series, or simply have heard good things about it, pick up this DVD for a superior adaptation of a Stephen King book. A very addictive primer for a great TV show.

Dead Zone Fans Beware
Warning -- If you are looking for the unaired original Dead Zone pilot episode that was offered for a short time as a bonus to those who purchased the First Season Set, do not buy this DVD.

Although this is a great DVD, it is the same first episode that is included in the First Season Set.

I purchased the first season set after the deadline for taking advantage of the offer for the bonus DVD. I really wanted to see the original unaired pilot episode and I mistakenly thought that this was it. To my dismay found that it was the 2 hour series premier that I already had on the First Season Set.
I guess this one will find its way to a friend or end up in the used bin at the video store.

If you are unfamiliar with The Dead Zone and don't want to lay out the bucks for the complete First Season Set, this DVD is an outstanding intro to the series. However, if you love the series, go for the gusto and get the set. I'm on my second viewing of the set and can't wait for the release of the Second Season Set.

Very good for a TV show
The pilot is included with the first-season DVD, so now I have two of them. The production is very good, as are the special effects, especially the scenes in Vietnam where debris is frozen in mid-air while the lead character walks through the dustry street.

The story is tight, and the writing is good. I'd like to have seen Rev. Purdy's character better explained, but I think that will make itself known in the first season, which I'm now watching.

Overall, it's a really good story and makes you think about the possibilities.

I'm glad it's a cable show, because the cable shows these days seem to do a better job at developing characters and offering something fresh and unique. That is: They aren't afraid to take chances.

I think we've all had enough reality on television that "The Dead Zone" is a welcome chance to walk on the other side.

Stephen King's novel is turned into a pretty good TV series
"The Dead Zone" is one of my favorite Stephen King novels and I have taught it a couple of times in class because of the way in which the series of events persuade Johnny Smith to do what he does at the end. It is also one of the best Stephen King books to recommend to people who do not like Stephen King books (i.e., monsters and scary things). The 1983 movie version of "The Dead Zone" was one of my least favorite Stephen King movies, mainly because I thought the casting of Christopher Walken as Johnny was a mistake; Johnny has to be more of an ordinary guy in extraordinary circumstances, and nobody can ever mistake Walken for ordinary. Anyhow, the idea of turning "The Dead Zone" into a television series instantly appealed to me, because the premise of the character and the episodic nature of the novel, both lent themselves to such an adaptation.

The premise is fairly simple. Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall) is a high school teacher who has some minor psychic abilities as a result of a childhood accident. One night, after a fun date with his fiancé, Sarah (Nicole de Boer), Johnny is in a car accident. He wakes up six years later to find his perfect life is gone and that now, when he touches someone, he gets intense psychic images that serve as warnings of back things happening. With great power comes great responsibility and Johnny tries to use his gift to help.

There are some problems with this movie that serves as the pilot for "The Dead Zone" television series, but creators Michael and Shawn Piller come up with several significant changes from the novel that serve as a solid foundation for the first season and beyond. This television pilot is actually the first two episodes thrown together (for distribution as a movie if the series was not sold), with the first hour devoted to establishing Johnny's new situation and the second to the serial killer story from the novel. The main problem is that there are several instances where things get a bit rushed: Johnny wakes up in the hospital and Dr. Tran (Rick Tae) IMMEDIATELY tells him that he has been in a coma for six years. Dr. Tran wants to wait to tell Johnny that his mother died and his fiancé got married during those six years, but the whole six years of your life gone in an instance he hits this guy with right away. Similarly, in terms of everything that Sarah has to tell him he picks up on in flash when he touches her and even the wall that exists between Johnny and Sarah's husband Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno) does not last long in the second hour of the show. Also, if you want to have fun nitpicking, Johnny would have known about O.J. Fortunately, while the serial killer plot gets resolved in the second hour, as dictated by the USA network, the series did go on to take its time with Greg Stillson.

What outweighs these problems are some of the changes the brothers Piller made in the elements of the novel. First, on their fun date Johnny and Sarah produced a child, which gives the characters an unavoidable link and another aspect to the new love triangle. Second, related to that, is the idea to back Sarah's husband Sheriff Bannerman (this raises a question: will Johnny warn Walt about Cujo?), which adds another layer of complexity to the love triangle because Walt the husband and Bannerman the sheriff have different relationships with Johnny under different circumstances. Third, Johnny's parents are now out of the picture and in their place is the Reverend Gene Purdy (David Ogden Stiers), the beneficiary of Vera Smith's money and a powerful figure with a continuing interest in Johnny, an interest that exists on multiple levels and cannot really be pinned down. Fourth, Johnny Smith now has a sidekick, Bruce Lewis (John L. Adams), his physical therapist, and the first true believer. This allows the writers to give Johnny someone to talk to instead of finding ways to get Johnny to think out loud all of the time.

Fifth, picking up from the theatrical version, when Johnny has his visions we see him there, in the setting. An extension of this, taken from the novel, is that Johnny unconsciously mimics the person he is seeing, talking their language. This works very well with the subplot involving Dr. Tran, who is the updated version of Dr. Weizak (a nice move, both in terms of the updating and in terms of the new resolution to the question of Tran's mother). This also provides the director to come up with some stunning set pieces as everyone freezes and Johnny walks through the moment paying attention to the details (it looks like he is walking through a Matrix-like CGI shot, but it is simply done for the most part). But there are some equally impressive effects created during Johnny's visions by cutting back and forth between now and then, or by doing reverse shots from two different locations. Consequently, "The Dead Zone" has a visual style that makes for some nice examples of creativity in filming a television show.

The second hour does a nice job of establishing the rules of the game here in terms of how Johnny gets flashes of the future, but that it is a future that can be changed: you taken one moment out of the string of life and everything changes. This becomes a very workable premise for a television series, with the story of a real life superhero, on to which we throw all the interpersonal angst of Johnny's relationships. It would have been nice to have seen what this show would have done if they had been allowed to take their time with these initial story threads, but being rushed by the network seems a small price to pay if it means getting the series on the air. As a TV pilot this 2002 version of "The Dead Zone" is not perfect, but it does a very good job of establishing a solid foundation for a pretty good television series.

Final Note: If you pick up the first season of "The Dead Zone" on DVD you get the TV pilot as the first two episodes, but you do not get the commentary (which is split in half) that appears on this particular DVD. ... Read more

Description

Stephen Dorff and Reese Witherspoon are slacker teens who discover that fame can be a four-letter word in this raucous send-up of the cult of celebrity. Featuring "hilarious moments" (Movieline), "brash drama" (Los Angeles Times) and an ending that "packs all the wit and satirical edge [you] could hope for" (Entertainment Today), S.F.W. is a cult classic…to swear by. Held captive for 36 days by terrorists who broadcast their ordeal live on network news, Cliff (Dorff) and Wendy (Witherspoon) have become national idols whose words are parroted by the masses. But when they finally escape, only to be hounded by reporters and sold out by "friends," TV's most popular hostages realize they're still prisoners--this time, of the media--and the only place left to run...is to each other. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Yeah
This film was unreal. It really captured the whole essence of media well.

The person below me fails to realise that this film has many characures. Most of them aren't supposed to make sense. And if you look at how he acted in the hostage situation you are missing the point.

He isn't supposed to be a hero. He did nothing heroic of any sort.

>>what is the deal with the guys smashing the room up for no >>reason

They are doing it for no reason, for gratification. That is the point, they don't care about the conseqences. He just got out of a hostage room and he wanted to go crazy. My friends have often talked about smashing TV's (ala 'Fight for your right to party' filmclip) and how cool it would be. It's the same thing.

>>then stephen dorf is completely sober in the next scene?

Ummm, he never was drunk.

>>why does jake busey pull a gun out so fast?

Okay you got me. I could never figure out why they were good friends with him, he didnt seem like a good guy at all.

>>what is the deal with the mayor? he woulda killed dorf for making a fool out of him.

Oh yeah, killed him in front of hundreds of people. What do you mean by that exactly? He wouldnt have wanted to draw any extra attention to himself.

Don't take the story or the charcters too seriously. The message is what this film is about, once you understand that you can then see why the story and acting is what it is, to make this come accross. The story is about the Media, America's obsession with celebrities and most importantly, the way that Cliff Spab doesn't have a love of his life, so he is free to enjoy it, and live it.

Every scene and everything has a purpose. And as far as Dorff swearing too much that is ridiculous. First of all they dont swear as much as in Clerks. Second in private its not that bad, in public in front of the people he swears just as much, which is maybe what you are talking about. But that is the point, he doesn't care.

And he swears a lot in the flashback scenes. I would be too if I had a camera and a gun pointed at me for 36 days.

A Big Mess!
I've seen this movie three times and I still don't understand it. This film is incredibly boring ( and I love Stephen Dorff! ), you'd have to to even sit through this for one minute. I like Reese too but they couldn't save this film. It flashes back and forth which is sickening. The movie itself is stifling. The flashbacks were the best part which had me wondering why the filmmakers didn't just show the hostage situation instead of making the film on the " aftermath " of it. Cliff Spab has to be the most boring character I've seen. He goes on and on about nothing. This character didn't showcase Stephen's true talents. All Spab did was smoke, have sex and complain about his little pathetic life yet you saw no true emotions from the guy. This movie is full of bad words, lackluster acting and nothing to show for it. Contrary to popular belief this is not Stephen's best work. If you think this you must not have seen Blade, Backbeat or The Power of One. S.F.W. sucked.

So, **cking, good
this one has Stephen Dorff(Blade and Cecil B. Demented) as a cocky and sort of a hero for a while guy...that's basically it until it gets good... Dorff is over the top and great and Reese Witherspoon(OVernight Delivery and Cruel Intentions) is always sweet and great.

My fav movie of all time
I love this movie. Its an independant/cult film about a guy who is held hostage and becomes a hero by saving himself and one other person. The fame is a little overwhelming and he lashes out a bit until the next person comes in for there 15 minutes of fame. Out of all of Stephen Dorff's film this is my favorite. The character of Cliff Spab seems genuine and honest in how he expresses himself. Yes, he's extremly charming and cocky but you get the underlying messge from the film overall. I am so glad its finally out on DVD.

A good movie
Overall a good movie, with a very good message. Although an obvious overuse of the "F" word, which tends to make one sick after the first 40 minutes. The movie seems a lot longer than it actually is. Pretty slow-paced in-between the flashback scenes, but how else could it be done? The story is well done and in-depth. The movie mocks the media and how it affects the public- a great message in my opinion. Acting is decent. Best if watched alone. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Invincible opens with a glorious display of high comic bookmelodrama, as a malevolent superbeing named Os (Billy Zane, chewing thescenery with his dependable gusto) battles it out with a force of lightcalled the White Warrior. When she opens his heart to love, Os findshimself commissioned to assemble a team of mortal human beings destinedfrom before birth to become hyperhuman protectors of life--and only theycan save the earth from the Shadowmen and their truly bad leader, Slate.It's all ridiculous, but for a while Invincible is completelyentertaining, directed with verve, visual flash (including surprisinglygood special effects and well-choreographed kung fu), and a silly buteffective script. Unfortunately, about half-way through the movie growsvisually repetitive and its good/evil scenario loses its juice, but thatfirst half was still damn fun; Zane gives trashy dialogue the trashy zestit needs. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (14)

laughable, but in a wierd way, unique
This movie was funny. The special effects are really good and the martial arts is simular to Crouching Tiger and Matrix. GREAT ACTION. But..... the acting was so corny, I thought I was watching a b-movie. The diolouge is so dumb and the story was hard to follow and fruity. It's about some tablet that falls upon earth. Some guy Slate finds it but some dude named Os battles Slate's Shadowmen and gets one half of the tablet. So now Os must gather a group of defenders and he trains them to become loveable warriors to defeat the Shadowman! While Slate tries to recover Os half of the tablet to bring upon the end of humanity! A hard to follow movie! I would of liked this film better if it were a Japanese movie. But the movie ain't a trainwreck, it just needs better direction!

Not bad for what its worth.....
Invincible is definitely not the best martial arts action film I've ever seen, but it's also far from being a bad movie. The only person in the cast I'm familiar with is Billy Zane who does an excellent job with his character. As for the rest of the cast I can't say they did a bad job, but the only reason is because I've nothing to compare their performances to. As for the plot for the movie, it wasn't half bad. As a matter of fact, I really couldn't have thought of a better setting for the movie myself.

Billy Zane gave a good performance
A film with a decent story line but the acting wsn't that good. The only one that stood out for me were Os (Billy Zane) who added charm and interest to the speech and altogether stole the show.
The fight scenes were well choreographed and decently performed, though the slow motion became rather too much after a while.
There wasn't enough action in this film, or if there was there was way too much sitting and talking inbetween. The part where Os is telling the elements how Slate will try to trick them and that they musn't hate him for this lingered on a little too long leaving me quite bored at the end of it.
The characters Os and Slate where well introduced at the beginning making it pretty simple to go along with though the elements weren't actually properly introduced although it was quite easy to see who they were anyway.
Altogether I think this film could have done with a little less talking and had more action in. Billy Zane gave a good performance which added more interest to the film and made me want to keep watching. If the other actors had given as good as performance as him, then the film would have been of much higher standard.

Painful
I cannot say enough bad things about this movie. I thought the fact that Billy Zane was the main character would be enough to make it a good movie. If I had any doubts then, they were put down by the words at the top of the case: "Produced by Jet Li and Mel Gibson." How can it be a bad movie? THEY FOUND A WAY! This just goes to prove that you can't judge a book by its cover. I never liked the Power Rangers. Why would grown men, all of whom are famous actors, want their names associated with a movie like this?

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers meets Touched By an Angel
Funny story: I didnt mean to rent this. I had heard about this cool movie, something with a one-word title, but knew absolutely nothing about it. So while walking down the aisle Invincible caught my eye and I was sure it was the one I'd heard about. I dont want my money back, because I believe people must pay for their mistakes. What I do wish I had back was the two hours I wasted. The movie I'd intended to rent was Equilibrium.

Billy Zane is Os, an evil demon-like guy turned into a good guy. When Os turned good he went bald, but thats ok; apparently when youre bad you're compelled to wear Liza Minelli's castoff wigs, so he got the better end of the deal. The end of the world is coming and Os has to train 4 superhumans to help him stop it. The fact that they have birthmarks shaped like temporary henna tattoos has never seemed unusual to them; the fact they all have the same one seems even less so. These 4 include the cocky but charming australian; the tough-as-nails lesbian cop; the asian kung fu master; and the angry black man. Being superhuman has taught the other 3 martial arts, but the angry black man never gets past the boxing stage; I'd call this stereotyping if they didnt turn stereotyping on its head by having him use classic WWF moves like the pile driver and body slam. When they're fighting together they pose as if a photographer from Black Belt magazine is just out of sight. There's so much Go Team! and high-fiving that I expected them at any moment to join hands and form Voltron (believe me, if that'd happened my review would have been much better) or whatever it is the Power Rangers do. The Christian message of love and redemption is pounded into your brain from beginning to end, which is laudable but certainly gets old quickly (of course, any fundamentalist worth his pillar of salt would blast this movie as having a little too much witchcraft-type stuff in it. So be it). The ending is predictably bad.

In short: the dialogue isnt cheesy-bad, it's just plain old bad. The action is blurry, dark, and ordinary, with lots of slow motion. The special effects arent very special. The message is overemphasized. This movie is bad. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great if you don't own season 1 already
This is a Canadian release that I bought about 3 months before the complete season 1 was released (after which I had to find the Canadian release of the Early Cases vol. 2 to get the rest of season 1). As for the sound issue someone brought up, remember that this is only a Dolby Digital 2.0 recording, not a 5.1 like season 2. Therefore, you will really enhance your listening experience if you add a digital audio receiver with optical input and then listen to the episodes in Dolby ProLogic or ProLogic II. When I watch in PL II, I experience none of the problems you have encountered.

I think I know.....
I stumbled upon this item looking for information on the 3rd Season release. I've searched around on other sites and *apparently* this DVD set is the first 12 episodes of Season 1. It *apparently* is a Canadian release, but who knows. All I know is if you own the Season 1 set, don't buy this. Mind you, all this is second hand info, but I found it on a site I trust. I myself don't own this set, I do own the 1st & 2nd Season sets, though, and HIGHLY recommend them. Hope this helps.

Help Please?
Sooooo..... is this part of CSI the series? If so, where does it fit in? Is it a single DVD that's got stuff that's part of what's been released in a set, is it something completely different? ...I'm a bit confused and don't want to buy it if I'm going to get stuff that's already in the complete series set.

Anyone out there know?

Great show, really bad sound
My sister bought CSI: Early Cases. I'm watching the second episode right now. The show itself is great fun to watch, although I did have to get through the whole "it doesn't really work that way" thing (husband and dad are cops, friend is CSI).
My problem with this set is that the sound varies wildly in volume. Anything with music is too loud, anything with speech is too soft. There is no happy medium. I've been watching it with the subtitles on (a nice feature) because the sound is so bad.
The video looks good, but I probably wouldn't buy this for myself and I sure won't be buying the full series until I find out if the sound is better. ... Read more