DVD Warehouse : VHS : Featured Categories

Shop Categories

...VHS

Schoolhouse Rock! - Grammar Rock

Walt Disney Video

There are two types of Schoolhouse Rock fans. Type A: those who--inspired in the '70s and '80s by "Conjunction Junction" and "Interjections!"--went on to become grammar gurus, copyeditors, and computational linguists. And type B: those who--less inspired by grammar than by catchy refrains--can still sing lines that today sound less than P.C.:
Though Geraldine played hard to get (uh huh),
Geraldo knew he'd woo her yet.
He showed his affection,
Despite her objection,
And Geraldine hollered some interjections!
(Geraldo, if you'll recall, is a goat.) No matter. Both kinds of fans will enjoy revisiting these Saturday-morning shorts--and hopefully this video will find its way into classrooms, to boot. Clever teachers who grew up on this stuff will know how to make Schoolhouse Rock fans (ideally of type A) out of the next generation, too. --Erik Macki
Beauty and the Beast (A Walt Disney Classic)

Walt Disney Home Video
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Walt Disney's Masterpiece)

Walt Disney Home Video

One of the brightest nuggets from Disney's golden age, this 1937 film is almost dizzying in its meticulous construction of an enchanted world, with scores of major and minor characters (including fauna and fowl), each with a distinct identity. When you watch Snow White's intricate, graceful movements of fingers, arms, and head all in one shot, it is not the technical brilliance of Disney's artists that leaps out at you, but the very spirit of her engaging, girl-woman character. When the wicked queen's poisoned apple turns from killer green to rose red, the effect of knowing something so beautiful can be so terrible is absolutely elemental, so pure it forces one to surrender to the horror of it. Based on the Grimm fairy tale, Snow White is probably the best family film ever to deal, in mythic terms, with the psychological foundation for growing up. It's a crowning achievement and should not be missed. --Tom Keogh
The Lion King (A Walt Disney Masterpiece)

Walt Disney Home Video
Nobody's Fool (1994)

Paramount

"Worn to perfection" is the tag line promoting this crafted character study. It describes Paul Newman, the resourceful 70-year-old lead actor, but not his character, Sully, a North Bath, New York, loner who totally emulates the negative definition of the title. Newman gives a brilliant performance (Oscar-nominated and winner of two critics circle awards) relying on his well-honed subtleties. The dramatics are simple: the return of his son (Dylan Walsh) and grandson, offering a chance to reconcile; odd jobs for a construction company he's trying to sue for an injury; and a comedic grudge match against the owner (a reserved Bruce Willis). North Bath is the kind of place, wrapped in winter (beautifully shot by John Bailey), where enemies are friends, marriages are shaky, and Hawaii is only a state of mind. This "town drama" of a blue-collar America offers the patient filmgoer a rich and rewarding experience. Another small gem from writer-director Robert Benton (Places in the Heart). --Doug Thomas
Schoolhouse Rock! - Multiplication Rock

Walt Disney Video
The Original Buns of Steel

Warnervision/Maier Group
Workout: Staring Jane Fonda, original 1982

Karl Video

Jane Fonda's Workout Video copyrighted 1982. This video is hard to find and has been out of print for a while. This VHS features a complete two part course: Beginner--30 minutes and Advanced--60 minutes. The back of the video has all the information you will need to get started. Also, you will find 9 tips you should follow to get the results you want. And at the last of the notes you are advised to eat nutritious and all natural foods. This is her original tape. It's an exercise program based on her best-selling book. A 30-minute beginner's program and a 60-minute advanced session is included.
Sleeping Beauty (Fully Restored Limited Edition) (Walt Disney's Masterpiece)

Walt Disney Home Video

Disney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Things almost but not quite turn out that way, thanks to the assistance of some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. It's not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here. And Malificent's castle, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. --David Kronke
Tae-Bo Workout (4 Pack: Basic, Instructional, Advanced, 8-minute Workout)

Ventura Distribution

Billed as the "future of fitness" and hawked by numerous celebrities, Billy Blanks's Tae-Bo actually deserves much of the hype it's receiving. A mixture of boxing punches and martial arts kicks, Tae-Bo is fun and easy. One of the best elements of this four-tape set is that the first tape (which is 40 minutes long), Tae-Bo: Instructional, lays out the movements you need to successfully complete a workout. Once you've mastered the steps, you won't have to fast-forward through half the tape to get to the workout, nor will your workout be slowed down by the repeated lessons. After you feel comfortable with the movements (and they're really quite easy to follow; nothing too complicated to trip you up), you're ready to move on to Tae-Bo: Basics, a 27-minute workout (5 minutes of warm-up, 18 minutes of Tae-Bo, and 4 minutes of cool-down) that will have your heart pounding and your body sweating. Next comes Advanced, a 57-minute workout that will have your heart racing, pulse pounding, and sweat glands working overtime. There's razzmatazz on the moves, with slightly more complicated combinations that should be fairly easy to master if you've completed the first two tapes. This video seriously raises the bar on the difficulty factor.
In addition to the short warm-up, the cool-down, and the 30 minutes of Tae-Bo, Advanced Tae-Bo also includes 18 minutes of muscle-crunching floor work. You know you're in trouble when even the guys in the tape have trouble keeping up. Make sure you have truly mastered the first two tapes before attempting this one. The 8-Minute Workout is a highly compacted workout (actually 14 minutes long when you include warm-up and cool-down) for those days when you're too short on time for Basic or Advanced. While the 8-minute idea is compelling, it's not an adequate substitute for the longer workouts. Blanks, a seven-time World Martial Arts champion, is a superb instructor, providing encouragement and careful instruction (if you don't know by the end of the tape to hold in your stomach, that's no one's fault but your own). The only downside to these tapes is the less-than-exciting music. Not only is Tae-Bo great exercise for all levels, but the punches and kicks are wonderful for working out stress and aggression. This is the aerobics exercise video for people who are bored by aerobics. --Jenny Brown
Schoolhouse Rock! - America Rock

Walt Disney Video

Once upon a time kids learned many of their school lessons in the three-minute episodes of Schoolhouse Rock. These educational cartoons came on during the commercial breaks of the less-than-edifying Saturday morning fare in the 1970s, and despite their healthy content, kids stayed glued to the screen to sing along to the somewhat psychedelic cartoons. Countless children hummed their way through social studies. The Preamble to the Constitution is much easier to remember when it's set to music. And everyone who saw the cartoon remembers how a bill becomes a law ("Oh, I'm just a bill, a lonely old bill, sitting here on Capitol Hill"). These and eight other shorts make up America Rock, a 30-minute program that will stir patriotism and teach kids a bit of history. Whether you're an adult who remembers fondly his Schoolhouse Rock days or a parent trying to help a child with school, this selection will have you singing that "knowledge is power." A bonus cartoon of "My Hero Zero," performed by the Lemonheads, is included at the end. --Jenny Brown
Sometimes a Great Notion

Universal Studios

Paul Newman, an American original, would seem to be the perfect choice to direct a film adaptation of the second novel by another American original--Ken Kesey. But Kesey's novel, written under the influence of both LSD and growing fame, was a mishmash, and Newman's film can't rescue it. It also seems strange to see the ultraliberal Newman starring as a strike-busting logger who honors a contract on principle, rather than observe union concerns, bringing all sorts of misery down on his family. Henry Fonda is interesting as Newman's father, but the film never finds its footing. One killer sequence, however: Richard Jaeckel, as Newman's brother, trapped under a log in a river, slowly drowning despite Newman's best efforts to save him. --Marshall Fine
A Town Like Alice

Starmaker Entertainment
Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Walt Disney Video
Rachel, Rachel

Warner Home Video
Lady and the Tramp

Walt Disney Video

Disney's first animated feature in CinemaScope is now available in widescreen presentations on video, and it is definitely good to get the whole picture. One of the studio's most original and charming movies, the 1955 film tells the story of a rakish, street-smart dog named Tramp, who helps an aristocratic pooch named Lady out of some trouble and then commences a romance with her. Sweet, funny scenes abound, and the combination of innocence and sophistication would have done well in a live-action picture. Peggy Lee cowrote the songs and provides the voice of the Siamese cats in one of the film's best-known musical sequences. This newly restored version spruces up both sonics and visuals, and a letterbox version is available. --Tom Keogh
Fantasia (Walt Disney's Masterpiece)

Walt Disney Home Video

Groundbreaking on several counts, not the least of which was an innovative use of animation and stereophonic sound, this ambitious Disney feature has lost nothing to time since its release in 1940. Classical music was interpreted by Disney animators, resulting in surreal fantasy and playful escapism. Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra provided the music for eight segments by the composers Tchaikovsky, Moussorgsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Bach, Dukas, and Schubert. Not all the sequences were created equally, but a few are simply glorious, such as "Night on Bald Mountain," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and "The Nutcracker Suite." The animation ranges from subtly delicate to fiercely bold. The screen bursts with color and action as creatures transmute and convention is thrust aside. The painstaking detail and saturated hues are unique to this film, unmatched even by more advanced technology. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Scarlett (Special Collector's Editon)

Hallmark

This soapy but highly watchable television "sequel" to Gone with the Wind, the most popular Hollywood movie ever made, has nothing to do with memories of a vanished antebellum South. But it does end up in Ireland, where the determined Scarlett O'Hara Butler (played with frosty passion by Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) turns hard times into an opportunity by buying the ancestral home of her family. Before that happens, however, Scarlett fights to win back the estranged Rhett Butler (manfully portrayed by Timothy Dalton), often seen in the company of other women, struggles for control over the homestead Tara, and gets caught in yet another compromising position with poor Ashley Wilkes (Stephen Collins). The troubles never stop (Scarlett's Ireland adventures land her in a heap of trouble from which only Rhett can save her), but this TV miniseries wisely keeps the focus on these captivating characters, their entangled histories, and the collective destiny that refuses to part them. The show also looks good: the location scenes in Ireland are particularly handsome, and there is something unaccountably satisfying about seeing Scarlett and Rhett walking through peaceful green hills. Enjoy. --Tom Keogh
Cinderella (Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection)

Walt Disney Home Video

Disney's adaptation of the beloved fairy tale became a classic in its own right, thanks to some memorable tunes (including "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," and the title song) and some endearingly cute comic relief. We all know the story--the wicked stepmother and stepsisters simply won't have it, this uppity Cinderella thinking she's going to a ball designed to find the handsome prince an appropriate sweetheart, but perseverance, animal buddies, and a well-timed entrance by a fairy godmother make sure things turn out all right. There are a few striking sequences of pure animation--for example, Cinderella is reflected in bubbles drifting through the air--and the design is rich and evocative throughout. It's a simple story padded here agreeably with comic business, particularly Cinderella's rodent pals (dressed up conspicuously like the dwarf sidekicks of another famous Disney heroine) and their misadventures with a wretched cat named Lucifer. There's also much harrumphing and exposition spouting by the King and the Grand Duke. It's a much simpler and more graceful work than the more frenetically paced animated films of today, which makes it simultaneously quaint and highly gratifying. --David Kronke
The Little Mermaid (A Walt Disney Classic)

Walt Disney Home Video