DVDs - Action/Adventure

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Action Movies

Adventure Movies

Recommended Movies

Recommended Comedy Adventures

Dogma: In writer-director-actor Kevin Smith’s religious parody, God goes missing and two renegade angels find a way to get back into heaven. It is up to the Voice of God, the last scion, two prophets, the thirteenth apostle and an earthbound muse to stop them and prevent the destruction of the universe.

The Gold Rush: Revered comedian Charlie Chaplin’s 1925 silent comedy, which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in, was his favorite. His alter ego, “The Little Tramp,” travels to the Yukon to find gold, but the journey isn’t a smooth one and he decides to give up prospecting. This masterpiece is filled with slapstick, unrequited love and misdirected messages that the cast has to work together to unravel.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: The most brilliant English comedy troupe turns the King Arthur legend on its head in their finest satire, a cult classic rivaled only by their next film, Life of Brian.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian: "So funny it was banned in Norway!" In the Monty Python troupe’s controversial religious farce, a young Jew, born in the stable next to Jesus, finds himself often mistaken for the Messiah, with dire consequences.

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life Terry Jones’ musical comedy on the stages of life is a series of loosely structured sketches modeled on Monty Python’s Flying Circus TV show.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Three convicts escape and then flee to find a buried treasure, in Joel and Ethan Coen’s Depression-era satire, which they wrote, produced, directed and edited. The fugitives’ adventure, loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey, is filled with laughs and period folk music, which won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2001.

Ocean’s Eleven: Steven Soderbergh’s remake of the 1960 Rat Pack cult film features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García and Julia Roberts. When a master thief is released on parole he immediately assembles a crew and flies to Vegas to steal $150 million and the heart of the woman he loves. Manipulating events to their favor, this crew is in for the long con, but can they beat the casinos or will the house once again win?

Ocean’s Thirteen: The last film in Soderbergh’s heist trilogy is set once again in Vegas and includes all the original male cast members. When one of their own gets swindled by notorious crook Willy Bank (Al Pacino), master thief Danny Ocean’s crew gets revenge by ruining Bank’s newest casino’s grand opening. With a plan to steal $500 million, the crew first has to beat the ultimate security system and maybe even shake hands with those they once crossed.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Writer-producer-director John Hughes’ road movie is about two unlikely companions trying to get home for Thanksgiving. But when all forms of transportation fail them, will they be able to make it in time for the family dinner or will they need to find a means of travel that doesn’t involve planes, trains or automobiles?

Raising Arizona: How far would you go to have the child of your dreams? Well when you’re married to a criminal, kidnapping the neighbors’ youngest son seems like the logical choice, and it is for one ex-con and his ex-cop wife. The Coen Brothers’ cult screwball comedy references Tex Avery cartoons, Sam Raimi horror movies, 1940s B-movies and the Bible.

Stand by Me: Based on Stephen King’s novella The Body, Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age comedy-drama, set in 1959, follows four young boys who go on a long hike to find a missing body and end up finding themselves. One of the first films Reiner directed won the approval of Mr. King and made a star of River Phoenix.

Sullivan’s Travels: A director tired of making comedies wants to make a serious drama, in writer-director Preston Sturges’ 1941 satire. His solution? Masquerade as a tramp and then create a film based on those experiences. Only the path to good filmmaking does not always run smoothly, and there will be heartache and tragedy before the end.

Three Kings: A group of U.S. soldiers hear about stolen gold and decide to steal it back, in writer-director David O. Russell’s war satire based on John Ridley’s story set in Iraq following the 1991 Persian Gulf conflict. But the soldiers’ adventure doesn’t run according to plan as they are forced to evade capture and launch rescue missions.

Transamerica: A pre-op transsexual woman, on her therapist’s orders, confronts her past by bailing her newly discovered 17-year-old son out of jail, in Duncan Tucker’s comedy-drama road movie. In a journey of self-discovery, she and her son are confronted with situations that force them to reevaluate who they are.

~~ descriptions compiled by Miriam Jacobson and Kobie Clarke

Recommended Drama Adventures

Ben-Hur: William Wyler’s epic historical drama, based on Lew Wallace’s novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, swept the 1960 Academy Awards with 11 wins including Best Picture. Revenge and religion are combined in this cinematic masterpiece about a Jewish prince betrayed by his childhood friend, a Roman commander, who battle each other in a treacherous chariot race.

Cast Away: Award-winning actor Tom Hanks stars as a FedEx employee stranded on a deserted island in Robert Zemeckis’ drama-adventure about the lengths a man will go to in order to survive.

Duma: A South African boy bonds with a cheetah cub in Carroll Ballard’s fictional adaptation of Carol and Xan Hopcraft’s autobiographical book, How It Was with Dooms, on friendship and growing up.

Flight of the Phoenix: When a cargo plane crashes in the Sahara Desert, the crew must think of a way to save themselves before they run out of food and water, in Robert Aldrich’s 1965 cult film, based on Elleston Trevor’s novel. They decide to build a new plane out of the wreckage, but argue over whether their phoenix will fly or crash and burn.

Fly Away Home: When a New Zealand girl living in Canada finds an abandoned nest full of geese eggs she decides to adopt them. But trouble is brewing from a strict game warden, a dying shelter and the birds themselves, who must learn to fly before winter. Carroll Ballard’s family drama is based on Bill Lishman’s autobiographical story.

The Man Who Would be King: Sean Connery stars in John Huston’s 1975 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s 1888 novella about two rogue British soldiers, who hatch a plan to take over a small kingdom in India and abscond with its riches. Can these men keep their contract of mutual loyalty or will they fall further than they had ever flown?

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: Far from home on Her Majesty's Ship Surprise a crew of sailors must sink or take the ship Acheron, which is of a higher class, in order to prevent it from falling into Napoleon's hands. Writer-director Peter Weir’s epic historical drama is based on three novels from author Patrick O'Brian’s “Aubrey–Maturin” series.

Moby Dick: An obsessed captain of a whaling boat hunts down a great white whale in John Huston’s 1956 faithful adaptation of Herman Melville's 19th-century novel, with screenplay by Ray Bradbury. Beginning with the classic line “Call me Ishmael,” this epic struggle shows the consequences of unbridled thirst for revenge.

Mutiny on the Bounty: On a perilous journey to Tahiti, a tyrannical captain drives his men to mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty, in this Academy Award-winning Best Picture winner filled with adventure, hardship and love. Charles Laughton and Clark Gable star in Frank Lloyd’s 1935 adaptation of Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall’s novel.

Never Cry Wolf: Carroll Ballard’s adaptation of Farley Mowat's 1963 autobiography is a tale of survival and learning to live in harmony with nature. A government biologist studying the impact of wolves on endangered caribou in the Canadian Arctic discovers that hunters are to blame.

The Old Man and the Sea: In the ultimate test of his worth as a man, a fisherman tries to catch the largest marlin he has ever see. John Sturges’ 1958 faithful adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s novella stars Spencer Tracy and was one of the first films to use bluescreen technology to combine actors with a pre-filmed background.

Passage to India: During the 1920s in British-controlled India there is growing unrest with the Empire’s rule, so when a group of British expatriates wants to see the “real India” they and their Indian guide find themselves with more adventure than they bargained for. Writer-director David Lean’s award-winning final film is based on E.M. Forster’s 1924 novel.

Rabbit-Proof Fence: Phillip Noyce’s Australian drama about the stolen generation is based on the true story of author Doris Pilkington Garimara’s mother, which inspired her book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence. Three young, half-caste aboriginal girls run from the government and try to get home by following 1,500 miles of fence.

Right Stuff: The space race has hit America in Phillip Kaufman’s Academy Award-winning epic drama set in the 1950s, adapted from Tom Wolfe's best-selling 1979 book. There are eight men at the center of it all, military test pilots who broke the sound barrier and, years later, landed on the moon.

Walkabout: Nicolas Roeg’s critically acclaimed 1971 film is loosely based on James Vance Marshall’s novel. Two white children abandoned in the Australian Outback are able to survive with the help of a young Aborigine boy, who discovers them on his walkabout, but they are unable to effectively communicate with him. Will they find their way home, or will their lack of communication end in disaster?

~~ descriptions compiled by Kobie Clarke

Recommended Sci-Fi / Fantasy Action

Avatar: In James Cameron’s Academy Award-winning sci-fi epic set in 2154, Earth’s natural resources are so severely depleted that humanity journeys to distant moons to mine life-changing minerals using genetically engineered avatars. When a paraplegic ex-marine is drafted to replace his deceased twin he must choose between the alien woman and culture he has come to love or the humans who brought him to Pandora.

Blade Runner: Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi noir film is set in a dystopian Los Angeles in the near future, where a hired assassin hunts down genetically engineered human-replicant outlaws. Scott’s cult classic is based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Escape from New York: Crime has become such a major problem that the entire island of Manhattan has been converted to a super-max, no-parole prison, in John Carpenter’s 1981 cult film set in 1997. When the president’s Air Force One crashes there, the government recruits a convicted bank robber, fitted with a sub-dermal bomb, to retrieve him.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the epic fantasy series by J.R.R. Tolkien is made up of three award-winning films: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. When the world is threatened by an evil long forgotten, it is up to all the races of the light to band together to save their homes. Led by a wizard, can this fellowship take on the dark towers and see the return of the Gondorian King?

The Matrix: is a simulated reality where humans are controlled by machines, in the Wachowski Bros.’ innovative dystopian actioner that pays homage to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Hong Kong action cinema, spaghetti westerns, dystopian fiction and Japanese animation,” among other influences noted in Wikipedia.

Moon: Sam Bell discovers that he is a clone while working alone on a moon base for Lunar Industries, in Duncan Jones’ award-winning debut film. With the help of other Sam clones and GERTY, an artificial intelligence, a plan is hatched to reveal the unethical workings of Lunar Industries.

Planet of the Apes: Astronauts land on a planet run by apes whose social structure is very humanlike, in Franklin Schaffner’s 1968 sci-fi epic, which won an honorary Oscar for its prosthetic makeup and is based on French writer Pierre Boulle’s novel.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: Directed by cast member Leonard Nimoy (Spock), the 1986 film features the original crew of the Starship Enterprise as they return to Earth. Upon arrival, they have to travel back in time to retrieve the extinct humpback whale. In the past they are stranded, so they must fix their damaged ship while searching for the whales and return to the future before it’s too late.

Star Wars: Following are the best films of story creator George Lucas’ award-winning epic series:

• III: Revenge of the Sith: The Clone War is beginning and the Jedi have become active members of the military, but the war inevitably causes conflict with their code of conduct, enabling the hidden Sith Lord to seduce a young Jedi to the Dark Side.

• IV: A New Hope: Years have passed and there is now a civil war waging between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. When two droids escape with critical information, a young farm boy, Luke Skywalker, must embrace his heritage to become a Jedi and defeat the Empire.

• V: The Empire Strikes Back: With the battle still raging between the Empire and the Rebels, Luke must find a master to complete his training, but when he senses a disturbance in the force he leaves to rescue his friends. Will he arrive in time to save them, or will his deviation from his path lead to ruin?

• VI: Return of the Jedi: With his training nearly complete, Luke journeys to save his friends and finally end the tyrannical regime of the Empire. But there are many startling discoveries lying in wait for him. Will his training prevail or will he fall to the power of the Dark Side?

Terminator 2: Judgement Day: The Academy Award-winning second installment of James Cameron’s Terminator Trilogy outshines the original. It picks up 10 years after the first with the Connor family struggling to evade the T-1000 and prevent the nuclear apocalypse known in the future as Judgement Day.

Tron: Writer-director Steven Lisberger’s 1982 sci-fi cult classic, inspired by the video game Pong, follows a programmer on a mission to expose a former colleague’s plagiarism of his video games and to claim his place as the CEO of ENCOM. Transported into the company’s computer mainframe, he must defeat the Master Control Program or die trying.

~~ descriptions compiled by Miriam Jacobson and Kobie Clarke

Recommended Sci-Fi / Fantasy Adventure

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The first sci-fi film produced by Walt Disney, in 1954, is based on Jules Verne’s classic novel. A crew of scientists is hired to prove, or disprove, the existence of a sea monster that has been attacking ships. What they find is a submarine, whose captain has made many discoveries and has deemed the outside world a cruel, unforgivable place. Can they convince Captain Nemo that they mean no harm and the world is not a wholly evil place?

The Abyss: When a U.S. military submarine sinks, it is up to a SEAL team to retrieve it. But not all is as it seems in the deep ocean, with non-terrestrial intelligences and paranoid commanders; can this team complete their mission or will it cost them their lives? Writer-director James Cameron’s sci-fi thriller won an Oscar for visual effects.

Back to the Future: A teenager (Michael J. Fox) learns the consequences of time travel when he is accidentally sent back to 1955, in writer-director Robert Zemeckis’ award-winning 1985 sci-fi comedy. With the help of his wacky scientist friend’s time machine he travels back to his parents’ prom, where he must keep them together all the while knowing that he must get back…to the future.

Beowulf: Loosely based on the Old English epic poem of the same name, Robert Zemeckis’ motion-capture CGI film, written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, tells the tale of a hero who slays monsters, a demoness and their sons.

Big Fish: In Tim Burton’s Southern-gothic adaptation of Daniel Wallace’s novel, a onetime traveling salesman (Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor) lives to tell stories filled with fanciful characters and places. His estranged son (Billy Crudup) feels that he cannot fully trust his father because of his propensity to tell tall tales. But when the father falls ill, he passes down his love for storytelling to his son.

Dragonslayer: A young magician’s apprentice tries to follow in his late master’s footsteps by defeating the dragon that has been plaguing the countryside for over 200 years, in Matthew Robbins’ medieval fantasy. Will he be able to defeat the dragon or is his only power his imagination?

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: When an alien, who is accidentally stranded on Earth, meets a lonely 10-year-old boy, it is the start of a beautiful friendship. But the alien is not equipped to survive for long on this planet. Can the boy and his family get their new friend home or will this epic tale have a tragic end? Steven Spielberg’s Golden Globe Award-winning blockbuster was written by Melissa Mathison and made a name for child actor Drew Barrymore.

Indiana Jones Trilogy: An archeologist (Harrison Ford) is hired to retrieve precious historical relics in Steven Spielberg’s award-winning trilogy. But he often finds more danger and adventure than he signed up for. Will Dr. Jones be able to escape the temple of doom, stop the raiders of the lost ark and finish his last crusade, or will he fall prey to the curses that surround the relics?

King Kong: When a famous director plans a journey to an uncharted island, he and his crew get more than they bargained for. With super-sized animals and damsels in distress, Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack’s 1933 iconic fantasy-adventure is a dark retelling of what happens when a beauty meets a beast.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Peter Jackson’s award-winning adaptation of the epic fantasy series by J.R.R. Tolkien includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. When the world is threatened by an evil long forgotten, it is up to all the races of the light to band together to save their homes. Led by a wizard, can this fellowship take on the dark towers and see the return of the Gondorian King?

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: Inspired by the Disneyland ride, Gore Verbinski’s revamping of the classic pirate genre incorporates the supernatural in an alternate history filled with oppressive governments and cursed treasure. A mutinied captain, a governor’s daughter and a young blacksmith are pulled into an adventure by the cursed crew of the Black Pearl, a pirate ship with an infamous past. In a reversal of a familiar theme, they are scrambling to return all of the stolen treasure in order to regain their mortality.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow: The film debut of Kerry Conran, who wrote and directed this “dieselpunk” sci-fi adventure, is set in an alternate, more technically advanced 1939 NYC. When scientists go missing and cities around the globe are attacked, it is up to Sky Captain and his legion of air fighters to figure out who is behind it, and what the connections are between the disappearances and the mysterious World of Tomorrow.

Zathura: A Space Adventure What do you do when the game you’re playing begins to affect reality? That is the question two boys must answer when they realize their board game has transported them to outer space! Now it is a race to finish the game and get home, but are they prepared for the danger they will face as they try to get to Zathura? Jon Favreau’s fantasy-adventure is loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg’s illustrated book.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: A scrumdiddlyumptious musical film by Mel Stuart, based on Roald Dahl’s novel, tells the tale of an eccentric candy maker (Gene Wilder), a poor young boy and their journey through a fantastical chocolate factory.

~~ descriptions compiled by Kobie Clarke

Recommended Superhero Action

Batman Begins: Writer-director Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed film paints a darker picture of the well-known DC Comics character. When a young billionaire sees his family and city torn apart by crime, he submerges himself in the underground world. With a secret identity inspired by a personal phobia, can he save Gotham City from those who think it is too far gone?

Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum Trilogy: One day, a man named Jason Bourne wakes up and doesn’t know who he is; with skills he cannot explain he struggles to find his identity, while battling for supremacy, before he is forced to face an ultimatum. Matt Damon stars in the award-winning trilogy, directed by Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass, based on a series of novels by Robert Ludlum.

Clear and Present Danger: When drugs and shady politics mix, it can become a dangerous situation in Phillip Noyce’s spy thriller, based on Tom Clancy's book. Harrison Ford stars in the third film of the series featuring fictional CIA deputy director Jack Ryan, who discovers his colleagues’ covert dealings with Colombian drug cartels and must testify before Congress.

Cleopatra Jones: In Jack Starrett’s black feminist action film, an undercover agent Cleo oversees the destruction of drugs and corruption in her city. But when the drug lady Mommy goes after Cleo’s friends and family, things get personal. Can Cleo, with the help of her friends, bring down Mommy, or will the community be destroyed?

Coffy: Pam Grier earned a cult following as a nurse-turned-vigilante cracking down on drugs and corruption in her community, in writer-director Jack Hill’s 1973 blaxploitation movie. But when Coffy gets in deep will she be able to face down those she thought were on the straight and narrow?

Dark Knight: Iconic villains begin to appear in Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Batman Begins. Struggling to contain the Joker (Heath Ledger in his last role) and protect innocents, can Batman make the choice between the woman he loves and the man who could save the city, all while maintaining his two faces?

Die Hard: Detective John McClane is in New York to reunite with his estranged wife, but when he arrives at her office Christmas party he finds that it’s been taken over by terrorists. Bruce Willis became an action star in the first installment, and appears in all five films of this 25-year long action series, based on creator Roderick Thorp’s novel Nothing Lasts Forever.

Goldfinger: The original James Bond, Sean Connery, stars in the third and most popular film of the series, directed by Guy Hamilton and based on the novel by Ian Fleming. The MI6 agent 007 attempts to foil a plot to infiltrate Fort Knox and destroy the gold held there. With his martini shaken, not stirred, can James and his Bond girls save the day?

Iron Man: When a billionaire playboy, who is CEO for the largest weapons company in America, is kidnapped, he escapes by creating the Iron Man armor, then decides to stop making weapons and be a hero. Those who kidnapped him are not pleased; will he be able to maintain his freedom or does death await the Iron Man? Jon Favreau’s Saturn Award-winning film is based on the Marvel Comics character.

Kill Bill, vols. I & I: Uma Thurman performed her own stunts in Quentin Tarantino’s sprawling epic revenge drama in two parts, adapted from Japanese martial arts film Lady Snowblood, and inspired by several film genres including spaghetti westerns, blaxploitation, and kung fu movies.

Mad Max: Australian filmmaker George Miller’s influential apocalyptic action film pits motorcycle gangs against angry cops, with car chases and crashes galore; it held the Guinness record for most profitable film for decades after its 1979 release.

Patriot Games: When an ex-CIA operative stops an attack while on vacation he unwittingly immerses himself and his family in a deadly plot. Harrison Ford stars as the operative trying to protect his family while staying one step ahead, in director Phillip Noyce’s sequel to The Hunt for Red October, based on Tom Clancy's novel.

Spider-Man: In Sam Raimi’s film adaptation of the Marvel Comics character, a teenager bitten by a “super spider” gains super powers that force him to become a man and accept great responsibility as a crime-fighter. Discovered by his enemies he has to make a choice: his secret or his family and friends.

Superman Returns: Extra, extra, read all about it: Lois Lane’s headline, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman”! After journeying to the lost planet Krypton, Superman returns to Earth, where his arch-enemy Lex Luthor has gone unchallenged. Can Superman reclaim his role as Earth’s guardian before it’s too late and can he change Lois’ mind so that her next article will read “Why the World Needs Superman”? Find out in Bryan Singer’s homage sequel to Superman I & II.

Watchmen: Follow a disbanded group of superheroes as they regroup to defeat an enemy who has been quietly eliminating former heroes. Zack Snyder’s Saturn Award-winning Best Fantasy Film is based on the Watchmen comic by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons set during the Cold War.

~~ descriptions compiled by Miriam Jacobson and Kobie Clarke