Fox offers yet another excellent DTS audio transfer for Predator. During the scenes witnessed from the eyes of the alien, the rear speakers are wonderfully utilized to hear the soldiers' barely comprehensible voices. The depth of the sound field in these scenes helps to heighten the suspense of the film. The crisp DTS sounds shine during several shootout scenes, especially when all the soldiers fire at the unseen jungle for several minutes. This disc also includes a well-done 5.1-channel Dolby Digital transfer, as well as a decent 2.0-channel Dolby Surround track. The 1.85:1 widescreen anamorphic transfer on this disc is surprisingly uneven and varied. During certain scenes, the events on the screen shine with brilliance and clarity, while other portions contain large amounts of grain that hinder the overall presentation of the film. Overall, the visuals are stunning and work well, but the intermittent poor moments keep it from being an excellent transfer. This disc contains no extra features except for a brief theatrical trailer, which is presented in a full-screen format that is around VHS quality. It's nice to see a preview that gives away very little about the plot of the film. Of course, at that time, Arnold Schwarzenegger's name was enough to draw hordes of fans to a picture. The menus on this disc are amateurish and poor; in fact, they rank with some of the worst on any recent DVD.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong. When his daughter is kidnapped, a retired special agent resumes his former duties with a vengeance. 1985/color/90 min/R.

HBO Video's DVD of Cannonball Run delivers a bit more than one might expect from a budget-priced disc. For instance, the film looks and sounds better than it did in its videotape incarnation. The anamorphically enhanced widescreen image is sharp and the film has been given a punchy Dolby Digital 5.1 remix that plays up the film's witty use of music and the frequent car-chase sound effects. The Cannonball Run DVD also boasts an unexpected but welcome commentary from director Hal Needham and producer Albert Ruddy. The commentary falls prey to occasional dull spots (both men praise the actors to excess), but patient listeners will be rewarded with plenty of nifty facts. Interesting bits of trivia revealed on the commentary include how much of the budget went to Reynolds' salary and the fact that Hal Needham and screenwriter Brock Yates once participated the real-life Cannonball Run. The one downside of this disc is that it strangely lacks a trailer for the film. Despite this curious omission, the DVD edition of The Cannonball Run is guaranteed to please the film's cult following.