Kevin McCarey

Fascinating biographies featuring the lives and personalities of some of the most notorious mobsters: Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, John Dillinger, Sam Giancana, Bonnie and Clyde, Dutch Schultz, Meyer Lansky, 'Lucky' Luciano, and Mickey Cohen.

The storm of 1993 that ravaged the Eastern Seaboard was bigger than any since the 1800s. Most were expecting only more unseasonable warmth, and were caught off-guard by the hurricane winds, massive thunderstorms, and fierce blizzards. Meteorologists puzzled over bizarre reports from their computers. Late warnings went largely unheard. Video footage from Florida to Maine documents nature's savagery.

The island of Culebra, located off the coast of Puerto Rico, has one of the richest ecosystems in the Caribbean. Abundant mangroves, coral reefs and world renowned beaches, like Flamenco Beach, attract tourists from all over. Today, active munitions from WW2 pose a threat to people, wildlife, and the environment. Activists, fishermen, professors, and military personnel aim to prevent further irreparable damage to Culebra’s coral reefs.

There are only about 300 remaining Siberian Tigers in the wild, restricted to a section of far Eastern Russia, near the coast. Wildlife biologists risk life and limb to track the tiger and research its movements and habits. They sedate the animals so the tigers can be measured and collared. One Russian scientist is shown raising two tigers which he found orphaned as cubs. He keeps the tigers in a cage, then allows the beasts into a fenced forest-like enclosure. The efforts of these scientists are in contrast to those of poachers, who kill the tigers for their pelts, as well as for body parts to be marketed in traditional Chinese medicine.

While most think an oasis in the desert is at best a mirage, this is not always so, as is the case of the jewel of the great African Kalahari Desert, Okavango. This nourishing delta, the largest within the borders of the Dark Continent, is the lifeblood for thousands of weary animals making the trek across the unforgiving sun-baked lands of Zimbabwe. Brought to video by National Geographic, this documentary refreshes the minds of the viewer with an educational and visually stunning look at the natural watering hole that supports the nomadic wildlife of the surrounding Northern Botswana region.

Dolphins: The Wild Side follows these mammals in the wild as they fight for mating rights, hunt for food, and clash with other dolphin species. Thanks to some brilliant underwater camerawork, we're treated to the sight of dolphins hydroplaning through 10 inches of water after fish, ramming one other in a quarrel over females, and evading a group of hungry orcas in Alaska. (Killer whales are actually part of the dolphin family, but they feel no compunction about feeding on their smaller cousins--not a scene for the squeamish!) But perhaps the most impressive part of this documentary are the scenes of a dolphin pod working in concert to trap a shimmering, mammoth school of sardines. Through calculated use of air bubbles, tail slaps, and sonic pips, the animals corral their prey and have a feast. The clever, and at times ruthless, nature of these mammals is on abundant display in this entertaining documentary

A professional rum-taster must negotiate the paths of love, superstition, and magic to regain his lost powers.

An aristocratic woman faces a terrible family curse and pays for the sins of her race.

The scientific search for the elusive giant squid.

The open terrain and abundance of suitable prey make this an ideal habitat for these beautiful cats. Cheetahs have pursued their main prey, the Springbuck, for thousands of years here, honing each other to ever greater skills and speed.

From National Geographic comes this 52 minute documentary (No 27, in the 'Journeys with Wildlife' collection) which takes a look at the animal life in the bleak Eastern Canadian Artic. Adam Ravetch moved from the sunny environs of Southern California to the frigid ice sheet of this inhospitable land ten years ago and was intrigued by what he saw there. At first glance the area seems to be a place of frozen desolation, however here amidst the ice floes, walruses live an active existence, battling for survival with the elements and against predators such as polar bears. Ravetch ventures into the Artic at the height of the walrus birthing season, braving the cold and extreme conditions for a rare look into the lives of these tusked giants.

A drifter heads to Baja with his teen daughter for a lucrative construction job. Only problem is that when he gets there, the job doesn't exist. This leads him into a job smuggling Mexicans across the border and into the inevitable trouble. This leads father and daughter into a new view of one another - the daughter seeing her father's fallibility and the father seeing his daughter's own growth as a young woman.