Based on a retro-styled comic book hit of the 80s, this Disney film was meant to launch a whole line of Rocketeer films--but the series began and ended with this one. That's too bad because this underrated Joe Johnston film has a certain loopy charm. The story centres on a pre-World War II stunt pilot (Bill Campbell) who accidentally comes into possession of a rocket-propelled backpack much coveted by the Nazis. With the aid of his mechanic pal (Alan Arkin), he gets it up and running, then uses it to foil a plot by a gang of vicious Nazi spies (is there any other kind?) led by Timothy Dalton. Jennifer Connelly is on hand as the love interest but the real fun here is when the Rocketeer takes off. There's also a nifty battle atop an airborne blimp. --Marshall Fine
*Titles to be confirmed
Whilst renovating his dilapidated home Aston (Robert Shaw) invites an irritable and devious vagrant (Donald Pleasence) to stay. But, when his ill-tempered brother Mick (Alan Bates) returns, an ominous yet darkly comic power struggle between the trio commences. A play that changed the face of modern theatre and made Harold Pinter's name, The Caretaker remains one of Pinter's most famous works. Featuring original production cast members Pleasence and Bates and sensitively directed by Clive Donner (Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush) and shot by Nicolas Roeg, this study of shared illusion, tragic dispossession and the fraternal bond of unspoken love, combines mesmerising performances and the magic of Pinter's dialogue into a spellbinding film. Special Features: Audio commentary by Alan Bates, Clive Donner and producer Michael Birkett (2002) Introduction by critic and author Michael Billington (2002, 6 mins) On Location with The Caretaker (1962, 5 mins): an extract from the TV series This Week in Britain From Play Into Film (2002, 15 mins): Michael Billington on the making of The Caretaker, using materials donated by Clive Donner to the BFI National Archive Other extras TBC **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Fully illustrated booklet with new essay by critic author Amy Simmons, writing by Michael Billington and full film credits
X-Men 2 picks up almost directly where X-Men left off: misguided super-villain Magneto (Ian McKellen) is still a prisoner of the US government, heroic bad-boy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is up in Canada investigating his mysterious origin, and the events at Liberty Island (which occurred at the conclusion of X-Men) have prompted a rethink in official policy towards mutants--the proposed Mutant Registration Act has been shelved by US Congress. Into this scenario pops wealthy former army commander William Stryker, a man with the President's ear and a personal vendetta against all mutant-kind in general, and the X-Men's leader Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in particular. Once he sets his plans in motion, the X-Men must team-up with their former enemies Magneto and Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos), as well as some new allies (including Alan Cumming's gregarious, blue-skinned German mutant, Nightcrawler). The phenomenal global success of X-Men meant that director Bryan Singer had even more money to spend on its sequel, and it shows. Not only is the script better (there's significantly less cheesy dialogue than the original), but the action and effects are also even more stupendous--from Nightcrawler's teleportation sequence through the White House to a thrilling aerial dogfight featuring mutants-vs-missiles to a military assault on the X-Men's school/headquarters to the final showdown at Stryker's sub-Arctic headquarters. Yet at no point do the effects overtake the film or the characters. Moreso than the original, this is an ensemble piece, allowing each character in its even-bigger cast at least one moment in the spotlight (in fact, the cast credits don't even run until the end of the film). And that, perhaps, is part of its problem (though it's a slight one): with so much going on, and nary a recap of what's come before, it's a film that could prove baffling to anyone who missed the first instalment. But that's just a minor quibble--X-Men 2 is that rare thing, a sequel that's actually superior to its predecessor. --Robert Burrow
It's a gorgeous Summer's day and two teams play a cricket game with a difference. It's the annual match between the local mental asylum and the villagers and in the scoring hut patients Crossley and Graves sit side-by-side recording every run over and fallen wicket. To keep themselves entertained Crossley recounts a terrifying story of how he came to possess supernatural powers that enable him to kill with a shout. It was he claims an ancient magic he learnt from spending many years with the Australian Aborigines. Although Graves dismisses the tale as an insane fantasy as the match continues the proceedings take on an emphatically sinister turn...
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:Ferris Bueller. Larger than life. Blessed with a magical sense of serendipity. He's a model for all those who take themselves too seriously. A guy who knows the value of a day off. Ferris Bueller's Day Off chronicles the events in the day of a rather magical young man Ferris (Matthew Broderick). One spring day toward the end of his senior year Ferris gives in to an overwhelming urge to cut school and head for downtown Chicago with his girl (Mia Sar
From the makers of the hit series The Take the latest tale of crime and corruption from best-selling crime writer Martina Cole follows the lives of two childhood sweethearts. Cathy Connor and Eamonn Docherty are brought up together in the East End. As the daughter of a prostitute Madge Cathy's life is difficult especially when everyone assumes that she will be following in her mother's footsteps. But when Cathy is forced to protect Madge from a violent attack by a punter it changes her life forever. Cathy is taken into care but she suffers institutional abuse which leaves her with no choice but to run away. She ends up destitute on the streets of Soho when Desrae a transvestite unexpectedly comes to her rescue. Meanwhile Eamonn is rising up the ranks of the East End criminal underworld.
Weary of being alone in the vast forest unicorn Amalthea (Mia Farrow) begins to wonder if she's the last of her kind. Following a rumor she joins forces with feeblish wizard Schmendrick (Alan Arkin) and wayward barmaid Molly (Tammy Grimes) to look for the mystical Red Bull a creature known to hunt and imprison unicorns. In order to walk unnoticed among men Schmendrick magically transforms Amalthea into a beautiful woman. Together the three embark on a adventurous journey into the dark land of King Haggard the man rumored to control the Red Bull.
This latest dance version of Carmen comes courtesy of choreographer Matthew Bourne, who has devised his own scenario of Bizets opera set in a garage-diner in the American mid-West, circa 1960. The Car Man toured the UK in 2000 finishing with a four-month run to packed houses at the Old Vic. This film treatment details all the excitement of the occasion. The cinematography assists in capturing the atmosphere of Bournes treatment--film noir with allusions to Hitchcock--through employment of chiaroscuro. The use of the split-screen technique also enhances the cinematic feel. The music sounds seductive and full-bodied, befitting the new story line (Bourne calls it an auto-erotic thriller) in which an enigmatic stranger, Luca, walks into town seducing both Lana (Carmen) and Angelo (Don Jose). A swarthy individual, Luca looks an unlikely dancer until his first solo galvanises the company. The single stage set adapts into eight different permutations, taking us from diner through nightclub and prison and then out on the road in a cinematic finale where the Chevrolet cars of the period are destroyed in a pile up. The period look is further enhanced with the girls in tight-waisted colourful frocks and the men in Brando-esque T-shirts and jeans. The dance ensembles are an extraordinarily versatile group: classical, jazz, modern and flamenco seem natural expressions of their body movements. Will Kemp deserves a special mention for his sensitivite portrayal of Angelo. On the DVD: the soundtrack comes in a choice of stereo or 5.1. surround sound where the subtle employment of percussion instruments in the orchestration makes a telling effect. A picture gallery of 25 stills from the production and a 14-minute interview with Bourne expressing his initial doubt about doing another version of Carmen are further assets. He neednt have had a qualm. This Car Man is destined to give much pleasure. --Adrian Edwards
They started with street corner harmonising and became slick stage performers destined to become rhythm and blues royalty. This film tells the true story of the pressure that goes with one of the most successful Motown singing-groups in history The Temptations from their personal battles with drug and alcohol abuse to their bitter break up...
The Flintstones in Rock Vegas sees best pals Fred (Mark Addy) and Barney (Stephen Baldwin) downing tools at Bedrock Mining Company to woo Wilma (Kristen Johnston) and Betty (Jane Krakowski) during a long vacation in Rock Vegas. All goes well until Fred's gambling addiction gets the better of him and he is framed for stealing Wilma's prized pearl necklace by love rival Chip Rockerfeller (Thomas Gibson) who oozes malice out of every prehistoric pore. Meanwhile Wilma's high fallutin mother Pearl (Joan Collins taking over from Elizabeth Taylor) thinks that Fred is too downmarket for her daughter and does everything within her power to push Wilma and Chip together...
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover is both adored and detested for its combination of sumptuous beauty and revolting decadence. Few directors polarise audiences in the same way as Peter Greenaway, a filmmaker as influenced by Jacobean revenge tragedy and 17th-century painting as by the French New Wave. A vile, gluttonous thief (Michael Gambon) spews hate and abuse at a restaurant run by a stoic French cook (Richard Bohringer), but under the thief's nose his wife (the ever-sensuous Helen Mirren) conducts an affair with a bookish lover (Alan Howard). Clothing (by avant-garde designer Jean-Paul Gaultier) changes colour as the characters move from room to room. Nudity, torture, rotting meat, and Tim Roth at his sleaziest all contribute the atmosphere of decay and excess. Not for everyone, but for some, essential. --Bret Fetzer
This critically acclaimed film from the legendary American director John Sayles is an intelligent and thought provoking drama that follows two women who return to their Florida hometown and are forced to deal with a variety of personal and practical issues...
It was a time of tyrants: the only way to uphold the truth was to break the law. He fought for the good of all men and for the love of just one woman. Kevin Costner brings the epic hero Robin Hood to life in a film filled with pageantry intrigue action and romance. With an outstanding cast record-breaking theme song and film production on a sweeping scale Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves has become a legend in its own right.
The story of the Flaxton Boys protagonists of Yorkshire Television's long-running and fondly remembered children's adventure series moves on to a third generation, as this series finds the two young friends encountering further mystery and peril in and around the fictional West Riding village of Carliston. It is now 1928. Jacklin Flaxton has been killed in the Great War, leaving his widow Jane to run Flaxton Hall. Arriving home from boarding school for the summer holidays, their son Jonathan, accompanied by his friend, William, learns that the vicar plans to convert the now-derelict Stilgoe Lodge into an orphanage. But while the boys are happy to help, a series of apparent hauntings forces several workmen to flee the Lodge in terror...
Following the aftermath of an encounter with Trigon, Dick Grayson reforms the Titans. Under his supervision in their home at Titans Tower, Rachel Roth/Raven, Gar Logan/Beast Boy and Jason Todd/Robin train together to hone their abilities and teamwork skills. They're joined by Hank Hall/Hawk, Dawn Granger/Dove and Donna Troy/Wonder Girl, who have attempted to transition into regular lives. But when old enemies resurface, everyone must come together to take care of unfinished business. As this family of old and new Titans including Conner Kent/Superboy and Rose Wilson/Ravager learns to coexist, the arrival of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke brings to light the sins of the past, threatening to tear apart the Titans family once more. These 13 episodes deliver dynamic thrills, action and drama in a darkly rendered DC Universe. Jason Todd: Fate By The Fans - Explore this character's DC Universe history as it's been determined by the fans who've shaped his destiny.
Marine raiders in a new outfit train for invasion in this gripping World War II action film. The bloodthirsty misfits of the 'Gung Ho' squadron become fierce fighting machines....
When Goldie Hawn recommended Elizabeth Berkley for a small role in First Wives Club, she publicly stated that Berkley deserved the opportunity to redeem herself after starring in the ridiculous Showgirls. That says it all: this sleazy, stupid movie, which mixes soft pornography with the clichés of backstage dramas, is the kind of project an aspiring actress would have to put well behind her to keep a career going (though co-star Gina Gershon certainly benefited from her, uh, exposure in the film). Berkley plays a drifter who hitches a ride to Las Vegas, becomes a lap dancer and then a performer, and discovers--gasp!--there's a whole world of sex and violence involved with these things. Gershon is probably the best element in the film, playing Berkley's bisexual rival for the big spotlight on stage. Joe Eszterhas was well overpaid for writing this howler, and director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct) should have known better than to take it seriously. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
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