The 1976 Oscar winner for Best Picture, John G Avildsen's Rocky is the story of a down-and-out club fighter who gets his million-to-one shot at a world championship title. In the title role, Sylvester Stallone (who also penned the screenplay) draws a carefully etched portrait of a loser who, in Brando-esque fashion, "coulda been a contender". Rocky then becomes one thanks to a publicity stunt engineered by current champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), while finding love courtesy of timid wallflower Adrienne (Talia Shire) along the way. Burgess Meredith revives the spirit of 1940's genre pictures through his scenery-chewing performance as Rocky's trainer. An enormous entertainment, Rocky is irresistible in its depiction of an underachiever who has the courage to start all over again--a description that could have been applied to Stallone's own life at the time. --Kevin Mulhall
This box set contains the Special Edition of all 5 Rocky films! Rocky (Dir. John G. Avildsen 1976): Nominated for 10 Academy Awards and winner for Best Picture audiences and critics alike cheered this American success story of an ""everyman"" triumphing over all odds. Featuring a dynamic musical score a thrilling fight scene and four Oscar-nominated performances this rousing crowd-pleaser will send spirits soaring. Fighting for love glory and self-respect
From a fact-based screenplay by David Leland (Wish You Were Here) and directed by master film-maker Alan Clarke (Rita Sue and Bob Too) Made In Britain is one of the most memorable feature-length TV dramas of the 1980s. Trevor is a teenage Skinhead caught smashing the windows of a Pakistani owned shop he is sent to an assessment centre by social worker Harry (Eric Richard - The Bill) where it is discovered he is highly articulate and intelligent. But when he escapes steals cars and goes bersek can Harry still save him?
Collection of short films from all over the world centred around the lives of gay men. The films are: 'My Dad Works The Night Shift' (2018), 'My Sweet Prince' (2019), 'A Normal Guy' (2019), 'Pretty Boy' (2020) and 'L'homme Jetee' (2019).
Digitally Remastered in Stunning HD.Throughout human history, we have reached for the heavens- and dreamed of touching the stars. With the Apollo program, America turned that dream into reality. These are the never-before-told stories of the men, the women, and the machines that led us on our greatest adventure: From the Earth to the Moon.
Psst! We've got a secret... want to hear it? The Boys on Film series is turning 21. That means we should be behaving ourselves, doing grown-up things and settling down, eh? Well guess what? We decided to take a little time out before growing up, travelling to Sydney then New York, via Romania, Canada and Switzerland, scooping up the best cinematic gems we could find for your viewing pleasure. We had an absolute blast with all the boys we met along the way. Want to meet them? Oh, and as for growing up? That can wait until our thirties!
The story of Rocky Balboa, as presented in this five-movie Rocky anthology, looks suspiciously like a barely fictional parallel to Sylvester Stallone's own career. Such a strong vein of autobiography is hardly surprising, really, since Stallone wrote all five movies and directed II, III and IV. The original was a feel-good patriotic update on the American Dream, mirroring Stallone's own journey as a lucky break drags a man from the gutter into stardom; Rocky II was the story of a man who is subsequently plagued by the need to prove that his first success wasn't a fluke, and represented Stallone's attempt to keep his career afloat amidst a sudden explosion of blockbuster movies and superstar actors; the third featured a rival to his position echoing the friendly battle kept up with Schwarzenegger for box-office dominance; Rocky IV appeared at the same time as Rambo: First Blood Part II and was a veritable shower of self-glorification; and the fifth entered old age as gracefully as it could with younger blood ready to pounce from all directions. Balboa may have been "a little punchy", but Stallone was clearly the brains behind the Rockymovies' success.On the DVD: For picture and sound, it's to the first disc connoisseurs should turn. Transfer and 5.1 soundtrack are a notch above instalments III and IV. Inexplicably, II and V are only in three-channel surround. Disc 1 is also the place for the extras. Although the others feature their own trailer and a half-heartedly animated menu, the first has a montage menu that matches the excellent packaging and links rather easily to a hidden feature ("Rocky Meets Stallone"). There's a fascinating 12-minute "behind the scenes" short with director John Avildsen showing fight test footage and two short tributes to the late Burgess Meredith and cinematographer James Crabe. The commentary might seem a little crowded, featuring Avildsen, producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, Talia Shire, Burt Young and Carl Weathers. The best feature is a 30-minute interview with Stallone, who remembers writing from an 8x9 room in Philadelphia and being inspired by an Ali fight. There are confessions about injuries, casting and his dog Butkus! As a 25th Anniversary special edition, the first disc alone is excellent value. --Paul Tonks
The 1976 Best Picture Award-winner Rocky has the look of a contemporary on-the-streets movie like Taxi Driver, but the heart of a fairytale. For the Bicentennial Year, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), a Muhammad Ali-like stars-and-stripes blowhard, cynically offers a title shot to an unknown over-the-hill Philadelphia club fighter, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Unlike the sequels, Rocky is a rare American sports movie to realise there's more drama and emotional resonance in losing than winning. The unique finale suggests that going the distance against the odds is more of a triumph than a conventional victory. Stallone, then an unknown as actor and writer, crafts the script to his own strengths--mumbling, Brando-like sincerity combined with explosive physicality expressed in his use of a side of beef as a punch-bag or wintery jogs around Philly. Surprisingly little of the film is taken up with ring action, as we follow Rocky's awkward courtship of pet-store minion Adrian (Talia Shire) and uneasy relationship with her slobbish brother (Burt Young), while Burgess Meredith provides the old pro licks as the curmudgeonly trainer. Though it led to a slick, steroid-fuelled franchise, it has a pleasing roughness, exemplified by the memorable funk/brass band score and the array of fidgety, credible method acting tics. On the DVD: 1.85:1 16x9 print, which represents the sometimes-slick, sometimes rough look of the cinematography; feature commentary with supporting cast and crew (Burt Young admits to rubbing vermouth into his neck to make himself repulsive), video interview with Stallone, a retrospective featurette (which includes news footage of the Ali fight that inspired the story), 8mm test fight footage with a flabbier Stallone, tributes to Burgess Meredith and cameraman James Crabe, trailers for Rocky and all the sequels (which makes a solid précis of the whole series). All this and a "special hidden feature" (a comic sketch with Sly meeting Rocky).--Kim Newman
Ride Rise Roar is a David Byrne concert film that blends riveting onstage performances with intimate details of the creative collaborations that make the music and performance happen. Shot with multiple cameras over several concerts during the `Songs of David Byrne & Brian Eno Tour the film blends the energy and charisma of classic Talking Heads with the heartfelt pathos of David Byrne and Brian Enos most recent collaboration. Between the songs the film achieves an unprecedented intimacy with David Byrne and the band documenting behind-the-scenes auditions rehearsals and interviews with key players while revealing the creative process that led to the shows unique fusion of pop music and modern dance. Ride Rise Roar is a celebration of Byrnes extensive career as a musician and testifies to the creativity that keeps him going today.
Ryan Steele Kaitlin and J.B. are three teenagers selected to save the world from the evil Grimlord. They must use 'Virtual Reality' to stop him before creates havoc around the world.
As Lt. Horatio Caine (David Caruso) notes in episode 4 ("Just One Kiss"), "The evidence, as always, will speak for itself." In other words, CSI: Miami follows the same super-successful formula as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Fortunately, this instantly popular spin-off established its own unique identity from the start. Like CSI, the Dade County criminalists of CSI: Miami solve murders using forensic science. Unlike the Vegas crew, however, they're cops with the power to arrest, their coroner (Alexx Woods) talks to dead people, and almost everybody speaks Spanish. Sometimes their crime scene is a swamp, sometimes a resort hotel. Either way, the skies are always sunny, the 'gators always biting. Real-life Florida resident Caruso is joined by Khandi Alexander (NewsRadio) as Woods, Emily Procter (The West Wing) as ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne, Adam Rodriguez (Roswell) as underwater recovery expert Eric Delko, and featured player Rory Cochrane as Tim "Speed" Speedle. Cochrane (Dazed and Confused) wouldn't become a full-fledged cast member until the 12th episode ("Entrance Wound"). Meanwhile, Kim Delaney (Caruso's former NYPD Blue cast mate) wouldn't join until the first ("Golden Parachute"), but left after the 10th ("A Horrible Mind"), reportedly due to a lack of chemistry with Caruso. Just as CSI has made the most of its location with stories about showgirls and casino owners, so has CSI: Miami exploited its surroundings for all they're worth. Pilot episode "Cross-Jurisdictions" (a crossover with CSI), for instance, was loosely based on the murder of Miami-based designer Gianni Versace. Other notable episodes include "Camp Fear" with Joan of Arcadia's Amber Tamblyn as a detention camp cadet and "Dead Woman Walking" with Karen Sillas (Under Suspicion) as a victim of radiation poisoning. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Ride Rise Roar is a David Byrne concert film that blends riveting onstage performances with intimate details of the creative collaborations that make the music and performance happen. Shot with multiple cameras over several concerts during the 'Songs of David Byrne & Brian Eno Tour' the film blends the energy and charisma of classic Talking Heads with the heartfelt pathos of David Byrne and Brian Eno's most recent collaboration. Between the songs the film achieves an unprecedented intimacy with David Byrne and the band documenting behind-the-scenes auditions rehearsals and interviews with key players while revealing the creative process that led to the show's unique fusion of pop music and modern dance. Ride Rise Roar is a celebration of Byrne's extensive career as a musician and testifies to the creativity that keeps him going today.
Kevin Costner plays the lawman who became a myth in an epic action-filled saga directed and co-written by Lawrence Kasdan. Gene Hackman as Wyatt's iron-willed father and Dennis Quaid as Earp's deadly best friend Doc Holliday add power to this hard-hitting Western. From Wichita to Dodge City to the O.K. Corral take a thrilling journey of romance adventure and mythic courage.
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