Danny DeVito's adaptation of the Roald Dahl book for children is mostly just fine, helped along quite a bit by the charming performance of Mara Wilson (Mrs Doubtfire) as the eponymous young Matilda, a brilliant girl neglected by her stupid, self-involved parents (DeVito and Rhea Perlman). Ignored at home, Matilda escapes into a world of reading, exercising her mind so much she develops telekinetic powers. Good thing, too: sent off to a school headed by a cruel principal, Matilda needs all the help she can get. DeVito takes a highly stylized approach that is sometimes reminiscent of Barry Sonnenfeld (director of Get Shorty, a DeVito production), and his judgement is not the best in some matters, such as letting the comic-scary sequences involving the principal go on too long. But much of the film is delightful and funny.--Tom Keogh
Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison has been transferred to Manchester and finds herself in a world she does not know surrounded by people she cannot trust and invloved with a man she cannot have. Her latest case is destined only to make things worse...
When a young Edwardian family leaves the shores of England to build a home in the wilderness of East Africa what they encounter is beyond their imagination but forever remembered through the eyes of their 11-year-old daughter. Based on the beloved memoir by Elspeth Huxley The Flame Trees of Thika brings to life the color and adventure of turn-of-the-century Kenya. In 1913 Robin (David Robb) and Tilly Grant (Hayley Mills) arrive in Kenya with the dream of transforming a barren plot
'Hamlet' is part of a unique collection of some of the finest dramatic masterpieces in the English language. Originally broadcast on BBC Television and highly acclaimed worldwide.
Like most of his later operas, Richard Strauss' Arabella ends with a meltingly lovely duet. But then criticising Strauss for composing melodically enduring operas is as pointless as lambasting Vermeer for painting only exquisite interior scenes. Those who say Strauss never improved on Rosenkavalier may be right but when such beguiling sounds kept coming from his music for the next 30 years of his life, there shouldn't be any quibbles. Arabella is, in a nutshell, the story of a woman who cannot make up her mind about a suitor. Taped at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1994 under the baton of conductor Christian Thielemann, this production features Kiri Te Kanawa in the title role; her acting is mediocre but vocally she never forces anything and at least sounds like the perfect Arabella. Wolfgang Brendel does well with Mandryka, who finally ends up with Arabella and Marie McLaughlin makes a sympathetic younger sister to the heroine as Zdenka. Otto Schenk's production is sturdily conservative, the video transfer is acceptable if unspectacular and the sound mix is CD-quality. --Kevin Filipski, Amazon.com
This DVD captures great performances from 1993 to 2003 history in the making as young British rock n' roll flexes its muscles. 1. Ash - Shining Light 2. Blur - Tender 3. British Sea Power - Remember Me 4. Catatonia - Bleed 5. Coldplay - In My Place 6. Cornershop - Brimful Of Asha 7. Doves - The Cedar Room 8. Echo And The Bunnymen - Nothing Lasts Forever 9. Elastica - Connection 10. Elbow - Fugitive Model 11. Embrace - All You Good Good People 12. Feeder - Just The Way I
Mega-budget action adventure starring Hugh Jackman as the eponymous Gabriel Van Helsing, monster hunter extraordinaire. Van Helsing is sent on a mission by the Vatican to Transylvania to hunt down the evil Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), accompanied only by the faithful friar Carl (David Wenham). There he meets the beautiful Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), one of the last remaining descendants of a powerful royal family. She is as determined as Van Helsing to destroy the infamous vampire, who placed an ancient curse on her ancestors that has led to generations of supernatural goings-on and copious bloodshed. Other adversaries including Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man and Dracula's bloodthirsty vampire brides stand in their way - but will the brave and beautiful win through?
What it lacks in grandeur, this 1978 TV version of The Four Feathers makes up for in fidelity to AEW Mason's classic novel. By cannibalising the superior 1939 production for epic shots and sequences, this modest adaptation draws attention to its meagre production values, relying heavily on casting and chemistry to compensate. That it succeeds, more or less, in capturing the essence of Mason's grand adventure is largely due to the appeal of Beau Bridges and Jane Seymour in the prime of their early careers. (Bridges' film career was gaining momentum; Seymour would rise from here to the similarly romantic Somewhere in Time.) Bridges is the shamed soldier Harry Faversham, transcending cowardice by rescuing his closest friends during Britain's bloody campaign in 1870s Sudan; Seymour is his beloved back home, torn between Harry and the seemingly braver Jack (Robert Powell). TV veteran Don Sharp provides tepid direction, while screenwriter Gerald DiPego would continue his prolific career for decades to come. --Jeff Shannon
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's tragic story of young impetuous love thwarted by a bitter Veronese family feud. Romeo heir of the Montague family attends a masquerade dance at the home of the Capulets where he meets Juliet the Capulets' daughter. It is love at first sight. Their love is torn asunder by the feud between their families. It is only after the double suicide of the young lovers that their long divided kinsmen are reconciled in sorrow.
Heat And Dust Blending east with west and moving effortlessly between the vibrant world of modern-day India and the magnificent splendours of the Raj 'Heat And Dust' intertwines the contemporary story of Anne a young woman drawn to India by her desire to unravel the scandal surrounding her great-aunt Olivia's seduction in the 1920's by a glamorous Indian Prince. For Anne it proves as much a journey of self-discovery as the opportunity to solve an enigma as she too becomes seduced by the romantic and luxurious enchantments of India. Bombay Talkie The story set off by elaborate studio numbers is a melodrama echoing those of Bombay's mass audience movies and the sexy best sellers of the film's heroine American authoress Lucia Lane (Jennifer Kendal). A character study about a best-selling English novellist who comes to Bombay in search of creative inspiration she becomes romantically involved with handsome movie star Vikram (Shashi Kapoor). When that doesn't work out she flees to an ashram to take up the spiritual ife. That also hilariously doesn't work out and the ill-fated couple get together again with explosive results! Shakespeare Wallah Essentially a culture-clash romance which blends Shakespeare and British tradition with the emerging Indian 'pop' culture the film traces the developing relationship between Lizzie one of the members of the acting troupe with Sanju a wealthy Indian playboy. But their romance is beset by hinderances not least being the machinations of Manjula a fiery Indian cinema star who is also in love with Sanju. The Courtesans Of Bombay Roughly situated over 24 hours we visit Pavan Pool a compound in Bombay where poor women sing dance and engage in prostitution. The Deceivers In 1825 India lives under fear. A mysterious religion's followers murder everyone that stands against their plans. In Custody Drama based on the novel by Anita Desai which follows Deven a teacher at an Indian college and his attempt to interview a famous poet...
A fine production of the gripping, classic story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table from the BBC, adapted by the Emmy-winning Andrew Davies (House of Cards / Bridget Jones's Diary). Featuring a fantastic cast including Andrew Burt, Felicity Dean and Maureen O'Brien.
All the best episodes of the popular TV series featuring Michael Knight (Hasselhoff) and his computerised car KITT... Episode titles: Trust Doesn't Rust Knight of the Phoenix Parts One and Two Soul Survivor Knightmares A Good Knight's Work.
Face: At thirty five Ray's learned the tricks and done the time. Now he's a face - a villain to be reckoned with and definitely not to be crossed - ready for the blag the big score that'll really set him and his team up. Although the job goes smooth and sweet the take doesn't scratch the three million the gang had it figured for. And when somebody starts thieving from the thieves and people start getting blown away Ray's got some serious thinking to do before the traitor -
Based on the works of Rudyard Kipling, The Second Jungle Book tells the story of Mowgli, a young boy abandoned in the wilds of India. Raised by a panther, an elephant and a bear, Mowgli must learn civilization's ways when his long-lost uncle and a circus scout from Barnum and Bailey come looking for him. UK Key Art Synopsis: Add a new chapter to one of the best-loved adventures of all time. In this exciting live-action adventure, young Mowgli, an orphan raised by wolves, is spotted by a scout for a giant circus. Accompanied by a cruel hunter and a snake charmer, the scout sets out to trap Mowgli. But with the help of Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther, little Mowgli leads the adults into his biggest and wildest adventure yet! A fun-filled movie every member of the family will enjoy.
Honor. Duty. Respect. These three military traditions are in jeopardy at a British regiment stationed in colonial India at the end of the nineteenth century. A new recruit is charged with dishonorable conduct when a beautiful widow (Susannah York) is attacked. In an attempt to prevent a public court-martial the superior officers (Richard Attenborough Stacy Keach and Christopher Plummer) set up an internal hearing. Can an idealistic young officer (Michael York) defend the a
John Nettles stars as Chief Inspector Barnaby in this feature-length episode of the acclaimed crime series. When a portrait of Jonathan Lowrie a wealthy royalist who was killed by a Roundhead musketeer is slashed at the Aspern Tallow museum Barnaby and Sergeant Troy are called in to investigate. A series of strange events follows and soon the detectives are investigating much more than an act of vandalism.
Hilary Swank stars in this thriller which sees her trying to debunk what appear to be Biblical plagues in the Deep South.
Sean Penn wrote and directed The Crossing Guard, a character-driven drama about a divorced couple (Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston) whose relationship never recovered following the death of their daughter at the hands of a drunk driver (David Morse). When the latter's character, a deeply regretful and changed man, gets out of jail, Nicholson, as the vengeful dad, decides to go after him. As a director, Penn is not so good with fluid storytelling and camera clichés, but he is amazing as an actor's director. The onscreen re-teaming of former real-life lovers Nicholson and Huston is more than just a voyeuristic exercise: Penn ingeniously uses the duo's palpable friction to bring a horrifying reality to the pain of a dead relationship. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Rap star DMS stars as a stylish drug dealer who returns to his hometown seeking redemption but ends up only finding violent death.
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of dastardly pirates swashbuckling heroes buried treasure and a young boy's courage during the adventure of a lifetime. We begin with young Jim Hawkins living with his grandmother at the Admiral Inn and all is quite as it should be... Until the fateful day a stranger named Billy Bones stumbles into the inn with a wild tale. He is being pursued by a man named Blind Pew who hands him a piece of paper with the 'black spot' on it. Bones tells J
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