If Interiors was Woody Allen's Bergman movie, and Stardust Memories was his Fellini movie, then you could say that Sleeper is his Buster Keaton movie. Relying more on visual/conceptual/slapstick gags than his trademark verbal wit, Sleeper is probably the funniest of what would become known as Allen's "early, funny films" and a milestone in his development as a director. Allen plays Miles Monroe, cryogenically frozen in 1973 (he went into the hospital for an ulcer operation) and thawed 200 years later. Society has become a sterile, Big Brother-controlled dystopia, and Miles joins the underground resistance--joined by a pampered rich woman (Diane Keaton at her bubbliest). Among the most famous gags are Miles' attempt to impersonate a domestic-servant robot; the Orgasmatron, a futuristic home appliance that provides instant pleasure; a McDonald's sign boasting how many trillions the chain has served; and an inflatable suit that provides the means for a quick getaway. The kooky thawing scenes were later blatantly (and admittedly) ripped off by Mike Myers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. --Jim Emerson
In Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II, poor Jewish cafe owner Jakob Heym (Oscar winner Robin Williams) accidentally overhears a forbidden radio news bulletin signaling Soviet military successes against German forces.
This legendary animated feature is surely beyond criticism by now and, furthermore, it's unlikely that we'll see such forceful narrative in a kids' cartoon ever again. Disney's treatment of Collodi's story of the little wooden puppet who wants nothing more than to be a real boy is always guaranteed to have audiences entranced. While some of the movie's success is derived from its liberal use of the kind of imagery no children's film-maker would even attempt to get past the storyboard stage today--a mysterious island where children smoke cigars, get drunk and turn into donkeys, a monstrous, malicious sea-creature which is devoid of any trace of cuddliness and a pair of villains who routinely abduct children, to give just a few examples--the characters are depicted with the finest attention to detail, most of the songs have become classics in their own right ("When You Wish Upon a Star" being only one of many) and the graceful, stylised animation positively glows with fine detail. Essential family viewing. --Roger Thomas
Pierce Brosnan returns for his second stint as James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies and he's doing it in high style with an invigorating cast of co-stars. It's only appropriate that a Bond film from 1997 would find Agent 007 pitted against a media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who's going to start a global war--beginning with stolen nuclear missiles aimed at China--to create attention-grabbing headlines for his latest multimedia news channel. It's the information age run amok and Bond must team up with a lovely and lethal agent from the Chinese External Security Force (played by Hong Kong action star Michelle Yeoh) to foil the madman's plot of global domination. Luckily for Bond, the villain's wife (Teri Hatcher) is one of his former lovers and, at the behest of his superior "M" (Judi Dench), 007 finds ample opportunity to exploit the connection. Although it bears some nagging similarities to many formulaic action films from the 90s, Tomorrow Never Dies (with a title song performed by Sheryl Crow) boasts enough grand-scale action and sufficiently intelligent plotting to suggest the Bond series has plenty of potential to survive into the next millennium. Armed with the usual array of gadgets (including a remote-controlled BMW), Brosnan settles into his role with acceptable flair and the dynamic Yeoh provides a perfect balance to the sexism that once threatened to turn Bond into a politically incorrect anachronism. He's still Bond, to be sure but he's saving the world with a bit more sophisticated finesse. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. On the DVD: Somewhat disappointingly there is no specific "making-of" documentary for Tomorrow Never Dies: instead we get a generic "Secrets of 007" made-for-US-television feature, a promotional piece that does however include footage from the set of TND. There is also a very brief special effects reel, which highlights the novel (for a Bond movie) use of CGI, as well as a breakdown of key sequences with their storyboards. Elsewhere, composer David Arnold enthuses about writing Bond music from a fan's perspective and Sheryl Crow's music video is included as are theatrical trailers and a text piece on some of the gadgets. There are two commentaries: the first from producer Michael Wilson and stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong; the second has director Roger Spottiswoode in conversation with "friend and colleague" Dan Petrie Jr. Only die-hard fans would have wanted both, the rest may find themselves switching between the two. The film, of course, looks and sounds stunning. --Mark Walker
Jesus Christ Superstar has been the definitive rock musical ever since its 1972 London stage premiere. Revived to great acclaim in the late 1990s, it has everything you'd expect from a blockbuster: great songs, strong characterisation and, crucially, a cracking story. This video is based on the 1998 London production. Director Gale Edwards pulls few punches in her efforts to draw a truly modern interpretation from a gifted cast. Pilate's cronies are sinister Darth Vader look-alikes. The whole thing has a hard, brutal edge, which both startles and thrills. And anyone who dismisses musicals as lightweight confections could do worse than look at the way Lloyd Webber and Rice treat Judas: this is a complex, well-written role. The performances are largely excellent: Jerome Pradon' Judas shines, and Renee Castle's Mary reinvents "I Don't Know How to Love Him" as a delicate exploration of her dilemma, far removed from its usual overblown treatment. Rik Mayall's relentlessly gurning Herod is less of a bonus than he would like us to believe, but will doubtless appeal to his fans. And the quality of Glenn Carter's singing in the title role makes up for a slight deficiency in the charisma department. --Piers FordOn the DVD: Die-hard groupies will appreciate the inclusion of a documentary about the making of the video, which includes interviews with the cast, the production team and Lloyd Webber and Rice. There are also previews for video productions of Cats and Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
""Two Thumbs Up!... Even Better Than The Original."" -Siskel & Ebert Number Five aka Johnny Five that incredible lovable robot form the smash hit Short Circuit is back and taking the big city by storm in this action-packed comedy adventure. Upbeat Johnny's out for some ""urban input "" but some street hoods a greedy banker and a gang of crooks see his naivete as their high-tech ticket to easy street. Will Johnny survive the big bad city and its big bad city slickers? Keep your wi
After a personal tragedy the Reeds take in their ten year old nephew and re-awaken their marriage.... A heartwarming drama based on the French novel and film Le Grand Chemin.
This is the twilight world of half-truths and half-lives where the obsessive apparatus of state security interlocks with sinister and furtive forces from big business. It is the hidden battleground where private grief and individual suffering and death are dwarfed by the struggle for absolute power and the nightmare of nuclear catastrophe. Part One - 'Into The Shadows': His investigation into his daughter's murder reveals to Ronald Craven her involvement in nuclear power politics terrorism and death. Despite the agonies of his grief Craven finds himself drawn into Emma's secret world. Part Two - 'Northmoor': Craven and renegade US agent Jedburgh pursue their mission to discover the deadly secret of an underworld nuclear facility and begin a desperate race to avert catastrophe with mysterious wisdom of GAIA.
A story of love class sex and money seen through the eyes and experiences of a young gay man living in London in the 1980's where hedonism and capitalism collide. The Line Of Beauty is a reference to cocaine the bodily curves of a lover and the main character's dangerous susceptibility to all things beautiful. Adapted by Andrew Davies (Bleak House Pride & Prejudice) from the award winning novel by Alan Hollinghurst.
A con man with the same name as a long time congressman gets elected when the real congressman passes away...
George Kitchener Bulman, late of Strangers and television s scruffiest, quirkiest detective, has retired from police work. Old habits die hard, however, and the plan to spend his days quietly mending clocks in his South London antiques-cum-junk shop goes out the window when he meets Lucy McGinty, a university drop-out with a passion for criminology who manages to coax old GBH out of retirement and into partnership in a new private detective agency. So out come the nasal inhaler, tatty string gloves and plastic carrier-bag briefcase and Bulman somewhat reluctantly returns to a world of organised crime, terrorism and international espionage. And this time, he's free of the police code... This set presents both series, starring Don Henderson as the classics-quoting detective and acclaimed actor Siobhan Redmond in her first drama-series role. With the majority of episodes scripted by Strangers stalwart Murray Smith, this cult series guest stars Alun Armstrong, Ingrid Pitt, George Sewell, Sheila Hancock, Jack Shepherd, Peter Wyngarde, Iain Cuthbertson and Robert Hardy among many others.
When LeBron James and his son are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., it's Tunes vs Goons in the highestÂstakes challenge of his life that will redefine the bond with his son.
Michael B Jordan stars in the explosive origin story of Tom Clancy's action hero John Kelly, an elite Navy SEAL whose life is changed forever after uncovering an international conspiracy. Torn between personal honor and loyalty to his country, he fights his enemies without remorse if he hopes to avert disaster. Directed by Stefano Sollima (Sicario: Day Of The Soldado) and adapted by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) and Will Staples (Shooter) from the bestselling novel, Without Remorse is a must-see thriller. Product Features John Kelly Rebon Watch Your Six
Advertised in 1970 as "the first electric Western", Zachariah is an endearingly pretentious effort that prefigures such genre oddities as Jodorowsky's El Topo and Alex Cox's Straight to Hell. The story is the archetypal one about two friends who become gunslingers and must inevitably face off against each other in the finale, but it's treated here as if it Meant Something Deeper--which means that after enjoying 75 minutes of violence we can all agree that peace and love and harmony is on the whole better for children and other living things. Curly haired farmboy Zachariah (John Rubinstein) and eternally grinning apprentice blacksmith Matthew (Don Johnson) are the fast friends who run away from home to join up with a gang of outlaws known as the Crackers (played by hippie folk-rock collective Country Joe and the Fish). These apparent 19th-century Westerners tote electric guitars and are given to staging free festival freak-outs at one end of town to distract from the bank robbery at the other. The boys soon hook up with Job Cain (Elvin Jones), an all-in-black master gunfighter who is also an ace drummer (his solo is impressive), but then drift apart as Zachariah has a liaison with Old West madame Belle Starr (Pat Quinn) in a town that consists of fairground-style brightly painted wooden cut out buildings (a gag reused in Blazing Saddles), then gets rid of his outrageous all-white cowboy outfit to settle down on a homestead and grow his own dope and vegetables. Matthew, of course, goes for the black leather look after outdrawing Cain, and comes a gunning for the only man who might be faster than him, but the hippie-era message is once these kids have killed everyone else they can still make peace with each other and the desert or something, man. Aside from a Beatle-haired teenage Johnson making a fool of himself by over-emoting to contrast with Rubinstein's non-performance, the film offers a lot of beautiful "acid Western" scenery and excellent prog rock and bluegrass music from the James Gang, White Lightnin' and the New York Rock Ensemble. Comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre (huge on album in 1970) provided the script, which explains satirical touches like the horse-and-buggy salesman (Dick Van Patten) spieling like a used car dealer and the madame's claim to have had affairs with gunslingers from Billy the Kid to Marshal McLuhan. The DVD extras are skimpy, but the print quality is outstanding. --Kim Newman
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey at every turn will test his mettle. With his back against the wall Stark is left to survive by his own devices relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? Starring Robert Downey Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow Don Cheadle Guy Pearce Rebecca Hall Stephanie Szostak James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black.
*Titles to be confirmed
In The Presidio the titular piece of real estate is the San Francisco military base that starts at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge and sprawls back into the city itself, co-existing uneasily with Baghdad by the Bay. The two cultures clash when a murder at the Presidio is assigned to civilian police detective Mark Harmon. Harmon has an uncomfortable history with the base commander, Sean Connery--and this relationship doesn't get any less tense when he also becomes romantically entangled with Connery's daughter, Meg Ryan. Unfortunately, the script by Larry Ferguson is a stiff, which suits Harmon's acting style. Director Peter Hyams knows how to choreograph an action sequence, but he has to keep stopping so that Harmon can actually speak. Thankfully, Harmon has the always-interesting Connery and Ryan to interact with, but that's only a small saving grace. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com
A genuine British comedy classic the popularity of 'Rising Damp' remains unparalleled some 25 years after the first transmission. 'Rising Damp' detailed the day-to-day events at Rigsby's dingy boarding-house in Eric Chappell's hilarious sitcom. The landlord from hell Rupert Rigsby prowled around his dilapidated eyrie poking his nose into his lodgers' affairs. In this feature length movie Rigsby (Leonard Rossiter) is still intending to make Miss Jones (Frances De La Tour) his wi
First they blew in to town...And then they blew it up!!! Three orphaned siblings are forced upon confirmed bachelor Donovan in a 19th century boom town of Quake City CA. After an earthquake shakes the area the children find a large gold nugget worth tens of thousands of dollars. But their newfound wealth is causing more problems than it's solving so they agree to ""give"" the gold to two bumbling outlaws (Knotts & Conway). But they only way they can get the gold is to steal i
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