This loud and fast 1988 effort by director Tony Scott (Beverly Hills Cop 2, Top Gun) has much more style than substance but it does effectively depict the edgy and dangerous world of stock car racing. Tom Cruise plays yet another cocky loner trying to find success and happiness, this time as stock car racer Cole Trickle, a driver with raw talent but no discipline who is desperate for guidance and sponsorship. They both materialise in the visage of world-weary Robert Duvall, who despite his better instincts sees a second chance at victory in the young driver. Featuring supporting roles by Nicole Kidman, as Cruise's physician and love interest, and Randy Quaid, as a bombastic sponsor, and with a screenplay by Robert Towne (Chinatown), Days of Thunder is a slickly packaged entertainment best suited for die-hard Tom Cruise fans and those who want an intense visual experience. --Robert Lane
Tree Gelbman must relive the same day over and over again on her birthday and figure out who attempts to kill her at her party every time and why.
The years have endowed Saturday Night Fever with a powerful, elegiac quality since its explosive release in 1977. It was the must-see movie for a whole generation of adolescents, sparking controversy for rough language and clumsily realistic sex scenes which took teen cinema irrevocably into a new age. And of course, it revived the career of the Bee Gees to stratospheric heights, thanks to a justifiably legendary soundtrack which now embodies the disco age. But Saturday Night Fever was always more than a disco movie. Tony Manero is an Italian youth from Brooklyn straining at the leash to escape a life defined by his family, blue collar job and his gang. Disco provides the medium for him to break free. It was the snake-hipped dance routines which made John Travolta an immediate sex symbol. But seen today, his performance as Tony is compelling: rough-hewn, certainly, but complex and true, anticipating the fine screen actor he would be recognised as 20 years later. Scenes of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, representing Tony's route to a bigger world, now have an added poignancy, adding to Saturday Night Fever's evocative power. It's a bittersweet classic. On the DVD: Saturday Night Fever is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, both of which help to recapture the unique atmosphere of the late 1970s. The main extra is a director's commentary from John Badham, with detailed descriptions of casting and the improvisation behind many of the scenes, plus the unsavoury reality behind Travolta's iconic white disco suit. --Piers Ford
Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Australia released, PAL/Region 2.4 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Making Of, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: A musical comedy based on the characters of P.G. Wodehouse written by Alan Ayckbourn and featuring the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Bertie Wooster finds himself in all sorts of adventures...
SPIDERMAN TRILOGY ORIGINS COLLECTION Swing into action with the groundbreaking original cinematic SpiderMan trilogy from direction Sam Raimi. Join Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) as he becomes the iconic webslinging SpiderMan, battles supervillains Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman and Venom, wins the heart of Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), and learns that with great power, comes great responsibility. THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN EVOLUTION COLLECTION The untold story of the legendary webshooter unfolds in the blockbuster Amazing SpiderMan films, directed by Marc Webb. The saga begins in The Amazing Spider Man, as Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) becomes SpiderMan and balances being asuperhero doing battle against the villainous Lizard alongside his developing relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Then when SpiderMan's new enemies including the powerful Electro unite in The Amazing SpiderMan 2, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin. EXTRAS INCLUDE: SPIDERMAN TRILOGY ORIGINS COLLECTION SpiderMan 3 Editor's Cut All New Alternate Version of the Movie SpiderMan 2.1 Includes both Theatrical & Extended Versions The Stan Lee Legacy: From Comic Book to Homecoming featurette Over 18 Hours of Special Features from all 3 films THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN EVOLUTION COLLECTION The Stan Lee Legacy: From Comic Book to Homecoming featurette 15 Rare Archival featurettes Over 7 Hours of Special Features from both films
A college student goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, her studies, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge.
If you can manage to suspend your disbelief for the duration, you won't be disappointed with Air Force One. Harrison Ford plays a US president who single-handedly employs his rigid anti-terrorism policy when a band of Russian thugs hatch a mid-flight takeover of Air Force One. Gary Oldman, who chews the scenery as the lead terrorist, will shoot a hostage at the slightest provocation. Glenn Close plays the sternly pragmatic vice president who negotiates with Oldman from her Washington seat of power. If you can believe that the aircraft's pressurized cabin can sustain hundreds of rounds of machine-gun fire, you'll buy anything in this entertaining potboiler, especially thanks to Ford's stalwart heroics and some nifty special effects. Director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot) keeps the action moving so fast you won't be sweating the details.--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Continuing its mission to unearth the very best in weird and wonderful horror obscura from the golden age of US independent genre moviemaking, Arrow Video is proud to present the second volume in its American Horror Project series co-curated by author Stephen Thrower (Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents). Starting off with a little-seen 1970 offering from underrated cult auteur John Hayes (Grave of the Vampire, Garden of the Dead), Dream No Evil is a haunting, moving tale of a young woman's desperate quest to be reunited with her long-lost father only to find herself drawn into a fantasyland of homicidal madness. Meanwhile, 1976's Dark August stars Academy Award winner Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire) in a story of a man pursued by a terrifying and deadly curse in the wake of a hit-and-run accident. Lastly, 1977's Harry Novak-produced The Child is a gloriously delirious slice of horror mayhem in which a young girl raises an army of the dead against the people she holds responsible for her mother's death. With all three films having been remastered from the best surviving film elements and appearing here alongside a wealth of supplementary material, American Horror Project Volume Two offers up yet another fascinating and blood-chilling foray into the deepest, darkest corners of stars-and-stripes terror. 3-DISC SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS 2K restorations from original film elements High Definition Blu-ray presentation Original uncompressed PCM mono audio English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil DREAM NO EVIL Filmed appreciation by Stephen Thrower Audio commentary with Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan Hollywood After Dark: The Early Films of John Hayes, 1959-1971 video essay by Stephen Thrower looking at Hayes' filmography leading up to Dream No Evil Writer Chris Poggiali on the prodigious career of celebrated character actor Edmond O'Brien Excerpts from an audio interview with actress Rue McClanahan (The Golden Girls) discussing her many cinematic collaborations with director John Hayes DARK AUGUST Filmed appreciation by Stephen Thrower Audio commentary with writer-director Martin Goldman On-camera interview with Martin Goldman On-camera interview with producer Marianne Kanter The Hills Are Alive: Dark August and Vermont Folk Horror author and artist Stephen R. Bissette on Dark August and its context within the wider realm of genre filmmaking out of Vermont Original Press Book THE CHILD 1.37:1 and 1.85:1 presentations of the feature Filmed appreciation by Stephen Thrower Audio commentary with director Robert Voskanian and producer Robert Dadashian, moderated by Stephen Thrower On-camera interviews with Robert Voskanian and Robert Dadashian Original Theatrical Trailer Original Press Book
The music of Benny Goodman comes to life in this wonderful musical biography of the famed King of Swing. Featuring all the outstanding songs and instrumentals made famous by the immortal clarinetist the story follows the innovative musician from his childhood in Chicago to his historic concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938. Steve Allen (Casino The Player) Oscar winning actress Donna Reed (It's a Wonderful Life From Here to Eternity Dallas) and Sammy Davis Sr. star in this unforgettable tribute to Goodman and his music with performances by the original Benny Goodman Quartet (Gene Krupa Teddy Wilson Ben Pollack Edward Kid Ory and Lionel Hampton) along with Harry James Martha Tilton and Ziggy Elman. The priceless soundtrack highlights Goodman himself with classic renditions of Sing Sing Sing One O' Clock Jump Stompin' At The Savoy Moonglow Goody Goody and many more.
Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut with this contemporary thriller about psychotic obsession. Eastwood also takes the lead in the starring role as Dave Garver a popular radio disc jockey who repeatedly receives on-air phone requests from a sexy female fan to ""play Misty for me"". When the woman Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter) orchestrates a rendezvous with Dave at his favorite nightspot the two begin a torrid affair But when Dave decides to end the relationship Evelyn's obsession turns to violence. Soon everything and everyone in Dave's life becomes a target for Evelyn's increasing deadly campaign of terror. Beautifully photographed on location in Eastwood's hometown of Carmel California 'Play Misty for Me' continues to be considered one of the great modern-day thrillers.
Walt Disney Pictures presents TANGLED, one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told.
Walt Disney Pictures presents TANGLED, one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told.
Star Trek fans were decidedly mixed in their reactions to this, the ninth big-screen feature in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise. Die-hard loyalists will appreciate the way this Next Generation adventure rekindles the spirit of the original Trek TV series while combining a tolerable dose of New-Age philosophy with a light-hearted plot for the Next Gen cast. This time out, Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his executive crew must transport to a Shangri-la-like planet to see why their android crewmate Data (Brent Spiner) has run amok in a village full of peaceful Ba'ku artisans who--thanks to their planet's "metaphasic radiation"--haven't aged in 309 years.It turns out there's a conspiracy afoot, masterminded by the devious, gruesomely aged Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, hamming it up under makeup resembling a cosmetic surgeon's worst nightmare), who's in cahoots with a renegade Starfleet admiral (Anthony Zerbe, in one of his final screen roles). They covet the fountain-of-youth power of the Ba'ku planet, but because their takeover plan violates Starfleet's Prime Directive of non-interference, it's up to Picard and crew to stop the scheme. Along the way, they all benefit from the metaphasic effect, which manifests itself as Worf's puberty (visible as a conspicuous case of Klingon acne), Picard's youthful romance with a Ba'ku woman (the lovely Donna Murphy), the touching though temporary return of Geordi's natural eyesight, and a moment when Troi asks Dr. Crusher if she's noticed that her "boobs are firming up".Some fans scoffed at these humorous asides, but they're what make this Trek film as entertaining as it is slightly disappointing. Without the laughs (including Data's rousing excerpt from Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore), this is a pretty routine entry in the franchise, with no real surprises, a number of plot holes, and the overall appearance of a big-budget TV episode. As costar and director, Jonathan Frakes proves a capable carrier of the Star Trekflame--and it's nice to see women in their 40s portrayed as smart and sexy--but while this is surely an adequate Trek adventure, it doesn't quite rank with the best in the series. --Jeff Shannon
From Here to Eternity offers a much more heartfelt interpretation of the event that propelled the United States into World War II than any film made in recent years. Here there are no angst-ridden scenes where "true love" returns from the dead, no costly CGI and definitely no Hallmark happy ending. This is a film about illicit sex, military machismo and tragic loss of love, friendship and ultimately life. The filmmakers did, however, have to make some compromises when adapting James Jones's novel: Alma becomes a "hostess" rather than a prostitute and the very downbeat ending, where Captain Holmes is essentially rewarded for his brutality by the military, was replaced with the morally acceptable punishment of his actions by a more self-aware army. Although Private Robert E Lee Pruitt's story provides the meat of the film, there are other subplots woven into the narrative, including a couple of doomed love affairs, which explore themes of adultery and social acceptance. Sergeant Warden (Burt Lancaster) begins a torrid affair with the commander's wife Karen (Deborah Kerr) leading to one of the most famous moments in movie history--the "clinch in the surf". From then on everything is challenged. Love, honour and eventually whether you should conform or stand up for what you believe in. At the end the couples are left wondering about the future of their relationship, but fate decides for them as the Japanese launch their attack on Pearl Harbor, leaving us with one of the most dramatic and moving endings of any war film. On the DVD: The black and white film is not anamorphically enhanced but presented full frame in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, although the transfer is well done and the picture is pretty sharp. Sound is 2.0 mono rather than the standard 5.1 reworking of the audio track, and it works. The dialogue is clear without any noticeable hiss. There's a 22-minute "making of" documentary, which doesn't really do justice to the film and contains very little information of interest. Along with this is Fred Zinnemann's As I See It, an extract from the director's home video footage from the shoot. You also get the theatrical trailer, but the best feature is the audio commentary, by Fred Zinnemann's son Tim and screenwriter Alvin Sargent, which has some fantastic detail about the struggle between director and studio-head Harry Cohn over casting, along with the run-ins with the censor and US military over the "inflammatory nature" of the film.--Kristen Bowditch
Dennis Hopper's legendary, long-unavailable masterpiece is available for the first time ever in the UK. Hopper followed the enormous international success of Easy Rider (1969) with this exuberant passion project a delirious, free-wheeling epic production shot in Central America with an incredible cast (including Peter Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Russ Tamblyn, Michelle Phillips, Tomas Milian and Sam Fuller) and an ambition to re-invent American cinema. Unseen for many years, this one-of-a-kind film can finally be experienced in a ravishing new 4K restoration.
Judged entirely on its own merits, Jaws 2 isn't a bad film. It even has some passably scary moments (Brody discovering a charred body in the waves; the swimming boy racing the shark back to his dinghy). But it's absolutely impossible to judge this movie on its own merits. Despite being given a great big Panavision camera to play with director Jeannot Szwarc can't hide his TV-movie origins, nor can the script, both of which spend far too long landlocked with the bickering inhabitants of Amity Island. Where the original film boldly set out to sea with Robert Shaw's Ahab-like Quint, in a misplaced desire to attract a teenage audience this movie dwells at interminable length on the courting rituals of the local youth; where Spielberg's original is a masterpiece of pacing and carefully timed tension-building, Jaws 2 sags terribly whenever the plastic shark swims out of sight. Roy Scheider comes off best, reprising his role as Chief Brody, while Lorraine Gary's role as his wife is expanded (she must be a glutton for punishment: she also starred in Jaws 4: The Revenge). Taken as a sequel Jaws 2 is inferior in every way; taken as an unassuming TV movie it's a respectable, workmanlike effort; but looking forward at what was to follow, it begins to look like a minor masterpiece. --Mark Walker
A group of homeless misfits must fight for survival when they discover a plot to exterminate every homeless person in the city.
Two years have passed, and the mildmannered Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) faces new challenges as he struggles to balance his life as the elusive superhero Spider Man. Tormented by his secrets, Peter is in danger of losing all those that he holds dear. His love for MJ (Kirsten Dunst) becomes stronger and his friendship with Harry Osborn (James Franco) is complicated by the young Osborn's bitterness over his father's death. These relationships are now in danger of unravelling when he confronts a new nemesis, the brilliant Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who has been reincarnated as the multitentacled 'Doc Ock'. Features: Cast & Crew Commentaries Villains of SpiderMan featurette Inside 2.1 featurette Blooper Reel Visual Effects Breakdown featurette Music Video Easter Eggs Trailers And more!
The social and class divisions in early 20th century England through the intersection of three families - the wealthy Wilcoxes, the gentle and idealistic Schlegels and the lower-middle class Basts.
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