During the American Civil War a Union spy (Fess Parker) is asked to lead a band of Union soldiers into the South so that they could destroy the railway system. However things don't go as planned when the conductor of the train that they stole is on to them and is doing everything he can to stop them. Based on a true story. Available on DVD for the first time!
Cy Endfield cowrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of Isandhlwana, which remains the worst defeat of the British army by natives--the British contingent was outnumbered 16-to-1 by the Zulu tribesmen. The film's opinion of events is made immediately clear in its title sequence: ebullient African village life presided over by King Cetshwayo is contrasted with aristocratic artifice under the arrogant eye of General Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole). Chelmsford is at the heart of all that goes wrong, initiating the catastrophic battle with an ultimatum made seemingly for the sake of giving his troops something to do. His detached manner leads to one mistake after another and this is wryly illustrated in a moment when neither he nor his officers can be bothered to pronounce the name of the land they're in. That it's a beautiful land none the less is made clear by the superb cinematography, which drinks in the massive open spaces that shrink the British army to a line of red ants. Splendidly stiff-upper-lipped support comes from a heroic Burt Lancaster and a fluffy, yet gruff, Bob Hoskins. Although the story is less focused and inevitably more diffuse than the concentrated events of Rorke's Drift that followed soon after, Zulu Dawn is an unflinchingly honest depiction of British Imperial diplomacy. --Paul Tonks
A fast-paced comedy that shifts hilarity into overdrive! Whether he's pitching himself or the high-priced luxury cars at Turgeon Auto Sales Joey O' Brien (Robin Williams) never let's a day go by without ""doing"" someone good. But Joey's schmoozed through life on cruise control for way too long... and now he's riding in the hot seat! Co- Starring Tim Robbins (The Player) Pamela Reed (Kindergarten Cop) and Fran Drescher (""The Nanny"") Cadillac Man is a non-stop joy ride of comic lun
Flora Poste who has had an expensive athletic and lengthy education is then orphaned and left with only 100 a year descends on her relatives in Cold Comfort Farm in 'Howling' Sussex. There she finds plenty of relatives namely the Starkadders ruled by the ferocious Aunt Judith. Each of the four cousins has a peculiar character trait there is no bathroom or telephone and the Starkadder women believe that pregnancy is the 'hand of nature and we women can't escape it'. Flora feels it her duty to bring order into the Starkadders chaotic bucolic lives...
The madcap doctor team are at it again! This time Dr. Burke stows away on a cruise ship when his girlfriend is assigned a modelling job aboard the vessel and ends up as a ship's doctor.
Dune: Special TV Edition is an extended US network television version prepared in 1988 from David Lynch's 1984 film of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel, Dune. The original cinema release of this complex tale of interplanetary intrigue was heavily shortened and this 176-minute TV edition should not to be confused with Lynch's still unreleased three-hour-plus "Director's Cut". In fact Lynch disowned this TV version, replacing his director's credit with the infamous pseudonym Alan Smithee and his screenplay credit with the name Judas Booth (a combination of two notorious traitors). What the network did was add 35 minutes, about 15 minutes in the first two thirds, which in the cinema cut is in any case superbly paced, and around 20 into the final 40. This latter material does help balance the frenetic rush of the cinema cut, restoring important scenes such as Paul Atreides' fight with Jamis, a Fremen funeral and Jessica Atreides' taking the "Water of Life". What primarily alienated Lynch was the imposition of a folksy, sometimes laughable narration, as well as the replacement of the original prologue with a far longer sequence explaining the Dune universe via pre-production paintings. This TV edit is a travesty of what, in the "Director's Cut" at least, is probably a great film, and is really only worth seeing to get a glimpse of the material Lynch was forced to remove. The unconnected mini-series, Frank Herbert's Dune (2000) does a far better job of telling a more complete version of the story. On the DVD: There is a fold-out colour booklet which contains a wealth of stills, a reproduction of the original cinema poster and a worthwhile essay on the original film that avoids any discussion of the TV version it accompanies. On the disc there is only the original theatrical trailer. The superb cinematography is ruined by the panned and scanned 4:3 image, which is grainy and has poor colour fidelity. It is also soft, lacking detail and washed-out, probably a result of being converted from American NTSC TV format video rather than coming directly from an original film print. Certainly the DVD of the cinema version looks far better. The audio is thin mono, completely failing to do justice to how fantastic a post-Star Wars 40-million-dollar science fiction epic should sound. --Gary S Dalkin
Set in the dangerous world of buccaneers, this new adaption of the much loved Robert Louis Stevenson classic Treasure Island will take viewers on a high octane adventure following the story of Jim Hawkins as he discovers Flint's treasure map. The two part drama follows the story of Jim Hawkins who's unexpectedly drawn into the world of piracy when he discovers Flint's treasure map. However, Long John Silver will stop at nothing to get hold of the gold for himself. As they set sail for Treasure Island, Jim embarks on an action adventure that will change his life forever.Starring Emmy Award winner Eddie Izzard in the role of Long John Silver, Elijah Wood as Ben Gunn and Donald Sutherland as Captain Flint, top British acting talent completing the line-up include Phillip Glenister as play Captain Smollet, Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) who takes on the role of Squire Trelawney and Daniel Mays as Dr Livesey. David Harewood takes on the role of Bones who leads Jim into the murky world of piracy and seeking Flint's hidden treasure. Toby Regbo stars as Jim Hawkins - a gutsy, eager and courageous young lad who finds himself battling with Silver for the treasure and his life.
Raw (1987): Uncensored. Uncut. Irresistible! 'Raw' the record-setting No 1 stand up concert film of all time is Eddie Murphy doing what he does best: making people laugh! Filmed live at New York's Felt Forum Murphy delights shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations observations on '80s love sex and marriage a remembrance of Mum's hamburgers and much more. Take a front-row centre seat for the hottest show in town and the hottest comedian in recent ent
This two-disc special edition release of David Lynch's 1984 film Dune presents the same cut as originally shown theatrically, but with an improved transfer compared to the previous DVD edition and with the addition of new and archive documentary material. In case of confusion, it should be noted that this is not any of the following versions: the re-edited TV movie adaptation of Lynch's film, the long-sought-after extended version Lynch screened for cast and crew in January 1984, a new Director's Cut, or the Sci-Fi Channel mini series. The first disc contains a new anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 transfer taken from a High Definition archive copy of the 1984 film, further restored to remove dirt and scratches, and a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix as well as the original stereo soundtrack. The film looks superb and sounds almost as good, though a DTS soundtrack would have been welcome. The main extras are a well illustrated 32-page booklet written by Paul Sammon, author of the excellent Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner and The Making of Starship Troopers and a new 38-minute anamorphic widescreen documentary, Impressions of Dune. This is much superior to the average making-of, featuring significant new contributions from Kyle MacLachlan, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis, cinematographer Freddie Francis and others--though David Lynch is conspicuous by his absence. Destination Dune is a six-minute promotional featurette made by Sammon at the time of the film's release and the 4:3 image is fairly poor quality. An 83-second BBC interview with Frank Herbert is too short to be of more than passing interest, though the original trailer is a fine example of the 1980's way of selling movies. The set is completed with routine cast and crew profiles. Even with no involvement from Lynch and no commentaries, this is still the best Dune on DVD. --Gary S. Dalkin
Somewhat misleadingly described by many as a mock-biopic based on the life of David Bowie, Velvet Goldmine is so much more than that. Journalist Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) who sets out to discover whatever happened to Ziggy Stardust-like Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), the famous bisexual glam star who crashed and burned spectacularly, but in the process helped Arthur awaken his own sexuality. It's an insane homage to 1970s glam rock in the UK as only American, who knew the movement from a distance, would make; it's a tribute to film director Nicolas Roeg's best work, particularly Performance and the Bowie-vehicle The Man Who Fell to Earth; it's a sci-fi movie about an alternative reality (the film's "present" is a 1984 that never existed and frustratingly never clearly explained); it's a queer Citizen Kane with lashings of eye-glitter, a complete mess, an absolute delight and a chance to see Ewan McGregor naked in case you didn't catch him in The Pillow Book as the Iggy Pop-like Curt Wild, Slade's lover/protégé.Director Todd Haynes, who made the incredibly spare Safe and a biopic about Karen Carpenter with Barbie dolls, crams in everything--including the kitchen sink, all the washing-up and half the larder--as if terrified he'll never get another chance to shoot even a commercial again. The pacing drags like catwalk-queen's glittery taffeta train at times, but then glorious swooping musical numbers and clever bits of allusive business arrive that will brighten the day of many a pop-fan and film-buff. Never anything less than ruthlessly inventive and demanding of patience and an open mind, it's one for connoisseurs. Viewers who prefer easy-viewing eye candy are well advised to stick with fluff like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. --Leslie Felperin
There's something inescapably appealing about Krull, a camp Star Wars-meets-The Lord of the Rings knock-off, that encourages the viewer to overlook it's very many silly shortcomings and simply enjoy the fun. James Horner's rollicking music score--written soon after his similarly memorable contribution to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan--certainly helps, as does the epic-scale CinemaScope photography of the breathtaking Italian landscapes. The costumes and extravagant production design are also great to look at, and much of Derek Meddings' visual effects work still looks striking if not exactly state-of-the-art. Of the cast, Freddie Jones stands head and shoulders above all others as the Obi Wan Kenobi-meets-Gandalf character Ynyr: his trip to the centre of the spider's web is both genuinely scary and genuinely touching. The two romantic leads, Ken Marshall as the Luke Skywalker-meets-King Arthur clone Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony (with an overdubbed American voice) as his Leia-Guinevere Princess Lyssa, are mere formalities on which to hang the plot. Ironic fun can be had with the all-British supporting cast, which includes Todd Carty of Eastenders fame and Carry On's Bernard Bresslaw, as well as Robbie Coltrane, Liam Neeson and the gorgeous Francesca Annis. On the DVD: Krull comes to DVD in an anamorphic widescreen print, preserving the luscious CinemaScope look of the theatrical release. The Dolby 5.1 sound lives up to the picture. There are two commentary tracks: on the first, director Peter Yates talks through the movie, with contributions from other crew members and leads Ken Marshall and Lysette Anthony. Oddly, the second audio track is just a reading of an article that originally appeared in the November 1982 issue of Cinefantastique magazine. There's also a half-hour "making-of" featurette originally produced to promote the movie at the time, the usual trailer, stills gallery and three talent profiles. --Mark Walker
Eddie Murphy's 1988 vehicle Coming to America was probably the point at which his status as a mainstream big-screen comedian finally gelled, following the highly successful 48 Hours pairing with Nick Nolte. Never mind the hackneyed storyline: under John Landis's tight direction, he turns in a star performance (and several brilliant cameos) that is disciplined and extremely funny. Murphy plays an African prince who comes to New York officially to sow his wild oats. Privately, he is seeking a bride he can marry for love rather than one chosen by his parents. With his companion (Arsenio Hall, who pushes Murphy all the way in the comedy stakes), he settles in the borough of Queens and takes a job in a hamburger joint. A succession of hilarious satire-barbed adventures ensue, plus the required romantic conclusion. The script is crammed with ripe one-liners , but "Freeze, you diseased rhinoceros pizzle" has to be the most devastating hold-up line of all time. Film buffs will appreciate a brief appearance by Don Ameche as a down-and-out, but this is Murphy's film and he generates warmth enough to convert the most ambivalent viewer. On the DVD: The only--rather pointless--extra on offer is the original theatrical trailer which adds nothing apart from a rapid recap of the story. But the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation (the picture quality is diamond sharp) and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack recreate the original authentic cinematic experience. The choreography of 1980s pop diva Paula Abdul in the lavish wedding scenes and Nile Rodgers' pounding musical score are the main beneficiaries. --Piers Ford
XV Beyond The Tryline takes you behind the scenes to understand what the sport of Rugby means to everyone who touches the game. With the backdrop and access point of the Rugby World Cup, it's a unique look at the big sport that's built around a big family of characters; from player, coach, referee, fan, groundsman, physio, parent, and even a Prince. What is it about the sport that unites us? What is it about the sport that drives such passion? With captivating and rare insight from the likes of Prince Harry, Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter and Eddie Jones, XV Beyond The Tryline is your ticket inside the everyday integrity, incredible brotherhood and values behind the greatest team sport in the world. Bonus Features: EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH PRINCE HARRY EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH JONNY WILKINSON EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH EDDIE JONES EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH SEAN FITZPATRICK EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH JOEL STRANSKY EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH ZINZAN BROOKE EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH RWC 2015 ORGANISERS EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH...RWC TV BROADCAST DIRECTOR
Comedy greats Jimmy Jewel and Hilda Baker star as Eli Pledge and his sister Nellie in the classic award-winning comedy Nearest and Dearest. Eli - an aging lothario - and Nellie - virtuous to the last but in possession of a wonderfully flexible grip on the English language - inherit clapped out condiment company Pledge's Purer Pickles from their father. Much hilarity ensues amongst the malaproprisms bolshie workforce and none-too-subtle double entendres as the siblin
Claude Whatham's 1974 film All Creatures Great and Small is a modest and charming cornucopia of nostalgia, cuddly calves, romance and acerbic-yet-warm-hearted Yorkshire folk. It's based of course on James Herriot's phenomenally popular tales of a vet's life in the Dales and spawned a long-running BBC series with a different cast. Here, we have a fresh-faced Simon Ward as James, joining Siegfried Farnon's small town practice. As the benignly despotic Farnon, a pre-Hannibal Lecter Anthony Hopkins already exudes plenty of brooding charisma. Lisa Harrow, fetching in 1930s slacks, is Helen, the farmer's daughter who catches James' eye. Their adventures with the local animal populace in the incredibly beautiful pre-Second World War Dales run the gamut, from arms up cows' bottoms to tender birthing scenes, over-indulged pooches, horses with torsions and one moment which will strike a poignant note with pet owners of all ages. It's taught and witty thanks to distinguished dramatist Hugh Whitemore's delightful script and as comforting as a warm blanket, a stodgy tea and a roaring fire on a winter's evening. On the DVD: with no extras apart from the chapter list, this is a basic package. Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic aspect ratio and a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, it's easy viewing, offering more than adequate picture and sound quality. --Piers Ford
David Lynch creator of Twin Peaks and acclaimed director of 'Eraserhead' 'Blue Velvet' and 'Wild At Heart' directs this bizarre but true story of courage and human dignity. John Hurt gives the performance of a lifetime as John Merrick the worst freak known to Victorian medical science a man whose body is hideously distorted into a grotesque parody of an elephant. Rescued from a travelling freak show by Sir Frederick Treves Merrick gradually reveals himself to be a strangely sweet and gentle man remarkably unembittered by the degradation and torment he suffered at the circus. Beautifully shot by Freddie Francis and with an excellent supporting cast including Sir John Gielgud Anne Bancroft and Dame Wendy Hiller The Elephant Man is a compelling moving and enchanting story. The film was nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture Best Director and Best Actor.
Born to a weak but loving mother soon after his father dies David Copperfield is nine years old when his mother Clara marries Mr Murdstone. A cruel man who believes in extreme discipline he has no hesitation in sending David away to school. Shortly after he is sent away Clara dies and Murdstone seizes the opportunity to send him away for good this time into menial labour at a London wine merchants. It is here that David meets the genial Micawber family and his aunt Betsey arrange
The long awaited release of this cult supernatural serial the complete 7 part series unedited for the first time...! What is the powerful force that seems to have taken hold of the village of Milbury? Why are the people acting so strangely and why do they greet each other with a trancelike ""happy day""? These are the questions facing Matthew and his father soon after their arrival. The answers lie in the giant ancient stones that surround the village - a circle which from which
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