Narrated by Lily Tomlin and based on Vito Russo's groundbreaking book The Celluloid Closet is a fascinating and elegant look at human sexuality and identity Directors Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman examine the subtext of more than 100 Hollywood movies-including Spartacus Rope and Thelma and Louise-and chart the cinematic journey of lesbian and gay stereotypes through the first century of the movies An epic story by turns surprising hilarious and disturbing the Emmy winning The Celluloid Closet makes us see Hollywood images in a whole new light exploding sexual myths and examining our attitudes about sexuality and sex roles as they evolved through the 20th century.
Steven Spielberg took a melodramatic DW Griffith-inspired approach to filming Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple. His tactics made the film controversial, but also a popular hit. You can argue with the appropriateness of Spielberg's decision, but his astonishing facility with images is undeniable--from the exhilarating and eye-popping opening shots of children playing in paradisiacal purple fields to the way he conveys the brutality of a rape by showing hanging leather belts banging against the head of the shaking bed. In a way it's a shame that Whoopi Goldberg, a stage monologist who made her screen debut in this movie, went on to become so famous, because it was, in part, her unfamiliarity that made her understated performance as Celie so effective. (This may be the first and last time that the adjective "understated" can be applied to Goldberg.) Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and actress (supporting players Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery were also nominated), it was quite a scandal--and a crushing blow to Spielberg--when The Color Purple won none. --Jim Emerson, Amazon.comOn the DVD: The Color Purple makes a sumptuous transfer to DVD in this special edition. The lush and vibrant cinematography is well served by the widescreen format; Quincy Jones's warmly enveloping score, shot through with jazz age references, is superbly enhanced by surround sound. The extras are ideal companions to the main picture, detailing the passage of Alice Walker's novel from book to screen. Walker herself recalls the anxieties of the process, while director Spielberg and various cast members remember many poignant moments during and after filming, reminding us with a jolt that this beautifully made, hugely popular and inspirational film didn't win a single Academy Award. --Piers Ford
Steven Spielberg's World War 2 epic comes to blu-ray for the first time with crystal clear picture and spectacular surround sound. Join Tom Hanks Matt Damon and Vin Diesel as they battle their way through war-torn France... this is Saving Private Ryan as you have never seen it before! Seen through the eyes of a squad of American soldiers the story begins with World War II's historic D-Day invasion then moves beyond the beach as the men embark on a dangerous special mission. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) must take his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Faced with impossible odds the men question their orders. Why are eight men risking their lives to save just one? Surrounded by the brutal realities of war each man searches for his own answer - and the strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honour decency and courage.
A wacky inventor, his camera crazy friend and a madcap monkey make a BIG mistake when let loose in the Professor's laboratory! With lotions and potions spilling everywhere, the trio accidentally create Francoeur, a musical talent of monstrous proportions.
A Beautiful Mind is an award-winning movie if ever there was one. This biopic of mathematician John Forbes Nash is two parts Shine to one part Good Will Hunting. Scripted by Akiva Goldsman (Lost in Space) and directed by Ron Howard (The Grinch)--both trying to get sincere and serious after previous movies--it showcases a big, compelling performance from Russell Crowe as a genius whose eccentricities turn out to be down to a genuine mental illness. Though his early work as a student offered a breakthrough that eventually won him the 1994 Nobel Prize, Nash goes off the deep end in later life. The film works better in the early paranoid stretches--which include a wonderful 1950s spy movie parody as Nash is sucked into an imagined world of fighting commie atom spies--than it does with the inspirational ending, where Nashs handicaps are overcome so he can triumph at the end. Crowe's genuinely fine work still seems a bit Shine/Rain Man/Forrest Gump-ish in mannerism, yet experience shows this can be a powerful career move. Crowe gains sterling support from Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Paul Bettany and Christopher Plummer--some playing a mere character in Nashs world. --Kim Newman
In season six of Star Trek: The Next Generation the dangers grow even more dire for the crew of the Enterprise. During a behind-the-lines mission Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) falls into the hands of a seasoned Cardassian torturer. In an attempt to learn the truth about his father Worf (Michael Dorn) breaks into a Romulan prison compound. James Doohan returns when a transporter malfunction resurrects the original series' Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) copes with a bizarre identity crisis that pits him quite literally against himself. And Data's (Brent Spiner) quest to understand emotion introduces him to the concept of rage.
This is a powerful comedy drama about four women who discover untapped strength within themselves when they finally let go of what divides them. In the blink of an eye the happily married Rebecca Lott becomes a widow or as she puts it 'the w word'. She is not alone for long however when her eccentric friend Sylvia neurotic younger sister Lucy and controlling ex-stepmother Alberta move in with a lot of baggage - both emotional and literal! But when Alberta hires a sexy house paint
Two captains. One destiny. Stardate: the 23rd Century. Retired Starfleet officers James T. Kirk Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov are guests of honor aboard the newly christened Enterprise-B. A test run takes an unexpected turn however when the starship encounters two vessels trapped inside the Nexus a mysterious energy ribbon. During a perilous rescue attempt Kirk is swept out into space. Seven decades later Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of Enterprise-D rescue an El Aurian physicist named Soran. Unbeknownst to Picard Soran harbors a deadly plan that includes the destruction of the Enterprise and millions of lives. Now Picard's only hope for a future rests within in the Nexus...and a legendary captain from the past.
Since its introduction at Survivor Series 2002 the Elimination Chamber has hosted some of the most brutal matches in WWE history. Six Superstars are trapped within the barbaric structure. Carnage ensues until only one man remains. Now for the first time ever fans can watch every Elimination Chamber match contested to date in Iron Will: The Anthology WWE's Toughest Match. This 3-DVD set includes 11 complete matches featuring WWE Superstars Triple H John Cena Undertaker Shawn Michaels Chris Jericho Edge Kane Randy Orton Rey Mysterio Batista and more.
Kermit takes centre stage in A Very Muppet Christmas Movie, a hilarious, parody-laden celebration of muppetry, pulsating with original music, a star-studded cast of human cameos, and a heartwarming story reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life. Joan Cusack plays the deliciously villainous Miss Bitterman, a ruthless banker who succeeds in foreclosing on the Muppet Theatre only days before Kermit's Christmas extravaganza. As Kermit loses his livelihood, he plunges into the "I wish I'd never been born" mind-set instantly recognisable to George Bailey fans. It's going to take some divine intervention (Whoopi Goldberg is cast as God, no less), plus a little help from a heavenly "Clarence". Despite some moments where the script seems adrift and some humour that borders on the risqué, Fozzie and the gang are in fine form. The message is sweet: dreams are as vital to life as loyal friendships are to see them through. --Lynn Gibson
WWE heads to Florida for it s biggest show of the year, WrestleMania! Epic rivalries come to a head as WWE Superstars compete to add their names to the list of WrestleMania legends. Featuring John Cena, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Undertaker and many more!
Disney's 1994 animated feature, The Lion King, was a huge smash in cinemas and continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed stage production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is deposed by a jealous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking and the songs from Tim Rice and Elton John, accompanied by a colourful score, are more palatable than in many recent Disney features. --Tom Keogh
When callous movie studio executive Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) starts receiving anonymous death threats from a rejected screenwriter his already shaky career begins to crumble. Finally his desperation drives him to kill...but did he rub out the wrong writer? Relentlessly hounded by a street-wise detective (Whoopi Goldberg) Griffin falls in love with the dead man's girlfriend (Greta Scacchi). Then the mysterious threats begin again - and Griffin is plunged into a plot more outrageous than any movie.
Sally Field leads an all-star cast in this side splittingly funny look at the scandal-ridden TV soap opera. Kevin Kline Robert Downey Jr. Whoopi Goldberg Cathy Moriarty and Elisabeth Shue star as the zany cast and crew of 'The Sun Also Sets' America's hottest ""soap "" where on-screen drama and off-screen craziness combine for outrageous hilarity! There's enough dirty laundry to keep everyone in hot water in this unadulterated comedy hit that's ""99 and 44/100 percent fun!"" (J
Robert Altman's a biting satire on the Hollywood industry, The Player, has always been acknowledged by insiders as too close to the truth for comfort. Opening with a self-referential nine-minute tracking shot around the studio lot where producer Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) works, the story's intrigue begins with the first of several postcard death threats from a writer he's angered. After accidentally killing the wrong man, Mill moves from one star-studded lunch table to another. All the while he's hounded by the real writer and an obsession with "Ice Queen" artist June Gudmundsdotter (Greta Scacchi) who'd been the deceased's girlfriend. Altman's tradition of improvised dialogue makes each of the dozens of cameos a fascinating treat for movie fans. Blink and you'll miss Angelica Houston, John Cusack, Rod Steiger, or Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts who appear in the hilarious movie-within-a-movie finale. There's an endless list of terrific support from the likes of dry-witted Fred Ward, fly-swatting Lyle Lovett, or tampon-twirling Whoopi Goldberg. Aside from the star-spotting and a script that crackles with sharp dialogue, this also warrants acknowledgement for being the movie to set off an explosion of independent film in the Nineties. On the DVD: there's a commentary track (which leaves the film's soundtrack playing a little too loud) from director Altman who talks at length about the poor state of today's industry, and writer Michael Tolkin who contributes about ten minutes of veiled displeasure about the treatment of a writer's work. There are five grainy deleted scenes featuring lost cameos from Tim Curry, Jeff Daniels, and Patrick Swayze. Then in a 16-minute featurette a lot of the deleted footage is repeated around an interview with Altman. A trailer rounds out the package. --Paul Tonks
The battle for sports entertainment supremacy reaches its epic conclusion with The Monday Night War Volume 2: Know Your Role. Go behind the scenes with the men and women who lived through the war as they give insight on key matches and moments. This set features the final ten episodes of the critically-acclaimed WWE Network series and features interviews with Monday Night War generals Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon, along with WCW owner Ted Turner, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg, Ric Flair and more. Relive one the most exciting eras in sports entertainment history!
Whoopi Goldberg stars in this hilarious tale of a modern woman and her comic adventures in medieval time... Inspired by Mark Twain's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'.
Muppets: Letters To Santa
Available for the first time on DVD! Call Me Claus is a hysterically delightful and touching story starring Whoopi Goldberg and featuring Nigel Hawthorne as Santa Claus himself. Lucy Cullins (Goldberg) is a cranky volatile producer at a home shopping network in charge of hiring the station's on-air Santa Claus. Nigel Hawthorne is the ""real"" Santa Claus who finding himself at the end of his 200-year contract must convince Lucy that she is the perfect candidate to fill his shoes.
As Suzie Gold's sister prepares to get married it seems only natural that Suzie's thoughts should turn to the state of her own love life. While her doting but dysfunctional family desperately want her to be happy - preferably by finding a good Jewish boy to settle down with - Suzie meets Darren a boy from work and they start a heady romance. But the relationship sours when Suzie finds herself unable to bring him home worried that he won't match up to her family's exacting (double)
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