In case you'd forgotten, My Beautiful Laundrette will remind you of those mid-80s days when Thatcherism ruled the earth (or so it seemed) and money was king. Stephen Frears' low-budget realisation of Hanif Kureishi's subversively critical play captures the contradictions of that time in a way that's as fresh today as when it was new. Omar's wheeler-dealer uncle, Nasser (Saeed Jaffrey), sums it up when he says, "In this damn country, which we hate and love, you can get anything you want". He sets up Omar (Gordon Warnecke) with a rundown laundrette and the instruction to make it a success, which Omar temporarily does, with the help of his childhood friend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis). When the film first came out, it was the gay content that dominated the column inches, whereas now it seems a sensitive and multi-faceted summation of its decade, exploring social, ethnic and sexual issues and contradictions. Bringing together two such different characters as Omar--Asian, ambitious, for whom success is defined by wealth--and former childhood friend Johnny--white trash, ex-National Front--was inspired. Watching their friendship develop into love, and the ensuing bitterness and misunderstanding that they suffer from friends and family is very poignant. All the lead roles are well taken, the contradictory character of Nasser in particular. By turns, funny, touching and anger-inducing, this is a movie that wears its age lightly and its era proudly. On the DVD: the picture is in 4:3 ratio with a Dolby Digital soundtrack. There's an original trailer and filmographies of the four main characters, with an additional biography for Day-Lewis. --Harriet Smith
'Trick of the Mind' reveals the truly staggering craft of one of the world's leading entertainers. Derren Brown demonstrates his unique powers of showmanship psychological illusion and misdirection to astound and amaze everyone he meets from people wandering the UK's streets to celebrity fans including Martin Kemp and an astonished Stephen Fry. The eagerly awaited follow-up to 'Inside Your Mind' 'Trick of the Mind' sees Derren return on a grander and more adventurous scale! The
MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS FULLY RESTORED IN HIGH DEFINITION FOR THE FIRST TIME! To celebrate the 50th anniversary of a genuinely iconic series, we present Monty Python s Flying Circus, starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin in all its HD glory! This unrivalled restoration has been produced from the best available materials, painstakingly restored... and includes just the right amount of lovely spam, wonderful spam... Previously edited sketches have been returned to their original length, while filmed sequences and Terry Gilliam s animations have been newly scanned in High Definition, adding unimaginable depth and clarity to classic moments. From the archive come genuine rarities including previously unseen studio outtakes and extended versions of filmed sketch material, making this the ultimate in television restoration and a must-have for every generation of Python fan! SERIES 2 FEATURES: The Buzz Aldrin Show: Extended & unused filmed material Live from the Grill-O-Mat: Extended Ken Clean-Air System filmed material It's a Living: Reinstated content & alternative, censored sketch audio, extended Election Night Special and School Prizes filmed material How to Recognise Different Parts of the Body: Reinstated content & alternative, censored sketch audio Scott of the Antarctic: Extended filmed material How Not to Be Seen: Restored animation, unused film material, extended Conquistador Coffee sketch And Now For Something Completely Different: Vic Jamison's 1970 student film shot on location with the Python team Interview with Ian Macnaughton: Recorded in November 1971 at Imperial College London
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of a genuinely iconic series, we present Monty Python's Flying Circus, starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin in all its HD glory! This unrivalled restoration has been produced from the best available materials, painstakingly restored... and includes just the right amount of BLOOD, DEATH, WAR, HORROR! Previously edited sketches have been returned to their original length, while filmed sequences and Terry Gilliam's animations have been newly scanned in High Definition, adding unimaginable depth and clarity to classic moments. From the archive come genuine rarities including previously unseen studio outtakes and extended versions of filmed sketch material, making this the ultimate in television restoration and a must-have for every generation of Python fan! Series 3 Features: Whicker's World: Extended Mrs. Premise & Mrs. Conclusion Travel to Paris sketch Blood, Devastation, Death, War and Horror: Extended The Pantomime Horse is a Secret Agent sketch and Bus Conductor extended scene The All-England Summarize Proust Competition: Reinstated content Salad Days: Reinstated content The Nude Organist: Reinstated content with extended Trees animation, studio outtakes, alternative Terry Gilliam-approved sound mix E Henry Thripshaw's Disease: Extended Gay Boys in Bondage animation and Sir Philip Sidney sketch Dennis Moore: Extended Redistribution of Wealth sketch A Book at Bedtime: Reinstated content, original opening, extended Heath Tango animation Grandstand: Extended Grandstand filmed material, studio outtakes, extended Charwoman animation, unused Betty Blood Donor animation Series 3 Monologue Rushe
IN VIETNAM THEY FOUGHT FOR THEIR COUNTRY. NOW, THEY RE FIGHTING FOR THEIR FRIENDS. As the 1980s rolled on, a new, bullish attitude to war took hold in America, the weary cynicism of the previous decade giving way to an unabashed celebration of military might. Numerous filmmakers and producers sought to capitalise on the emerging mood... among them New World Pictures, the company founded by the legendary Roger Corman. In The Annihilators, the war comes home as a group of army vets, battle-scarred from their travails in the jungles of Vietnam, are forced to dust off their combat moves once again when one of their own meets his demise at the hands a violent criminal gang. Deciding that enough is enough, the self-styled Annihilators, led by the redoubtable Bill (Christopher Stone, The Howling, Cujo), set out to equip the beleaguered citizens of downtown Atlanta with the skills they need to rid their streets of crime and vice. Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr. (Silent Night, Deadly Night) and co-starring Gerrit Graham (Phantom of the Paradise) and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Death Wish), The Annihilators is a brash, no-holds-barred slice of vigilante justice from the golden age of B-movie action. Special Contents: Brand new 2K restoration from the original 35mm interpostive, presented uncut in the UK for the first time High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original lossless mono soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing The New Heat on the Street, a new video interview with actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs In Search of Charles E. Sellier Jr., a new video interview with filmmaker David O Malley on the early career of the Annihilators director Comparison between the censored and uncensored UK releases of the film Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
James Nesbitt plays Detective Sergeant Tommy Murphy a maverick cop with a dark past. After failing a psychiatric assessment he is given one last chance by his boss and given a dangerous undercover assignment. Murphy is a loner with little to lose and deals with everything on his own terms... Episodes Comprise: 1. Jack's Back 2. Bent Moon On The Rise 3. Ringers 4. Go Ask Alice 5. Convent 6. The Group
From master-of-horror Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes Piranha 3D) comes this supernatural offbeat thriller starring beloved British actor Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise The Woman in Black) and the talented Juno Temple (Magic Magic Sin City: A Dame to Kill For). Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) is accused of the murder of his girlfriend Merrin Williams (Juno Temple). After a hard night of drinking Ig awakens hung-over to find horns growing out of his head; they have the ability to drive people to confess sins and give in to selfish impulses. Ig decides to use this effective tool to discover the circumstances of his girlfriend's death and to seek revenge by finding the true murderer. Daniel and Juno lead an all-star cast with strong support from David Morse (The Green Mile The Hurt Locker) and Heather Graham (The Hangover I and III Boogie Nights). Horns is based on the dark fantasy novel of the same name from New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (Heart Shaped Box) with a screenplay by Keith Burnin. Alexandre Aja Riza Aziz Joey McFarland and Cathy Schulman produce.
A chilling reinvention of the unforgettable 1970's series - written by Primeval writer Adrian Hodges and based on Terry Nation's original novel. Left bewildered and numb untouched by a virus that had swept across the world destroying all but a random selection of desperate souls these are the 'lucky ones' left alive when so many died. This lonely few now have to step into a strange new world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous. Among those struggling for survival are Abby a devoted mother with a missing son; Greg a loner hiding the pain of his past; Anya a doctor who has seen too much; Al a playboy who becomes surrogate father to Najid; and Tom Price handsome dangerous and a high security prisoner before the virus hit. In the ghost cities and empty fields power water and food supplies are scarce. Just to stay alive they will have to band together utilise their talents and learn new skills. But can they all be trusted? And what new trials await those trying to rebuild a dead civilisation?
The complete first series of ITV's comedy drama comes to DVD for the first time. The Braithwaites are a dysfunctional family who live in Leeds and comprise mother Alison (Redman) father David (Davison) and their three daughters Virginia Sarah and Charlottle. The story begins with Charlotte giving her mother a Euro Lottery ticket for her birthday and subsequently scooping a 38 million jackpot. However Alison decides to keep the win a secret from her family and sets up a charity - t
The complete fourth series of the BBC detective drama based on the novels by David Cook starring Patricia Routledge as Hetty Wainthrope. Armed with little more than her pocketbook and her prodigious common-sense Hetty has proven that she can easily match wits with the best of them - even if she has to take the bus to get to the scene of a crime. Episodes are: 'Something to Treasure' 'Family Values' 'Digging for Dirt' 'Mind Over Muscle' 'Blood Relations' and 'For Love Nor Money'.
Sky One's hit comedy returns. DI John Major and DI Roy Carver were the top crime fighting duo in the Unit but when an undercover sting went horribly wrong, Major was gunned down on the job and killed. As an ˜asset' considered too valuable to lose, his body was fast-tracked into an experimental Artificial Intelligence project to bring him back from the dead. The only problem is, Major 2.0 may look like and sound like the original, but something was lost in translation - quite a lot actually. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, thinking her husband is dead, Major's wife has fallen in love with Carver. Somehow, Major's error-strewn hunches and Carver's scrambling to make good allows them to just about scrape by but for how long?
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.
When her best-laid plans for a summer full of fun go comically awry, an imaginative young girl creates her own vacation adventures in Judy Moody and the not Bummer Summer.
Up-and-coming DJ Julius dreams of becoming the biggest Jamaican Dancehall star ever. Desperate to turn his dream into a reality he agrees to act as a drug mule for Jamaican crime lord Crown and his violent sidekick Gargon. In exchange they will supply him with a clean passport and visa. Arriving in L.A. Julius hooks up with drug kingpin and record label boss Biggs and takes a job as Biggs' main hitman. His dreams soon become a nightmare involving guns drugs and murderous double-dealings when he finds himself caught in the crossfire between Jamaican Yardies and LA gangbangers!
There is not a single joke, sight-gag or one-liner in Monty Python's Life of Brian that will not forever burn itself into the viewer's memory as being just as funny as it is possible to be, but--extraordinarily--almost every indestructibly hilarious scene also serves a dual purpose, making this one of the most consistently sustained film satires ever made. Like all great satire, the Pythons not only attack and vilify their targets (the bigotry and hypocrisy of organised religion and politics) supremely well, they also propose an alternative: be an individual, think for yourself, don't be led by others. "You've all got to work it out for yourselves", cries Brian in a key moment. "Yes, we've all got to work it our for ourselves", the crowd reply en masse. Two thousand years later, in a world still blighted by religious zealots, Brian's is still a lone voice crying in the wilderness. Aside from being a neat spoof on the Hollywood epic, it's also almost incidentally one of the most realistic on-screen depictions of the ancient world--instead of treating their characters as posturing historical stereotypes, the Pythons realised what no sword 'n' sandal epic ever has: that people are all the same, no matter what period of history they live in. People always have and always will bicker, lie, cheat, swear, conceal cowardice with bravado (like Reg, leader of the People's Front of Judea), abuse power (like Pontius Pilate), blindly follow the latest fads and giggle at silly things ("Biggus Dickus"). In the end, Life of Brian teaches us that the only way for a despairing individual to cope in a world of idiocy and hypocrisy is to always look on the bright side of life. On the DVD: Life of Brian returns to Region 2 DVD in a decent widescreen anamorphic print with Dolby 5.1 sound--neither are exactly revelatory, but at least it's an improvement on the previous release, which was, shockingly, pan & scan. The 50-minute BBC documentary, "The Pythons", was filmed mainly on location in 1979 and isn't especially remarkable or insightful (a new retrospective would have been appreciated). There are trailers for this movie, as well as Holy Grail plus three other non-Python movies. There's no commentary track, sadly. --Mark Walker
Though he gets solo above-the-title billing, Will Hay was no more a solo comedian than Groucho Marx. Teamed with sidekicks Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt the trio formed one of British cinema's greatest comedy gangs. Oh, Mr Porter!, one of their finest vehicles, finds Hay as congenial William Porter, an inept railway worker who is shunted off to the dead-end job of stationmaster in Buggleskelly, Northern Ireland. The delight of the film is in the interplay between Hay and Marriott, the single-toothed dotty old-timer, and Moffatt, the chubby smart kid, as they fail the most basic requirements of their jobs but come up trumps when investigating the ghost of One-Eyed Joe and his haunted mill. --Kim Newman One of Will Hay's brisker comic efforts, 1936's Convict 99 sees Dr Benjamin Twist, Hay's clueless schoolmaster, caught in a case of mistaken identity and invited to head up a prison for especially hard-boiled criminals. It's a typical outtake from Hay's bizarrely lawless universe in which, for all his harrumphing and bluster, he's unable to exercise any sort of discipline whatsoever over the men in his charge. Hay plays exactly the same character from film to film, one so ill-equipped for any situation he's equally suited for all. Whereas Twist is an incompetent who somehow muddles through, Hay the comic actor is a master of timing and double-takes who knows precisely how to create the air of a shambles. --David Stubbs
Two female British code breakers team with American cryptographers to solve a series of murders in San Francisco.
When freelance travel writer Pippa comes home for a friend's wedding, she finds herself running her father's wedding magazine while he recovers from a heart attack. Not only does Pippa have to run the magazine, Wedding Bells, she also has to save it from the chopping block. Wedding Bells' future is at risk, as hungry vultures wait to take over her father's media conglomerate. Pippa and her straight-laced father have never truly gotten along since her mother died. To complicate things, Pippa becomes involved in a love triangle with her father's right-hand man Ian and the free-spirited photographer Hemingway Jones.
An outstanding drama, Gallipoli resonates with sadness long after you have seen it. Set during World War I, this brutally honest antiwar movie was cowritten by director Peter Weir. Mark Lee and a sinfully handsome Mel Gibson are young, idealistic best friends who put aside their hopes and dreams when they join the war effort. This character study follows them as they enlist and are sent to Gallipoli to fight the Turks. The first half of the film is devoted to their lives and their strong friendship. The second half details the doomed war efforts of the Aussies, who are no match for the powerful and aggressive Turkish army. Because the script pulls us into their lives and forces us to care for these young men, we are devastated by their fate. --Rochelle O'Gorman.
Lee Evans stars in this television adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic in which a humble draper's assistant grows tired of his life and takes to the road
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