In its fourth season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer had to change its formula radically. Two major characters--the vampire-with-a-soul Angel and Cordelia, the queen bitch of Sunnydale High--had gone off to be in their own show, Angel, and soon after the start of the season Willow's werewolf boyfriend Oz left when Seth Green needed to concentrate on his film career. Buffy and Willow started college, where they met new characters like Riley, the All-American Boy with a double life, and Tara, the sweet stuttering witch; but Xander and Giles found themselves at something of a loose end. Several characters were subjected to the radical re-envisioning possible in a show that deals with the supernatural: the blond vampire Spike came back and soon found himself with an inhibitor chip in his head, forced into reluctant alliance with Buffy; the former vengeance demon Anya became passionately smitten with Xander. Not all fans were happy with the central story arc about the sinister Dr Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) and her Frankensteinian creation Adam, though Crouse's performance was memorable. The strength of Season Four was perhaps most in impressive stand-alone episodes like the silent "Hush", the multiple dream sequence "Restless" and the passionate, moving "New Moon Rising", in which Oz returns, apparently cured, only to find that Willow is no longer waiting for him. This was one of the high points of the show as a vehicle for intense acting, perhaps only equalled by "Who Are You?", in which the evil slayer Faith takes over Buffy's body and Sarah Michelle Gellar gets to play bad girl for once. --Roz KaveneyOn the DVD: Buffy Season 4 was a hit and so is this sublime box set. The commentaries for "The Initiative", "This Year'sGirl", "Superstar" and "Primaveral" are all well above average, but are nothing compared to "Hush" and "Restless" where Joss Whedon gives out all the information and insights any fan would dream of. The four featurettes included are a pleasure to watch, especially the evolution of the sets for the show. The scripts, trailers and cast biographies complete the set and make for a decent addition to your Buffy archive. The soundtrack is in 2.0 Dolby surround, but the image is as grainy and dark as the previous seasons on DVD. --Celine Martig
When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and story lines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep-down sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford
We have met the enemy, and it is us: when a Martian spacecraft with a terrifying link to the origins of humanity is unearthed beneath a London tube station, only the esteemed Professor Bernard Quatermass can save London's suddenly murderous population from itself. One of the most intelligently paranoid science fiction films ever produced, this pessimistic masterpiece functions as a dark flip-side to the relatively optimistic alien-induced evolution theory presented in the later 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nigel Kneale's brilliant script (which posits a surprisingly plausible, otherworldly rationale for the existence of the supernatural) was later appropriated by acknowledged fan John Carpenter for his underrated Prince of Darkness. A must-see for horror and science fiction aficionados. This film is also known as Five Million Years to Earth. --Andrew Wright
At the turn of the 20th century the film industry sought to elevate its lowbrow status by imitating the theatre. While cinemas decked themselves out like theatres filmmakers signed up stage stars and turned to the classics. Shakespeare provided the greatest challenge especially since many of the films made before the First World War were only one or two reels long.
When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and storylines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep down, sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whately's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter said he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford
Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its' five year mission: to explore strange new worlds to seek out new life and new civilisations to boldly go where no man has gone before! Episodes Comprise: 1. The Man Trap 2. Charlie X 3. Where No Man Has Gone Before 4. The Naked Time 5. The Enemy Within 6. Mudd's Women 7. What Are Little Girls Made Of? 8. Miri 9. Dagger Of The Mind 10. The Corbomite Maneuver 11. The Menagerie (Part 1) 12. The Me
The Frankenstein legend gets stitched up by the makers of Basket Case and Brian Damage in this outrageous horror comedy. When his pretty fianc''e goes to pieces under the blades of a runaway lawnmower aspiring mad scientist Jeffrey Franken hatches an unorthodox scheme to bring his beloved back to life. With the help of an explosive super drug Jeffrey reassembles his girlfriend from the body parts of New York prostitutes. But his dream-girl runs amok on 42nd Street turning tricks that literally make people's head's spin. Can Jeffrey still find true love or has he created a monster...?
When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and story lines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep-down sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford
The Good The Bad And The Ugly Director Sergio Leone substitutes for the upright puritan Protestant ethos so familiar in Hollywood westerns a seedy cynical standpoint towards death and mortality as a team of brutal bandits battle to unearth a fortune buried beneath an unmarked grave. Joining Clint clearly The Good is the irredeemably Bad Lee and the resolutely Ugly Eli Wallach. The complete plot of bloodshed and betrayal winds its way through the American Civil War filmed to resemble the French battlefields of World War One to end in the climatic Dance Of Death. The Magnificent Seven Yul Brynner stars as one of seven master gunmen who aid the helpless farmers of an isolated village pitted against an army of marauding bandits in this rousing action tale based on Akira Kurosawa's classic 'Seven Samurai'. Released in 1960 John Sturges' masterpiece garnered an Oscar nomination for Elmer Bernstein (for Best Score) and launched the film careers of Steve McQueen Charles Bronson Robert Vaughn and James Coburn. The Alamo At the Alamo a crumbling adobe mission 185 exceptional men joined together in a sacred pact: they would stand firm against an army of 7 000 and willingly give their lives for freedom. Filmed entirely in Texas only a few miles from the site of the actual battle 'The Alamo' is a visually stunning and historically accurate celebration of courage and honour. John Wayne produces directs and stars in this larger than life chronicle of one of the most remarkable events in American history.
When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and storylines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep down, sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whately's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter said he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford
Babe (Dir. Chris Noonan 1995): Introducing a barnyard full of captivating characters unlike any you've ever met! There's Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell); Fly the sheep dog; Rex her shepherding partner; Ferdinanad the quacky duck; Maa the elderly ewe; and the newest addition to Hoggett Farm Babe a most unusual Yorkshire piglet. It's a delightful story the whole family will love! The Borrowers (Dir. Peter Hewit 1998): Follows the adventures of the dauntless tiny Clock family parents Pod (Jim Broadbent) Homily (Celia Imrie) and their kids Peagreen and Arrietty - a family of tiny four inch tall people who live under the floorboards of a big house surviving by borrowing from the Human Bean family upstairs. The Borrowers turn dental floss into tightropes toaster handles into catapults socks into beds stamps into wall posters and when their world is facing extinction - in the form of Ocious P. Potter (John Goodman) their resourcefulness knows no bounds. Casper (Dir. Brad Silberling 1995): Ghost therapist Dr. James Harvey and his daughter Kat arrive at drafty old Whipstaff Manor. Its greedy owner Carrigan Crittendon has hired Dr. Harvey to exorcise the house's apparitions: a friendly but lonely young ghost named Casper who's just looking for a friend and his outrageous uncles Stretch Stinkie and Fatso. If the plan works she and Dibs her partner-in-slime can get their hands on the manor's fabled treasure. Meanwhile Casper has found a kindred spirit in Kat but The Ghostly Trio will not tolerate fleshies in their house. With hilarious antics and dazzling special effects Casper is a fun-packed adventure comedy for the whole family.
Agent Cody Banks Cody Banks (Muniz) seems like a typical teenager - he loves skateboarding hates maths his mum drives him crazy and he feels like a complete idiot around girls. But Cody has a really big secret even his family and best friends don't know: he's actually an elite undercover agent for the CIA. Cody is living every kid's dream. Specially trained at a top secret facility disguised as summer camp Cody can drive like a stuntman jump kick like a pro and has an ar
With memorable and unsettling opening credits and exceptional performances and direction Armchair Thriller became a massive hit for Thames Television in the late 1970s and early 1980s. With its trademark ghoulish razor-sharp cliff hangers and iconic theme tune (by Roxy Music's Andy Mackay) this haunting anthology series was an immediate success its eerie disturbing and downright scary tales regularly attracting over 15 million viewers. Each of its ten stories is a gripping exercise in compelling television showing ordinary people plunged into extraordinary situations. For many this series remains a high-watermark of dramatic television and its many frightening and spooky moments are remembered by viewers nearly thirty years after its original transmission. Quiet As A Nun: A nun dies of starvation after locking herself in a convent tower. Jemima Shore a former pupil at the convent school and now a television interviewer is asked to investigate. Jemima is surprised to discover that the death of the nun is connected with her own television programme.
In the year 2048, the sun has become so toxic people can no longer leave their houses in daytime, and normal life is conducted mostly inside the virtual realm. Adam is a husband and father who discovers that he has a mysterious heart disease. With no possibility for an organ transplant, he is now scheduled to be replaced by a cloned upgrade an improved version of himself that will be supplied to his estranged wife as part of the Premium 3 government insurance plan. Spiraling out of control, Adam starts living on borrowed time, seeking to find a solution before his replica will be sent to raise his kids and replace his existence across the board.
A 16th Century Spanish sheriff presiding over a provincial city attempts to solve a gruesome series of murders in this period thriller starring Christopher Lambert. When a number of high-ranking nobles are found viciously slaughtered with large letters carved into their chests, it's up to haggard-but-honest lawman Ruy de Mendoza (Lambert) to crack the case. As he gets ever closer to the elusive killer, however, it soon becomes obvious that there is much more at stake than Mendoza originally thought, and that his relentless quest for the truth could very well cost him his life if he's not careful.
When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and story lines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep-down sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford
The complete sixth series of ITV's hit series Soldier Soldier which followed the lives of the Kings Fusiller's regiment. In this series the Fusiller's find themselves posted at Aldershot in order to form part of the 5th Airborne Brigade. The boys have mixed feelings about the move and are warned that the training facing them is far from easy. The King's Own are put through their paces as Platoon Sergeant Chris McLeod gets them ready for their 'P' company training which
Cold Feet is the fast and funny ITV comedy drama about a group of friends which has gripped the nation. Immersing us in the lives of 3 couples who are coping with life love careers marriage friendship infidelity and of course sex. It gets to the heart of 30-something relationships like no other programme of its kind. Pilot Episode: Pete and Jenny are trying desperately to have a baby. As they have had little success Jenny begins to plot their lives around her ovulation
Hollywood superstar James Belushi stars as undercover mole Frank Spello in this all action thriller. After years of deep undercover operation Spello is determined to smash the organized crime syndicates and even endures doing time in one of America's toughest prisons and all the brutal treatment dished out in these so called correction institutions. Spello is by no means the model prisoner and will go to any length in order to be accepted by the underworld and finds himself in many life threatening situations where the cell block rules are..No Rules..No Witnesses.. No Mercy..And No Justice! Eventually winning the respect of Chicago crime lord Sal The Joker Licata Spello is confident his cell block education will assist him on his eventual release . But nothing could prepare Spello for the double-dealing double-crossing and ruthless disregard for human life demonstrated by the Chicago Mafia and Colombian Drug Barons. Teaming up with Gina Gallagher a beautiful young federal prosecutor they find their every move blocked by conspiracy and corruption and as they hurtle from one life threatening situation to another they are convinced that Lady Justice wears a blindfold and must make the ultimate decision as to follow their oath of to serve and protect or dispense their own brand of justice...
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