The Specialist: Sharon Stone is May Munro a beauty with a fatal past: she's sworn death to the mobsters who murdered her parents. To do the job she recruits ex-CIA explosive experts Ray Quick (Stallone). Miami grows white-hot as May lures the killers and Ray detonates them into ashes. But a vicious mob boss (Roy Stieger) his brash son (Eric Roberts) and a psychotic hired gun (James Woods) with a lethal grudge against Quick won't go without a fight. The passion the two aven
This near two-hour Granada Television production of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Conan Doyle's most popular Sherlock Holmes tale, stars series regular Jeremy Brett as the Baker Street detective and Edward Hardwicke as his close ally, Dr John Watson. A thrilling blend of detective yarn and Gothic horror, the tale concerns the apparent return of an old curse upon the Baskerville family in the terrifying form of a gigantic killer hound. Fans of Hardwicke get an opportunity to see his Watson on a solo mission for part of this story, though Brett--easily the best of all screen actors to play the sleuth--is never far from the narrative. The supporting cast is very good, and the beast itself, revealed in a famously terrifying finale, is indeed a spooky revelation. --Tom Keogh
Gimme Gimme Gimme is quite simply the chaotic adventures of one over the top tart (Kathy Burke) and one perennially lonely gay guy (James Dreyfus) who happen to share both a flat in London and a yearning lust for whatever luckless man happens to cross their paths! This release includes all the episodes from the three series. Series 1: 1. Who's That Boy? 2. The Big Break 3. LEgs And Co. 4. Do They Take Sugar 5. Saturday Night Diva 6. I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do 7. Millennium Series 2: 1. Teacher's Pet 2. Stiff 3. Prison Visitor 4. Dirty 30 5. Glad To Be Gay 6. Sofa Man Series 3: 1. Down And Out 2. Lollipop Man 3. Secrets And Flies 4. Trauma 5. Singing In The Drain 6. Decoy
Although the superhero comic book has been a duopoly since the early 1960s, only DC's flagship characters, Superman and Batman (who originated in the late 1930s) have established themselves as big-screen franchises. Until now--this is the first runaway hit film version of the alternative superhero X-Men universe created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and others. It's a rare comic-book movie that doesn't fall over its cape introducing all the characters, and this is the exception. X-Men drops us into a world that is closer to our own than Batman's Gotham City, but it's still home to super-powered goodies and baddies. Opening in high seriousness with paranormal activity in a WW2 concentration camp and a senatorial inquiry into the growing "mutant problem", Bryan Singer's film sets up a complex background with economy and establishes vivid, strange characters well before we get to the fun. There's Halle Berry flying and summoning snowstorms, James Marsden zapping people with his "optic beams", Rebecca Romijn-Stamos shape-shifting her blue naked form, and Ray Park lashing out with his Toad-tongue. The big conflict is between Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Ian McKellen's Magneto, super-powerful mutants who disagree about their relationship with ordinary humans, but the characters we're meant to identify with are Hugh Jackman's Wolverine (who has retractable claws and amnesia), and Anna Paquin's Rogue (who sucks the life and superpowers out of anyone she touches). The plot has to do with a big gizmo that will wreak havoc at a gathering of world leaders, but the film is more interested in setting up a tangle of bizarre relationships between even more bizarre people, with solid pros such as Stewart and McKellen relishing their sly dialogue and the newcomers strutting their stuff in cool leather outfits. There are in-jokes enough to keep comics' fans engaged, but it feels more like a science fiction movie than a superhero picture. --Kim Newman
The Water Babies is a classically enchanting tale of a young chimney sweep apprentice forced to work long hours and in terrible conditions at the hands of his heavy drinking and dishonest master (Triple Oscar nominee James Mason). One day the young boy Tom is unfairly accused of stealing silverware from the home of a client. Frightened and confused he makes a run for it and leaps into Dead Man's Pool where he is magically transported to a fantasy world filled with animated creatures. Here he makes friends with The Water Babies and becomes immersed in an amazing world of adventure and song. Before he can return to the surface however he must help the Babies escape a tyrannical eel and a devious shark who are holding them prisoner.
A troubled young man retreats from the big city and his ex-wife for the tranquility of a small town. He is drawn into a relationship with a young woman whose boyfriend ends up dead leaving the new arrival as a suspect.
1: Pilot Sonny Crockett an undercover cop for the Miami Vice Department and Ricardo Tubbs a New York street cop unwillingly team up to apprehend a Columbian cocaine smuggler in this pilot episode. 2: The Golden Triangle Crockett and Tubbs' assignment as hotel security turns out to be more than just routine when a drugs-related hit leads to a side of Lt. Castillo they've never seen before. 3: The Golden Triangle Part 2 Lt. Castillo must find a way to catch General Lao Li with enough evidence to send him to prison but without endangering My Ying's life who was brought to Miami by Lao Li as a hostage to protect himself from Castillo.
Trying to explain the cult appeal of John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China to the uninitiated is no easy task. The plot in a nutshell follows lorry driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) into San Francisco's Chinatown, where he's embroiled in street gang warfare over the mythical/magical intentions of would-be god David Lo Pan. There are wire-fu fight scenes, a floating eyeball and monsters from other dimensions. Quite simply it belongs to a genre of its own. Carpenter was drawing on years of chop-socky Eastern cinema tradition, which, at the time of the film's first release in 1986, was regrettably lost on a general audience. Predictably, it bombed. But now that Jackie Chan and Jet Li have made it big in the West, and Hong Kong cinema has spread its influence across Hollywood, it's much, much easier to enjoy this film's happy-go-lucky cocktail of influences. Russell's cocky anti-hero is easy to cheer on as he "experiences some very unreasonable things" blundering from one fight to another, and lusts after the gorgeously green-eyed Kim Cattrall. The script is peppered with countless memorable lines, too ("It's all in the reflexes"). Originally outlined as a sequel to the equally obscure Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, Big Trouble is a bona fide cult cinema delight. Jack sums up the day's reactions perfectly, "China is here? I don't even know what the Hell that means!". On the DVD: Big Trouble in Little China is released as a special edition two-disc set in its full unedited form. Some real effort has been put into both discs' animated menus, and the film itself is terrific in 2.35:1 and 5.1 (or DTS). The commentary by Carpenter and Russell may not be as fresh as their chat on The Thing, but clearly they both retain an enormous affection for the film. There are eight deleted scenes (some of which are expansions of existing scenes), plus a separate extended ending which was edited out for the right reasons. You'll also find a seven-minute featurette from the time of release, a 13-minute interview with FX guru Richard Edlund, a gallery of 200 photos, 25 pages of production notes and magazine articles from American Cinematographer and Cinefex. Best of all for real entertainment value is a music video with Carpenter and crew (the Coupe de Villes) coping with video FX and 80s hair-dos.--Paul Tonks
Summer 1977 the week of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Passion is in the air of the dark blue London sky. TJ is out cruising the park for love and is murdered. A beatbox lying in the bushes is the only clue... Soul mates since childhood Chris and Caz are two young black disc jockeys who run the coolest pirate radio station in town Soul Patrol. The skins on Chris's housing estate mock him and Caz; they envy their black soul boy style. However Chris has ambitions beyond the pirat
If you think you know your lover. Think again. Especially if she's your wife.... After a bitter divorce wealthy architect Ray (Spader) fears he'll never love again...until he bumps into sexy sophisticated Lena (Amick) and sparks begin to fly. Before long they are happily married and have a family. But when Ray's suspicious nature gets the better of him and he begins to investigate Lena's past what he finds may not only threaten the state of their marriage.... but also Ray's
From the young director of 2000's critically acclaimed "George Washington" comes a love story set in a small country town in Southern America.
Pop stars and movies don't normally make the best combinations; despite featuring three musicians trying their hands at the acting game On the Line is a delightful movie. The biggest draw will undoubtedly be Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of US boy band N*SYNC and while many critics may be ready with their pot shots the pair not only bring a surprisingly deft acting ability to the screen but a chemistry clearly borne of years together in a band. The film bravely refuses to play the predictable teen comedy card, opting instead for a more mature tale of romance. On the Line succeeds not only thanks to the performances but because its theme of lost opportunities is a universal one. Certainly not a film without its faults (Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora's cameo is simply dreadful), On the Line has the courage of its convictions and at least tries to do something other than the expected. The result is an enjoyable effort and one that suggests Bass and Fatone may well have a prosperous future ahead of them when that Justin Timberlake fellow inevitably dumps them to go solo. On the DVD: On the Line is certainly a diverting if not startling DVD package. The commentary from director Eric Bross and the excellent Emmanuelle Chriqui is lively and informative. There is a selection of deleted and alternative scenes as well as outtakes. The HBO special is fine, if essentially one long advert for the movie. Unsurprisingly, the film enjoys a high-profile soundtrack (unwisely including the odd N*SYNC tune, rather blurring the edges of credibility) and the audio quality is suitably superb. --Phil Udell
In an American West just coming to terms with the end of World War II Jane Fonda stars as a Colorado rancher struggling to keep her independence from ruthless local land mogul Ewing. Fonda teams up with another independent rancher and war veteran Frank and Frank's partner is killed. Frank and Ella develop a romantic relationship as they battle to save Ella's land but more than the land is at stake for Ewing. His desire to expand his ranching empire must come to terms with a force e
A polar bear of many words, Norm's greatest gripe is simple: there is no room for tourists in the Arctic. But when a maniacal developer threatens to build luxury condos in his own backyard, Norm does what all normal polar bears would do he heads to New York City to stop it. With a cast of ragtag lemmings at his side, Norm takes on the big apple, big business and a big identity crisis to save the day.
Susan Hampshire stars in this world stars in this wonderful BBC dramatisation of the lives of John and Sarah Churchill. John Churchill was the first Duke of Marlborough a military genius whose brilliance on the battlefield saved England from defeat just as his descendant Winston Churchill saved Britain 300 years later... Episodes comprise: The Chaste Nymph Bridals Plot Counter-Plot The Lion and the Unicorn Rebellion The Protestant Wind.
After the death of their daughter, the Hughes family decide to move to their isolated cottage to try and rebuild their life together. They soon find their patience quickly tested by the overly friendly advances of their neighbours - a family that bear a striking resemblance to themselves. Starring Selma Blair, In Their Skin will shred your nerves, haunt your mind and definitely make you think twice about inviting people to dinner ever again...
Originally broadcast on ITV in 1980 The Spoils of War follows the fortunes of two north country families the Haywards and the Warringtons in post war Britain starring Alan Hunter (Dangerfield) James Bate (Auf Wiedersehen Pet) Ian Hastings (Prime Suspect) Malcolm Tierney (Dalziel and Pascoe) and Madeleine Newton (When the Boat Comes In)
Steve Buscemi is Nick Reve a luckless low-budget director struggling against all odds to get his artistic vision onto the screen. The big name leading man arrives on set with a big ego and some scene-improving ideas of his own the leading lady has confidence issues his inept crew include a cinematographer who fails to capture a rare moment of brilliance as he's busy throwing-up and a dwarf for the dream sequence is angry at typecasting - 'I don't even have dreams with dwarves in them'. Insecurities love rivalries mounting tension and an exploding smoke-machine all add to the catalogue of trials for Nick as he desperately tries to hold onto his sanity.
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