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
More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000, originally made for the IMAX large-screen format, features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of the Ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story and animation style. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones and others. --Mark EnglehartFantasia and Fantasia 2000 are also available together in the three-disc DVD Fantasia Collection.
The king of all animated films makes a triumphant return, now more majestic than ever! Experience the magnificence of all three essential chapters of The Lion King Trilogy in spectacular high definition and share the wonder as the Circle Of Life continues for a new generation.The Lion KingEmbark on an extraordinary coming-of-age adventure as Simba, a lion cub who cannot wait to be king, searches for his destiny in the great Circle of Life. You will be thrilled by the breathtaking animation, unforgettable music and timeless story. The Lion King 2: Simba's PrideExperience the power of Upendi-which means love-as Kiara, Simba's strong-willed daughter, seeks adventure away from her father's watchful gaze. Along with Kovu, a cub who is being groomed to lead Scar's pride, Kiara searches for her proper place in the great Circle Of Life. They discover that it may be their destiny to bring peace to the Pride Lands.The Lion King 3: Hakuna MatataHilarity reigns in the motion picture comedy-adventure that takes you waaay back to the beginning before Simba's tale began...and beyond! From their uniquely hysterical perspective, Timon and his windy pal Pumbaa-the greatest unsung heroes of the Savanna- reveal what really happened behind the scenes of The Lion King's biggest events.
My Name Is JoeKen Loach's My Name Is Joe is a slice of life so raw that you can see the blood dripping off it and as in real life it mixes humour passion tragedy and violence in equal measure. Joe (Peter Mullan) is a recovering alcoholic and has done a few things in his past which he'd rather forget. Like most people he knows he's out of work but he keeps sane by coaching the self-styled worst football team in Glasgow. When one of Joe's players Liam gets involved with some local gangsters a chain of events is set in motion which not only threatens the lives of those concerned but also comes between Joe's budding love affair with social worker Sarah (Louise Goodall). Raining StonesBob Williams is a survivor. He supplements his dole by becoming embroiled in whatever scam is on offer from rustling sheep to rotting drains. But now life has dealt him a bitter blow. His van has been stolen and his daughter Colleen is approaching her first communion. She needs the traditional white dress shoes veil and gloves. Where on earth is the money going to come from? Raining Stones is a funny and essentially human story of survival in the nineties and people's aspirations for a better way of life. Riff RaffStevie a young Glaswegian just out of Barlinnie prison comes down to London and gets a job on a building site - a melting pot of itinerant laborers from all over the country. Here he has to contend with Mick the bossy ganger trying - but usually failing to control his workers Shem Mo and Larry and the other lads as they duck and dive the rules and regulations of the building trade. Stevie has other problems to contend: the wages are low the site teems with rats he has nowhere to sleep and life in London isn't that easy. One day on his way to work Stevie finds a handbag in a skip. He takes it back to it owner and meets Susan. As Stevie and Susan learn to live with the ups and downs of life in London Riff-Raff builds a portrait - sometimes gritty often funny of life as it is lived in the margins.
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
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
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
Excessive Force
It's 1953, and Sidney Chambers (James Norton) is vicar of Grantchester, a village just outside Cambridge. Sidney's is a quiet life. Or at least, it has been right up until the moment that murder comes his way... In Series One Sidney is pushed into the dangerous world of lies, betrayal and murder and quickly finds that his insight into the human condition, and the natural trust that he engenders in people, means that he excels in his new position as detective . But crime isn't the only matter that occupies Sidney. He's smitten with the witty, beautiful Amanda (Morven Christie), but could high society Amanda ever be allowed to marry a lowly country vicar? Series Two sees Sidney himself wrongly accused of a terrible crime and unmasking the real culprit will send shockwaves through the community. Joining Sidney as he journeys into this dark world is the affable but world-weary Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green), the naive, but well-meaning curate Leonard Finch (Al Weaver), and his austere and constantly disapproving housekeeper Mrs Maguire (Tessa Peake-Jones).
With 30 minutes of exclusive new extras and deluxe photo booklet, this is the ultimate package to relive the McBusted Live adventure! McBusted Deluxe Edition brings you the world's most awesome supergroup - Tom, James, Danny, Harry, Matt and Dougie in all their Live glory at the O2, and stripped bare behind the scenes in the feature length documentary, Tourplay Party on with McBusted as they bring their Most Excellent Adventure Tour to the London O2 Arena in their most exciting and spectacular show to date. Enjoy all the greatest Busted and Mcfly hits from classics including Year 3000 and Obviously to all-new McBusted favourites like Air Guitar and Get Over It. The show will suck you back to the 1980s as the supergroup perform on a stage converted into the world's largest playable arcade machine! Behind the music, this includes Tourplay, a 90-minute documentary that follows the announcement of the McBusted tour in November 2013, up to the incredible moment where the band headlined Hyde Park to 60,000 people. Featuring live footage and behind-the-scenes access with intimate and exclusive interviews with the band, TOURPLAY is an unrestricted and revealing document of what it's like to be in the world's ultimate supergroup. Bonus Features Most Excellent Adventure Tour - Behind the Scenes & Alternate Intro
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
Hunt For Red October: Based on Tom Clancy's bestseller directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard ) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin The Hunt For Red October seethes with high-tech excitement and sweats with the tension of men who hold Doomsday in their hands. A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub the Red October is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Connery). The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst (Baldwin ) has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it-because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find him too. The hunt is on! Patriot Games: Harrison Ford stars as Jack Ryan in this explosive thriller based on Tom Clancy's international best-seller. His days as an intelligence agent behind him former CIA analyst Jack Ryan has traveled to London to vacation with his wife (Anne Archer Fatal Attraction) and child (Thora Birch All I Want For Christmas). Meeting his family outside of Buckingham Palace Ryan is caught in the middle of a terrorist attack on Lord Holmes (James Fox The Russia House) a member of the Royal Family. Ryan helps to thwart Holmes' assailants and becomes a local hero. But Ryan's courageous act marks him as a target in the sights of the terrorist (Sean Bean Stormy Monday) whose brother he killed. Now Ryan must return to action for the most vital assignment of his life: to save his family. Costarring James Earl Jones (The Hunt For Red October). Clear and Present Danger: Harrison Ford returns as intrepid CIA agent Jack Ryan. When his mentor Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones) becomes gravely ill Ryan is appointed acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. His first assignment: investigate the murder of one of the President's friends a prominent U.S. businessman with secret ties to Colombian drug cartels. Unbeknownst to Ryan the CIA has already dispatched a deadly operative to lead a paramilitary force against the Colombian drug lords. Caught in the crossfire Ryan takes matters into his own hands risking his career and life for the only cause he still believes in - the truth.
Zavvi Exclusive Limited Edition Steelbook. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the legendary warrior and hero Conan the Barbarian. When his parents are killed by a band of brutal marauders and the gang's cold-blooded cult leader (James Earl Jones) the orphaned Conan endures a childhood of merciless slavery only to become a gladiator for the amusement of his captors. Eventually set free Conan begins a dangerous full-blooded quest to avenge his parents' massacre. Now the sword-wielding warrior must vanquish his bloodthirsty enemies in this death-defying action-adventure about courage strength character and the triumph of good over evil.
The lives of a single mother and her friends are changed forever after the death of a neighbour which bears all the hallmarks of a racist attack.
Scarface (Dir. Brian De Palma 1983): In the spring of 1980 the port at Mariel Harbour was opened and thousands set sail for the United States. They came in search of the American Dream. One of them found it on the sun-washed avenues of Miami... wealth power and passion beyond his wildest dreams. He was Tony Montana. The world will remember him by another name - Scarface! Al Pacino gives an unforgettable performance as Tony Montana one of the most ruthless gangsters ever d
The multi-award winning comedy series about human existence as seen through the eyes of four aliens visiting Earth whose mission is to sample life on this planet. Episode titles: Brains and Eggs Post Nasal Dick Dick's First Birthday Dick Is From Mars Sally Is From Venus Dick Smoker Green-Eyed Dick Lonely Dick Body & Soul & Dick Ab-Dick-ted Truth or Dick The Art of Dick Frozen Dick Angry Dick The Dicks They Are A-Changin' I Enjoy Being A Dick Dick Like Me Assault Wi
Two episodes from the popular TV detective series. The Dead Of Jericho Morse who never quite finds romance thinks that at last things will turn out differently when he meets beautiful Anne Stavely. But it is a love destined not to be when Anne is found hanging from a beam in mysterious circumstances. Morse suspects murder and sets out to discover the truth. Joining him is Sergeant Lewis and their investigation into 'The Dead Of Jericho' is the beginning of a lasting partn
The Drummer & The Keeper was written and directed by Nick Kelly, whose acclaimed short film SHOE was shortlisted for an Academy Award®. Winner, Best Irish First Feature, Galway Film Fleadh 2017
A biopic of one of the first true greats of boxing in the 20th century this film is interspersed with footage from the real Joe Louis in action. The fact that Louis is treated on equal par with the white characters in the story led to the film being banned in certain parts of southern America when originally released!
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