Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Mrs Taggart (Bette Davis) a wealthy tyrannical and manipulative matriarch holds a social gathering to celebrate her wedding anniversary even though her husband has been dead for years. She demands the presence of her three sons: a timid cross-dresser a stressed father of five and a secretly engaged youngster. But the party is just an excuse for Mrs. Taggart to maintain her mercilessly firm grip over her offsprings lives. Made by Britains Hammer Studios this deliciously nasty
Arthur Bishop (Bronson) is a mob hit man who operates in a world of his own an uncompromising world where conventional rules of morality don't apply and where one wrong move could cost him his life! He's always worked alone but as age catches up with him Bishop takes on a competent and ruthless apprentice (Jan-Michael Vincent) and teaches him everything he knows. Together they become an unmatchable team of globetrotting killers until the pupil's ruthlessness puts him on a colli
Made in 1960, Carry On Constable is one of the earliest Carry On comic romps, arriving before they'd carved out their bawdy niche in British cinema. In fact, this Gerald-Thomas-directed effort isn't dissimilar to most of the mainstream Brit-com of its era. A flu epidemic has forced a police station to take on a brace of callow recruits: Kenneth Connor, a superstitious bag of nerves; Leslie Phillips, playing his usual rapscallion self; the ludicrously effete Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams. The "plot" is a sequence of thoroughly creaky gags at the expense of this bumbling quartet. The staple characters hadn't settled into their "classic" personae yet. Here, Sid James is an exasperated sergeant, not the sort of crinkly rogue he played in later years, Kenneth Williams is dry, detached and supercilious, while Hattie Jacques is no matron but a sympathetic sergeant, whose every walk-on is not yet accompanied by the portly strains of tubas and bassoons. The comedy here is, frankly, dismal--banana skins are slipped upon and officers' legs urinated upon bydogs, all to a rueful soundtrack of wah-wah trumpets. The main appeal of this movie is as a period slice of damp, pre-Beatles London in glorious black and white.On the DVD: Although picture and sound are adequate (though poorly dubbed in places), there are no extras at all, a shame for the hardcore Carry On aficionados to whom this release would surely, perhaps exclusively, appeal. --David Stubbs
Ray Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Gabe Cash (Kurt Russell) are rival L.A. policemen with one thing in common: each thinks he is the best. Team them and they're like oil and water. But frame them for a crime and they're like a match and kerosene. Stallone and Russell deliver sweaty excitement sex appeal and outrageous laughs in this action-comedy from the director of Runaway Train. The two stage a prison breakout that's a breathless rush of weapons and wisecracks then roar after the shadowy crimelord (Jack Palance) who set them up. Tango & Cash are out to clear their names. Join them and feel the rush.
This unforgettable collection includes seven vintage episode starring Mark McManus, the actor who remains synonymous with DCI Jim Taggart. So sit back and enjoy 15 hours of Taggart at its very best. They just don't make them like this anymore.
With The Disaster Artist, James Franco transforms the tragicomic true-story of aspiring filmmaker and infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseauan artist whose passion was as sincere as his methods were questionableinto a celebration of friendship, artistic expression and dreams pursued against insurmountable odds. Based on Greg Sestero's best-selling tell-all about the making of Tommy's cult-classic disasterpiece The Room (The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made), The Disaster Artist is a hilarious and welcome reminder that there is more than one way to become a legendand no limit to what you can achieve when you have absolutely no idea what you're doing.
The next installment in the blockbuster franchise, UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS follows Vampire death dealer, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) as she fends off brutal attacks from both the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her. With her only allies, David (Theo James) and his father Thomas (Charles Dance), she must stop the eternal war between Lycans and Vampires, even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Lieutenant Goodbody (Crawford) has absolutely no idea how to lead his British regiment in the North African battlefield of WWII. But what he lacks in experience he makes up for in enthusiasm. And when he's ordered to build a cricket playing field 100 miles behind enemy lines he's determined to succeed even if this means most of his men are killed in the process. Abandoned by his superiors betrayed by his inferiors and finally captured by Nazis it's going to take more than his unre
Originally intended as a training film this war story (based on a screenplay by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov) tells of the light-hearted tomfoolery which soon gives way to the grim realities of life on the most dangerous battlegrounds of the Second World War...
First shown on BBC One on New Year's Eve 1982, Ghost in the Water is a suspenseful and thrilling tale for the whole family to enjoy. A young woman drowns in 1860. Although it was an accident her death was recorded as suicide, considered to be a mortal sin at the time. Consequently her spirit lives on in a state of torment. Over a century later Tess, a teenager, experiences memories that aren't her own. These nightmarish visions of a drowning woman become too real for comfort and Tess convinces her friend David, a fellow history buff, to help her investigate the mysterious death. The pair must prove that the historical suicide was in fact a death by accident', in order to free Tess of her horrifying flashbacks. Little do they realise that their findings could also release the tormented spirit and finally let her soul rest in peace. Directed by BAFTA-winner Renny Rye, who went on to direct episodes of Midsomer Murders, Agatha Christie's Poirot, and the supernatural thriller Box of Delights. Features: Based on the novel by Edward Chitham, adapted for screen by BAFTA-winner Geoffrey Case (The Accountant) Directed by BAFTA-winner Renny Rye (Midsommer Murders / Agatha Christie's Poirot). Director also of the fondly remembered fantasy series Box of Delights Starring Jane Freeman (Last of the Summer Wine), Paul Copley (Downton Abbey), Ralph Lawton ( Z Cars) and Hilary Mason who starred in another supernatural thriller Don't Look Now
Double bill of the action/sci-fi based on the books by Veronica Roth. In a futuristic Chicago society is divided into five factions based on personality type created to bring everlasting peace. On a given day each year all sixteen year olds must take a test and choose where they belong. For Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) the choice is not an easy one. In a divided existence where everyone must conform Tris is Divergent – a danger and threat to this seemingly perfect world. Forced to hide this deadly secret Tris has to make a difficult choice and is drawn to her enigmatic mentor Four (Theo James) who appears to both threaten and protect her. As a dangerous conflict develops amongst the factions Tris must rely on her strength and courage not only to survive but to save the people she loves. In Insurgent Tris and Four are now fugitives on the run hunted by Jeanine (Kate Winslet) the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves Tris with Four at her side faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.
As the Cold War rages, ex-smuggler turned reluctant spy Harry Palmer finds himself at the centre of a dangerous undercover mission, on which he must use his links to find a missing British nuclear scientist.
Based on the powerfully moving true story of the challenging relationship between old tom and young tommy morris, tommy's honour recounts the life of the dynamic father-son team who ushered in the modern game of golf. as their fame grew, tom and tommy, considered by many to be scotland's golf royalty, were touched by drama and personal tragedy. at first matching his father's success, tommy's talent and fame grew to outshine his father's accomplishments and respect as founder of the open championship in 1860 with a series of his own triumphs. but in contrast to tommy's public persona, his personal turmoil ultimately led him to rebel against both the aristocracy who gave him opportunity, and the parents who shunned his passionate relationship with his wife. directed by jason connery, and starring peter mullan (war horse), jack lowden ('71), ophelia lovibond (guardians of the galaxy) and sam neill (jurassic park), this poignant drama serves as both a deeply affecting tribute to a true sporting pioneer, and a testament to the unique bond between father and son.
Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy), a corrupt policeman, is in line for a promotion and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Enlisted to solve a brutal murder and threatened by the aspirations of his colleagues, he sets about ensuring their ruin.
King for a Day. Sir Horatio Manners offers Jack a job which he can't afford to turn down. Meanwhile Bella is concerned about where Tom is getting his money from. Episode titles include: 'King For A Day' 'Happy New Year - Some Say' 'Heads You Win - Tails I Lose' 'Kind-hearted at With A Lifebelt'.
Intelligent casting, strong performances and the persuasive chemistry between Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer prove the virtues in director Fred Schepisi's well-intended but problematic screen realization of this John Le Carré espionage thriller. At its best, The Russia House depicts the bittersweet nuances of the pivotal affair between a weary, alcoholic London publisher (Connery) and the mysterious Russian beauty (Pfeiffer) who sends him a fateful manuscript exposing the weaknesses beneath Soviet defence technology. Connery's Barley is a gritty, all-too-human figure who's palpably revived by his awakening feelings for Pfeiffer's wan, vulnerable Katya, whose own reciprocal emotions are equally convincing. Together, they weave a poignant romantic duet. The problems, meanwhile, emanate from the story line that brings these opposites together. Le Carré's novels are absorbing but typically internal odysseys that seldom offer the level of straightforward action or simple arcs of plot that the big screen thrives on. For The Russia House, written as glasnost eclipsed the cold war's overt rivalries, Le Carré means to measure how old adversaries must calibrate their battle to a more subtle, subdued match of wits. Barley himself becomes enmeshed in the mystery of the manuscript because British intelligence chooses to use him as cat's paw rather than become directly involved. Such subtlety may be a more realistic take on the spy games of the recent past but it makes for an often tedious, talky alternative to taut heroics that Connery codified in his most celebrated early espionage role. If the suspense thus suffers, we're still left with an affecting love story, as well as some convincing sniping between British and US intelligence operatives, beautifully cast with James Fox, Roy Scheider and John Mahoney. Veteran playwright Tom Stoppard brings considerable style to the dialogue, without solving the problem of giving us more than those verbal exchanges to sustain dramatic interest. --Sam Sutherland
All ten episodes from the first season of the action drama series starring Clive Standen and Jennifer Beals. Devastated by the murder of his sister, Bryan Mills (Standen) is recruited to a secret US intelligence agency by Deputy Director Christina Hart (Beals). Taking his first steps in the field, Mills comes up against a number of deadly terrorist threats while also looking to track down those responsible for his sister's death. The episodes are: 'Pilot', 'Ready', 'Off Side', 'Mattie G', 'A Clockwork Swiss', 'Hail Mary', 'Solo', 'Leah', 'Gone' and 'I Surrender'.
Digitally re-mastered for superior sound and picture quality Lovin’ You is a genuine Elvis classic and an absolute “must have” for any true fan of the undisputed King of Rock’n’Roll from the days when he was lean mean and magnificent and had a hip wiggle that drove the girls crazy. Only Presley’s second ever feature film and his first in colour this rocking romance uncannily mirrors Elvis’s own explosion onto the music scene and rocket ride to fame and fortune. His raw animal prescence leaps sensationally from the screen in the all-singing all-dancing story of a humble delivery boy turned rock’n’roll star Deke Rivers – featuring the hit songs Teddy Bear Got A Lot Of Lovin’ To Do Hot Dog Mean Woman Blues Party and of course the tender ballad Lovin’ You. First released in the cinema in 1957 the movie showed Elvis had genuine acting talent with his gritty and emotional portrayal of a simple country boy catapulted to stardom. Interestingly two versions of the title song were recorded for the film and although two versions are on the Complete Fifties Masters both are shorter than the 2 minutes 12 seconds on-screen version here!
Adam Sandler leads an all-star comedy cast as a troupe of former college friends discover that growing older doesn't mean growing up.
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