Often hailed as the greatest ever British sitcom, Fawlty Towers is closer to the more elaborate tradition of farce. Comprising two series made in 1975 and 1979, the total of just 12 episodes were painstakingly constructed by writers John Cleese and Connie Booth. Unlike most British farce, however, Fawlty Towers deals with the big themes--death, psychology, xenophobia and even sex-o-phobia (Basil's marriage to Sybil is the most sterile ever depicted in a sitcom). Basil's contempt for his guests is, of course, legendary. It takes little from patrons to unleash his sledgehammer sarcasm: "Rosewood, mahogany, teak? Sorry, I was wondering what you'd like your breakfast tray made out of", he sneers at a guest who dares to request breakfast in bed. Like every Englishman, he wants to be king of his own castle and resents having to take in lodgers to maintain the place, especially the open-necked younger generation, whom he regards as sub-human. Mostly, though, Fawlty Towers is comedy of exasperation--who can forget the "damn good thrashing" Basil gives his clapped-out car, or the nervous breakdowns he almost suffers trying to make himself understood to Manuel? It's also comedy of embarrassment. The very fear of losing his dignity generally leads Basil into the most spectacularly undignified of predicaments. His inevitable misery is our sheer delight. -- David Stubbs On the DVD: each six-episode season is given its own disc with a commentary track from John Howard Davies and Bob Spiers, directors of Season 1 and Season 2 respectively. The third disc has all the additional material, the best of which are new interviews with John Cleese, Andrew Sachs and Prunella Scales. Also included are text biographies of all the leads and the guest stars, a short background featurette on Torquay and the hotel owner who is said to have inspired Basil, a very short blooper reel of outtakes and a brief teaser with Cleese in character entitled "Cheap Tatty Review". Much of this extra material was comfortably fitted onto the individually available Season 1 and 2 discs, so it's a bit of a mystery why a third disc was deemed necessary for the box set. --Mark Walker
Midsomer Murders
From modern horror master Wes Craven comes a timeless shocker that remains the standard bearer for terror. Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is having grisly nightmares. Meanwhile her high-school friends who are having the very same dreams are being slaughtered in their sleep by the hideous fiend of their shared nightmares. When the police ignore her explanation she herself must confront the killer in his shadowy realm. Featuring John Saxon with Johnny Depp in his first starring role and mind-bending special effects this horror classic gave birth to one of the most infamous undead villains in cinematic history: Freddy Krueger...
A box office failure at the time, John Boorman's 1974 cult science fiction film Zardoz is an entrancing if overly ambitious project that offers pointed commentary on class structure and religion inside its complex plot and head-movie visuals. Its healthy doses of sex and violence will involve viewers even if the story machinations escape them. Beautifully photographed near Boorman's home in Ireland's Wicklow Mountains by Geoffrey Unsworth (2001), its production design is courtesy of longtime Boorman associate Anthony Pratt, who creates a believable society within the film's million-dollar budget. A bewigged Sean Connery is Zed, a savage "exterminator" commanded by the mysterious god Zardoz to eliminate Brutals, survivors of an unspecified worldwide catastrophe. Zed stows away inside Zardoz's enormous idol (a flying stone head) and is taken to the pastoral land of the Eternals, a matriarchal, quasi-medieval society that has achieved psychic abilities as well as immortality. Zed finds as much hope as disgust with the Eternals; their advancements have also robbed them of physical passion, turning their existence into a living death. Zed becomes the Eternals' unlikely messiah, but in order to save them--and himself--he must confront the truth behind Zardoz and his own identity inside the Tabernacle, the Eternals' omnipresent master computer. --Paul Gaita
Two Supreme Court Justices have been murdered and a lone law student (Julia Roberts) turns her suspicions about the deaths into a speculative brief that sends shock waves into the highest levels of government. She and a determined investigative reporter (Denzel Washington) want to tell the world what they have uncovered...if they live to tell it. The race is in on and these two are more than runners they're moving targets.
A mock documentary filmed mostly in and around LA with interviews of Cheech and Chong interspersed between four videos of songs from their last album. Songs include: 'Get outta my room' and 'Born in East LA'.
'The X-Men'-like half human/half mutants are back for a second series of tongue-in-cheek adventures as they battle to protect their race against the shadowy forces of evil. The Grift:Brennan's ex-girlfriend enlists his help when a scheme to blackmail a prominent politician turns nasty. Within These Walls:When a dangerous mutant prisoner escapes an armoured convoy it sets in progress a deadly chase leading to a mysterious assassin - the prisoner's next target. At D
The abduction of beautiful Helen wife of Spartan King Menelaus by Paris of Troy triggers a long war faithfully recreated in this lavish TV miniseries.
A gay man (Alan Davies) and a straight woman (Lesley Sharp) meet and do the unthinkable - they fall in love. Rose is down to earth straighforward and funny. Then she meets Bob a teacher who's certainly not expecting to meet someone like Rose. In their hearts they know they're doing the right thing but everyone around them thinks they're crazy. Are they hurtling towards the biggest heartache ever? Bob And Rose is an irresistable comedy drama from the pen of Russell T. Davis creator
Justin Timberlake makes his acting debut in this gritty crime thriller, playing a young journalist who uncovers massive police corruption in the town of Edison.
Golden Globe winner John Travolta (Pulp Fiction) stars in this tense action thriller, where a team of Texas linemen race to install miles of cable before a deadly lightning storm destroys the power grid. These unsung heroes work hundreds of feet in the air, on wires carrying as much as 500,000 volts of electricity, with death often inches away. Beau Ginner (Travolta) is haunted by the electrocution death of his younger brother, which left Beau raising his niece, Bailey (Kate Bosworth, Heist) on his own. Beau is determined to see her go to college and away from the life of linemen, but Bailey has other plans, including staying in touch with her ex-boyfriend Duncan (Devon Sawa, Final Destination) whom Beau despises. As a major storm descends on the county, events come to a head, leaving both Bailey and Beau's lives on the line.
Robin Hood (Connery) is an old man when he returns with his best friend Little John to England after the Crusades. Maid Marian (Hepburn) has entered a nunnery King Richard is a raving lunatic his Brother John a moron and the age of great adventure has seemed to have passed Robin by. But when The Sheriff of Nottingham (Shaw) once again threatens Sherwood Robin gathers his faithful men and band of peasants to fight oppression in this high-spirited adventure in which Robin Hood and Maid Marian rediscover their love...
Rocking Horse Winner is a dark, atmospheric and complex psychological British drama, adapted from DH Lawrence's story about Paul, a young boy (a 10 year-old John Howard Davies) who receives a rocking horse for Christmas and soon learns that he is able to pick the winning horse at the races - to the delight of his spend thrift mother (Valerie Hobson) and his hopeless gambler of a father (Hugh Sinclair) Young Paul teams up with Bassett the servant (John Mills), with the two of them forming a profitable partnership - yet the house continually whispers to Paul that it needs more money, with this need exacting a high price.
ShrekYou've never met a hero quite like Shrek winner of the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The endearing ogre sparked a motion picture phenomenon and captured the world's imagination with... the Greatest Fairy Tale Never Told! Critics are calling Shrek 'not just a brilliant animated feature but a superb film on any level' (USA Today). Relive every moment of Shrek's (Mike Myers) daring quest to rescue the feisty Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) with the help of his loveable loudmouthed Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and win back the deed to his beloved swamp from scheming Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Enchantingly irreverent SHREK is an ogre-sized adventure you'll want to see again and again! Shrek 2Everyone's favourite larger-than-life hero returns in Shrek 2 the #1 comedy of all time hailed by critics and audiences alike as even better than its Oscar -winning predecessor! 'There are so many jokes and jests not even a jelly-bellied ogre could consume them all in one sitting' proclaims USA Today. Happily ever after never seemed so far far away when a trip to meet the in-laws turns into another hilariously twisted adventure for Shrek and Fiona. With the help of his faithful steed Donkey Shrek takes on a potion-brewing Fairy Godmother the pompous Prince Charming and the famed ogre-killer Puss In Boots a ferocious feline foe who's really just a pussycat at heart! Shrek The ThirdGet ready for Thirds in this hilarious comedy of royal proportions. When his frog-in-law suddenly croaks Shrek embarks on another whirlwind adventure with Donkey and Puss In Boots to find the rightful heir to the throne. Everyone's favourite cast of characters is back along with a magical misguided Merlin an awkward Arthur a powerful posse of princesses and a bundle of unexpected arrivals. Only Shrek can tell a tale where everyone lives happily ever laughter! Shrek Forever AfterIt started with a loveable ogre... who befriended a talking donkey' and rescued a beautiful princess in the original 'un-fairytale' that broke the mould for all animated films to come. Now a decade of Shrek comes to a hilarious halt with Shrek Forever After the fitting final chapter to this record-breaking Oscar-winning movie phenomenon. Longing for the days when he was a 'real ogre' Shrek signs Rumpelstiltskin's magical contract and poof! - in an instant everything and everyone he knows has changed. Donkey suddenly can't remember his best friend; Fiona is now a tough warrior princess; and Puss In Boots is one fat cat! Together they have just 24 hours to reverse the contract to save Far Far Away and restore happily Forever after to close the final chapter in this 'fine family film!' (Mark Adams Sunday Mirror).
During the early days of World War II, with the fall of France imminent, Britain faces its darkest hour as the threat of invasion looms. As the seemingly unstoppable Nazi forces advance, and with the Allied army cornered on the beaches of Dunkirk, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the leadership of the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman). While maneuvering his political rivals, he must confront the ultimate choice: negotiate with Hitler and save the British people at a terrible cost or rally the nation and fight on against incredible odds. Directed by Joe Wright, DARKEST HOUR is the dramatic and inspiring story of four weeks in 1940 during which Churchill's courage to lead changed the course of world history.
""I'm free!"" With these words just one unforgettable character among many in this classic TV sitcom was born. From the comedy pens of Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft (Dad's Army) came the DepartMental comedy madness that is Are You Being Served?. There's hilarity at Grace Brothers the High Street department store with a difference. Join in the fun as limp-wristed Mr Humphries and that blue-rinsed batle axe Mrs Slocombe lead the outrageous department store staff through the first five series of outrageously funny episodes! Series 1: 1. Are You Being Served? (Pilot Episode) 2. Dear Sexy Knickers 3. Our Figures Are Slipping 4. Camping In 5. His And Hers 6. Diamonds Are A Man's Best Friend Series 2: 1. The Clock 2. Cold Comfort 3. The Think Tank 4. Big Brother 5. Hoorah For The Holidays Series 3: 1. The Hand Of Fate 2. Coffee Morning 3. Up Captain Peacock 4. Cold Store 5. Wedding Bells 6. German Week 7. Shoulder To Shoulder 8. New Look 9. Christmas Crackers Series 4: 1. No Sale 2. Top Hat and Tails 3. Forward Mr. Grainger 4. Fire Practice 5. Fifty Years On 6. Oh What a Tangled Web 7. The Father Christmas Affair (1976 Christmas Special episode) Series 5: 1. Mrs. Slocombe Expects 2. A Change Is as Good as a Rest 3. Founder's Day 4. The Old Order Changes 5. Take-Over 6. Goodbye Mr. Grainger 7. It Pays to Advertise
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