Based on Caroline Graham's novels and featuring the stolid crime-solving skills of Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, Midsomer Murders made their television debut in 1997 and continue to keep viewers happy with that potent whodunnit ingredient: spectacularly bloody murders in the most tranquil rural settings the Shires have to offer. Midsomer is a vaguely defined area of villages and hamlets with charming names like Badger's Drift and Goodman's Land. It also has the highest number of violent deaths per capita outside the average war zone. Serial killings abound to test the nerve of Barnaby (John Nettles) and his sidekick Sergeant Troy (Daniel Casey), a dullard easily perplexed by a world which refuses to stick to his black and white view of things. Nettles is excellent; there's a hint of Bergerac still, now heavier of jowl and broader of beam, though the chasing is necessarily limited and the DCI enjoys the home comforts of an understanding wife and a spirited daughter. "Every time I go into any Midsomer village, it's always the same thing", he huffs. "Blackmail, sexual deviancy, suicide and murder." Ain't it the truth? The murders are astonishing. Family feuds, jealousy, incest, industrial espionage, all erupt at regular intervals leaving a trail of bodies with throats slashed, limbs dismembered and blood absolutely everywhere. Rivers of sheer nastiness run deep beneath the superficially pastoral perfection of Midsomer. Thank goodness there are still men like dependable Barnaby to get to the bottom of things. Eventually. Sure of Barnabys eventual success, Midsomer Murders make for a cosy, even comforting, couple of hours curled up in front of the television. And they make a great showcase for star turns from the great stable of British character actors, too, from Celia Imrie and Elizabeth Spriggs to Imelda Staunton and Duncan Preston, who invariably turn this whimsical stuff into the tastiest possible ham.--Piers Ford
Four elderly, affluent friends form The Chowder Society, meeting regularly to drink brandy, smoke cigars and share chilling ghost stories. Following the suspicious death of one of the member's sons and the subsequent apparition of a mysterious young woman, the old friends are forced to confront a terrible secret from their past. What follows is the most terrifying ghost story of all, one in which they have all played a part.
Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realises he wants something else.
In the Dark Ages a young would be sorcerer sets out to slay Vermithrax the terrifying dragon that has reigned supreme throughout the land.... Abounding in fantasy and science fiction Dragonslayer is lit by magic and from it's medieval alchemy emerges an entertainment bursting with suspense - an awesome adventure that sends the imagination soaring to new heights!
Alistair Sim's Scrooge is an all-time favourite Christmas family film and a genuine classic of British cinema. Scrooge is also the definitive big screen adaptation of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' one of the world's best loved Christmas stories
Producer Sam Raimi brings us a twisted new take of the horror classic .Directed by Nicolas Pesce, THE GRUDGE stars Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin with Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver. With a screenplay by Nicolas Pesce and a story by Nicolas Pesce and Jeff Buhler, THE GRUDGE is based on the film Ju-On: The Grudge written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. THE GRUDGE is produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Taka Ichise and is executive produced by Nathan Kahane, Erin Westerman, Brady Fujikawa, Andrew Pfeffer, Roy Lee, Doug Davison, John Powers Middleton and Schuyler Weiss.
The Man Who Sued God defies simple definition, managing to be several types of movie all at the same time. As a theological-romantic-comedy-drama, it's in a somewhat unique category all of its own. Perhaps only Billy Connolly could carry off a central role that combines slapstick with raging anger, puppy-dog disappointment and strong language delivered in his distinctive accent. These facets of performance are used and abused in a tale that feels like it really ought to be based on a true story, but isn't. Connolly's life as a fisherman is sunk by the destruction of his boat by a bolt of lightning. The insurance company won't pay up because it falls under that age-old excuse of being an "Act of God". So Connolly decides to sue the deity. The premise raises issues about how the law and the church have apparently conspired together. But at heart the film is a simple character study, so any pondering on legal or theological implications will have to be done on your own time; the screen is occupied with family issues, underhand dealings and a maybe-maybe romance with Judy Davis. Big Yin fans at least will enjoy the Connolly's composite character. --Paul Tonks
NOTICE: Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk DOES NOT have English audio and subtitles.
Wagner's passionate opera about a medieval minstrel torn between the temptations of sacred and profane love is seen here. A distinguished cast is headed by Richard Cassilly who was perhaps the leading exponent of Tannhauser at this time; Eva Marton is the radiant Elisabeth; Tatiana Troyanos a musically and dramatically stunning Venus.
10 Cloverfield Lane Outside is dangerous inside is terrifying in the deliciously twisted* new thriller from producer J.J. Abrams that's big on chills.** After a catastrophic car crash, a young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, A Good Day to Die Hard) wakes up in a survivalist's (John Goodman, Argo) underground bunker. He claims to have saved her from an apocalyptic attack that has left the outside world uninhabitable. But, as his increasingly suspicious actions lead her to question his motives, she'll have to escape in order to discover the truth. *Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times **Sara Stewart, NY POST BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary by Director Dan Trachtenberg and Producer J.J. Abrams Cloverfield Too Bunker Mentality Duck and Cover Spin-Off Kelvin Optical Fine Tuned End Of Story Cloverfield From visionary producer J.J. Abrams (Lost) and director Matt Reeves comes the worldwide sensation of nonstop terror and suspense. BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES: Special Investigation Mode: Enhanced Viewing Mode with GPS Tracker, Creature Radar, Military Intelligence and more! HD Commentary by Director Matt Reeves Document 01.18.08: The Making of Cloverfield HD Cloverfield Visual Effects HD I Saw It! It's Alive! It's Huge! HD Clover Fun HD Deleted Scenes HD Alternate Endings HD
If Interiors was Woody Allen's Bergman movie, and Stardust Memories was his Fellini movie, then you could say that Sleeper is his Buster Keaton movie. Relying more on visual/conceptual/slapstick gags than his trademark verbal wit, Sleeper is probably the funniest of what would become known as Allen's "early, funny films" and a milestone in his development as a director. Allen plays Miles Monroe, cryogenically frozen in 1973 (he went into the hospital for an ulcer operation) and thawed 200 years later. Society has become a sterile, Big Brother-controlled dystopia, and Miles joins the underground resistance--joined by a pampered rich woman (Diane Keaton at her bubbliest). Among the most famous gags are Miles' attempt to impersonate a domestic-servant robot; the Orgasmatron, a futuristic home appliance that provides instant pleasure; a McDonald's sign boasting how many trillions the chain has served; and an inflatable suit that provides the means for a quick getaway. The kooky thawing scenes were later blatantly (and admittedly) ripped off by Mike Myers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. --Jim Emerson
All episodes from the first 13 seasons of the JAG spin-off series NCIS, centering on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a crack team of government agents who operate outside the military chain of command. These special agents traverse the globe, investigating crimes linked to the Navy or Marine Corps from murder and espionage, to terrorism and stolen submarines. More than just an action-packed drama, NCIS shows the sometimes complex, always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together under high-stress situations.
In Season 3 of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Jack (John Krasinski) is working as a CIA case officer in Rome when he is tipped off that the Sokol Project, a secret plan to restore the Soviet Empire, is being resurrected more than 50 years after it was thought to have been shut down. Jack embarks on a mission to confirm the intelligence, but things quickly go awry, and he is wrongly implicated in a larger conspiracy. Crisscrossing Europe, he races against the clock to stop the cascade of destabilising conflicts from leading to global catastrophe. Also starring Wendell Pierce (The Wire), Nina Hoss (The Contractor), Betty Gabriel (Get Out), and Emmy® Award nominee Michael Kelly (House of Cards). This 2-disc collection includes every thrilling episode along with exclusive deleted scenes. Includes exclusive deleted scenes!
Thanks to sharp writing and a pitch-perfect ensemble cast, Frasier became one of the smartest and funniest television shows of the 1990s. Following the 1993 demise of Cheers, Diane's fussy psychiatrist boyfriend, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), seemed an unlikely candidate for a spin-off series, yet the show earned smash ratings and dozens of Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor (Grammer) in the very first season. In an inspired bit of casting, Grammer was matched with David Hyde Pierce as his brother and fellow psychiatrist Niles, and the rest of the players included his radio-program manager, Roz (Peri Gilpin), his father, Marty (John Mahoney), his father's physical therapist, Daphne (Jane Leeves), and the dog Eddie (Moose). In the first season, Frasier and Marty try to learn how to coexist in the same apartment; Niles and Daphne spend a stormy evening in Niles's house; Frasier acquires pushy agent Bebe (Harriet Sansom Harris) and searches for love with Amanda Donohoe among others; his ex-wife Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) makes a guest appearance; the family takes a cross-country trip in a Winnebago; and the two brothers collaborate on a book. --David Horiuchi
Stop the presses! The crime of the century has occurred and investigative reporters Kermit the Frog Fozzie Bear and The Great Gonzo are out to crack the case in this song-filled star-studded extravaganza directed by the legendary Jim Henson. Our heroes arrive in London to interview Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg) a high-fashion designer whose priceless diamond necklace has just been stolen. But when Kermit mistakes the lovely receptionist/would be model Miss Piggy for her aristocra
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
In Ivan Passer's Cutter's Way, Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski and Rancho Deluxe), John Heard (Chilly Scenes of Winter and After Hours) and Lisa Eichhorn (Yanks and King of the Hill) deliver exemplary performances as a trio of '60s casualties embroiled in a murder investigation that goes increasingly off-the-rails and threatens to swallow them whole. Unambitious yacht salesman and gigolo Richard Bone (Bridges) skates on his good looks and avoids all responsibility. His best friend Alex Cutter (Heard) returned from Vietnam with his body ruined, but his mind sharpened and attuned to the injustices and politics that led to his predicament. After Bone witnesses a shadowy figure dump a young woman's body in the trash, he fingers local oil magnate J.J. Cord (Stephen Elliot, Beverly Hills Cop and Death Wish) as the killer. As Bone backs away from this accusation, Cutter charges forward on a crusade to make Cord pay not only for this murder, but for all the other crimes fat cats like him have routinely gotten away with. Cutter's long-suffering wife Mo (Eichhorn), struggles to keep her own head above the surface, while steering the two men toward saner waters. Based on Newton Thornburg's 1976 novel Cutter and Bone, and initially released under that title to little notice the film was reborn as Cutter's Way and became a highly acclaimed cult favourite. The lush, sunny Santa Barbara setting, luminously photographed by DP Jordan Cronenweth (Blade Runner and Stop Making Sense), is an ironic counter to the deeply cynical and tragic vibes of this neo-noir. The distinctly beautiful score by pop and rock maestro Jack Nitsche ranks as one of his most stirring works. Helmed by Czech filmmaker Passer (Intimate Lighting and Born to Win), Cutter's Way is one of the most impassioned and truthful critiques of the American hierarchy ever filmed. Now, perhaps, more relevant as ever, it's been freshly restored in 2K from its 35mm interpositive. Product Features New 2K restoration from its 35mm interpositive Mo's Way, a newly filmed video interview with star Lisa Eichhorn From Cutter and Bone to Cutter's Way, a newly filmed video interview with UA Classics exec Ira Deutchman Archival video interview with director Ivan Passer Archival video interview with writer Jeffrey Alan Fiskin Archival video interview with producer Paul Gurian Archival video featurette on composer Jack Nitzsche Archival audio introduction by star Jeff Bridges Archival video introduction by director Bertrand Tavernier Theatrical trailers Isolated music track Newly recorded audio commentary by novelist Matthew Specktor Archival audio commentary by film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman Archival audio commentary by assistant director Larry Franco and unit production manager Barrie Osborne
Series 6 is possibly the most eagerly awaited of the Red Dwarf DVD sets, due to its acclaimed third episode, "Gunmen of the Apocalypse", which earned the program an International Emmy Award in 1994. However, the five other episodes in the series have their own share of absurd laughs, and the two-disc set features enough supplemental features to keep even the most demanding RD fan happy. The crux of series 6 is that the Red Dwarf has been stolen (no thanks to Lister, who can't remember where he left it), and the crew must recover it; their pursuit brings them in contact with brain-consuming aliens ("Psirens", with guest star Jenny Agutter), a polymorph that turns Rimmer and Cat into their alternate identities from Series V ("Emohawk--Polymorph II"), the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse tricked out as gunslingers ("Gunmen of the Apocalypse"), an army of Rimmer clones ("Rimmerworld"), and finally, their own future selves, who turn out to be particularly awful (worse than the present-day ones, that is), and cause a cliffhanger ending that just might spell the end for the Red Dwarf crew.... In short, series 6 more than earns its popular status among Red Dwarf's fanbase, thanks to its sharp writing (sadly, it would be the last series to feature scripts by co-creator Rob Grant) and energetic performances. And the double-disc set matches the quality of the programs with some terrific extras, including commentaries by the RD crew and fans (the latter on "Gunmen of the Apocalypse" only), and featurettes on composer Howard Goodall and series director Andy de Emmony; these are rounded out by the usual collections of "smeg-ups" (bloopers), deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and another episode of the "Dave Hollins, Space Cadet" radio sketch that inspired the show. And again, the most patient of viewers will find Easter eggs on the menus (happy hunting). --Paul Gaita
The big-hearted little beagle and his resourceful master return in Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season the second movie in the trilogy based on Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Newberry Award-winning novels. Zachary Browne plays seventh-grader Marty whose run-ins with a neighbor (Scott Wilson) who mistreats his dog put Marty on a problem-filled path called growing up. Marty's caring father (Michael Moriarty) and genial Doc Wallace (Rod Steiger) help him confront his troubles responsibly. But Shiloh te
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