Ten years ago, after a heated pursuit, psycho killer Charles
Hawaii's foremost moustache-wearing private investigator returns for another season of Magnum P.I. Thomas Magnum a former Naval Officer in Vietnam lives in the guest house of - strangely absent - millionaire author Robin Masters on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. However he finds himself forever under the watchful eye of Higgins ex-British Army and estate manager. In exchange for testing the estate's security he gets plenty of perks fore his Private investigation g
In this sequel to the heartwarming classic My Friend Flicka, Ken McLaughlin (Roddy McDowall) sets out to raise the rebellious offspring of the famous mare. Although the young albino colt presents many challenges, Thunderhead also proves very helpful. And when it becomes apparent that the beautiful Thunderhead can race, Ken enters him into competition. But after an injury and an unexpected confrontation, Ken realises that the majestic animal is destined for a life of freedom amidst the stunning landscape.
This fantastic box set brings together six of Doris Day's finest efforts. Billy Rose's Jumbo (Dir. Charles Walters 1962): Pop and Kitty Wonder are the owners of the Wonder Circus and because of Pop's addiction to gambling they are constantly in debt and the creditors are very close to foreclosing on them. Their main attraction is Jumbo the elephant and it seems that their competitor John Noble wants Jumbo and is luring away all of their acts leaving them with virtually nothing. Then all of a sudden a mysterious man named Sam Rawlins joins them as a wire walker and Kitty is taken with him what they don't know is that he's Noble's son. The Glass Bottom Boat (Dir. Frank Tashlin 1966): Jennifer Nelson and Bruce Templeton meet when Bruce reels in her mermaid suit leaving Jennifer bottomless in the waters of Catalina Island. She later discovers that Bruce is the big boss at her work (a research lab). Bruce hires Jennifer to be his biographer only to try and win her affections. There's a problem Bruce's friend General Wallace Bleeker believes she's a Russian spy and has her surveillanced. But when Jennifer catches on...Watch out! Love Me Or Leave Me (Dir. Charles Vidor 1955): Story of torch singer Ruth Etting's rise from 1920s taxi dancer to movie star simultaneously aided and frustrated by Chicago mobster Marty Sydney's headstrong ways and pressure tactics. Please Don't Eat The Daisies (Dir. Charles Walters 1960): Drama critic Larry McKay his wife Kay and their four sons move from their crowded Manhattan apartment to an old house in the country. While housewife Kay settles into suburban life Larry continues to enjoy the theater and party scene of New York. Kay soon begins to question Larry's fidelity when he mentions a flirtatious encounter with Broadway star Deborah Vaughn. Young Man With A Horn (Dir. Michael Curtiz 1950): Aimless youth Rick Martin learns he has a gift for music and falls in love with the trumpet. Legendary trumpeter Art Hazzard takes Rick under his wing and teaches him all he knows about playing. To the exclusion of anything else in life Rick becomes a star trumpeter but his volatile personality and desire to play jazz rather than the restricted tunes of the bands he works for lands him in trouble. Calamity Jane (Dir. David Butler 1953): Deadwood Dakota Territory is largely the abode of men where Indian scout Calamity Jane is as hard-riding boastful and handy with a gun as any; quite an overpowering personality. But the army lieutenant she favors doesn't really appreciate her finer qualities. One of Jane's boasts brings her to Chicago to recruit an actress for the Golden Garter stage. Arrived the lady in question appears (at first) to be a more feminine rival for the favors of Jane's male friends...including her friendly enemy Wild Bill Hickock.
Following the success of Karel Reisz's 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' Alan Sillitoe adapted another of his works for the screen this time a short story of a disillusioned teenager rebelling against the system to make Tony Richardson's 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' one of the great British films of the 1960s. Newcomer Tom Courtenay is compelling as the sullen defiant Colin refusing to follow his dying father into a factory job railing against the capitalist bosses and preferring to make a living from petty thieving. Arrested for burglary and sent to borstal Colin discovers a talent for cross-country running earning him special treatment from the governor (Michael Redgrave) and the chance to redeem himself from anti-social tearaway to sports day hero. With Colin a favourite to win against a local public school tensions build as the day approaches...
The Very Best of Dad's Army, Vol 2 is a further helping of episodes from the BBC's most durable comedy, well chosen to illustrate the variety of situations and predicaments in which Warmington-on-Sea's home guard find themselves. "Menace from the Deep" sees them marooned on the town pier, having to contend with a rogue mine and an inebriated Hodges. "Mum's Army" has Captain Mainwaring set up a women's division and promptly fall for the charming Miss Gray, in a cunning take on Brief Encounter. "No Spring for Frazer" charts Frazer's beleaguered attempts to locate a missing gun part with predictably disastrous results. "When Did You Last See Your Money?" similarly puts Corporal Jones through the mill after he switches a package containing £500 with one containing a half-pound of sausages. Finally, "The Honourable Man" brings the enmity of Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson to a head when the latter inherits an honorary title. The performances have that spontaneity and gently self-mocking humour so familiar, yet so enjoyable, however many times around. On the DVD: The Very Best of Dad's Army, Vol 2 on disc has an accompanying documentary (partially reprised from that on Volume 1) containing interviews with surviving cast members, present-day comedians and Messrs Croft and Perry, whose inspired scriptwriting continues to amuse and entertain. The early-70s prints have come up well, with subtitles and six chapter headings per episode to make locating favourite scenes easier than ever. --Richard Whitehouse
Kind Hearts and Coronets (Dir. Robert Hamer 1949): Sir Alec Guinness became an international star with his extraordinary performance as eight different characters in this 1949 Ealing Studios classic. Dennis Price (I'm All Right Jack Private Progress) co-stars as Edwardian gentleman Louis Mazzini who plots to avenge his mother's death by seizing the dukedom of the aristocratic d'Ascoyne family. But to gain this inheritance Mazzini must first murder the line of eccentric relatives who stand between him and the title including General d'Ascoyne Admiral d'Ascoyne The Duke of Chalfont Lady Agatha d'Ascoyne and four more all brillantly portrayed by Guinness and leading to one of the most delicious final twists in comedy history. Passport To Pimlico (Dir. Henry Cornelius 1949): An ancient document reveals that London's Pimlico district really belongs to France. And the Pimlico community eager to abandon post-War constraints quickly establish their independence as a ration-free state with hilarious results. Nicholas Nickleby (Dir. Alberto Cavalcanti 1947): The classic Charles Dicken's tale of 'Nicholas Nickleby ' a man who is deprived of his inheritance and travels to seek his fortune with a group of gypsies. Went The Day Well? (Dir. Alberto Cavalcanti 1942): The residents of a British village during WWII welcome a platoon of soldiers only to discover that they're actually Germans!
David Jason is the gritty and dogged Detective Inspector Jack Frost a man who has little time for paperwork or the orthodox approach. This release features all the episodes from Series Five of A Touch of Frost. Episode titles: Penny For The Guy House Calls True Confessions No Other Love.
The controversy that surrounded Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Anthony Burgess's dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange while the film was out of circulation suggested that it was like Romper Stomper: a glamorisation of the violent, virile lifestyle of its teenage protagonist, with a hypocritical gloss of condemnation to mask delight in rape and ultra-violence. Actually, it is as fable-like and abstract as The Pilgrim's Progress, with characters deliberately played as goonish sitcom creations. The anarchic rampage of Alex (Malcolm McDowell), a bowler-hatted juvenile delinquent of the future, is all over at the end of the first act. Apprehended by equally brutal authorities, he changes from defiant thug to cringing bootlicker, volunteering for a behaviourist experiment that removes his capacity to do evil.It's all stylised: from Burgess' invented pidgin Russian (snarled unforgettably by McDowell) to 2001-style slow tracks through sculpturally perfect sets (as with many Kubrick movies, the story could be told through decor alone) and exaggerated, grotesque performances on a par with those of Dr Strangelove (especially from Patrick Magee and Aubrey Morris). Made in 1971, based on a novel from 1962, A Clockwork Orange resonates across the years. Its future is now quaint, with Magee pecking out "subversive literature" on a giant IBM typewriter and "lovely, lovely Ludwig Van" on mini-cassette tapes. However, the world of "Municipal Flat Block 18A, Linear North" is very much with us: a housing estate where classical murals are obscenely vandalised, passers-by are rare and yobs loll about with nothing better to do than hurt people. On the DVD: The extras are skimpy, with just an impressionist trailer in the style of the film used to brainwash Alex and a list of awards for which Clockwork Orange was nominated and awarded. The box promises soundtracks in English, French and Italian and subtitles in ten languages, but the disc just has two English soundtracks (mono and Dolby Surround 5.1) and two sets of English subtitles. The terrific-looking "digitally restored and remastered" print is letterboxed at 1.66:1 and on a widescreen TV plays best at 14:9. The film looks as good as it ever has, with rich stable colours (especially and appropriately the orangey-red of the credits and the blood) and a clarity that highlights previously unnoticed details such as Alex's gouged eyeball cufflinks and enables you to read the newspaper articles which flash by. The 5.1 soundtrack option is amazingly rich, benefiting the nuances of performance as much as the classical/electronic music score and the subtly unsettling sound effects. --Kim Newman
By the time Ali G--the inspired creation of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen who debuted on the lame satirical series The 11 O'Clock Show--first got his own series, the gangsta rapper from Berkshire was already one of the biggest things on TV. Ali G--Aiiii is a compilation of the best bits from his own series, Da Ali G Show. Part chat show (Paul Daniels makes a memorably awful appearance; Gail Porter turns up and Ali dims the house lights and gets all soppy), and part saucy variety show (Ali's duet with Jarvis Cocker is fun, but no-where near as good as his improvised rap with Mohammed Al Fayed "from Arrods"), the material here is richer and more varied than his 11 O'Clock appearances, which more or less depended on his interviewees not knowing he was stitching them up. At various points, Ali reports from the States--the Staines rapper's spiritual home, you suspect--and the bemused reactions of the unsuspecting people he meets there makes for some of the video's funniest moments ("Has anyone ever been killed by a gun?" he asks someone from the National Rifle Association).Ali G--Aiii also features Cohen's newest character Borat, a reporter from Kazakhstani television who is producing a guide to Britain for his viewers back home. Amazingly, Cohen ran into trouble with the Kazakhstani embassy in Britain over his portrait of the bumbling reporter with only the faintest grasp of English, but in fact it's the Brits he interviews who patronise Borat who come off a lot worse. (See, for example, the embarrassed silence which greets Borat's attempt at introductory small talk at a society dinner party: "My wife, she is dead"!) Like the rest of the show, there is a smart satiric edge to the comedy but it's also very, very funny. Ali introduces the compilation, keepin' it real with a promise that profits from the sale of the video will be channelled back into the Staines ghetto. --Edward Lawrenson
This box set features the following films: Car Of Dreams (Dir. Graham Cutts and Austin Melford) (1935): John mills stars as playboy Robert Miller the son and heir of a wealthy tycoon who owns a musical instrument factory. Robert is in love with Vera Hart (Grete Mosheim) a poor girl who works at his father's factory--but neither is aware of the other's true identity. When Robert anonymously buys Vera a Rolls-Royce he discovers her low social class and must further conceal his identity to avoid a family scandal. This Happy Breed (Dir. David Lean) (1944): A dramatisation of Noel Coward's play which details the lives of ordinary people between WWI and WWII. The Way To The Stars (Dir. Anthony Asquith) (1945): In 1940 a deserted airfield somewhere in the heart of England becomes a bustling bomber command station. In 1942 advance units of the American Air Force arrive to join The Royal Air Force and help turn the tide of World War II. So unfolds the story of a group of flyers and their 'missions'. Peter Penrose (John Mills) a young RAF pilot is sent to Halfpenny Field close to the small town of Shepley. His Squadron Leader Flight Lieutenant David Archdale (Michael Redgrave) gives him inspiration and encouragement and they fast become friends. They are joined by a young American pilot Johnny (Douglas Montgomery) which complicates the friendship. This is the story of the group's private lives - particularly their loves during war-time. The Long Memory (Dir. Robert Hamer) (1952): After a long jail term for a crime he did not commit a man is torn between revenge or making a new life for himself. The Vicious Circle (Dir. Gerald Thomas) (1957): When Dr Howard Latimer finds the German Actress that he has just met at London Airport murdered in his flat it leads him into the world of murder blackmail and a fake passport scam. Above Us The Waves (Dir. Ralph Thomas) (1955): The dramatic World War II story of Britain's heroic attempts to sink the monster German battleship Tirpitz in a Norwegian Fjord using midget submarines. In this adventure of unsurpassed courage the crews of the Navy become human torpedos. Tiger Bay (Dir. J. Lee Thompson) (1959): Polish sailor Korchinsky (Buchholz) is furious to discover his lover has left him for another man and in a confrontation murders her. The crime is witnessed by 10 year old Gillie (Hayley Mills) who steals the gun used and as officer Graham (John Mills) closes in Korchinsky abducts Gillie... Forever England (Dir. Walter Forde) (1935): A war drama based on the story by C.S. Forrester in which the illegitimate son of a British naval officer singlehandedly brings about the downfall of a German battleship during World War I.
Sophisticated Ray Elliott (Coogan) runs an alibi service for adulterous husbands. By getting into a tight squeeze with a new client he must rely on the alluring Lola Davis (Romijn) who gets his own heart racing...
He's out of work out of money and staked out to die in the desert by a gang of ruthless outlaws. Moments before death Will Penny (Charlton Heston) is taken in by a beautiful young woman named Catherine (Joan Hackett) who is heading west with her young son to join her husband. As Catherine nurses Will back to health he catches a glimpse of a lifestyle he's never known. Suddenly Will has two more problems to deal with: he's madly in love with another man's wife and the outlaw gan
Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in Sling Blade, a mesmerizing drama with haunting overtones of To Kill a Mockingbird. Thornton plays a mentally retarded man who has spent 20 years in a psychiatric hospital for killing his mother and her lover. Released into the community from which he came, he befriends and protects a lonely boy regularly harassed and abused by his mom's boyfriend (a terrific performance by Dwight Yoakam). The story is ultimately about sacrifice, but Thornton certainly doesn't get twinkly about it. Some of the best material concerns the hero's no-big-deal efforts to integrate into a "normal" life: working, eating fast food, earning admiration for his handyman skills, and attaining a semblance of community among other damaged souls. John Ritter has a great part as a gay shopkeeper who tries to assuage his own loneliness by spilling his guts out to Thornton's uncomprehending character. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
New York based quintet Dream Theater born at Boston's Berklee School of Music in 1985 and starting out under the moniker Majesty have released nine albums over the course of its career the most recent being their UK Top 30 release Systematic Chaos. Few bands inspire the type of fanaticism that Dream Theater does. The band-drummer Mike Portnoy guitarist John Petrucci bassist John Myung vocalist James LaBrie and keyboardist Jordan Rudess-have a unique relationship with their fans constantly interacting with them via the web in addition to continuously providing exclusive content to their legion of diehards. Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 documents their Chaos In Motion world tour which kicked off June 3 2007 at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Milan Italy and concluded almost a year to the day later on June 4 2008 in San Juan Puerto Rico. Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 features performances captured throughout the entirety of the tour unlike their last three DVDs Metropolis 2000: Live Scenes From New York Live at Budokan and Score all of which focused on a single concert event. Drummer and DVD creative director Mike Portnoy plumed his personal archives for footage in order to provide fans with the ultimate tour souvenir. He assembled over three hours of complete live performances taking footage from shows in Rotterdam Buenos Aires Toronto Boston Bangkok and Vancouver. The tracks were mixed and effectively brought to life by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin Iron Maiden Rush). The second disc is packed with bonus material including promo videos live screen projection films a photo gallery and a 90-minute documentary that'll make you feel like you're riding in the passenger's seat of the band's tour bus as it takes you on the road and behind the scenes with the band and crew. It's like a virtual backstage pass that grants fans further unprecedented access. Tracklist: 1. Intro/Also Sprach Zarathustra 2. Constant Motion 3. Panic Attack 4. Blind Faith 5. Surrounded 6. The Dark Eternal Night 7. Keyboard Solo 8. Lines In The Sand 9. Scarred 10. Forsaken 11. The Ministry Of Lost Souls 12. Take The Time 13. In The Presence Of Enemies 14. Medley: I. Trial Of Tears II. Finally Free III. Learning To Live IV. In The Name Of God V. Octavarium
Clint Eastwood is Walt Coogan, a deputy sheriff from Arizona on the loose in the urban jungle of New York. Searching for a violent prisoner he has let slip ("It's got kinda personal now"), Coogan, in Stetson and cowboy boots, runs up against hippies, social workers and a bluntly hostile New York police chief played by Lee J. Cobb. It's a key film in the Eastwood oeuvre, the one in which his definitive persona first emerges, marrying the cool, laid-back westerner of the Rawhide TV series and the Italian westerns to the street-wise, kick-ass toughness which would be further developed in the Dirty Harryfilms. Directed by Eastwood's mentor, Don Siegel, Coogan's Bluff has pace, style and its share of typical Eastwood one-liners (to a hoodlum: "You better drop that blade or you won't believe what happens next"). Like all Eastwood's successful movies, it cunningly plays it both ways. Coogan represents the old-fashioned conservatism of the west in conflict with the decadence of city life. Yet he's the perennial outsider, hostile to authority, a radical loner who gets the job done where bureaucracy and legal niceties fail. The film was to be the inspiration behind the TV series McCloud, in which Dennis Weaver took the Eastwood role. --Edward Buscombe
In this touching family film based on the celebrated novel by Mary O'Hara ten-year-old Kenny McLaughlin a rancher's son deperately wants a horse of his own. When his father finally agrees to let him choose a foal Ken picks Flicka a beautiful but high-spirited filly who comes from a bloodline considered to be hopelessly wild. It is up to Ken to prove Flicka is tamable or risk losing her. Along the way Ken and his family learn some important lessons in this poignant tale of love
Five small-time crooks arrive in prison on the same day and sharing the same cell form a close-knit circle of friends. Upon their release (also all on the same day) the five buddies move in together and start the ""Five Stars Cleaning Service."" Of course the five of them as a group will get into more trouble combined than they ever could individually! It is an indomitable Hong Kong cop (Jackie) on the trail of a ruthless gang of counterfeiters who finds himself teamed with this od
Based on the novels by Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe (1993-7) ran to 14 full-length television films that follow the adventures of the titular soldier through the later years of the Napoleonic Wars. The programmes are an outstanding achievement for the small screen, dominated by Sean Bean's central performance as the heroic, troubled outsider who turns out to be a resourceful and loyal leader. Bolstered by a strong supporting cast, particularly Daragh O'Malley as Harper and (in later episodes) Abigail Cruttenden as Jane, Sharpe is often visually striking, the action tense and gripping. Consistency is maintained by all 14 episodes being directed by Tom Clegg. On the DVD: Sharpe on DVD's sound is full-bodied stereo while the very "sharp" (pun intended) picture has been transferred slightly letterboxed at 14:9. Though looking much better than the original TV transmissions the occasionally cropped framing makes it apparent the films were shot in 16:9 widescreen, so it is regrettable they have not been transferred to DVD in that format. Otherwise these are first-rate releases. --Gary S Dalkin
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy