Walt Disney studios had previously adapted Sheila Burnford's classic animal-adventure novel The Incredible Journey in 1963, and the story proves just as durable in this popular 1993 version, Homeward Bound, in which the heroic trio of animals are given voices provided by Don Ameche, Michael J Fox, and Sally Field. They don't actually speak (like the clever critters in Babe), but we hear their "voices" as the lost household pets--Shadow the golden retriever, Chance the bulldog, and Sassy the cat--survive a harrowing series of adventures as they struggle to find their way home. Perfect entertainment for kids, this frequently clever movie offers an abundance of wildlife and beautiful location scenery, and the vocal performances by Ameche, Fox and Field are surprisingly effective. A hit with parents and children alike, the film was followed by a sequel in 1996. --Jeff Shannon
Get ready for a runaway comedy that's right on track! Danny De Vito and Billy Crystal are hilarious and Anne Ramsey is hysterically frightful in this wickedly screwball laugh-riot that won a Gold Globe nomination for DeVito and an Oscar nomination for Ramsey. With Rob Reiner and Oprah Winfrey on board for cameos this fast-track comedy will certainly make you laugh. Writing teacher Larry Donner (Crystal) and his student Owen Lift (DeVito) have a lot in common: the women in their l
From the arrival of Agent John Doggett in 'Within' and Mulder's miraculous resurrection in 'Deadalive' to the birth of Scully's baby in 'Existence' these Season Eight episodes are a must for every X-Files fan! Episodes comprise: 1. Within 2. Without 3. Patience 4. Roadrunners 5. Invocation 6. Redrum 7. Via Negativa 8. Surekill 9. Salvage 10. Badlaa 11. The Gift 12. Medusa 13. Per Manum 14. This Is Not Happening 15. DeadAlive 16. Three Words 17. Empedocles 18. Vienen 19. Alon
If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--Brazil is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. In fact it was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's The Trial (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek government clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. It's not a software bug but a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous Metamorphosis insect) that gets squashed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly identifying an innocent citizen, one Mr Buttle, as suspected terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro). When Sam becomes enmeshed in unravelling this bureaucratic tangle, he himself winds up labelled as a miscreant. The movie presents such an unrelentingly imaginative and savage vision of 20th-century bureaucracy that it almost became a victim of small-minded studio management itself--until Gilliam surreptitiously screened his cut for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, who named it the best movie of 1985 and virtually embarrassed Universal into releasing it. --Jim Emerson On the DVD: Brazil comes to DVD in a welcome anamorphic print of the full director's cut--here running some 136 minutes. Disappointingly the only extra feature is the 30-minute making-of documentary "What Is Brazil?", which consists of on-set and behind-the-scenes interviews. There's nothing about the film's controversial release history (covered so comprehensively on the North American Criterion Collection release), nor is Gilliam's illuminating, irreverent directorial commentary anywhere to be found. The only other extra here is the ubiquitous theatrical trailer. A welcome release of a real classic, then, but something of a missed opportunity. --Mark Walker
Five years before 'The Silence of the Lambs' Michael Mann directed this stylish thriller based on Thomas Harris' first Hannibal story - Red Dragon. Now recognised as a cult classic it is every bit as brilliant and terrifying as its sequel. Brian Cox is magnificent as Hannibal Lecter the serial killer who holds the key to tracking down a mass murderer who has a perverse penchant for voyeurism. William Petersen as Detective Will Graham is totally convincing as a man with an extraordinary talent that of entering a serial killer's personal nightmare landscapes...
Conman Kevin Franklin is on the run from the Mob. His only escape is to impersonate the long-lost friend of an uptight lawyer and move in with his family. Unfortunately the Mob soon discover his hideout.
Released to box-office indifference in 1986, Manhunter introduced Hannibal Lecter and established the rules of the modern race-to-find-the-serial-killer thriller five years before The Silence of the Lambs packed cinemas everywhere. This was Michael Mann's third feature, reuniting William L Petersen and Dennis Farina from his debut Thief (1981) as FBI agents hunting the killer dubbed "The Tooth Fairy". Petersen's Will Graham is the man who put "Lecktor" (as it is spelt here) behind bars, and, as in Silence of the Lambs, he is forced to consult the Doctor, played here with understated malevolence by Brian Cox. Manhunter is an exceptionally well-photographed film: Mann's regular cinematographer Dante Spinotti creates sparse, elegantly framed, often monochromatically lit compositions essential to the shifting psychological moods. The performances are very good, and the typically 1980s, Vangelis-esque electronic score effectively sustains tension. Once the killer is introduced the scenes with Joan Allen have a genuinely unsettling, almost surreal quality, although there is at least one serious plot flaw--how does "The Red Dragon" get his letter to Lecter? Manhunter never packs the sheer excitement of Silence of the Lambs, nevertheless, it is a powerful and compelling thriller which remains far superior to the Anthony Hopkins-starring Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002). --Gary S Dalkin
Released to box-office indifference in 1986, Manhunter introduced Hannibal Lecter and established the rules of the modern race to find serial killer thriller five years before The Silence of the Lambs packed cinemas everywhere. This was Michael Mann's third feature, reuniting William L Petersen and Dennis Farina from his debut Thief (1981) as FBI agents hunting the killer dubbed "The Tooth Fairy". Petersen's Will Graham is the man who put Lecktor (as it is spelt here) behind bars, and as in Lambs consults with the Doctor, played with understated malevolence by Brian Cox. Manhunter is an exceptionally well-photographed film: Mann's regular cinematographer Dante Spinotti created sparse, elegantly framed, often mono-chromatically lit compositions which are essential to the shifting psychological moods. The performances are very good, and the typically 1980s, Vangelis-esque electronic score effectively sustains tension. Once the killer is introduced the scenes with Joan Allen have a genuinely unsettling, almost surreal quality. There is at least one serious plot flaw--how does "The Red Dragon" get his letter to Lecktor? Manhunter never packs the sheer excitement of Lambs, nevertheless, it is a powerful and compelling thriller which remains far superior to the third instalment in the series, Hannibal (2001). On the DVD: In addition to the trailer there is a revealing 10-minute conversation with Dante Spinotti in which he explains how he created the very distinctive look of Manhunter. Also included is a more general 17-minute retrospective "making-of" documentary. This is good but too short, the extras failing to live up to the wealth of material on the Lambs and Hannibal DVDs. The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image is generally very good, being just a little soft in one or two early scenes. The sound is listed as Dolby Digital 5.1, but appears to replicate the main stereo signal in the rear channels. Audio is none the less powerful and clear, though lacks the sheer edge and atmospherics of some more recent thrillers. --Gary S Dalkin
It's only a state of mind. Jonathan Pryce stars as Sam Lowry in this surrealistic spectacle about a daydreaming bureaucrat trapped in a future dystopia where love is forbidden from interfering with efficiency. But with the help of an underground superhero (Robert De Niro) and a beautiful mystery woman (Kim Greist) Sam learns to soar to freedom on the wings of his untamed imagination or so he thinks. Acclaimed filmmaker Terry Gilliam directs with an acerbic wit and poet's eye that dazzles like never before in glorious high
At the height of the stand-up comedy boom of the 1980s, Punchline offered the revelation that many comedians were, in fact, rather psychologically unstable individuals for whom performing was an outlet for hostility and aggression. Wow--who would have guessed? This film focuses on two who meet and forge an unlikely friendship: Tom Hanks plays a caustic, self-destructive comic looking for his big break and Sally Field plays a more Roseanne-like comedian who begins neglecting her husband (John Goodman) and children because she gets such a kick out of performing. The offstage stuff is strictly soap opera, but Hanks and Field both develop solid comedic rhythms once they get behind a microphone. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com
In every horror movie there is a phone waiting to ring... a victim waiting to scream... a killer waiting to strike. And the only way to survive is to keep one thing in mind: stay one step ahead of the killer... even if the killer is a klutz! Now a sexy reporter (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) with a knack for getting into a tight place has teamed up with a bumbling mall cop (Tom Arnold) to track a killer intent on killing off the most popular kids at Bulemia Falls High School. Prepare to die laughing!
Dragnet (1987): A seemingly squeaky-clean TV reverend and a porno magazine king are suspected of operating a crime-ridden cult. Joe Friday's nephew (Aykroyd) and his 'hip' partner (Hanks) are given the task of proving these allegations armed with ""just the facts""... Punchline (1988): Sally Field and Tom Hanks star in a tender romantic and bittersweet comedy about the backstage world of stand-up comedians exposing the heartache behind the smiles of the laughter makers. The Money Pit (1986): A couple (Shelley Long Tom Hanks) buys their dream home only to find out that it's in horrible disrepair. Struggling to keep their relationship together as the house falls apart around them the two watch in horror as everything disappears - including the kitchen sink!
Throw Momma From The Train (Dir. Danny DeVito 1987): Get ready for a runaway comedy that's right on track! Danny De Vito and Billy Crystal are hilarious and Anne Ramsey is hysterically frightful in this wickedly screwball laugh-riot that won a Gold Globe nomination for DeVito and an Oscar nomination for Ramsey. With Rob Reiner and Oprah Winfrey on board for cameos this fast-track comedy will certainly make you laugh. Writing teacher Larry Donner (Crystal) and his student Owen Lift (DeVito) have a lot in common: the women in their lives are driving them mad! Larry's ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew) stole his novel and made it her own bestseller and Owen's mother (Ramsey) is a monster! But Owen has a plan to kill both problems... literally. He'll murder Margaret while Larry sends Momma to her maker! But when Owen fulfils his end of the deal before telling his teacher Larry's left with no alibi... and an outrageous obligation to knock off the nastiest old lady he's ever met! City Slickers (Dir. Ron Underwood 1990): Comic genius Billy Crystal (When Harry Met Sally) stars in this hilarious film about cowboys careers and mid-life crises. Co-starring Daniel Stern Bruno Kirby and Jack Palance in an Academy Award-winning role. New Yorker Mitch Robbins (Crystal) is 39 and miserable. He's tired of his job and bored with his life. And his two best friends Ed (Kirby) and Phil (Stern) aren't doing much better. So when they all decide to chase their troubles away with a fantasy vacation Mitch and his pals trade their briefcases for saddle bags and set out to find freedom and adventure herding cattle under the wide New Mexico sky. But what they discover instead is scorching sun sore backsides...and more insight into themselves - and each other - than they ever thought possible!
Released to box-office indifference in 1986, Manhunter introduced Hannibal Lecter and established the rules of the modern race-to-find-the-serial-killer thriller five years before The Silence of the Lambs packed cinemas everywhere. This was Michael Mann's third feature, reuniting William L Petersen and Dennis Farina from his debut Thief (1981) as FBI agents hunting the killer dubbed "The Tooth Fairy". Petersen's Will Graham is the man who put "Lecktor" (as it is spelt here) behind bars, and, as in Silence of the Lambs, he is forced to consult the Doctor, played here with understated malevolence by Brian Cox. Manhunter is an exceptionally well-photographed film: Mann's regular cinematographer Dante Spinotti creates sparse, elegantly framed, often monochromatically lit compositions essential to the shifting psychological moods. The performances are very good, and the typically 1980s, Vangelis-esque electronic score effectively sustains tension. Once the killer is introduced the scenes with Joan Allen have a genuinely unsettling, almost surreal quality, although there is at least one serious plot flaw--how does "The Red Dragon" get his letter to Lecter? Manhunter never packs the sheer excitement of Silence of the Lambs, nevertheless, it is a powerful and compelling thriller that remains far superior to the Anthony Hopkins-starring Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002). On the DVD: Manhunter on disc has a revealing 10-minute conversation with Dante Spinotti in which he explains how he created the film's distinctive look. Also included is a more general 17-minute making-of documentary. The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image is generally very good, being just a little soft in one or two early scenes. The sound is listed as Dolby Digital 5.1, but appears to replicate the main stereo signal in the rear channels. Audio is nonetheless powerful and clear, though lacks the sheer edge and atmospherics of some more recent thrillers. --Gary S Dalkin
Douglas Green's feature directorial debut based on Mitch Giannunzio's play A Smaller Place stars Kim Hunter as Muriel a home-bound senior frequently tended to by her just under 50-year-old son Jack (Timothy Bottoms). She's beginning to mention her deceased husband as if he were still alive and she frequently acts as if Jack is a young man who wants to date her.Distressed Jack is forced to admit her to a nursing home something his wife Holly (Kim Griest) has wanted all along and as he prepares to ship Muriel and her belongings away he's forced to face painful truths about his childhood and how it might have affected his adult life.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy