Titles Comprise: Big Momma's House: Disguise the limit in this hilarious heavyweight hit that's 'bigger than Mrs. Doubtfire and badder than Tootsie' (Mike Cidoni, ABC-TV). 'Martin Lawrence brings down the house' (E! Online) as crafty FBI agent Malcolm Turner - he's willing to go through thick and thin in order to catch an escaped federal prisoner. 'Nia Long is captivating' (Checkout.com) as Sherry, the con's sexy former flame - she might have the skinny on m...
September 13th, 1999... A nuclear waste dump on the moon unexpectedly detonates, blasting the moon out of orbit and taking the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha on a fantastic voyage of discovery to the stars, fraught with danger at every turn. Long awaited, this second series Gerry Anderson's cult sci-fi series is presented here as a stunning High Definition restoration for the very first time. All 24 episodes, presented here in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with optional original mono or new 5.1 soundtracks, are featured alongside a wealth of special features, including: Music-only tracks on all episodes Unexposed: Behind the Scenes of Series Two - filming The Mark of Archanon Stock Footage Archive: alternate takes and unused shots Production Audio: original source recordings for material from four episodes Cosmos: 1999: a stop-motion fan film from 1979 Martin Landau: in-depth interview from 1994 Archive Interviews with cast and crew Seed of Destruction: the series two episode re-edited and re-scored as if it were made for series one Outtake: a blooper featured in It'll Be All Right on the Night Trailers and promos: contemporary promotional material for the UK and US Behind the Scenes - Model Shop: footage taken during The AB Chrysalis - with Brian Johnson commentary Clean series two titles Image galleries of rare and previously unseen stills Script and annual PDFs
The years have endowed Saturday Night Fever with a powerful, elegiac quality since its explosive release in 1977. It was the must-see movie for a whole generation of adolescents, sparking controversy for rough language and clumsily realistic sex scenes which took teen cinema irrevocably into a new age. And of course, it revived the career of the Bee Gees to stratospheric heights, thanks to a justifiably legendary soundtrack which now embodies the disco age. But Saturday Night Fever was always more than a disco movie. Tony Manero is an Italian youth from Brooklyn straining at the leash to escape a life defined by his family, blue collar job and his gang. Disco provides the medium for him to break free. It was the snake-hipped dance routines which made John Travolta an immediate sex symbol. But seen today, his performance as Tony is compelling: rough-hewn, certainly, but complex and true, anticipating the fine screen actor he would be recognised as 20 years later. Scenes of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, representing Tony's route to a bigger world, now have an added poignancy, adding to Saturday Night Fever's evocative power. It's a bittersweet classic. On the DVD: Saturday Night Fever is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, both of which help to recapture the unique atmosphere of the late 1970s. The main extra is a director's commentary from John Badham, with detailed descriptions of casting and the improvisation behind many of the scenes, plus the unsavoury reality behind Travolta's iconic white disco suit. --Piers Ford
No one tries very hard in Big Momma's House, so your enjoyment of this Martin Lawrence vehicle pretty much depends on how much amusement you're able to derive from a guy dressed up as a very ample woman. The setup is of the eye-rolling, only-in-Hollywood nature: Lawrence, as detective Malcolm Turner, is after a killer, and apparently the only way to capture him is to pose as the bad guy's ex-girlfriend's grandmother, who--the film cannot stress this point too much--is quite large. Apparently, Sherry (Nia Long), the young woman in question--she's as attractive as Big Momma is, well, you know--is none too bright, for she falls for Malcolm's ruse, which of course ostensibly amuses mainly because it's so transparent. She at least has an excuse--she hasn't seen Big Momma in two years--but Big Momma's oblivious friends must be functional morons. Screenwriters Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer didn't tax themselves very much, as they have Malcolm-as-Big-Momma going through fairly predictable motions--botching a meal and delivering a baby unconventionally (Big Momma's a midwife), but ruling at basketball and self-defence and protecting Sherry while trying vainly not to flirt with her. Paul Giamatti is wasted as Malcolm's partner; director Raja Gosnell's clunky sense of comic rhythm is bewildering, because he used to be an editor (he brought a similar lack of magic to Home Alone 3). Lawrence won't have anyone forgetting Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot, Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, or Robin Williams in Mrs Doubtfire anytime soon. Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps is far more accomplished, versatile, and funny. --David Kronke, Amazon.com
It took some time for Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson to return to Middle Earth, but the wait was very much worth it. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey starts off by playing strongly to its links to the previous adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, before setting off on an adventure of its own. The first of three films based on The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey isn't a fast film to get going, but it does spent quality time introducing its key characters. Most moviegoers are more than familiar with Sir Ian McKellen's Gandalf of course, but the collection of dwarves and Martin Freeman's take on Bilbo Baggins are all brought together, and the adventure ensues. It's a journey that's punctuated by terrifically orchestrated action sequences, a swirling score, and lavish production design. Furthermore, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has one or two real standout moments contained within its running time, not least when we finally get reunited with Gollum. The sequence where Bilbo Baggins and Gollum come face to face is as good as anything Jackson put on screen in the Lord Of The Rings films. And while The Hobbit doesn't quite capture the magic of the earlier trilogy often enough, there's a lot here to enjoy, and plenty left to look forward to. It's beautifully, beautifully presented on disc, too. --Jon Foster
A never-before-seen and newly restored cut of Francis Ford Coppola's spectacular cinematic masterpiece in a way which the director believes looks better than it has ever looked and sounds better than it has ever sounded. Apocalypse Now was nominated for 8 Academy Awards® (including Best Picture) and won 2 Academy Award® for Best Cinematography and Best Sound, 2 BAFTAs for Best Direction and Best Supporting Actor and the Palme d'Or in Cannes. Starring Academy Award® winner Marlon Brando (1972, Best Actor, The Godfather), Academy Award® winner Robert Duvall (1983, Best Actor, Tender Mercies), Golden Globe® winner Martin Sheen (2001, Best Actor TV Series, The West Wing), Academy Award® nominee Dennis Hopper (1986, Best Supporting Actor, Hoosiers), Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne (1993, Best Actor, What's Love Got to Do with It), and Academy Award® nominee Harrison Ford (1985, Best Actor, Witness), the film follows Army Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), a troubled man sent on a dangerous and mesmerizing odyssey into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade American colonel named Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has succumbed to the horrors of war and barricaded himself in a remote outpost. The best visual and sound technologies have been used to present Coppola's true vision of the film: one that delivers deep, visceral visual and auditory impact. The audience will be able to see, hear and feel this film how I always hoped it could befrom the first bang' to the final whimper said the film-maker. All three versions of this film are available on this release including Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut, Apocalypse Now: Theatrical Cut, and Apocalypse Now Redux Extended Cut. Restored from the original negative for the first time ever, Apocalypse Now Final Cut is Coppola's most complete version of his multi-awarded classic. This is the first time the original negative has ever been scanned and over 11 months and 2,700 hours were spent on cleaning and restoring the film's 300,173 frames. Brought to life through ultra-vivid picture quality with Dolby Vision®, delivering spectacular colours never before seen on a screen, with highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker. It has also been mixed in Dolby Atmos® to offer a truly immersive sound experience and it has been enhanced Meyer Sound Laboratories' newly developed Sensual Soundâ¢, a technology engineered to output audio below the limits of human hearing. Extras: Intro by Francis Ford Coppola Audio Commentary by Director Francis Ford Coppola An Interview with John Milius A Conversation with Martin Sheen and Francis Ford Coppola Fred Roos: Casting Apocalypse Featurette The Mercury Theatre on the Air: Heart of Darkness November 6, 1938 The Hollow Men Featurette o Monkey Sampan Lost Scene o Additional Scenes Destruction of the Kurtz Compound End Credits The Birth of 5.1 Sound Featurette Ghost Helicopter Flyover Sound Effects Demonstration The Synthesizer Soundtrack Article by Bob Moog A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now Featurette Heard Any Good Movies Lately? The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now Featurette The Final Mix Featurette 2001 Cannes Film Festival: Francis Ford Coppola Featurette PBR Streetgang Featurette o The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now Featurette Disc Credits Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (with Optional Audio Commentary by Francis and Eleanor Coppola) NEW: Tribeca Film Festival Q&A with Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Soderbergh NEW: Never-Before-Seen B-Roll Footage o NEW: Apocalypse Now Dolby featurette (HD) NEW: A history of Apocalypse Now on Home Video (HD) o John Milius Script Excerpt with Francis Coppola Notes (Still Gallery) Storyboard Collection Photo Archive ⪠Unit Photography ⪠Mary Ellen Mark Photography Marketing Archive ⪠1979 Teaser Trailer ⪠1979 Theatrical Trailer ⪠1979 Radio Spots ⪠1979 Theatrical Program ⪠Lobby Card and Press Kit Photos ⪠Poster Gallery ⪠Apocalypse Now Redux Trailer
Entertaining children's stories danced by the Royal Ballet wearing animal masks. Music by John Lanchbery choreography by Frederick Ashton. The adventures are alive with same energy and passion of the books and feature unheard melodies from British Museum manuscripts recovered and transcribed by composer John Lanchbery. As the characters waltz their way across set to the rhythm of the songs you'll join in with the merriment and hot step with the cast - a must see treat for the entire family.
Orlando Bloom stars as a stranger in a strange land in this epic Crusades adventure.
In this family-friendly holiday film, all Ethan and Hallie want for Christmas is for their parents to get back together. Catherine (Parenthood's Harley Jane Kozak) and Michael (Chicago Hope's Jamey Sheridan) have been divorced for a year and now Catherine's dating a guy no one can stand, including her mother Lillian (Lauren Bacall). Michael, meanwhile, has opened a successful diner, but he misses Catherine. When Hallie (Thora Birch, years before American Beauty) overhears Catherine tell Lillian she and Tony (Kevin Nealon) are planning to marry, she and Ethan (Sweet Home Alabama's Ethan Embry) come up with a plan to strand their parents alone together on Christmas Eve. Hallie even asks Santa (Leslie Nielsen) to help them out. All I Want for Christmas doesn't pack any surprises, but it's suitable for all ages and features lively cameos from Andrea Martin as Lillian's housekeeper and Renée Taylor as Catherine's rodent-fearing wedding planner. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
"City of Ember" is an epic fantasy, which tells of story of a secret subterranean society who must fight for survival before the lights flicker out.
Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted Nightwatch) join forces to produce wunderkind director Shane Acker's distinctively original and thrilling tale. 9 stars Elijah Wood John C. Reilly Jennifer Connelly Martin Landau Christopher Plummer and Crispin Glover and features the music of Danny Elfman. When 9 (The Lord of the Ring's Elijah Wood) first comes to life he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they'll soon come to learn the very future of civilization may depend on them.
Possibly the most alluring mysterious and powerful woman of all time Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) changed the course of history when two of the most powerful men in Rome fell in love with her. Rex Harrison is Julius Caesar who wins the Egyptian throne for Cleopatra marries her and provides her with a child Caesarion. Upon returning to his native country Caesar is crowned Dictator of Rome but his desperate desire for even greater power causes a worried Roman Senate to fatally conspire against him on the Ides of March.
For the time, there had never been a more lavishly produced science-fiction TV series than Space: 1999, which was British-made on a first-season budget of 3.25 million pounds--an astounding amount--and ran for two seasons from 1975 to 77. What keeps fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to do with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV SF predecessors such as Star Trek in which the mood is more generally convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances are: the moon and the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from its orbit and travel endlessly through space, making our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this. Of course the show is not without its detractors, having been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticised the show for its premise in the opening episode "Breakaway", which had nuclear explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propel it out of orbit and sent it flying through space without regard for any physical laws. In "Earthbound", aliens travelling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena they encounter on their journey through the galaxy. --Jim Gay, Amazon.comOn this DVD: Presented in production order (not the sequence they were transmitted in), this first volume from Space: 1999's first year nonetheless begins with the all-important "Breakaway". Commander Koenig arrives at Moonbase Alpha as planet Meta is passing Earth. He's there to investigate why people are dying of what seems to be radiation poisoning and ensure the Meta Probe is launched in time. Everything is tied into what's wrong with their nuclear waste disposal. Then on September 13, 1999, the unthinkable happens, and the Moon with its 311 inhabitants is catapulted out of Earth's orbit. Some time later they pass planet Terra Nova which seems too good to be true. When Dr Russell's supposed dead husband (Richard Johnson) re-appears from the long-lost Astro 7 mission, it becomes a "Matter of Life and Death" in determining whether to settle on a Paradise populated by parrots! Another passing stellar body accidentally drags them towards a "Black Sun" in the next episode. Given three days to live, there's a graceful acceptance of fate by the team that is paid off by what seems to be some sort of guiding hand watching over them all. Finally an orange eye appears and emits a "Ring Around the Moon", a mysterious enveloping beam that exerts mind-control over various crew members. After a warning from the mythic planet Triton, Dr Russell is taken as their "conduit" (much like Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture). Three publicity stills, 15 production drawings and eight character biographies may seem a little stingy as extra features. The neat CGI-animated menus make up for that a little though: an Eagle has never looked so agile. --Paul Tonks
The videos of Basildon synth-pop pioneers Depeche Mode are justly celebrated not only for charting the band's musical evolution but also their penchant for stylish visual imagery. This collection features all of the band's videos from 1986 to 1998. Of the 20 videos here, director Anton Corbijn was responsible for 18, including classics such as "Enjoy the Silence", "Strangelove" and "Personal Jesus", which means this is as much a profile of his work as Depeche Mode's. Much of Corbijn's material was shot in black and white, lending it an artful edge which captures some of the majesty of Mode's music. The non-Corbijn videos are Peter Care's for "Stripped", notable for its bleak imagery, and Clive Richardson's assured "A Question of Lust". The videos are presented chronologically and bookended by interviews with the band discussing the videos and the singles, making this a fantastic retrospective not only of Depeche Mode's visual side, but of their enduring musical legacy too. On the DVD: Depeche Mode: The Videos has a bonus disc featuring an extra hour-and-a-half of rare and exclusive material, including three insightful documentaries that centre around the albums Violator, Songs of Faith and Devotion and Ultra, and the US videos for "One Caress", "Strangelove 88", "Condemnation" and "But Not Tonight". All of this is good stuff and a valuable addition to the package. Both discs are pleasantly presented in a sturdy fold-out cardboard case, and recorded in Dolby stereo with a screen ratio of 4:3. The menus and screens are slickly presented and easy to use. --Paul Sullivan
From their humble East End beginnings, Ronnie and Reggie Kray became the most notorious figures in London's gangland underworld. From extortion to murder, their horrific brutality became legendary and throughout the 50s and 60s they ruled by fear, until life sentences in 1969 finally ended their bloody reign of terror. Limited Edition Contents: Rigid slipcase Perfect-bound booklet with new essays by Andrew Graves, Neil Mitchell and Shelagh Rowan-Legg 6 collectors' art cards Special Features New interview with Director Peter Medak New interview with Producer Ray Burdis Writing The Krays: a new audio interview with screenwriter Philip Ridley New audio commentary by film historian Scott Harrison Archive audio commentary by Peter Medak, Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp BFI 2015 Q&A with Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Kate Hardie, Peter Medak and Philip Ridley
The four films in this Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Collection demonstrate exactly why Christie's reassuringly formulaic whodunits have been extraordinarily resilient source material. In each we find a corpse (or several), an assorted group of suspects gathered in a self-contained location, all with a motive to commit murder, and the coincidental presence of the totem detective (Poirot or Miss Marple). Between 1974 and 1981, producers John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin mined the Christie seam for some of its ripest riches. Murder on the Orient Express (1974), directed by Sidney Lumet, features a cavalcade of stars including Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud and Sean Connery; while Christie herself gave Albert Finney's Poirot her blessing. The Art Deco setting exudes glamour; the plot is preposterously diverting; the lighting, silvery and washed-out, giving the suspects an appropriately grim and ghoulish air. With a superior Anthony Shaffer screenplay Death on the Nile (1978) saw Peter Ustinov taking over as Poirot. The backdrop of ancient Egyptian monuments helps bring this adaptation a touch of class, complemented by composer Nino Rota's epic theme tune. The Mirror Crack'd (1980) features Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak as rival Hollywood legends descending on a quaint English village to make a film, with Rock Hudson as Taylor's husband and Angela Lansbury as a rather unconvincingly robust Miss Marple. Shaffer returned to the fray, adapting Evil Under the Sun (1981) and moving Poirot from the Cornish Riviera to an island off the coast of Albania. Ustinov reprises his role and Maggie Smith returns, camper than ever, as the hotel owner inconvenienced by murder. On the DVD: It's a pity that the sound quality hasn't been sharpened up, though: Murder on the Orient Express sometimes evokes memories of the muffled incoherence of an old fleapit. Apart from trailers, extras are few and far between. There are no cast lists or filmographies. But Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun both feature interesting short promotional "'making of"' documentaries in 4:3 format. --Piers Ford
A classic of shock cinema, Wes Craven's tale follows a family vacation which turns into a holiday from hell.
One of the very best Stephen King film adaptations, The Dead Zone is imbued with an ever-present atmosphere of dread. Shot in a permanently wintry Canada (standing in for New England), the icy backdrops are subtly employed by director David Cronenberg to accentuate the storys fatalistic tone. Cronenbergs welcome emphasis for the most part on psychological terror over physical shocks (something of a change of direction for him after The Brood and Scanners) is further enhanced by composer Michael Kamens marvellously chilly music score and Christopher Walkens understated yet dominating central performance as high school teacher Johnny Smith, who wakes from a coma following a car crash to learn that he has been cursed with the gift of second sight. That his uncanny ability is indeed a curse and definitely not a blessing is made abundantly clear: even when Johnny is able to save peoples lives, there is always a price to pay. The cosmic law of Karma is grimly unforgiving. Herbert Lom, as Johnnys sympathetic doctor, sums up the characters plight, "Some things just werent meant to be." And even when Johnny learns the terrible secret of future Presidential candidate Greg Stillson (a villainous Martin Sheen), he knows he cannot act without accepting the fatal consequences. Brooke Adams, as the love of Johnnys life, and Tom Skerrit, as the quietly desperate sheriff on the trail of a serial killer, are excellent in support. On the DVD: this disc comes with a chunky accompanying booklet with background notes on the film, cast and director, as well as a script excerpt for the originally planned pre-credits sequence (in the finished film we assume Johnnys second sight is a result of the car accident--this earlier screenplay follows the book more closely). The movie itself--which features the "scissor-suicide" scene uncut--is accompanied by a chatty and informative commentary from film critics Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (a regular Amazon.co.uk contributor). Both the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture and the Dolby 5.1 sound are adequate if unexceptional. --Mark Walker
After the death of her bullying husband the not-so aged and downtrodden housewife Thelma Caldicot (Pauline Collins) is shipped off to the Twilight Years Rest Home by her money-grabbing son and manipulative daughter in-law. Appalled by the conditions Mrs Caldicot decides to taker matters into her own hands...
The film stars cult legends Jim Brown (He Got Game, I m Gonna Git You Sucka), Brenda Sykes (Mandingo, Cleopatra Jones) Oscar® winner Martin Landau (Best Supporting Actor, Ed Wood), Luciana Paluzzi (Thunderball), Bernie Casey (Brian s Song) and Bruce Glover (Ghost World, Diamonds Are Forever) with a cameo by pro football star Vida Blue. When a group of revolutionaries rob a Mafia-run gambling operation, nightclub owner Gunn tries to protect his politically radical brother Scotty from the mobsters and the police come looking for him. After Scotty is violently murdered, Gunn hits the streets looking for revenge. Chasing down the killer in his white Rolls Royce, Gunn hooks up with his brother s revolutionary friends and the cops for an explosive showdown with the mob boss and his gang.
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