""Rich! Deliciously eccentric! [A] brazen irrepressible original!"" -The New York Times. ""Lovely! Poignant!"" (The Wall Street Journal) and laugh-out-loud funny Shadows and Fog confirms Woody Allen's ""genius"" with its brilliant portrait of the hopeless - but hilarious - tragicomedy of human existence. Boasting a dazzling ""galaxy of stars"" (Leonard Maltin) including Woody Allen Mia Farrow John Malkovich Madonna Donald Pleasence Lily Tomlin Jodie Foster Kathy Bates John Cusack
Basic Instinct: A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger. Michael Douglas stars as Nick Curran a tough but vulnerable detective. Sharon Stone costars as Catherine Tramell a cold calculating and beautiful novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite. Catherine becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered - a crime she had described in her latest novel. Has she been set up by a jealous rival or is she guilty? Obsessed with cracking the case Nick descends into San Francisco's forbidden underground where suspicions mount bodies fall and he finds within himself an instinct more basic than survival. (Dir. Paul Verhoeven 1992) Basic Instinct 2: Everything interesting begins in the mind. Dr. Michael Glass (Morrissey) a respected London criminal psychiatrist is brought in by Scotland Yard detective Roy Washburn (Thewlis) to perform a psychiatric profile and evaluation of novelist Catherine Tramell (Stone) following the mysterious death of a top sports star. Physically drawn to Tramell and mentally intrigued by her Glass is quickly sucked into her web of lies and seduction. The professional boundaries between Glass and Tramell are obliterated when she uncovers his basic instincts... (Dir. Michael Caton-Jones 2006)
The words of the opening song pretty much describe the menu in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum--"Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone: a comedy tonight!"--a frantic adaptation of the stage musical by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove. The wild story, based on the Latin comedies of Plautus and set in ancient Rome, follows a slave named Pseudolus (Zero Mostel, snorting and gibbering) as he tries to extricate himself from an increasingly farcical situation; Mostel and a bevy of inspired clowns, including Phil Silvers, Jack Gilford and Buster Keaton, keep the slapstick and the patter perking. The cast also includes the young Michael Crawford as a love-struck innocent. This project landed in the lap of Richard Lester, then one of the hottest directors in the world after his success with the Beatles' films. Lester telescoped the material through his own joke-a-second sensibility, and also ripped out some of the songs from Stephen Sondheim's Broadway score. The result is very close to the vaudeville spirit suggested by the title--though anyone with a low tolerance for Zero Mostel's overbearing buffoonery may be in trouble. Oddly enough, amid all the frenzy, Lester creates a grungy, earthy Rome that seems closer to the real thing than countless respectable historical films on the subject. Frankie Howerd, who played Pseudolus on the London stage, kept the tradition going with his Up Pompeii TV series. --Robert Horton
Boudicca, the widowed Queen of the Iceni tribe of East Anglia, to wrest power from the Romans in first-century Britain. Produced by Ruth Boswell (Timeslip, Tightrope, Shadows), Warrior Queen stars Sian Phillips as the fearless Celtic queen, Nigel Hawthorne as Catus Decianus, the rapacious Roman Procurator, and Michael Gothard as Druid priest Volthan. It is AD61. The Romans rule Britain. Prasutagus, King of the Iceni, is dying. In his will, he bequeaths one half of his kingdom to his two daughters; the other half is to be ceded to the Roman Emperor, Nero. Prasutagus's widow, Queen Boudicca, invites the Roman Procurator, Catus Decianus, to attend his burial. Catus Decianus, however, has no intention of attending 'this flea-bitten king's funeral'; instead, he arrives when it is over. It is an ominous sign...
During WWII a collection of Canadian soldiers and American misfits are brought together and promised that upon successful completion of a special mission their sentences will be struck off military records. The mission: a semi-suicidal charge to scale a well-fortified enemy emplacement on a steep hill...
Demonic Toys
With more than a decade of cinema in Basic Instinct's wake it's fascinating to look back at just how influential Paul Verhoeven's "erotic thriller" has been. The director's endless fight with censorship and unwillingness to kowtow to social mores meant his movies became notorious for graphically depicting sex and violence while pushing contemporary boundaries of taste. This whodunit about a bisexual femme fatale (Sharon Stone in a career-best performance) caused an enormous furore on its release; but after years of generally inferior imitations there's not much in it that seems quite so shocking now. It's perhaps best appreciated in retrospect more for its Hitchcockian style than the steamy sex. On the DVD: one of the most welcome elements of the disc is an acknowledgement of the film's own influences--from Hitchcock's Vertigo to Verhoeven's own The Fourth Man. The print is far superior to the previous release, looking magnificent in 1:78.1. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-nominated score sounds terrific in either 5.1 or DTS, as does Verhoeven's thick accent on the first commentary track alongside then Director of Photography Jan De Bont (Speed), who together reminisce on locations and manipulating their actors' performances. A second commentary from feminist critic Camille Paglia is a brave way of putting paid to the gay/feminist community uproar. There are some standard inclusions (trailer, production notes, photo gallery etc) but far more interesting are two mini-documentaries; "Cleaning Up Basic Instinct" shows how and why the TV version was so dull, while "Blonde Poison" focuses on the film's making and marketing. Finally, there are three storyboard comparisons and nine minutes of screen tests for Stone and Tripplehorn. This is the definitive release of an oft-cited modern classic. --Paul Tonks
Sweeney! Hard-bitten Flying Squad officer Jack Regan (Thaw) gets embroiled in a deadly political plot when an old friend asks him to investigate the death of his girlfriend. Framed on a drink-driving charge and suspended from the force with his partner and best mate George Carter (Waterman) unable to help Jack must rely on his wits to evade deadly government hitmen and expose the real villain... Sweeney 2 Regan and Carter head a n investigation into a series of British bank raids by a team of well-armed villains who are flying in from the continent.
Kelsey Grammer stars as Charles Bunbury, the bumbling chairman of London's historic, yet struggling, bank Tuftons, founded by the family of his wife Penelope (Tamsin Greig). The only problem is that he knows nothing about banking When ruthless US and Japanese investment banks start circling, Charles bets it all on a risky investment but ends up breaking the bank and is booted out in disgrace. Homeless and living on the streets, Charles begins to form an unlikely alliance in an attempt to short and hedge his way to getting back his wife and her bank. An hilarious British comedy with a great supporting cast including Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey), John Michael Higgins (Pitch Perfect 1 & 2), Andrew Sachs (Fawlty Towers) and Doon Mackichan (Smack the Pony).
Devoted to his work but emotionally unfulfilled Bernie achieves his romantic dream when he meets and eventually marries beautiful divorcee Liz. Their new life together with her young daughter Jane is blissfully happy until Liz is fatally stricken with cancer soon after the birth of their son. Heartbroken Bernie and eight-year old Jane struggle to come to terms with their tragic loss. Suddenly out of the blue arrives Jane's natural father an ex-convict. He demands money in exchange for giving up custody of Jane and eventually kidnaps her and flees to Mexico. Angry and desperate Bernie tracks him down and brings the traumatised girl home where they must both try and rediscover the 'Fine Things' in life.
Adapted by Anthony Shaffer from his own hit stage play, Sleuth (1972) is a reflexively self-aware send-up of the murder-mystery genre, which risks everything on the tour de force performances of its small cast. Director Joseph L Mankiewicz doesn't attempt to escape the theatrical confines of Shaffer's clever and convoluted screenplay; instead he concentrates--or diverts?--our attention with close-up details of the setting. Is he showing us clues or just more red herrings? Like Agatha Christie's Mousetrap--which it rivalled in popularity on the West End stage--to say anything more about Sleuth would be to spoil the fun. But even when you've untangled the many and dizzying twists and turns, thanks to its literate screenplay and the magnetic performances of the leads this is a film that rewards repeated viewings. --Mark Walker
Jody is the kind of guy that every 1970s teen looked up to. He's in his early 20s, has a cool car, splendid 1970s hair, a leather jacket, plays guitar and (naturally) snags all the girls. His little brother, Mike, in particular, admires him and emulates him at every turn. Things start to go astray, however, when the two brothers and their friend Reggie attend a funeral for a friend. Mike notices a tall man working at the funeral home; in the course of his snooping, he sees the tall man put a loaded coffin into the back of a hearse as easily as if it was a shoebox. Jody doesn't believe his little brother's stories, though, until he brings home the tall man's severed finger, still wriggling in what appears to be French's mustard. From there, the film picks up a terrific momentum that doesn't let up until the sequel-ripe twist ending. Phantasm was one of the first horror movies to break the unspoken rule that victims were supposed to scream, fall down and cower until they were killed. Instead, Mike and Jody are resourceful and smart, aggressively pursuing the evil inside the funeral home with a shotgun and Colt pistol. Furthermore, the script has a great deal of character development, especially in the relationship between the two brothers. The film even has a surprisingly glossy look, despite its low-budget origins, and little outright gore (except for the infamous steel spheres that drill into victims' heads). This drive-in favourite was a big success at the time of its release, and spawned three sequels. Little wonder; it includes an inventive story, likeable characters, a runaway pace and, of course, evil dwarves cloaked in Army blankets. The end result is one of the better horror films of the late 1970s. Hot-rod fans take note: Jody drives a Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, the pinnacle of 1960s muscle cars, rounding out his status as a Cool Guy. --Jerry Renshaw
The Morgan Freeman Collection containing three of his best known films. Kiss The Girls: North Carolina police detective Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) tracks an elusive psychopath whose modus operandi is not necessarily killing the young women he abducts but ""collecting"" them as trophies. Unfortunately his quarry includes the detective's own law-student niece so his race against time with the help of a no-nonsense medical intern Dr. Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) who esca
On December 6 1983 legendary blues guitarist Albert King joined his disciple Stevie Ray Vaughan on a Canadian sound stage for the live music television series In Session. Magic happened. The highly sought after video footage from that onetime renowned summit is available for the first time ever with the release of Stax Records' DVD In Session. The DVD contains three classic performances unavailable on the previously issued audio disc: Born Under a Bad Sign the landmark title track from Albert King's biggest Stax release written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones; Stevie Ray's Texas Flood the Larry Davis-penned title track of Vaughan's immortal debut album; and I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town made famous by Louis Jordan and later Ray Charles. Tracklist: 1. Introduction 2. Born Under A Bad Sign 3. Texas Flood 4. Call It Stormy Monday 5. Old Times 6. Match Box Blues 7. Pep Talk 8. Don't Lie To Me 9. Who Is Stevie? 10. Pride And Joy 11. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town 12. Outtro
If this one doesn't scare you you're already dead! After their friend is murdered two brothers begin a hunt in search of the killer. Their investigation leads them to the discovery of a startling and hideous secret. As the brothers learn more about what is really going on at Morningside mortuary (involving a floating sphere with razor-sharp protruding daggers which seeks out victims and drains the blood from their heads) they get deeper into trouble but it may be already too late!
Timecop Set in the year 2004 where time travel is a reality and a new breed of crime has emerged. It is now possible to alter history and the Time Enforcement Commission has ruled that no-one goes back in time. But someone has broken the rule and Timecop Max Walker must prevent a change in history - and prevent the murder of his wife... Cyborg 1 When a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep Jack Ryan a former member of the DEA immediately suspects that something is wrong. He discovers that the package contains a plea for help from his brother Phillip on a DEA assignment on the Caribbean Island of St. Keith. Cyborg 2 The new generation of Cyborgs are more lethal powerful dangerous and smarter than the computers that programmed them. So intelligent they are capable of regenerating themselves without human control - a chilling prospect for the civilized world. Cyborg 3 Enter the dark world of sythentic humanoids where ruthless recyclers scavenge cyborg parts and sell them to the highest bidder. Moon 44 The year is 2038. Giant intergalactic corporations have taken control of the universe locked in a ruthless battle for planets where men and robots mine the priceless chemicals that are now Earth's only source of fuel. Space pirates are systematically hijacking the vital space shuttle from the moon 44 mining base which is also the location of an experimental defence programme using highly advanced helicopter gunships. It is undercover investigator Felix Stone's task to hunt down the hijackers. But if Moon 44 base is attacked the orders are to sacrifice the men and save the robots. Apex Black Moon Rising Tommy Lee Jones is Quint a shrewd and tough professional thief working for the government. He has hidden a computer disc containing vital evidence in a sleek fast prototype automobile which is stolen by a sophisticated car theft ring in Los Angeles. Quint the owners of the car and the killers who want the disc back are forced into a high-risk raid on the impenetrable fortress of the car thieves in this taut action-filled suspense adventure. Earth Alien Salena Incident Roswell was just the beginning... During a routing transport exercise a group of prisoners overpower their guards and take them captive. But their well executed escape plan turns into something far more menacing. When they enter the supposedly peaceful town of Salena the prisoners and guards are faced with an alien threat far more powerful than anything imaginable! The Sender
Along Came A Spider:A congressman's daughter under Secret Service protection is kidnapped from a private school by an insider who calls Det. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) drawing him into the case even though he's recovering from the loss of his partner... Kiss The Girls:North Carolina police detective Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) tracks an elusive psychopath whose modus operandi is not necessarily killing the young women he abducts but ""collecting"" them as trophies
Surprisingly light-hearted and witty, Paul Rudnick's Jeffrey (based on his off-Broadway play) was one of the first films to tackle the AIDS crisis without patting itself on the back or offering everything up in a sobering movie-of-the-week scenario. The titular Jeffrey (Steven Weber) is a happy-go-lucky gay man who suddenly comes face to face with the fact that AIDS has turned sex into something "radioactive". Paranoid in the extreme, he vows to become celibate--at just about the same time that hunky Steve (The Pretender's Michael T. Weiss) saunters into his life, eyes twinkling and hormones raging. The only problem is that Steve, for all his muscles and charm, is HIV-positive, thus setting Jeffrey's deepest fears into motion. When it was written in 1995, Jeffrey struck a nerve in mining the fear that a number of gay men felt during the height of the AIDS crisis. Even just a few years later, though, Jeffrey's paranoia (what, he's never heard of condoms?) seems dated, and his behaviour more self-damaging than self-aware--basically, he needs a slap upside the head as opposed to therapy. Still, Rudnick (who went on to pen the more mainstream In and Out) is never one to pass up a witty one-liner or an opportunity to poke fun at anyone, and Jeffrey now stands as a hilarious, sometimes poignant portrait of gay single life and the perils of dating in a paranoid time. Weber's Jeffrey is simultaneously open to the possibilities of life and fearful to embrace them, and Weiss is, well... gorgeous and funny and sexy beyond belief. Still, it's Patrick Stewart, as Jeffrey's interior decorator best friend, who effortlessly steals the film with his cutting wit; in his mouth, Rudnick's lines are priceless gems. With a host of amazing cameos, including Sigourney Weaver as a conceited New Age maven, Kathy Najimy as her sad-sack follower, Christine Baranski as a high-society hostess for a roundup-themed charity dinner, and a top-form Nathan Lane as a gay priest who seems to have discovered the meaning of life--literally. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
Les Franken leads a painfully unremarkable life until he enrolls in a drug study that convinces him he's a Superhero.
A Member of the Family (Parts 1 & 2): Black Beauty and Jenny find themselves in the middle of a foxhunt. Ned joins the Gordon household and is immediately under suspicion of theft. The Medicine Man: A quack doctor moves into the village selling his own medicine for sixpence a bottle claiming it cures all ills. Out of the Night: Eerie happenings in Monkswood when Jenny and Ned claim to have seen a ghost. The Escape: Dr Gordon doesn't believe Kevin and Albert when they tell him that Cicely Eddington is being held prisoner in Granley Hall by her aunt and uncle. Game of Chance: Dr Gordon and Amy visit London for the day leaving Jenny to look after things. Albert gallops off to Maybury fair and loses not only his money but Beauty as well.
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