The tragedy of World War I is redefined in bawdy music-hall terms presented as the ""new attraction"" at the Brighton Amusement Pier complete with syrupy cheer-up songs shooting galleries free prizes and a scoreboard toting up the dead The Story focuses mainly on the members of one family (last name Smith) whose five sons enlist and end up as cannon fodder Much of the action in the movie revolves around the words of the marching songs of the soldiers and many scenes portray some of the more famous (and infamous) incidents of the war including: the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand the Christmas meeting between British and German soldiers in no-mans-land the wiping out by their own side of a force of Irish soldiers The final image is a veddy proper British picnic on a graveyard. Of the many fleeting satiric images parading past the camera one of the most indelible is the sight of several generals playing leapfrog as the world all around them goes to hell in a handbasket.
In the typical Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer mould(the partnership yielded Top Gun and Days of Thunder, among many other films), this 1995 drama is a combination of one-dimensional but enjoyable performances, lots of high-tech nonsense taking place onscreen, and mechanistic movie-making at its loudest and most seizure-inducing. Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington play nuclear submarine officers squaring off over the former's apparent intention to do some unauthorized damage to an enemy. Tony Scott (Top Gun) directed, bringing his lustre and pop commercial sense to go with all that Simpson-Bruckheimer eye candy. --Tom Keogh
If you're looking for the definitive example of dry wit, look no further than this 1952 version of The Importance of Being Earnest. Of course, it helps to have Oscar Wilde's beloved play as source material, but this exquisite adaptation has a charmed life of its own, with a perfectly matched director and a once-in-a-lifetime cast. Mix these ingredients with Wilde's inimitable repartee, and you've got a comedic soufflé that's cooked to perfection. Opening with a proscenium nod to its theatrical origins, the film turns Wilde's comedy of clever deception and mixed identities into a cinematic treat, and while the 10-member cast is uniformly superb, special credit must be given to Dame Edith Evans, reprising her stage role as the imperiously stuffy Lady Bracknell. To hear her Wilde-ly hilarious inflections and elongated syllables is to witness British comedy in its purest form. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the birth of one of Ealing's greatest directors, Alexander Mackendrick, StudioCanal are releasing the restored version of the DVD and the first ever Blu-Ray of The Man In The White Suit starring Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker. Ealing Studios' output from the 1940s and 1950s helped define what was arguably the golden age for British cinema. It fostered great directors such as Alexander Mackendrick and Robert Hamer, while giving stars such as Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers the chance to shine. Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness), a humble inventor, develops a fabric which never gets dirty or wears out. This would seem to be a boon for mankind, but the established garment manufacturers don't see it that way; they try to suppress it. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to put his invention on the market, forcing the clothing factory bigwigs to resort to more desperate measures. Special Features: Exclusive 'Revisiting The Man In The White Suit' Featurette Stills Gallery Restoration Comparison Trailer
Get mindless for awhile with this 1997 disaster flick, starring the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles as a funky place for lava to spew, plus Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche as the brave souls who know how to shut off the spout. Director Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard) wastes no time getting to the good stuff--it's happening in Volcano even before opening credits are over--and neither should anyone in the mood for technical efficiency without the burden of art. --Tom Keogh
This box set features the following films: The Wicked Lady (Dir.Leslie Arliss) (1945): The lusty bawdy epic story of England's legendary highwayperson Lady Barbara Skelton who married a nobleman lusted after a highway-man and sought the love of the only man she could never have... Love Story (Dir. Leslie Arliss) (1944): After successful pianist Lissa Campbell is diagnosed with a terminal heart defect she vows to make her last months worth living. She takes a trip to Cornwall where she meets Tom Tanner Kit Firth and Judy Martin. Bank Holiday (Dir. Carol Reed) (1938): Various people set off on an August bank holiday including a raucous Cockney family a would-be beauty queen and two young lovers - whose relationship starts to come apart when one has to deal with a bereavement at the hospital where she works. Give Us The Moon (Dir. Val Guest) (1944): A young man Sascha joins a group call 'The Elephants' whose principle is to abide by a complete disregard for work. However chaos ensues when the group decides to help run the hotel owned by Sascha's father! Highly Dangerous (Dir. Roy Ward Baker) (1950): When British Intelligence discovers that a (mythical) Iron Curtain country is developing insects as weapons they dispatch entomologist Fraces Gray to get into the county and collect specimens. However her cover is almost immediately blown on her arrival and her contact is murdered... The Lady Vanishes (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) (1938): Intrigue and espionage and the effects on the lives and futures of passengers aboard a Trans-Continental Express emerge when a girl traveller (Margaret Lockwood) returning from a holiday strikes up an acquaintance with a middle-aged English governess who during the journey mysteriously disappears from her compartment. The girl seeking an explanation for the disappearance is accused of hallucinating and is nearly convinced that her new friend does not exist. However further inquiries made among the passengers reveal the curious behaviour of a group of foreign government agents who are also travelling as passengers... Classic Hitchcock!
Eureka Entertainment to release SALVADOR, a powerful, vivid and uninhibited political drama from Oliver Stone, making its UK debut on Blu-ray as part of The Masters of Cinema Series in a special Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition on 17 September 2018. A harrowing drama set during the Salvadoran Civil War, Salvador is a one of director Oliver Stone's most underrated films, a thrilling and violent look at the chaos of war as seen through the lens of an amoral photojournalist. In 1980, young men, women and children are being brutally killed in a bloody civil war in El Salvador. A horrific setting, but a perfect one for Richard Boyle (James Woods in an Oscar® nominated role), a sleazy journalist whose career needs a jumpstart. Armed with his camera, Boyle joins the front lines in an attempt to capture atrocious-but-valuable images of pain and horror. But with each picture he takes, he catches a tragic side of humanity that ignites his long-buried compassion. And he unexpectedly discovers something that will change him forever: his soul. Also starring Jim Belushi (Thief, Twin Peaks: The Return) and John Savage (The Deer Hunter, The Thin Red Line), Salvador is a searing critique of the United States' role in the Central American crisis, and The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the film in its UK debut on Blu-ray in a special Dual Format edition.
Can a kid from Kansas come to New York to conquer the business world and manoeuvre his way from the mailroom to the boardroom in a matter of weeks? Michael J. Fox proves it can be done in this very funny lampoon of corporate business life. Fresh out of college, he's determined to climb New York's corporate ladder in record time by masquerading as an up and coming executive, even though he's really the new mail boy. However, Fox's plans begin to go awry when the boss's wife falls in love with him and he falls in love with a junior executive, who also happens to be the boss's mistress.
EXIT FROM ENDOR The fun begins following the victory celebration in the Ewok village on Endor. C-3PO and R2-D2 regale Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca and the other Rebels with tales of their adventures that led to the great conflict between the Jedi and the Sith. At the same time, an accidental kidnapping occurs when Admiral Ackbar's ship is stolen with R2-D2 as an unwitting hostage. CRISIS ON CORUSCANT C-3PO and Ackbar's pursuit of the mysterious figure who stole Ackbar's ship and kidnapped R2-D2 leads them to Coruscant. Seeing the ruined capital of the Empire for the first time in many years brings back memories for C-3PO. He tells Ackbar of his and R2-D2's time fighting alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Anakin Skywalker.
Booyaka! Follow TV superstar Ali G's meteoric rise from The Staines Massive to the House of Commons in "Ali G InDaHouse." Combining political satire and international intrigue with boning, caning and gangsta tings, dis film iz wikkid!
A mysterious meteor shower occurs above a field in Cornwall, and a team of scientists led by Dr. Curtis Temple (Robert Hutton) is sent in to investigate. The scientists and local bystanders soon find themselves possessed by an alien force which wants to enslave them. No one is immune from the invasion except for Dr. Temple, who is shielded from the meteor's influence by a metal plate that was inserted to protect his skull after a recent accident. He discovers that an alien race on the moon seeks to use the manipulated scientists for secret purposes. But, as Temple learns more about the invaders, he realises that they may not be as evil as he once thought. Extras: Audio commentary with Film Historian David Del Valle and Filmmaker David DeCoteau Original UK Theatrical trailer
Performed mostly in mime this comical tale relates the daily life of a Sandwich Man and his encounters with many of his very eccentric acquaintances.
Peter Greenaway directs this culinary tale of passion and revenge. An arrogant gangster (Michael Gambon) invests in a popular French restaurant, which he begins to frequent with his wife (Helen Mirren) and a band of crooks. He delights in humiliating his spouse, and, when she begins an affair with another patron (Alan Howard), the restaurant's cook (Richard Bohringer) tries to protect them from her husband's wrath.
Baywatch Hawaiian Reunion, like the 11-year television series itself, is a guilty pleasure short on story credibility but long on action, hardbody appeal, and hot passions. The hyperdrive plot finds Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff), presumed dead at the end of season 10, alive and well and in love with a woman named Allison (Alexandra Paul), who bears a spooky resemblance to Mitch's late lover, Stephanie. Wedding plans that include the old Baywatch lifeguard crew (Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, Billy Warlock, etc.) are set for Hawaii, but in a Wrath of Khan-like twist, a villain (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) from the old show's second season turns up with an elaborate plan to kidnap and endanger Mitch's guests. The script is shameless, of course, but the outré element is fun to watch, including a subplot in which Mitch's former wife (Gena Lee Nolin)--suspicious of Allison's true motives--gets into a spectacular catfight with her ex's new lady.--Tom Keogh
A genuinely epic achievement, the 10-part World War II drama Band of Brothers is a television series that makes big-screen Hollywood war movies look small in comparison. Based on the book by historian Stephen Ambrose, the series follows the US 101st Airborne Division's "Easy" E-Company from initial training through D-Day and across Holland, Belgium, Germany and Austria until the end of the war. Coproduced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the series take its initial inspiration from Saving Private Ryan and borrows that film's visceral visual approach to combat scenes using hand-held camerawork and de-saturated photography. But where Band of Brothers excels is in its scrupulous attention to the realities of military life (retired US Marine Captain Dale Dye, who also co-stars, is the man to credit). After the high drama of the parachute drop on D-Day, Easy's greatest trial comes during the Battle of the Bulge, when they are besieged at Bastogne in the depths of winter. In one of the most harrowing and credible depictions of war ever committed to film we see the men enduring the repeated artillery attacks of the German forces and experience, if only vicariously, some of the sheer terror of the assault, while being humbled by the soldiers' courage and determination. Such feelings are enhanced by the series' masterstroke--bookend interviews with the surviving members of Easy Company, who talk with barely suppressed emotion of the experiences we see recreated. The endorsement of these veterans elevates Band of Brothers beyond any mere "war film"--its extraordinary achievement is that it shows the horror and savagery of war without gloss or jingoism, and yet celebrates the fraternal bonds and dogged heroism of the men who fought. On the DVD: Band of Brothers arrives handsomely packaged in a six-disc box set with two episodes on each of the first five discs. Sound (Dolby 5.1) and picture (1.78:1 widescreen) only enhance the series' epic credentials. Disc 6 contains all the extras, the meatiest of which is the marvellous 80-minute documentary "We Stand Alone Together" about the real men of Easy Company. There's also a first-rate, genuinely interesting 30-minute "making of" feature about actor boot camp, visual effects and blowing up fake trees among many other things. This is complemented by actor Ron Livingston's revealing Video Diaries of boot camp. Additionally there's a "Who's Who" section and footage of the HBO premiere at Utah Beach, plus a TV spot for car company Jeep. --Mark Walker
The drama series Pan AM transports us to 1963 and the dawn of the Jet Age. As a fast, new luxury airliner takes to the skies, the passengers and crew face a voyage whose landscape is shaped by romance, shifting societal values and even international espionage. Head stewardess Maggie (Christina Ricci) mentors rookie flight attendant Laura (Margot Robbie), while first officer Ted (Michael Mosley) turns on the charm. Excitement awaits every traveler on Pan AM.
Martin Lawrence stars in this new comedy about a menial worker at a medieval theme park who falls into the polluted moat, only to end up in fourteenth century England, a world of knights in shining armour,a wicked king, and a damsel in distress!
Doug Kinney (Michael Keaton) is in need of a little help. With a demeaning job and adoring wife (Andie MacDowell) and two children who have baseball matches and ballet classes to attend there just simply aren't enough hours in the day to enjoy any of it. Doug's real problem is that he has too many commitments and not enough time! He is literally on the verge of a breakdown when quite by chance he meets the world famous geneticist Dr Owen Leeds who offers Doug the opportunity to regain control of his life... if he agrees to have himself cloned. Doug agrees - with hilarious consequences.
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