Wild Wild West, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, Get Shorty), was one of the box-office smashes of the summer of 1999 but was raked by critics and embraced by audiences. Based on the 1960s TV adventure show that starred Robert Conrad, this film re-imagined Secret Service agent James West as Will Smith, adding Oscar-winner Kevin Kline as his sidekick, agent-inventor Artemus Gordon. President Ulysses S. Grant puts West and Gordon on the trail of malign genius (and former Confederate soldier) Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) in a story about racism, partnership and world domination. The special effects are lavish, even garish, but not all that special; they're not enough to elevate a mundane and familiar plot. Even Branagh, playing a man who only exists from the waist up--literally--can't find the juice in this lumbering affair. Still, the fast-talking team of Smith and Kline is a nimble one. Smith's affable charm and Kline's subversive wit win many points, though not nearly enough.--Marshall Fine
The war in Korea wages on with no end in sight, but the medical corps at the 4077th valiantly battle on against soulless military bureaucracy, tedium, and insanity. The seventh season of one of television's most decorated series continued to break new ground, with episodes such as "Point of View," which unfolds under the subjective eye of a wounded soldier. And just when you think you have these characters pegged, the writers provocatively challenged them. One of the most powerful episodes of the season, and the series, is "Preventive Medicine," in which Hawkeye (Alan Alda) takes drastic measures to stop a gung-ho colonel from further endangering his men. "Inga," another series benchmark, written and directed by Alda, finds Hawkeye threatened by an accomplished woman doctor (Mariette Hartley). Unlike Larry Linville's one-note Major Burns, David Ogden Stiers found new notes to play as Charles Emerson Winchester III. His character remains, as Hawkeye observes, "pompous, arrogant, conceited, and a total bore." But he's also "all right" in three of his finest half-hours: "Major Ego," in which he lets a magazine profile go to his swelled head; "Rally Round the Flagg, Boys," in which he outwits camp nemesis Colonel Flagg; and "Ain't Love Grand," in which he falls for a Korean girl he meets at Rosie's Bar (the setting for another essential episode, "A Night at Rosie's," in which the company seeks refuge from the war). The seven-year itch got to Gary Burghoff, who would depart the series in season 8. Episodes such as "Hot Lips Is Back in Town," in which Radar sweetly woos a new nurse, demonstrate why he would be keenly missed. The two-part "Our Finest Hour" is anything but. It is a rehash of the season 4 classic, "The Interview," that serves as a clip episode. This is a rare misstep in another satisfying season that did this series proud. --Donald Liebenson, Amazon.com
The Cleveland Show follows everyone's favourite soft-spoken neighbour Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry) as he settles into married life with his high school sweetheart and their blended family in his hometown of Stoolbend VA. Cleveland's second wife Donna (Sanaa Lathan) is a strong-willed and tenacious woman who puts family first and often has to come to her husband's rescue or protect him from dangerous situations. Her two unruly kids--boy-crazy teenage daughter Roberta (Reagan Gomez) and pint-sized 5-year-old lothario Rallo (Henry)--can often be found conspiring with or against their insecure and naive step-brother Cleveland Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson). Cleveland's neighbours and sidekicks include loudmouth redneck Lester (Richardson); religious talking bear Tim (Seth MacFarlane) and his wife Arianna (Arianna Huffington); and hipster wanna-be Holt (Jason Sudeikis). In this second season Cleveland attempts to prove his athletic prowess Roberta gets distracted with a new love interest and Rallo pals around with three new friends voiced by Grammy Award winners T-Pain and will.i.am and comedy legend Carl Reiner. Additionally the Brown family hits the road and travels around the U.S. to Hawaii Las Vegas Wisconsin Los Angeles and San Diego. The series' star-studded sophomore season includes guest voice appearances by Justin Timberlake Snoop Dogg Tony Hawk and cast members from the hit show Glee.
Quietly tucked away in a car-collection garage, Brum is only conspicuous by his size. When the owner turns his back at the start of the day however, Brum blazes into action; ready to fight crime and do good deeds in the "big town". TV has tried lots of ideas with cars that think for themselves, but never managed to convey the charm that this series offers. Whether it's thwarting the escape of some naughty bank robbers, or saving a newlywed bride who inadvertently steps on a runaway skateboard, the little car with the big heart is always the perfect gentleman. Each episode sets up a crime to solve or dilemma to resolve, and by way of handy ramps and elevators, Brum is cheerily applauded and waved at by the town's residents. Every so often there's an outburst of song that will unite good guys and bad guys alike, and then there's always the sing-along at the end to look forward to. Warning to parents: expect a look of abject disappointment on the face of the tot who discovers their toy cars won't do any of the tricks on TV. --Paul Tonks
City Hunter: Jackie Chan stars as Ryu Saeba in this hilarious lightning-paced tribute to the ass-kicking girl chasing detective from the popular Manga strip ""City Hunter"". Dragon From Russia: Based on the Legend of Crying Freeman 'Dragon from Russia' is a spectacular visually flamboyant 'Manga in motion' concept adventure from the director of 'Naked Killer'. An invincible killer the Crying Freeman is the most skilled assassin of the Secret Chinese Society 'The 1
Smokey And The Bandit 2: It's another race against time for Burt Sally and Jackie! This time the Bandit is hired to transport a pregnant elephant from Miami to the Republican Party convention in Dallas. But old rival sheriff Buford T. Justice will do whatever he must to prevent Bandit from getting that $400 000 fee. And this time Buford T. has some relatives to help him in his search his brothers Reginald and Gaylord -- all played to the hilt by the incomparable Jacki
The hilarious and loveable puppet porkers have been given their own live TV show full of crazy stunts and mad games. The show is brash loud messy and frequently out of control. Pinky and Perky is funny and fast paced new CGI series for six to twelve-year-olds.
Following the banning and burning of his novel 'The Rainbow' D.H. Lawrence (McKellen)and his wife Frieda travel to the United States and then to Mexico. When Lawrence contracts tuberculosis they return to England for a short time then to Italy where Lawrence is inspired to write 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'...
The secret agent kids are back in another adventure that finds Carmen caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Toymaker (Sly Stallone), so it's up to Juni to save his sister and ultimately the world.
Includes 11 Christmas Specials with chaos, mayhem, madness and of course the love of family at Christmas.
Roberto Durán is a boxing behemoth, a titanic figure straddling five epic decades as a fighter ranked as one of the most entertaining, controversial and finest of all time. This is the story of four-time World Champion Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán. A one man wrecking-ball who took on the world, transcended his sport and helped inspire a nation to rise up against its CIA funded dictator to achieve independence. From his days shining shoes on the street, to packing out arenas across the world, this is the story of modern Panama and its most celebrated child. Starring Roberto Duran, Robert De Niro, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox Lewis, Marvin Hagler, Ricky Hatton and Sylvester Stallone.
Forever embroiled in controversy, Midnight Express divides viewers into opposing camps: those who think it's one of the most intense real-life dramas ever made, and those who abhor its manipulative tactics and alteration of facts for the exploitative purpose of achieving a desired effect. That effect is powerfully achieved, regardless of how you may feel about director Alan Parker and Oscar-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone's interpretation of the story of Billy Hayes. It was the American Hayes--played by the late Brad Davis in an unforgettable performance--who was caught smuggling 2kg of hashish while attempting to board a flight from Istanbul in 1970. He was sentenced to four years in a hellish Turkish prison on a drug possession charge, but his sentence was later extended (though not by 30 years, as the film suggests), and Hayes endured unthinkable brutality and torture before his escape in 1975. Unquestionably, this is a superbly crafted film, provoking a visceral response that's powerful enough to boil your blood. By the time Hayes erupts in an explosion of self-defensive violence, Parker and Stone have proven the power--and danger--of their skill. Their film is deeply manipulative, extremely xenophobic, and embellishes reality to heighten its calculated impact. Is that a crime? Not necessarily, and there's no doubt that Midnight Express is expertly directed and blessed with exceptional supporting performances (especially from John Hurt as a long-term prisoner). Still, it's obvious that strings are being pulled, and Parker, while applying his talent to a nefarious purpose, is a masterful puppeteer. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
An untouchable cinematic triumph The IP Man Trilogy is a glorious and evocative biopic of the man who defied an empire, pioneered the world's most explosive martial art and went on to mentor Bruce Lee. Disc One IP Man 1 Feature Run Time (IP Man 1): 106 Minutes Bonus Features (144 minutes approx) Interview Gallery Making Of (x3) Location Design / Set Design (x3) Gala Premiere Deleted Scenes (x5) Trailers From IP Man To Bruce Lee: Tracing The Legacy Disc Two IP Man 2 Feature Run Time IP Man 2: 104 minutes Bonus Features (4 hrs 23 minutes approx) Audio Commentary Trailer Gallery Shooting Diary Making Of Additional Scenes Deleted Scenes Gala Premiere Interview Gallery The Wing Chun Connection Legacy Of The Master Wing Chun In action Disc 3 IP Man 3 Feature Run Time IP Man 3: 105 minutes approx. Bonus Features (23 minutes approx) Behind The Scenes Mike Tyson Interview Donnie Yen Interview Action' Making Of Story' Making Of Trailer
In this shocking sexually charged thriller a deadly maze of desire greed and betrayal explodes when a wealthy lawyer is found shot dead and his best friend sets out to prove the dead man's conniving wife is guilty of murder.
Get in on the twisted fun watching this 34-disc set with over 180 Family Guy Episodes. Join dim-witted (but big-hearted) Peter his adoring wife Lois silly siblings Chris and Meg genius baby brother Stewie (the maniacal one-year-old bent on world domination) and of course Brian the dog - perhaps the only sane member of the family even though he licks himself. Holy crap it's funny!
Nick Falzone (John Cusack) is a control freak. An air traffic control freak.
Shrek Forever After delivers laughs, life lessons, and a striking picture of the realities of parenthood in this surprisingly good, fourth Shrek film. Like the original film, this fractured fairytale works because of the humour--it pokes fun at the whole fairytale genre on a multitude of intellectual levels while simultaneously offering visual humour that's appealing to all ages. After a frantic flip through a tongue-in-cheek fairytale book of the first three Shrek films, the scene opens on a beaming Shrek and Fiona as they awaken to a chorus of their noisy children standing at the foot of the bed, and it follows them through a typically hectic day of feeding, diapering, and caring for their children until they collapse into a satisfied heap at the end of the day. One of the funniest bits in the film, at least for adults, is how this scene repeats, faster and faster and in smaller and smaller excerpts, until Shrek's look of bliss slowly turns into a pained, midlife-crisis expression that screams "Help me, I'm trapped in this domestic purgatory and there's no escape in sight." As in any good fairytale, the protagonist's chance for escape comes in the form of a deal with the devil, in this case Rumpelstiltskin. Following in the footsteps of the classic film It's a Wonderful Life, Shrek is granted the opportunity to spend a day in an alternate reality in which he is the independent, terrifying ogre he once was. Of course, the deal carries some very serious, unintended consequences, and Shrek's day of freedom may just cost him Fiona, the children, and even his very existence. Mike Meyers and Cameron Diaz are once again stellar as the voices of Shrek and Fiona; Antonio Banderas is still all swagger despite Puss-in-Boots' now-portly figure and thoroughly domesticated ways; Eddie Murphy remains just as hilarious as in the first film as Donkey, who in this story doesn't recognize Shrek and can't fathom the possibility of a donkey and an ogre becoming friends; and Walt Dohrn is an extremely effective newcomer as the voice of Rumpelstiltskin. Other key players are the Pied Piper, with his new, tricked-out flute; a mob of broom-riding, jack-o'-lantern-throwing witches; an overgrown white goose; and a whole resistance movement of ogres under the command of a most unexpected leader. The battles are fierce and the lesson powerful: learn to appreciate what you've got. While 3-D digital is always nice, most viewers will completely forget that the film is in 3-D after the initial scene, and it will view just as well in the traditional format. --Tami Horiuchi
David Mamet's 1987 directorial debut House of Games is mesmerising study of control and seduction between two kinds of detached observers: a gambler who is also a con artist and a psychotherapist who is also an emerging pop-psych guru in the book market. The latter (played by Lindsay Crouse) meets the former (Joe Mantegna) when one of her clients is driven to despair from his debts to the card shark. Mantegna's character agrees to drop the IOUs in exchange for Crouse's attention at the seedy House of Games in Seattle, a mecca for conmen to talk shop and hustle unsuspecting customers. The shrink gets so caught up in the arcane rules and world view of her guide over subsequent days that she observes--with no false rapture--various stings in progress inside and outside the club. Mamet's story finally becomes a fascinating study of two people protecting and extending their respective cosmologies the way rival predators fight for the same piece of turf. The psychological challenge is compelling; so is the stylised dialogue, with its pattern of pauses and hiccups and humming meter. Mostly shooting at night, Mamet also gave Seattle a different look from previous filmmakers, turning its familiar puddles into concentrations of liquid neon and poisonous noir. --Tom Keogh
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