Robin Williams stars as an English teacher who doesn't fit into the conservative prep school where he teaches but his charisma and love of poetry inspires several boys to revive a secret society with a bohemian bent. The script is well-meaning but a little trite, though director Peter Weir (The Truman Show) adds layers of emotional depth in scenes of conflict between the kids and adults. (A subplot involving one father's terrible pressure on his son--played by Robert Sean Leonard--to drop his interest in the theatre reaches heartbreaking proportions). Williams is given plenty of latitude to work in his brand of improvisational humour, though it is all well-woven into his character's style of instruction. --Tom Keogh
Muhammad Ali's 1974 knockout of George Foreman to regain the heavyweight championship of the world at the age of 32 was probably the greatest sporting moment of the 20th century. Leon Gast's documentary on the "Rumble In The Jungle", When We Were Kings, eventually released in 1996, is probably the finest ever boxing film. The background to the contest was almost as dramatic as the fight itself. It was the first major coup for promoter Don King, a character described in this film as "very clever but completely amoral"--yet this was his finest hour. President Mobutu, unsavoury dictator of Zaire and a more frightening figure than either boxer, had spent millions of his country's money to host the event. George Foreman, like Sonny Liston before him and Mike Tyson after him, was considered unbeatable, expected to slaughter Ali. Seeing him pounding a dent the size of a grapefruit into a heavy bag during training, you can understand why. Ringside American journalists George Plimpton and in particular Norman Mailer offer exceptionally shrewd insights. As we stare into Ali's face during the minute interval at the end of round one, Mailer talks us through his probable thought processes. "That was the only time I ever saw fear in his eyes." Ali, of course, is the star, besting the sullen Foreman in the build-up with his freewheeling, hilarious braggadocio then outfoxing him in the fight with his "rope-a-dope" technique. Like Ali, the "Rumble In The Jungle" transcended sports in its inspirational significance. --David Stubbs
Comedy set in World War Two, starring James Robertson-Justice and Leslie Phillips. Sir Ernest Pease (Robertson-Justice) is a self-important scientist who is sent undercover on a bombing mission to monitor the effectiveness of his latest invention, a new-fangled radar. When the plane is attacked, he parachutes to safety - only to be sent to a POW camp, where he takes on the alias of Lieutenant Farrow. There, the somewhat happy-go-lucky bunch of Brits suspect their acerbic new fellow prisoner of being a spy, and all sorts of culture clashes and misunderstandings ensue.
John Garfield, Shelley Winters and Norman Lloyd star in this film noir classic. Nick (Garfield) and Al (Lloyd) are involved in a payroll heist that goes wrong, resulting in a policeman being shot. Al is caught while Nick gets away, hiding out at the local swimming pool. There, he meets and charms local girl Peg Dobbs (Winters) and she invites him back to her house, unaware of the crime he has just committed. Soon things start to unravel for Nick as he holds Peg's entire family hostage, knowing that the police are getting ever closer to finding him.
This BAFTA-nominated film starring the great Dirk Bogarde in one of his career-best performances also includes excellent support from Sylvia Syms and Denis Price. The police are after Jack Barrett (Peter McEnery). He has stolen 2 300 from the building construction firm that employs him as a wages clerk. Despite being an ordinary young man of twenty-three years of age he is scared out of his wits by the crisis that is mounting - and they are circumstances beyond his control - Barret
Legendary Z Cars police chiefs reunited to head up special task force. The classic long running police series starring Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor that became one of the BBC's most successful spin-offs. Stratford Johns stars as no-nonsense DCS Charlie Barlow, a tough, relentless and sharp-tongued copper, with Frank Windsor as his even-tempered sidekick DS John Watt. Together they tackle the force's most heinous crimes, and unravel the most perplexing cases. The two hard-nosed ...
It is the Cold War. The world stands on the brink of nuclear catastrophe as tensions simmer between the US and the Soviet Union. When a US bomber is accidentally ordered to drop a nuclear bomb on Moscow it looks as if the fateful decision for all-out war will be taken by both sides. Having past the point of no return Colonel Jack Grady (George Clooney) pilots his bomber into Soviet territory refusing to yield to verbal commands to turn back. The U.S. President (Richard Dreyfuss)
Master filmmaker Robert Wise began his career with horror classics The Curse of the Cat People and The Body Snatcher for producer Val Lewton. His career would go on to include westerns, thrillers, science fiction and musicals, earning him two Academy Awards for Best Director. In 1963 he returned to his Lewtonian roots with the classic ghost story The Haunting; In 1977 he returned once more with the supernatural thriller Audrey Rose.All Bill and Jane Templeton wish for is a quiet, peaceful life with their 11-year-old daughter Ivy. But their dreams turn to nightmares as Ivy is besieged first by terrifying 'memories' of events that never occurred... and then by a mysterious stranger who stalks her every move, and claims that Ivy was in fact his daughter in another life.Released in the wake of The Exorcist and The Omen, Audrey Rose is an intelligent, heartfelt drama that approaches its subject with an open mind and seriousness of intent that caught many off guard but typifies Wise's previous genre forays. Sensitively played by a sterling cast at the top of their game, this underseen gem deserves a place on the shelf of any fan of classic horror.Product FeaturesBrand new 2K restoration by Arrow Films from a new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negativeHigh Definition (1080p) Blu-Ray presentationOriginal lossless mono audioOptional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingBrand new audio commentary by film critic Jon TowlsonFaith and Fraud, a brand new interview with magician Adam Cardone about reincarnation and belief in Audrey RoseThen and Now, a brand new featurette looking at the New York locations used in the filmI've Been Here Before, archive visual essay by Lee Gambin looking at reincarnation in cinemaInvestigator: The Paranormal World of Frank De Felitta, an archive interview with the author and scriptwriter of Audrey RoseThe Role of a Mother, an archive Interview with Marsha MasonHypnotist: Inside the score for Audrey Rose, an archive interview with film music historian Daniel SchweigerTheatrical trailerImage galleryReversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Christopher ShyFIRST PRESSING ONLY: fully illustrated collectors booklet featuring new writing by critics Kimberly Lindbergs and Johnny Mains
Johns Barlow defined the nations very notion of a no-nonsense, sharp-tongued police chief not averse to thrashing suspects into submission, while Windsor°Ûªs Watt played mellower mind games with the villains. Together with their Special Operations squad, they tackle fictional Thamesford°Ûªs most monstrous crimes and puzzling cases. Unafraid to address problematic social issues of the day, the series, like its predecessors Z-Cars and Softly Softly, provided a startling window on police methods and the simmering tensions and resentments on the streets of 1970s Britain. Created by BBC crime stalwart Elwyn Jones, other popular returning characters include fellow Softly Softly stalwart DS Harry Hawkins (Norman Bowler), dog handler PC Snow (Terence Digby), cheery Sergeant Evans (David Lloyd Meredith) and troubled Chief Constable Cullen (Walter Gotell). Following the edgy tradition set by the earlier shows, most of these episodes were originally broadcast live
This box set features the entire first series of the classic British Television drama Inspector Morse. Episodes comprise: 1. The Dead of Jericho: Morse who never quite finds romance thinks that at last things will turn out differently when he meets beautiful Anne Stavely (Gemma Jones). But it is a love destined not to be when Anne is found hanging from a beam in mysterious circumstances. Morse suspects murder and sets out to discover the truth. Joining him is Serg
Dead Poets Society (1989): Academy Award winner Robin Williams delivers a brilliant performance in one of Hollywood's most compelling and thought-provoking motion pictures. Williams portrays passionate English professor John Keating who in an age of crew cuts sport coats and cheerless conformity inspires his students to live life to the fullest exclaiming... ""Carpe diem lads! Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary!"" The charismatic teacher's emotionally charged challenge is met by his students with irrepressible enthusiasm - changing their lives forever. Magnificently directed by Peter Weir (The Truman Show) Dead Poets Society earned unparalleled praise among audiences and critics alike. Discover for yourself what all the cheering's about. (Dir. Peter Weir Cert. PG) Good Will Hunting (1997): Will Hunting (Damon) is a headstrong working-class genius. After one too many run-ins with the law Will's last chance is a psychology professor (Williams). Experience this powerful and unforgettable movie. From highly acclaimed director Gus Van Sant this triumphant story was nominated for 9 Academy Awards - winning Oscars for Robin Williams and hot newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and also features nominee Minnie Driver. (Dir. Gus Van Sant Cert. 15)
This Hitchcock thriller is mainly famous for its climax, which finds the villain (Norman Lloyd) hanging by his sleeve from the torch on the Statue of Liberty as the seam begins to unravel. Otherwise, it's not one of the director's great pictures, though it's still worth a look. Set during the initial stages of World War II, the story concerns a ring of Nazi fifth columnists who plot to weaken American military defences by blowing up a munitions factory, a dam and a battleship. In an early example of Hitchcock's celebrated "wrong man" theme, the hero Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) gets falsely accused of sabotage and becomes a fugitive, hunted from coast to coast. Eventually, he hooks up with the heroine Pat Martin (Priscilla Lane), a super-patriot who takes some convincing of his innocence and plans to turn him in--until the inevitable chemical reaction occurs. It's a highly episodic tale that may put you in mind of Hitchcock's previous The 39 Steps (1935) and his later North by Northwest (1959).The miscellaneous incidents (a shoot-out at a cinema, a bizarre encounter with the freaks in a circus troupe) are often exciting in themselves. The trouble is they just sort of lie there like so-many scattered marbles, never building into a coherent and satisfying whole. The bland dialogue supplied by novice screenwriter Peter Viertel doesn't help matters much. Neither does the casting of the two stars, square, wholesome types, entirely lacking in the perversity and eccentricity one associates with the Hitchcock universe. (It's tedious to hear Lane endlessly mouthing off about the American way, while Cummings must be counted one of the dullest leading men in Hollywood history.) Still, this half-hearted effort by the pot-bellied master of suspense would probably make the reputation of a dozen lesser directors. --Peter Matthews
It is a cold dark and rainy night. A group of priests gather shivering outside a house. Silently each removes a crucifix and rosary beads from a large black bag and moves towards the front door. It is the final attempt to purge the evil from the house.... 3000 miles away and two weeks later recently widowed Nancy Evans and her three children have just moved into her mother Alice's house. The same day a package arrives from Alice's sister a birthday present containing a large and
Successful New York advertising executive Bill Templeton and his wife Janice are living a happy existence with their daughter 11-year-old Ivy. However Janice and Bill begin to notice a strange man has been closely observing Ivy when she walks to school. They eventually find out he is Elliot Hoover (Hopkins) a man who says that he lost his wife and daughter in a car crash and that Ivy is really his daughter Audrey Rose reincarnated. They refuse to believe him until one night whils
George and Mildred was a spin-off from Johnny Mortimer and Brian Cookes successful 1970s sitcom Man About the House, and ran from 1976 to 1980. This release features the first six episodes. Starring the late, great Yootha Joyce as Mildred Roper, a sex-starved cockney housewife with pretensions to the middle classes, and Brian Murphy as George, her hopeless and incorrigible husband, this series sees them make the upward move to posh Middlesex suburbia, despite George being on supplementary benefit--mortgage conditions were evidently easier in 70s sitcomland. Their neighbours are snooty estate agent Jeffrey Fourmile, his wife Ann and son Tristram. Jeffrey is perturbed that the Ropers arrival will lower the tone of the neighbourhood ("Tristram will get nits!") as they stink up the street with their three-wheel car and cheap wartime furniture. Much mildly amusing comedy at the expense of the working/middle class divide ensues, with no double-entendre left unturned and some period gags to match the Ropers interior decor. Situations involving a local MP, Mildreds even snobbier sister and an unsightly caravan brought out the best in Joyce and Murphys excellent characters, while Nicholas Owen as Tristram was among the least annoying of child sitcom stars. --David Stubbs
Sir Ernest Pease KBE FRS (James Robertson Justice) is a cantankerous and crotchety old professor. Testing one of his new radar inventions (and travelling incognito as Lt. Farrow RN) the plane he is travelling is shot down and he is incarcerated as a POW. His overbearing and abrasive manner leads his fellow inmates into believing he is a German spy but when they discover who he actually is they realise that his escape is vital to the war effort. Written by Henry Blyth (The Bul
Includes the classic Renoir films La Bete Humaine La Grande Illusion and The Crime Of M. Lange. La Bete Humaine A mad train driver falls in love with a married woman. They plot to kill the wife's husband... La Grande Illusion One of the very first prison escape movies Grand Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made Jean Renoir's antiwar masterpiece of French soldiers held in a World War I German prison camp and Erich von Stroheim as the unforgettable Captain von Rauffenstein. Le Crime De Monsieur Lange Told in flashback this dramatic story revolves around the author Lange who is exploited by his ruthless boss who eventually may cause the downfall of his publishing house but disaster is averted by Lange's talent and the political will of the workforce who form a cooperative...
Set in St. Eligius Hospital South Boston St. Elsewhere was another ensemble drama in a similar vein to Hill Street Blues. Following the lifes loves and careers of a group of doctors and nurses the show earned much acclaim for its articulate controversial and innovative scripts. Featuring a plethora of Movie and television actors of some note it operated as a springboard for a number of big-name stars and character-actors including: Denzel Washington David Morse and Ed Begley Jr; not to mention an incredibly talented number of directors and scriptwriters such as: Kevin Hooks (Lost 24) and Tom Fontana (the creator of HBO's Oz). Many have noted the influence it has had on E.R. and several other hospital-based dramas which followed in its success. The comparisons are not misguided as this is just as good as its contemporary offspring if not better. Featuring all the episodes from the first season. Episodes comprise: 1. Pilot 2. Bypass 3. Down's Syndrome 4. Cora and Arnie 5. Samuels and the Kid 6. Legionnaires 7. Legionnaires 8. Tweety and Ralph 9. Rain 10. Hearts 11. Graveyard 12. Release 13. Family History 14. Remission 15. Monday Tuesday Sven's Day 16. The Count 17. Brothers 18. Dog Day Hospital 19. Working 20. Craig in Love 21. Baron Von Munchausen 22. Addiction
A demonic force lurking in Amityville for over 300 years once again comes to life and escapes to a remote California mansion where it craves the possession of an innocent young girl.
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