Inspector Clouseau returns with Alan Arkin stepping into the bumbling shoes of Peter Sellers' most famous role. Chief-Commissioner Sir Charles Braithwaite is investigating a series of Swiss bank robberies while Clouseau - naturally - gets in the way. Meanwhile the criminals further add to the confusion by wearing Clouseau masks during their heists! Needless to say the inspector gets on the case...
Tamra Davis' Best Men must have seemed a better idea on paper than it ends up being in practice, in spite of some snappy dialogue and good central performances. A group of male friends meet Jesse (Luke Wilson) out of prison to take him to his wedding to Hope (Drew Barrymore); along the way, their friend David pops into the bank for some money and turns out to be the Shakespeare-spouting bandit Hamlet. Suddenly all of them are his unwilling accessories in a hostage situation with David's sheriff father and murderous FBI men besieging them and a crowd cheering their every move. Each of the young men has a trauma and it is not only David who gets a soliloquy: gay Green Beret Buzz (Dean Cain) has an extended period of bonding with one of the hostages, demented Vietnam vet Gonzo (Brad Dourif). The eventual action sequences are curiously perfunctory and uninteresting and the obsessive FBI man, Hoover, has little motivation. This is a likable film which goes nowhere, but has quite a lot of gentle charm along the way to its tragic ending. On the DVD: the DVD is presented in a widescreen video aspect of 2.35:1 and has Dolby surround sound; the special features are a slightly self-congratulatory "making of" featurette and the film's theatrical trailer. --Roz Kaveney
One of the greatest British horror films of all time! A human skull is unearthed in a small, isolated 18th century English village and the children of the village form themselves into a secret, murderous coven. Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden and Wendy Padbury star.
As the sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation went into production, everyone knew that attentions would soon be permanently divided by the debut of Deep Space Nine. Sure enough that meant crossovers ("Birthright"), guest stars and references back and forth. The sense of baton-passing drew the TNG family closer, however. Directorial debuts begun in Season 5 allowed for repeat group-huddle ownership of several shows. Jonathan Frakes bettered "The Quality of Life" by "The Chase", which finally offered an explanation why most races in the Trek universe are humanoid with knobbly foreheads. Patrick Stewart crowbarred a Western into the franchise in "A Fistful of Datas". LeVar Burton introduced the far more exciting Riker clone Thomas in "Second Chances". But here we still find that inability to follow through a good idea, since it was intended for Tom to replace Will. Barclay outstayed his welcome with a lacklustre "Ship in a Bottle" (despite a hammy cameo from Stephanie Beacham) after he'd injected creepiness into "Realm of Fear". The same happened with Q and the painfully weak "True Q" contrasted by the philosophically challenging "Tapestry", where Picard faced the decisions of his youth. Yet ultimately the year provided more memorable moments than either year 5 did or year 7 would. There was the fun of a pint-sized Starfleet in "Rascals", the shocking comment on political torture in "Chain of Command", the endless Matrix-like guessing game of reality in "Frame of Mind", and even a jokey genre nod often called "Die Hard Picard" instead of "Starship Mine". The two biggest attention-drawing moments came via stellar cameos. There was the bittersweet sight of James Doohan revisiting the original Enterprise Bridge on "Relics", then a quick contribution by Stephen Hawking in the cliff-hanger "Descent". Both were attempts at keeping TNG the connoisseur's Trek incarnation of choice. --Paul Tonks
The only man who can stop the ""Black Manifesto"" of a right wing Russian extremist is ex-CIA Agent Jason Monk (Swayze). Monk will stop at nothing to accomplish his mission. But first he has to stay alive in the shadowy world of the lawless Eastern Block... Classic Cold War espionage thriller starring Patrick Swayze and Patrick Bergin from the pen of acclaimed author Frederick Forsythe.
Fall Of The Eagles is a stunning BBC dramatisation of the declining years and final collapse of three of the most powerful European dynasties - the Hapsburgs Romanovs and Hohanzollerns - between the mid 19th century and the end of the First World War. The series focuses on the tempestuous reigns of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany....
After the confidence of the previous two years, the fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation too often disappointed by not seeing a good idea through to the end. Denise Crosby was swept back under the carpet in the Klingon soap opener ("Redemption Part II"). No one could make the prospect of Deep Space 9 attractive enough to Michelle Forbes, so her fantastic performance as "Ensign Ro" seems wasted in retrospect. And no one could re-schedule for Robin Williams to guest star, so we had Matt Frewer instead ("A Matter of Time"). Of all stories to use Leonard Nimoy in, "Unification" wallowed in Romulan politics instead of anything emotionally engaging. Gene Roddenberry wanted to introduce a gay character, but mere months after his death all we got was the trite "The Outcast". This was inarguably where the rot set in, without The Great Bird overseeing what was going on. Worst of all, his hard-as-nails bad guys The Borg were given a touchy-feely side ("I, Borg"). But scattered in-between were some of the very best of all 178 shows. "Darmok" had the feel of a Classic Trek episode, dealing with language as metaphor. "The First Duty" challenged Wesley Crusher's loyalties. Best of all was the painfully melancholy "The Inner Light", in which Picard experiences an alternate lifetime. There were great guest stars: Paul Winfield, Ashley Judd, Kelsey Grammar, Famke Janssen, and Jerry Hardin. As always there were contributions from Q, Lwaxana and Barclay too. Fans and critics now appreciate that behind-the-scenes focus had shifted from The Next Generation to the next spin-off, and it would never fully return. --Paul Tonks
Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation seemed like the year of the family. After quickly resolving the breathtaking cliffhanger of "The Best of Both Worlds", the show took pains to show some of what the Federation was fighting for. We meet Picard's brother, Data's father, Tasha's sister and Worf's adoptive human parents, plus an old flame with a surprise son in tow. The Klingon heritage sub-plot that begins here and builds to the cliffhanger finale ("Redemption") would continue to the show's end and through into Worf' reappearance in Deep Space Nine. The year also explored the implications of Data, Lwaxana Troi, Geordi and Dr Crusher being in love, while Miles O'Brien (given a first name at last) married Keiko. There were old friends revisited: the ubiquitous Q in a hilarious Robin Hood romp ("Qpid"), perennial screw-up Reg Barclay ("Nth Degree") and even the mysterious Traveller from Season One's "Where No One Has Gone Before" (played by the actor who was nearly cast as Data). There were new races introduced who would have an important bearing on Trek's destiny: the Cardassians and the Trill. Most of all, though, there were the one-off stories that impressed: "Clues", with its memory-loss mystery; "Night Terrors", with some genuine frights; and "Identity Crisis", with possibly the only time Trek technology really helped Geordi solve a puzzle. Then right at the end, reinforcing the year's familial theme, Denise Crosby returned as her own half-Romulan daughter. --Paul Tonks
The seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation will always remain a curiosity in TV SF history. Despite the end being definite, despite Deep Space Nine taking over, despite knowing there'd be a movie six months after the series' end, and despite Babylon 5 starting that year with its pre-determined story arc, there is nothing here to suggest things were coming to a close. Wesley finally gets dispatched ("Journey's End"), but everyone was waiting for that anyway. Some continuity was attempted, such as a sequel to Season 1's "The Battle" ("Bloodlines"), Alexander following the Klingon soap saga through ("Firstborn"), the Maquis and the Cardassians being mentioned several times and final instalments being provided for Lwaxana Troi, Barclay, Lore, Guinan and Ro Laren. None of this brings any form of resolution, however. The one-off storylines seem to throw out ideas that beg for development. "Force of Nature" suggests frequent high-warp travel is damaging the very fabric of space-time. "Parallels" has Worf experiencing multiple realities including one where The Borg won at Wolf 359. "Lower Decks" finally introduces some secondary crew from the more than a thousand supposedly supporting Picard and co. There are even hints at some romance at long last between Dr Crusher and Picard as well as Worf and Troi. In the long run, even after terrific guest spots from Trek alumni Armin Shimerman and Robin Curtis, or from Paul Sorvino and Kirsten Dunst, there's one thing for which the final year is remembered: "All Good Things..." is a near-perfect denouement for the show. With terrific production values and FX, not to mention standout performances from all concerned, it was an amazing surprise to have Q suggest there'd been a story arc right from the get-go. If only this final script had been fully conceived earlier on, The Next Generation might not have been overshadowed by the glut of TV SF that followed in its wake. --Paul Tonks
Sometimes dismissed as a pale descendant of a great original, The New Avengers deserves a second look and is perhaps best considered as a largely successful attempt to re-imagine its predecessor for 1970s audiences. Patrick McNee was never the most convincing of action heroes, and the decision to make his John Steed the supervisor and mentor of two younger agents was a sensible one--Steed's virtues are style, wisdom and fortitude rather than physical prowess. Gareth Hunt's Gambit has an unattractively smug side, but has also a louche charm. Joanna Lumley's Purdey is one of the most attractive heroines of genre television, astonishingly leggy and beautiful. Those who only know her later incarnation as Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous will understand now why such a fuss is made over her. The script team overlaps heavily with that of the original series; the new show has the same quirkiness, only occasionally varying it with a rather darker leCarrésque complexity or sudden outbreaks of Hammer Horror. If it lacks some of the sheer style of the original, that is a reflection of its period--the 1970s were less visually imaginative than the 60s. Tightly plotted, imaginatively cast with interesting guest stars, it is only with The Avengers that The New Avengers suffers by comparison. --Roz Kaveney
The passion violence mystery and beauty of India are rapturously evoked in Merchant Ivory Productions' acclaimed Heat & Dust based on the novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala the Oscar-Winning screenwriter and novelist. Blending East with West and moving effortlessly between the vibrant world of modern-day India and the magnificent splendors of the Raj Heat & Dust intertwines the contemporary story of Anne a young woman drawn to India by her desire to unravel the scandal surrounding her great-aunt Olivia's seduction in the 1920s by a glamorous Indian prince. For Anne it proves much a journey of self-discovery as the opportunity to solve an enigma as she too becomes seduced by the romantic and luxurious enchantments of India. Heat & Dust features an all-star cast led by Julie Christie Shashi kapoor Greta Scacchi Christopher Cazenove and Madhur Jaffrey.
1940. A vital British convoy is crossing the Pacific, escorted by a cruiser squadron under the command of Captain Richard Saville (Michael Rennie). When a powerful German raider, the Essen, is sighted in the area, Seville despatches his cruisers to attack and destroy the Nazi warship before it can decimate the convoy. The resulting sea battle is brutal and devastating for both sides...When the badly damaged German raider slips into a tropical lagoon for repairs, an escaped Canadian POW (Jeffrey Hunter) makes a desperate bid for freedom. Armed only with raw courage and a sniper rifle, he must pin down the entire warship and its crew in the lagoon until the British fleet arrives...As Saville leads his squadron in a desperate race against time to find and destroy the Essen, neither man has any idea of the strange of twist of fate that connects them both...
Includes the seminal chillers: Die Screaming Marianne (1971) Marianne following the sudden death of her mother stands to inherit the family fortune along with several documents that could incriminate her corrupt judge of a father. Now her sister and her father both want their hands on Marianne's inheritance and they'll stop at nothing even murder to get it! House Of Whipcord (1974) A bizarre correctional institute is set up by a small group of people disillusioned
Deeply troubled by the accidental death of his first wife Wendy (Candice Daly) respected psychiatrist Dr. Ian Lazarre (John Savage) slips into a dark abyss of alcoholism depression and insomnia. Concerned for his health following a failed suicide attempt Lazarre's second wife Teresa and his best friend and lawyer Joe (Eric Pierpoint) agree to have him committed to a rehab clinic run by the mysterious Dr. Renquist (Malcolm McDowell). Placed in the care of the sensuous but si
The boxset includes all 10 ""cliffhanger"" episodes from the popular TV series - presented in their feature-length TV movie formats. Disc 1: Encounter At Farpoint / Best Of Both Worlds Pts 1 & 2 Disc 2: Redemption Pts 1 & 2 / Unification Pts 1 & 2 Disc 3: Time's Arrow Pts 1 & 2 / Chain Of Command Pts 1 & 2 Disc 4: Birthright Pts 1 & 2 / Descent Pts 1 & 2 Disc 5: Gambit Pts 1 & 2 / All Good Things Pts 1 & 2 Disc 6: DS9: Emmissary / ST-TNG
Fight and you may die run and you'll live... at least for a while. And dying in your beds many years from now would you be willin' to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they'll never take... our freedom! Mel Gibson directs and stars in this Academy Award-winning epic based on the life of legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero William Wallace. Returning to his homeland following the death of an heirless king Wallace (Mel Gibson) finds the political landscape precarious. Edward the Longshanks King of England (Patrick McGoohan) has captured Scotland's throne and threatens the freedom of all Scottish people as tyrannical policies instituted by the English plague the Scots. Initially Wallace is content to stand by the wayside yearning for the simple life of building a home and raising a family. However when the woman he loves (Catherine McCormack) suffers a cruel fate at the hands of English soldiers Wallace takes a stand against the new rule. With his fierce patriotism and determination he gathers an amateur but passionately rebellious army
Set in London's Jazz scene of the 1950s this atmospheric modernisation of Othello features a strong cast and appearences by some of the best-known names from the music world.
All the episodes from the seven seasons of the Emmy award nominated science fiction series featuring Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the Enterprise D in one lavish limited edition box set!
The 'Borg Cube' box set contains all 7 seasons of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' in total 48 discs of Star Trek heaven!
Casey. Arrow. Jackson. They've been buddies since they were kids. They're the rave crowd who can get any illicit drug for the right price. No way these guys could get played right? Wrong. When their latest deal goes south their entire world may go up in smoke. They're up against the wall and they're running out of options. In the tradition of Go and Pulp Fiction Devious Beings is a wild ride you'll never forget.
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