Modern blockbuster cinema came of age with the release of three huge science fiction/fantasy extravaganzas in the late 1970s. In 1978 Superman was the last of these, a gigantic hit unfairly overshadowed by Star Wars (1977) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Christopher Reeve is completely convincing as both Superman and mild-mannered alter ego Clarke Kent, sparking real chemistry with Margot Kidder's fellow reporter Lois Lane. Very much a film of two halves, the opening tells the origin of Superman from the apocalyptic fate of Krypton to his nostalgically rendered boyhood in the mid-West. After a wonderful sequence introducing the Fortress of Solitude the film changes gear as the adult Clarke Kent arrives in Metropolis and Superman battles arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). Though the tone becomes lighter and introduces comedy, Superman succeeds because Donner plays the titular character straight. From Marlon Brando's heavyweight cameo to the surprisingly wrenching finale, Superman unfolds as an epic modern myth, a spiritual fable for a secular age and a fantastic entertainment for the young at heart. With breathtaking production design, still special effects, gorgeous cinematography, thrilling set-pieces, wit, romance and John Williams' extraordinarily rich music score, Superman has the power to make you believe a man can fly.On the DVD: Superman is presented in an extended director's cut which adds eight minutes to the theatrical original. The restored material is so artfully integrated many viewers may not even notice, but it would have been nice to at least have the opportunity to watch the original via seamless branching. The sound has been remixed into extraordinarily powerful Dolby Digital 5.1--the superb main title sequence is worth the price alone--and the anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image is, except for some unavoidably grainy effects shots, pristine. The commentary by Richard Donner and writer Tom Mankiewicz reveals more about the background than all but the most dedicated fan will ever need to know, while film music aficionados will revel in the opportunity to listen to John Williams' score isolated in Dolby Digital 5.1. On the second side of the disc are a eight alternate John Williams music cues, a selection of deleted scenes and the screen tests of a variety of would-be Lois Lanes, introduced and with optional commentary by casting director Lynn Stalmaster. These are fascinating, and show how right for the part Margot Kidder really was. A DVD-ROM only feature presents the storyboards plus various Web features, while the real highlight is a 90-minute documentary divided into three sections covering pre-production, filming and special effects. The picture quality on all the extras is very good indeed. An enthralling package, DVD doesn't get much better than this. --Gary S Dalkin
Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. They are joined by a core of original characters in a complex, frightening new narrative. PENNY DREADFUL is a psychological thriller filled with dark mystery and suspense, where personal demons from the past can be stronger than vampires, evil spirits and immortal beasts.
A box-office smash, an Academy Award-winner and a fan favourite since it first flew into theaters, Superman: The Movie assembles a cast and creative contingent as only a big movie can. As its heart (and for three sequels) is Christopher Reeve's intelligent, affectionate portrayal of a most human Man of Steel. Reeve, Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor) and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) give performances that fuel the film's aura of legend. Watching Superman isn't just like being a kid again. It's better. Includes theatrical version on both 4K and remastered Blu-Ray Disc. Extras: Commentary by Director Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz Taking Flight: The Development of Superman Making Superman: Filming the Legend Screen Tests Music-Only track Theatrical Trailers and TV Spot.
It's silly, it's superficial, it's so desperately earnest about its tale of time-spanning love that you almost wish for a cheap flatulence gag just to break the solemn mood. But there is something so unabashedly gushy and entertaining about Somewhere in Time that you can't begrudge its enduring popularity. The film has become a staple of romantic-movie lovers since its release in 1980, and endless showings on cable TV have turned it into a dubious classic of sorts--a three-hanky weepy that anyone can enjoy as a guilty pleasure or a beloved favourite, with no apologies necessary. In his first film after the star-making success of Superman, Christopher Reeve stars as a contemporary playwright who visits a posh hotel and sees the portrait of an actress (Jane Seymour) who had performed there in 1912. He becomes obsessed with this beautiful woman and learns all he can about her, and then discovers a method of hypnotically transporting himself backward in time to meet her. "Is it ... you?" she says upon seeing the lovestruck playwright, and it's clearly a mutual attraction. But even the slightest reminder of the playwright's modern time can jar him from his seemingly real existence in the past, so his wonderful love affair is constantly just a step from being stolen away. Based on Richard Matheson's novel Bid Time Return, this flaky film may strain one's tolerance for plot holes and corny romance, but it's hard to deny its lasting appeal--and let's face it, guys, it'll make wives and girlfriends swoon if they are in a tearjerker mood. --Jeff Shannon
Decades before blockbuster Extended Cuts were common, Superman proved a true Man of Tomorrow. Superman: The Movie received an ahead-of-its-time makeover for its television premiere - nearly 40 more minutes of story, creating a two-night television event. Audiences had already been swept off their feet by Christopher Reeve's Last Son of Krypton, and now there was more to enjoy. Unseen in decades, this version is paired here with Richard Donner's definitive vision of his film, the Special Edition Director's Cut (2000), to create a supersized celebration of Metropolis' favourite son that preserves the director's intent while feeding superfan demands. Extras: (On Superman: The Movie Special Edition Disc); Commentary by Director Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz, 3 Documentaries: Taking Flight: The Development of Superman, Making Superman: Filming the Legend, and The Magic Behind the Cape, Screen Tests, Restored Scenes, Additional Music Cues, Music-Only track
Director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night) took over the franchise with this first sequel in the series, though the film doesn't look much like his usual stylish work. (Superman III is far more Lesteresque.) Still, there is a lot to like about this film, which finds Superman grappling with the conflict between his responsibilities as Earth's saviour and his own needs of the heart. Choosing the latter, he gives up his powers to be with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), but the timing is awful: three renegades from his home planet, Krypton, are smashing up the White House, aided by the mocking Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). The film isn't nearly as ambitious as its predecessor, but the accent on relationships over special effects (not that there aren't plenty of them) is very satisfying. --Tom Keogh
The Superman Movie Anthology [DVD] [DVD] (2012) Christopher Reeve; Brandon Routh
The story of a young writer who sacrifices his life in the present to find happiness in the past where true love awaits him. Young Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is approached by an elderly woman who gives him an antique gold watch and who pleads with him to return in time with her. Years later Richard Collier is overwhelmed by a photograph of a beautiful young woman (Jane Seymour). Another picture of this woman in her later years reveals to him that she is the same woman who had given him the gold watch. Collier then becomes obsessed with returning to 1912 and the beautiful young woman who awaits him there.
Theatrical Cut Unwittingly released from Phantom Zone imprisonment, three superpowered Planet Krypton criminals (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran) plan to enslave Earth - just when Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman also returns as Lex Luthor in this sequel that features a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction, and visuals that astound and delight. The Richard Donner Cut Director Richard Donner began shooting Superman II while concurrently filming Superman: The Movie, though the theatrical version of the film was ultimately directed by Richard Lester. In 2006, Donner's original unique vision was released for the first time. Jor-El (Marlon Brando in footage cut from the theatrical version) appears in key scenes that amplify Superman lore and deepen the relationship between father and son. Lois Lane plots more schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman. With so many changes, large and small, including a different beginning and resolution, this version is an eye-opening alternate experience. Product Features Theatrical Cut On Disc Special Features Introduction by Director Richard Donner Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz Superman II: Restoring the Vision Featurette Deleted Scenes The Richard Donner Cut On Disc Special Features Commentary by Director Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz Introduction by Richard Donner Featurette Superman II: Restoring the Vision Additional Scenes 8 1940s Famous Studios Superman Cartoons: Japoteurs, Showdown, Eleventh Hour, Destruction, Inc., The Mummy Strikes, Jungle Drums, The Underground World and Secret Agent
The complete 5 part BBC series. Author and adventurer Simon Reeve embarks on another epic journey, this time across North America. He finds a vast and varied continent, with glaciers, deserts and jungles, where great wealth exists alongside punishing poverty, political divisions and human drama. Simon takes in the grand beauty of the Rockies and the rugged splendour of America's West Coast forests. He meets Montana cowboys facing an uncertain future and the indigenous peoples of Guatemala migrating north for a better life. As Simon basks under the Mexican sun and shivers in the Arctic, he tests the temperature of a truly fascinating continent
For the Superman completist a bumper collection of all five films in the Superman saga. Superman: The Movie - Special Edition sees the birth of a legend as we are introduced to the titular superhero and his Kryptonian origins. Also included is the expanded edition which features an additional eight minutes of screen time. This is followed by Superman II - Special Edition in which our boy in blue must do battle with three escaped super criminals bent on destroying the earth. Presented here in both its theatrical and director's cut versions the latter is expanded by an alternate beginning and ending as well as 15 minutes of restored footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El. In the third instalment in the franchise Superman III - Deluxe Edition Superman learns of his Achilles heel when he is exposed to kryptonite. The penultimate Superman IV - The Quest For Peace sees the Man of Steel take on Nuclear Man culminating in an explosive showdown of epic proportions. When the Super One returns to Earth in Superman Returns - Special Edition he discovers that the woman he loves Lois Lane has moved on with her life and must figure out how to protect a world that has learned to survive without him.
A 1987 espionage thriller, The Whistle Blower stars Michael Caine as Frank Jones, a businessman and regular patriotic war veteran whose son Bob (Nigel Havers) is a Russian linguist who works at GCHQ. Bob begins to express doubts to his father about aspects of his work; days later, police report to Frank that his son has died in a fall. A verdict of accidental death is recorded. However, in the midst of his grief, Frank is puzzled by aspects of the death and decides to conduct his own investigation. In so doing he finds himself pitted against an utterly unscrupulous Secret Service prepared to stop at nothing, including murder, to cover up their operations. Set at the time when concerns about GCHQ were at their height and the Cold War had yet to thaw, many of the film's concerns seem, years subsequently, to be thankfully dated. Moreover, it's hard to believe that the bumbling British Secret Services would actually be capable of organising a convivial soiree in a brewery, let alone orchestrate the sort of skulduggery they perpetrate here. Still, with a cast that features all the usual British suspects (Sir John Gielgud, James Fox, Gordon Jackson) there's no doubting the pedigree of The Whistle Blower, which, despite its ostensibly uncomfortable message, actually makes for very agreeable comfort viewing. Michael Caine is especially fine as Michael Caine. --David Stubbs
The Remains of the Day is one of Merchant-Ivory's most thought-provoking films. Anthony Hopkins is a model of restraint and propriety as Stevens, the butler who "knows his place"; Emma Thompson is the animated and sympathetic Miss Kenton, the housekeeper whose attraction to Stevens is doomed to disappointment. As Nazi appeaser Lord Darlington, James Fox clings to the notion of a gentleman's agreement in the ruthless political climate before World War Two. Hugh Grant is his journalist nephew all too aware of reality, while Christopher Reeves gives a spirited portrayal of an American senator, whose purchase of Darlington Hall 20 years on sends Stevens on a journey to right the mistake he made out of loyalty. As a period drama with an ever-relevant message, this 1993 film is absorbing viewing all the way. On the DVD: the letterbox widescreen format reproduces the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with absolute clarity. Subtitles are in French and German, with audio subtitles also in English, Italian and Spanish, and with 28 separate chapter selections. The "making-of" featurette and retrospective documentary complement each other with their "during and after" perspectives, while "Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honour" is an interesting short on the question of appeasement and war. The running commentary from Thompson, Merchant and Ivory is more of a once-only diversion. --Richard Whitehouse
From the master of suspense, John Carpenter, comes a chilling new version of the sci-fi classic. Something is terribly wrong in the tiny village of Midwich. After an unseen force invades a quiet coastal town, ten woman find themselves pregnant. Local physician Dr. Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve-Superman) and government scientist Dr. Susan Verner (Kirstie Ally) join forces when the woman simultaneously give birth...and the reign of terror begins. The people of Midwich must try to find a way to stop the children in the Village of the Damned. Also starring, Mark Hamill (Star Wars)
In the screwball comedy Speechless, Michael Keaton and Geena Davis are political speechwriters with bad cases of insomnia who meet, fall in love, and then discover that they are working for opposing candidates. The subsequent short-lived war of dirty tricks and one-upmanship is one of those contrivances that is soon (and thankfully) discarded in light of their instant rapport and mutual respect. In a world where candidates are for sale and campaigns are fought like poker games, these idealists are made for each other--they just don't know it yet. Director Ron Underwood (City Slickers) has a light touch with comedy and a nice feel for romantic fun, but it's the charm of Keaton and Davis that puts the bounce in an otherwise limp political satire. --Sean Axmaker
House of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion house of Gucci. Spanning three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder, we see what a name means, what it's worth, and how far a family will go for control.
The story of a young writer who sacrifices his life in the present to find happiness in the past, where true love awaits him. Young Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is approached by an elderly woman who gives him an antique gold watch and who pleads with him to return in time with her. Years later, Richard Collier is overwhelmed by a photograph of a beautiful young woman (Jane Seymour). Another picture of this woman in her later years reveals to him that she is the same woman who had given him the gold watch. Collier then becomes obsessed with returning to 1912 and the beautiful young woman who awaits him there. Extras: Timing it Right Cutting Together Somewhere in Time Interview with Jeff Gourson (Film Editor) 21 mins A Place in Time Kim Newman Remembers Somewhere in Time 31mins A Romantic Rendevouz with Allan Bryce (Editor of Infinity Magazine)
Meet Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor), a naive computer-programming natural. For him a keyboard is a weapon and, as a result, Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his life. Christopher Reeve reprises his signature role, deepening his character's human side as Clark Kent sees Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole) at a Smallville High class reunion. And when the Man of Steel becomes his own worst enemy after exposure to Kryptonite, Reeve pulls off both roles with dazzling skill. Relive Superman III with all its heart, heroism and high-flying humor. Product Features On Disc Special Features Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler The Making of Superman III [1983 TV special] Additional Scenes Theatrical Trailer
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