Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Out of Africa seems to have slipped more readily from public memory than other comparably lauded films. Yet Sidney Pollack's panoramic treatment of Karen Blixen's novel has retained its atmosphere and slow-burning emotion, and deserves reassessment. Meryl Streep is in her possibly most involving starring role as Baroness Karen Blixen, Danish free spirit whose ill-fated venture at the beginning of World War One to run a coffee plantation in Kenya is overlaid by her intimate yet distant relationship with adventurer and idealist Denys Finch Hatton, unselfconsciously portrayed by Robert Redford. Klaus Maria Brandauer puts in a rare and convincing English-language appearance as the amoral but charming womaniser Baron Bror Blixen. The film is tellingly held together by Kurt Luedke's finely honed screenplay, and John Barry's sumptuously expressive score. On the DVD: The anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen format reproduces superbly, as does the 4.1 discrete audio. 18 access points are provided, with printed and aural subtitles in English only. Pollack's feature commentary is amusing enough on a single run-through, but an on-location documentary would have been preferable. Production notes and biographies are very adequate, though the theatrical trailer reproduction is notably inferior. No matter, this is a major film, well worth the transfer to DVD.--Richard Whitehouse
Take The Full Monty, add a sharper emotional edge and replace the strutting strippers with a dignified British band. That's the essence of Brassed Off, a bittersweet gem released in 1996, a year before its more popular (and Oscar-nominated) counterpart. In the Yorkshire town of Grimley, there has always been a coal mine, just as for the last 111 years there has been a brass band and it seems that Danny (the wondrous Pete Postlethwaite) has been the director for every one of those years. Tory economic policies, however, are closing coal mines around the country in favour of nuclear power and Grimley appears to be next on the list. Danny is unfazed by the threat, claiming, "It's music that matters." But some of the men are about to quit the band until the appearance of Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald at her most radiant), who dazzles the all-male group (including old flame Andy, played by Ewan McGregor) first with her beauty, then with her flügelhorn playing. The new member gives the band a boost as they continue to perform and compete but closure remains very real, as director Mark Herman (Little Voice) accompanies the band's performances (played with gusto by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band) with scenes of angry labour-management confrontations and family strife. In this context, some of the characters claim that the music is an irresponsible form of escapism. It becomes clear, however, from a touching performance of "Danny Boy" to the stirring conclusion at Royal Albert Hall, that music is an expression of the human spirit, a bit of beauty and sanity in a harsh world. With defiance, the band can play "Land of Hope and Glory" even when the land offers them neither. --David Horiuchi
While its sequels were formulaic and safe, the first Beverly Hills Cop set out to explore some uncharted territory and succeeded. A blend of violent action picture and sharp comedy, the film has an excellent director, Martin Brest (Scent of a Woman), who finds some original perspectives on stock scenes (highway chases, police rousts) and hits a gleeful note with Murphy while skewering LA culture. Good support from Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as local cops not used to doing things the Detroit way (Murphy's character hails from the Motor City). Paul Reiser has a funny, brief moment at the beginning and Bronson Pinchot makes an hilarious impression in a great, never-to-be-duplicated scene with the star. --Tom Keogh
Set in an English stately home in 1932 Robert Altman's award winning film follows the goings on above and below stairs over one busy shooting weekend, culminating in a mysterious murder.
Relentlessly intelligent, gloriously uninhibited and occasionally controversial, QI has engaged the brains of discerning quiz fans for over a decade, garnering no fewer than ten prestigious TV awards and multiple BAFTA nominations. Hosted by Stephen Fry and co-starring stalwart player/resident whipping boy Alan Davies, these shows feature Jack Dee, Phill Jupitus, Bill Bailey, Danny Baker, Sean Lock, David Mitchell, Jo Brand, Jimmy Carr, Rich Hall, Dara O Briain, Sandi Toksvig, Johnny Vegas, Rob Brydon, Ross Noble, Sue Perkins and many others joining the ranks of cleverclogs and dunderheads sparring with the famously erudite quizmaster. Each show questions of such brain-boggling difficulty or baffling obscurity that a correct answer is a near-impossibility; instead, points are deducted for answers that are both obvious and wrong, and awarded for incorrect answers which are, nevertheless, Quite Interesting! From Hoaxes and Hysteria to Idleness and Jumpers, this thirteen-disc set offers an unmissable meander though the complete Series H to J .
Relentlessly intelligent, gloriously uninhibited and occasionally controversial, QI has engaged the brains of discerning quiz fans for over a decade, garnering no fewer than ten prestigious TV awards and multiple BAFTA nominations. Hosted by Stephen Fry and co-starring stalwart player/resident whipping boy Alan Davies, these shows feature David Mitchell, Noel Fielding, Phill Jupitus, Ross Noble, Sue Perkins, Bill Bailey, Jimmy Carr, Jeremy Clarkson, Sandi Toksvig, Jo Brand, Johnny Vegas, Jason Manford, Victoria Wood and many others joining the ranks of cleverclogs and dunderheads sparring with the famously erudite quizmaster. Each show questions of such brain-boggling difficulty or baffling obscurity that a correct answer is a near-impossibility; instead, points are deducted for answers that are both obvious and wrong, and awarded for incorrect answers which are, nevertheless, Quite Interesting! From Knees and Knockers to Levity and Merriment, this thirteen-disc set offers an unmissable meander though the complete Series K to M .
Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) an ancient vampire who survives on the blood of her lovers promises the gift of eternal youth in return for her continued longevity; that is until she tires of them. When her current beau John (David Bowie) falls victim to this very fate he attracts the attention of premature aging specialist Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon)...
School boy Patrick Smash has an amazing ability to fart! As he learns to harness his strange power he begins a weird and wonderful journey that takes him from fame to deathrow and finally onto his life-long goal: to become an astronaut.
All 3 films...Newly remastered! The heat is on...in this fast-paced collection of actionpacked comedies starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, the street-smart cop from Detroit. Tracking down his best friend's killer in Beverly Hills Cop, Axel smashes through the local barriers in a hilarious, high-speed pursuit of justice. In Beverly Hills Cop II, he's deep undercover investigating a gang of international munitions smugglers. The third installment, Beverly Hills Cop III, finds Axel at the center of a roller coaster thrill ride at the wonderworld amusement park! Watch all three and get hooked for the whole ride! Special Features Commentary by Director Marin Brest Beverly Hills Cop The Phenomenon Begins Behind The Scenes: 1984 Interviews A Glimpse Inside The Casting Process The Music of Beverly Hills Cop Beverly Hills Cop Mixtape '84 Location Map Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer
ECHO IN THE CANYON is a look at how The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas & the Papas birthed the beginnings of the Laurel Canyon music scene and how the echo of these artists creations reverberated between each other and ultimately across the world. With appearances by Tom Petty, Brian Wilson, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Michelle Phillips, Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lou Adler, Jakob Dylan, Norah Jones, Beck, Regina Spektor, Cat Power, and others. The film is presented by Jakob Dylan. Dylan journeys to those who wrote the iconic songs and uncovers never before heard personal details behind the recordings from those who made them popular.
A box set of classic film gems from Ealing studios Includes: 1. The Ladykillers (Dir. Alexander Mackendrick 1955) 2. The Man in The White Suit (Dir. Alexander Mackendrick 1951) 3. The Magnet (Dir. Charles Frend 1950) 4. Scott of The Antarctic (Dir. Charles Frend 1948)
From director Chris Columbus comes this original funny and heart-warming film. When Richard Martin (Sam Neill) introduced a robot named Andrew (Robin Williams) to the family nobody expects anything more than an ordinary household appliance. But this is no ordinary robot! Andrew is a unique machine with real emotions a sense of humour and a burning curiosity to discover what it means to be human. Over the course of his service with the Martins spanning two hundred years and several
Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz), a sweet, naïve young woman trying to make it on her own in New York City, doesn't think twice about returning the handbag she fi nds on the subway to its rightful owner. That owner is Greta (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric French piano teacher with a love for classical music and an aching loneliness. Having recently lost her mother, Frances quickly grows closer to widowed Greta. The two become fast friends but Greta's maternal charms begin to dissolve and grow increasingly disturbing as Frances discovers that nothing in Greta's life is what it seems in this suspense thriller directed by Academy Award® winner Neil Jordan.
Stephen Fry and John Bird star as spin doctors Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe bringing the popular and satirical Radio 4 comedy Absolute Power to BBC 2. Written by media commentator Mark Lawson writers Andy Rattenbury (Teachers) and Guy Andrews (Chancer) Absolute Power casts a witty and acerbic eye on the machinations of PR gurus and does for the PR industry what Drop The Dead Donkey did for the newsroom. Stephen as Prentiss and John as McCabe are a
In this explosive story of revenge and urban violence Charles Bronson plays Paul Kersey a bleeding-heart liberal who has a change of opinion after his wife and daughter are violently attacked by a gang of thugs in their apartment. His daughter is raped and his wife is raped and murdered. Bronson then turns vigilante as he stalks the mean streets of New York on the prowl for muggers hoodlums and the like. Death Wish is a violent controversial film that is frank and original in its treatment of urban crime and the average citizen's helplessness in dealing with it. Herbie Hancock wrote the musical score and Jeff Goldblum makes his big screen debut as one of the thugs.
Two girls drive their boyfriends Bud and Doyle to what appears to be a futuristic shopping mall in the desert. The 'mall' is really a controlled environment run by scientists. Bud and Doyle manage to disrupt life in the 'Bio-Dome' and get locked in. Their futures look bleak without cigarettes booze or fast food until their sights fall on two gorgeous eco-babes...
Arthur and Beryl Crabtree feel they have earned some peace and quiet after 24 years of bringing up their four boisterous kids. One by one their offspring pack up and leave home and it seems that their dreams of a quiet life are coming true at last. However as each of the young ones' plans fall through they all end up back home and somehow the Crabtrees end up with even more kids than they started out with! Episodes Comprise: 1. A New Life 2. What About Raymond? 3. The Holid
Follow the adventures along the river bank and enjoy the thrill of the chase as a manic Mr Toad escapes from the police in a stolen car. Cheer on Badger and Rat as they lead the battle to reclaim Toad Hall from a band of evil weasels. Packed with comedy fun and high drama 'The Wind in the Willows' is a true classic. Featuring an all-star cast of top British comedians.
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