Unlike the previous three, this fourth series of The Sopranos largely eschews an overriding story arc in favour of developing several interrelated plot strands, most of which are then left dangling tantalisingly at the end. This year Tony's many extra-marital affairs finally come home to roost, even as he faces challenges to his leadership from within and without. Paulie Walnuts simmers with resentment over his perceived neglect, a resentment only exacerbated by Christopher's promotion; while Christopher's growing drug habit undermines Tony's trust in him. Paulie makes overtures to Johnny Sack and the New York family; Sack himself bears a deadly grudge against Ralph Cifaretto, and also embroils Tony in a dispute between the two families. Ralph and Tony clash over a shared interest in both a race horse and a goomar--you just know it's going to end in something much worse than tears. The women have as many problems, though: Adriana has reluctantly turned FBI informer, a drug-addled Christopher squashes her dog, and she has to confess that she can't have children; Carmela falls maddeningly, frustratingly in love with one of Tony's closest companions; Janice inveigles herself into Bobby's affections in a display of breathtaking emotional manipulation; while Meadow can no longer conceal the disgust she feels about her father's business, and Dr Melfi is increasingly sidelined, since Tony's behavioural issues have become, to all practical purposes, untreatable. The whole ends on a downbeat note as personal disillusionment overshadows the mob politics. With the imminent arrival of Steve Buscemi to the cast, the fifth series is primed to be an explosive one. --Mark Walker
Between heroic spells as the Saint and James Bond, Roger Moore was teamed with Tony Curtis in The Persuaders, a derivative but fun series about a couple of millionaire dilettante adventurers who swan around the world competing for the attention of beautiful women and getting involved in perplexing mysteries. Moore is Lord Brett Sinclair, an upper crust Brit of impeccable breeding, while Curtis is Danny Wilde, an up-from-the-streets self-made man whose trademark is a pair of brown gloves. The allegedly tasteful Brett and the crasser Danny both model a succession of garish early 70s fashions while their pursuits of duplicitous crumpet usually wind up with the women getting away and the heroes stuck with each other. Given all that, this may well be the most blatantly homoerotic of all the buddy television pairings (see the eponymous stars of Starsky and Hutch, Regan and Carter in The Sweeney, Bodie and Doyle of The Professionals) that ran ove! r the screen in the 70s, in which the male leads sublimated their feelings for each other by pulling out their guns and shooting at baddies. --Kim Newman
A romantic thriller in which yuppie banker Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) is murdered but returns to Earth as a ghost to protect his grief-stricken young girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore) and solve his own murder. As he cannot communicate directly with his love he turns to fake medium Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) for help. Nobody is more shocked than Oda Mae to discover she has the genuine power to contact the dead. Goldberg won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance and Bruce Joel Rubin won the statuette for Best Original Screenplay.
Is it a sitcom? Is it a serious documentary about the Catholic priesthood? No, it's The Very Best of Father Ted, a choice collection of episodes from Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews' affably surreal sitcom. Ted's the normal one, as evidenced by his moving Song for Europe entry, "My Lovely Horse"--a modern classic if ever there wasn't one. Gasp as "poor idiot boy" Father Dougal becomes a rollerblading fiend in "Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading"; be amazed as super Ted saves Craggy Island from a deadly milk-float in the stunning blockbuster sequel "Speed 3" (well, it's faster and more fun than Speed 2); fall off the window-sill as devoted housekeeper Mrs Doyle utters the line that's almost Shakespearean in its sublimity, "Cup of tea, Father?". Graham Norton pops up to annoy everyone in "The Mainland", there's a whole host of Elvis impersonators in "Competition Time", and meanwhile Father Jack doesn't need an excuse to hit the bottle (or to smash one over someone's head) in any episode. Not saying Mass has probably never been so much fun. On the DVD: The Very Best of Father Ted on disc has six episodes as opposed to five on the video release: the extra one is the Christmas special, "A Christmassy Ted". Extra features are selected commentaries by Graham Linehan and Ardal O'Hanlan, a clip compilation of each character, and a rather poor photo gallery. Picture is 4:3 and sound basic stereo. --Gary S Dalkin
Many lesbian movies are long on charm and short on production values; Better Than Chocolate has a solid dose of both and steamy sex scenes to boot. Our heroine Maggie (Karyn Dwyer), a clerk at a lesbian bookshop, meets footloose butch Kim (Christina Cox) and, after Kim's van is towed away, they move in together. Unfortunately for their romantic bliss, Maggie's mother, Lila (Wendy Crewson), and teenage brother move in that very evening thanks to Lila's impending divorce. But what really complicates matters is that Maggie can't bring herself to come out to her mother. Even when she tries, Lila steamrollers through the conversation, as if she knows what's coming and doesn't want to hear it. Interwoven with this is the struggle of Judy (Peter Outerbridge), a male-to-female transsexual who's in love with the bookshop's owner, Frances (Ann-Marie MacDonald), who's freaking out because customs officers are holding a list of books at the border that they claim are obscene. The overlapping plots are deftly juggled, the personal and political are compellingly interwoven, and, most satisfying of all, the characters have problems that aren't going to be easily resolved. A handful of candy-coloured lip-synching musical numbers give the movie some flash and the sex scenes give it some heat, but it's the elements of sorrow and ambiguity that really make the joy in Better Than Chocolate something to savour. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com
When Bonnie takes the toys on her family's road trip, Woody ends up on an unexpected detour that includes a reunion with his long-lost friend Bo Peep, whose adventurous spirit and life on the road belie her delicate porcelain exterior. Woody and Bo are worlds apart when it comes to life as a toy, and they soon realise that that's the least of their worries.
All 22 episodes from the seventh season of the US drama series following a family of New York cops headed by Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck). As well as the head of the family, Frank is the New York City Police Commissioner, following in the footsteps of his father, Henry (Len Cariou). Frank's children also share his passion for law and order: Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is an NYC detective, Erin (Bridget Moynahan) works in the District Attorney's office and Frank's youngest son Jamie (Will Estes) works undercover. In this season, Danny is shocked when new evidence is brought against him in his self-defence shooting case and Frank is forced to deal with a whistle-blower in the NYPD. The episodes are: 'The Greater Good', 'Good Cop Bad Cop', 'The Price of Justice', 'Mob Rules', 'For the Community', 'Whistleblowers', 'Guilt of Association', 'Personal Business', 'Confessions', 'Unbearable Loss', 'Genetics', 'Not Fade Away', 'The One That Got Away', 'In and Out', 'Lost Souls', 'Hard Bargain', 'Shadow of a Doubt', 'A Deep Blue Goodbye', 'Love Lost', 'No Retreat No Surrender', 'Foreign Interference' and 'The Thin Blue Line'.
A milestone film from 1971 and winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, The French Connection transformed the crime thriller with its gritty, authentic story about New York City police detectives on the trail of a large shipment of heroin. Based on an actual police case and the illustrious career of New York cop Eddie Egan, the film stars Gene Hackman as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, whose unorthodox methods of crime fighting are anything but diplomatic. With his partner (Roy Scheider), Popeye investigates the international shipment of heroin masterminded by the suave Frenchman (Fernando Rey) who eludes Popeye throughout an escalating series of pursuits. The obsessive tension of Doyle's investigation reaches peak intensity during the film's breathtaking car chase, in which Doyle races under New York's elevated train tracks in a borrowed sedan--a sequence that earned an Oscar for editing and was instantly hailed as one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed. Produced on location, The French Connection had an immediate influence on dozens of movies and TV shows to follow, virtually redefining the crime thriller with its combination of brutal realism and high-octane craftsmanship. Boosted by the film's phenomenal success, director William Friedkin gained even more attention with his follow-up film, The Exorcist. --Jeff Shannon
From its very beginning in 1995, Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews' affable sitcom Father Ted occupied a previously undiscovered niche in TV comedy: by turns endearing and surreal, it was always effortlessly hilarious. Ted's the almost normal one, fighting the good fight to keep his sanity amid the chaos of his own household, where he lives with "poor idiot boy" Father Dougal, psychotically devoted housekeeper Mrs Doyle and foul-mouthed Father Jack, who doesn't need an excuse to hit the bottle (or smash one over someone's head) in any episode and whose vocabulary consists of just three immortal words: "Drink, Feck, Girls!"The first series opens with "Good Luck, Father Ted" as we learn just how dreary life on Craggy Island really is when Funland arrives (which boasts such attractions as Freak Pointing and the Spinning Cat!). Everyone's patience is tested further when "Entertaining Father Stone"--quite possibly the most boring man on Earth--in the second episode. Proving bad publicity can be good publicity, Ted and Dougal then accidentally manage to attract audiences to the blasphemous film "The Passion of St Tibulus". Their ingenuity is tested to the limit in "Competition Time" as they become "The Three Ages of Elvis". Dermot Morgan's Ted is at his most sympathetic in "And God Created Women" when he gets the wrong end of the stick about the intentions of romantic novelist Polly Clarke. Then, lastly, in " Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest", everyone rallies round at Father Jack's "funeral" to reminisce about what a fine priest and good-natured fellow he was! These six episodes made for a wonderful series debut; catchphrases were born ("Drink!"), as were regular characters (Jim Norton's sinister Bishop Brennan); and like Mrs Doyle's ever-wandering facial mole, audiences wanted it to "go on go on go on".On the DVD: the only extra is an exceedingly self-deprecatory commentary from co-writer Graham Linehan, who explains the origins of the characters and how he wrote in collaboration with Arthur Matthews. He frequently and hilariously compares himself with others (chiefly Mel Brooks on Young Frankensteinand The Producers). Fans will be delighted to hear many jokes that nearly made it into the show, but will undoubtedly end up somewhere else! --Paul Tonks
Available for the first time on DVD a collection of sketches from the hugely successful Scotch & Wry. All the old favourites are here - Supercop Dickie Dandruff Last Call and many more. Rikki Fulton and Co. provide the laughs with their unique brand of humour in this hilarious blast from the past. From vampires to aliens office parties to tenement parties it's political incorrectness gone mad! And watch out for the Frankenstein sketch - it's good to see that a good use has been found for Francie's old hairpiece! 90 minutes of classic Scottish comedy at it's best.
Burt Lancaster Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida star as a triangle of lovers in this powerful drama set against the magnificent background of a European circus. Filmed on location in Paris Carol Reed's Trapeze is one of the most spectacular and authentic circus movies ever made.
An elite policeman and an ex convict have to diffuse a bomb that's fallen into the wrong hands.
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a pilot presumed dead who returns home only to find he has been replaced by a clone and his life is in danger.
20 fun songs to sing and dance to. Meet the boys and girls as they sing and dance their way through 20 favourite songs. Join Tony and the kids on a pirate ship, on a bus, down at the zoo, on the beach and much more. Children will love the brilliant songs and will enjoy watching all the fun and games.
A pulse-pounding love letter to 1950s creature features that delivers horror and humour in equal measure, Tremors is a bonafide cult classic that has grabbed audiences' affections ever since its release and spawned a successful franchise that continues to this day. Good-ol'-boy handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are sick of their dead-end jobs in one-horse desert town Perfection, Nevada (population: 14). Just as they're about to escape Perfection forever, however, things start to get really weird: half-eaten corpses litter the road out of town; the phone lines stop working; and a plucky young scientist shows evidence of unusually strong seismic activity in the area. Something is coming for the citizens of Perfection and it's under the goddamn ground! Bursting with indelible characters, quotable dialogue and jaw-dropping special effects, Tremors is back and bigger than ever in this 4K-restored and fully loaded special edition. Special Features New 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Ron Underwood and director of photography Alexander Gruszynski 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Restored DTS-HD MA original theatrical 2.0 stereo, 4.0 surround, and remixed 5.1 surround audio options Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing New audio commentary by director Ron Underwood and writers/producers Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson New audio commentary by Jonathan Melville, author of Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors Making Perfection, a brand new documentary by Universal Pictures interviewing key cast and crew from the franchise (including Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross, Ariana Richards, Ron Underwood, Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson, among many others) and revisiting the original locations The Truth About Tremors, a newly filmed interview with co-producer Nancy Roberts on the film's rocky road to the screen Bad Vibrations, a newly filmed interview with director of photography Alexander Gruszynski Aftershocks and Other Rumblings, newly filmed on-set stories from associate producer Ellen Collett Digging in the Dirt, a new featurette interviewing the crews behind the film's extensive visual effects Music for Graboids, a new featurette on the film's music with composers Ernest Troost and Robert Folk Pardon My French!, a newly assembled compilation of overdubs from the edited-for-television version The Making of Tremors, an archive documentary from 1995 by Laurent Bouzereau, interviewing the filmmakers and special effects teams Creature Featurette, an archive compilation of on-set camcorder footage showing the making of the Graboids Electronic press kit featurette and interviews with Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire Deleted scenes, including the original opening scene Theatrical trailers, TV and radio spots for the original film as well as trailers for the entire Tremors franchise Comprehensive image galleries, including rare behind-the-scenes stills, storyboards and two different drafts of the screenplay Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank
The much awaited sequel to the internationally acclaimed box-office smash Once Were Warriors. This film exposes a seedier view of urban New Zealand and its gang culture. Jake the Muss (Temuera Morrison) has turned his back on his family and is up to his usual tricks in McClutchy's bar unaware as he downs his latest opponent that his son has died in a gang fight.
After watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote to Walt Disney about adapting his novel of an ape-man into a feature animated cartoon. Some 60 years later, the tale is finally told with brilliant design work that looks unlike any previous animated film. The story is a natural for Disney since the themes of misunderstood central figures have been at the heart of its recent hits. Disney's Tarzan doesn't wander far from the familiar story of a shipwrecked baby who is brought up by apes in Africa. What gives the film its zing is its clever use of music (the songs are sung by Phil Collins himself rather than onscreen characters) and the remarkable animation. Deep Canvas, a 3-D technology, was developed for the film, creating a jungle that comes alive as Tarzan swings through the trees, often looking like a modern skateboarder racing down giant tree limbs. The usual foray of sidekicks, including a rambunctious ape voiced by Rosie O'Donnell, should keep the little ones aptly entertained. The two lead voices, Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan and Minnie Driver as Jane, are inspired choices. Their chemistry helps the story through the weakest points (the last third) and makes Tarzan's initial connection with all things human (including Jane) delicious entertainment. Disney still is not taking risks in its animated films, but as cookie-cutter entertainment, Tarzan makes a pretty good treat. --Doug Thomas
Features the all episodes from the BBC television comedy series which sees Tom and Barbara leave the rat-race in an attempt to live a self-sufficient life; with varying degrees of success! Episodes comprise: 1. Plough Your Own Furrow 2. Say Little Hen ... 3. The Weaker Sex? 4. Pig's Lib 5. The Thing In The Cellar 6. The Pagan Rite 7. Backs To The Wall 8. Just My Bill 9. The Guru Of Surbiton 10. Mr Fix-It 11. The Day Peace Broke Out 12. Mutiny 13. Home Sweet Home 14. Going To Pot? 15. The Early Birds 16. The Happy Event 17. A Tug Of The Forelock 18. I Talk To The Trees 19. The Wind-Break War 20. Whose Fleas Are These? 21. The Last Posh Frock 22. Away From It All 23. The Green Door 24. Our Speaker Today 25. The Weaver's Tale 26. Suit Yourself 27. Sweet And Sour Charity 28. Anniversary 29. When I'm 65 30. Silly But It's Fun
In this visually arresting action drama from acclaimed director Johnnie To (Mad Detective, Election), legendary Judo fighter Szeto Bo (Louis Koo; Flash Point, The Legend of Zu) unexpectedly gave up the sport and now lives the life of an alcoholic gambler who runs a pub. However, cocky Judo newcomer Tony (Aaron Kwok) wants to challenge him, while old foe Kong (Tony Leung Ka Fai, Ashes of Time) demands Szeto to finish the match that never took place, Soon Szeto's pub becomes the ultimate arena where the greatest Judo fighters challenge one another. Filled with brutal, no-holds-barred Judo fight scenes, Throw Down is director To's ultra-stylish homage to the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, and is an emotional tale of one man's determination to rediscover himself and win at all costs. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Throw Down in its UK debut from a 4K restoration. Special Features: LIMITED EDITION O-CARD SLIPCASE [2000 units] 1080p presentation on Blu-ray, from a stunning 4K restoration Cantonese and English audio options Optional English subtitles Brand new and exclusive feature-length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) Audio commentary by Hong Kong film expert Ric Meyers Lengthy interview with director Johnnie To (40 mins) Making of Throw Down featurette Theatrical trailer and TV spots Reversible sleeve PLUS: a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film
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