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
All episodes of this tense British crime drama series starring Trevor Eve Tara Fitzgerald Claire Goose and Sue Johnson. The programme follows the work of a special police team who investigate cold cases usually murders that took place a number of years ago and were never solved. The team uses evidence which has just come to light as well as contemporary technology to examine previous evidence.
A Civil War tale based on the exploits of the notorious outlaw Quantrill. The Duke plays a U.S. Marshal out to stop the cutthroat raider and his band. Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett.
On the mean streets of New York's Lower East Side Drina (Sylvia Sidney) hopes to save her brother from a life of crime. But notorious hoodlum Baby Face Martin (Bogart) has come back to his old haunts looking for trouble and threatening to drag the boy down with him. Drina turns to her childhood friend Dave (Joel McCrea) for help. But can he stop Martin without becoming just like him?
Led by Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd ( Trevor Eve ) the Cold Case Squad investigates serious crimes which have gone unsolved.
When I was a copper it was ninety-nine per cent boredom to one per cent terror. I always preferred the one per cent. EastEnders Leslie Grantham stars as maverick undercover cop Mick Raynor in a thriller set in the no-man s land where the underworld meets the establishment. Posing as a bent ex-policeman Raynor is gaining information on a complex web of organised crime and high-level corruption lurking beneath the surface of British public life. He's after the big fish: the gangsters with knighthoods; the politicians who are laundering the money. In their pursuit he faces assignments that stretch his nerves and his conscience to the very limit. Now Raynor has made up his mind to quit the world of undercover detection. But an incoming police chief has other ideas... This second series features appearances by Arabella Weir Kenneth Cope and Nadia Sawalha and is scripted by a team that includes multi-award-winning playwright Terry Johnson Merlin co-creator Julian Jones and The Bill contributors Barbara Cox and Jonathan Rich.
Black Joy is a lightly ironic British culture-clash comedy. Trevor Thomas heads the cast as a Guyanan youth who is under the delusion that life will be easier for him in London. No sooner does Thomas set foot in England than he gets tangled up in one disaster after another. The catalyst for most of Our Hero's travails is ""assimilated"" Caribbean Dave Beaton who delivers an antic performance as a streetwise con artist. Black Joy was adapted from Dar
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. Though the tone becomes lighter and introduces comedy as Superman battles arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) the film 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, 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.Although Superman II is credited to director Richard Lester the film is largely the work of Richard Donner, who shot 70 per cent of the footage back-to-back with Superman at a staggering combined cost of $55 million. Indeed, while each film works perfectly well alone, together they form four-and-a-half hours of the finest fantasy in cinema history. Superman II sees the release of the three super-villains exiled at the beginning of Superman, then without the need to tell Superman's origins offers a full two hours of rip-roaring comic-book action. The villains, led by a marvellously menacing Terrance Stamp, prove stronger adversaries than Lex Luthor, while Clarke's romance with Lois Lane is developed through polished comedy and a serious subplot in which Superman must chose between love and duty. From an atom bomb on the Eiffel Tower to an epic battle amid the skyscrapers of Metropolis (New York) the action and special effects are superb, the characters portrayed with verve and the story delivered with just the right amount of seriousness. A rousing entertainment very nearly as fine as its predecessor, the wirework battles paved the way for Hong Kong's seminal Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain (1983) and ultimately The Matrix (1999).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. In contrast to the fantastic Superman DVD the Superman II disc is a bare-bones release with the original trailer being the only extra. The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image is absolutely first-rate, but if Superman can be presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound with an isolated score there is absolutely no excuse for the sequel being offered in lacklustre stereo. --Gary S Dalkin
When a group of children are seemingly abandoned by their mother they seek assistance from their mysterious grandmother a reclusive loner who is initially reluctant to take them in... Homecoming is a tender tale of second chances and the real meaning of family that proves that home is truly where your heart is.
When a group of children are seemingly abandoned by their mother they seek assistance from their mysterious grandmother a reclusive loner who is initially reluctant to take them in... Homecoming is a tender tale of second chances and the real meaning of family that proves that home is truely where your heart is.
Detective Sergeant Johnson (CONNERY) has been with the British police force for 20 years. In that time the countless murders rapes and other serious crimes he has had to investigate has left a terrible mark on him. His anger and aggression that had been suppressed for years finally surfaces when interviewing a suspect Baxter whom Johnson is convinced is the man that has been carrying out a series of brutal attacks on young girls. An amazing look at the human psyche THE OFFENCE
February 8th 2007: Anna Nicole Smith is in Fort Lauderdale to buy a boat but the famous American sex goddess is running a fever and fighting flu symptoms. She's also taken an unpredictable cocktail of prescription drugs to help her deal with the recent tragedy of her twenty-year old son's death. Not a good idea. Within a few hours she will be found dead in her hotel room. Through exclusive interviews with her closest companions combined with archive and dramatic reenactments her final hours are pieced together and the dramatic events that led to her shocking death by accidental drug overdose are revisited. This compelling documentary unlocks the hidden secrets psychological flaws and events that result in the tragic death of the famed notorious and the iconic. Part of a series every episode maps out the final 24 hours of a different famous person's life. By weaving the star's back-story with events from their last day it attempts to uncover the mystery of how each celebrity met their untimely end.
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