John McTiernan (The Hunt for Red October) imaginatively directs this action comedy, which is an interesting failure with some fascinating ironies that make it well worth seeing. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays both a character named Jack Slater--a fictional cop hero who exists only in the movies (ie, the movies seen by the characters in this movie) and the actor who plays Jack Slater in the real world (ie, in the movie we're actually watching). McTiernan's hall-of-mirrors effect is fun, though Last Action Hero never quite identifies itself as a pure action movie, science fiction, a kid's movie, or anything else. (The expensive film suffered at the box office as a result and was roundly criticised for this ambivalence.) What lingers in the memory, however, is Schwarzenegger, playing himself, being confronted by Slater for having created an alter ego for film in the first place. It's a provocative moment: how often have we seen a major star blatantly wrestle with his actor's legacy in this way? --Tom Keogh
A tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship 'In the Time of the Butterflies' is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who took part in an underground plot to overthrow the government.
Not a John F Kennedy biopic, but a film of New Orleans' attorney Jim Garrison's investigation into the President's assassination, JFK is that rarest of things, a modern Hollywood drama which credits the audience with serious intelligence and ultimately proves itself a great film. Oliver Stone's film has the archetypal story, visual scale and substance to match; not just a gripping real-life conspiracy thriller, but a fable for the fall of the American dream (a theme further explored by the director in Nixon and Any Given Sunday). JFK doesn't reveal exactly what happened in Dallas on 22 November 1963--those who knew generally took their secrets to the grave--but marshals a vast wealth of facts and plausible theories, trusting the audience to draw its own conclusions. Following less than a year after Dances With Wolves (1990), these two epics mark the high point of Kevin Costner's career and the vast supporting cast here, including Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland, is superb. Quite simply the best American political film ever made. --Gary S Dalkin
It's all in the name of science. Weird Science. The Frankenstein legend takes an uproarious twist in this outrageous special effects - laden comedy from the writer/director of Sixteen Candles and the Breakfast Club. Critically acclaimed filmmaker John Hughes is at it again giving nerdy computer whiz Ilan Mitchell - Smith and best friend Anthony Michael Hall power to create the ""perfect woman"" (the tantalizing Kelly Le Brock). Like a computer gene
The 1967 Franco Zeffirelli film of The Taming of the Shrew had all the ingredients to make it a high point in Shakespearian cinema. In Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor it starred the most bankable couple in Hollywood history as the sparring leads in the Bard's quick-firing comic battle of the sexes; and in Zeffirelli, it had a director with a Shakespearian pedigree second to none. But the reality is that this is Burton's picture all the way. His Petruchio is a weighty performance of such intelligence that the whole film is thrown off-kilter whenever he is on screen and the other performers just can't keep up. Apart from Michael Hordern's wonderfully distracted Baptista, Burton is the only actor in total, effortless command of the language. Taylor's bosomy glamour and fiery spirit are ample compensations for her occasionally murderous treatment of Katharina's verse. Whether or not she is really tamed by the end is another matter: those legendary violet eyes suggest otherwise. Ultimately it's a rich, bawdy and colourful romp, with Burton at the peak of his powers. The DVD includes the theatrical trailer, a "making-of" featurette and filmographies. --Piers Ford
In 19th century England the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) finds himself facing two competing enemies: his old adversary the Master (Anthony Ainley) and the Rani (Kate O'Mara) another Time Lord with a sinister plan. The local population and turning violent and unpredictable and with a major meeting of the brains of the Industrial Revolution due to happen in the village soon the Doctor must work out what exactly is causing all the problems...
What would have happened if Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson had met as schoolboys? Why the solution is elementary - nothing but adventure! And that's just what director Barry Levinson gives us in this special effects spectacular that sends the super-sleuth on his very first case! When a plague of bizarre puzzling murders grip London young Holmes and his new found friend Watson find themselves unwittingly entangled in the dark mystery. So 'the fame is afoot!' And the budding detect
Paul a streetwise young black man talks his way into the home of Ouisa and Flan Kettredge claiming to be a friend of their children and the illegitimate son of Sidney Poitier. They soon learn that this is not the case but find getting rid of him a little difficult...
When an ambitious young lawyer takes on a big case against a powerful and ruthless executive of a large pharmaceutical company, he soon finds himself involved in a case of blackmail and corruption.
Episodes Comprise: Episode 7: When Arthur becomes besotted with a mysterious girl he could lose more than just his heart. Episode 8: A young druid boy on the run in Camelot is condemned to death by Uther but Merlin Arthur and Morgana feel compelled to help him. Episode 9: A mysterious Black Knight crashes his horse in through a window to challenge the knights of Camelot to single combat. Episode 10: Merlin's village is under attack from a ruthless group of bandits but can Merlin Arthur Morgana and Gwen save them? Episode 11: When Arthur kills a unicorn - a prize beast - his knights celebrate but the prince has inadvertently brought a curse upon Camelot. Episode 12: When Gwen's father is arrested by Uther for helping a sorcerer Morgana reveals a surprising side of her character. Episode 13: As Arthur's life hangs in the balance Merlin is the only one who can save him - but at what price?
Based on the book by Percival Christopher Wren Beau Geste tells the tale of three inseparable Geste brothers Beau Digby and John who have been adopted into the wealthy household of Lady Brandon. When money grows tight in the household Lady Brandon is forced to sell her most treasured possession the mighty 'Blue Water' sapphire. When this goes missing each of the young men confesses to being the thief in order to protect the other. One-by-one they head off to join the Fr
Successful newspaper columnist George Turner (Erik Thomson) whose speciality is a column that runs precisely 800 words, has his world turned upside down when his wife suddenly dies. Looking for a fresh start, he packs up and moves his two teenaged children, Shay (Melina Vidler) and Arlo (Benson Jack Anthony), from the bustle of Sydney to the picturesque seaside town of Weld, New Zealand. But the Turners new life doesn't go as planned when they face a series of setbacks and meet the eccentric townsfolk, including a family of eager realtors, an all-too necessary handyman, and the women of Weld four single ladies who are intrigued by the handsome widower and his offspring. And even when George finds his place in the small New Zealand town, it's not long before he loses his footing when a long-lost relative comes calling and there's some surprising news from his old boss back in Australia. This award-winning, heartfelt comedy/drama finds a father trying to raise his children while starting again in a whole new Weld... and just 800 Words.
There seems to be no end to "beating-the-odds" American football movies these days, but We Are Marshall, based on a true story, is in the top tier of that clutch of movies. Matthew McConaughey plays Jack Lengyel, who becomes head coach--more or less by default--of Marshall University's rebuilding varsity American football team in Huntington, West Virginia, after the school's 37-member team and coaches (and a number of others) die in a plane crash in the Appalachian Mountains on November 14, 1970. Facing an indifferent college president (David Strathairn) ready to shut the football program down, a morose assistant coach (Matthew Fox of Lost fame), and a charged-up player (Anthony Mackie) who missed the doomed flight due to an injury, Lengyel is faced with fielding a new team and putting the players through their paces. There are the usual, perhaps too-familiar, training montages and field action, but screenwriter Jamie Linden and director McG (Charlie's Angels) also draw some very good performances from the likes of Kate Mara and Ian McShane, contributing to an emotional tapestry conveying a powerful sense of how such a sizable loss affects a small community. --Sally Giles
Available for the first time on DVD! Robert Mitchum Peter Falk and Arthur Kennedy star in the rivetting war drama Anzio a vivid portrait of one of the bloodiest WWII battles ever fought. After landing with Allied troops at Anzio Italy in 1944 war correspondent Dick Ennis (Mitchum) and buddy Corporal Rabinoff (Falk) tell Anzio commander General Lesley (Kennedy) that the road to Rome is wide open. But instead of heading to Rome Lesley attempts to build a coastal stronghold only
70's classic horror film starring Susan George (Peckinpah's Straw Dogs) and directed by horror maestro Pete Walker (Frightmare) .
Murder by Decree has the distinction of being not only one of the best Sherlock Holmes films, but one of the best pastiches (i.e., a Holmes fiction created by someone other than author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) featuring the late-Victorian detective. Christopher Plummer is very good as Holmes, and James Mason redeems the many mishandled screen portrayals of Dr John Watson with a rare, insightful performance. The story may not be unique in post-Doyle Holmes adventures--the private investigator pursues Jack the Ripper during the latter's murderous reign in foggy London--but the script by John Hopkins (Thunderball) is keenly intelligent, developing concentric circles of power and evil with great subtlety. Before losing himself in Porky's, director Bob Clark did a masterful job of surprising audiences with Murder by Decree, convincing viewers they were watching one kind of drama but then unleashing something very different, very unsettling. --Tom Keogh
ER kicked off its second series of high-intensity drama and wry humour by introducing a character who would turn out to be a long-term member of--and a major irritation for--the inner-city Chicago hospital staff. After Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) is promoted to attending physician, the door is open for a new chief resident, and in walks Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), who wastes no time ruffling everyone's feathers with her strict managerial style and subtle putdowns. One of her prime targets, Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield), struggles to balance her personal and professional life when she has to take care of her abandoned infant niece. The Lewis character grows the most during the series, along with second-year student John Carter (Noah Wylie), whose natural compassion gives way to professional ambition following the model of his teacher, the ambitious and self-absorbed Peter Benton (Eriq LaSalle). Benton angles for a position with a renowned cardiovascular surgeon (Ron Rifkin) and has to deal with the fallout from a relationship with physician's assistant Jeannie Boulet (Gloria Reubens), yet he also starts to show some glimmers of humanity. Greene has his own problems trying to manage a long-distance marriage, while nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) bounces back from her aborted first-series marriage attempt to start a new relationship with paramedic Shep (Ron Eldard, who also became Margulies' real-life partner). She buys her first house and enjoys an entire series out of the companionship of Doug Ross (George Clooney), who as always runs into problems with his cowboy style and philandering ways. But just when he's finally driven himself out of ER, he has to go play hero when he finds a boy pinned in a storm drain in an episode that was nominated for six Emmys and remains one of the, excuse the pun, high-water marks of the series. That and such episodes as "The Healers," which deals with the aftermath of Shep's daring fire rescue, prove that when ER was at its best, it was as good as anything on television. Guest appearances include Lucy Liu as the mother of an AIDS-stricken boy, Red Buttons as an elderly husband, Joanna Gleason as an infomercial producer and Jake Lloyd (The Phantom Menace) as the son of a prostitute. DVD bonus features are a little lighter than on the first-series set, consisting of a commentary track (by co-executive producer Mimi Leder, editor Randy Jon Morgan and Laura Innes) on the series' first episode and "The Healers", a nine-minute spotlight on "Hell and High Water", an 11-minute piece on the series' multiple directors, 14 minutes of outtakes and a gag reel. --David Horiuchi
A sure thing comes once in a lifetime... but the real thing lasts forever. Rob Reiner directs this enchanting romantic comedy about a boy who wants a girl and a girl who wants a man. The boy is Gib (John Cusack) who is out to find 'The Sure Thing'. A no questions asked no strings attached no guilt involved 100% safe bet. The girl is Alison (Daphne Zuniga) who likes her men to be mature prefers an early night to a party and wants to go and see her tea drinking fiance. This disparate couple are off to LA - together. Both in search of romance but not with each other until...
The Man The Woman The Mother. Middle aged all-round good guy Danny (John Candy) is in love for the first time - with Theresa (Ally Sheedy). But as their love blossoms his overbearing mother the fiery Rose Muldoon (Maureen O'Hara) plots to stop her ""baby"" flying the nest and uses every trick possible to keep Danny tied firmly to her apron strings with hilarious results!
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