In the rough-and-tumble, wildly entertaining world of Starsky & Hutch, impatient cops--anxious to join a foot race in pursuit of a villain--throw themselves out of moving vehicles and roll to a bruising stop. Undercover detectives Dave Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (David Soul), hardly imbued with the powers of Spider-Man, routinely scale walls, hop from rooftop to rooftop, and fling themselves down steep hillsides to stop bad guys from doing what bad guys do. Years later Hill Street Blues would redefine the cop genre as a mesh of overlapping storylines and workaday frustrations, but Aaron Spelling's iconic 70s show portrays LA's finest as madly heroic creatures of reckless determination and physicality. This first season is also startlingly brutal for a primetime US showit was later significantly toned down, much to the regret of fanswhile maintaining a delightful, often incongruous, self-deprecating humour. From the series pilot on, partners and best pals Starsky and Hutch work a fine line between predator and prey, relentlessly pursuing suspects while also snared by crime chieftains or short-sighted superiors. In "The Fix", Hutch's secret romance with the former girlfriend of a mafia boss (Robert Loggia) results in the lawman's kidnapping and forced addiction to heroin. Similarly, in "A Coffin for Starsky", a mad chemist injects the wisecracking cop with a slow-acting but lethal poison. "Jo-Jo", written by Michael Mann, finds our guys at loggerheads with federal officers over a dumb deal the G-Men make with a serial rapist. The 23 episodes in this set are all fun, if sometimes shocking, viewing. Expect each character to take as much abuse as he dishes out. Still, the comic sight of Starsky and Hutch (in "Death Notice") trying to conduct business amid busy strippers is well worth the surrounding violence. --Tom Keogh
The Spy Kids are back again. This time their trademark action delivers a motion picture event that pushes family fun to the next level. Secret agents Juni (Daryl Sabara) and Carmen Cortez (Alexa Vega) set out on their most mind-blowing mission yet: a journey inside the virtual reality world of a video game where awe-inspiring graphics and creatures come dangerously to life. As they face escalating challenges through increasingly difficult levels of the game the Spy Kids must rely on humour high-tech gadgets and the bonds of family in order to stop a power-hungry villain (Sylvester Stallone) set on controlling the youth of the world. Also featuring familiar faces Antonio Banderas Carla Gugino and Ricardo Montalban in an incredible all-star cast.
When an ancient tomb is discovered in Jerusalem containing what appears to be the body of Jesus rugged priest Father Matt Gutierrez (Antonio Banderas) is dispatched by the Vatican to investigate. After meeting Dr Sharon Golban (Olivia Williams) the fiesty archaeologist responsible for finding the tomb Gutierrez tries his best to reach the truth of the matter. However he is instead forced to negotiate the volatile political situation which sees both Israeli and Palestinian politicians attempt to make deals in order to secure Vatican approval in the disupute over land rights. Then as the tension mounts and the various factions await the news which could change the world forever the situation slides inevitably towards violence.
A man ends up in hospital after a car accident. He does not remember his name, but it is soon discovered he is a famous attorney. To make things worse, the police start to suspect him of having murdered his missing niece.
In this fractured fairy tale, Jack and Jill have the magic beans and Humpty Dumpty, with the aid of Kitty Softpaws, convinces his old friend Puss in Boots to help him steal the beans so they can climb the beanstalk to get to the golden eggs. Never mind that Humpty Dumpty and Puss in Boots had a falling out years ago, or that Jack and Jill are completely preoccupied by their squabbling over whether or not to have a child--and regardless that Puss in Boots is a wanted cat who's sworn off his thieving ways, and Kitty Softpaws is a cat burglar who works alone. Comedy abounds in this film, not only in the twists and turns of some classic fairy tales gone awry, but with scenes that range from a litter-box dance fight between crowds of cats to Jack expressing his paternal instincts by strapping on a baby carrier filled with a piglet in a diaper, and, of course, Puss in Boots' crafty use of his famous sad eyes to get just what he wants. The animation is top-notch (especially in the mass cat scenes), the music is compelling, and the voice talents of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zack Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Amy Sedaris are solid. While considered by some to be a prequel of sorts to the four Shrek films, Puss in Boots is definitely a stand-alone spinoff. What the films do share is a common comedic interpretation of some well-known fairy-tale characters and knack for spinning a funny story that appeals to both kids and adults. While a heightened sense of peril and some extended fight scenes may prove a bit intense for the youngest and most sensitive audience members, Puss in Boots is generally appropriate for ages 7 and older. --Tami Horiuchi
Outside a mountain town grappling with a series of abductions and murders, Paul (Antonio Banderas), a reclusive writer, struggles to start what he hopes will be a career-saving screenplay. After a tense encounter at a diner with a drifter named Jack (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Paul offers Jack a place to stay-and soon the edgy, demanding Jack muscles his way into Paul's work and the two men begin a jagged game of one-upmanship that will bring at least one tale to an end.
While driving through the countryside late at night Dr. Benson finds a crashed car with a woman hanging out of it. The doctor puts the girl in his car drives for help to the nearest house which turns out to be a mysterious castle. When he knocks on the door he is greeted by a woman who looks exactly the same as the injured woman. This woman invites them both to stay for the night and the doctor soon discovers that his host is not the only one in the castle and that this beautiful woman is concealing a terrible secret... This is Italian gothic at its most demented with lashings of 1970s-style sex whippings Satanism lesbianism nudity dubious haircuts and a lust-crazed arachnid with a taste for sadomasochism and women in stockings. A truly extraordinary film!
Outrageous, absurdist, grotesque! Often hilarious, always stylish, and utterly unpredictable, the films of Spanish director Ãlex de la Iglesia are an exhilarating shock to the cinematic system. Produced by legendary provocateur Pedro Almodóvar, de la Iglesia's debut feature Acción Mutante is a violent sci-fi black comedy set in a post-apocalyptic world where attractive people hold all the power and a terrorist group, who see themselves as mutants, take arms to rid the world of their superficial oppressors. With his second feature, The Day of the Beast (El dÃa de la bestia) de la Iglesia delivered one of the greatest horror comedies of all time as a Catholic priest joins forces with a heavy metal fan, and the host of a popular occult TV show to kill the Antichrist on Christmas Eve. A critical and commercial success around the world, The Day of the Beast paved the way for gonzo action-crime-horror Perdita Durango, (aka Dance with the Devil) a Spanish-US-Mexican co-production based on a novel by Barry Gifford (author of Wild at Heart). Starring Rosie Perez (Do the Right Thing), a then little known Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Perdita Durango is a twisted tale of love, guns, drugs, voodoo ceremonies, and refrigerated foetuses... Making their UK debut on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a wealth of new and archival extras, Arrow Video welcomes you to the delirious, diabolical and demented world of Ãlex de la Iglesia. Not for the faint of heart! 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS - 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentations of all three films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) - Original lossless Spanish stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio options for Acción Mutante - Original lossless Spanish and English stereo 2.0, and Spanish 5.1 audio options for The Day of the Beast - Original lossless English stereo 2.0, and English and Spanish 5.1 audio options for Perdita Durango - Optional English subtitles for all three films - Double-sided fold-out posters for all three films - 9 postcard-sized reproduction art cards - Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critics Kat Ellinger, Xavier Aldana Reyes and Valeria Villegas Lindvall - Limited Edition Deluxe packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Heather Vaughan DISC ONE: ACCIÃN MUTANTE - Brand new audio commentary by film scholars Xavier Aldana Reyes and Kat Ellinger - Archive audio commentary with director Ãlex de la Iglesia, writer Jorge GuerricaechevarrÃa, producer Esther GarcÃa, and production designers José Luis Arrizabalaga and Biaffra - Brand new appreciation of director Ãlex de la Iglesia by film scholar José Arroyo - Well-Done Baloney, an archive interview with director Ãlex de la Iglesia - Bad Blood Costumbrism, an archive interview with writer Jorge GuerricaechevarrÃa - The F*cking Boss, an archive interview with actor Antonio Resines - Some Crazy Sh*t, an archive interview with production designers José Luis Arrizabalaga and Biaffra - Litres of Blood... Wonderful!, an archive interview with special effects artist Raúl Romanillos - Archive interview with director Ãlex de la Iglesia - Vintage Making Of featurette - Behind the scenes - Storyboards - Music video - Theatrical trailer - Image gallery DISC TWO: THE DAY OF THE BEAST - Brand new audio commentary by film scholar Shelagh Rowan-Legg - Clean Up Madrid, a brand new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas - Heirs of the Beast, an archive feature-length documentary - Antichrist Superstar, an archive interview with director Ãlex de la Iglesia - The Man Who Saved the World, an archive interview with actor Armando De Razza - Beauty and the Beast, an archive interview with actor Maria Grazia Cucinotta - Shooting the Beast, an archive interview with director of photography Flavio MartÃnez Labiano - Mirindas Asesinas, a 1990 short film by Ãlex de la Iglesia - Theatrical trailers - Image gallery DISC THREE: PERDITA DURANGO - Brand new audio commentary by film critic Valeria Villegas Lindvall - On the Border, an archive interview with director Ãlex de la Iglesia - Writing Perdita Durango, an archive interview with writer Barry Gifford - Dancing with the Devil, an archive appraisal by film scholar Dr Rebekah McKendry - Narcosatanicos: Perdita Durango and the Matamoros Cult, an archive interview with Abraham Castillo Flores and Cauldron of Blood author Jim Schutze - Canciones de Amor Maldito: The Music of Perdita Durango, an archive interview with composer Simon Boswell - Shooting Perdita Durango, an archive interview with director of photography Flavio MartÃnez Labiano - Theatrical trailers - Image gallery
Starsky & Hutch: The Complete Second Season proves the 1970s series, in its sophomore year, both codified its earliest strengths while continuing to evolve into a sharper, wittier and often darker show. Contributing to those improvements were the stars themselves: David Soul (who plays maverick police detective, intellectual and health nut Ken Hutchinson) and Paul Michael Glaser (as Hutch's more impulsive, junk-food-junkie partner Dave Starsky), each of whom directed exemplary episodes in the second series. The series' creators also struck a more entertaining balance between the comic and dramatic possibilities inherent in Starsky and Hutch's bluntly honest, fraternal relationship. A number of stories placed the guys in intentionally funny undercover situations: as garish gamblers in the two-part opener "The Las Vegas Strangler"; entertainment directors (named Hack and Zack) on a luxury cruise ship in "Murder at Sea"; gigolo-like dance aficionados in the playfully-titled "Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back into Your Hearts"; and, most amusingly, stunt men in "Murder on Stage 17". Those are all good shows, and the duo often bicker within them, to great comic effect, like an old married couple. But it's the relentlessly tougher episodes that prove each character's mettle and demonstrate the depth of Starsky and Hutch's mutual trust. Among these is the powerful "Gillian", in which Starsky discovers Hutch's classy new girlfriend is a prostitute and breaks the news to his shattered friend. Somewhat lighter but just as revealing is "Little Girl Lost", starring a young Kristy McNichol as an orphaned street urchin whom Hutch, lately in a misanthropic, anti-Christmas mood, takes into his home. Glaser's directorial debut, the harrowing "Bloodbath", gives Soul a lot of room for an intensely physical and psychological performance as Hutch scurries to find his kidnapped partner. Soul returns the favour with "Survival", in which Starsky desperately seeks his missing pal, trapped and slowly dying beneath a car wreck. All in all, a very good series, with (of course) Antonio Fargas still sharp as sidekick Huggy Bear. --Tom Keogh
This 1992 live recording of DON CARLO at La Scala Milano is directed by Franco Zeffirelli and features a highly prestigious cast. Luciano Pavarotti Samuel Ramey and Paolo Coni all figure largely throughout making this one of the greatest renditions of Verdi's works available.
This hip violent fast-moving film firmly established Pam Grier as the goddess of Blaxploitation. She plays Foxy a toughened woman living in a drug-plagued L.A. ghetto who goes on a one woman mission of vengeance after her undercover cop boyfriend (Terry Carter) is shot down in the street. The badass lass goes undercover herself as a call girl for the evil mistress of the drug cartel (Kathryn Loder) and with the help of a neigborhood vigilante committee wreaks some hell on the ba
Antonio Carluccio's Italian Feast
The Spy Kids are back again. This time, their trademark action delivers a motion picture event that pushes family fun to the next level. Secret agents Juni (Daryl Sabara) and Carmen Cortez (Alexa Vega) set out on their most mind-blowing mission yet: a journey inside the virtual reality world of a video game where awe-inspiring graphics and creatures come dangerously to life. As they face escalating challenges through increasingly difficult levels of the game, the Spy Kids must rely on humour, high-tech gadgets and the bonds of family in order to stop a power-hungry villain (Sylvester Stallone) set on controlling the youth of the world. Also featuring familiar faces Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino and Ricardo Montalban in an incredible all-star cast.
Hailed as a landmark film that dazzles with deep emotion and exceptional acting, PHILADELPHIA starsTom Hanks and Denzel Washington as two competing lawyers who join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. And as their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries. Special Features: One Foot on a Banana Peel, the Other Foot in the Grave Documentary Courthouse Protest Footage and Interviews Exclusive new documentary People Like Us: Making Philadelphia Original Making-of Featurette Deleted Scenes
One of the sunniest of Tinto Brass's erotic comedies, this sets its breezy tone from the opening scene in which Lola (Anna Ammirati) cycles around a small Po Valley town in a flapping skirt that leaves nothing to the imagination. But it's the 1950s, and her baker fiancée Masetto (Max Parodi) is determined that Lola remains a virgin until their wedding night. However, she is equally set on establishing whether or not he's a good lover before they tie the knot. His dough-kneading technique seems promising, but how can she be sure without an expert to compare him with? In short, can Masetto live up to the erotic ideals professed by Lola's mother's lover (Patrick Mower)? Fortunately, the outwardly innocent town turns out to be a hotbed of licentiousness, with opportunities for voyeurism and maybe more around every corner - all in the interests of self-improving research, of course.
When it was announced that Tom Cruise would play the vampire Lestat in this adaptation of Anne Rice's bestselling novel, even Rice chimed in with a highly publicised objection. The author wisely and justifiably recanted her negative opinion when she saw Cruise's excellent performance, which perceptively addresses the pain and chronic melancholy that plagues anyone cursed with immortal bloodlust. Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst are equally good at maintaining the dark and brooding tone of Rice's novel. And in this rare mainstream project for a major studio, director Neil Jordan compensates for a lumbering plot by honouring the literate, Romantic qualities of Rice's screenplay. Considered a disappointment while being embraced by Rice's loyal followers, Interview with the Vampire is too slow to be a satisfying thriller, but it is definitely one of the most lavish, intelligent horror films ever made. --Jeff Shannon
A charming and affecting tale charting the fortunes of three small town heroes pursuing their dreams Carlos Sorin's Historias Minimas offers further evidence of the current riches to be found in Argentine cinema. Awarded a special jury prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival it's a deceptively simple yet delightful road movie concerned with three disparate characters heading for the Argentine city of San Julian amid the beautiful landscapes of Patagonia. Roberto i
A documentary concerning the violent Italian 'poliziotteschi' cinematic movement of the 1970s which, at first glance, seem to be rip-offs of American crime films like DIRTY HARRY or THE GODFATHER, but which really address Italian issues like the Sicilian Mafia and red terrorism. Perhaps even more interesting than the films themselves were the rushed methods of production (stars performing their own stunts, stealing shots, no live sound) and the bleed-over between real-life crime and movie crime.
The first collaboration between Eastwood and Leone. The story of the man with no name, who tries to turn a gang feud to his own advantage.
Own all of the epic action with the Spartacus Complete Collection! Blood and Sand Betrayed by his country. Beaten into slavery. Reborn as a warrior. Spartacus: Blood and Sand' is a graphic and visceral account of Rome's most famous gladiator. When he's separated from the love of his life, Spartacus is forced into the gruesome and bloodthirsty arena, where a grisly death is primetime entertainment. Gods of the Arena The House of Batiatus is on the rise, basking in the glow of its infamous champion Gannicus, whose skill with a sword is matched only by his thirst for wine and women. These are the times a young Batiatus has been waiting for. Poised to overthrow his father and take control, he'll freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand. And he'll have his loyal and calculating wife Lucretia by his side for every underhanded scheme. Vengeance On the heels of the bloody escape from the House of Batiatus that concluded 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand', the gladiator rebellion continues and begins to strike fear into the heart of the Roman Republic. Containing all of the blood-soaked action, exotic sexuality, villainy and heroism that has come to distinguish the series, the tale of Spartacus resumes in epic fashion. War of the Damned Gaius Claudius Glaber is dead. The rebellion has swelled to thousands of freed slaves, and Spartacus, alongside his generals Crixus, Gannicus and Agron, prepares for war with Rome. The epic conclusion of a legendary journey, Spartacus: War of the Damned unleashes a battle unlike anything ever seen before.
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