An isolated father and daughter grapple with the limits of family and sexuality.
Only Oscar-winning writer-director Alexander Payne (Sideways) would think to cast the famously handsome George Clooney as a dishevelled dad in his outstanding adaptation of Kaui Hart Hemmings's tragicomic novel. Clooney dials down the glamour to play Matt King, a Hawaii real-estate attorney with a propensity for unflattering shirts and ill-fitting trousers. When Matt's wife, Elizabeth, ends up in a coma after a water-skiing accident, Matt must learn to balance the parenting of his resentful daughters, Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), with the sale of a pristine plot of Kauai land that stands to make the King cousins, including scruffy Hugh (Beau Bridges), a fortune. As Elizabeth's condition worsens, Matt contacts friends and relatives, like her fiercely protective father (Robert Forster), so that they'll have the chance to say goodbye. In the process, he finds out she was having an affair with realtor Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard, effectively cast against type), so he and the girls, including Alex's hilariously mellow friend, Sid (Nick Krause), go on an island-hopping trip, ostensibly to add Brian to the mix, but Matt really wants to find out what his wife saw in the guy. His journey from naiveté to knowledge brings out Clooney's soulful side, creating a believably flawed, deeply sympathetic figure. If Payne leans too heavily on the slack-key soundtrack, his love for his characters, including Judy Greer as Matt's female counterpart, results in his most emotionally satisfying movie to date. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Two professional motorcycle racers (a cossetted professional and a hotheaded privateer) competing in the world motorcycle championships find themselves at odds in a more personal type of competition: they both love the same woman...
An inspired casting gimmick, a wonderful mood, a grown-up love story--all this in The Fabulous Baker Boys, but the only thing anybody ever talks about is Michelle Pfeiffer on top of a piano. Granted, it's a showstopper: clad in a slinky dress, Pfeiffer rolls around on the Steinway while she purrs out a languid version of "Makin' Whoopee". Adding to the seductive vibe is the fact that she's not singing to the audience, but to the sullen piano player (Jeff Bridges) whose fancy she has captured. Bridges and his real-life brother, Beau, play two lounge entertainers whose act has grown stale; they're not above doing "Feelings" for the tourist crowd. They've hired songbird Pfeiffer (who does her own sexy singing) to spice up the routine, a strategy that pays off in spades. The three actors are terrific, with the fabulous Bridges boys playing neatly off their own sibling rhythms. Writer-director Steve Kloves captures the feel of second-rate Seattle clubs, and Dave Grusin's jazzy score keeps propelling the film forward. The story itself might have come from a 1940s romance, yet Kloves and his actors keep it unusually modern and thoughtful. And then there's Michelle Pfeiffer rolling around on top of a piano.... --Robert Horton
The Hotel New Hampshire
Only Oscar-winning writer-director Alexander Payne (Sideways) would think to cast the famously handsome George Clooney as a dishevelled dad in his outstanding adaptation of Kaui Hart Hemmings's tragicomic novel. Clooney dials down the glamour to play Matt King, a Hawaii real-estate attorney with a propensity for unflattering shirts and ill-fitting trousers. When Matt's wife, Elizabeth, ends up in a coma after a water-skiing accident, Matt must learn to balance the parenting of his resentful daughters, Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), with the sale of a pristine plot of Kauai land that stands to make the King cousins, including scruffy Hugh (Beau Bridges), a fortune. As Elizabeth's condition worsens, Matt contacts friends and relatives, like her fiercely protective father (Robert Forster), so that they'll have the chance to say goodbye. In the process, he finds out she was having an affair with realtor Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard, effectively cast against type), so he and the girls, including Alex's hilariously mellow friend, Sid (Nick Krause), go on an island-hopping trip, ostensibly to add Brian to the mix, but Matt really wants to find out what his wife saw in the guy. His journey from naiveté to knowledge brings out Clooney's soulful side, creating a believably flawed, deeply sympathetic figure. If Payne leans too heavily on the slack-key soundtrack, his love for his characters, including Judy Greer as Matt's female counterpart, results in his most emotionally satisfying movie to date. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) is an undercover cop fighting for justice and seeking revenge on the twisted thugs in the gritty streets of New York.
What it lacks in grandeur, this 1978 TV version of The Four Feathers makes up for in fidelity to AEW Mason's classic novel. By cannibalising the superior 1939 production for epic shots and sequences, this modest adaptation draws attention to its meagre production values, relying heavily on casting and chemistry to compensate. That it succeeds, more or less, in capturing the essence of Mason's grand adventure is largely due to the appeal of Beau Bridges and Jane Seymour in the prime of their early careers. (Bridges' film career was gaining momentum; Seymour would rise from here to the similarly romantic Somewhere in Time.) Bridges is the shamed soldier Harry Faversham, transcending cowardice by rescuing his closest friends during Britain's bloody campaign in 1870s Sudan; Seymour is his beloved back home, torn between Harry and the seemingly braver Jack (Robert Powell). TV veteran Don Sharp provides tepid direction, while screenwriter Gerald DiPego would continue his prolific career for decades to come. --Jeff Shannon
In 1970s Brooklyn, gentrification is already beginning to take hold in the predominantly black neighbourhood of Park Slope. Spoiled trust fund kid Elgar Enders (Beau Bridges) buys an apartment block in the area with the intention of evicting the tenants and building himself a bachelor pad. But upon moving in and unexpectedly befriending the inhabitants, he decides to let them stay and become their landlord. Rebelling against his rich, racist family, he embarks on affairs with two black women, causing uproar in the country clubs and the ghetto tenements of Park Slope alike. This outrageous satire marks the debut of Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude) as director, with a wicked script from Bill Gunn (Ganja & Hess) and stunning photography from Gordon Willis (The Godfather). The Landlord is a scabrous and unflinching look at race relations far ahead of its time, and a unique and important work in the annals of American screen comedy.BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES2K transfer by Kino LorberUncompressed mono PCM audioThe Racial Gap - An interview with star Beau Bridges (2019, 25 mins)Reflections - An interview with star Lee Grant (2019, 26 mins)Style and Substance - An interview with producer Norman Jewison (2019, 29 mins)A new interview with Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson (2024)An interview with broadcaster and author Ellen E. Jones (2024)TrailerOptional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingSleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Vincent Wild
Only Oscar-winning writer-director Alexander Payne (Sideways) would think to cast the famously handsome George Clooney as a dishevelled dad in his outstanding adaptation of Kaui Hart Hemmings's tragicomic novel. Clooney dials down the glamour to play Matt King, a Hawaii real-estate attorney with a propensity for unflattering shirts and ill-fitting trousers. When Matt's wife, Elizabeth, ends up in a coma after a water-skiing accident, Matt must learn to balance the parenting of his resentful daughters, Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), with the sale of a pristine plot of Kauai land that stands to make the King cousins, including scruffy Hugh (Beau Bridges), a fortune. As Elizabeth's condition worsens, Matt contacts friends and relatives, like her fiercely protective father (Robert Forster), so that they'll have the chance to say goodbye. In the process, he finds out she was having an affair with realtor Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard, effectively cast against type), so he and the girls, including Alex's hilariously mellow friend, Sid (Nick Krause), go on an island-hopping trip, ostensibly to add Brian to the mix, but Matt really wants to find out what his wife saw in the guy. His journey from naiveté to knowledge brings out Clooney's soulful side, creating a believably flawed, deeply sympathetic figure. If Payne leans too heavily on the slack-key soundtrack, his love for his characters, including Judy Greer as Matt's female counterpart, results in his most emotionally satisfying movie to date. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
In an Oscar-winning performance Sally Field is unforgettable as Norma Rae the Southern millworker who revolutionizes a small town and discovers a power in herself she never knew she had. Under the guidance of a New York unioniser (Ron Leibman) and with increasing courage and determination Norma Rae organizes her fellow factory workers to fight for better conditions and wages. Based on a true story Norma Rae is the mesmerising tale of a modern day heroine!
Directed by Oscar winner John Schlesinger and starring William Devane Beau Bridges Beverly D'Angelo Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy Honky Tonk Freeway is an exuberant satire on America's undying love affair with all things on wheels. This wildly good-natured and outrageously entertaining roadside farce is presented here in a brand-new digital transfer in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. It's vacation time and carloads of Americans are making their way to Florida in relentless pursuit of a good time; among the travellers are an aspiring children's author a couple of bank-robbers an elderly lady with a drink problem and two nuns. They little realise they're about to be caught up in a small-time mayor's madcap scheme to turn his neglected town into a tourist trap! Special Features: Original Theatrical Teaser and Trailer Image Gallery Original Promotional Material PDF
In the fall of 1979 one of history's most ingenious and courageous flights to freedom took place when two families fled from Communist East Germany to the West in their own handcrafted hot air balloon. Starring John Hurt (HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE) Jane Alexander (THE CIDER HOUSE RULES) and Beau Bridges Walt Disney Pictures brings to the screen this remarkable true story of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families and their daring death-defying escape.
Young Kirra (Bindi Irwin) leaves her Australian home to summer with her grandfather (Beau Bridges) in South Africa she soon discovers a baby orca stranded in the lagoon near her grandfather's rundown seaside amusement park. She names the lonely whale Willy - and embarks on a quest to lead the little guy back to his anxious pod before her grandfather's greedy rival turns Willy into a captive moneymaking attraction at his slick theme park.
The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. --Paul TonksOn this DVD: This volume begins in confusion when the S.G.1 team discover a military camp training for "Rules of Engagement". All is not what it seems however. The same is true of "Forever in a Day", when Daniel's wife Sha're is killed by Teal'c. This episode begins an important storyline about her stolen child who is a "Harcesis", an illegal breeding between Goa'uld hosts. Then an earlier thread is picked up in "Past and Present" on planet Vyus whose people all suffer amnesia. Their leader Ke'ra (played by Megan Leitch who's portrayed Mulder's missing sister in The X-Files) is a link to the earlier "Prisoners" episode and the dangerous "destroyer of worlds". Closing the volume is a cliffhanger in which Sam must attempt to rescue her father, face Satan himself on a prison moon, and resurrect "Jolinar's Memories" from the Goa'uld she was briefly possessed by. Trapped in Hell, the team's escape seems impossible. As well as trailers for the next volume, the disc includes a 10-minute interview with Christopher Judge on his 97-year-old character Teal'c. He spends much of the time recalling plot points, but his philosophy of the show as a social allegory is refreshing. --Paul Tonks END
Brothers, Sean and Tommy Donnelly live and work in modern day Texas. Tommy has always been troubled and Sean has always been there to help him but when Tommy gets himself $6,000 in debt there's not much Sean can do. The money is owed to some very dangerous people and neither Sean nor Tommy has a spare dime. Worse, at every turn, Tommy manages to find a way to exacerbate their already difficult position. The situation escalates to the point where Sean is faced with a decision: stand by his brother or give up on him once and for all.
The Year is 1994. A Korean-American teenager Hyun Jae (Jamie Chung Sucker Punch Once Upon a Time) goes to a bar in New Mexico where a handsome young man buys her drinks and offers her a ride home. But she never reaches home and is instead abducted and forced into prostitution by a human and drug trafficking ring located outside the bright lights of Vegas Nevada. Hyun Jae is initiated into her new life by Bob Gault (Beau Bridges The Descendants The Fabulous Baker Boys) the corrupt Federal Marshall who runs the organisation. Through a haze of morphine Hyun Jae learns what her future holds: sex with strangers and life in a 10ft x 10ft storage unit. Inspired by the harrowing true story of Chong Kim.
Blast off for this outrageously funny space travel in this comedy that spins wildly out of control all the way to Mars! Though he's a whiz with computers accident-prone astro-nut Fred Randall is the last guy on Earth you'd want on the first manned mission to Mars. But as bad luck and poor timing would have it that's exactly what happens and Fred undergoes rigorous if not hilarious training at NASA. After that Fred blasts off with the rest of the space shuttle crew a cocky no-
The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. On the DVD: Episodes: Absolute Power, The Light, Prodigy, Entity. The Harcesis child Shifu (an excellent young Lane Gates) decides Earth needs a lesson in what would happen if it acquired the "Absolute Power" its powers-that-be are greedily after. Daniel is the unwitting test subject, and by the time we see him unflinchingly destroy Moscow it's apparent just what this lesson is. Seeing "The Light" in another way, SG-1 find themselves like moths to a flame on a seemingly abandoned planet. After the shocking suicide of another team member, it takes everyone's individual talents (including the under-used Dr. Fraser) to crack the mystery of the pillar of energy from which all the trouble clearly emanates. In a rare glimpse of ordinary military life, Sam is presented with a "Prodigy" of sorts. The brilliant young Cadet Jennifer Hailey (Elisabeth Rosen) is precocious about her talents to the point of being obnoxious in the eyes of her tutors and peers. She naturally experiences quite a humbling come down when taken through the Stargate to assist on a science mission dealing with a pesky new life form. This episode is all about identifying personal flaws and what it takes to acknowledge them. In another strong show for Carter, a particularly elusive "Entity" imprints itself upon her consciousness as well as the base's computer systems. While every conceivable method of extraction is undertaken, the situation is made more complicated by the possibility that it's all been an enormous misunderstanding. Definitely the most heart-warming presentation of the life of a computer virus you'll ever see!
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