In the 1920s political activist and free-thinker Jimmy Gralton built a dance hall in rural Ireland as a place for young people dance play music and learn. As the hall grew in popularity its socialist and free-spirited reputation brought it to the attention of the church and politicians who forced Jimmy to flee and the hall to close. A decade later at the height of the Depression Jimmy returns to Co. Leitrim from the US and vows to live the quiet life. The hall stands abandoned but as Jimmy sees the poverty and growing cultural oppression within the community the leader and activist within him is stirred. He makes the decision to reopen the hall and in doing makes himself an enemy of the establishment.
Westlife - Coast To Coast contains spectacular footage from the launch day for the album of the same name which reached no.1 last autumn. Watch the lads as they stay awake for 36 hours to launch the album and when they they finally do retire you'll see them tucked up in bed too... aaah! Besides the intimately revealing documentary fans will relish a host of exclusive extras and as a very special treat Westlife perform a medley of their chart-topping songs - and 6 tracks from t
In 1960, Norman Wisdom was left all at sea in The Bulldog Breed. He had already made a farce of the army in The Square Peg (1958), so what better than to join the navy? Back in the real world, the Russians had kick-started the space race putting Sputnik into orbit, so Norman rapidly finds himself selected to be the first Brit in space. Playing to type, the result is excellent physical comedy and copious tomfoolery at the expense of the upper ranks. With support from John Le Mesurier and Edward Chapman (the legendary "Mr Grimsdale") and uncredited appearances from Oliver Reed and Michael Caine, this is a notable British comedy, with an unusually direct reference to the risqué Carry On movies. For his second starring role Norman Wisdom played the oldest orphan of Greenwood Children's Home in 1954's One Good Turn. Not only does he have to find the money to buy one of the orphans a model car, but after a visit to Brighton he discovers Greenwood is due to be closed down by the home's own unscrupulous chairman, a property developer with plans to build a factory on the site. Also starring Thora Hird, One Good Turn was surely a film with a personal resonance for Wisdom who was himself brought-up in an orphanage after his mother died and his father was unable to raise him. As would become a tradition, he contributes a song, "Please Opportunity", and the movie, though produced by Rank, now sits easily in that classic Ealing era where the ordinary man took on the big guys and won. The innocent knockabout humour remains appealing. --Gary S Dalkin
Directed by future Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher, this entertaining, light-hearted crime thriller centres around the adventures of sleuthing reporters Mike Billings (John Bentley) and Jenny Drew (Hy Hazell) as they try to unravel the alibi of a suspected murderer... Stolen Assignment is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.Henry Crossley is an artist whose wife is spending a week's holiday with her aunt. But when her aunt comes to see him, worried because her niece has not arrived, a police investigation into her disappearance begins. It seems that Henry was fully occupied at the time his wife went missing; but is his alibi completely truthful?
Hollywood icon Ginger Rogers makes her British film debut in this rarely-seen crime drama from the early 1950s. Directed by David Miller then riding high with his American noir classic Sudden Fear! and co-starring Herbert Lom and a young Stanley Baker, Beautiful Stranger is presented here as a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Johnny Victor, a gorgeous ex-actress, lives in luxury on the French Riviera courtesy of Louis Galt a wealthy businessman with global interests. But Louis' fortune is built on crime and his possessive mania brings about a train of violence from which death is the only certain outcome... Special Features: Image gallery PDF material
When two enemy pilots shoot each other down over Ireland they are both captured as prisoners of war. During World War II Neutral Ireland interned all soldiers sailors and airmen regardless of their nationality captured on Irish soil. What they failed to mention was that they would put them all in the same camp... Our pilots (Bill Campbell) and Rudi (Angus MacFayden) are astonished to come face to face with each other at the entrance of the interment camp. Further surprises are in
Jimmy Cremming (Matt Dillon) finds himself in Bangkok after fleeing the investigation of an insurance scam in the United States. Having discovered that his partner and mentor Marvin (James Caan) has surfaced in Cambodia Jimmy sets off to get his promised cut of the action. What he finds however is a bizarre ominous environment where cleverness is bait. The further Jimmy searches for Marvin the deeper he plunges into torment - and the farther he gets from getting out alive...
The year is 1945: the closing stages of World War 2, and a German scientist by the name of Klausener is working on frightening new technology with the power to create an immortal Nazi army. Flash forward to present day, and a NATO task force is hurriedly deployed to Eastern Europe, where a sinister enemy appears to be mercilessly killing everything in its path. But this is no ordinary foe. Only Lena, a gutsy investigator on the trail of notorious war-criminal Klausener, accepts the reality of what they are facing; a battalion of Nazi Storm-Troopers, a veritable zombie army on the march. With the help of Wallace, a man who's been chasing Nazi secrets for years, the two of them team up with a Special Forces Unit to venture deep behind enemy lines. Their mission: to fight their way back to the source of this evil army and prevent the seemingly inevitable rise of the Undead 4th Reich.
She's called 'Tir na nOg' because she came from a land under the sea. A magical white horse. Why she came was a mystery to all except Ossie and Tito two small boys who living day to day in a soulless slum with their dejected father Papa Reilly knew Tir na nOg had come for a special reason. When the horse is taken by the police and sold to a cruel farmer Hartnet the boys decide to steal Tir na nOg and escape to the west. But Ossie and Tito hadn't bargained for an agitated police force and a menacing posse of Hartnet's men. Only Papa Reilly can save his sons from ill fortune... but then maybe that was Tir na nOg's intention all along.
February, 1983. Detectives are called to a residential address in the London suburbs following reports that the drains have been clogged by human remains. One of the property's residents, Dennis Nilsen a mild-mannered and unassuming civil servant is brought in for questioning, leading to the discovery of one of the most shocking and disturbing cases of serial murder ever to rock Britain. Offering a grim and gritty retelling of the story of Des Nilsen, often dubbed the British Jeffery Dahmer, 1989's Cold Light of Day stars Bob Flag (the face of Big Brother in Michael Radford's 1984) as Nilsen-cipher Jorden March, delivering one of the most chilling and credible portrayals of a serial killer ever committed to screen. From writer-director Fhiona-Louise, Cold Light of Day which picked up the UCCA Venticittà Award at the 1990 Venice International Film Festival is a hugely underseen and underrated British effort that can stand proudly alongside the likes of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer as one of the most unflinching true-crime films of all time. Special Features: Limited Edition of 2000 units Brand new 2K restoration from the original 16mm camera negative approved by director Fhiona-Louise Original uncompressed mono audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary with writer/director Fhiona-Louise Brand new audio commentary with film historians/writers Dean Brandum and Andrew Nette Newly-filmed interview with actor Martin Byrne-Quinn Newly-filmed interview with actor Steve Munroe Original Cold Light of Day promo film made to raise financing for the feature Re-Release Trailer Two short films starring Cold Light of Day director Fhiona-Louise and photographed by Star Wars DP David Tattershall, newly restored in HD: Metropolis Apocalypse (1988, 11 mins) and Sleepwalker (1993, 2 mins) Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx Limited Edition Die-cut O-card Limited Edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jo Botting and a look at how the press reported Dennis Nilsen's real-life crimes by Jeff Billington
The mini-series treatment suits Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak's sprawling novel of a Russian physician-poet whose comfortable life is upended by the revolution. And this near-four-hour Granada TV production lucidly demonstrates that Pasternak was one heck of a storyteller: the torment of Zhivago (Hans Matheson) as he must choose between his well-bred childhood sweetheart (Alexandra Maria Lara) and the tragically beautiful Lara (Keira Knightley) remains compelling. The TV treatment can't match the epic sweep of David Lean's feature film, of course, with its cast of thousands and astonishing production design. Devotees of that 1965 version will undoubtedly yearn for Maurice Jarre's tinkly hit "Lara's Theme", too; here, Ludovico Einaudi's score is serviceable by comparison. Matheson, too, is serviceable in the title role, but the uncannily gorgeous Knightley and a supremely decadent Sam Neill (as her dreadful seducer) keep their characters vital. The limitations of the small screen duly noted, the frosty location shooting is handsome. Given the choice, see the Lean film on the big screen every time; but this is a sturdy introduction to a classic story. --Robert Horton
In the 30th Century, when Battlefield Earth is uncovered in a mass grave for bad films by revisionist cineastes, it is more than likely that it will still be the worst science fiction film ever made. John Travolta's $73m pet sci-fi project--an adaptation of Scientology guru L Ron Hubbard's rambling pulp novel --is like the long lost sequel to Ed Wood's Plan Nine from Outer Space. Incompetent, incomprehensible and, at nearly two hours running time, way over long, Battlefield Earth is nothing more than a rehash of hackneyed post-Star Wars sci-fi clichés. It has the production values of Buck Rogers in the 21st Century and a sprawling plot that merges Planet of the Apes and the TV mini-series V.It is the year 3000 and the Psychlos, a race of dreadlocked aliens, are busy raping the Earth of its natural resources to revive their own dead planet. Peppy young turk Jonnie Goodboy Tyler decides to fight back: he speed-learns the Psychlo language, masters their alien technology and then rallies the beleaguered human race to victory. The Psychlos are at a distinct disadvantage since they persist in wearing ludicrously-stacked heels that make it hard to do anything but totter like stilt-walkers. Therefore, out of necessity, most of the action sequences in Battlefield Earth are shot in slow motion. John Travolta plays Terl, the blustering Psychlo chief of security on Earth, like a pantomime villain delivering leaden dialogue that elicits unintentional pathos. Forest Whitaker in the role of his oafish, double-crossing sidekick Ker erases all traces of screen credibility gained through his role in Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog. And as Tyler, pretty boy Barry Pepper has the charisma of a plastic action figure. Even the tagline for this film--"A saga for the year 3000"--is startlingly banal.On the DVD: At first glance, this DVD looks to be packed with extras. A director's commentary, two TV spots, trailer and three "making of" feaurettes--but once you've seen one of the featurettes, you've literally seen them all, as the other two simply recut the same footage. After watching this travesty of a film, it is unlikely you'll want to hear British director Roger Christian gushing over his own work on the audio commentary with production designer Patrick Tatopolous. One can only guess that the creative team got stranded on Planet Psychlo and lost all their critical faculties. The main feature is of good enough picture quality to accentuate the ghastly blue and orange hues that colour almost every scene. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic format with optional 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. --Chris Campion
Although the superhero comic book has been a duopoly since the early 1960s, only DC's flagship characters, Superman and Batman (who originated in the late 1930s) have established themselves as big-screen franchises. Until now--this is the first runaway hit film version of the alternative superhero X-Men universe created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and others. It's a rare comic-book movie that doesn't fall over its cape introducing all the characters, and this is the exception. X-Men drops us into a world that is closer to our own than Batman's Gotham City, but it's still home to super-powered goodies and baddies. Opening in high seriousness with paranormal activity in a WW2 concentration camp and a senatorial inquiry into the growing "mutant problem", Bryan Singer's film sets up a complex background with economy and establishes vivid, strange characters well before we get to the fun. There's Halle Berry flying and summoning snowstorms, James Marsden zapping people with his "optic beams", Rebecca Romijn-Stamos shape-shifting her blue naked form, and Ray Park lashing out with his Toad-tongue. The big conflict is between Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Ian McKellen's Magneto, super-powerful mutants who disagree about their relationship with ordinary humans, but the characters we're meant to identify with are Hugh Jackman's Wolverine (who has retractable claws and amnesia), and Anna Paquin's Rogue (who sucks the life and superpowers out of anyone she touches). The plot has to do with a big gizmo that will wreak havoc at a gathering of world leaders, but the film is more interested in setting up a tangle of bizarre relationships between even more bizarre people, with solid pros such as Stewart and McKellen relishing their sly dialogue and the newcomers strutting their stuff in cool leather outfits. There are in-jokes enough to keep comics' fans engaged, but it feels more like a science fiction movie than a superhero picture. --Kim Newman
Ride Rise Roar is a David Byrne concert film that blends riveting onstage performances with intimate details of the creative collaborations that make the music and performance happen. Shot with multiple cameras over several concerts during the `Songs of David Byrne & Brian Eno Tour the film blends the energy and charisma of classic Talking Heads with the heartfelt pathos of David Byrne and Brian Enos most recent collaboration. Between the songs the film achieves an unprecedented intimacy with David Byrne and the band documenting behind-the-scenes auditions rehearsals and interviews with key players while revealing the creative process that led to the shows unique fusion of pop music and modern dance. Ride Rise Roar is a celebration of Byrnes extensive career as a musician and testifies to the creativity that keeps him going today.
The complete third series of this much loved classic crime TV show featuring 14 episodes uncut and digitally remastered! A brilliant fast-paced series The Professionals chronicles the lives and exploits of the men of covert British security unit CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5) in particular the unit's top operative partnership of ex-cop Ray Doyle (Martin Shaw) and former mercenary and ex-SAS paratrooper William Bodie (Lewis Collins) and their superior officer the gruff but fatherl
The Official 2014 MCE BSB Season Review 2DVD set covers every race from this stunning season including over 6 hours of high octane action with ex-racer and TV commentator James Whitham presenting the highlights of this season’s hair-raising fairing bashing wheel-to-wheel close encounters of the biking kind!
Uncermoniously dumped by his sometime girlfriend, a cynical copywriter and self-confessed modern Casanova starts to teach his 16-year-old nephew the ways of women - with surprising results.
Pete Postlethwaite is Hubert Flynn Dublin bread deliveryman who loves his pint of Guinness his bet on the horses and his wife Conchita in that order. So when he comes home from the pub one evening and changes into a rat Conchita is slow to forgive. Conchita (played to perfection by Imelda Staunton) at first resists her family's eccentric plans for Hubert but when an opportunistic ghost-writer knocks on the door and proposes to put their story in a book and then a film of the book and a book of the film and riches beyond her dreams... she is tempted. So setting the stage for a series of bizarre and comical adventures for Hubert the rat and his family. Rat is the tale of family values little furry folk and one man's struggle to regain his humanity... literally! Special effects by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
The Martins are the family from hell, the neighbours you dread and the kind of people you cross the street to avoid. Starring Lee Evans and Kathy Burke.
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