As cop and criminal two ruthless professionals have the same outlook and code. L.A. Takedown directed by Michael Mann is a complex and gripping thriller about Vincent Hanna an obsessive cop tailing a callous and clinical armed robber Patrick McLaren. They first meet across a crowded cafe and after a heist goes wrong Hanna and McLaren confront each other in a full scale battle on the streets of Los Angeles.
While "rock musical" remains a phrase used by sadistic parents to give their offspring nightmares the genre does occasionally throw up the odd gem, Purple Rain being perhaps the shiniest example. Given the theatricality of Prince's stage shows, it was only a matter of time before the diminutive pop potentate found himself a big-screen vehicle but few could have predicted that Purple Rain would become nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. The story, co-written by one-time Starsky & Hutch scripter William Blinn, may be a somewhat hackneyed tale with His Purpleness overcoming a troubled background and musical rival Morris Day to achieve his dreams of rock stardom. However, the cast, which also includes Prince protegée Appollonia, rises above the clichés to hand in a set of performances which, while never likely to trouble the Oscars, prove that all concerned can at least play a rough approximation of themselves with minimal difficulty. What really helped push the film's box-office receipts through the roof, however, was its soundtrack featuring a clutch of hit singles--notably "When Doves Cry"--and which cemented our pint-sized hero's position as one of the globe's premiere performing artists. Sadly, subsequent attempts to re-bottle this particular brand of lightning with Under a Cherry Moon and Graffiti Moon would prove substantially less successful but Purple Rain still looks--and, more importantly sounds--rarely less than funktastic. --Clark Collis
His Girl Friday is one of the five greatest dialogue comedies ever made. Howard Hawks had his cast play it at breakneck speed, and audiences hyperventilate trying to finish with one laugh so they can do justice to the four that have accumulated in the meantime. Rosalind Russell, not Hawks' first choice to play Hildy Johnson--the ace newsperson whom demonic editor Walter Burns is trying to keep from quitting and getting married--is triumphant in the part, holding her own as "one of the guys" and creating an enduring feminist icon. Cary Grant's Walter Burns is a force of nature, giving a performance of such concentrated frenzy and diamond brilliance that you owe it to yourself to devote at least one viewing of the movie to watching him alone. But then you have to go back (lucky you) and watch it again for the sake of the press-room gang--Roscoe Karns, Porter Hall, Cliff Edwards, Regis Toomey, Frank Jenks, and others--the kind of ensemble work that gets character actors onto Parnassus. --Richard T Jameson, Amazon.com
Invisible Ghost: Actor Bela Lugosi born in Lugas Hungary on October 20 1882 was the screens most notorious personification of evil - at the peak of his career in the early 30's he helped usher in an era of new popularity for the horror genre. In this film a man carries out a series of grisly stranglings whilst under hypnosis by his insane and domineering wife... Scared To Death: The pieces of a puzzling murder are revealed to us one by one in this frightening story
Veteran Shakespearean player Matheson Lang stars in a suspenseful murder mystery set amid the intrigue and power struggles of Renaissance Rome. Co-starring Eric Portman and featuring an early role for luminescent Four Feathers lead June Duprez, The Cardinal is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.Rome, 1570. The Cardinal, Giovanni de Medici, is at loggerheads with the brutal General Belmonte, his greatest rival. When the General commits murder and pins it on the Cardinal's young brother, it seems that the Cardinal's hands are tied for he has been told of the murder under the seal of secrecy afforded by the Confessional...SPECIAL FEATURE: Image Gallery
Jerry. A quick-witted audacious little mouse who lives in the house with Tom Jerry can never seem to stop himself from teasing his feline nemesis. His greatest pleasure comes from thwarting Tom’s every attempt to catch him. Tom. An ordinary grey-and-white house cat of no great intelligence Tom is driven by three goals: to eat to sleep and to catch the mouse Jerry and eat him. Unfortunately his plans are constantly stymied by the shrewd little rodent.
Over 3 hours of footage featuring Bill Wyman personally interviewing such luminaries as BB King Buddy Guy and Sam Phillips in a global journey documenting the history of blues music. Plus footage of The Rolling Stones performing the Robert Johnson classic 'Love In Vain'.
The Karate Kid (Dir. John G. Avildsen 1984): Daniel (Ralph Macchio) arrives in Los Angeles from the East Coast and faces the difficult task of making new friends. However he becomes the object of bullying by the Cobras a menacing gang of karate students when he strikes up a relationship with Ali (Elisabeth Shue) the Cobra leader's ex-girlfriend. Eager to fight back and impress his new girlfriend but afraid to confront the dangerous gang Daniel asks his handyman Miyagi (Noriyuki Pat Morita) whom he learns is a master of the martial arts to teach him karate. Miyagi teaches Daniel that karate is a mastery over the self - mind and body - and that fighting is always the last answer to a problem. Under Miyagi's guidance Daniel develops not only physical skills but also the faith and self-confidence to compete despite tremendous odds as he encounters the fight of his life in the exciting finale to this entertaining film. The Karate Kid 2 (Dir. John G. Avildsen): Karate student Daniel Larusso (Macchio) accompanies his wise and whimsical teacher Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to his ancestral home in Okinawa. For the boy it's a journey to an exotic new world offering new clues to his mentor's secret past. For Miyagi it's an opportunity to see his father one last time and to rekindle a romance with his childhood sweetheart (Nobu McCarthy). But Miyagi's return also re-ignites a bitter feud with long-time enemy Sato (Danny Kamekona) - a feud that involves young Daniel in a brilliant collision of cultures and combat. Now far away from the tournaments the cheering crowds and the safety of home Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the teacher becomes student and the price of honour is life itself. The Karate Kid 3 (Dir. John G. Avildsen 1989): When Daniel (Macchio) decides not to compete in the upcoming karate championship he becomes the target vicious Cobra Kai student Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) who is determined to win the title back. Standing firm Daniel's mentor and trainer Mr. Miyagi (Morita) instructs him to ignore Mike's threats - and stay away from the tournament. But when Mike's relentless abuse escalates into blackmail Daniel finds himself forced into competition - and at serious odds with Miyagi the one person he cherishes most. Desperate Daniel turns to another karate instructor Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) whose violent combat techniques are directly opposed to Miyagi's wise instruction. But when Daniel realises that Terry and Mike are allied with Mr Miyagi's old nemesis Kreese (Martin Kove) in an elaborate set-up for revenge he also knows he has alienated the only person who can help him. The Next Karate Kid (Dir. Christopher Cain 1994): Noriyuki Pat Morita and Oscar-winner Hilary Swank co-star in The Next Karate Kid the story of a rebellious teenager Julie who blossoms with a little help from her friends - in this case the wise Mr. Miyagi and a trio of Buddhist monks! The action kicks into overdrive when Julie is pitted against a posse of paramilitary students who rule her high school. And while their leader teaches them to fight to kill Julie and Miyagi teach them the secret of fighting to live.
Hoodlum, Bill Duke's interesting but flawed blaxploitation take on the classic gangster movie, usefully redresses a balance. It is all too easy to see the criminal underworld of the 1920s as an all-white affair, in which Harlem is an exotic locale where occasionally white gangsters patronise the black performers of the Cotton Club, from which black audiences were specifically barred. Yet one of the principal sources of illegal revenue was the numbers racket in Harlem--gambling on stock market closing figures--revenue on which the likes of Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano were keen to lay their hands. Lawrence Fishburne is an impressive "Bumpy" Johnson, the street enforcer turned strategist for the matriarchal Queen (Cicely Tyson), gradually learning a ruthlessness that forfeits him the love of a good woman, Francine (Vanessa Williams). Tim Roth as Schultz and Andy Garcia as Luciano are essentially melodramatic turns--the foul-mouthed punk and the reptilian smoothy--and both turn in enjoyably full-blooded unsubtle performances. --Roz Kaveney
It was 1934 when the irascible Donald Duck came to life in a bit part in 'The Wise Little Hen' and proceeded to steal the show. From that point on nobody could hold him back and the much loved cranky character went on to be the most prolific of Walt's 'Fabulous Five'. Now for the first time you can enjoy Donald in all of his solo starring shorts from 'Donald And Pluto' in 1936 to 'Chef Donald' in 1941. This volume also includes a loving tribute to the man who achieved immortality b
His Girl Friday is one of the five greatest dialogue comedies ever made. Howard Hawks had his cast play it at breakneck speed, and audiences hyperventilate trying to finish with one laugh so they can do justice to the four that have accumulated in the meantime. Rosalind Russell, not Hawks' first choice to play Hildy Johnson--the ace newsperson whom demonic editor Walter Burns is trying to keep from quitting and getting married--is triumphant in the part, holding her own as "one of the guys" and creating an enduring feminist icon. Cary Grant's Walter Burns is a force of nature, giving a performance of such concentrated frenzy and diamond brilliance that you owe it to yourself to devote at least one viewing of the movie to watching him alone. But then you have to go back (lucky you) and watch it again for the sake of the press-room gang--Roscoe Karns, Porter Hall, Cliff Edwards, Regis Toomey, Frank Jenks, and others--the kind of ensemble work that gets character actors onto Parnassus. --Richard T Jameson, Amazon.com
Fatal Instinct is a hilarious no-holds-barred send-up of such stylish thrillers as Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction. Ned Ravine (Armande Assante) is a cop and a lawyer. His wife wants to kill him his secretary wants to sleep with him and there's a mysterious client who wants to sleep with him and kill him. That's Monday. Who knows what Tuesday will bring?
Lockie Leonard is a teenage surf rat who moves from the city to Angelus Western Australia the most remote town on earth. Lockie has to deal with starting high school in a new town with no friends and a house that is in danger of sinking into a swamp. His father is a police officer who everybody calls Sarge his mother Joy is frighteningly understanding his brother Phillip still wets the bed and his baby sister Barbara who everyone calls Blob likes to eat the lino.
Top Gun A look at the danger and excitement that awaits every pilot at the Navy's prestigious fighter weapons school: Tom Cruise is superb as Maverick Mitchell a daring young fighter who's out to become the best and Kelly McGillis sizzles as the civilian instructor who teaches Maverick a few things you can't learn in a classroom... Days Of Thunder Tom Cruise plays race car driver Cole Trickle whose talent and ambition are surpassed only by his burning need to win. Discovered by businessman Tim Daland (Randy Quaid) Cole is teamed with legendary crew chief and car-builder Harry Hogge (Academy Award-winner Robert Duvall) to race for the Winston Cup at the Daytona 500. A fiery crash nearly ends race car driver Cole Trickle's career until he turns to a beautiful doctor (Nicole Kidman) to regain his nerve and true courage needed to race to win and to live.
Director John Frankenheimer's attention to detail coupled with excellent plot twists will keep you glued to this unmissable film. Roy Scheider plays the morally flawed hero with fantastic ease whilst John Glover's cool talking character makes a truly frightening villain. Harry Mitchell (Scheider) an L.A. manufacturer with a fancy car a nice house and a beautiful wife (Ann-Margret) running for city council has his life overturned when three hooded blackmailers appear with a video
The hirsute hardman Chuck Norris takes the reigns as the titular deep south law man dishing out the justice where applicable. Cordell Walker (Norris) his young partner James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.) his best friend C.D. Parker (Noble Willingham) and County Assistant District Attorney Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson) will stop at nothing to catch the bad guys - whether they are battling bank robbers the FBI hit men or their own emotions. The high-kicking adrenaline-charged action never stops in Walker Texas Ranger!
A Christian girl, Rachel Whitaker (Jordan Trovillion) goes off to college for her freshman year and begins to be influenced by her popular Biology professor (Harry Anderson) who teaches that evolution is the answer to the origins of life. When Rachel's father, Stephen Whitaker (Jay Pickett) senses something changing with his daughter, he begins to examine the situation and what he discovers catches him completely off guard. Now very concerned about Rachel drifting away from her Christian faith, he tries to do something about it!
This HBO docu-drama depicts the notorious 1971 prison revolt at the State Penitentiary at Attica, in upstate New York. One can sense the mastery of veteran theatrical feature director John Frankenheimer at the helm, in the movie's gripping suspense and gritty, hard-hitting realism. The semi-fictionalised narrative is told from the point of view of young Michael Smith, (Kyle MacLachlan), a newly recruited prison guard (the real Smith worked as a consultant on the film). When Smith arrives at Attica, the place is a revolt waiting to happen. When riots break out and the inmates take command of the prison, Smith and several other guards are held hostage. In this powder-keg climate, a relationship develops between Smith and the rebellion's wise, cool-headed leader, Jamaal, (the superb Samuel L Jackson), a political prisoner representing the African Liberation Movement. The insurrection at Attica became emblematic of protests taking place all over the United States at the time. "We've got a civil war going on in this country," says one prison guard, "This is where we hold the line." Against the Wall illustrates in no uncertain terms which side won this particular battle, and at what tragic cost. Then it goes one step further, becoming a platform for contemporary prison reform. The film's terrific performances include Clarence L Williams III as a wild-eyed, malcontent prisoner, Frederic Forrest as a rabid prison guard and Anne Heche as Smith's stalwart wife. --Laura Mirsky
This acclaimed Silent-Era classic is Chaplin's first drama (a genre he visted again in Limelight) Directing with keen-eyed finesse and appearing in only a small role Chaplin jabs at French high society while telling a tale of tragic love.
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