An intense, compelling series from the early '70s, Man at the Top stars Kenneth Haigh in the continuing story of Joe Lampton, the aggressively ambitious anti-hero of John Braine's bestselling novel Room at the Top. Haigh won a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of Lampton, and a strong supporting cast includes Zena Walker, Paul Eddington, George Sewell and Colin Welland. This set contains both series and the hit film sequel from Hammer Films. Thirteen years on from his marriage to the pregnant Susan, Joe is now a father of two with a stockbroker-belt home and a career in management consultancy. As tenacious and pushy as ever, his attentions rarely remain fixed; with plenty of candidates eagerly forming the 'other woman' queue, Joe will seize any opportunity, be it personal or professional, to further his climb to the top in the world of big business and beyond...
Based on the best-selling novel series by George R.R. Martin, HBO's drama series Game of Thrones holds the record as the most awarded series in television history. This limited-edition, custom-designed complete collector's set includes all 73 episodes of this epic eight season series. Also included is 15 hours of bonus content and never-before-seen footage.
"The Escapist" is a twisty thriller which focuses on one man's struggle to break free of his own personal hell!
Rachel, a rookie cop, is about to begin her first night shift in a neglected police station in a Scottish, backwater town. The kind of place where the tide has gone out and stranded a motley bunch of the aimless, the forgotten, the bitter-and-twisted who all think that, really, they deserve to be somewhere else. They all think they're there by accident and that, with a little luck, life is going to get better. Wrong, on both counts. Six is about to arrive - and All Hell Will Break Loose.
Loosely inspired by the early childhood experiences of many of the notorious dictators of the 20th Century, The Childhood of a Leader is an ominous portrait of emerging evil. A young American boy is living with his family in France in 1918 while his father works for the US government on the creation of the Treaty of Versailles. What he sees helps to mould his beliefs, and we witness the birth of a terrifying ego. Starring Robert Pattinson, Liam Cunningham, Berenice Bejo and Stacy Martin.
An amiable knock-off of the Ealing comedy style, The Smallest Show on Earth starts with aspiring novelist Bill Travers and his "nice gel" wife Virginia McKenna inheriting a cinema from a hitherto unknown uncle and discovering that it isn't the sumptuous modern Grand, which specialises in those "smash 'em in the face, knock 'em over the waterfront" pictures, but the decrepit Bijou, known locally as "the fleapit". The initial plan, set up by lawyer Leslie Phillips, is to sell off the cinema to the owner of the Grand so he can knock it down to make a car park, but our heroes are put off by the arrogant bullying of the rival manager (Francis De Wolff) and succumb to the inept charms of the crazed, aged staff--drunken projectionist Peter Sellers, doddery commissionaire Bernard Miles and dotty ticket lady Margaret Rutherford (who joined the team as a piano accompanist). In the 1950s, there was a run of gentle British comedies in which outmoded and broken-down local institutions (steam trains, tugboats, vintage cars) were saved by collections of committed eccentrics who despised the new-fangled bus services or soulless council bureaucracies and were willing to resort to a little larceny (in this case, arson). The Smallest Show slots in perfectly with the cycle, getting laughs from the Bijou's already outmoded programme of scratchy Westerns and desert dramas (which increase ice cream sales) and sentiment over the staff's midnight screenings of silent movies that remind them of better days. It's likeable rather than hilarious, with Sellers and Miles buried under crepe hair and fake wrinkles competing to out-dodder each other and losing the picture to the inimitable Rutherford, who doesn't have to fake her eccentricity. Pin-up, June Cunningham, is the glamorous usherette and Sid James plays her annoyed Dad. On the DVD: The Smallest Show on Earth is presented in a decent print, but with no extras. The film is also available as part of the four-disc Peter Sellers Collection. --Kim Newman
Ranking just behind the best of animator Don Bluth's films (Anastasia and The Secret of NIMH), Thumbelina is a bubble-light version of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale. The finger-sized heroine goes about the old-fashioned trials of trying to find a good man, but the film is clever enough to make it endearing for the 3-6 set and more than passable for adult viewers. Barry Manilow provides much of the song score, which helps immensely. The ballad "Let Me Be Your Wings" is as good as Disney's best. Carol Channing and Charo have a good ol' time with their songs too. The voice of Thumbelina is none other than Jodi Benson, who gave voice to Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com
In case you'd forgotten, My Beautiful Laundrette will remind you of those mid-80s days when Thatcherism ruled the earth (or so it seemed) and money was king. Stephen Frears' low-budget realisation of Hanif Kureishi's subversively critical play captures the contradictions of that time in a way that's as fresh today as when it was new. Omar's wheeler-dealer uncle, Nasser (Saeed Jaffrey), sums it up when he says, "In this damn country, which we hate and love, you can get anything you want". He sets up Omar (Gordon Warnecke) with a rundown laundrette and the instruction to make it a success, which Omar temporarily does, with the help of his childhood friend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis). When the film first came out, it was the gay content that dominated the column inches, whereas now it seems a sensitive and multi-faceted summation of its decade, exploring social, ethnic and sexual issues and contradictions. Bringing together two such different characters as Omar--Asian, ambitious, for whom success is defined by wealth--and former childhood friend Johnny--white trash, ex-National Front--was inspired. Watching their friendship develop into love, and the ensuing bitterness and misunderstanding that they suffer from friends and family is very poignant. All the lead roles are well taken, the contradictory character of Nasser in particular. By turns, funny, touching and anger-inducing, this is a movie that wears its age lightly and its era proudly. On the DVD: the picture is in 4:3 ratio with a Dolby Digital soundtrack. There's an original trailer and filmographies of the four main characters, with an additional biography for Day-Lewis. --Harriet Smith
After his latest mission goes disastrously wrong veteran CIA black ops agent Emerson Kent (John Cusack 2012) is given one last chance to prove he still has what it takes to do his job. His new assignment: guarding Katherine (Malin Akerman Watchmen) a code operator at a top-secret remote CIA 'Numbers Station' where encrypted messages are sent and received. When an elite team of heavily armed assailants lays siege to the station Emerson and Katherine suddenly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle against an unknown enemy. With the station compromised and innocent lives at stake they must stop the deadly plot before it's too late.
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a pilot presumed dead who returns home only to find he has been replaced by a clone and his life is in danger.
The Jane Austen Collection
Dave (Kelly) and Locky (O'Shea) are a couple of old-timers who have found the perfect scam offering solace and peace to the bereaved and an injection of cash to their pockets. Posing as a medium in touch with the other side Dave acts as the front man whilst his partner relays messages from 'beyond the grave'. All is going swimmingly until Larry the kingpin from the local mob gets killed and his wife wants to know where he's hidden his last haul. Unable to refuse a request from
Minder came to an end with Series 10 in 1994 as the Thames Television franchise moved to Carlton. The final series smashes through the 100 episode mark with more of the raw-edged humour and gritty realism that it was famous for. Episodes Comprise: Episode 1 - A Fridge Too Far Episode 2 - Another Case Of Van Blank Episode 3 - All Things Brighton Beautiful Episode 4 - One Flew Over The Parents' Nest Episode 5 - The Immaculate Contraption Episode 6 - All Quiet On The West E
Every seven years in an unsuspecting town, 'The Tournament' takes place - a secret hitman competition between 30 of the world's deadliest assassins; with the last man standing receiving a 10 million dollars cash prize.
A fast and furious period romp inspired by real events in 18th century Ireland! Byrne (Lapaine) and Strang (Rhys) are two handsome witty twenty-somethings from wealthy families eager to marry rich society ladies. Unfortunately they haven't a hope of succeeding as in accordance with the laws of the time - the family fortunes have passed to their elder brothers and they are completely penniless. Their only option is The Abduction Club which will allow them to kidnap such women
The violent tragic but true story of a rebellious female star of the 1930s who fought the Hollywood system... and lost.
Men Followed. Women Loved. Rome Trembled. Two worlds collide along with the two men who embody the values and essence of these worlds. Attila King of the Huns (Gerard Butler) is a visionary who sees more in his people than they see in themselves. While the Huns are content to plunder and extort the surrounding nations Attila looks beyond to the possibility of an empire and new world order. Roman General Flavius Aetius (Powers Boothe) embodies the best and worst of Rome in the final years of her existence. He is motivated by one overriding goal: Rome must continue to rule the world. Two different visions of destiny held by the two strongest men of the century; these conflicts are at the heart of 'Attila the Hun'.
First appearing on our screens in late 1979, Minder was a vehicle for ex-Sweeney sidekick Denis Waterman, but its lasting contribution to TV culture was rehabilitating George Cole, whose loveable but unscrupulous "entrepreneur" (an older version of the spiv he portrayed in the St Trinians films) mockingly reflected the values of 1980s Thatcherite Britain. Set in the rough demimonde of London, against a backdrop of small-time gangsters, seedy pubs, dubious business dealings and ageing dollybirds, Waterman plays Terry McCann, ex-boxer and ex-con trying to stick to the straight and narrow but persuaded against his better judgement to become involved in murky capers set up by his employer "Arfur" who regularly sublets him to associates of his. Though aspects of these episodes are a little creaky and dated--Terrys flares especially--the interplay between the too soft-hearted hardman Waterman and his dapper but slippery boss is both priceless and timeless. --David Stubbs
Helen Mirren returns in triumph to the role that brought her international stardom, police inspector Jane Tennison, in the sixth series of Prime Suspect. Tennison finds herself being pressured to retire and responds by seizing a difficult homicide investigation: a young female Bosnian refugee has been tortured and murdered. As the trail begins to suggest connections to war atrocities in the Balkans, Tennison finds herself struggling with resistance from higher up, uncooperative and ambitious underlings, and deeply buried secrets. The strength of Prime Suspect has always been how it merges suspenseful detective work with an intricate grasp of police politics, and The Last Witness is no exception. The plot unfolds masterfully, the programme is directed with striking visual style, and Mirren commands the screen. Her authority in this role, honed through five previous series, is unmatchable; the richness of the character--steely, sexy, obsessive, rash, cunning--makes Prime Suspect essential viewing. --Bret Fetzer
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