German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff's 1985 production of Arthur Miller's most famous play Death of a Salesman appeared squarely and quite hauntingly in the middle of the go-go economy of the Reagan-Bush years. Miller's story, set during the post-war boom period of the late 1940s, concerns an ageing travelling salesman named Willy Loman (Dustin Hoffman), who despairs that his life his been lived in vain. Facing dispensability and insignificance in a heated, youthful economy, Willy is not ready to part with his cherished fantasies of an America that loves and admires him for personable triumphs in the marketplace. But the reality is far more pitiable than that, and the measure of Willy's self-delusion and contradictions is found in his two sons, one (Stephen Lang) a ne'er-do-well gliding on inherited hot air and repressed feelings, and the other (John Malkovich) a mousy, retiring sort unable to reconcile--or forgive--the difference between his father's desperate impersonation of success and the truth. Schlöndorff's remarkable cast explores Miller's rich subtext to great effect, though Hoffman--despite giving us a new model of Willy to contrast with Lee J Cobb's definitive portrayal a generation before--is a bit insect-like and shrill in his approach. Malkovich, Lang, and Kate Reid (as Willy's long-suffering wife) are perfect, however, and the production is atmospheric and strong. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Charles Dicken's classical story about the young orphan boy in 1837 England is adapted for the small screen by Tony Bill...
When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and story lines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep-down sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford
Teen super spy Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) has to go undercover at an elite London boarding school to track down a missing mind control device.
The Queen of Versailles follows billionaires Jackie and David's rags-to-riches story to uncover the innate virtues and flaws of the American dream. We open on the triumphant construction of the biggest house in America, a sprawling, 90,000-square-foot mansion inspired by Versailles. Since a booming time-share business built on the real-estate bubble is financing it, the economic crisis brings progress to a halt and seals the fate of its owners. We witness the impact of this turn of fortune over the next two years in a riveting film fraught with delusion, denial, and self-effacing humour.
Brigitte is an addict. After mixing blood with her late sister Ginger in an attempt to learn more about the condition she has been infected with 'the curse'. Each day the curse in her grows stronger and she must increase her dosage of injections. When she is found laying face down in the snow after a near-escape from another beast she is thrown in drug rehabilitation: locked behind doors without her life-saving antidote...
Ed Harris plays the captain of a Cold War Soviet missile submarine who has secretly been suffering from seizures that alter his perception of reality. Forced to leave his wife and daughter, he is rushed into a classified mission, where he is haunted by his past and challenged by a rogue KGB group (led by David Duchovny) bent on seizing control of the ship's nuclear missile. With the fate of humanity in his hands, Harris discovers he's been chosen for this mission in the belief he would fail. ...
When giant monsters crawl out of the Atlantic Ocean and attack the Eastern Seaboard, the US Government is forced to trust experimental mech bots, piloted by inexperienced airmen. When the first defense fails, it's up to the three pilots to prove their worth by saving New York from the monsters.
Golden Globe winner David Duchovny is back as the impulsive, talented novelist and screenwriter who returns to L.A. for all 12 episodes from the riveting fifth season. His career may be in the fast lane, but Hank is still stalled when it comes to women. Although he pines for the life he had with former lover Karen (Natascha McElhone) and daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin), his destructive ex-girlfriend has plans for their future and he can't seem to keep his hands off a bevy of new Hollywood b...
Made-for-TV comedy drama based on the novel by Sue Townsend. Following the election of the Republican Party, the United Kingdom's new Prime Minister, Jack Barker (David Walliams), carries out his campaign promise to abolish the country's monarchy. Stripped of their vast wealth, the Royal Family is forced to relocate to a council estate in the Midlands, where they struggle to fit in and adjust to their new surroundings.
When others see nothing she sees the truth. Patricia Arquette stars as Allison Dubois - a young mother blessed with psychic abilities who helps District Attorney Manuel Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) and detective Lee Scanlon (David Cubitt) by using her mind to uncover the dark secrets of vicious killers. Medium: Season 3 sees other forces threaten her husband Joe (Jake Weber) and oldest daughters Ariel (Sofia Vassilieva) and Bridgette (Maria Lark). But how can she refuse to listen to the dead when they call out to her in her dreams?
The master of Italian horror, Lucio Fulci, stars as... Lucio Fulci, a filmmaker with a reputation for gruesome horror films. His body of work has started to plague his mental state, and he is haunted by the grotesque set-pieces his mind has conjured up during his career. His psychiatrist, Egon Swharz (David L. Thompson), uses a hypnotised Fulci as an avatar to carry out his own disturbed fantasies, in hopes of ruining the master's reputation once and for all. The most personal film in the career of Lucio Fulci, A Cat in the Brain is essential viewing for any self-respecting fan. This nightmarish satire on Italian horror cinema is a fascinating insight into one of horror cinemas most endearing figures. Re-discover this neglected gem today, thanks to this stunning HD presentation from 88 Films!
FBI agent Cathy Weaver (Winger) goes undercover to investigate a suspect in the murder of a local radio personality. As she becomes romantically interested in the apparently innocent Simmons (Berenger) Weaver uncovers an extremist group armed for murder. A horrifying network of violence stretches from the ordinary man in the street to high level government officials. What follows is a shockwave of discovery as Weaver confronts the man she thought she loved and the criminal she mus
Steven Spielberg takes us behind the cameras for the making of a classic movie. Jaws stunned the world when it hit the screens in 1975 breaking all existing box office records and grossing $470 million dollars worldwide. Terror gripped the globe as a 25-foot great white shark captured the world's attention and made sure no one ever felt safe going into the water again. The film made its young director Steven Spielberg a superstar won three Oscars and inspired numerous imitations and countless shark phobias. This special celebrates the classic movie looking back at the film's origins as a bestselling novel adapted to become the first real summer blockbuster.
From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. It's the early 1970s, and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The young detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream. Produced by the team behind the Academy-Award® winning Get Out.
THE BELKO EXPERIMENT explores a twisted social experiment, in which a group of 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogata, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.
Carry On Girls was the last really successful film in the epic series of British film comedies. It's studded with gems of cameo performances and boasts a tremendously innuendo-laden Talbot Rothwell script which is easily the equal of any of its predecessors. The setting, a beauty contest to raise the profile of the dismal resort Fircombe-on-Sea, is ripe for politically incorrect activity of the sort that could only be conducted by Sid James at the height of his lecherous powers. Enter Bernard Bresslaw in a corset, Wendy Richard as Ida Downs, Barbara Windsor as Miss Easy Rider and a host of other semi-clad lovelies and watch as the whole thing rises to a slapstick climax of frisky old colonels, bikinis, bosoms and itching powder. In the smaller roles, Joan Hickson (BBC television's Miss Marple) is hilarious as an elderly woman who believes she is a man-magnet, and the always under-used Patsy Rowlands excels as the downtrodden mayor's wife, a worm who finally turns. But in many ways this is June Whitfield's film: as the terrifying reactionary councillor Mrs Prodworthy, with a butch lesbian sidekick, she plots the downfall of her male colleagues with classic lines. "Rosemary, get the candle", she orders as Patsy Rowlands requests initiation. --Piers Ford
GREED tells the story of self-made British billionaire Sir Richard McCreadie (Steve Coogan), whose retail empire is in crisis. For 30 years he has ruled the world of retail fashion bringing the high street to the catwalk and the catwalk to the high street but after a damaging public inquiry, his image is tarnished. To save his reputation, he decides to bounce back with a highly publicised and extravagant party celebrating his 60th birthday on the Greek island of Mykonos. A satire on the grotesque inequality of wealth in the fashion industry, the film sees McCreadie's rise and fall through the eyes of his biographer, Nick (David Mitchell).
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy