Inspector Kate Longton (Anna Carteret) takes up the mantel from Inspector Jean Darblay (Stephanie Turner) in the fourth series of Juliet Bravo Episodes Comprise: 1.Teamwork 2.Teacher's Pet 3.Retribution 4.Solvent Solution 5.Who's Your Friend 6.Mates 7.Bad Seed 8.Doors 9.Guilt 10.John The Lad 11.Who Says The War Is Over? 12.Off Duty 13.Simple Simon 14.Backtrack
Nowadays, the word "event" is thrown around all too often when describing television programmes, but back in 1983 the debut of V: The Mini Series was a television event in the truest sense. The appearance of gigantic flying saucers over the world's largest cities heralds the arrival of aliens from a distant galaxy who look human and act benevolently. Of course, things aren't exactly what they seem, and when some suspicious humans start to question the visitors' intentions they uncover a vast alien conspiracy, along with some unusual culinary habits. Soon, the visitors have enslaved the Earth under their fascist rule, and small groups of human rebels are forced underground to fight for the freedom of their entire species. But with the future of the planet still in question the epic story comes to an abrupt end, forcing the viewer to wait for the resolution in V: The Final Battle and the on-going series. That's not to say that the original V isn't worth the price of admission: in over three hours, it manages to capture the spirit of the great classic science fiction of the 1950s and 60s. The feeling of paranoia and insecurity that runs throughout the whole thing makes it feel, at times, like an expanded episode of The Twilight Zone, only shinier (hey, it was the 1980s). The special effects were impressive for their day, inspiring similarly themed films in the 90s (the gigantic flying saucers were seen again in Independence Day, and the storage area of the mothership turns up in The X Files Movie and The Matrix). What does irritate, however, is the utter lack of subtlety in the allegorical storyline. In fact, it could only have been made more obvious by demanding that the entire cast wear "This is how it was in 1930s' Germany" t-shirts. But if V occasionally doesn't live up to its own high standards, it's still a remarkably high-quality slice of epic television drama. On the DVD: The picture is an impressive widescreen 1.85:1 ratio and the soundtrack is adequate Dolby stereo. The DVD boasts a feature-length commentary by writer and director Kenneth Johnson, as well as a 25-minute "Behind the Scenes" documentary. --Robert Burrow
Herbie - The Love Bug (1969): The tale of a struggling race car driver named Jim Douglas who only begins winning races once he starts driving Herbie. Elated at his new found success Jim does not realise that it is the Volkswagen who is responsible for the first-place finishes! Herbie Rides Again (1974): Herbie the lovable VW protects Grandma against an evil property tycoon! Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo (1977): The lovable VW Beetle is entered for a road race from Paris to Monte Carlo. He falls in love and gets mistakenly involved in a robbery; will he manage to make it to the finishing line in time? Herbie Goes Bananas (1980): There's disorder south of the border when Herbie the almost human Volkswagen meets Paco the pickpocket and has to dismantle a counterfeiting ring down in Mexico! Herbie - Fully Loaded (2005): Herbie the most beloved movie-car of them all is back and Lindsay Lohan's behind the wheel in Disney's latest revved-up comedy hit! Maggie Peyton the new owner of 'Number 53' puts the free-wheelin' Volkswagen bug through its paces on the road to becoming a NASCAR competitor. Being a third generation member of a NASCAR family racing is in Maggie's blood but she if forbidden from competing by her overprotective father Ray Sr. (Michael Keaton). When Maggie's offered a car as a graduation present she surprisingly ends up with a battered old '63 VW Beetle; but this is no ordinary 'Bug'. As she prepares to leave town for a career at ESPN News Maggie discovers that 'Herbie' has a mind of his own... and an alternate route for her future.
When released in 1997, The Gingerbread Man was the only John Grisham movie that did not use one of the popular novelist's bestsellers as its inspiration. Rather, it's based on an original screenplay by Grisham that displays the author's familiar flair for Southern characters and settings within a labyrinthine plot propelled by his trademark narrative twists and turns. Sporting a spot-on Georgian accent, Kenneth Branagh plays a Savannah attorney who comes to the assistance of a troubled woman (Embeth Davidtz) and finds himself enmeshed in a scenario involving the woman's father (Robert Duvall) that grows increasingly complex and dangerous, where nothing, of course, is really as it seems. It's a totally absorbing movie made in the modern film noir tradition; what's most interesting here (and most underrated by critics at the time) is the combination of Grisham's mainstream mystery and the offbeat style of maverick director Robert Altman. Despite a battle with executives that nearly caused Altman to disown the film, The Gingerbread Man demonstrates the director's skill in bringing a fresh, characteristically offbeat approach to conventional material, especially in the use of a threatening hurricane to hold the plot in a state of dangerous urgency. Unfortunately overlooked during its theatrical release, this intelligent thriller provides a fine double bill with Francis Coppola's film of Grisham's The Rainmaker. --Jeff Shannon
Season Two, the 1994-95 run, of The X Files was the one where creator Chris Carter, having had a surprise hit when he expected a one-season wonder, started trying to make sense of all the storylines he had thrown into the pile in the first year. Moreover, he had to cope with Gillian Anderson's maternity leave by having Scully get abducted by aliens (back then, a pretty fresh device) for a few episodes and come back strangely altered. The season also inaugurated the tradition of opening ("Little Green Men") and closing ("Anasazi") with the show's worst episodes, both pot-boiling attempts to keep the alien infiltration/government conspiracy balls up in the air while seeming to offer narrative forward-thrusts or revelations.But it's also a show noticeably surer of itself than Season One, with its stars reading from the same page in terms of their characters' relationship and attitudes to the wondrous. Scully's no-longer-workable scepticism finally starts to erode in the face of Mulder's increasingly cracked belief. There are fewer marking-time leftover-monster-of-the-week shows--although we do get a human fluke ("The Host"), vampires ("3"), an invisible rapist ("Excelsius Dei") voodoo ("Fresh Bones")--and the flying-saucer stories at last seem to be going somewhere. The powerful two-episode run ("Duane Barry", "Ascension") features Steve Railsback as Mulder's possible future, an FBI agent burned out after a UFO abduction who has become a hostage-taking terrorist, which climaxes with Scully's disappearance into the light. The standout episode is also a stand-alone--"Humbug"--the first and still most successful of the show's self-parodies (written by Darin Morgan, who had played the Flukeman in "The Host"), in which the agents investigate a murder in a circus freakshow, allowing the actors to make fun of the mannerisms they have earnestly built up in a run of solemn, even somnolent, explorations of the murk. Other worthy efforts: "Aubrey", about genetic memory; "Irresistible", a rare (and creepy) straight psycho-chiller with little paranormal content; and "The Calusari", a good ghost/mystery. Rising deputy characters include Nicholas Lea as the perfidious Krycek and Brian Thompson as the shapeshifting alien bounty hunters. Notable guest stars: Charles Martin Smith, C.C.H. Pounder, Leland Orser, Terry O'Quinn, Bruce Weitz, Daniel Benzali, John Savage, Vincent Schiavelli, Tony Shalhoub. --Kim NewmanOn the DVD: The individual episode discs have a small selection of deleted scenes, foreign language clips and behind-the-scenes footage, but the bulk of the extra material is on the final disc. There's not a lot to get to grips with, but what there is consists of a 14-minute documentary about the making of Season Two, with contributions from Chris Carter, various directors, writers and actors (but not the two principals); Carter talking briefly about each episode in turn; a series of short TV spots and pieces about the show's FX and secondary characters; and three very short behind-the-scenes glimpses, one of which has the self-explanatory title "Gillian eats a cricket". There's also a DVD-ROM utility with Web links and a game. --Mark Walker
Film comprise: 1. The Wooden Horse (Dir. Jack Lee 1950) 2. They Who Dare (Dir. Lewis Milestone 1954) 3. Cross Of Iron (Dir. Sam Peckinpah 1977)
Three friends escape their dull lives by taking a leisurely excursion along the Thames in a small boat. However their planned restful journey is interrupted by a number of comic mishaps and adventures as well as complications of a romantic nature as they cross paths with ladies.
This multi-award winning TV comedy show is set in the offices of 'Globelink News' a TV new company whose millionaire tycoon owner prefers a more sensationalist stance in presenting the day's events... Each episode of the show was recorded close to transmission allowing script changes to incorporate maximum topicality! Episodes comprise: 1. In Place of Alex 2. Sally's Accountant 3. Henry's Lost Love 4. Helen'll Fix It 5. Sally's Libel 6. Lady Merchant 7. The New
Three London gentlemen take a vacation rowing down the Thames, encountering various mishaps and misadventures along the way.Tracing the Source: An interview with Jeremy NicholasMessing Around on the River: An interview with Matthew SweetB&W Stills GalleryOriginal Trailer
It's up to a pair of trash-hauling heroes to clean up the city in this action-comedy starring brothers Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez. With hilarious supporting performances and an all-star soundtrack Men At Work is an engaging comic adventure. Garbage men James (Estevez) and Carl (Sheen) dream of opening a surf shop but often land in hot water due to their practical jokes. When they discover the body of a murdered politician on their route they attempt to sniff out the kille
From Director WALTER HILL comes a battle of gigantic proportions looming in the neon underground of New York City. The armies of the night number 100,000; they outnumber the police 5 to 1; and tonight they're after the Warriors a street gang blamed unfairly for a rival gang leader's death. Members of the Warriors fight for their lives, seek to survive in the urban jungle and learn the meaning of loyalty. Special Features Introduction by Director Walter Hill The Warriors 4 Featurettes: The Beginning - Battleground -The Way Home - The Phenomenon Original Theatrical Trailer HD
A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes movie-making back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marvelling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marvelling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a Colosseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
Sarah Jane Adventures: Season 3
Two LAPD homicide detectives investigate the slaying of a rap group that might have been set up by the president of their record label.
This multi-award winning TV comedy show is set in the offices of 'Globelink News' a TV new company whose millionaire tycoon owner prefers a more sensationalist stance in presenting the day's events... Each episode of the show was recorded close to transmission allowing script changes to incorporate maximum topicality! Series 4 Episodes Comprise: 1. The Undiscovered Country 2. Quality Time 3. The Day Of The Mum 4. Births And Deaths 5. Helen's Parents 6. Sally In TV Times 7.
From acclaimed director Mike Leigh, Peterloo is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter's Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reform and protest against rising levels of poverty. Many protesters were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression. The Peterloo Massacre was a defining moment in British democracy which also played a significant role in the founding of The Guardian newspaper.
Things are about to get wild... Your favourite Madagascar pals are back in an all-new adventure! Alex' favourite holiday Valentine's Day brings hilarious surprises and excitement for the entire gang. Melman plans a big surprise for Gloria Marty tries to impress a new friend and everyone wants to get their hands on King Julien's love potion. You'll fall in love with Madly Madagascar!
One of the oddest shows ever mounted for mainstream UK television, Sapphire & Steel was one of ITV's many short-lived attempts at grabbing the sci-fi cult status of the BBC's Doctor Who. Ex-Man From U.N.C.L.E. David McCallum and ex-Avenger Joanna Lumley play human-looking incarnations of the eponymous substances, mysterious investigators working at the behest of an apparent God of Order and zipping about TARDIS-like to cope with anomalies in the time-stream that manifest as apparent supernatural forces in remote English locales like an isolated farmhouse (Adventure One), a deserted rural railway station (Adventure Two) and a high-rise block of flats (Adventure Three). McCallum and Lumley play their "medium atomic weights" with blank style and a few touches of baffled humour, not to mention visual flair in the case of Lumley's blue fashions and occasional glowing eyes. But the lengthy serial format, strictly limited guest casts and claustrophobic confinement to studio floor sets tend to mean individual serials straggle on with a great deal of repetition, providing longeurs as six or eight-part stories seem to take forever to get moving and then resolve. Shot on video, with a few strange 1970s effects (evil follow-spots, floating pillows), this remains prime cult material, though it's hard to sit still for more than one episode at a time. It will take an extremely devoted fan to get through all three adventures in under six months. On the DVD: Sapphire & Steel on disc has to be reckoned a disappointment when compared with the wealth of extra material included on the Gerry Anderson or Doctor Who DVDs. This set stretches only to a few press releases and a TV Times article from the launch of the series that tries hard to build up a mystique about the show which it would take some years to actually acquire. There are basic bios of the two stars, and some unresonant stills. Image quality-wise, this looks much the same as previous VHS releases: shot on video, with only a few tiny film inserts for Adventure Three (on the roof of a London building), the series' transfer to DVD is plagued by artefacting of various kinds (some of which can just about be passed off as visual effects), but then again so were the original transmissions. The pristine look is especially unfortunate in exposing the extremely ordinary trickery as far less terrifying than the onscreen characters make them out to be. --Kim Newman
Mulder continues his search for a cure for Scully's illness even as her genetically altered DNA takes her to the brink of death. Scully's DNA comes into play once again when it proves that she is somehow the mother of a little girl named Emily an incident that could only be related to her abduction years earlier. But in the end it is a young boy named Gibson Praise whose body may actually contain the elusive proof Mulder has been searching for so desperately. Episodes comprise:
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