From Director Amma Asante (Belle), starring David Oyelowo (Selma) and Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and set against the breath-taking backdrops of the African savannah and period London, A United Kingdom celebrates the inspiring real-life romance of Seretse Khama, King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1948 in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments. One of the greatest love stories ever told.
With its campy combination of lightweight adventure and Spandex disco chic, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is a nostalgic throwback to post-Star Wars opportunism. Series co-creator Glen A. Larson was incapable of originality, and former soap star Gil Gerard (in the title role) was a bland incarnation of the comic-strip hero, so the much-anticipated series premiered on September 20, 1979, with serious disadvantages. Although the two-hour pilot "Awakening" had tested successfully as a theatrical release, Gerard and the show's producers could never agree on a stable tone for the series, which presents Capt. William "Buck" Rogers as a jovial space cowboy who is accidentally time-warped from 1987 to 2491. Earth is engaged in interplanetary war following a global holocaust, and Buck's piloting skills make him an ideal starfighter recruit for the Earth Defense Directorate, where his closest colleagues are Dr. Huer (Tim O'Connor), squadron leader Col. Wilma Deering (former model Erin Gray, looking oh-so-foxy), the wisecracking robot Twiki (voiced by cartoon legend Mel Blanc), and a portable computer-brain named Dr. Theopolis, who's carried by Twiki like oversized bling-bling. The series struggled through an awkward first season, with routine plots elevated by decent special effects and noteworthy guest stars including Jamie Lee Curtis, ill-fated Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten (appearing, with her voice dubbed over, less than a year before her tragic murder), Batman alumnus Julie Newmar, Buster Crabbe (veteran of vintage Buck Rogers movie serials), and several others in a show that favored vamps and vixens over credible science fiction. A full-scale overhaul resulted in a disastrous second season, but devoted fans still gravitate to Hawk (Thom Christopher), the charismatic alien "birdman" who was introduced with new characters and a new, space-faring search for lost tribes from Earth (with echoes of Larson's own Battlestar Galactica). Behind-the-scenes squabbles continued, and by mid-season of 1981, NBC pulled the plug on a breezy, still-engaging series that suffered from uneasy chemistry and never realized its full potential. Existing somewhere between Galactica and Lost in Space in the TV sci-fi food chain, this Buck--with a dearth of DVD extras--now functions as a cheesy stroll down memory lane. --Jeff Shannon
Like all the best celebrity tributes, Dame Elizabeth Taylor: A Musical Celebration (2001) combines the essence of its subject--in this case, charity work for HIV and AIDS research and a legendary career in movies, both meriting every ounce of recognition--with the fascination of a spectacular car smash. The highlights are the screenings of trailers for some of her best films, including Giant and Butterfield 8 (she won an Oscar but derided the picture) and an archive interview in which she memorably describes a tiresome gossip columnist as "a frustrated old biddy". The live entertainment is far shakier than the event's inspiration, though. Presented by David Frost and Stephen Fry--an uneasy, fawning partnership-- there is some real quality: Andrea Bocelli (sending the guest of honour into transports of delight), John Barry conducting a couple of his most symphonic Bond themes and Reba McEntire, the powerhouse country and western diva-turned-Broadway actress. On the down side, Marti Pellow's self-congratulatory posing would make Robbie Williams seem a model of modesty, Jay Kay's attempts to jazz up a standard are woeful and Ute Lemper is at her most pretentious for a cacophonic "Mack the Knife". Michael Jackson's mute presence at Taylor's side emphasises the hypnotic strangeness of the whole affair, though the Dame herself takes the entire marvellously lurid spectacle in her stride. On the DVD: Dame Elizabeth Taylor: A Musical Celebration comes to DVD with no extra features. A Taylor filmography would have been useful. Otherwise, the 4:3 video aspect ratio reproduces the television gala feel and for sound quality, you can choose between LPCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.2 and DTS surround sound (best for that authentic, muddy Royal Albert Hall acoustic).--Piers Ford
Humorously bringing to life the real and unscripted views of the great British public through animation the issues closest to the hearts of our finned furry and feathered friends are revealed in the episodes: The Pet Shop Iguanas dogs and other potential pets argue about popularity as they face their fear of being left on the shelf. What's It All About? As a grab bag of nature's finest speculate on where they come from a hamster observes that ""the difference betw
The critically acclaimed and brilliantly funny drama from award-winning writer Paul Abbott features the Chatsworth Estate's Gallaghers probably the UK's most dysfunctional family.
From Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan this new thriller follows Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team from the Center for Disease Control in New York City who are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. Episode List: Night Zero The Box Gone Smooth It's Not for Everyone Runaways Occultation For Services Rendered Creatures of the Night The Disappeared Loved Ones The Third Rail Last Rites The Master
How far will you go to protect your family?
This sprawling family saga follows a Hungarian-Jewish family across three generations, and stars Ralph Fiennes as the father, the son, and the grandson in three distinctly different roles. As a Europudding vehicle for Fiennes and a top-drawer cast (including Jennifer Ehle, Rachel Weisz, Deborah Unger, Miriam Margolyes and William Hurt), Sunshine delivers on all fronts: there's glossy melodrama, high-moral seriousness as history wears the family down like the wind, and leitmotifs--the family elixir called "Sunshine" that founds their fortune, semi-incestuous adulterous liaisons, photographs and faces--that thread the epic three-hour narrative together. Fiennes begins as a stiff Budapest lawyer-cum-officer and judge during the First World War, torn when anti-Semitism raises its head. His son is a champion fencer who denounces the family faith to attain advancement but ends up in the Nazi-run labour camps all the same. The last in the line, a policeman this time, must navigate the Stalinist forces of repression and endures through the 1956 uprising to take back the family name and faith. And yet as a film by director István Szabó (Colonel Redl, Mephisto), it's a bit of a soggy disappointment lacking the bile and spit and visual inventiveness that makes the best of his other works so outstanding. Perhaps the fact that Szabó is directing an all-English speaking cast is the problem, leaving the film feeling strangely old-fashioned and paradoxically lacking a sense of place (despite much of it being filmed in Hungary itself). Although there are some charged emotional beats throughout, pretty costumes, and lots of entertainingly tasteful bonking sequences, the fencing sequences in particular become tooth-pullingly tedious and the whole thing seems to drag, especially as it takes itself so seriously. --Leslie Felperin
The complete first season of dramatic adventures with the Atlantis team. A new Stargate team embarks on an incredible journey to the lost city of Atlantis. The team must battle to defeat a gruesome powerful new enemy known as the Wraiths quickly forge new alliances... and simply survive. Their success will dictate whether they live long enough to gather the resources needed to return home from the intergalactic adventure of a lifetime.... Episodes Comprise: 1. Rising (Par
John Thaw stars in this critically acclaimed BBC drama based on the wartime career of Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris the Commander in chief of Bomber Command from 1942-1945.
In 1847, the United States was a land of pioneers, of gold-starved Americans making their way west.
A contemporary adaptation of Nigel Kneale's seminal 1953 science fiction serial. A special two hour live event recreated the story of maverick Professor Bernard Quatermass as he attempted to push back the frontiers of space for Britain only for it to lead to terrifying consequences when his first manned rocket returns from its mission with only one of the three man crew still alive and the world falling under the shadow of a terrifying alien threat. This was an event made even more notable for being the corporation's first live drama broadcast for 21 years.
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.
1. Speak To Me 2. Breathe 3. Time 4. Breathe (reprise) 5. Castellorizon 6. On An Island featuring Crosby & Nash 7. The Blue featuring Crosby & Nash 8. Red Sky At Night 9. This Heaven 10. Then I Close My Eyes featuring Robert Wyatt 11. Smile 12. Take A Breath 13. A Pocketful Of Stones 14. Where We Start 15. Shine On You Crazy Diamond featuring Crosby & Nash 16. Fat Old Sun 17. Coming Back To Life 18. High Hopes 19. Echoes 20. Wish You Were Here 21. Find The Cost Of Freedom featuring Crosby & Nash 22. Arnold Layne featuring David Bowie 23. Comfortably Numb featuring David Bowie
There's Something About Mary recalls the days of the Zucker-Abraham-Zucker movies, in which (often tasteless) gags were piled on at a fierce rate. The difference is that cowriters and codirectors Bobby and Peter Farrelly have also crafted a credible story line and even tossed in some genuine emotional content. The Farrelly brothers' first two pictures, Dumb and Dumber and Kingpin, had some moments of uproarious laughter, but were uneven. With Mary, they've created a consistently hilarious romantic comedy, made all the funnier by the fact that you know that they know that some of their gags go way over the line. Cameron Diaz stars as Mary, every guy's ideal woman. Ben Stiller plays a high-school suitor still hung up on her years later; the obstacles standing between him and her include a number of psychotic suitors, a miserable little pooch and, oh yeah, a murder charge. The Farrellys' admittedly simplistic camera work, which adapts easily to a TV screen, and the fact that you're likely to laugh yourself so silly over certain scenes you'll want to replay them to see what you were missing while you were busy convulsing, make this a perfect film for home-viewing. --David Kronke
Ning Tsai-Shen a humble tax collector arrives in a small town to carry out his work. Unsurprisingly no-one is willing to give him shelter for the night so he ends up spending the night in the haunted Lan Ro temple. There he meets Taoist Swordsman Yen Che-Hsia who warns him to stay out of trouble and the beautiful Nieh Hsiao-Tsing with whom he falls in love. Unfortunately Hsiao-Tsing is a ghost bound for all eternity by a hideous tree spirit...
Based on the true story of Dan Morgan the infamous Australian outlaw once described as the most bloodthirsty ruffian that ever took to the bush' Mad Dog Morgan provides the perfect showcase for the unique star quality of Dennis Hopper (Night Tide, The Last Movie). After witnessing a bloody massacre of Chinese workers on Australia's goldfields, Morgan turns to a life of crime, becoming a bushranger and the scourge of the vicious authorities and, ultimately, a local legend leaving a bloody legacy in his wake. Nominated for two Australian Film Institute Awards, including one for director Philippe Mora (The Beast Within), Mad Dog Morgan is a brutal and uncompromising slice of Ozploitation. Extras New restoration from a 4K scan of the interpositive by Powerhouse Films Two presentations of the film: Mad Dog Morgan, the 103-minute director's cut; and Mad Dog, the 95-minute UK theatrical version Original mono audio Audio commentary with writer-director Philippe Mora and film critic Jake Wilson (2019) Audio commentary with writer-director Philippe Mora (2009) To Shoot a Mad Dog (1976): behind-the-scenes documentary, produced and directed by David Elfick, and featuring extensive interview footage with actor Dennis Hopper Hopping Mad (2019): Mora reflects on the making of Mad Dog Morgan That's Our Mad Dog: A Conversation with Dennis Hopper (2009): retrospective interview with the legendary actor, conducted by Mora Not Quite Hollywood' Interview Excerpts (2008): over an hour of outtakes from Mark Hartley's acclaimed documentary on Australia cinema, featuring Mora, producer Jeremy Thomas, camera operator John Seale, and actors Jack Thompson, Roger Ward and Graeme Blundell Mad Country: Shooting Locations Revisited (2019) with optional audio commentary by Mora Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity material New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Tara Judah, Philippe Mora's pre-production notes on Mad Dog Morgan, archival interview with Mora and producer Jeremy Thomas, Mora on the making of the film, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits Limited edition exclusive poster UK premiere on Blu-ray Limited edition of 2,000 copies for the UK All extras subject to change
The Ronnie Barker Collection (3 Discs)
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