It's 'vege-mania' in Wallace and Gromit's first feature adventure.
The Lakes brought writer Jimmy McGovern and actor John Simm a great deal of critical praise in 1997. Following a particularly dry period for British TV drama, the show's realistic characterisations and their painfully honest decisions hit audiences hard. Simm is a twentysomething trapped in a life of compulsive gambling, theft and being on the dole in Liverpool. On a whim he heads north to the Lake District. He expects to find the countryside quietude where his hidden poetical leanings might find a home, but instead gets caught up in a community like any other. Lies, temptation and tragedy beset every household just as much as the big city. The focus of Series 1 is Danny's relationship with Emma (Emma Cunniffe) and the consequences of having a child. As time races by, his link to the Lakes becomes an exercise in torment when the eyes of blame fall easily upon him after the accidental deaths of four schoolgirls. Stoking the flames of a series of secondary explosions in waiting are a pair of affairs, one adulterous, the other complicated by religion. In the far longer sequel series that came two years later, these back-stories would come to the fore. Although exploring Danny's tortured soul might have been the obvious continuation, instead an almost Hitchcockian murder scenario occupies far more screen time. But by stretching things out, this second series does not have the same self-contained impact of the original. Additional writers only served to drag out Danny's boy-to-man journey. Ultimately, lessons are learned, including the realistic conclusion that life is without a poetical status quo. Despite the tail-off in overall quality, you'd be hard pressed to identify a better British drama in the years since. On the DVD: The Lakes complete series 1 and 2 box set comes with two separate commentary tracks for the very first episode. In interviews, John Simm fondly recalls how cold the lake water was and director David Blair recalls putting him in it. It's a shame the two weren't recorded together. It's also a shame that's all there is in this package. Even a few cast biographies would have been welcome. Picture is 4:3 and stereo sound is as you'd expect from 1990s UK TV. --Paul Tonks
Intergalactic adventure with an interplanetary resistance group battling for survival against a totalitarian super-power. Roaming a universe of boundless space and restrictive discipline freedom-fighter Blake with the crew of spaceship Liberator is locked in combat with the all-powerful forces of the Federation. This DVD release features all 13 episodes from the final series of Blake's 7. Episodes Comprise: 1. Rescue 2. Power 3. Traitor 4. Stardrive 5. Anima
Down-on-their luck, upper-class family rent out a wing of their stately home to a lower-class family.
Explosive high adventure! A mission more daring than silencing the ""Guns"". The survivors of The Guns Of Navarone (Dir. J. Lee Thompson 1961) are given an even more dangerous mission - they must destroy a huge bridge deep in the Balkans. During their journey they join up with 'Force 10' a group of tough American commandoes led by the daring Lt. Colonel Barnsby (Harrison Ford). But on their arrival in Yugoslavia they are captured by the Germans and failure of
A busy bank holiday.... A ham fisted assistant.... Increasing paranoia.... All in a days work... Award winning playwrite Tim Firth (writer of Calendar Girls) creates a new comedy drama set in an electrical superstore. Alan assistant manager at 'Rocket' gets a chance to be the store manager on a busy bank holiday whilst his boss is away. However it seems his boss has laid a trap for Alan in the shape of Frank a mid-60's guy on a trainee scheme. Alan is forced to oversee a man who kn
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