The dark, brooding tone of Conan the Barbarian is replaced in this rousing sequel by a lighter, more humorous tone and one of the campiest casts ever assembled. In Conan the Destroyer, our massively muscular hero (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is assigned by a duplicitous queen (Sarah Douglas) to escort a virgin princess (Olivia d'Abo) on a treacherous trek to a crystal palace where they will retrieve a priceless gemstone. Basketball champ and self-described Lothario Wilt Chamberlain plays Bombaata, a warrior sent on a secret mission to kill Conan, and the androgynous Grace Jones plays Zula, a wild woman who becomes Conan's loyal ally. Some consider this sequel a disappointment but the film makes no apologies for its silliness, and that's the key to its success as gloriously pulpy entertainment. --Jeff Shannon
A groundbreaking screwball caper, 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House was in its own way a rite of passage for Hollywood. Set in 1962 at Faber College, it follows the riotous carryings-on of the Delta Fraternity, into which are initiated freshmen Tom Hulce and Stephen Furst. Among the established house members are Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert and the late John Belushi as Bluto, a belching, lecherous, Jack Daniels guzzling maniac. A debauched house of pranksters (culminating in the famous Deathmobile sequence), Delta stands as a fun alternative to the more strait-laced, crew-cut, unpleasantly repressive norm personified by Omega House. As cowriter the late Doug Kenney puts it, "better to be an animal than a vegetable". Animal House is deliberately set in the pre-JFK assassination, pre-Vietnam era, something not made much of here, but which would have been implicitly understood by its American audience. The film was an enormous success, a rude, liberating catharsis for the latter-day frathousers who watched it. However, decades on, a lot of the humour seems broad, predictable, boorish, oafishly sexist and less witty than Airplane!, made two years later in the same anarchic spirit. Indeed, although it launched the Hollywood careers of several of its players and makers, including Kevin Bacon, director John Landis, Harold Ramis and Tom Hulce, who went on to do fine things, it might well have been inadvertently responsible for the infantilisation of much subsequent Hollywood comedy. Still, there's an undeniable energy that gusts throughout the film and Belushi, whether eating garbage or trying to reinvoke the spirit of America "After the Germans bombed Pearl Harbour" is a joy. On the DVD: Animal House comes to disc in a good transfer, presented in 1.85:1. The main extra is a featurette in which director John Landis, writer Chris Miller and some of the actors talk about the making of the movie. Interestingly, 23 years on, most of those interviewed look better than they did back in 1978, especially Stephen "Flounder" Furst. --David Stubbs
Fourteen-year-old Leo Beiderman (Elijah Wood) did not expect to make an earth-shattering discovery when he joined his high school astronomy club. He didn't expect to make any discoveries at all; he simply hoped that classmate Sarah Hotchner (Leelee Sobieski) would discover him. Yet a photograph he takes through his small telescope makes him co-discoverer of Comet Wolf-Beiderman...a comet that scientists determine is on a fatal collision course with the Earth. What would you do if you
In The Brute, Sarah Douglas (Superman II) gives a courageous performance as Diane, a glamorous fashion model trying to escape the brutal blows of her sadistic husband, fearsomely portrayed by Julian Glover (For Your Eyes Only). After a particularly savage attack, Diane leaves to stay with photographer friend Mark (Bruce Robinson, writer and director of Withnail & I) and his girlfriend Carrie (Suzanne Stone). Finding solidarity with other victims at a nearby women's refuge, she aims to forge a new life alone, but her violent ex-partner is determined to track her down. Written and directed by Gerry O'Hara (The Pleasure Girls, The Bitch), The Brute is an uncompromising exploitation film which dares to tackle the taboo subject of domestic violence. INDICATOR STANDARD EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Powerhouse FilmsTwo presentations of the film: the more explicit export cut (90 mins); and the uncensored UK version, under its pre-release title, The Brute Syndrome (89 mins)Original mono audioAudio commentary with actor Sarah Douglas and writer and critic Kim Newman (2022)Sticks and Stones (2022, 14 mins): director Gerry O'Hara recalls the film's origins and incurring the wrath of the women's liberation movementUK theatrical prologue (1977): a 'psychiatrist' contextualises the film's themesThe Sea Can Kill (1976, 27 mins): Royal Navy short, written and directed by Gerry O'Hara, about surviving a disaster at seaThis Week in Britain: 'Erin Pizzey' (1978, 5 mins): interview with the inspirational founder of the world's first refuge for women, produced by the Central Office of InformationOriginal theatrical trailersImage gallery: promotional and publicity materialNew and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
A groundbreaking screwball caper, 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House was in its own way a rite of passage for Hollywood. Set in 1962 at Faber College, it follows the riotous carryings-on of the Delta Fraternity, into which are initiated freshmen Tom Hulce and Stephen Furst. Among the established house members are Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert and the late John Belushi as Bluto, a belching, lecherous, Jack Daniels guzzling maniac. A debauched house of pranksters (culminating in the famous Deathmobile sequence), Delta stands as a fun alternative to the more strait-laced, crew-cut, unpleasantly repressive norm personified by Omega House. As cowriter the late Doug Kenney puts it, "better to be an animal than a vegetable". Animal House is deliberately set in the pre-JFK assassination, pre-Vietnam era, something not made much of here, but which would have been implicitly understood by its American audience. The film was an enormous success, a rude, liberating catharsis for the latter-day frathousers who watched it. However, decades on, a lot of the humour seems broad, predictable, boorish, oafishly sexist and less witty than Airplane!, made two years later in the same anarchic spirit. Indeed, although it launched the Hollywood careers of several of its players and makers, including Kevin Bacon, director John Landis, Harold Ramis and Tom Hulce, who went on to do fine things, it might well have been inadvertently responsible for the infantilisation of much subsequent Hollywood comedy. Still, there's an undeniable energy that gusts throughout the film and Belushi, whether eating garbage or trying to reinvoke the spirit of America "After the Germans bombed Pearl Harbour" is a joy. On the DVD: Animal House comes to disc in a good transfer, presented in 1.85:1. The main extra is a featurette in which director John Landis, writer Chris Miller and some of the actors talk about the making of the movie. Interestingly, 23 years on, most of those interviewed look better than they did back in 1978, especially Stephen "Flounder" Furst. --David Stubbs
In The Brute, Sarah Douglas (Superman II) gives a courageous performance as Diane, a glamorous fashion model trying to escape the brutal blows of her sadistic husband, fearsomely portrayed by Julian Glover (For Your Eyes Only). After a particularly savage attack, Diane leaves to stay with photographer friend Mark (Bruce Robinson, writer and director of Withnail & I) and his girlfriend Carrie (Suzanne Stone). Finding solidarity with other victims at a nearby women's refuge, she aims to forge a new life alone, but her violent ex-partner is determined to track her down. Written and directed by Gerry O'Hara (The Pleasure Girls, The Bitch), The Brute is an uncompromising exploitation film which dares to tackle the taboo subject of domestic violence. Unseen since the days of early days of VHS, The Brute now returns in a Blu-ray worldwide premiere.
Basic Instinct: A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger. Michael Douglas stars as Nick Curran a tough but vulnerable detective. Sharon Stone costars as Catherine Tramell a cold calculating and beautiful novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite. Catherine becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered - a crime she had described in her latest novel. Has she been set up by a jealous rival or is she guilty? Obsessed with cracking the case Nick descends into San Francisco's forbidden underground where suspicions mount bodies fall and he finds within himself an instinct more basic than survival. (Dir. Paul Verhoeven 1992) Basic Instinct 2: Everything interesting begins in the mind. Dr. Michael Glass (Morrissey) a respected London criminal psychiatrist is brought in by Scotland Yard detective Roy Washburn (Thewlis) to perform a psychiatric profile and evaluation of novelist Catherine Tramell (Stone) following the mysterious death of a top sports star. Physically drawn to Tramell and mentally intrigued by her Glass is quickly sucked into her web of lies and seduction. The professional boundaries between Glass and Tramell are obliterated when she uncovers his basic instincts... (Dir. Michael Caton-Jones 2006)
In a land where battles are fought with swords and magic, a young heroine rises to glory as Templars, mages, and dragons clash. Cassandra, a brash and beautiful warrior, must stop a conspiracy that threatens the realm's most powerful religious order. Accused of treasonous crimes and hunted by friend and foe, Cassandra must clear her name and overcome her rage in order to save the day and take her place in legend.
Rancher Taw Jackson (Wayne) is dead-set on capturing an ironclad stagecoach belonging to the cattle baron who stole his fortune and tarnished his good name years before. To pull off the heist Jackson puts together a crew that includes an old character a half-civilized Indian a young drunk and a cocky gunfighter...
With more than a decade of cinema in Basic Instinct's wake it's fascinating to look back at just how influential Paul Verhoeven's "erotic thriller" has been. The director's endless fight with censorship and unwillingness to kowtow to social mores meant his movies became notorious for graphically depicting sex and violence while pushing contemporary boundaries of taste. This whodunit about a bisexual femme fatale (Sharon Stone in a career-best performance) caused an enormous furore on its release; but after years of generally inferior imitations there's not much in it that seems quite so shocking now. It's perhaps best appreciated in retrospect more for its Hitchcockian style than the steamy sex. On the DVD: one of the most welcome elements of the disc is an acknowledgement of the film's own influences--from Hitchcock's Vertigo to Verhoeven's own The Fourth Man. The print is far superior to the previous release, looking magnificent in 1:78.1. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-nominated score sounds terrific in either 5.1 or DTS, as does Verhoeven's thick accent on the first commentary track alongside then Director of Photography Jan De Bont (Speed), who together reminisce on locations and manipulating their actors' performances. A second commentary from feminist critic Camille Paglia is a brave way of putting paid to the gay/feminist community uproar. There are some standard inclusions (trailer, production notes, photo gallery etc) but far more interesting are two mini-documentaries; "Cleaning Up Basic Instinct" shows how and why the TV version was so dull, while "Blonde Poison" focuses on the film's making and marketing. Finally, there are three storyboard comparisons and nine minutes of screen tests for Stone and Tripplehorn. This is the definitive release of an oft-cited modern classic. --Paul Tonks
The fate of all realms is at risk when Rayden protector of the Earth Realm and Shao Khan the evil emperor of the Outworld pit their mighty powers against each other in a brutal and final showdown... Based on the video game Mortal Kombat.
John Wayne teams up with Kirk Douglas in The War Wagon an action-packed western. Wayne plays rancher Taw Jackson who's dead set on capturing an iron-clad stagecoach belonging to a cattle baron who stole his fortune and tarnished his good name years before. To pull off the heist Jackson puts together a crew that includes an old character a half civilised Indian a young drunk and a cocky gunfighter. Of course they manage the impossible to the tune of half a million dollars in gold bullion and the music of Academy Award - winner Dimitri Tiomkin.
A collection of classic Westerns starring the icon John Wayne. Films comprise: 1. Dark Command 2. Tall in the Saddle 3. Angel and the Bad Man 4. The Fighting Kentuckian 5. The War Wagon 6. Rooster Cogburn
Rain Man (Dir. Barry Levinson 1988): Dustin Hoffman joins Tom Cruise to bring a funny and moving tale of brotherly love to the screen. Heartless Charlie Babbitt expects a vast inheritance after his estranged father dies. But Raymond his institutionalised older brother someone he's been totally unaware of is willed the entire fortune instead. Raymond is an 'autistic Savant' with severely limited mental abilities in some areas but with genius gifts in others. When Charlie kidnaps Raymond the crazy cross-country drive back to Los Angeles teaches them both a few lessons in life. For as they overcome their mutual distrust of each other a deep bond is forged as they painfully share past memories present problems and a possible shining future together. Die Hard (Dir. John McTiernan 1988: New York cop John McClane facing Christmas alone flies to Los Angeles to see his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and their kids in an attempt to patch things up. He arrives at his wife's high tech office building in the middle of their Christmas party just as it is gatecrashed by the ruthless master criminal Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and a dozen fellow activists intent on relieving the Nakatomi Corporation of six hundred million dollars in negotiable bonds... Platoon (Dir. Oliver Stone 1986): Writer/director Oliver Stone has created a personal and searing testament to the men who fought the war in Vietnam. Seen through the eyes of a college drop-out the war is a real nightmare a private hell of fears from outside and in with enemies on both sides of the line. His platoon's allegiance is split between leaders Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias. Barnes is a scar-faced gung-ho fanatic bent on destroying the elusive Viet Cong and anyone who disagrees with him. Elias is a different type of soldier--he has lost faith in the war but not in man. Friction between the two sergeants leads to a second war as deadly as the one being waged against the enemy. Raging Bull (Dir. Martin Scorsese 1980): Raging Bull is arguably the finest work from the Scorsese and De Niro partnership. De Niro gives an amazing portrayal of a man whose animal side lurks just beneath the surface ever ready to erupt. Vivid and unremitting in its uncompromising brutality and honesty the fight sequences are famed for their realism. Violent throughout this film is a testament to Scorsese's and De Niro skills creating a thoroughly absorbing film about such an unlikable character. Renowned for throwing himself into the roles of the character De Niro went on a diet to gain fifty pounds during the production for the role of the faded star. Terminator (Dir. James Cameron 1987): In 2029 giant super-computers dominate the planet hell-bent on exterminating the human race! And to destroy man's future by changing the past they send an indestructible cyborg - a Terminator - back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) the woman whose unborn son will become mankind's only hope. Can Sarah protect herself from this unstoppable menace to save the life of her unborn child? Or will the human race be extinguished by one mean hunk of mutant metal?
If you lost your past would you want it back? Just imagine waking up tomorrow with no memory of today or any other since the day of your birth. Imagine living without a history without experience no relationships no past troubles. Imagine starting your life over again making a new set of friends finding new talents and falling in love for the first time. Imagine what it's like to see the world anew. On the 2nd July 2003 Doug Bruce left his apartment on the Lower East Side at about 8pm. No one knew where he was going. No one knew he'd gone. He turned up 11 hours later on the New York subway heading to Coney Island. He had no idea who he was. Unknown White Male is the startling story of a man who for no apparent reason lost 37 years of life history who lost every memory of his friends his family and every experience he had ever known. This true story follows Doug in the hours and months following his amnesia as he tries to piece his life back together and has to discover the world again..
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