Can this one-joke spoof possibly be from the same man who gave us The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein? Sadly, the answer is yes. Mel Brooks treads water shamelessly with Robin Hood: Men in Tights and the few laughs to be had depend almost entirely on mocking Kevin Costner's earnest blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves from two years earlier ("Unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent", boasts Cary Elwes' Robin). Not only is this far too easy a target for a skit, but the single-film parody concept is stretched way too thin over an entire movie (Brooks elected to repeat the trick with 1995's Dracula: Dead and Loving It). Elwes models his portrayal on Errol Flynn, but only infrequently gets to have fun with the legend: in the climactic sword fight, for example, the shadow play of Flynn and Basil Rathbone's sheriff is affectionately parodied, but such moments are few and far between. Brooks regular Dom DeLuise chips in with a Marlon Brando impersonation, but everyone else is simply taking off characters from the Costner movie: Patrick Stewart even gives us his best Sean Connery impression as a Scottish Richard I. Brooks himself does his stock Jewish act, this time as Rabbi Tuckman; Isaac Hayes has a small cameo in the Morgan Freeman part but seems to think Jerusalem is in Africa; while his on-screen son (David Chappelle) makes the mistake of reminding the audience of what they are missing: "A black sheriff? Why not, it worked in Blazing Saddles". Indeed it did. On the DVD: Precious few extras here, just a small behind the scenes feature and trailer. But the anamorphic picture looks good. --Mark Walker
The Exterminating Angels
In the closing days of WWII German POWs plot to escape from their Scottish camp with a plan to rejoin the U-Boat fleet from where they were captured...
Jackie Chan is Bei a less-than-successful exercise equipment salesman who yearns for excitement in his life. One day Bei follows his instincts and trails two suspicious men into action and foils their plans. The resulting publicity from Bei's heroism brings him to the attention of a private investigator who informs him that he is actually the long-lost son of a wealthy businessman!
Twelve-year-old Owen has always wanted a dog but hasn't reckoned for Hubble, an interplanetary scout from the Dog Star Sirius!
An early masterpiece from Mike Leigh, Nuts in May is a filmed-for-TV adaptation of an earlier stage play. The cast is small (only five characters who matter), but the acting is impeccable, and the mix of wicked humour and social observation make this one of Leigh's best works. Keith Pratt, a man who fully earns his surname due to his nit-picking obsessions with order and detail, takes his partner Candice-Marie, a well-meaning but irritating hippie, on a camping trip. There they meet Trevor, a shy teacher who finds their enforced friendship intrusive but is too polite to extricate himself, and a brash young couple of bikers, Honky and Finger, whose loud and chaotic personalities lead them into conflict with the repressed and dogmatic Keith. Plot isn't the issue here, since Leigh is far more interested in teasing out the subtleties of human behaviour, which he does with forensic skill in several unforgettable scenes. Funny and painful at the same time, like all Leigh's successes, Nuts in May is brilliantly acted by all concerned, though special mention must go to Roger Sloman, for bringing to life the appalling but ultimately pitiable Keith, and Alison Steadman, whose portrayal of fey, goofy and tragi-comic Candice-Marie is every bit as memorable and nuanced as her more famous turn as Beverley in Leigh's Abigail's Party. --Andy Medhurst
While horror conventions may change from generation to generation, there are ideas that will scare us no matter what time period we inhabit. Dead of Night is a classic horror anthology that effectively plays on those timeless fears. Mervyn Johns stars as a man who has been summoned to a house with a group of strangers he has never met but has seen in his dreams. As they convene, he predicts certain events will happen as they do in his dreams and when they do, the other guests relate their own experiences with the supernatural, including tales of a possessed mirror, a sinister ventriloquist's dummy and an eerie premonition of death. Throughout the group meeting, the protagonist fears something horrible will happen to him and we are left to wonder what it might be. The film's final, revelatory sequence offers an unexpectedly horrific surprise. It may have been made in 1945 but Dead of Night is still spooky. --Bryan Reesman
The Governor was written by Lynda La Plante and tells the story of a female governor who is put in charge of a high-security male prison. Facing various problems including hostage situations and escape attempts the new Governor is challenged not only to overcome the difficulties with in the prison but also the attitude of her fellow male prison guards. Is she up to the task? Features all 6 episodes of Series 1.
In the early morning hours of a cold and gloomy day two young couples awake and begin preperations for a long awaited vacation. None of them anticipate the web of diabolical terror which awaits them on the isolated retreat they have chosen. Only Kay knows the existence of The Slayer and only then in the dark realms of her nightmares. But imagination is about to become reality as the maniacal inanimate things which inhabit Kay's nightmares are unleashed upon the real world...
Christmas wouldn't be the same without Eric and Ernie. Featuring: 'Christmas With Eric And Ernie' and 'Eric And Ernie's Christmas Show'.
Two cops each trained in martial arts investigate the murder of fellow agents...
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