Scooby Doo And The Samurai Sword
For his 41st and final feature film, Joseph H. Lewis was able to combine the two genres in which he had excelled. The man in the director s chair for My Name is Julia Ross, Gun Crazy and The Big Combo, Lewis was one of the all-time greats in film noir. But he was also a fine director of Westerns, having made A Lawless Street, 7th Cavalry and The Halliday Brand, all of which especially the last remain underrated. Terror in a Texas Town would bring his noir sensibilities to the American West, resulting in one of his finest works. McNeil (Sebastian Cabot, The Time Machine) is a greedy hotel owner who wants to take control of Prairie City, the Texas town of the title. Keen to drive the local farmers of their land, McNeil hires a gunman, Johnny Crale (Nedrick Young, who would pen the Oscar-winning screenplay for The Defiant Ones the same year), resulting in the death of a former whaler. The dead man s son, George Hansen (Sterling Hayden, The Killing), arrives in town to inherit the farm and set the stage for revenge armed with only his father s old harpoon... Terror in a Texas Town was written by Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten blacklisted by the film industry and forced to write under pseudonyms or to use fronts . Two years before he helped break the blacklist with on-screen credits for Otto Preminger s Exodus and Stanley Kubrick s Spartacus, his work was credited to Ben Perry, but it demonstrates a psychological depth and political dimension that is undoubtedly that of Trumbo. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: Brand-new 2K restoration from original film elements produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM Audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Introduction by Peter Stanfield, author of Hollywood, Westerns and the 1930s: The Lost Trail and Horse Opera: The Strange History of the Singing Cowboy Scene-select commentaries by Stanfield Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vladimir Zimakov FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing by Glenn Kenny
Teen super spy Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) has to go undercover at an elite London boarding school to track down a missing mind control device.
Directed by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window is an edge-of-your-seat classic starring two of Hollywood's most popular stars. When a professional photographer (James Stewart) is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, he becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbours play out across the courtyard. When he suspects his neighbour of murdering his nagging wife, he enlists his socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to help investigate the suspicious chain of events, leading to one of the most memorable and gripping endings in all of film history. Honoured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies for excellence in film, Rear Window has also been hailed as one of Alfred Hitchcock's most stylish thrillers (Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide). Bonus features: REAR WINDOW ETHICS: AN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY A CONVERSATION WITH SCREENWRITER JOHN MICHAEL HAYES PURE CINEMA: THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MASTER BREAKING BARRIERS: THE SOUND OF HITCHCOCK HITCHCOCK-TRUFFAUT INTERVIEW EXCERPTS MASTERS OF CINEMA FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH JOHN FAWELL, AUTHOR OF HITCHCOCK'S REAR WINDOW: THE WELL-MADE FILM PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS THEATRICAL TRAILER RE-RELEASE TRAILER NARRATED BY JAMES STEWART
Among the five episodes collected here are two of Father Ted's finest half-hours. "Rock-A-Hula Ted" was one of the few episodes in which the writers of the show abandoned any concern for their largely British audience and stacked the script with explicitly Irish references: Craggy Island's "Lovely Girls" festival is a burlesque of the all-too-genuine "Rose Of Tralee" pageant, and fire-breathing pop singer Niamh Connolly--played with aplomb by Clare Grogan--an obvious enough Sinead O'Connor manqué. "New Jack City", meanwhile is the classic episode in which the choleric Father Jack is finally despatched to an old folks' loony bin only to be replaced by the mesmerisingly appalling ragga-fixated chain-smoker Father Fintan Stack. As one of the high points of the Father Ted series this episode is also one of the high points of television comedy. There isn't much wrong with the other three episodes here, either. On the DVD: an interactive menu allows the selection of individual episodes, and segments within those episodes. The only extra feature is the option of watching the episodes with the dialogue replaced with a commentary by co-writer Graham Linehan and actor Ardal O'Hanlon, who plays Father Dougal Maguire. Occasionally interesting and revealing though this is, it gets rapidly wearing in this form, and would have worked much better if transcribed in an accompanying booklet. The disc is presented in 4:3 aspect ratio with English subtitles available.--Andrew Mueller
Anchors Aweigh Given free rein in choreographing Anchors Aweigh, Gene Kelly was eager to do the unexpected. But what? How about doing a dance witha cartoon? collaborator and friend Stanley Donen asked. How about it, indeed. Kelly's live-action fancy footwork with animated Jerry (of Tom and Jerry) remains a milestone of movie fantasy. Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson also headline this wartime tale of two sailors on leave in Hollywood. Sinatra's I Fall in Love Too Easily , the exuberant Kelly/Sinatra We Hate to Leave and other highlights helped Anchors Aweigh weigh in with a 1945 Academy Award for Best Scoring of a musical Picture, plus four more Oscar nominations, inlcuding Best Picture and Actor (Kelly). On the Town New York, New York, it's a wonderful town - especially when sailors Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin have a 24-hour shore leave to see the sights...and when those sights include Ann Miller, Betty Garrett and Vera-Ellen. Robin and the 7 Hoods Robin and the 7 Hoods mirthfully gives the Robin Hood legend a Depression-era, mobtown Chicago setting. There, North Side boss Robbo (Frank Sinatra) hopes to get a leg up in his power struggle with rival racketeer Guy Gisborne (Peter Falk). Robbo sets himself up as a latter-day Robin Hood with philanthropic fronts enabling him to scam the rich, take his cut out and then give to the poor.
Father Ted: The Christmas Special
Anchors Aweigh Given free rein in choreographing Anchors Aweigh, Gene Kelly was eager to do the unexpected. But what? How about doing a dance witha cartoon? collaborator and friend Stanley Donen asked. How about it, indeed. Kelly's live-action fancy footwork with animated Jerry (of Tom and Jerry) remains a milestone of movie fantasy. Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson also headline this wartime tale of two sailors on leave in Hollywood. Sinatra's I Fall in Love Too Easily , the exuberant Kelly/Sinatra We Hate to Leave and other highlights helped Anchors Aweigh weigh in with a 1945 Academy Award for Best Scoring of a musical Picture, plus four more Oscar nominations, inlcuding Best Picture and Actor (Kelly). On the Town New York, New York, it's a wonderful town - especially when sailors Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin have a 24-hour shore leave to see the sights...and when those sights include Ann Miller, Betty Garrett and Vera-Ellen. Robin and the 7 Hoods Robin and the 7 Hoods mirthfully gives the Robin Hood legend a Depression-era, mobtown Chicago setting. There, North Side boss Robbo (Frank Sinatra) hopes to get a leg up in his power struggle with rival racketeer Guy Gisborne (Peter Falk). Robbo sets himself up as a latter-day Robin Hood with philanthropic fronts enabling him to scam the rich, take his cut out and then give to the poor.
A suspenseful tale of murder and wrongful accusation The Last Chance features leading roles for Australian-born actors Frank Leighton and Judy Kelly with typically polished performances from stage and screen star Billy Milton and veteran character player Laurence Hanray. The film is presented here in a brand-new digital transfer from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Alan Burmister leaves Devon on a secret gun-running expedition immediately after his engagement to Mary Perrin is announced; he returns at Christmas to find himself accused of the murder of Ivor Connel a moneylender. Mary's father had always hoped that his daughter would marry John Worrall a rising barrister. Worrall is briefed for the defence but when he loses the case and Alan is condemned to penal servitude for life no one but the judge realises that he has not made use of the best piece of defence evidence...
Pete Postlethwaite is Hubert Flynn Dublin bread deliveryman who loves his pint of Guinness his bet on the horses and his wife Conchita in that order. So when he comes home from the pub one evening and changes into a rat Conchita is slow to forgive. Conchita (played to perfection by Imelda Staunton) at first resists her family's eccentric plans for Hubert but when an opportunistic ghost-writer knocks on the door and proposes to put their story in a book and then a film of the book and a book of the film and riches beyond her dreams... she is tempted. So setting the stage for a series of bizarre and comical adventures for Hubert the rat and his family. Rat is the tale of family values little furry folk and one man's struggle to regain his humanity... literally! Special effects by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
Lets Make Love is a curious picture in many ways: Marilyn Monroe was the superstar, Yves Montand new to Hollywood, but she seems peripheral to the action and he's in almost every scene. Meanwhile director George Cukor, always happy with theatrical material, can't make the off-off-Broadway milieu come to believable life. In short, Let's Make Love lacks the sparkle promised by its talent roster, and for Monroe especially the bloom is off the rose. This 1960 film was her next to last, and she appears weary, although isolated moments have the old oomph (and she has a terrific romp through her first number, Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"). Cameos by Milton Berle, Bing Crosby, and Gene Kelly increase the time-capsule feeling. The biggest failing is the lack of chemistry between Monroe and Montand, yet off-screen they had a romance during filming. A curious picture indeed.--Robert Horton, Amazon.com
Agent Cody Banks Cody Banks (Muniz) seems like a typical teenager - he loves skateboarding hates maths his mum drives him crazy and he feels like a complete idiot around girls. But Cody has a really big secret even his family and best friends don't know: he's actually an elite undercover agent for the CIA. Cody is living every kid's dream. Specially trained at a top secret facility disguised as summer camp Cody can drive like a stuntman jump kick like a pro and has an ar
Craggy Island's population of psychopathic milkmen, Nazi sympathisers and lecherous old ladies means Ted is up against it more than ever. And then there's the not-so small matter of Bishop Brennan's arse to contend with. Luckily for Ted, he has the faithful presence of Dougal and Jack plus an endless supply of Mrs Doyle's tea to help him cope. Special Features: Newly recorded commentary by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews
How far will you go? An award-winning exhilaratingly funny coming-of-age film Cowboys And Angels tells the witty story of two Irish lads - one straight and one gay - from their youthful career ambitions to romance and entanglements with the law. Shane is a shy civil servant striking out on his own; Vincent is a gay fashion design student looking for a roommate. When they cross paths a friendship begins with Vincent helping pull Shane from his shell and sending
Recorded in 1979. A tribute concert for Frank to celebrate 40 years in entertainment. Includes appearanced by Lucille Ball Nancy Sinatra Gene Kelly Tony Bennett Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr.
It is difficult to know who this compilation of nominees for the 2002 BRIT Awards is aimed at. It is implausible that anybody will like everything here, and it is unbelievable that anyone possessed of rudimentary critical faculties will like more than three or four of the artists whose videos feature in this collection. Given the perennial determination of the BRITs to celebrate all that is mediocre, and the fact that 2001 was less than a vintage year by any standards, "BRIT Awards 2002" is mostly rather dismal viewing. There are a few heartening moments: Kylie Minogue releasing a decent single ("Can't Get You out of My Head") is testament more to the law of averages than her musical abilities, but the video is a small masterpiece of choreography and computer imaging. Destiny's Child and Dido also owe particular thanks to their directors, though it might reasonably be argued that the bulldozer that eventually destroys the house in which Dido simpers along to "Thank You" arrives about four minutes too late. Probably coincidentally, the best three videos (and the best three songs) are all animated affairs: Daft Punk's "Digital Love", Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" and Radiohead's typically baleful, and beautiful, "Pyramid Song". On the DVD: That individual tracks can be easily selected is a necessity with a compilation of this sort. The "bonus features" are barely worthy of the phrase: extremely desultory biographies of the artists, and links to the official Web sites of the BRITs and Sony. --Andrew Mueller
In a small parochial house on a tiny outcrop of rock somewhere off the west coast of Ireland, three priests and a housekeeper are locked in an endless series of philosophical debates. Catholicism or cake? Religion or rollerblading? Small cows or big cows that are far away? Welcome to the confusing (and confused) world of Father Ted. Special Features: Interview with writers Newly recorded commentary by Graham Linehan & Arthur Mathews Commentaries
In his directorial debut Michael Sergio reveals the mean streets that run beneath NYC's Hellgate Bridge. In a world where money guns and drugs are a way of life two old enemies Ryan (Rodrick) and Vincent (LaPaglia) confront each other in a battle for love and power. Returning to Astoria Queens after being falsely imprisoned Ryan is drawn to ex-girlfriend Carla(Bayne) who is now married to the small time mobster Vincent. As the secrets that all have kept hidden begin to resurface Ryan again finds himself in a world that he has desperately tried to avoid. Confronted with the reality that he is about to lose everything and seeking redemption for his past actions Ryan turns to the local Priest(Chianese). In a neighborhood where a bridge symbolizes death escape and renewal Ryan learns that sometimes we must all choose between the lesser of two evils.
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