This pilot episode filmed in 1990 by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network stars Patricia Routledge as Hetty and John Graham Davies as DCI Adams. Nobody played Robert or Geoffrey. It wasn't until some years later that the series would get the go-ahead in 1996. In this episode Hetty decides to track down the long lost son of her friend's husband.....
1. Jobs For The BoysChrissie assembles an unofficial building gang but their moonlighting is being watched by the Department of Employment's investigators. A raid by the fraud squad leads to tragedy2. MoonlighterDixie father of four and once the proud foreman is working illicitly on the docks when he discovers happenings that he'd rather not see. Meanwhile after threats from the Department of Employment his wife Freda is too scared to open the door.3. Shop Thy NeighbourChrissie's dole money has been stopped pending the enquiry into the 'moonlighting' affair. With no food in the cupboard the scene is set for a showdown with his wife Angie - this after all was going to be her time4. Yosser's StoryOnce Yosser dreamt of making it big. Now his manic search for work alternates with fruitless efforts to avoid eviction and keep his three children from being taken into care.5. George's Last RideA lifetime of adversity has left George's beliefs unbroken. When the end comes Chrissie discovers a legacy and finds that something must be said.
Stanley Kubrick's dazzling, Academy Award®-winning* achievement is a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) first visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonised space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted space, perhaps even into immortality. Open the pod bay doors, HAL. Let an awesome journey unlike any other begin. This Limited Edition Set Includes: 2001: A Space Odyssey in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray feature and bonus discs Limited Edition SteelBook Case Exclusive Enamel Pin Exclusive Embroidered Patch Special Features: Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood Channel Four Documentary200 1: The Making of a Myth4 Insightful Featurettes:Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 2001: A Space Odyssey A Look Behind the Future What Is Out There? 2001: FX and Early Conceptual ArtworkLook: Stanley Kubrick! Audio-Only Bonus:1966 Kubrick Interview Conducted by Jeremy Bernstein Theatrical Trailer
Two lovers from very different walks of life collide in Model Shop, the first film by French New Wave luminary Jacques Demy (Bay of Angels, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) to be shot in the United States and a zeitgeist-capturing portrait of the late 1960s. Los Angeles architect George Matthews (Gary Lockwood, 2001: A Space Odyssey) is down on his luck. Unemployed, broke and facing imminent deployment to Vietnam, he suddenly and unexpectedly finds himself transfixed by the captivating Lola (Anouk Aimée, reprising her eponymous role from Demy s 1961 film), a pin-up who works in a low rent model shop specialising in erotic photographs. After spending his last $12 to photograph her, George realises they are kindred spirits, both adrift and without hope in the City of Angels, and, during a night of drinking and lovemaking at Lola s apartment, he forges a connection with the damaged woman that will have lasting consequences for them both... Dismissed as a minor entry in Demy s canon at the time of its original release, Model Shop later made Sight & Sound s list of hidden gems that had been unduly overlooked. Replete with Demy s sharp-eyed observations on the human condition and showcasing a masterfully realised sense of both time and place, Demy s American debut is a dreamy, devastating love story about a city and characters at a crossroads between the past and the future. Special Edition Contents: High Definition Blu-rayTM (1080p) presentation of a 2K restoration of the film Original lossless mono soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Isolated music and effects track New audio commentary by actress and writer Illeana Douglas, author of I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived In and Out of the Movies A City Full of Poetry, a new video appreciation by author and critic Philip Kemp Alternate French-language opening and closing titles Theatrical trailer TV spots Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ignatius Fitzpatrick FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Neil Mitchell
The winner of the audience award at this year's Edinburgh Film Festival.
This is a riveting thriller involving a young girl called Kim who is staying alone in a friend's house in Los Angeles. While watching an old black and white film on television she notices that the film is being intercut by a sequence in colour of a man and woman making love. The sequence ends with the man suffocating the woman with a pillow and then bundling her into a plastic bag. Confused and shocked it is only the next day that Kim realises for certain what has happened when a friend informs her that there has been a series of murders in Los Angeles with women found in green plastic bags. As the scenes continue Kim alerts the police and word leaks out to the media of Kim's discovery and the picture is being picked up by a neighbouring scanning TV dish of videos made by the murderer for his own use. Kim's role changes from spectator to victim. As the killer's face is never seen any man becomes a nightmare as she misinterprets friendly gestures from teachers to delivery men. When we think it's all over she gets a phone call. Is the game over yet?
Elvis Presley stars as a rebellious backwoods delinquent gifted with a rare literary talent. Hope Lange is the sympathetic psychiatrist who tries to help him while Tuesday Weld and Millie Perkins round out an all-star cast as his seductive cousin and childhood sweetheart. This is Elvis at his untamed bad-boy best!
The first black recruit in his squad, rookie cop J.J. Johnson (Michael Boatman) struggles to adapt to life on the force when confronted by the inherent prejudices and corruption of his precinct. Immediately positioned as an outsider, along with fellow novice cop Deborah (Lori Petty), J.J witnesses at first hand the brutality and implicit racism of his Caucasian colleagues. When an unlawful search results in the arrest of Teddy Woods (Ice Cube) on dubious murder charges, J.J. risks his job and his life to reveal the truth. Directed by Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding), this thrilling drama shines a light on the deep-rooted racial tensions of the American justice system and the toll of opposing institutionalised bigotry. Extras/Episodes: Interview with director Charles Burnett Fully illustrated booklet
Set during the brief hours of light one day in February when the sea has frozen, The Winter Guest is about how four pairs of people at different stages of life attempt to fill the emptiness in their hearts. While that sounds bleak--and the setting in a small town on the East coast of Scotland is certainly stark--there is considerable human warmth in Alan Rickman's directorial debut. Without a conventional story, Rickman simply cuts between four strands, spending most of the time with the difficult relationship between a mother and daughter, played by real-life parent and offspring Phyllida Law and Emma Thomson. Strong dialogue, with a dash of Samuel's Beckett's existential squabbling angst and outstanding performances make this both funny and touching. Meanwhile Thomson's teenage son begins a tentative romance with the new girl in town, two younger boys bunk off school to the icy beach and a pair of elderly ladies attends a funeral. Ultimately the ice-locked sea and Michael Kamen's crystalline piano score become additional characters, the film offering a pseudo-mysticism akin to Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) while echoing with the spare dramas of Krzysztof Kieslowski; especially Three Colours: White (1994). A beautiful drama that demands attention throughout. --Gary S Dalkin
Billy Elliot: Inside every one of us is a special talent waiting to come out. The trick is finding it. Starring Julie Walters and newcomer Jamie Bell the film (based on a real-life story) follows the progress of little Billy Elliot a motherless 11 year-old from a poor Durham pit village. When young Billy chooses ballet classes over boxing lessons his life is changed forever. He decides to keep the lessons secret from his father a coal miner but when his ballet instructor persuades him to try out for the Royal Ballet School in London Billy must make the choice between family responsibilities and his dreams... Billy Elliot received plenty of recognition at the Academy Awards picking up nominations for Best Supporting Actress Best Director and Best Screenplay. (Dir. Stephen Daldry 2000) Steel Magnolia's: A beautiful bittersweet comedy set in deep south Louisiana 'Steel Magnolias' unites talents of America's finest actresses as six very special friends bonded together by mutual triumphs and tragedies. Despite their differences beautiful Shelby (Julia Roberts) her strong-willed mother M'Lynn (Sally Field) beauty parlour owner Truvy (Dolly Parton) elegant wealthy widow Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) sharp tongued Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine) and mousey newcomer Anelle (Daryl Hannah) enjoy a friendship that spans the boundaries of age and status. Sharing each other's strength and loyalty they face their greatest fears and highest hopes with dry wit and a self-deprecating style... (Dir. Herbert Ross 1989) Erin Brockovich: She brought a small town to its feet and a huge corporation to its knees. A research assistant (Roberts) helps an attorney (Finney) in a lawsuit against a large utility company blamed for causing an outbreak of cancer and other illnesses in a small community. (Dir. Steven Soderbergh 2000)
The complete first series of familial mishaps with the dysfunctional Porter family! On the Surface the Porters are a normal family - indeed even the series' title 2 Point 4 Children the fabled average family size alludes to their normality (as well as the fact that the husband/father is still a bit of a child himself). Yet though the individual members - central-heating engineer Ben; his wife catering worker Bill; and their teenage children David and Jenny - are unexceptional t
Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest.
Meet Maindrian Pace insurance investigator by day unstoppable car thief by night. When a South American drug lord employs Pace to steal 48 cars for him all but one a 1973 Ford Mustang have been successfully stolen. As Pace prepares to finish the job little does he know his boss has tipped off the police. There's only one way out: start driving and don't stop!
Swinging higher than the space needle with the gals and the songs at the famous Worlds Fair! Fun music and Elvis all happen in this romp boasting one of the best backdrops of any Elvis Presley movie: the 1962 Seattle World's Fair with its showpiece Space Needle monorail and more. The King plays pilot-for-hire Mike whose hope of starting his own flying business is grounded by the gambling of his co-pilot Danny (Gary Lockwood). The pair hitch to Seattle where Mike finds romance Danny finds easy marks and both find problems prior to a Happy Ending. Kurt Russell star of 1979's Elvis biopic plays the child who wallops Mike in the shins. And among the 10 songs are I'm Falling in Love Tonight Relax and the gold record One Broken Heart for Sale. If he's selling we're buying!
Sometimes a show cancelled prematurely can still put its competitors to shame. Boomtown was a radical and inventive approach to the ensemble cop show that added up to so much more than just its central gimmick of telling different stories from different perspectives. In fact, after the first few episodes in which the breakneck jumps of viewpoint and the time-frame demanded real attention, it de-emphasised them, while still forcing us to pay attention, making the viewer guess which story we were being told. Devised by award-winning screenwriter Graham Yost and director Jon Avnet, the first series of Boomtown covered a wide variety of cases: everything from baby-stealing to run-ins with the Russian Mafia, from hostage situations in suburban sports stores to rich kids having justice bought for them whether they wanted it or not. It was also the story of its seven central characters: Deputy DA David (Neil McDonough), for example, failing to cope with his growing alcoholism and sense of disillusion, and detective Joel Stevens (Donnie Wahlberg) endlessly reliving the cot-death of his daughter and his wife's attempted suicide. If the show had flaws, they were the slight marginalisation of the central female characters--a crime reporter and a paramedic--and the presence of too many storylines that were as much about teaching the characters a Valuable Lesson as credible crime stories. Nonetheless, it was a stunning show, which deserved a longer life. This complete Series 1 box set at least offers a readily available record of it for those of us who liked it too late. On the DVD: Boomtown, Series 1 DVD box set presents all 18 episodes (a further six were made for Series 2 before the show's cancellation) presented in widescreen 16:9 with the choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 Pro Logic. The only special features are a trailer and the original series pitch video. --Roz Kaveney
Angela's Ashes (Dir. Alan Parker 1999): Angela's Ashes the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir comes to life in this stirring film from acclaimed director Alan Parker (Evita) starring Academy Award-nominee Emily Watson (Breaking The Waves) and Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty). Life in impoverished Depression-era Ireland holds little promise for young Frank McCourt the oldest son in a tightly knit family. Living by his wits cheered by his irrepressible spirit and sustained by his mother's fierce love Frank embarks on an inspiring journey to overcome the poverty of his childhood and reach the land of his dreams: America. Stepmom (Dir. Chris Columbus 1998): Jackie (Susan Sarandon) is a divorced mother of two. Isabel (Julia Roberts) is the career minded girlfriend of Jackie's ex-husband Luke (Ed Harris) forced into the role of unwelcome stepmother to their children. It is the universal dilemma of the 'non-traditional family' they all love the children but the complex interplay between parents step-parents step-children ex-spouses and significant others is decidedly tricky. But when Jackie discovers she is ill both women realise they must put aside their differences to find a common ground and celebrate life to the fullest while they have the chance. Billy Elliot (Dir. Stephen Daldry 1998): Starring Julie Walters and newcomer Jamie Bell the film (based on a real-life story) follows the progress of little Billy Elliot a motherless 11 year-old from a poor Durham pit village. When young Billy chooses ballet classes over boxing lessons his life is changed forever. He decides to keep the lessons secret from his father a coal miner but when his ballet instructor persuades him to try out for the Royal Ballet School in London Billy must make the choice between family responsibilities and his dreams...
A devastating comet strike two years ago has resulted in a world of famine drought and rampaging disease. Mankind's survival rests with seven human guinea pigs who carry immunity to the deadly virus who enlist the help of a bounty hunter...
Statistically the Porters may just be an ordinary family. But there's nothing average about this razor-sharp comedy an endearingly demented portrait of modern family life by Andrew Marshall writer of the Emmy-winning Alexei Sayle's Stuff. Head of the household is Ben a dedicated central-heating engineer and easy-going husband and father. His idea of helping in the house is to change TV channels provided the remote control is within easy reach. Mainstay of the household is Bill a
A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Arthur C Clarke's short story "The Sentinel", 2001: A Space Odyssey is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. When Stanley Kubrick recruited Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film", it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience with the result. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanisation by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient, computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it is supposedly serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its post-millennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative and perfect. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
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