Tyrin Turner may not have broken out into stardom as was initially expected, but his work in Menace II Society is one of the more powerful cinematic debuts. The film, from the brother writer-director team of Allen and Albert Hughes, chronicles life in the Los Angeles 'hood. Similar territory was covered in the equally commanding Boyz N the Hood, but what makes this cautionary tale stand out is not only the Hughes brothers' forceful story, (written with their friend, Tyger Williams) and direction, but the naturalness of then-newcomer leads Turner as Caine, Larenz Tate as O-Dog, and Jada Pinkett as Ronnie. They are so credible--occasionally frighteningly so--that the repressive universe of violent ghetto life is captured effectively. Life as portrayed here-and no doubt accurately so--is both figuratively and literally narrow. As a very young boy, Caine witnesses his dad murdered over something inconsequential, and his mom OD. His is a world where respect comes from intimidation, power from violence. Despite his understanding of right and wrong (values passed on by a good friend, his kind grandparents, a caring teacher), his life and its entrapments are too much to overcome. --N.F. Mendoza
From its stunning opening sequence, featuring Georgina Hale (who plays the wife of Gustav Mahler in this Ken Russell film) isolated in full mummy wrap and writhing with erotic yearning to the lush strains of her husband's music, Mahler distinguishes itself as the most poetic and archetypal of Russell's great-composer works. A kind of cinematic response to Luchino Visconti's 1971 adaptation of Death in Venice, in which Dirk Bogarde plays a Mahler-esque composer in search of beauty in the plague-filled city, Mahler stars Robert Powell as the great Jewish romantic from 19th-century Vienna, drafting enormous symphonic works in the midst of rising anti-Semitism. Converting to Christianity as a means of survival, Mahler carries on with his work but experiences an erosion of his health and sense of identity. Meanwhile, his self-effacing spouse represses her own creative drives to keep the resident genius afloat, plugging every leak and receding all but invisible into the woodwork. While the film is the least ostentatious of Russell's movies about music, it is hardly conventional--a mix of lyrical tableaux and comic fantasy that adds up to a stirring, dream-like experience. --Tom Keogh
Returning home from a game, a group of varsity basketball players, cheerleaders, and coaches become stranded on the infamous East 9 Highway and must fight a winged nightmare bent upon feasting on human flesh.
Based on Terry McMillan's best-selling novel How Stella Got Her Groove Back, stars Angela Bassett as a 40-year-old, Manhattan stock trader and single mother whose static life gets a jolt during a vacation with her pal (Whoopi Goldberg) in Jamaica. Sparks fly when Bassett meets a 20-year-old stud (Taye Diggs) who has an ambivalent career path but a great body and lots of sexual energy to burn. After some prodding by Goldberg's warm-funny secondary character, Bassett gets it on with the fellow--and proceeds to worry about what she's doing with a man half her age. The film is most enjoyable in its sunny, exotic early scenes and becomes more formulaic once the unlikely couple transports their will-we-stay-together-or-won't-we tensions back to the Big Apple. But director Kevin Rodney Sullivan goes out of his way to make a movie unabashedly thick with fantasy and wish-fulfilment for female audiences (it's Diggs who reveals a lot more flesh than the regal Bassett). This is a Saturday-night movie all around. --Tom Keogh
Taking place on the last day of the Creeper's twenty-three-day feeding frenzy, as the skeptical Sargent Tubbs teams up with a task force hellbent on destroying the Creeper for good. The Creeper fights back in gory glory as its enemies grow closer than ever before to learning the secret of its dark origins.
'Beat The Devil' is a wacky comedy that's played as straight as any film noir and is even funnier as a result. Five men (Bogart Lorre Morley Barnard and Tulli) are out to garner control over East African land which they believe contains a rich uranium ore lode. Billy Dannreuther (Bogart) is married to Maria (Gina Lollobrigida) the other four are their ""business associates"" and Jones and Underdown are added to the mix for some interesting diversification. As the boat leaves from
Tyrin Turner may not have broken out into stardom as was initially expected, but his work in Menace II Society is one of the more powerful cinematic debuts. The film, from the brother writer-director team of Allen and Albert Hughes, chronicles life in the Los Angeles 'hood. Similar territory was covered in the equally commanding Boyz N the Hood, but what makes this cautionary tale stand out is not only the Hughes brothers' forceful story, (written with their friend, Tyger Williams) and direction, but the naturalness of then-newcomer leads Turner as Caine, Larenz Tate as O-Dog, and Jada Pinkett as Ronnie. They are so credible--occasionally frighteningly so--that the repressive universe of violent ghetto life is captured effectively. Life as portrayed here-and no doubt accurately so--is both figuratively and literally narrow. As a very young boy, Caine witnesses his dad murdered over something inconsequential, and his mom OD. His is a world where respect comes from intimidation, power from violence. Despite his understanding of right and wrong (values passed on by a good friend, his kind grandparents, a caring teacher), his life and its entrapments are too much to overcome. --N.F. Mendoza
The story of Edinburgh's most famous four-legged friend comes to life.
Beat the Devil is a wacky comedy that's played as straight as any film noir and is even funnier as a result. Five men (Bogart, Lorre, Morley, Barnard, and Tulli) are out to garner control over East African land which they believe contains a rich uranium ore lode. Billy Dannreuther (Bogart) is married to Maria (Gina Lollobrigida), the other four are their 'business associates', and Jones and Underdown are added to the mix for some interesting diversification. As the boat leaves from Italy to...
Mastermind Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) returns for more fantastical adventures as he continues traveling from universe to universe in the complete third season of Sliders. Along with comrade Wade (Sabrina Lloyd) physics professor Arturo (John Rhys-Davies) and Rembrandt ""Crying Man"" Brown (Cleavant Derricks) Quinn explores new and mysterious Earths; and along the way encounters tornadoes droughts wizards warlocks and even his own younger-self! Featuring a plethora of guest
Available for the first time on DVD. Ken Russell's unusual film biography of the Austrian composer whose unique compositional style altered the evolutionary course of western music. Jealousy over his attractive wife the insanity of a fellow music student his conversion from the Jewish to the Catholic faith the tragic death of his young daughter his own ill health - these are just some of the elements chosen for this symbolic visualisation of Mahler and his music. The flow of t
Steve Forrest stars as John Mannering in 'The Baron' an exciting cult television classic. Antiques dealer John Mannering (known as The Baron) along with his sexy assistant Cordelia works in an informal capacity for the head od the British Diplomatic Intelligence - an informal agreement which invariably puts the jet-setting playboy in dangerous life-or-death situations. Global espionage bank robberies murder - it's all in a day's work for The Baron! Based on the best selling n
Helena Bonham Carter and Gina McKee star in this new British comedy about an unlikely friendship between two Scottish women who help each other through life's ups & downs.
Helena Bonham Carter and Gina McKee star in this new British comedy about an unlikely friendship between two Scottish women who help each other through life's ups & downs.
The story of Edinburgh's most famous four-legged friend comes to life.
Brandon (Brandon Lee) is a tough young man working by day as a car compactor in the auto junkyard and by night as a waiter. Good looking and skilled in martial arts Brandon has one major weakness an unceasing desire to use his might to fight for justice. A so-called friend Michael (Wong) manages to get Brandon framed for the slaughter of a cop and consequently sent to prison. In jail he becomes a close friend of a clever small-time crook called Hoi after coming to Hoi’s aid during a fight with some other inmates. When Brandon learns how he was set up by Michael he and Hoi try unsuccessfully to break out of jail. Six years later they are released and by now Michael has become a Mafia boss leading an army of bloodthirsty thugs. Having armed themselves with the latest weapons Brandon and Hoi declare war on Michael. The final confrontation escalates into a bloodbath that will determine their ultimate fate!
Jeepers Creepers: On a desolate country highway two homeward-bound teens (Gina Philips Justin Long) are nearly run off the road by a maniac in a beat-up truck only to later spot him shoving what appears to be a body down a sewer pipe. But when they stop to investigate they discover that the grisly reality at the bottom of that pipe is far worse than they could have ever suspected and that they are now the targets of an evil far more unspeakable and unstoppable than they could have ever imagined! The Gift: Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) possesses the gift of psychic powers and supports herself and her family by reading the cards to neighbours who want to know what the future may hold. When the wealthy beautiful and sexually promiscuous Jessica King (Katie Holmes) goes missing her bound and ravaged body begins to haunt Annie through her visions. When the murder investigation becomes short on leads the police are forced to turn to Annie's special powers for help. The supernatural becomes terrifyingly real when Annie's gift becomes her only hope to stop the killer before she becomes the next victim. The Mothman Prophecies: Distraught by the sudden tragic death of his wife (Debra Messing) John Klein (Richard Gere) a journalist for The Washington Post finds himself mysteriously drawn to a small West Virginia town when his car inexplicably strands him. Rescued by the sympathetic but skeptical local police sergeant (Laura Linney) he soon learns that many of the town's residents have been beset by bizarre events including sightings of an eerie moth-like entity similar to the one seen by his late wife. Investigating further and having his own terrifying encounters with the creature he becomes obsessed with the idea that this supernatural being can predict impending calamities and is trying to warn the town of one. Is this a psychic delusion brought on by his grief or can he convince the police sergeant that there's a tragedy that must be averted? His life and potentially other's lives depend on his making the right choices before time runs out.
Chris O'Brien (Rory Cochrane) is a rookie and a devout Catholic who is looking forward to a respectable career in law enforcement. On his first day on the force he is partnered with the tough street-smart Nora Hugosian (Gina Gershon) who has the reputation of being the best with her ruthless but effective style. Working together investigating a serial killer O'Brien finds himself drawn to Hugosian. As evidence mounts and the number of bodies increases O'Brien is forced to realise that somebody very close to him could be the prime suspect...
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy