In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60 year old taxi driver, stole Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery's history. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly - he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television. What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only 50 years later did the full story emerge - Kempton had spun a web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage - how and why he used the Duke to achieve that is a wonderfully uplifting tale.
After the critical success of 1993's The Secret Garden, Warner Bros returned to the novels of Frances Hodgson Burnett to create this 1995 adaptation of A Little Princess, which instantly ranked with The Secret Garden as one of the finest children's films of the 1990s. Neither film was a huge box-office success, but their quality speaks for itself, and A Little Princess has all the ingredients of a timeless classic. A marvel of production design, the film features lavish sets built almost entirely on a studio backlot in Burbank, California. The story opens in New York just before the outbreak of World War I, when young Sara (Liesel Matthews) is enrolled in private boarding school while her father goes off to war. Under the domineering scrutiny of the school's wicked headmistress, Miss Minchen (Eleanor Bron), Sara quickly becomes popular with her schoolmates, but fate intervenes and she soon faces a stern reversal of fortune, resorting to wild flights of fancy to cope with an unexpectedly harsh reality. Rather than label her fanciful tales as escapist fantasy, A Little Princess actively encourages a child's power of imagination--a power that can be used to learn, grow, and adapt to a world that is often cruel and difficult. It's also one of the most visually beautiful films of the 90s and creates a fully detailed world within the boarding school--a place where imagination is vital to survival. A first-class production in every respect, this is one family film that should (if it's not too stuffy to say it) be considered required viewing for parents and kids alike. --Jeff Shannon
Behind every great love is a great story. its sweeping and emotional force. As teenagers, Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) begin a whirlwind courtship that soon blossoms into tender intimacy. The young couple is quickly separated by Allies upper-class parents who insist that Noah isnt right for her. Several years pass, and when they meet again, their passion is rekindled, forcing Allie to choose between her soulmate and class order. This beautiful tale has a particularly special meaning to an older gentleman (James Garner) who regularly reads the timeless love story to his aging companion (Gena Rowlands). Based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking and will capture you in.
The most widely seen movie produced by a Hollywood studio, The Sound of Music grows fresher with each viewing. Though it was planned meticulously in pre-production (save for the scene where Maria and the children take a dipping in an Austrian lake that nearly cost a life), on each viewing one is struck anew by the spontaneous almost improvisatory air of the acting, notably of Julie Andrews under Robert Wise's direction. There are also the little human touches he brings to, for instance, the scene where Maria leads the children to the hills, over bridges and along tow paths where the smallest boy trips up and momentarily gets left behind: it creates a feeling that most of us have encountered. From the opening pre-credit sequence of muted excitement as the camera roves over the Austrian Alps (photographed in magnificent colour), where little phrases from the wind instruments on the soundtrack are flung as if on the breeze, foreshadowing the title song to follow, the production never puts a foot wrong. On the DVD: On the first disc the film itself has never looked or sounded better since its original presentation in Todd AO (prints of which are said to have disappeared forever). The disc also contains a separate audio guide that takes the viewer through the film sequence by sequence, with director Robert Wise commenting on the weather, the production design by Boris Leven, the sequences filmed on location and in Hollywood (like the interiors of the Von Trapp villa), and the naming of other actors who were eager for the lead roles, notably Doris Day and Yul Brynner. On the second disc there are the documentaries. "Salzburg Sight and Sound" was Charmian Carr's own record of her time on location in the summer of 1964, playing Liesl, the eldest Von Trapp daughter. "From Fact to Fiction", running two hours, begins with the birth of Maria in 1905 who inspired the film, charts her subsequent marriage to Captain Von Trapp, their escape from Nazi Germany not across the Alps but via a train across the Italian boarder, their home in Vermont and thence to the German film of the family that was brought to the attention of Rodgers and Hammerstein as an ideal vehicle for a stage musical. A second group of documentaries covers previews, television and radio commercials and a 1973 interview with Wise and Andrews. Overall, this is a marathon package but in its way is as compelling as the film itself. --Adrian Edwards
Oscar-nominee Casey Affleck* (Interstellar, Gone Baby Gone) stars as Lee, a man whose spare existence is suddenly ruptured when the death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler, Carol, The Wolf of Wall Street) forces him to return to the hometown he abandoned years before. Rocked by contact with his estranged ex-wife (Oscar-nominee** Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn) and the revelation that Joe has made him guardian of his teenage son (Lucas Hedges), Lee is forced to face up to painful memories and new-found levels of responsibility as he reconnects with his family. Nominee, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford, 2008 Nominee, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, My Week With Marilyn, 2012
Princess Diaries (Dir. Garry Marshall 2001): Academy Award'' Winner Julie Andrews enchanting newcomer Anne Hathaway and Hector Elizondo (Pretty Woman) lead a charmed cast in Disney's The Princess Diaries a hilarious hip and heartwarming modern day Cinderella story. Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) is a bright but terribly shy and gawky teenager whose goal in life is to survive each school day with a minimum of attention and embarrassment. Unfortunately her wish to be invisible is thwarted when her estranged grandmother arrives and delivers the shocking news that she's a real-life princess - heir to the throne of Genovia! Furious and incredulous the reluctant royal agrees to take princess lessons and make the biggest decision of her life - in three weeks. And so begins a comical transformation towards poise and princess-ness when she finds herself in the middle of a media storm jealous schoolmates and a plot to take over her country. Funny uplifting and affirming - your entire family will thoroughly enjoy this crown jewel. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (Dir. Garry Marshall 2004): As a teenager ugly duckling Mia (Anne Hathaway) learned that she was actually a princess. Now that the Princess has completed college in America she is returning to her country Genovia. Since Mia is turning 21 Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews) plans to step down and give her granddaughter the throne. But evil Viscount Mabrey (Jonathan Rhys-Davies) believes his nephew is the rightful heir and Parliament decides that Mia will have to abide by an age-old Genovian law: no Queen shall rule without a husband. Mia has just thirty days to marry if she is to retain the throne that her family has held for over 500 years. The kindhearted but clumsy princess also has to win over the Genovian people and survive the constant paparazzi. Although a charming Englishman (Callum Blue) seems to fit the arranged marriage bill Mia also finds herself drawn to the very man that is vying for the throne the dashing Nicholas (Chris Pine). But can she trust her foe's intentions? Will Mia follow her heart or sacrifice love for her country?
By now, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have amassed such a fund of goodwill with moviegoers that any new onscreen pairing brings nearly reflexive smiles. In You've Got Mail, the quintessential boy and girl next door repeat the tentative romantic crescendo that made Sleepless in Seattle, writer-director Nora Ephron's previous excursion with the duo, a massive hit. The prospective couple do actually meet face to face early on but Mail otherwise repeats the earlier feature's gentle, extended tease of saving its romantic resolution until the final, gauzy shot. The underlying narrative is an even more old-fashioned romantic pas de deux that is casually hooked to a newfangled device. The script, cowritten by the director and her sister, Delia Ephron, updates and relocates the Ernst Lubitsch classic, The Shop Around the Corner, to contemporary Manhattan, where Joe Fox (Hanks) is a cheerfully rapacious merchant whose chain of book superstores is gobbling up smaller, more specialized shops such as the children's bookstore owned by Kathleen Kelly (Ryan). Their lives run in close parallel in the same idealized neighbourhood yet they first meet anonymously, online, where they gradually nurture a warm, even intimate correspondence. As they begin to wonder whether this e-mail flirtation might lead them to be soul mates, however, they meet and clash over their colliding business fortunes. It's no small testament to the two stars that we wind up liking and caring about them despite the inevitable (and highly manipulative) arc of the plot. Although their chemistry transcended the consciously improbable romantic premise of Sleepless, enabling director Ephron to attain a kind of amorous soufflé, this time around there's a slow leak that considerably deflates the affair. Less credulous viewers will challenge Joe's logic in prolonging the concealment of his online identity from Kathleen, and may shake their heads at Ephron's reinvention of Manhattan as a spotless, sun-dappled wonderland where everybody lives in million-dollar apartments and colour co-ordinates their wardrobes for cocktail parties. --Sam Sutherland
The Land Before Time: In a long-ago age of rumbling volcanoes and perilous earthquakes a young bracheosaurus named Little Foot suddenly finds himself on his own. Setting to find the lush feeding grounds of the legendary Great Valley he meets up with four other young dinosaurs who agree to join his quest. On their daring trek across a landscape filled with excitement and danger the brave little band encounters hungry predators and daunting challenges as they discover new lessons in life and the importance of teamwork. Presented by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas with direction by Don Bluth The Land Before Time is a brilliantly imaginative delightfully animated tale of friendship loyalty and love certain to capture the hearts of viewers young and old. Land Before Time 2: The Great Valley Adventure Everybody's favourite prehistoric pals are back! Join Littlefoot Cera Spike Ducky and Petrie in this delightful all-new feature-length movie. It's an exciting treat filled with original songs brilliant animation and the beloved dinosaurs from the family classic The Land Before Time. The enchanting tale continues in the beautiful peaceful Great Valley where Littlefoot and his plant-eating friends live and play under the watchful eyes of their parents. But when mischievous Cera coaxes the group into the forbidden 'Mysterious Beyond' they soon find themselves in big trouble! The excitement begins when they encounter two egg-snatching struthiomimuses named Ozzie and Strut a thundering landslide a pair of ferocious Sharpteeth and most amazing at all a mysterious egg that's just about to hatch! In the course of their surprising adventure Littlefoot and company learn just how hard it is to be a grown up - and how nice it is to be a kid! - in this captivating story of hope love and trust. The Land Before Time 3: The Time Of The Great Giving Join your favourite prehistoric pals Littlefoot Cera Ducky Spike and Petrie - plus three mischievous new dinosaurs - for another exciting adventure in The Land Before Time. This heartwarming tale features dazzling animation sparkling new songs written by Amanda McBroom (The Rose) and Michelle Brourman and a memorable message about cooperation and team spirit. A huge meteorite has plunged into the Great Valley cutting off the water supply and causing tension among the once-peaceful dinosaurs. Eager to help Littlefoot and his friends search for more water and find a large pool trapped between the Great Valley and the 'Mysterious Beyond' home of the dreaded Sharpteeth! The adventure unfolds as the youngsters tangle with neighbour dinosaur bullies dodge a fierce fire and encounter angry velociraptors. Even though danger seems close at hand Littlefoot learns together with family and friends that when you work together you can move mountains. This colorful song-filled story will charm children and grown-ups alike with its hopeful upbeat theme of sharing and caring set against the lush backdrop of a fantastic primeval world.
Poltergeist: They're here, playful at first...but not for long. Little Carol Anne Freeling is whisked into a spectral void. As her family confronts horrors galore, something else is here too: a new benchmark in Hollywood ghost stories. Producers Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall and director Tobe Hooper head the elite scream team of this classic chiller. Poltergeist II: The Other Side The sinister supernatural forces return in this thrilling follow-up to the smash hit Poltergeist. The Freeling family settles into a new home, but the spirits of the dead are still hell-bent on luring daughter Carol Anne to the other side. Poltergeist III In this riveting finale to the Poltergeist trilogy, Carol Anne is sent to live in a Chicago high-rise with her aunt and uncle. She must face otherworldly demons more frightening than ever before as they take over the entire skyscraper.
Three film students head into the woodlands of Maryland in search of the Blair Witch, a local legend that has haunted the town of Burkittsville for centuries, as part of a documentary project. They were never seen again. This footage is all that remains of that fateful excursion. Special Features - ¢ A new Second Sight Films restoration from the original Hi-8 videotapes and 16mm film elements, supervised and approved by the Producers and Directors¢ 2-disc edition Includes restored and remastered Original Theatrical Cut and Festival Cut plus original-release version¢ The Blair Witch Documentary: a new feature-length Second Sight Films production¢ New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson¢ Directors' and Producers' audio commentary¢ Deleted scenes including previously unseen video and 16mm footage¢ The Blair Witch Project: Analogue Horror in a Digital World by Mike Muncer¢ Curse of the Blair Witch¢ Alternate Endings¢ Cannes 1999: archive Directors interview¢ Trailers
Sandra Bullock stars as a briliant lawyer with a sharp mind, with Hugh Grant as her handsome charming and undeniably self-absorbed millionaire boss.
Disney's magical classic that taught us to believe We can fly! has enchanted generations with its spectacular story, memorable music and beloved characters including Peter Pan, the feisty Tinker Bell and infamous Captain Hook. Now you can experience the Peter Pan, its sequel Peter Pan in the Return to Neverland Bursting with fantasy, adventure and pixie dust and more!
Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton. Inviting and magical, Alice In Wonderland is an imaginative new twist on one of the most beloved stories of all time. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny. This Wonderland is a world beyond your imagination and unlike anything you've seen before. The extraordinary characters you've loved come to life richer and more colourful than ever. There's a Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and more. A triumphant cinematic experience - Alice in Wonderland is an incredible feast for your eyes, ears and heart that will captivate audiences for all sizes.
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin's career from a child singing in her father's church's choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon's journey to find her voice.
A Nightmare On Elm Street Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is having grisly nightmares. Meanwhile her high-school friends who are having the very same dreams are being slaughtered in their sleep by the hideous fiend of their shared nightmares. When the police ignore her explanation she herself must confront the killer in his shadowy realm... From modern horror master Wes Craven comes a timeless shocker that remains the standard bearer for terror. Featuring Johnny Depp in his fi
Adapted from the acclaimed graphic novel this dark film follows the police investigation into the Jack The Ripper killings in Victorian London, with Johnny Depp as Scotland Yard Detective Fredrick Abberlines.
Super sleuths Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are on the case for ghosts - real ghosts this time, 13 of the world's meanest ghosts to be exact. One banned to an enchanted Chest of Demons for eternity, all 13 spirits are now loose to wreak havoc on the world and only Scooby-Doo can recapture them because - ruh-roh! - he's the one who unwittingly opened the chest and let them out! Joined by the pint-sized, fast-talking magician/con artist Flim-Flam and guided by the world's greatest mystic Vincent van Ghoul (voiced and inspired by the incomparable Vincent Price), the gang causes mayhem hunting ghosts around the world while cracking fans up in the comfort of their home. Scare up this spooktacular 2-Disc Complete Series Collection for a haunting good time!
Miss Congeniality Sandra Bullock stars as a bumbling female FBI agent assigned to go undercover as a participant in the Miss United States beauty pageant when it is discovered that one of the contestants is being targeted for murder. Benjamin Bratt leads the undercover team while also playing the reluctant love interest. Candice Bergen and William Shatner manage the pageant and hire Michael Caine to turn Bullock from rough and tumble agent to stunning beauty queen. The physica
If you don't think Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) is one of the funniest movies of the 1990s, maybe you should be packed into a cryogenic time chamber and sent back to the decade whence you came. Perhaps it was the 1960s - the shagadelic decade when London hipster Austin Powers scored with gorgeous chicks as a fashion photographer by day, crime-fighting international man of mystery by night. Yeah, baby, yeah! But when Powers's arch nemesis, Dr. Evil, puts himself into a deepfreeze and travels via time machine to the late 1990s, Powers must follow him and foil Evil's nefarious scheme of global domination. Mike Myers plays dual roles as Powers and Dr. Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley as his present-day sidekick and karate-kicking paramour. A hilarious spoof of '60s spy movies, this colourful comedy actually gets funnier with successive viewings, making it a perfect home video for gloomy days and randy nights. Oh, behave! "I put the grrr in swinger, baby!" a deliciously randy Powers coos near the beginning of The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), and if the imagination of Austin creator Mike Myers seems to have sagged a bit, his energy surely hasn't. This friendly, go-for-broke sequel finds our man Austin heading back to the '60s to keep perennial nemesis Dr. Evil (Myers again) from blowing up the world - and, more importantly, to get back his mojo, that man-juice that turns Austin into irresistible catnip for women, especially American spygirl Felicity Shagwell (a pretty but vacant Heather Graham). The plot may be irreverent and illogical, the jokes may be bad, and the scenes may run on too long, but it's all delivered sunnily and with tongue firmly in cheek. Myers teams Dr. Evil with a diminutive clone, Mini-Me (Verne J. Troyer), then pulls a hat trick by playing a third character, the obese and disgusting Scottish assassin Fat Bastard. Despite symptoms of sequelitis, Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) is must-see lunacy for devoted fans of the shagadelic franchise. Unfortunately, the law of diminishing returns is in full effect: for every big-name cameo and raunchy double-entendre, there's an equal share of redundant shtick, juvenile scatology, and pop-cultural spoofery. All is forgiven when the hilarity level is consistently high, and Mike Myers -returning here as randy Brit spy Austin, his nemesis Dr. Evil, the bloated Scottish henchman Fat Bastard, and new Dutch disco-villain Goldmember - thrives by favouring comedic chaos over coherent plotting. Once they've tossed Austin into the disco fever of 1975 (where he's sent to rescue his father, gamely played by Michael Caine), Myers and director Jay Roach seem vaguely adrift with old and new characters, including Verne Troyer's Mini-Me and pop star Beyoncé Knowles as Pam Grier-ish blaxpo-babe Foxxy Cleopatra. A bit tired, perhaps, but Powers hasn't lost his mojo.
Returning home to introduce his new bride to his father, Sir Richard Fordyke (John Turner: The Giant Behemoth) is horrified when he's blamed for an unspeakable murder. But he will soon face even worse, as dark secrets emerge and the ghosts of his past rise against him. From legendary producer Tony Tenser (Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw) and director Robert Hartford-Davis (Corruption), The Black Torment is a richly atmospheric gothic shocker from the glory days of British horror. 88 Films are proud to present this underrated gem, finally restored to its full spine-tingling splendour.
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