Pressure (1976):Set in 1970s London Pressure follows the story of Tony the son of West Indian immigrants as he struggles to find a sense of belonging and social acceptance. Baldwin's Nigger (1968): James Baldwin accompanied by civil rights activist Dick Gregory discusses the issues surrounding black identity.
Too Many Crooks (1958) boasts an intricate plot in which Terry Thomas is being blackmailed for the hoards he's stashed away as a renowned tax dodger. Driving around in a Jaguar XK 150, a desirable sports car of the period, his intricate private life unravels as his put-upon wife, Brenda de Banzie, draws on her expertise as a wartime PT instructress to turn the tables on him by marshalling the support of a band of crooks (George Cole, Sidney James, Bernard Bresslaw and Joe Melia). Look out for the very funny court scene, where TT makes three appearances on separate charges before a bemused magistrate, John Le Mesurier. On the DVD: Too Many Crooks is in 4:3 ratio and has a mono soundtrack. The only extra feature is a trailer. More TT tomfoolery can be found in the three-disc Terry Thomas Collection. --Adrian Edwards
Originally broadcast in 1994, the second series of NYPD Blue was disrupted by the departure of star David Caruso (Detective John Kelly) after just four episodes--apparently under less than amicable circumstances. He was ably replaced as Detective Sipowicz's partner by Jimmy Smits as the smoother Detective Bobby Simone, and the series managed not to miss a beat. More streamlined and downbeat than its predecessor Hill Street Blues (also created by Steven Bochco), NYPD Blue continued second time around to mix near-the-knuckle detective work in pursuit of New York's scummiest with more character and relationship-based drama. Although it's regrettable that its ethnic-minority characters such as Lieutenant Fancy are increasingly marginalised here, the series is more comfortable, and even has fun with, regular characters such as the nervy Detective Medavoy and his on-off paramour Donna Abandando. Andy Sipowicz's simmering, tough-nosed recovering alcoholic is increasingly and amusingly put to the test in a number of situations, including a murder investigation in a gay bar; being sung to at his own wedding by Nic Turturro's Detective Martinez; and a love scene in the shower in which we experience the dubious pleasure of seeing his bare bum. New female introductions, such as the strong but sympathetic Detective Lesniak, also helped to shake up the series with a much-needed oestrogen boost. There's also fun to be had in spotting a number of guest appearances by up-and-coming actors destined to make it in their own right such as Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) and Debra Messing (Will and Grace). On the DVD: NYPD Blue, Series 2 DVD box set contains a number of extras, primarily a one-hour documentary in which the cast and programme-makers discuss the series episode by episode, the self-congratulatory mood only broken by some subtle digs at departing star David Caruso (apparently, he walked straight off the set following his final take into a waiting limo without any farewells). There's also a small piece paying tribute to the music of theme-writer Mike Post and an item covering the relationship between Sipowicz and Assistant DA Sylvia Costas, in whose marriage this series culminates. --David Stubbs
Season 1 For decades ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) has been one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives. Brokering shadowy deals for criminals across the globe Red was known by many as “The Concierge of Crime.” Now he’s mysteriously surrendered to the FBI with an explosive offer: he will help catch the world’s most elusive criminals under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone TV’s “Law & Order: Los Angeles”) an FBI profiler fresh out of Quantico. For Liz it’s going to be one hell of a first day on the job. Season 1 For decades ex-government Raymond “Red” Reddington has been one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives. Brokering shadowy deals for criminals across the globe Red was known by many as “The Concierge of Crime”. Last season he mysteriously surrendered to the FBI…but now the FBI works for him as he identifies a “blacklist” of politicians mobsters spies and International terrorists. He will help catch them all – with the caveat that Elizabeth Keen continues to work as his partner. Red will teach Liz to think like a criminal and see the bigger picture…whether she wants to or not.
Features the following episodes: Occupation/Precipice Exodus Part 1 Exodus Part 2 Collaborators Torn A Measure of Salvation Hero Unfinished Business The passage The Eye of Jupiter Rapture Taking A Break from All Your Worries The Woman King A Day In The Life Dirty Hands Maelstrom The Son Also Rises Crossroads Part 1 Crossroads Part 2
Verdi - Nabucco
James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek) leads the action in this exciting funny coming-of-age story about a small-town high schooler confronting the pressures and temptations of grid-iron glory. At first backup quarterback Jonathan 'Mox' Moxon (Van Der Beek) is nowhere close to being a football star. He's perfectly content to stay on the bench and out of the win-at-all-cost strategies of coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight in a powerful performance). But when the starting quarterback is inj
What does a stray cat have in common with a radical technique to quit smoking the window ledge of a sky scraper and an evil goblin? Three of Stephen King's most imaginatively terrifying tales brought to life in this chilling trilogy of short stories...
In the year 2018, violence and crime have been totally eliminated from society and given outlet in the brutal blood sport of rollerball, a high-velocity blend of football, hockey, and motor-cross racing sponsored by the multinational corporations that now control the world following the collapse of traditional politics. James Caan plays Jonathan ., the reigning superstar of rollerball, whose corporate controllers fear that Jonathan's popularity has endowed him with too much power. They begin to pressure him according to their own ruthless set of rules, but Jonathan has rules of his own--ones for a man determined to retain his soul in a world gone mad. As directed by Norman Jewison (who was enjoying a peak of success during the early and mid-1970s), Rollerball creates a believable society that's been rendered passive and compliant by the homogenisation of corporate dictatorships, where the control and flow of information is the only currency of any importance. It's a world in which natural human aggressions have been sublimated and vented through the religious fervour toward rollerball and its players. Rollerball now looks like one of those 1970s science fiction films (another example being Logan's Run) that seems a bit dated and quaint, but its ideas are still provocative and fascinating, and the production is visually impressive. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
It's a Wonderful LifeVoted the # 1 Most Inspiring Film Of All Time by AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers, It's A Wonderful Life has had just that. With the endearing message that no one is a failure who has friends, Frank Capra's heartwarming masterpiece continues to endure, and after 70 years this beloved classic still remains as powerful and moving as the day it was made. White ChristmasTwo talented song-and-dance men (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. One winter, they join forces with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) and trek to Vermont for a white Christmas. Of course, there's the requisite fun with the ladies, but the real adventure starts when Crosby & Kaye discover that the inn is run by their old army general who's now in financial trouble. And the result is the stuff dreams are made of. Holiday InnWith music by Irving Berlin, songs by Bing Crosby and dancing by Fred Astaire, Holiday Inn is one of the most delightful and memorable musicals of all time, nominated* for 3 Academy Awards®. Crosby plays Jim Hardy, a song and dance man who leaves showbiz to open a Connecticut Inn. Astaire plays Ted Hanover, Hardy's former partner and rival in love. And, of course there are girls (Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale), an agent (Walter Abel) and plenty of lavish song and dance routines with spectacular production numbers. Scrooge. The spirit of Christmas becomes a musical celebration of life in this rousing adaptation of Charles Dickens' beloved family classic, A Christmas Carol. Mean-spirited and stingy, Ebenezer Scrooge (Albert Finney) has a sour face and humbug for anyone who crosses his path. But on this Christmas Eve, he will learn the terrible fate that awaits him if he continues his miserly ways. One by one, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future take the startled Ebenezer on an incredible journey through time - showing him in one magical night what takes most people a lifetime to learn. Filled with joyous songs, this delightful tale is sure to enrich the lives of young and old alike for many more generations.
Snow Buddies is a puppy adventure!
From Stephen King (Pet Sematary) Michael McDowell (Beetlejuice) George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) comes Tales From The Darkside: The Movie an all-star horror anthology packed with fun and fright. The Wraparound Story concerns a little boy who spins all the tales... to distract a modern-day witch who wants to pop him in the oven! In Lot 249 a malevolent mummy gives new meaning to final exams when he awakens to wreak revenge on unsuspecting student bodies. A furry black kitty is really the Cat From Hell and a Lover's Vow brings a stone gargoyle to murderous life.
Following triple success at the British Comedy Awards and triumph at The South Bank Show Awards Gavin & Stacey the critically acclaimed comedy written by James Corden and Ruth Jones returns for a second series.
Northern Soul is the story of a youth culture in the 1970’s which changed a generation. No longer satisfied with the prospect of a small town life and a factory production line two young boys dream mof going to America to discover rare records which will help them become the best DJ’s on the scene. This journey forces them to confront rivalry violence and drug abuse and their friendship is tested to the limit. This is Northern Soul. Special Feature: Behind The Scenes
The first few minutes of John Carpenter's Vampires--in which James Woods' vampire killer leads a dawn raid on a New Mexico "goon nest" of bloodsuckers--not only suggests a horror movie that refuses to pull its punches, but even evokes some of the more disturbing dream-memories of American Westerns. Muscular and uncompromising, the sequence suggests a new Carpenter classic unravelling before one's eyes. Things don't quite work out that way, but this is still a film to reckon with. There are a few serious (and surprising) misjudgements on the director's part, particularly a mishandling of Sheryl Lee's role as a prostitute poisoned by the bite of a "master vampire" (who pretty much wiped out Woods' team of goon terminators). But aside from some weaknesses, the action is jolting, the suggested complicity of the Catholic Church in destroying monsters is provocative, and the traces of Howard Hawks' continuing influence on Carpenter's storytelling are in evidence. -- Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
A star-studded cast heads this Agatha Christie story about the efforts of Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) to fathom the mysterious death of a capricious star in a Mediterranean resort hotel...
Vera Cruz was only director Robert Aldrich's second Western (his first, made a few months earlier, was the revisionist, pro-Native-American Apache), but it's such an assured, stylish affair that he might have been roaming the sagebrush for decades. In the aftermath of the American Civil War two lone adventurers make their way south of the border, where Mexico is fighting a civil war of its own to rid the country of the French-imposed Emperor Maximilian. Neither the dour Benjamin Trane (Gary Cooper) nor the grinning, devil-may-care Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) has much in the way of idealism, but Trane still retains a thin bitter edge of integrity, a quality quite alien to the cheerfully amoral Erin. In uneasy alliance, constantly looking to outwit or double-cross each other, the two find themselves escorting a beautiful French countess (Denise Darcel) and a shipment of gold across country. Cooper and Lancaster create a superb double-act, using their contrasted screen personas to point up the humour and the cynicism of the two mercenaries' relationship. Darcel makes less than she might of the femme fatale role, but there are relishable cameos from Cesar Romero as a suavely duplicitous aristo and Ernest Borgnine as another gringo with an exceptionally vicious streak. The script, according to Aldrich, was written on the run, "always finished about five minutes before we shot it", but you wouldn't guess it from the laconic wit of the dialogue. It looks great, too--Ernest Laszlo's widescreen photography makes the most of the handsome Mexican locations. With its irreverent take on the accepted moral conventions of the genre, Vera Cruz ushered in a new kind of Western, and its central love-hate relationship would be replayed in Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962) and Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). On the DVD: Not much in the way of extras but the mono sound has been expertly remastered to the benefit of Hugo Friedhofer's spirited score. Above all, the film's presented in its full Superscope ratio (16:9), a blessed relief after all those years when it showed up panned-and-scanned on BBC1. If ever a movie needed widescreen, it's this one--if only to fit in all Burt's teeth. You can see why they called him "Crockery Joe". --Philip Kemp
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