It is 1934 and Sam Wilson is ten years old when his mother Dora leaves her husband and brings Sam to Skellerton the Yorkshire mining village where she grew up. Her father jack has been unemployed for more than eight years and her family has little enough money to support themselves. Will they manage with another two mouths to feed and how will Sam's boyhood change? Episodes Featured Where The Heart Is Home From Home No Going Back Breadwinners
The Sopranos, writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home: This ambitious TV series chronicles a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there is the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood.The series' brilliant first season is built around what Tony learns when, whipsawed between those two worlds, he finds himself plunged into depression and seeks psychotherapy--a gesture at odds with his mid-level capo's machismo, yet instantly recognisable as a modern emotional test. With analysis built into the very spine of the show's elaborate episodic structure, creator Chase and his formidable corps of directors, writers and actors weave an unpredictable series of parallel and intersecting plot arcs that twist from tragedy to farce to social realism. While creating for a smaller screen, they enjoy a far larger canvas than a single movie would afford, and the results, like the very best episodic television, attain a richness and scope far closer to a novel than movies normally get.Unlike Francis Coppola's operatic dramatisation of Mario Puzo's Godfather epic, The Sopranos sustains a poignant, even mundane intimacy in its focus on Tony, brought to vivid life by James Gandolfini's mercurial performance. Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful and murderous, Gandolfini is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. Both he and the superb team of Italian-American actors recruited as his loyal (and, sometimes, not-so-loyal) henchman and their various "associates" make this mob as credible as the evocative Bronx and New Jersey locations where the episodes were filmed.The first season's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional", perceptive and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what is not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings. --Sam Sutherland, Amazon.com
Frost On Friday
When Joe Dolan (Michael Biehn) accidentally kills his father in a scam gone bad his dying words lead Joe to his Uncle Lou (James Coburn). Lou is working on a con worth more than $2 million in diamonds. Eddie (Nicholas Cage) Lou's right hand man sees Joe as a serious threat and a rival for his girlfriend - the sexy Diane (Sarah Trigger). Diane seduces Joe into a love triangle that leads him to murder and desire. With millions in the balance Joe gets deeper and deeper into the diamond sting. Double cons lead to triple cons as Deadfall hurtles toward the most twisted scam of all and it's surprising conclusion. Joining the first rate cast of characters are stunning cameo appearances by Charlie Sheen Peter Fonda and Talia Shire.
When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and story lines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep-down sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford
3 Disc Family Fun Box Set including 3 films Hop Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and Despicable Me. Hop Special Features: The World of Hop Featurette The Lorax Special Features: 2D Feature Seuss to Screen Seuss it Up Despicable Me Special Features: Gru's Rocket Builder Game Super Silly Fun Land Games
As the Japanese Mafia the Yakuza threatens to rip apart Los Angeles one cop crosses the Pacific to track down its most lethal killer.
Cold Feet is the fast and funny ITV comedy drama about a group of friends which has gripped the nation. Immersing us in the lives of 3 couples who are coping with life love careers marriage friendship infidelity and of course sex. It gets to the heart of 30-something relationships like no other programme of its kind. Pilot Episode: Pete and Jenny are trying desperately to have a baby. As they have had little success Jenny begins to plot their lives around her ovulation
Jarrow-born Alan Plater was one of Britain's most cherished playwrights. Equally at home either adapting existing works or crafting his own stories the pinnacle of his prolific output is arguably the highly successful Beiderbecke trilogy starring James Bolam and Barbara Flynn. Plater excelled in the creation of credible engagingly ordinary characters embroiled in drama and intrigue (exemplified in Beiderbecke's jazz-loving Geordie woodwork teacher Trevor Chaplin); with a dry humour class consciousness and frequent acknowledgement of the north-south divide his skilful dialogue has been described as combining 'The voice of Coronation Street with the spirit of Chekhov'. The winner of three BAFTA Awards he received a CBE in 2005 and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. This anthology celebrates the diversity of Alan Plater's work for ITV with a collection of single plays and classic episodes featuring outstanding performances by Helen Mirren Kenneth Branagh James Bolam Alison Steadman Michael Gambon Dennis Waterman and Ray Brooks among many others. The Beiderbecke Affair: What I Don't Understand Is This... Jazz fan Trevor Chaplin wants only one thing: a set of Bix Beiderbecke records. Oranges and Lemons: Brotherly Love An ex-docker is grieved that his two sons seem irreconcilable. Play for Love: The Party of the First Part Peter makes sure his eighteenth birthday party is one that his guests won't forget. The Loner: Dawson's Complaint Dawson is a man who aims is to change the world. This is the story of his failure. Coming Through Two plays set in different eras examine polarised attitudes towards D.H. Lawrence. Flambards: Christina Orphan Christina learns - painfully - the art of living among men. Shades of Darkness: The Intercessor A writer lodging in a 'quiet' house is disturbed by the sound of a child crying.
One of Buffy's strongest selling points was its large cast of supporting characters. The Slayer Collection: Spike gathers together four episodes involving perhaps the most popular of all of these: the cool punk rock vampire who, in the course of the show's run, moves from being one of Buffy's most terrible enemies to her lover and defender. He and his Goth vamp lover Drusilla arrived on the scene in "School Hard" and proceeded to disrupt a PTA meeting at Sunnydale High. Also from the second season we get "Lie to Me", in which a temporary alliance with one of Buffy's most treacherous friends demonstrates the essential fragility of the relationship between Spike and Dru even after a century. He returned briefly in Season 3 in "Lovers Walk", deserted by Dru and desperately flailing around, wrecking most of the show's relationships in a single bout of drunken violence, truth-telling and sharp wit. By the fifth season, Spike was a very different vampire--with a chip in his brain that stopped him hurting humans and he fell desperately in love with a Buffy, who had not yet learned to trust him; "Fool for Love" was the episode in which we learned Spike's back-story: he was a minor Victorian poet, turned by Drusilla when rejection in love led him down the wrong alley, his entire hyper-aggressive persona is based on a need to hide his sensitivity. Spike was always one of the main focuses of the show's combination of acute wit and passionate romanticism and these four episodes admirably sample what made him so appealing to fans. On the DVD: The Slayer Collection: Spike also includes a documentary about the history of Spike as a character in which James Marsters talks intelligently about his portrayal of his most famous role. --Roz Kaveney
Hollywood superstar James Belushi stars as undercover mole Frank Spello in this all action thriller. After years of deep undercover operation Spello is determined to smash the organized crime syndicates and even endures doing time in one of America's toughest prisons and all the brutal treatment dished out in these so called correction institutions. Spello is by no means the model prisoner and will go to any length in order to be accepted by the underworld and finds himself in many life threatening situations where the cell block rules are..No Rules..No Witnesses.. No Mercy..And No Justice! Eventually winning the respect of Chicago crime lord Sal The Joker Licata Spello is confident his cell block education will assist him on his eventual release . But nothing could prepare Spello for the double-dealing double-crossing and ruthless disregard for human life demonstrated by the Chicago Mafia and Colombian Drug Barons. Teaming up with Gina Gallagher a beautiful young federal prosecutor they find their every move blocked by conspiracy and corruption and as they hurtle from one life threatening situation to another they are convinced that Lady Justice wears a blindfold and must make the ultimate decision as to follow their oath of to serve and protect or dispense their own brand of justice...
Fast-paced story of a law student who is hunted by vicious mobsters and a corrupt police force for a murder he didn't commit. His only ally is a sexy casino card dealer who tries to help him escape.
***WARNING***ALL DVD TITLES CONTAIN ENGLISH SUBTITLES EXCEPT FOR THE DVD TITLE - A CANTERBURY TALE*** Never in the history of British film have two figures become as iconic as those of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Reigning throughout the 40s and 50s these two magnificent filmmakers brought to life British films and continue to radiate immense critical acclaim and inspiration for all contemporary film making. Includes: 1. A Matter of Life & Death (1946) 2. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) 3. A Canterbury Tale (1944) 4. I Know Where I am Going (1945) 5. 49th Parallel (1941) 6. The Battle of the River Plate (1956) 7. Ill Met By Moonlight (1957) 8. They're A Weird Mob (1966) 9. The Red Shoes (1948)
With hindsight, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is the satisfactory middle instalment of a well-rounded trilogy that began with The Wrath of Kahn and ended with The Voyage Home (after which this crew really should have retired gracefully). But on its first release, few fans knew what to expect and initial impressions were disappointing. The biggest talking points were that the film was Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut and that his name wasn't in the opening credits. Naturally, the biggest question was just how would the loss of Spock affect the franchise? That question was neatly dodged and what audiences got instead was a tale of team-spiritedness, sacrifice and rebellion that ended on a question mark. In other words it was a fun ride without many answers. The centrepiece of the movie has to be stealing The Enterprise, a beautifully conceived sequence that remains at the heart of classic Trek's filmic storyline: sacrificing all for the sake of friendship, Kirk and co. set out to rescue their lost companion; this single action defines everything the characters had ever meant to each other, and has an effect on everything that followed. And if the loss of Spock had left audiences eager for more, that was as nothing compared to the loss of The Enterprise. On the DVD: Star Trek III on disc does not come in a new transfer as the previous two special edition DVDs, and you won't find any deleted or new scenes either. The extras package is fascinating, nonetheless, especially with the contributions from Nimoy. His fond reminiscences in the commentary track are priceless, with good support from writer-producer Harve Bennett, director of photography Charles Correll, and Robin Curtis (Saavik). The text commentary from the Okudas isn't as involving as the others, sadly, but this is made up for by the trivia dished out in documentaries covering: model-making, costume design, the science of Terraforming, and how to speak Klingon. The best inclusion is "Captain's Log" featuring interviews with an enthusiastic Nimoy, a sarcastic Shatner, an appreciative Curtis and the rarely seen Christopher Lloyd. --Paul Tonks
Lucky for Eddie Murphy he got hold of the rights to this 1963 Jerry Lewis classic before Jim Carrey did. Murphy had a comeback of sorts with his Jeckyll-and-Hyde-derived fable of awkward chemistry professor Sherman Klump (Murphy), who discovers a potion that transforms him into the suave, cocky lady-killer Buddy Love (also Murphy). The big difference between the two versions is that Murphy's Sherman is not only a nerdy intellectual but is also grossly obese, which provides the opportunity for some hilarious digital transformation effects, as well as some gentle satire of our culture's attitudes toward fat people. As he did in the hit Coming to America, Murphy plays multiple roles, and the scenes at the Klump family dinner table, in which he plays everybody, are brilliantly funny. (Murphy won the National Society of Film Critics' award for best actor of 1996 for these performances.) Lewis based his Buddy Love on the 1960s ideal of cool exemplified by Sinatra and the Rat Pack; Murphy stumbles a bit by playing up the oily phoniness of his latter-day Love a little too soon, but for the most part The Nutty Professor represents a welcome return to form for Eddie Murphy. --Jim Emerson
There has never been a more complete fighter than Joe Louis having all the attributes in one compact explosive package that made him the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He was world heavyweight champion from June 1937 to March 1949; his reign of 11 years & 8 months remains the longest in division history successfully defending his title 25 times before retiring in 1949 only to return because of his dire financial situation to lose title shot against Ezzard Charles in 1950 a
Godsend: Following the death of their eight-year-old son Adam devastated parents Jessie (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) and Paul (Greg Kinnear) are desperate to do anything to resurrect their beloved child. Befriended by a doctor at the forefront of genetic research (Robert De Niro) they are offered a chance to reverse the rules of nature and clone their son. The experiment appears successful under the doctor's watchful eye and Adam grows into a healthy happy young boy. Until his e
This special boxed set contains Series Three and Four of New Tricks. Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman heads The Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) cracking previously unsolved crimes from the past. Her team are three ex policemen; Gerry Standing Jack Halford and Brian Lane who for various reasons all opted for early retirement. Employing cutting edge forensics teamed with unconventional methods and breaking of the occasional rule the UCOS veterans get good results and right many wrongs of the past..
1954 the Malabar Coast. British and Anglo-Indian identities blur when an English-woman with a neglectful husband births a sickly baby. Cotton Mary a hospital aide and moralizing Anglophile who claims her father was a British officer takes over the infant's care and without a word to the mother takes the baby daily to her sister to nurse. Mary moves into the English household taking over more and more duties as she plays on the mother's fatigue and lack of spousal counsel: in eff
The most interesting--and entertaining--aspect of Battle Cry, a long, episodic World War II drama, is that it marked the debut of one Justus E McQueen, who subsequently took the name of the good ol' Arkansas boy he played in the movie: LQ Jones. He's only one of eight or nine marine recruits who divide the screen time with commanding officer Van Heflin and James Whitmore as a lifer sergeant named Mac, "just Mac", who ramrods their squad and also delivers the movie's overbearing narration. Unfortunately, the narration is necessary to maintain continuity as the CinemaScope production galumphs its way from rounding up the melting-pot cast to seeing them through basic training and sundry, mostly amatory misadventures in San Diego, to further training in New Zealand and finally to baptism of fire on Guadalcanal. Trouble is, among the recruits only McQueen/Jones (whose job is mostly comic relief) and Aldo Ray (as a brawling lumberjack who's never known family life) have any charisma or acting chops--and that's not forgetting Tab Hunter, whose matinee-idol status at the time does not speak well for the 50s. Battle Cry is also a cardinal example of Hollywood's penchant for buying big, lusty, profane bestsellers (by Leon Uris, in this case) and then bowdlerising all the lustiness and profanity to appease the censors. Raoul Walsh, the poet laureate of lowdown gusto, does what he can in the circumstances, and as one of the first guys ever to direct a widescreen movie (1930's The Big Trail), he makes the battle scenes roar. --Richard T. Jameson
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