The plane crashes (boy, does it crash) in the remote Alaskan nowhere, and the rough-and-tumble oil wildcatters who survive must fight their way to safety. That in itself might be enough from which The Grey could fashion a suspenseful thrill-ride, but the movie has one more ace up its sleeve. Wolves! A pack of them, starving and considerably irritated that these outsiders have blundered into their territory. And while it is true that most real-world wolves are hardly man-eaters, director Joe Carnahan and cowriter Ian Mackenzie Jeffers are really not all that interested in reality. Despite some hair-raising moments and a healthy spattering of gore, The Grey is an existential action picture, and the wolves function only as all-purpose predator (being computer-generated, they never really look real anyway). What's really at stake are the souls of these men--how they get along together, and how they face death. Yes, there is always something faintly absurd hanging around this movie; it's like a Jack London story adapted by Luc Besson. But out of its pulpy mash, Carnahan extracts something gutsy. It certainly helps that he's got the mighty Liam Neeson on board as the most capable of the survivors; Neeson exudes the kind of authority that the average action hero can only play-act. Dallas Roberts and Dermot Mulroney add colour, and Frank Grillo jumps off the screen as the most belligerent of the desperate crew. It's possible for a movie to have an absurd premise yet carve something unexpectedly philosophical out of that: The Incredible Shrinking Man and Rise of the Planet of the Apes come to mind. Add this one to that oddball list. --Robert Horton
It's not the 1935 Hitchcock classic, but this sturdy 1978 adaptation of John Buchan's The Thirty Nine Steps is still a rollicking good adventure. In keeping with the Boys' Own derring-do of the story (set in Edwardian London and the Scottish Highlands), the movie maintains a brisk pace that's interrupted only for tea or cocktails. Robert Powell is Richard Hannay, the man who unwittingly becomes embroiled in a dastardly Prussian plot to assassinate the Greek Prime Minister. Framed for murder, Hannay must flee to Scotland and attempt to clear his name whilst outwitting the prune-faced Prussian agents. Among all the deftly choreographed action sequences and careful period settings there's a strong vein of humour in the film, and if it wasn't for the numerous murders there would be little reason for PG certification. The grand dénouement comes with the realisation that the predicted time for the assassination is linked to Big Ben; unlike the earlier movie this version climaxes memorably with Powell hanging from the clock's minute hand. It might not be Hitchcock behind the lens, but it's still jolly good fun. --Joan Byrne
Sometimes the truth is lost in battle. Honus Gent a U.S. soldier devoted to his duty and Cresta a white woman who had lived with the Cheyenne for two years are the only two survivors of a slaughter committed by the Cheyennes on a cavalry group. Together they are hoping to stay alive until they reach the cavalry's base camp. As they travel Honus feels a growing affection for Cresta but he is disgusted with her anti-American beliefs as she has more sympathy for Indians than for the U.S. government. They arrive at the cavalry outpost on the eve of an attack on a Cheyenne village where Honus will learn who has been telling him the truth.
In a terrifying tale of the American Dream gone wrong, four friends find themselves trapped in their hometown in a reinvention of the George A. Romero classic, "The Crazies".
Henry Horatio Hobson (Academy Award -Winner Charles Laughton) is the owner of a well-established boot shop in nineteenth century Salford Lancashire and the father of three daughters. The oldest Maggie (Brenda De Banzie) shoulders both home and business responsibilities while Hobson whiles the time away at the local pub. The younger sisters are both being courted by neighbours but Hobson refuses to give the couples settlements. Maggie becomes tired of his oafish behaviour and decides to take matters into her hands by seeking a husband. Much to the hilarity and consternation of her father aged spinster Maggie sets her sights on shy Will Mossop (John Mills) Hobson's master boot-maker. Mossop is at first stunned by the suggestion but eventually agrees to Maggie's authoritative persuasion and together they set up a rival boot shop. A timeless masterpiece that marked a temporary return to David Lean's period adaptations of Dickens (Great Expectations Oliver Twist). The film went on to win multiple awards. This film has been digitally restored to its former glory. Special Features: New and exclusive interviews with Prunella Scales and screenwriter Norman Spencer
The come-from-behind winner of the 1981 Oscar for Best Picture, Chariots of Fire either strikes you as either a cold exercise in mechanical manipulation or as a tale of true determination and inspiration. The heroes are an unlikely pair of young athletes who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics: devout Protestant Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a divinity student whose running makes him feel closer to God, and Jewish Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a highly competitive Cambridge student who has to surmount the institutional hurdles of class prejudice and anti-Semitism. There's delicious support from Ian Holm (as Abrahams's coach) and John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson as a couple of Cambridge fogies. Vangelis's soaring synthesised score, which seemed to be everywhere in the early 1980s, also won an Oscar. Chariots of Fire was the debut film of British television commercial director Hugh Hudson (Greystoke) and was produced by David Puttnam. --Jim Emerson
Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, Harriet tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh, the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years.
The Joy Division's Ian Curtis is the subject of this tough and moving biopic which stars Sam Riley as the enigmatic musician.
Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron team up and go way beyond the call of duty in this wild and outrageous action packed comedy. When a dangerous crime wave hits the beach, legendary Lt. Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) leads his elite squad of badass lifeguards on a mission to prove you don't have to wear a badge to save the bay. Joined by a trio of hotshot recruits including former Olympian Matt Brody (Efron), th ey'll ditch the surf and go deep undercover to take down a ruthless businesswoman (Priyanka Chopra, TV's Quantico), whose devious plans threaten the future of the bay. So, suit up and dive into the action! Bonus: Meet the Lifeguards Continuing the Legacy Stunts & Training Deleted & Extended Scenes Blu-ray disc includes both original version and extended edition. Click Images to Enlarge
Acclaimed star Richard Dreyfuss gives the performance of a lifetime in this uplifting hit cheered by audiences everywhere! Glenn Holland is a passionate musician who dreams of composing one truly memorable piece of music. But reality intrudes when he reluctantly accepts a ""day job"" as a high school music teacher to support his family. In time however Mr. Holland realizes that his real passion is teaching and his legacy is the generations of young people he inspires. You're sure to
Coming to America: Join EDDIE MURPHY (Norbit, Dreamgirls) on an unforgettable comic quest to the New World. As an African prince, it's time for him to find a princess... and the mission leads him and his most loyal friend (ARSENIO HALL) to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince relishes the chance to test his mettle in the urban wilderness. Keep an eye out for both Murphy and Hall in some unforgettable cameo roles! Coming 2 America: Akeem and Semmi are back! Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York where it all began. Returning to their original roles in this long-awaited sequel are James Earl Jones, John Amos, Louie Anderson, and Shari Headley, alongside new characters from Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan, and Leslie Jones.
The Bad Boys Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back together for one last ride in the highly anticipated Bad Boys for Life.
Jennifer Jones won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her screen debut in this true story. A young French peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous sees a vision of a ""beautiful lady"" near her home in Lourdes in 1858. Based on the novel of the same name by Franz Werfel The Song Of Bernadette explores Bernadette's trials and tribulations from her impoverished family to her difficulties at school to the derision her visions bring upon her and at last to her affliction with bone-marrow c
Coming to America: Join EDDIE MURPHY (Norbit, Dreamgirls) on an unforgettable comic quest to the New World. As an African prince, it's time for him to find a princess... and the mission leads him and his most loyal friend (ARSENIO HALL) to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince relishes the chance to test his mettle in the urban wilderness. Keep an eye out for both Murphy and Hall in some unforgettable cameo roles! Coming 2 America: Akeem and Semmi are back! Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York where it all began. Returning to their original roles in this long-awaited sequel are James Earl Jones, John Amos, Louie Anderson, and Shari Headley, alongside new characters from Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan, and Leslie Jones. Product Features Commentary By Director Craig Brewer From Queens To Zamunda Trailer Gallery
A gripping western-thriller starring Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, and Kit Harrington that follows a young woman's epic quest for survival. BRIMSTONE is a suspenseful tale of retribution that unfolds at the end of the 19th century in the American West. An epic thriller told in four chapters about a young woman whose life changes drastically when a diabolical preacher comes to town.
Controversial upon its release, Ralph Nelson's Soldier Blue follows Honus (Peter Strauss) and Cresta (Candice Bergen), the only remaining survivors of a Cheyenne Native American attack, as they travel across the unforgiving wilderness of the American frontier in search of refuge. Their journey reaches a tragic climax as they witness the brutal and cold-blooded slaughter of the Cheyenne tribe at the hands of the U.S. army.Reflecting the political climate of the time, Soldier Blue is uncompromising in its anti-war stance and in its extremely graphic depiction of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. By shedding light on America's dark history and the inhumane actions of the U.S. army, this revisionist western is one of the most radical films in American cinema's history. NEW Interview with actress Candice BergenAudio commentary by film critic Steve Mitchell and Howard S. BergerNEW Trailer
The first theatrical film from the popular television series became the surprise hit of the 1998 holiday box-office crunch, trouncing the highly competitive kids market. The key ingredient to the Rugrats' success is the writing. Venturing into their first theatrical movie, the pals--including the intrepid nappie-wearing Tommy Pickles, the nervous Chuckie, the twins Lil and Phil, and the wonderfully prissy Angelica--garble English into funny prose ("I want those fugitives back in custard-y!") and use movie references in their fantasy life. The opening here is a dead-on spoof of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The big news for the movie is that Tommy gets a new baby brother, named Dylan (or Dil for short). The rest of the film has no real plot but is a series of adventures, as the clan gets lost in the forest riding an inventive Reptar wagon that is the 1990s equivalent of the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Parents search for the kids, the kids learn new lessons and everyone goes home happy. The Rugrats Movie is not as wildly appealing as A Bug's Life but is far goofier and wackier with its animation. There's also a tremendous sense of joy that is often missing from cartoons these days and the songs used in the film--from such diverse musicians as Busta Rhymes, Iggy Pop, Lisa Loeb, Lou Rawls, Beck and Devo--add to the fun. It's an acquired taste, but the creators' first efforts to take the 10-minute TV sketches into an 80-minute feature pay off. --Doug Thomas
The pity of war has been a much-favoured film topic; the treachery of war much less so, though never more persuasively than in Paths of Glory, Stanley Kubrick's breakthrough feature from 1957. Kirk Douglas gives one of his finest screen performances as Colonel Dax, the idealistic First World War soldier appalled by the arbitrary court-marshal meted out to three of his men after an impossible attempt to storm German lines goes disastrously wrong. George Macready is an utterly believable Gerneral Mireau, obsessed with his own honour and standing, whom Adolphe Majou complements tellingly as the urbane and cynical General Bruler. Those who know Kubrick from his later sprawling epics will be surprised at the tautness and concision shown here, even though the screenplay--which he co-wrote--has a certain theatrical stiffness. On the DVD: Paths of Glory on disc reproduces well in full-screen format, and Gerald Fried's bitingly ironic score comes through powerfully. There are five dubbed and six subtitled languages. The original trailer is a masterpiece of gritty reportage, well worth reviving. Along with Dr Strangelove and 2001, this is Kubrick's most focussed and durable film. --Richard Whitehouse
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