Filmed amongst the ruins of the Crystal Palace Gardens The Pleasure Garden tells of the efforts of Colonel Pall to suppress romance and free expression and his battle against the Fairy Godmother who is a champion of lovers artists and the Pleasure Principle. Starring British stalwarts John Le Mesurier and Hatti Jacques the film won the Prix de Fantasie Poetique at the Cannes Film Festival of 1954.
Pitch Black Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts. A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory. What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of B-movie schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon Dark Fury Taking a page from The Animatrix, Dark Fury is part of a new trend of bridging theatrical sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. This story opens with the new action hero and the two other survivors of Pitch Black already caught by a giant spaceship filled with dread. The sinewy leader has a unique--and creepy--jail for master villains and she has her sights set on Riddick. The film--indeed the series--is indebted to animator Peter Chung, who brings his techno style from his Aeon Flux series. His smooth animation for Riddick doesn't reinvent the character as much as give him a new, appealing fluidity. As anime goes, there's nothing really new here--plenty of action, cool killers, and dramatic spurts of blood--but it's a building block for how this genre might enliven movie series and sequels in the future. --Doug Thomas The Chronicles of Riddick Bigger isn't always better, but for anyone who enjoyed Pitch Black, a nominal sequel like The Chronicles of Riddick should prove adequately entertaining. Writer-director David Twohy returns with expansive sets, detailed costumes, an army of CGI effects artists, and the star he helped launch--Vin Diesel--bearing his franchise burden quite nicely as he reprises his title role. The Furian renegade Riddick has another bounty on his head, but when he escapes from his mercenary captors, he's plunged into an epic-scale war waged by the Necromongers. A fascist master race led by Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), they're determined to conquer all enemies in their quest for the Underverse, the appeal of which is largely unexplained (since Twohy is presumably reserving details for subsequent "chronicles"). With tissue-thin plotting, scant character development, and skimpy roles that waste the talents of Thandie Newton (as a Necromonger conspirator) and Judi Dench (as a wispy "Elemental" priestess), Twohy's back in the B-movie territory he started in (with The Arrival), brought to vivid life on a vast digital landscape with the conceptual allure of a lavish graphic novel. But does Riddick have leadership skills on his resumé? To get an answer to that question, sci-fi fans will welcome another sequel. --Jeff Shannon
Legends Of The Fall: Colonel William Ludlow (Sir Anthony Hopkins) built a ranch in the remote foothills of the Montana Rockies where he brought up his three sons away from the carnage of the Indian wars. Alfred (Aidan Quinn) the eldest is dutiful and reserved Samuel (Henry Thomas) the beloved youngest is compassionate and idealistic while the middle brother Tristan (Brad Pitt) has a wild untameable spirit. Into this masculine world enters Susannah Finncannon (Julia Ormond) a beautiful intelligent woman who stirs a passion and rivalry in all three brothers that will change the course of their lives and shape their destinies forever. From the rugged prairie lands of 19th Century America to the trenches of World War I and the changing world beyond 'Legends of the Fall' is a sweeping star-studded epic - a passionate journey into the darkest secrets of love betrayal and the unbreakable bonds of blood. First Knight: Set in and around the city of Camelot First Knight is a sweeping epic about love honour betrayal and passion. Lancelot (Richard Gere) a nomadic rogue has no ties no enemies and no fear until that is he meets the beautiful Lady Guinevere of Leonesse (Julia Ormond). Guinevere has promised to marry King Arthur (Sean Connery) not only because his armies can protect her country but because she truly loves him. But her chance encounter with Lancelot as she prepares to enter Camelot stirs conflicting and powerful emotions within her. Arthur welcomes both into his city with open heart little foreseeing how his great capacity for love and trust opens the doors for his own betrayal... The Slipper And The Rose: In Euphrania live two unhappy people - a sad young girl called Cinderella (Gemma Craven) and a proud young prince (Richard Chamberlain) - trapped in two very different worlds. Following the death of her father poor Cinderella has been left in the care of her unfriendly step-mother (Margaret Lockwood) and her two spoilt step-sisters. Meanwhile the Prince of the land has come of age and the King (Michael Hordern) and the Queen want him to marry. His desperate parents hold a splendid ball and invite every noble girl in the land. Cinderella is shunned by her ugly sisters when they leave her behind and flounce off to the ball in their finery. Fortunately her Fairy Godmother (Annette Crosbie) intervenes transforming Cinderella and whisks her off to the ball - and so the love story blossoms in this exquistive movie with music by Richard and Robert Sherman.
Captain Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond was created by Herman McNeile and made his first filmed appearance in1923. Of the several actors who portrayed the private detective, John Howard was perhaps the most acclaimed, and this collection gathers together five of his films made between 1935 and 1939.By way of a bonus, we have also included Ray Milland's one portrayal, made in 1937.Bulldog Drummond's RevengeBulldog Drummond Comes BackBulldog Drummond's PerilBulldog Drummond In AfricaBulldog Drummond's Secret PoliceBulldog Drummond Escapes
New York, 1929: a war rages between two rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan in Alan Parker's much-loved kiddie mob flick.
A collection of spine-tingling horror tales from the pen of bestselling horror novelist Stephen King... Salem's Lot - 2 Discs (Dir. Tobe Hooper 1979): Ben Mears (David Soul) returns to his hometown Salem's Lot to complete work on his latest novel but finds himself increasingly disturbed by the object of his attention Mr Straker's (James Mason) mansion house which terrified Ben as a child. It seems that the residents have been acting up and some have even gone missing; all of which coincides with the arrival of Mr Straker and his mysteriously anonymous business partner Mr Barlow to Salem's Lot. Ben vows to get to the bottom of the disappearances and confront his childhood fears... It - 1 Disc (Dir. Tommy Lee Wallace 1990): A series of murders prompts Mike Hanlon to suspect that the supernatural menace that he and a group of friends battled as children has returned. He begins to call his friends to remind them of the oath they swore: if It returned again they would come back to Derry to do battle again... Storm of the Century - 2 Discs (Dir. Craig R. Baxley 1999): From Stephen King the best-selling novelist of all time comes the terrifying tale of a town besieged by evil. The inhabitants of a picturesque sleepy little town on a small island off the coast of Maine find themselves completely cut off from the rest of the world when they are hit by the worst storm of the century. As Snow steadily buries everything familiar terror arrives in the form of an evil stranger. As streets disappear and an eerie darkness envelops the town a series of bizarre murders creates a nightmare of fear. With no help coming from the outside world and no end to the storm in sight the towns folk are forced to take drastic action before it's too late... The Shining - 2 Discs (Dir. Mick Garris 1997): A recovering alcoholic must wrestle with demons within and without when he and his family move into a haunted hotel as caretakers. TV miniseries remake of Stanley Kubrick's classic chilling 1980 film. Rose Red - 2 Discs (Dir. Craig R. Baxley 2002): The chilling tale of Dr. Joyce Reardon (Nancy Travis) an obsessed psychology professor who commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15 year old autistic girl Annie Wheaton to literally wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion: Rose Red. Their efforts unleash myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets of the generations who have lived and died there... Diary of Ellen Rimbauer - 1 Disc (Dir. Craig R. Baxley 2003): This series is a prequel to the Stephen King mini-series Rose Red. At the turn of the twentieth century Ellen Rimbauer (Lisa Brenner) the young bride of charming Seattle industrialist John Rimbauer (Steven Brand) began keeping a remarkable diary. This diary became the secret place where Ellen could confess her anxieties about her new marriage express her confusion over her emerging sexuality and contemplate the nightmare that her life was becoming. The diary also follows the construction of the Rimbauer mansion Rose Red an enormous home that would be the site of so many horrific and inexplicable tragedies in the years ahead. Due in part so it seems to a murder that took place during its construction. After Ellen's daughter vanishes John's philandering ways and violent tendencies aggravate her desperation...
What drove the men who risked and lost their lives to conquer the world's highest mountain for Britain? Fifty years on Penny Mallory whose ancestor George Leigh Mallory lost his life tells the story of this extra-ordinary adventure undertaken with primitive equipment in often terrifying weather conditions against an unstable brooding and often lethal adversary - Mount Everest. Did Mallory in fact reach the summit 29 years before Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay? Mallory's frozen body was found in 1999. Using authentic footage of the ascent we revisit this unique adventure 50 years on alongside the men who pitted their wits and lives for the privilege of being the first to say that they had stood on the roof of the world. Which of us could have climbed persevered and ultimately stood beside them beneath the Union Jack on that glorious sun-drenched May morning in 1953? Featuring biographies of the expedition's members and a chronology of those other brave men and women who have lost their lives on subsequent dashes for the summer.
Female Perversions is the provocative and stimulating story of Eve Stephens a successful attorney struggling under the tremendous pressures of power promiscuity and a destructive sister. Consumed by wild sexual fantasies she is unable to feel satisfied by either her male or female lovers. She uses them to fuel her all consuming desire for sexual fulfilment regardless of the damage she is doing to those around her. In a truly shocking exploration of female perversion Swinton delivers a riveting performance that ranks alongside her stunning portrayal of `Orlando'. Dare to let yourself go... where you've never been before.
Jonathan Harker a student of vampires ventures to Dracula's castle and attacks him. The revengeful vampire leaves his dark abode to prey on the family of his attacker's fiancee. The only man able to protect Harker and his fiancee is Dr. Van Helsing a friend of Harker's. As a fellow-student of vampires he's determined to destroy Dracula...
Featuring episodes 1-3.
An all-new chapter of horror is about to begin... George A. Romero's Land of the Dead is the acclaimed director's long-awaited return to the genre he invented beginning with the seminal Night of the Living Dead followed by Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. In Romero's harrowing newest vision the world (as humankind has known it) is merely a memory. In its place is the never-ending nightmare existence of us-the living-versus them-the walkers. What's left of mankind is cordoned off behind the walls of a fortified city while the walking dead roam the vast wasteland beyond. The few wealthy and powerful try to maintain an illusion of life as it was dwelling high above the city in the exclusive towers of Fiddler's Green the last bastion of the ruling class. On the streets below however the remaining less fortunate of the city's inhabitants eke out a hard-scrabble life seeking what little solace they can in the vices available-gambling flesh trade drugs-anything that offers even a fleeting respite from the hell their lives have become. Both the lofty heights of Fiddler's Green and the demoralizing lows of the city below are lorded over by a handful of ruthless opportunists led by Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) who keeps his hands in everything from real estate to less above-board pursuits. To bring food and other essential supplies to the occupants of the city and to allow the Green's well-to-do to acquire the scarce luxury items to which they were once accustomed a hardened group of mercenaries-headed by Riley (Simon Baker) and his second-in-command Cholo (John Leguizamo)-run retrieval missions outside the city protected by their massive armored vehicle Dead Reckoning. Riley and Cholo like Kaufman are in it for the money which they hope to use for their own escapes- Riley to the North with promises of a world without fences and freedom and Cholo to the luxury of Fiddler's Green far away from the violent life he has known. While Kaufman and his employees concern themselves with commerce life is changing both within and beyond the walls of the city. Unrest and anarchy are on the rise among the city's disenfranchised and outside the army of the dead is changing evolving learning to organize and communicate. When Cholo commandeers Dead Reckoning intent on extorting millions out of Kaufman and his cronies Riley and his ragtag group-including Slack (Asia Argento) and Charlie (Robert Joy)-are called into action to stop Cholo and in the process protect the city and its population from the growing army of evolving zombies storming its weakening perimeter.
49th Parallel is a powerful and important piece of World War 2 propaganda which controversially was filmed from the point of view of a group of German soldiers. Asked to make a flag waver by the Ministry of Information the brilliantly gifted film-making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger elected to set the action in Canada. The film features a stellar cast who all waived their fees in the interests of the war. A Nazi U-boat is sunk by the Canadian Air Force and all the crew are lost except six men who had been sent ashore before the attack. They stumble across an Eskimo village where Scott Peter and his Eskimo servant Martin live. Also present is a French trapper Johnnie (played by Laurence Olivier) who panics when held at gunpoint and is shot by one of the Nazis. After this the Allies send an S.O.S. plane and it is the intention of the Nazis to hijack it and fly to neutral America. When the plane arrives there is a scuffle but they manage to take off. Will they be caught before they kill again?
James Stewart was one of the great western icons and this collection houses several of his finest efforts. The Man From Laramie (Dir. Anthony Mann 1955): Will Lockhart comes to a small town to find the man who sold rifles to the Apaches and caused the death of his brother a cavalry officer. Beaten and nearly killed by cohorts of the arms dealer he also becomes embroiled with a ranch baron and his overwrought son. Father and son are plotted against by their treacherous for
When a small town is overrun by the gang of outlaws. The Mayor finds that they are under the thumb of the gang's leader, villainous Hoyt Killian. The town's sheriff takes it upon himself to hire famed outlaw Jesse James to infiltrate the gang and stop their evil plans from inside their ranks. Its outlaw versus outlaw and to the winner goes the town and its secret treasures. An action-packed western featuring Kevin Sorbo and the legendary Peter Fonda.
Some windows should never be opened! Following a bitter separation from his wife (Bello) famed mystery writer Mort Rainey (Depp) is unexpectedly confronted at his remote lake house by a dangerous stranger named John Shooter (Turturro). Claiming Rainey has plagiarised his short story the psychotic Shooter demands justice. When Shooter's fearful demands turn to threats - and then murder - Rainey turns to a private detective for help. But when nothing stops the horror from spiralling out of control Rainey soon discovers he can't trust anyone or anything...
Married and supposedly retired from duty Sean Dillon (Rob Lowe) is dragged back into the dangerous world of international espionage when a plan is discovered by Brigadier Ferguson (Kenneth Cranham) to kill off the British Royal Family. Dillon must discover who is behind the plot but the suspects are many and varied. Is the IRA involoved Middle East fundamentalists or old guard Russian leaders tightening their fingers on the trigger that will set Britain on the road to a Republic? The stage is set for a deadly game of cat and mouse between former comrades turned adversaries. In such a barren climate of cold hearts can love survive and good finally triumph over evil?
Available for the first time on DVD! It's all about being in the wrong place at the right time. This comedy heist film depicts the efforts of Ben (Sean William Scott) to pay off a debt that his late brother owes Gregory a local crime boss (Lou Diamond Phillips). In order to pay off the debt he and his knuckleheaded friends decide to stage a rave next to a bank vault containing a priceless statue. Once the noise from the makeshift club is underway they will cut through the wall obtain the statue and use it to pay Gregory off. Unfortunately a wealth of obstacles - ranging from club owners FBI agents and randy underage girls - stand in the way of their goal.
1950s rock 'n' roll road movie detailing the escapades of four buddies (one played by Mel Gibson in his movie debut) who head out of Sydney for a surfing weekend.
One of Ingmar Bergman's key early works - directed when he was just 30 years old - To Joy explores some of the themes that would come to chracterise many of his later films: the incompatibility of spouses and the responsibility of artists. Marta and Stig both play in an orchestra conducted by Sonderby. Their relationship is a happy one and they soon decide to get married and have children. However things begin to turn sour when Stig begins a sordid affair that threatens to dest
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