Based on Caroline Graham's novels and featuring the stolid crime-solving skills of Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, Midsomer Murders made their television debut in 1997 and continue to keep viewers happy with that potent whodunnit ingredient: spectacularly bloody murders in the most tranquil rural settings the Shires have to offer. Midsomer is a vaguely defined area of villages and hamlets with charming names like Badger's Drift and Goodman's Land. It also has the highest number of violent deaths per capita outside the average war zone. Serial killings abound to test the nerve of Barnaby (John Nettles) and his sidekick Sergeant Troy (Daniel Casey), a dullard easily perplexed by a world which refuses to stick to his black and white view of things. Nettles is excellent; there's a hint of Bergerac still, now heavier of jowl and broader of beam, though the chasing is necessarily limited and the DCI enjoys the home comforts of an understanding wife and a spirited daughter. "Every time I go into any Midsomer village, it's always the same thing", he huffs. "Blackmail, sexual deviancy, suicide and murder." Ain't it the truth? The murders are astonishing. Family feuds, jealousy, incest, industrial espionage, all erupt at regular intervals leaving a trail of bodies with throats slashed, limbs dismembered and blood absolutely everywhere. Rivers of sheer nastiness run deep beneath the superficially pastoral perfection of Midsomer. Thank goodness there are still men like dependable Barnaby to get to the bottom of things. Eventually. Sure of Barnabys eventual success, Midsomer Murders make for a cosy, even comforting, couple of hours curled up in front of the television. And they make a great showcase for star turns from the great stable of British character actors, too, from Celia Imrie and Elizabeth Spriggs to Imelda Staunton and Duncan Preston, who invariably turn this whimsical stuff into the tastiest possible ham.--Piers Ford
A gripping military drama starring Alec Guinness as Major Jock Sinclair. During World War 2 Sinclair was promoted to Acting CO of his Highland Regiment but now it has returned to Scotland a new CO (John Mills) is to be appointed; leading Jock to pit his wits against the new CO and the other officers in the Mess.
Featuring the entire series of 'Jeeves And Wooster' based on the characters created by P.G. Wodehouse. Jeeves & Wooster is one of the most delightful period comedy series on TV. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie have captured the wit and sophistication of PG Wodehouse and manage to portray the marvellous light hearted atmosphere in which the stories were originally set to perfection. Now you can enjoy every episode at your leisure in this delightful digipack of the complete tip-top shennanigans of Jeeves & Wooster.
As long as there is a need for adolescent male sexual fantasy, there will be an audience for Heavy Metal. Released in 1981 and based on stories from the graphic magazine of the same name, this silly and senseless the movie is an aimless, juvenile amalgam of disjointed stories and clashing visual styles. Hundreds of animators from around the world were employed, resulting in a near-total absence of creative cohesion in the finished product. It remains, for better and worse, a midnight-movie favourite for the stoner crowd--a movie best enjoyed by randy adolescents or near-adults in an altered state of consciousness. With a framing story about a glowing green orb claiming to be the embodiment of all evil, the film shuttles through eight episodic tales of sci-fi adventure, each fuelled by some of the most wretched rock music to emerge from the late 1970s-early 80s period. The most consistent trademark is an abundance of blood-splattering violence and wet-dream sex, the latter involving a succession of huge-breasted babes who shed their clothes at the drop of a G-string. It's rampantly brainless desire to fuel the young male libido becomes rather fun, and for all its incoherence Heavy Metal impresses for the ambitious artistry of its individual segments. Produced by Ivan Reitman (who went on to direct Ghostbusters), the voice talents include several Canadian veterans of the Second City improvisation comedy troupe--including John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty--many of whom went on to greater fame on the US TV series Saturday Night Live. --Jeff Shannon DVD Special Features Feature-length Rough Cut with Optional Commentary by Carl MacEk, Production notes Theatrical trailer Documentary: Imagining Heavy Metal Art Galleries Deleted Scenes, Carl MacEk reading his book "Heavy Metal: The Movie" 1:85:1 widescreen anamorphic Dolby Digital 5.1
An elite team of mercenaries is hired for a covert operation, deep inside a former Soviet state. Arriving at an underground laboratory, their mission is to secure specimens of genetically engineered human and alien hybrids. Battling with a ferocious armed militia as well as dark, menacing creatures, the odds of survival are stacked against them.
In this turbulent swashbuckler Cecil B. DeMille presents a tale of daring piracy and hot-blooded love! 1840s Key West is filled with salvage businesses thriving on the cargo of wrecked ships. Ship owner Loxi Claiborne suspects salvager King Cutler of foul play since he's always first on the scene at a wreck. Meanwhile Loxi's suitor Captain Jack Stuart is another suspect - at least to jealous lawyer Steve Tolliver. Who will be found guilty - and how - hinges on some amazing developments. Along with the star-studded cast (including Robert Preston and Susan Hayward) this glorious sea spectacle has stars of another kind. There are huge clipper ships gliding in the mist storms splintering them on the rocks and a giant squid in a memorable underwater battle. With Given DeMille's robust direction it all adds up to an Oscar for Special Effects
Re-live every great moment knockout submission and fights with the UFC Best of 2012: Year in Review. All the UFC superstars are featured in their most spectacular bouts.
Two years after 20th Century Fox released its melodramatic disaster film Titanic in 1953, Walter Lord's meticulously researched book A Night to Remember surprised its publishers by becoming a phenomenal bestseller. Lord had an intuition that readers craved the reality of the Titanic disaster and not the romantically mythologised translations (like Fox's film, starring Barbara Stanwyck), which relied on fictional characters to "enhance" the world's worst maritime disaster. Lord's book proved that the truth was far more compelling than fiction, outlining the many "if onlys" (if only the iceberg had been spotted a few minutes earlier, etc.) that lent sombre irony to the loss of 1,500 Titanic passengers. Three years after Lord's book appeared, it was brought to the screen with the kind of riveting authenticity that Lord had insisted upon in his own research. The 1958 British production of A Night to Remember remains a definitive dramatization of the disaster, adhering to the known facts of the time and achieving a documentary-like immediacy that matches (and in some ways surpasses) the James Cameron epic released 39 years later. The film erroneously perpetuates the once-common belief that the Titanic sunk in one piece (instead of breaking in half as its bow began to plunge), but many other misconceptions are accurately corrected, and the intelligent screenplay by thriller master Eric Ambler is a model of factual suspense. By making Titanic the star of the film, director Roy Baker emphasises the excessive confidence of the booming industrial age and creates an intense you-are-there realism that pays tribute to Walter Lord's tenacious quest for truth. --Jeff Shannon
What kind of guy was the wizard Merlin, anyway? He lives a long time, raises a boy to be a king, props up a Utopian empire with his magic and wisdom, and then watches as it all crumbles under such banal forces as vengeance and betrayal. This four-hour mini-series re-tells the story of Camelot and King Arthur from the perspective of the magic man who sacrifices a great deal to guide mortals toward a better destiny. Sam Neill plays Merlin as an accessible, flesh-and-blood fellow of real passion, powerless to undo the spell of a rival (Rutger Hauer) who has virtually imprisoned Merlin's great love, Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), but gifted enough to counter the treachery of Morgan Le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wicked Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson). The battle sequences and special effects are striking and original, and it is great fun to see such art-house movie actors as Richardson, Carter, Neill, etc., in fantasy entertainment the whole family can enjoy. (An unrecognizable Martin Short must be singled out, however, for a wonderful, largely dramatic performance as Mab's sidekick, Frik.) Directed by Steve Barron (The Adventures of Pinocchio), Merlin is a nice bit of glossy revisionism of a beloved legend. --Tom Keogh
Bijou is a beautiful man-eating cabaret singer in the South Seas who travels from one island saloon to another - usually wreaking havoc on the female-starved clientele. Then she falls in love with dashing and unsuspecting Naval officer Dan Brent. As their romance blossoms Dan proposes marriage to Bijou. The Navy brass knowing Bijou's disreputable past try to convince her to reconsider marrying Dan to save his promising career.
Frasier picked up its second season with another round of comedy as intelligent as its pompous title character. Fortunately, the sniping between Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and his father, Marty (John Mahoney), that took up a lot of the first season is mostly past, and the crack ensemble was ready to roll in a number of memorable episodes. Frasier tries to set up Daphne (Jane Leeves) with the new station manager in 'The Matchmaker,' Frasier, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), and Marty go fishing in 'Breaking the Ice,' Frasier and Niles jump into politics in 'The Candidate,' the team of Frasier and Roz (Peri Gilpin) breaks up ('Roz in the Doghouse'), and Frasier and Niles open a restaurant in "The Innkeepers." It was Pierce's Niles who emerged as a star in the second season, lusting after Daphne, learning about parenthood in 'Flour Child,' and challenging a Bavarian fencer for the hand of his ever-absent wife, Maris, in the comic tour de force 'An Affair to Forget.' Pierce picked up a well-deserved first Emmy, and the show repeated its first-season Emmys for comedy series and lead actor. Frasier's dates included Jobeth Williams (whom he takes on a disastrous getaway to Bora Bora), Shannon Tweed, and Tea Leoni, and other guest stars were Nathan Lane and, from his original show, Cheers, Bebe Neuwirth and Ted Danson. --David Horiuchi Synopsis Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer is Frasier--the hilarious psychiatrist first seen on TV's Cheers and subsequently the start of this smash-hit comedy series. And the gang's all here for the complete second season of this wry and witty sitcom--and what a season it is! Frasier Crane (Grammer) infuriates the entire city of Seattle when he complains about its rainy climate during his radio talk show. Meanwhile, his father Martin (John Maloney) finds his favorite bar is slated for the wrecker's ball--and could it be that Frasier and Niles (David Hyde Pierce) are behind its demise? Roz (Peri Gilpin) considers a new job offer...Daphne (Jane Leeves) finds her privacy invaded...and Frasier's romantic island getaway with a new girlfriend is ruined when his ex-wife Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) is discovered happily ensconced in an adjacent cottage! It's all 24 episodes of Frasier's riotous second season, presented in one highly-entertaining four-disc collection.
Terror Beyond Belief! A notorious horror classic returns in all its depraved glory. This infamous video nasty updated the classic Giallo blueprint for the gorified 80s courting controversy and drenching the viewer in crimson arterial spray. A razor-wielding psycho is stalking the horror writer Peter Neal in Rome to promote his latest work Tenebre. But the author isn’t the obsessive killer’s only target the beautiful women who surround him are doomed as one by one they fall victim to the murderer’s slashing blade… Will fiction and reality blur as fear and madness take hold? Watch in terror as by turns the cast fall victim to the sadistic imagination of Dario Argento Italy’s master of horror. Bonus Features: Newly remastered High Definition digital transfer of the film Presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD Optional original English & Italian Mono Audio tracks (uncompressed PCM Mono 2.0 Audio on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English SDH subtitles for English audio for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio Commentary with authors and critics Kim Newman and Alan Jones Audio Commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock Introduction by star Daria Nicolodi The Unsane World of Tenebrae: An interview with director Dario Argento Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi remembers Tenebrae A Composition for Carnage: Composer Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae Goblin: ‘Tenebrae’ and ‘Phenomena’ Live from the Glasgow Arches Brand new interview with Maitland McDonagh author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento Original Trailer Reversible Sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx Exclusive collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Alan Jones author of Profondo Argento an interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli and an appreciation of the film by director Peter Strickland illustrated with original posters and lobby cards
Series creator Mike McMahan, writer and executive producer of Rick and Morty, takes you where no Star Trek series has gonebefore to the lower decks! Join rule-breaker Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), aspiring captain Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), rookie D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) and part-Cyborg Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) as they attempt to navigate the most mysterious corners of our universe with very little experience and even less authority. Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 features nearly 2 hours of exclusive special features and includes guest appearances by John De Lancie (Star Trek: TheNext Generation), Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and more! Extras 2 Hours Of Special Features Lower Decktionaries Crisis Point: The Rise Of Vindicta Trailer Faces Of The Fleet Hiding In Plain Sight Full Length Animatic Deleted Animatic Scenes
A large number of Hollywood actors rock stars and other celebrities move into Stella Street a quiet suburban street in southwest London. Away from the celebrity life they settle down in domestic bliss until the day they follishly entrust their wealth to a cousin of the Duke of Marlborough and lose everything! For the first time in their lives these showbiz legends fall on hard times and suddenly the simple life they craved in Stella Street has become all too real...
The late Freddie Garrity (of Freddie and the Dreamers) stars in this 1967 Eternal films comedy. Directed by Duncan Woodwho produced Hancocks Half Hour, Steptoe and Son and Oh Brother amongst many others.A good British cast, Kenneth Connor, Victor Maddern, John Le Mesurier and Arthur Mullard tell the story of a troopof scout misfits, The Cuckoo Troop, led by Garrity on their way to scout camp and all the scrapes they stumble into!Picture and sound of excellent quality following extensive restoration work by Renown.
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures is an epic global adventure story an animated family feature made spectacularly real by eye-popping 3D. A young sea-turtle's romantic quest for his first lost love a fellow hatchling born on the same Californian beach takes him on a marathon voyage across the seven seas to the furthest corners of the earth. In a world under increasing threat from environmental pollution where the oceans are a battleground between the forces of nature and mankind can Sammy the sea-turtle complete his dangerous 50-year mission and find his soul mate Shelly and the happiness they deserve? The thrills and comical spills are brought to the screen by director Ben Stassen (Fly Me To The Moon) with the help of a top-class British voice cast starring Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia) Gemma Arterton (St Trinian's Clash of The Titans) John Hurt (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) Kayvan Novak (Four Lions Fonejacker) and Robert Sheehan (Misfits).
When a British ship sinks in foreign waters the world's superpowers begin a feverish race to find its cargo: a nuclear submarine control system. And 007 (Roger Moore) is thrust into one of his most riveting adventures as he rushes to join the search...and prevent global devastation!
Matt Groening's second series of the 31st century sci-fi sitcom Futurama maintained the high scripting standards of the first as well bringing improved digital animation. Couch potato Fry now seems thoroughly reconciled to his new existence, transported 10 centuries hence to "New New York" and working for Professor Farnsworth's delivery service. He's surrounded by a cast of freaks, including the bitchily cute Amy (with whom he has a romantic brush) and Hermes, the West Indian bureaucrat. Most sympathetic is the one-eyed Leela (voiced by Katey Sagal). Like Lisa Simpson, she is brilliant but unappreciated; she finds solace in her pet Nibbler, a tiny creature with a voracious, carnivorous appetite. By contrast, Bender, the robot, is programmed with every human vice, a sort of metal Homer Simpson with a malevolent streak. In one of the best episodes, Bender is given a "feelings" chip in order to empathise with Leela after he flushes Nibbler down the toilet. Elsewhere, Fry falls in love with a Mermaid when the team discover the lost city of Atlanta, Fry and Bender end up going to war after they join the army to get a discount on gum, and John Goodman guest stars as Santa Claus, an eight-foot gun-toting robot. Brimful with blink-and-you'll-miss-them hip jokes (such as the sign for the Taco Bellevue hospital) and political and pop satire, Futurama isn't a stern warning of things to come but rather, as the programme-makers put it, "a brilliant, hilarious reflection of our own materially (ridiculously) over-developed but morally under-developed society." On the DVD: Futurama's four-disc package presents the show in 4:3 with a Dolby Digital soundtrack. Among the many extras here are audio commentaries, storyboards, trailers, mock ads for "Soylent Chow" and "Human Rinds" and deleted scenes, including one from "Bender Gets Made" in which he seeks to evade the Robot Mafia by changing his identity. --David Stubbs
The Lakes brought writer Jimmy McGovern and actor John Simm a great deal of critical praise in 1997. Following a particularly dry period for British TV drama, the show's realistic characterisations and their painfully honest decisions hit audiences hard. Simm is a twentysomething trapped in a life of compulsive gambling, theft and being on the dole in Liverpool. On a whim he heads north to the Lake District. He expects to find the countryside quietude where his hidden poetical leanings might find a home, but instead gets caught up in a community like any other. Lies, temptation and tragedy beset every household just as much as the big city. The focus of Series 1 is Danny's relationship with Emma (Emma Cunniffe) and the consequences of having a child. As time races by, his link to the Lakes becomes an exercise in torment when the eyes of blame fall easily upon him after the accidental deaths of four schoolgirls. Stoking the flames of a series of secondary explosions in waiting are a pair of affairs, one adulterous, the other complicated by religion. On the DVD: The Lakes Series 1 comes with two separate commentary tracks for the very first episode. In interviews, John Simm fondly recalls how cold the lake water was and director David Blair recalls putting him in it. It's a shame the two weren't recorded together. It's also a shame that's all there is in this package. Even a few cast biographies would have been welcome. Picture is 4:3 and stereo sound is as you'd expect from 1990s UK TV. --Paul Tonks
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