It seemed like a pretty good career move, and for the most part it was. Demi Moore will never top any rational list of great actresses, but as her career stalled in the mid-1990s she had enough internal fire and external physicality to be just right for her title role in G.I. Jane. Her character's name isn't Jane--it's Jordan O'Neil--but the fact that she lacks a penis makes her an immediate standout in her elite training squad of Navy SEALs. She's been recruited as the first female SEAL trainee through a series of backroom political manoeuvres and must prove her military staying power against formidable odds--not the least of which is the abuse of a tyrannical master chief (Viggo Mortensen) who puts her through hell to improve her chances of success. Within the limitations of a glossy star vehicle, director Ridley Scott manages to incorporate the women-in-military issue with considerable impact, and Moore--along with her conspicuous breast enhancements and that memorable head-shaving scene--jumps into the role with everything she's got. Not a great movie by any means, but definitely a rousing crowd pleaser and it's worth watching just to hear Demi shout the words "Suck my ----!!" (rhymes with "chick"). --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Pitch Perfect 1 Musical teen comedy following the fortunes of an all-girl a cappella singing group. Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, a freshman who is persuaded to join The Bellas, her university's all-female singing group. Raising their energy and expanding their repertoire, The Bellas have soon taken their music to a whole new level, culminating in a sing-off against their male counterparts in a campus-wide competition. Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks co-star. Pitch perfect 2 Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson return in this musical comedy sequel following the fortunes of an all-girl a cappella singing group. The film follows The Barden Bellas as they enter an international singing competition that a group from the US have yet to win. Can they impress the judges enough to beat their competitors? The cast also includes Elizabeth Banks, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow and Katey Sagal. Pitch Perfect 3 Now graduated from college and out in the real world where it takes more than a cappella to get by, the Bellas return in Pitch Perfect 3, the next chapter in the beloved series. After the highs of winning the World Championships, the Bellas find themselves split apart and discovering there aren't job prospects for making music with your mouth. But when they get the chance to reunite for an overseas USO tour, this group of awesome nerds will come together to make some music, and some questionable decisions, one last time
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark It's said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with `70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn't disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humour, horrorÂ… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there's real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century's most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that's entertainment. --Sam Graham Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom It's hard to imagine that a film with worldwide box office receipts topping US$300 million worldwide could be labeled a disappointment, but some moviegoers considered Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second installment in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' 1980s adventure trilogy, to be just that. That doesn't mean it's a bad effort; any collaboration between these two cinema giants (Spielberg directed, while Lucas provided the story and was executive producer) is bound to have more than its share of terrific moments, and Temple of Doom is no exception. But in exchanging the very real threat of Nazi Germany for the cartoonish Thuggee cult, it loses some of the heft of its predecessor (Raiders of the Lost Ark); on the other hand, it's also the darkest and most disturbing of the three films, what with multiple scenes of children enslaved, a heart pulled out of a man's chest, and the immolation of a sacrificial victim, which makes it less fun than either Raiders or The Last Crusade, notwithstanding a couple of riotous chase scenes and impressively grand sets. Many fans were also less than thrilled with the new love interest, a spoiled, querulous nightclub singer portrayed by Kate Capshaw, but a cute kid sidekick ("Short Round," played by Ke Huy Quan) and, of course, the ever-reliable Harrison Ford as the cynical-but-swashbuckling hero more than make up for that character's shortcomings. --Sam Graham Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The third episode in Steven Spielberg's rousing Indiana Jones saga, this film recaptures the best elements of Raiders of the Lost Ark while exploring new territory with wonderfully satisfying results. Indy is back battling the Nazis, who have launched an expedition to uncover the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. And it's not just Indy this time--his father (played with great acerbic wit by Sean Connery, the perfect choice) is also involved in the hunt. Spielberg excels at the kind of extended action sequences that top themselves with virtually every frame; the best one here involves Indy trying to stop a Nazi tank from the outside while his father is being held within. For good measure, Spielberg reveals (among other things) how Indy got his hat, the scar on his chin, and his nickname (in a prologue that features River Phoenix as the young Indiana). --Marshall Fine Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim
Some teachers just don't give an F. For example there's Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz). She's foul-mouthed ruthless and inappropriate. She drinks she gets high and she can't wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she's dumped by her fiance she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich handsome subsititute (Justin Timberlake) - competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague Amy (Lucy Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting of the advances of a sarcastic irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel) the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students her coworkers and even herself an education like no other.
Now graduated from college and out in the real world where it takes more than a cappella to get by, the Bellas return in Pitch Perfect 3, the next chapter in the beloved series. After the highs of winning the World Championships, the Bellas find themselves split apart and discovering there aren't job prospects for making music with your mouth. But when they get the chance to reunite for an overseas USO tour, this group of awesome nerds will come together to make some music, and some questionable decisions, one last time. The boxset also includes a bonus disc packed with OVER 30 MINUTES of additional exclusive behind the scenes content, including: Bellas Through the Years The A Cappella Aquatica Aca-Boot Camp: Round 3 Bellas Find Love
A routine wire-tap job turns into a modern nightmare as expert surveillance man Harry Caul hears something disturbing in his recording of a young couple in a park. He begins to worry about what the tape may be used for and becomes involved in a maze of secrecy and murder.
Wag the Dog (1997) is a rarity: an intelligent, sophisticated and very funny film about American politics. Just before an election the President--in an uncanny anticipation of real life--gets sexually involved with a young woman, leaving spin-doctor Robert De Niro to think of something quick. He enlists Hollywood producer Dustin Hoffman to help him concoct a war against Albania to take the public's mind off the President's peccadilloes. Both stars are in top form, with Hoffman particularly funny as the larger than life producer. Scripted by David Mamet (House of Games, Glengarry Glen Ross) and directed by Barry Levinson, (whose previous comedies include Good Morning, Vietnam with Robin Williams and Tin Men with Danny De Vito) Wag the Dog manages to make you laugh even while you're thinking about how true the insights are, and how politics is getting more like the media every day. On the DVD: The so-called platinum DVD is packed with features. There is a series of production shots, assembled in no particular order, some showing the director watching filming on his monitor. There are interview clips with Hoffman, De Niro, Anne Heche, William H Macy and Barry Levinson talking about the film, plus scrolled filmographies. There's an audio commentary on the whole film by Levinson and Hoffman, occasionally rambling but with some interesting insights. In another feature, Macy talks at some length about David Mamet. There are extensive scroll-down production notes giving useful information (such as the film's budget), and finally a 50-minute documentary in which producer Jane Rosenthal talks about the relationship between the film and real-life politics. Her comments are supplemented by such luminaries as writer Budd Schulberg, director John Frankenheimer, newscaster Tom Brokaw and Dee Dee Myers, former White House press secretary. The Dolby Digital soundtrack is good quality, as is the image in 16:9 ratio. --Ed Buscombe
From director Chris Columbus comes this original funny and heart-warming film. When Richard Martin (Sam Neill) introduced a robot named Andrew (Robin Williams) to the family nobody expects anything more than an ordinary household appliance. But this is no ordinary robot! Andrew is a unique machine with real emotions a sense of humour and a burning curiosity to discover what it means to be human. Over the course of his service with the Martins spanning two hundred years and several
Johnny Depp stars as the scandalously decadent John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester.
Double bill of musical teen comedies following the fortunes of an all-girl a cappella singing group. In 'Pitch Perfect: Sing-along' (2014), Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, a freshman who is persuaded to join The Bellas, her university's all-female singing group. Raising their energy and expanding their repertoire, The Bellas have soon taken their music to a whole new level, culminating in a sing-off against their male counterparts in a campus-wide competition. In 'Pitch Perfect 2' (2015) The Barden Bellas enter an international singing competition that a group from the US have yet to win. Can they impress the judges enough to beat their competitors? The cast also includes Elizabeth Banks, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow and Katey Sagal.
California's San Fernando Valley, 1973. Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is a precocious high schooler and child star who meets - and is immediately besotted with - Alana (Alana Haim), a twenty-something photographer's assistant trying desperately to find herself. The two of them form an unlikely bond, and soon begin running around the Valley together taking part in Gary's many haphazard schemes.
Blade's back and this time he's facing the greatest vampire of them in with just Jessica Alba and Ryan Reynolds for back up.
In an emotive performance Sheffield born Sean Bean stars as Jimmy Muir captain of the local football team within a gritty working class Sheffield community who sees life as a game both on and off the pitch. Though encouraged by his spirited girlfriend Annie (Emily Lloyd) it is not until he is spotted by local talent scout Ken Jackson (Pete Postlethwaite) that Jimmy starts to believe his dream to make it into professional football could be realised. When offered the chance to p
Bicentennial Man was stung at the 1999 box office, due no doubt in part to poor timing during a backlash against Robin Williams and his treacly performances in two other, then-recent, releases, Jakob the Liar and Patch Adams. But this near-approximation of a science-fiction epic, based on works by Isaac Asimov and directed, with uncharacteristic seriousness of purpose, by Chris Columbus (Mrs Doubtfire), is much better than one would have known from the knee-jerk negativity and box-office indifference. Williams plays Andrew, a robot programmed for domestic chores and sold to an upper-middle-class family, the Martins, in the year 2005. The family patriarch (Sam Neill) recognizes and encourages Andrew's uncommon characteristics, particularly his artistic streak, sensitivity to beauty, humour and independence of spirit. In so doing, he sets Williams's tin man on a two-century journey to become more human than most human beings. As adapted by screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, the movie's scale is novelistic, though Columbus isn't the man to embrace with Spielbergian confidence its sweeping possibilities. Instead, the Home Alone director shakes off his familiar tendencies to pander and matures, finally, as a captivating storyteller. But what really makes this film matter is its undercurrent of deep yearning, the passion of Andrew as a convert to the human race and his willingness to sacrifice all to give and take love. Williams rises to an atypical challenge here as a futuristic Everyman, relying, perhaps for the first time, on his considerable iconic value to make the point that becoming human means becoming more like Robin Williams. Nothing wrong with that. -- Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
How a legend was born! Ruthless. Shameless. Clueless! Celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick (Martin Short) tackles the big screen with his first feature film: a wildly irreverent laugh-till-it-hurts movie experience. Hungry for an A-list interview that could launch him into the gossip-page stratosphere the small-time journalist with big aspirations and an even bigger appetite drags his wife and kids across the country to the star-studded Toronto Film Festival. But in between t
Brian De Palma's 1998 thriller is largely an exercise in airing out his orchestral, oversized visual style (think of his Blowout, Body Double or Raising Cain) for the heck of it. The far-fetched story featuresNicolasCage as a crooked police detective attending a championship boxing match at which the Secretary of Defence is assassinated. The unfortunate Secretary's right-hand man (Gary Sinise) happens to be Cage's old friend, a fact that complicates the cop's efforts to reconstruct the crime from conflicting accounts--a directorial strategy bearing similarities to Kurosawa's Rashomon. The outrageousness of the scenario essentially gives DePalma permission to construct a baroque cathedral of spectacular camera stunts, which (he well knows) are inevitably more interesting than the hoary conspiracy plot. (The opening scene alone, which runs on for a number of minutes and consists of one, unbroken shot that moves in from the street, following Cage up and down stairs and in and out of rooms until finally ending ringside at the match, is breathtaking.) The shifting points of view--based on the contradictory statements of witnesses--also give De Palma licence to get creative with camera angles and scene rearrangements. The script bogs down in the third act but De Palma is just revving up for a big, operatic finish that is absolutely gratuitous but undeniably impressive. Yes, it's style over substance in Snake Eyes but what style you're talking about.--Tom Keogh
A perfect couple struggles under a secret longing each has for someone else.
Set in the 48 hours leading up to the catastrophic battle of the Somme this is the intense story of young men at war as seen through the eyes of 17-year old Billy Macfarlane (Nicholls). As the boys wait for the attack alternately excited and terrified this group of nave soldiers is forced to confront the reality of the enemy as the suspense reaches breaking point. When Billy's platoon is ordered to go with the first wave of attackers the awful truth of what they're about to un
The Award Winning film autobiography of the English eccentric Quentin Crisp. The film traces Crisp's life from the early 1930's telling of his blatent exhibitionism as an outrageously effeminate homosexual. John Hurt's unforgettable performance won him a BAFTA for Best Actor while director Jack Gold won the Academy's highest commendation The Desmond Davies Award for outstanding creative contribution to television.
Some teachers just don't give an F. For example there's Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz). She's foul-mouthed ruthless and inappropriate. She drinks she gets high and she can't wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she's dumped by her fiance she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich handsome subsititute (Justin Timberlake) - competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague Amy (Lucy Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting of the advances of a sarcastic irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel) the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students her coworkers and even herself an education like no other.
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