Based on an improbable but true story, Cool Runnings concerns the Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Director Jon Turteltaub (Phenomenon) does a fine job with both the absurdity of the situation (the athletes had never even seen snow) and the passion behind it (their desire to compete and win). John Candy, in one of his last roles, is touching as a disgraced coach who seizes the opportunity to work with the Jamaicans as a chance for redemption. The bobsled scenes look good and the races are exciting. The climax, which is entirely unexpected, takes the film to a wholly different level, even if events in the story don't quite match the facts. --Tom Keogh
Robin Williams stars as an English teacher who doesn't fit into the conservative prep school where he teaches but his charisma and love of poetry inspires several boys to revive a secret society with a bohemian bent. The script is well-meaning but a little trite, though director Peter Weir (The Truman Show) adds layers of emotional depth in scenes of conflict between the kids and adults. (A subplot involving one father's terrible pressure on his son--played by Robert Sean Leonard--to drop his interest in the theatre reaches heartbreaking proportions). Williams is given plenty of latitude to work in his brand of improvisational humour, though it is all well-woven into his character's style of instruction. --Tom Keogh
Academy Award¨ winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers one of his most memorable performances in Dead Poets Society à digitally restored and presented for the first time ever in breathtaking Blu-ray High Definition. For generations, Welton Academy students have been groomed to live lives of conformity and tradition à until new professor John Keating inspires them to think for themselves, live life to the fullest and ÃCarpe Diem.à This unconventional approach awakens the spirits of the students, but draws the wrath of a disapproving faculty when an unexpected tragedy strikes the school. With unforgettable characters and beautiful cinematography, Dead Poets Society will captivate and inspire you time and time again.
Almost universally derided on its first release as the worst of the Star Trek movies to date, The Final Frontier may just have been the victim of bad press. Following in the wake of the massively successful fourth instalment The Voyage Home didn't help matters (notoriously, even-numbered entries are better), nor did having novice director and shameless egomaniac William Shatner at the helm. But if the story, conceived and co-written by Shatner, teeters dangerously on the verge of being corny at times, it redeems itself with enough thought-provoking scenes in the best tradition of the series, and a surprisingly original finale. Granted there are a few too many yawning plot holes along the way, and the general tone is over-earnest (despite some painfully slapstick comedy moments), but the interaction of the central trio (Kirk, Spock and McCoy) is often funny and genuinely insightful; while Laurence Luckinbill is a charismatic adversary as the renegade Vulcan Sybok. True, the rest of the cast scarcely get a look in, and the special effects betray serious budgetary restrictions, but with a standout score from Jerry Goldsmith and a meaty philosophical premise to play around with, Star Trek V looks a lot more substantial in retrospect. Certainly it's no worse than either Generations or Insurrection, the next "odd-numbered" entries in the series. On the DVD: This is a non-anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) print, with only two trailers as extra features. Quite frankly, Star Trek fans are being short-changed. --Mark Walker
Strauss: Elektra (Levine Metropolitan Opera Orchestra)
Dead Poets Society (1989): Academy Award winner Robin Williams delivers a brilliant performance in one of Hollywood's most compelling and thought-provoking motion pictures. Williams portrays passionate English professor John Keating who in an age of crew cuts sport coats and cheerless conformity inspires his students to live life to the fullest exclaiming... ""Carpe diem lads! Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary!"" The charismatic teacher's emotionally charged challenge is met by his students with irrepressible enthusiasm - changing their lives forever. Magnificently directed by Peter Weir (The Truman Show) Dead Poets Society earned unparalleled praise among audiences and critics alike. Discover for yourself what all the cheering's about. (Dir. Peter Weir Cert. PG) Good Will Hunting (1997): Will Hunting (Damon) is a headstrong working-class genius. After one too many run-ins with the law Will's last chance is a psychology professor (Williams). Experience this powerful and unforgettable movie. From highly acclaimed director Gus Van Sant this triumphant story was nominated for 9 Academy Awards - winning Oscars for Robin Williams and hot newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and also features nominee Minnie Driver. (Dir. Gus Van Sant Cert. 15)
The Road To Morocco: Two bumbling buffoons are shipwrecked on an island off the coast of North Africa. When the beautiful Princess Shalimar comes to their rescue Jim and Turkey think they've died and gone to heaven. But once her brawny jealous husband finds out what these clowns have been up to they're going to wish they had never left their island. The Road To Singapore: Josh Mallon and his best buddy Ace Lannigan are avowed playboys. They won't even consider getting married. But Josh's shipping magnate father is tired of his prodigal son's whimsical ways. So he forces him to settle down and get a job. Rebellious to the bone Josh puts and end to those plans when -- on the eve of his big engagement party -- he and Ace set sail for Singapore. They accidentally wind up in Kaigoon instead but these free-spirited bachelors couldn't care less. Unfettered by money or responsibility they're as happy as can be. Their trouble begins when they both fall in love with the same lovely native lass. The Road To Utopia: The irrepressible Chester and Duke are back on the road again. This time around the vaudevillians -- disguised as Alaskan bruisers -- are trekking to the Klondike with a newly-found map to a gold mine. A comedy of errors begins when the citizens of a rough and tumble miner's town mistake the boys for claim-jumpers. Saloon mistress Sal goes gunning for the luckless pair whose treasure map just happens to have been her late father's property. Eventually the three gold-hunters team up and begin searching for the mine together. The Road To Zanzibar: After Chucks and Fearless sell a phony diamond mine to a crook the two escape to Zanzibar where they meet comely Brooklyn gals Donna and Julia. Amid jokes and songs the foursome embark on a wacky safari but the women are only going along in hopes of finding Donna's missing brother. When the guys discover the true reason for the safari they decide to return to Zanzibar; that is until they encounter a band of wild cannibals -- who have their own plans for the duo. The Road To Rio: To avoid being charged with arson after burning down a circus Hot Lips Barton (Bob Hope) and Scat Sweeney (Bing Crosby) stow away on an ocean bound ship. Aboard the vessel the duo fall for Lucia Maria de Andrade (Dorothy Lamour) who is under the spell of her evil aunt (Gale Sondergaard) who has arranged a marriage for the young beauty. This film was in good hands since many of Hope's best collaborators worked on the picture. Director Norman Z. McLeod went on to direct Hope in four more features -- Alias Jesse James Casanova's Big Night My Favourite Spy and The Paleface. McLeod had a remarkable career behind the cameras working with such Hollywood greats as Danny Kaye (The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty) W.C. Fields (It's A Gift) and Cary Grant (Topper). Writer Edmund Beloin supplied the stories for both My Favorite Spy and The Lemon Drop Kid. His collaborator Jack Rose penned My Favourite Brunette The Great Lover Sorrowful Jones and The Seven Little Foys. This The Road To Bali: Hope and Crosby play George Cochran and Harold Gridley American vaudevillains on the run from some angry fathers in Australia. To avoid a dual shotgun wedding George and Harold end up on the island of Bali and sign on as deep sea divers for Prince Arok - and become smitten with the princess Lalah. The Road To Hong Kong: Vaudevillians Harry (Crosby) and Chester (Hope) travel to Tibet to search for a drug to restore Chester's memory. Once they find the cure Chester's memory becomes so good that he accidentally memorizes a secret formula for space navigation. Soon the two meet up with a beautiful spy (Collins) and get slightly sidetracked... to another planet!
The true story of The Temptations the Soul vocal group of the 1960s as seen from the viewpoint of the last surviving member Otis Williams. Beginning from their humble origins in the late 50s and continuing through the 90s and the deaths of the other 4 members.
Almost universally derided on its first release as the worst of the Star Trek movies to date, The Final Frontier might just have been the victim of bad press. Following in the wake of the massively successful fourth instalment The Voyage Home didn't help matters (notoriously, even-numbered entries are better), nor did having novice director and shameless egomaniac William Shatner at the helm. But if the story, conceived and cowritten by Shatner, teeters dangerously on the verge of being corny, it redeems itself with enough thought-provoking scenes in the best tradition of the series, and a surprisingly original finale. Granted there are a few too many yawning plot holes along the way, and the general tone is over-earnest (despite some painfully slapstick comedy moments), but the interaction of the central trio (Kirk, Spock and McCoy) is often funny and genuinely insightful; while Laurence Luckinbill is a charismatic adversary as the renegade Vulcan Sybok. The rest of the cast scarcely get a look in, and the special effects betray serious budgetary restrictions, but with a standout score from Jerry Goldsmith and a meaty philosophical premise to play around with, Star Trek V looks a lot more substantial in retrospect. Certainly it's no worse than either Generations or Insurrection, the next "odd-numbered" entries in the series. --Mark Walker
Widely regarded as one of the best of the Road To series Bing and Bob play two song and dance men who are forced to leave Melbourne in rather a hurry in order to avoid various marriage proposals which have come their way and so sign on as deep sea divers working for a Balinese prince. Whilst he hopes that they will manage to locate a chest of lost treasure that lies at the bottom of a bay he omits the fact that it is guarded by a sea monster. Or that if they do manage to locate it
The Martians discover Earth's Christmas festival and the much loved Santa Claus. They are so envious that they kidnap him and take him to Mars. Earth has lost Father Christmas but for how long...?
Giacomo Puccini's 'La Fanciulla del West' a stage production by The Metropolitan Opera 1992.
Dante's Peak (Dir. Roger Donaldson 1997): Without warning day becomes night. Air turns to fire and solid ground gives way to white-hot molten terror. Brace yourself for action-packed earth shaking thrills and whatever you do... don't look back. Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton star in an epic adventure from Director Roger Doaldson that will blow you away! Erupting with spectacular special effects heart-pounding suspense romance and remarkable characters Dante's Peak is a blast! Twister (Dir. Jan De Bont 1996): The house rips apart piece by piece. A bellowing cow spins through the air. Tractors fall like rain. A 15 000-pound gasoline tanker becomes an airborne bomb. A mile-wide 300 mile-per-hour force of total devastation is coming at you: Twister is hitting home. In this adventure swirling with cliffhanging excitement and awesome special effects Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play scientists pursuing the most destructive weatherfront to seep through mid America's Tornado Alley in 50 years. By launching electronic sensors into the funnel the storm chasers hope to obtain enough data to create an improved warning system. In order to do so they must place themselves in the twisters' deadly path... Deep Impact (Dir. Mimi Leder 1998): What would you do if you knew that in a handful of days an enormous comet would collide with Earth and all humanity could be annihilated? Mimi Leder directs guiding an all-star cast featuring Robert Duvall Tea Leoni Elijah Wood Vanessa Redgrave Maximilian Schell and Morgan Freeman. With the film's dynamic fusion of large-scale excitement and touching human-scale storylines Deep Impact makes its impact felt in a big and unforgettable way.
A performance of Gounod's opera 'Romeo Et Juliette' in five acts recorded live at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
Enjoy a front row seat in the comfort of your home with a Shakespeare classic starring an internationally acclaimed cast. The Merry Wives Of Windsor is Shakespeare's timeless comedy of love seduction fanciful deceits and marital fidelity.
1. Camp Blood (Dir. Brad Sykes 1999) 2. Camp Blood 2 (Dir. Brad Sykes 2000) 3. Dead Above Ground (Dir. Chuck Bowman 2002) 4. Demon Fire (Dir. J.R. Bookwalter 2001) 5. The Dummy (Dir. Keith Singleton 2000) 6. Granny (Dir. Boris Pavlosky 1999) 7. Horror Vision (Dir. Danny Draven 2001) 8. In The Woods (Dir. Lynn Drzick 1999) 9. Halloween 4 (Dir. Dwight H. Little 1988) 10. A Bay Of Blood (Dir. Mario Bava 1971) 11. Killy Joy 2 (Dir. Tammi Sutton 2002) 12. Jigsaw (Dir. Don Adams & Harry James Picardi 2002) 13. Kill Joy (Dir. Craig Ross 2000) 14. Paranoid (Dir. Ash Smith 2000) 15. Nursie (Dir. Joe C. Maxwell 2002) 16. Sanitarium (Dir. James Eaves & Johannes Roberts 2001) 17. Phantoms (Dir. Charles Band 1990) 18. Pieces (Dir. Juan Piquer 1982) 19. Exorcism (Dir. William A Baker 2003) 20. 976 Evil II: The Astral Factor (Dir. Jim Wynorski 1991)
The Superman Cartoons of Max and Dave Fleischer: Max and Dave Fleischer were the animation team responsible for the onscreen antics of such favourite characters as Koko The Clown Betty Boop and Popeye. In 1941 they were hired by Paramount to bring the wildly popular comic book character of Superman to the screen in a series of animated cartoons. This special edition DVD collects for the 1st time the Fleischer Brothers' massively influential Superman short subjects in their en
Weber-Berlioz:Invitation to the Waltz/Invitation a la valse.Away in a MangerWhat Child is This?Un FlambeauFranck: Panis AngelicusMahler: Symphony No. 5/Symphonie no 5IV. AdagiettoHandel: Messiah He Shall Feed His FlockO Come O Come EmmanuelSilent NightBach-Gounod: Ave Maria
Frank Sinatra stars with Kim Novak and Eleanor Parker in this riveting drama about a poker dealer/jazz musician who descends to skid row after becoming addicted to heroin. Will he make it back into the spotlight -- or even survive? Based upon the classic American novel by Nelson Algren The Man With The Golden Arm was far ahead of its time with its depiction of what drugs can do to even an ambitious person. Its cautionary tale still holds up today as heroin has come back to haunt not
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