The ultimate small-screen representation of Loaded-era lad culture--albeit a culture constantly being undermined by its usually sharper female counterpart--there seems little argument that Men Behaving Badly was one of 1990s' definitive sitcoms. Certainly the booze-oriented, birds-obsessed antics of Martin Clunes' Gary and Neil Morrissey's Tony have become every bit as connected to Britain's collective funny bone as Basil Fawlty's inept hostelry or Ernie Wise's short, hairy legs. Yet, the series could easily have been cancelled when ITV viewers failed to respond to the original version, which featured Clunes sharing his flat with someone named Dermot, played by Harry Enfield. Indeed, it was only when the third series moved to the BBC and was then broadcast in a post-watershed slot--allowing writer Simon Nye greater freedom to explore his characters' saucier ruminations--that the show began to gain a significant audience. By then, of course, Morrissey had become firmly ensconced on the collective pizza-stained sofa, while more screen time was allocated to the boys' respective foils, Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash. Often glibly dismissed as a lame-brained succession of gags about sex and flatulence, the later series not only featured great performances and sharp-as-nails writing but also sported a contemporary attitude that dared to go where angels, and certainly most other sitcoms, feared to tread. Or, as Gary was once moved to comment about soft-porn lesbian epic Love in a Women's Prison: "It's a serious study of repressed sexuality in a pressure-cooker environment." Series 6 includes: "Stag Night" in which Gary agrees with Dorothy's suggestion they get married ("We've tried everything else.") provoking potentially disastrous stag-night shenanigans; "Wedding" in which Gary and Dorothy's wedding day fails to run smoothly. ("I don't want to get married--I haven't slept with enough women," he complains. "Do you want to squeeze one in?"); "Jealousy" in which the quartet make the grave error of going away for a weekend in the country; "Watching TV" concerns a quiet night in with Captain Kirk & Co ("On the Starship Enterprise, when no one's looking, do you think they all swivel round in their chairs really fast?"); "Ten" in which the communal boat is rocked by the simultaneous arrival of Dorothy's nephew and Deborah's mother; and "Sofa" in which Tony buys a snake. --Clark Collis The DVD version also features a quiz.
Based on John Lahr's biography of the same name and co-written by Alan Bennett, Prick Up Your Ears charts the 16-year relationship between the monstrously talented but deeply selfish playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman), author of West End farces such as Loot and What the Butler Saw, and his neurotic but nevertheless wronged lover and collaborator Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina). Halliwell introduced Orton to art, literature and gay sex only to see his protégeacute; outstrip his mentor with innate and rampant talent for sexual conquest. By turns hilarious and excoriatingly painful, it's as much a tribute to an anti-hero of our times-Orton's ruthless frankness and anarchic mindset helped form the basis of what's called the "queer" sensibility today--as it is a portrait of the Swinging 60s just after the reform of anti-homosexuality laws irrevocably changed society. The modern-day framing device has Lahr (Wallace Shawn) researching his book through interviews with Peggy Ramsay (Vanessa Redgrave), Orton's agent and the diary he wrote, a nimble device which ends up drawing a provocative parallel between Orton and Halliwell's relationship and that of Lahr and his wife (Lindsay Duncan). Director Stephen Frears, fresh off the back of the also-gay-themed My Beautiful Laundrette, nimbly balances our sympathies for both the protagonists while the leads give what may in retrospect look like the standout performances of their careers: Oldman was never more feral and charming, while Molina, foppishingly fretting over his wig and decrying that his lover "even sleeps better than I do" is simply heartbreaking. --Leslie Felperin
The pageant of boorishness and slobbery known as Men Behaving Badly launched itself upon an unsuspecting audience in 1992. Over the course of six episodes, Gary (Martin Clunes), the disgruntled manager of a security alarm company, struggles to break up with his long-suffering girlfriend Dorothy (Caroline Quentin) while competing with his aimless flatmate Dermot (Harry Enfield) for the attentions of their fetching new upstairs neighbour Deborah (Leslie Ash). The plots are built on contrivances like a chess match over opera tickets or an attempt at seduction via a synthesized flamenco guitar, but the humor always springs from the petty, careless, and generally inane behavior of Dermot and Gary. Gary persuades Dorothy to accept an open relationship, then becomes consumed with jealousy when she sees another man; Dermot tries to persuade Deborah to relieve their basic needs while her boyfriend is in Singapore. It could be tiresome squalor--and according to reviews, the American remake of the show (featuring Rob Schneider and Ron Eldard) was just that--but Clunes and Enfield invest this pair of clods with enough humanity to make their mishaps both excruciating and funny. Enfield left after this first sextet of episodes; Clunes and Enfield's replacement Neil Morrissey took the show to five more series, but Enfield's charming dimness makes this first series worth a look. --Bret Fetzer
Prepare for the chill of a lifetime as the master of suspense Rod Serling hosts this classic series featuring every spine-tingling episode from the complete first season of Night Gallery. Thrill to stories adapted from short stories by such legendary writers as H.P. Lovecraft and Conrad Aiken starring Hollywood greats including Diane Keaton Joan Crawford and Roddy McDowall and directed by cinematic masters like Steven Spielberg in this unforgettable series - now available on DVD for the first time! Episodes Comprise: 1. The Cemetery 2. Eyes 3. The Escape Route 4. The Dead Man 5. The Housekeeper 6. Room with a View 7. The Little Black Bag 8. The Nature of the Enemy 9. The House 10. Certain Shadows on the Wall 11. Make Me Laugh 12. Clean Kills and Other Trophies 13. Pamela's Voice 14. Lone Survivor 15. The Doll 16. The Last Laurel 17. They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar
Radio astronomer Zane Ziminski becomes intrigued by some strange wavelengths and noises he picks up over his transmitter. But when Zane alerts his boss to his findings he's fired. So Zane conducts an investigation on his own tracing the sound waves to a Mexican village. After more sleuthing (and some odd occurrences) Zane discovers a power plant -- that turns out to be the headquarters of some very deadly extraterrestrials.
In the space of ten years Buster Keaton made his way to becoming one of the Silent Eras' most remarkarble comedians only to fall from grace when his now-acknowledged classic The General bombed at the box office and he found himself reduced to writing gags for the Marx Brothers and forcibly partnered up with lesser performers by the studios to whom he was contracted. This Emmy award-winning documentary presents Buster's remarkable story and includes rare and unpublished material th
The ultimate small-screen representation of Loaded-era lad culture--albeit a culture constantly being undermined by its usually sharper female counterpart--there seems little argument that Men Behaving Badly was one of 1990s' definitive sitcoms. Certainly the booze-oriented, birds-obsessed antics of Martin Clunes' Gary and Neil Morrissey' Tony have become every bit as connected to Britain's collective funny bone as Basil Fawlty's inept hostelry or Ernie Wise's short, hairy legs. Yet, the series could easily have been cancelled when ITV viewers failed to respond to the original version, which featured Clunes sharing his flat with someone named Dermot, played by Harry Enfield. Indeed, it was only when the third series moved to the BBC and was then broadcast in a post-watershed slot--allowing writer Simon Nye greater freedom to explore his characters' saucier ruminations--that the show began to gain a significant audience. By then, of course, Morrissey had become firmly ensconced on the collective pizza-stained sofa, while more screen time was allocated to the boys' respective foils, Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash. Often glibly dismissed as a lame-brained succession of gags about sex and flatulence, the later series not only featured great performances and sharp-as-nails writing but also sported a contemporary attitude that dared to go where angels, and certainly most other sitcoms, feared to tread. Or, as Gary was once moved to comment about soft-porn lesbian epic Love in a Women's Prison: "It's a serious study of repressed sexuality in a pressure-cooker environment." Series 2 includes: "Gary and Tony", in which Tony moves into the Gary's flat and makes his first disastrous attempt to woo upstairs-neighbour Deborah; "Rent Boy" in which Gary thinks Tony is gay; "How to Bump Your Girlfriend" in which no sooner has Tony got back together with his old girlfriend and filled her in about Gary ("nice bloke, ears like the FA Cup") than he decides to give her the shove; "Troublesome Twelve Inch" in which Gary tries to sell a rare record belonging to Dorothy without her knowing; "Going Nowhere" in which Tony buys a van to impress Deborah who in turn gets stuck in a lift with Gary; and "People Behaving Irritatingly" in which Tony's brother and missus visit the flat much to Gary's annoyance ("It's not enough that they were at it all last night, now they're trying to set up a national sperm bank in my bath.) --Clark Collis
When Whitley Strieber's bestselling book Communion--quickly followed by this film adaptation--posited the notion of alien abduction, it did so to an eager audience who had yet to be bombarded with similar scenarios by The X-Files. Although somewhat eccentric in his general behaviour already, "Whit" (Christopher Walken) becomes ever stranger as he is gripped by increasing paranoia. One night at his family's country cabin he was unaccountably "visited". It's hard not to be as confused and frightened as he is when viewing the apparent corroborating evidence: recurring dreams, fleeting images, shadowy masked faces, vague comments from his young son and the occasional splitting headache. One of the strong points of Strieber's tale has always been the trepidation with which he approached it. The doctor's appointments and plucking up the courage to be hypnotised all offer a genuine reaction to inexplicable circumstance, and this is aided enormously by one of Walken's most mesmerising performances. He's well supported by Lindsay Crouse as his wife, Joel Carson as a thankfully believable yet cute son and an ambiguous musical theme from Eric Clapton. On the DVD: Given that a Region 1 Special Edition exists, this is a disappointing bare-bones DVD transfer. The picture is in full-screen 4:3 and the sound in Dolby 2.0 Stereo. The only extras are a few pages of filmography for director Philippe Mora, Christopher Walken, Lindsay Crouse and Frances Sternhagen. --Paul Tonks
9 films in one box set: Kaleidoscope Star Family Album Palomino Heartbeat Full Circle Changes Once In A Lifetime Mixed Blessings.
The ultimate small-screen representation of Loaded-era lad culture--albeit a culture constantly being undermined by its usually sharper female counterpart--there seems little argument that Men Behaving Badly was one of 1990s' definitive sitcoms. Certainly the booze-oriented, birds-obsessed antics of Martin Clunes' Gary and Neil Morrissey's Tony have become every bit as connected to Britain's collective funny bone as Basil Fawlty's inept hostelry or Ernie Wise's short, hairy legs. Yet, the series could easily have been cancelled when ITV viewers failed to respond to the original version, which featured Clunes sharing his flat with someone named Dermot, played by Harry Enfield. Indeed, it was only when the third series moved to the BBC and was then broadcast in a post-watershed slot--allowing writer Simon Nye greater freedom to explore his characters' saucier ruminations--that the show began to gain a significant audience. By then, of course, Morrissey had become firmly ensconced on the collective pizza-stained sofa, while more screen time was allocated to the boys' respective foils, Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash. Often glibly dismissed as a lame-brained succession of gags about sex and flatulence, the later series not only featured great performances and sharp-as-nails writing but also sported a contemporary attitude that dared to go where angels, and certainly most other sitcoms, feared to tread. Or, as Gary was once moved to comment about soft-porn lesbian epic Love in a Women's Prison: "It's a serious study of repressed sexuality in a pressure-cooker environment." Series 3 includes: "Lovers" in which Gary becomes worried that he hasn't slept with enough women; "Bed" in which Dorothy and Gary experience problems in the boudoir ("What's the matter? We always have sex after I've cooked for us. That's why I do it."); "Casual Ties" in which a depressed Deborah decides to sell her flat and go travelling, while Tony fails to cheer her up by impersonating different types of Cheese; "Weekend" in which Tony gets a job at The Crown; "Cleaning Lady" in which Tony reconsiders his professional options ("I could be an escort." "What, a car?" asks Gary); "Marriage" in which Gary joins Dorothy for a candlelit dinner ("Why she couldn't find a restaurant with proper lighting I don't know"). --Clark Collis
Beautiful Joanna Darby (Lindsay Wagner) is haunted by a brush with drowning and her frightful journey to the gates of the afterlife. Soon after she experiences a horrifying series of narrow escapes from death through encounters with strangers who seem bent on killing her. Struggling with fear and past guilt Joanna is unsure whether she is a victim of coincidence or the target of some malicious spirits. Hoping to restore her peace of mind Joanna and her boyfriend visit Mexico where unknowingly they arrive during the annual Day of the Dead festival. Before long Joanna is nearly pulled into another violent death by a boating accident victim who grabs her on his way down. Joanna enlists her old flame Peter to help her unearth supernatural explanations for her predicament. When they discover the eerie truth Joanna must race against time to survive four more attempts on her life by walkers from the other side who want to reclaim her.
A box set containing the following titles: A Woman Of Substance (2 discs) Hold The Dream To Be The Best Act Of Will Voice Of The Heart Her Own Rules A Secret Affair.
Based freely on the classic novels by C.S. Forester, Hornblower is a series of TV films following the progress of a young officer through the ranks of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The series greatest asset is the handsome and charismatic Ioan Gruffudd in the lead role, surely a major star in the making. For television films the production values are very good, though as Titanic, Waterworld and The Perfect Storm demonstrated, filming an aquatic adventure is a very expensive business, and it is clear that the Hornblower dramas simply make the best of comparatively small budgets. No more faithful to Forester's books than the 1951 Gregory Peck classic Captain Horatio Hornblower, the real inspiration seems to have come from the success of Sharpe, starring Sean Bean, which likewise featured a British hero in the Napoleonic Wars. Nevertheless, while rather more easy going than the real British navy of the time, the Hornblower saga delivers an entertaining adventure, greatly enhanced by the presence of such guest stars as Denis Lawson, Cheri Lunghi, Ronald Pickup and Anthony Sher. "The Frogs and the Lobsters" provides a tough, complex and surprisingly violent drama concerning an attempt to mount a royalist counter-offensive against Revolutionary France.--Gary S Dalkin
In the grip of grief following the death of his young son, his marriage on the rocks and nearing bankruptcy, Parker reluctantly returns to work as a private investigator. Embarking on an unusual assignment to observe a woman from an abandoned apartment, Parker witnesses bizarre and terrifying happenings surrounding her, oblivious to the dark presence threatening to consume him.
Lindsay Wagner stars as Callie who battles her way up the ladder from waitress to fabulously wealthy Texas socialite. The price for her success is her son Randy played by Jameson Parker. Through weilding great power Callie is nearly powerless in her efforts to keep Randy away from beautiful young schemer Michelle Pfeiffer. The film's many intrigues result in a sensational murder trail.
Based freely on the classic novels by CS Forester, Hornblower is a series of TV films following the progress of a young officer through the ranks of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The series' greatest asset is the handsome and charismatic Ioan Gruffudd in the lead role, surely a major star in the making. For television films the production values are very good, though as Titanic, Waterworld and The Perfect Storm demonstrated, filming an aquatic adventure is a very expensive business, and it is clear that the Hornblower dramas simply make the best of comparatively small budgets. No more faithful to Forester's books than the 1951 Gregory Peck classic Captain Horatio Hornblower, the real inspiration seems to have come from the success of Sharpe, starring Sean Bean, which likewise featured a British hero in the Napoleonic Wars. Nevertheless, while rather more easygoing than the real British navy of the time, the Hornblower saga delivers an entertaining adventure, greatly enhanced by the presence of such guest stars as Denis Lawson, Cheri Lunghi, Ronald Pickup and Anthony Sher. --Gary S Dalkin
Get Some In: Series 2
Nothing is as it seems behind the well-trimmed hedges of the picturesque cottages in the idyllic English county of Midsomer. Beneath the tranquil surface of sleepy village life exist dark secrets. Joyce Barnaby has enrolled in an art class that takes her to the village green in Midsomer Florey. The village is also under surveillance by Barnaby and Troy who are busy with 'Operation Pondlife' an initiative designed to combat street crime. When Joyce finds the body of one of her fellow
When brilliant surgeon Dr. Sam Sheppard (Peter Strauss) is convicted of the brutal murder of his wife their son Chip remains convinced of his father's innocence but he is still a child. Some years later his father is eventually released leading Chip to take on a nightmare confrontation with his past.
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