Pokémon 2000, the second film to spin off the powerhouse child-friendly franchise of the turn-of-the-millennium, consists of the colourful if babyish human-presence free, short Pikachu's Rescue Adventure and the more elaborate feature The Power of One. The main attraction is up to snuff animation-wise, with imaginative settings (an island lair, a huge dirigible) that crossbreed cyberpunk futurism and Jules Verne style retro-fantasy. It even has the germ of an interesting, almost subversive idea, in that the story's wealthy villain is a green-haired fanatic who is as obsessive about collecting Pokémon as the film's target audience--he's after three fabled birds, Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno, but is really interested in the cute Loch Ness Monster-type being Lugia--but his philosophy is so skewed that he is more interested in owning and numbering the fabulous creatures than training or befriending them. A clever pun in a prophecy decrees that in a predestined crisis, "the world will turn to ash"--this turns out not to be a gloomy foretelling of holocaust but the revelation that human hero Ash is a messianic "Chosen One" who can restore the balance of nature when the collector's antics have unleashed worldwide climatic change. Adults might find the whole thing an endurance test for its shrill voicings, with Americanised kids and Japanese baby-talking Pokémon, not to mention the meld of incredibly simplistic storyline with amazingly intricate backstory. A trace of self-awareness comes in a brief snippet from a Weird Al Yankovic's song ("Polka mon") under the crowded end credits. --Kim Newman Video description DVD special features: The nice-looking DVD (letterboxed to 1.85:1) comes with a "special edition" Pikachu card; trailers for this film and Pokémon 3; video clips of Pokémon--themed songs performed by Dream Street, Alysha Antonio and Youngstown; a snippet-like "making of the soundtrack" featurette, DVD-ROM features that won't play on a Mac (mostly Web-site links and ads for new poképroducts--"for the first time you will be able to discover if your Pokémon are male or female"!); soundtracks in English, French, Dutch, German and Italian with subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Arabic.
Home, starring Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet is about a family living on the side of an abandoned motorway. A road movie in reverse, Home charts what happens to them when their lives progress from normal and fun to strange and absurd.
James Clavell's The Last Valley is a heartfelt film of paradise found and lost in the midst of the bloody Thirty Years War, a senseless religious conflict long since degenerated into a rabble of looters preying on peasants. It's also a triumph of passion over style. Michael Caine stars as the Captain, a happily tolerant leader whose army of mercenaries--a mix of Protestants and Catholics--murders, pillages and rapes side by side for whichever faction is paying more at the time. Omar Sharif is Vogel, a lone refugee whose flight from the marauding band leads them all to a beautiful village in the mountains. The Captain and Vogel make an unlikely pair: the shrewd mercenary with the dream of peace, and the philosopher-peasant hanging on to his own life in the face of certain death--and their alliance to preserve this Eden and her people stands in contrast to the soldiers who soon become splintered by greed, lust and religious zealotry. Clavell isn't exactly subtle, but his sense of irony is biting: one Christian soldier is ready to lead a mob in righteous battle after a perceived blaspheme, and in the next scene attacks and rapes an innocent Christian maiden he's sworn to protect. The film falters in clumsy battle scenes and awkward dramatic staging, but Caine's complex characterisation of the guarded Captain and Sharif's haunted performance keep the story alive, and the beautiful photography fixes the film like a jewel into its setting. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
The world domination of Pokémon begets their first theatrical movie. This adventure is a little more complex and dark than the popular TV series, but kids who live for the show will gobble up this film and ask for seconds. Those baffled by the show's popularity, however, will see nothing better here. Mewtwo, a new type of Pokémon designed by scientists to be the ultimate fighter, decides he wants to rule the world and challenges all the great Pokémasters to battle. Of course, our intrepid heroes Ash, Misty and Brock are there to tangle with Mewtwo and spoil his devilish schemes. The film is a tad more emotional than the show (that is, there is some emotion), with Ash sacrificing himself to defend his beloved Pikachu. Would you really expect the makers of this worldwide phenomenon to radically change its winning formula? The feature is only 55-minutes long, but there's also a 20-minute short, "Pikachu's Vacation." For the Pokémon novice, this escapade will truly baffle: the narrated tale has virtually no dialogue except Pokémon speaking their names (Bulbasaur, for instance, will only express emotion by using variations of his name: "Bulba, Bulba-SAUR!"). --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com
The Future is History. Following the commercial and critical success of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam next feature would turn to science fiction and a screenplay by Janet and David Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiven) inspired by Chris Marker's classic short film La Jetée. In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world's population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis, Die Hard) is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure. Featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt (Fight Club) as mental patient Jeffrey Goines, Twelve Monkeys would become Gilliam's most successful film and is now widely regarded as a sci-fi classic. Arrow Films are proud to present the film in a stunning new restoration. 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Special Edition Contents: Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Terry Gilliam 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray⢠presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo soundtracks Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary by Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys, feature-length making-of documentary by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha) The Film Exchange with Terry Gilliam, a 1996 interview with Gilliam and critic Jonathan Romney, recorded at the London Film Festival Appreciation by Ian Christie, author of Gilliam on Gilliam The Twelve Monkeys Archives Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin First Pressing Only: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by Nathan Rabin and Ian Christie
It was a dangerous time to be a woman; a good time to have friends! Four former saloon ladies kill a violent customer in self-defence. Anxious to start a new life the quartet finds the law pursuing them across the West...
It was her vanity that destroyed her... In the Paris of the early 20th century Louise wife of a general sells the earrings his husband gave her: she desperately needs money for a gambling debt. As the general should not know during an opera she acts as she had lost them. When the resulting fuss in Paris frightens the local jeweler he tells the truth to the general. The general secretly buys the earrings back and with disdain for his wife gives them to his mistress Lola. Lola sells the trinket to an Italian diplomat Baron Donati who buys them to impress his mistress back in Paris Louise... Ophuls camera glides with seemingly effortless elegance in this visually dazzling masterpiece which renowned film critic Andrew Sarris described as ""the most perfect film ever made.""
A cosmic nightmare from the minds of H.P. Lovecraft and cult director, Richard Stanley, Color Out of Space follows Nathan Gardner (Nicolas Cage), Theresa Gardner (Joely Richardson) and their children, whose recent retreat to rural life crumbles when a meteorite crashes into their front yard. The mysterious aerolite melts into the earth, infecting both the land and the properties of space-time. Mutant technicolor flora start sprouting, and local animals begin to display bizarre deformities. Soon, the Gardner's realize that they too are susceptible to the extra-terrestrial pathogen, and must escape the contagion that has consumed their farm. With the help of a friendly hydrologist (Elliot Knight) and eccentric neighbour (Tommy Chong), the family attempts to battle a nebulous entity that they can barely begin to understand. What chance can a few humans have against a force capable of traversing the gulf between worlds, a nightmarish being that exists beyond the limits of the human spectrum?
One of Alfred Hitchcock's finest pre-Hollywood films, the 1936 Secret Agent stars a young John Gielgud as a British spy whose death is faked by his intelligence superiors. Reinvented with a new identity and outfitted with a wife (Madeleine Carroll), Gielgud's character is sent on assignment with a cold-blooded accomplice (Peter Lorre) to assassinate a German agent. En route, the counterfeit couple keeps company with an affable American (Robert Young), who turns out to be more than he seems after the wrong man is murdered by Gielgud and Lorre. Dense with interwoven ideas about false names and real identities, about appearances as lies and the brutality of the hidden, and about the complicity of those who watch the anarchy that others do, Secret Agent declared that Alfred Hitchcock was well along the road to mastery as a filmmaker and, more importantly, knew what it was he wanted to say for the rest of his career. --Tom Keogh
In nineteenth century middle-Europe orphaned teenage twins Maria and Frieda go to live with their uncle Gustav Weil who heads the Brotherhood a vigilante group trying to stamp out vampirism. But their methods are random and misplaced and the only result is a terrorised populace. The real threat lies with Count Karnstein and although the twins seem outwardly to be identical Frieda finds herself much more drawn than her sister to the Count's castle dominating the skyline.
From visionary director Gareth Edwards (Rogue One/Godzilla/Monsters) - As a future war between the human race and artificial intelligence rages on, ex-special forces agent Joshua is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI. The Creator has developed a mysterious weapon that has the power to end the war and all of mankind. As Joshua and his team of elite operatives venture into enemy-occupied territory, they soon discover the world-ending weapon is actually an AI in the form of a young child.
A global byword for cinematic quality of a quintessentially British nature Ealing Studios made more than 150 films over a three decade period. A cherished and significant part of British film history only selected films from both the Ealing and Associated Talking Pictures strands have previously been made available on home video format - with some remaining unseen since their original theatrical release. The Ealing Rarities Collection redresses this imbalance - featuring new transfers from the best available elements in their correct aspect ratio this multi-volume collection showcases a range of scarce films from both Basil Dean's and Michael Balcon's tenure as studio head making them available once more to the general public. IT HAPPENED IN PARIS (1935) Whilst looking for artistic inspiration in Paris a millionaire's son falls for a beautiful girl. Romantic complications arise when he feigns poverty in order to win her love. Black and White / 66 mins / 1.33:1 / Mono / English AUTUMN CROCUS (1934) In his final film role Ivor Novello plays the married owner of a Tyrolean inn; Fay Compton is the holidaying schoolteacher who falls hopelessly in love with him. Black and White / 80 mins / 1.33:1 / Mono / English THE DICTATOR (1935) A drama depicting the stormy marriage of King Christian VII and his English consort Caroline Matilda and the Queen's tragic affair with the royal physician Struensee. Black and White / 82 mins / 1.33:1 / Mono / English SECRET LIVES (1937) A powerful World War I drama tracing the life of a German-born woman who is trained by the French as a spy but pays a heavy price for her apparent freedom. Black and White / 78 mins / 1.33:1 / Mono / English
Directed with characteristic style and energy by cult filmmaker John Hough Twins of Evil combines the signature Hammer elements of supernatural horror black humour and fabulously lurid sensuality Featuring another standout appearance from Peter Cushing Twins of Evil also stars Kathleen Byron Isobel Black and Dennis Price with Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson as the twins. Featuring an all-time classic score by Harry Robinson Twins of Evil is presented here in a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Glamorous identical orphaned twins Maria and Frieda move from Vienna to the village of Karnstein to take up a new life with their submissive aunt and grim uncle - a fanatical Puritan and leader of a witch-hunting religious sect who is determined to kill his nemesis Count Karnstein: a devil-worshipping libertine who has been turned into a vampire... Special Features: Original Theatrical Trailer Deleted Scene Image Gallery PDF Material Commemorative Booklet
Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused) directed this creepy thriller about an outwardly friendly cop (Ray Liotta) who attaches himself to a married couple (Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe) whom he helps during a crisis. In short order, he's revealed to be a psychopath who wants Russell's wife, but the film is about more than Liotta's mental state. A bold script and Kaplan's astute direction peel away the layers of masculine identity in the male leads and underscore the painful conflicts good men feel when faced with classic territorial challenges. This is not as profound as Straw Dogs, Sam Peckinpah's long-banned on video home-invasion classic, but it is honest and provocative, until mayhem overcomes the final act. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Le Plaisir based on the stories of Guy du Maupassant takes a gently wistful approach to the subject of love and desire through its three tales. Le Masque is the melancholy story of an old man as a veritable dancing wax museum figure hopelessly grasping for his lost youth in a nightly masquerade. La Maison Tellier ""a fairy tale for adults "" in the words of the narrator (Jean Servais playing Maupassant) is a delightful tale of a local brothel that closes for a night for a visit to the country where the ladies have gone to celebrate a young girl's first communion. Jean Gabin is delightful as the charming country bumpkin who plays host to the troupe and becomes sweetly smitten with flirty Danielle Darrieux. The finale Le Modele stars Daniel Glin and Simone Simon as young lovers whose imminent breakup heads toward tragedy but takes a fateful turn both sad and sweet. Le Plaisir is a delicate portrait of love and desire. A favourite film of Jean-Luc Godard who called it ""the greatest film made in France since the liberation"".
A gripping reimagining of the iconic Australian novel that plunges us into the mysterious disappearances of three schoolgirls and their governess on Valentine's Day, 1900. Exploring the event's far-reaching impact on the students and staff of Appleyard College and its enigmatic headmistress (Natalie Dormer), theories soon abound, paranoia sets in, and long-held secrets surface, as the Rock exerts its strange power and the dark stain of the unsolved mystery continues to spread.
A self-loathing, alcoholic writer attempts to repair his damaged relationships with his daughter and her mother while combating sex addiction, a budding drug problem, and the seeming inability to avoid making bad decisions.
NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS Oscar® nominee Ethan Hawke, in the most disturbing role of his career, stars in a psychological thriller from Blumhouse and the director who brought you Sinister and Doctor Strange. Finney, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer (Hawke) and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer's previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn't happen to Finney.
The most elaborate of the features to date, Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unown introduces new Pokémon that debuted in the fall of 2000 in the Gold and Silver-edition Game Boy games. En route to the Johto Tournament, Ash, Brock and Misty visit the mountain village of Greenfield, where they encounter an 8-year-old girl named Molly. Her father, Professor Spencer Hale, disappeared when he set off to study the Unown, a group of 26 Pokémon that resemble letters. The Unown build a baroque crystalline shell around Molly's palatial home, send the leonine Entei to watch over her and grant whatever she wishes--except the return of her father. What Molly really wants is a family: she refers to Entei as her father and has him kidnap Ash's mum to be her mother. Ash charges to the rescue with the help of Pikachu, Charizard and Cyndaquil. In the climactic battle, Ash is joined by Brock and Misty, as well as the usually villainous Team Rocket. ("We figure if we don't help you, we're outta showbiz," Meowth explains.) Molly's father eventually reappears, but the viewer never sees the reunion with his daughter. Ash, Molly and the other two-dimensional characters simply don't fit into three-dimensional, computer-generated crystal settings, and large sections of Pokémon 3 look like two films unsuccessfully spliced together. --Charles Solomon, Amazon.com.
Plucked from the early 20th century, the gloomy poet Osamu becomes a summoned hero in a world of cute sidekicks, magic, and XP. But Osamu isn't one for adventuring - all he really wants is a poetic end. Too bad involuntary heroics keep stopping his demise.
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