This winning 1990 comedy stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in an initially self-deprecating role as a grizzled, big-city cop who goes undercover as a small-town kindergarten teacher to nab a killer. One of the best films of director Ivan Reitman (Dave), this comedy (with some thriller elements) went a long way to further soften and broaden Schwarzenegger's image after Reitman worked with him in the gentle Twins. But Kindergarten Cop is genuinely touching, the story of a hard man who visibly finds his true passion and soul by leaving behind the rot of urban crime. Penelope Ann Miller is a delight as the love interest, Pamela Reed is wonderful as Arnold's cop partner, old pro Carroll Baker is quite nasty as the villain's evil mother, and Linda Hunt--whose diminutive stature makes for quite a contrast with Schwarzenegger when they share scenes--is entertaining as a tough principal. Upon its release, some people assumed the title meant this is a good movie for little kids, but it isn't. --Tom Keogh
""Why I can smile and murder while I smile And cry 'Content' to that which grieves my heart And wet my cheeks with artificial tears And frame my face to all occasions..."" Soon after Edward IV is crowned King his brother Richard a hunchback twisted in mind as well as body starts scheming for the throne of England. He woos and wins Lady Anne and then poisons Edward's mind against their brother Clarence later organising his death. But even after his coronation
Blake's 7 was the hit BBC space opera launched in the wake of Star Wars, though with a grittier sensibility and produced on a fraction of the budget. Over 13 episodes the first series introduced freedom-fighter Blake (Gareth Thomas) as he escaped from the Orwellian Federation, gathered a crew of low-life rebels, salvaged an alien starship called the Liberator, and began striking back against the forces of Supreme Commander Servalan (sultry Jacqueline Pearce). The effects were cheap, and alien planets were represented by a disused quarry or an industrial complex, but the strong characters and cynical storylines created by Doctor Who veteran Terry Nation remain involving. The perfect foil for Blake was Paul Darrow's Avon, a near psychopathic criminal mastermind who only fought to save his skin. The cowardly Vila (Michael Keating) was almost as memorable, while the female leads were Jenna (Sally Knyvette), a smuggler and pilot, and determined Auron telepath Cally (Jan Chappell). Also on board was Gan (David Jackson), inhibited from violence by a brain implant. With even the good guys being criminals, including murderers, this was a galaxy far, far away from previous screen space opera. Though undeniably dated, the show is still vintage TV SF, right from the opening three-parter "The Way Back / Spacefall / Cygnus Alpha" to the cliff-hanging shocker "Orac", which introduces the final member of the un-magnificent seven. On the DVD: Blake's 7, Series 1 presents the 13 episodes across five DVDs so as to maximise picture quality. Following the BBC's Doctor Who DVDs the 4:3 images are as strong as one could expect from a 1970s TV show shot partly on video (interiors) and 16 mm film (exteriors). Film shots have some grain and vary considerably in quality while the video material shows occasional minor tearing and flaws in the tape. Otherwise these are as good as Blake's 7 is ever going to look. The same is true of the mono sound, which is clear and undistorted. Each DVD is introduced with a CGI reincarnation of the series' famous logo and three episodes are offered with a commentary. These are "Spacefall" (Sally Knyvette, Michael Keating and producer David Maloney), "Seek-Locate-Destroy" (Keating, Jacqueline Pearce and Stephen Greif) and "Project Avalon" (Knyvette, Pearce and Greif). The chat ranges from high-school reunion playfulness, including singing the title music, to some more serious insights into making the show, to an amusing running debate as to whether Glynis Barber appears in "Project Avalon". Other extras are "2 out takes, a missing scene, 1 robot, 2 flat feet and a blooper". These are exactly what they say: an extract from Blue Peter in 1978 with Lesley Judd making a Blake's 7 bracelet; nine clip compilations introducing the main characters; a synopsis for each episode; and a trailer for the Series 2 DVDs. --Gary S Dalkin
When the glittering Las Vegas revue she has headlined for decades announces it will soon close, showgirl Shelly (Pamela Anderson) sets out to plan her next act.
3 Scarily funny movies in one Blu-ray boxset.Scary Movie (Dir. Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000):A year after disposing the body of a man they accidently killed, a group of dumb teenagers are stalked by a bumbling serial killer. A parody of modern horror films about a group of teenagers who are being terrorised by a serial killer. Some of the send-ups include: Scream, Know What You Did Last Summer, The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense and The Matrix.Scary Movie 2 (Dir. Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2001):All your favourite Scary Movie characters are back in a laugh-packed sequel that scares up even more irreverent fun than the original! Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Anna Faris lead a stellar cast that takes extreme pleasure in skewering Hollywood's most frightening feature films and spoofing popular culture. Also starring Regina Hall, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Tori Spelling, plus Tim Curry, Chris Elliott and James Woods - nothing's sacred and anything goes in this outlandish must-see comedy...Scary Movie 3.5 (Dir. David Zucker, 2003):3.5 times the laughs! 3.5 times the terror! 3.5 times the stars! Charlie Sheen, Anna Faris, Eddie Griffin, Queen Latifah, Regina Hall and Denise Richards take Scary Movie 3.5 to new levels of twisted comedy. With the help of nonstop celebrity cameos - including Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, George Carlin, Leslie Nielsen, and a who's who of rap artists - thrillers, blockbusters, and pop culture get their best goosing yet. Rapid-fire jokes and funny bone-chilling suspense are sure signs this outrageous comedy will have you laughing your head off ... once you experience this longer, funnier, and more explicit unrated version!
Life's a gamble. Robbie Box is one of life's good guys. Except that his gambling addiction threatens everything. In the lowlife circuit of pubs bookies and smoky gambling dens he rides a rollercoaster from bankruptcy to wealth and back again but when it jeopardises his relationship with his long-suffering family Robbie is determined to give it all up. Until the next big game all-night poker session or race meeting...
Sixteen seasons (and counting) of pop culture-rocking brilliance, the first four of which have already been gloriously archived on DVD. But in the words of Krusty the Clown: "What has The Simpsons done for me lately?" Well, how about all 22 episodes of season 5, each accompanied by commentary, deleted scenes, and other encyclopedic extras that hopelessly devoted Simpsons fans crave, no, demand? Season 5 is perhaps not as classics-packed as the third or fourth seasons, but no self-respecting Simpsons fan should be without the episodes "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", featuring George Harrison, "Cape Feare", one of Sideshow Bob's (and guest voice Kelsey Grammer's) finest half-hours, "Rosebud", "Springfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)" and "Bart Gets Famous", with the Springfield-sweeping catchphrase "I didn't do it". Plus, the star power this season is impressive: Michelle Pfeiffer as Homer's comely, donut-loving co-worker in "The Last Temptation of Homer", Albert Brooks as a self-help guru who unleashes "Bart's Inner Child", Kathleen Turner as the creator of Malibu Stacy in "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy", and, as themselves, the Ramones ("Rosebud"), James Woods ("Homer and Apu"), Buzz Aldren ("Deep Space Homer"), and even Robert Goulet ("Springfield"). But it is the writers and the core ensemble cast who exhibit, to quote "Deep Space Homer", "the right... What's that stuff?" Series milestones include the first appearance of yokel Cletus in "Bart Gets an Elephant" and Maggie's infant nemesis, The Baby with One Eyebrow in "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badasssss Song" which also happens to be The Simpsons' 100th episode. Add in a very good "Treehouse of Horror" episode, (which outs Ned Flanders as the Devil and Marge as the head vampire), and one Emmy-nominated musical extravaganza ("Who Needs the Quick-E-Mart" from "Homer and Apu"), and you have a Simpsons season that's not just great, it's DVD-box-set great. --Donald Liebenson
A little something to offend everyone... Mel Brooks' uproarious version of history proves nothing is sacred as he takes us on a laugh-filled look at what really happened throughout time. His delirious romp features everything from a wild send-up of 2001: A Space Odyssey to the real stories behind the Roman Empire (Brooks plays a stand-up philosopher at Caesar's Palace) the French Revolution (Brooks as King Louis XVI) and the Spanish Inquisition (a splashy song-a
Tough, gritty and totally compelling, this hard-edged re-imagining of the iconic Prisoner: Cell Block H remains unmissable drama. Both the staff and inmates of Wentworth Correctional Centre are struggling to come to terms with the trauma of Bea's death. Governor Vera Bennett, now under intense pressure, is increasingly forced to rely on her deputy, Jake, unaware that he is under Ferguson's control. A recovering Allie seeks vengeance against Ferguson, who claims that she killed Bea in self-defence. Meanwhile, as Liz prepares to appear as a prosecution witness in Sonia's trial, life on the outside becomes increasingly tough for Franky... This set contains all twelve episodes of Season Five.
The Innocents tells of an impressionable and repressed governess Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) who agrees to tutor two orphaned children Miles (Martin Stephens) and Flora (Pamela Franklin). On arrival at Bly House she becomes convinced that the children are possessed by the perverse spirits of former governess Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop) and her Heathcliffe-like lover Quint (Peter Wyngarde) who both met with mysterious deaths. Based on the novel The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James.
First aired in 1990-91, the second series of The Simpsons proved that, far from being a one-joke sitcom about the all-American dysfunctional family, it had the potential to become a whole hilarious universe. The animation had settled down (in the first series, the characters look eerily distorted when viewed years later), while Dan Castellaneta, who voiced Homer, decided to switch from a grumpy Walter Matthau impression to a more full-on, bulbous wail. The series' population of minor characters began to grow with the inclusion of Dr Hibbert, McBain and attorney Lionel Hutz, while the writers became more seamless in their ability to weave pastiche of classic movies into the plot lines. While relatively "straight" by later standards (the surreal forays of future seasons are kept in check here), Season Two contains some of the most memorable episodes ever made, indeed some of the finest American comedy ever made. These include "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", in which Homer is reunited with, and ruins the business of, his long-lost brother ("He was an unbridled success--until he discovered he was a Simpson"), "Dead Putting Society", in which Homer lives out his rivalry with neighbour Ned Flanders through a crazy-golf competition between the sons ("If you lose, you're out of the family!") and one of the greatest ever episodes, "Lisa's Substitute", which not only features poor little Lisa's crush on a supply teacher voiced by Dustin Hoffman but also Bart's campaign to become class president. "A vote for Bart is a vote for anarchy!", warns Martin, the rival candidate. By way of a retort, Bart promises faithfully, "A vote for Bart is a vote for anarchy!". --David Stubbs On the DVD: The Simpsons, Season 2, like its DVD predecessor, has neat animated menus on all four discs as well as apparently endless copyright warnings, but nothing as useful as a "play all" facility. The discs are more generously filled than Season 1, however, and each episode has an optional group commentary from Matt Groening and various members of his team. The fourth disc has sundry snippets including the Springfield family at the Emmy Awards ceremony, Julie Kavner dressed up as Bart at the American Music Awards and videos for both "Do the Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble" (all with optional commentary). There are two short features dating from 1991: director David Silverman on the creation of an episode and an interview with Matt Groening. TV commercials for butterfinger bars, foreign language clips and picture galleries round out the selection. Picture is standard 4:3 and the sound is good Dolby 5.1. --Mark Walker
Still the most expensive movie ever made, Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. It also scandalised the world with the very public affair of its two major stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But Joseph L Mankiewicz's 1963 epic deserves to be remembered for more than its off-screen troubles. An extravagantly elaborate production, the sets and costumes alone are awe-inspiring; Mankiewicz's own literate screenplay draws heavily on the classics and Shakespeare; while the supporting cast, led by Rex Harrison as Caesar and Roddy McDowall as his nephew (and future emperor) Octavian, are all first-rate thespians and generally put in more convincing performances than either of the two leads. Mankiewicz's original intention was to make two three-hour films: the first being Caesar and Cleopatra, the second Antony and Cleopatra. But before the films completion, and following a boardroom coup worthy of Ancient Rome itself, legendary mogul Darryl F Zanuck took back control of Fox and insisted that Cleopatra be cut to a more economical length. A heartbroken Mankiewicz was forced to trim his six-hour vision down to four. This was the "roadshow" version shown at the films premiere and now restored here. Then following adverse criticism and pressure from cinema chains Zanuck demanded more cuts, and the final released version ran a mere three hours--half the original length. Capitalising on the feverish publicity surrounding Burton and Taylor, the shortened version played up both their on- and off-screen romance. This longer four-hour roadshow version allows for a broader view of the film, adding some depth to the politics and manipulation of the characters. But the directors original six-hour edit has been lost. Perhaps one day it will be rediscovered in the vaults and Mankiewiczs much-maligned movie will finally be seen the way it was meant to be. Until then, Cleopatra remains an epic curiosity rather than the complete spectacle it should be.
Baywatch Hawaiian Reunion, like the 11-year television series itself, is a guilty pleasure short on story credibility but long on action, hardbody appeal, and hot passions. The hyperdrive plot finds Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff), presumed dead at the end of season 10, alive and well and in love with a woman named Allison (Alexandra Paul), who bears a spooky resemblance to Mitch's late lover, Stephanie. Wedding plans that include the old Baywatch lifeguard crew (Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, Billy Warlock, etc.) are set for Hawaii, but in a Wrath of Khan-like twist, a villain (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) from the old show's second season turns up with an elaborate plan to kidnap and endanger Mitch's guests. The script is shameless, of course, but the outré element is fun to watch, including a subplot in which Mitch's former wife (Gena Lee Nolin)--suspicious of Allison's true motives--gets into a spectacular catfight with her ex's new lady.--Tom Keogh
SEASON 1: It is Bea Smith's first day at Wentworth Correctional Facility. Instantly thrown into a strange and violent new world of female prisoners where lesbian top dog Franky vies for power with Jacs Holt, the ruthless matriarch of a crime family, it seems like she isn't going to last long. This gripping drama follows Bea and how she copes being separated from both the outside world and more importantly, her very precious daughter Debbie. SEASON 2: The story picks up three months after Bea killed Jacs Holt. While Bea has been languishing in the slot, Franky has risen to top dog unopposed. But the sudden arrival of new governor Joan Ferguson is about to change all that. Ferguson's mandate is to clean up Wentworth and restore order, at any cost, to the inmates and her staff.
Homer Smith an itinerant handyman is driving through the Arizona desert when he meets five impoverished nuns. Stopping to fix their leaky farmhouse roof Homer discovers that not only will the Mother Superior not pay him for the job but she also wants him to build their chapel - for free! Hesitant at first Homer soon finds himself single-handedly raising the chapel and the financing. But although he will not receive monetary reward Homer knows that when his work is done he'll
Angela, supposedly reformed and living under an assumed surname, is working at a summer camp. However, when the campers start misbehaving, she soon reverts to her old ways.
This International Emmy Award-winning comedy stars Anton Rodgers (May to September) and Julia McKenzie (Cranford) as William and Hester Field, a happily married middle-class couple whose children have flown the nest. Setting out to prove you re as young as you feel, Hester is determined to do all those things she never got around to when the kids were at home leaving William trailing in the wake of his wife s seemingly boundless enthusiasm. Fresh Fields gentle humour garnered high ratings throughout its four-year run, with McKenzie earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Light Entertainment Performance. Its sequel, French Fields, saw the couple following their children s example and setting up home across the Channel; three series chart a whole new chapter of misadventure as the Fields try to breach the language barrier and adapt to the strange customs of their adopted home. This set presents both complete series, brought together for the first time on DVD.
The complete twelfth season of the popular animated series. In this season, Hank (voice of Mike Judge) joins Dale (Johnny Hardwick) on a basket weaving course, Peggy (Kathy Najimy) hosts a murder mystery party on a train for her birthday and Bobby (Pamela Adlon) is selected to be a cheerleader. The episodes are: 'Suite Smells of Excess', 'Bobby Rae', 'The Powder Puff Boys', 'Four Wave Intersection', 'Death Picks Cotton', 'Raise the Steaks', 'Tears of an Inflatable Clown', 'The Minh Who Knew Too Much', 'Dream Weaver', 'Doggone Crazy', 'Trans-Fascism', 'Untitled Blake McCormick Project', 'The Accidental Terrorist', 'Lady and Gentrification', 'Behind Closed Doors', 'Pour Some Sugar on Kahn', 'Six Characters in Search of a House', 'The Courtship of Joseph's Father', 'Strangeness On a Train', 'Cops and Robert', 'It Came from the Garage' and 'Life - A Loser's Manual'.
After years of enduring Roger Moore in the role of James Bond, it was good to have Sean Connery back in 1983 for Never Say Never Again, a one-time-only trip down 007's memory lane. Connery's Bond, a bit of a dinosaur in the British secret service at (then) 52, is still in demand during times of crisis. Sadly, the film is not very good. In this rehash of Thunderball, Bond is pitted against a worthy underwater villain (Klaus Maria Brandauer); and while the requisite Bond Girls include beauties Kim Basinger and Barbara Carrera, they can't save the movie. The script has several truly dumb passages, among them a (gasp) video-game duel between 007 and his nemesis that now looks utterly anachronistic. For Connery fans, however, this widescreen print of the Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back) film is a chance to say a final goodbye to a perfect marriage of actor and character. --Tom Keogh
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy