Baz Luhrmann's dazzling and unconventional adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic love story is spellbinding. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes portray Romeo and Juliet the youthful star-crossed lovers of the past. But the setting has been moved from its Elizabethan origins to the futuristic urban backdrop of Verona beach. This brilliant and contemporary retelling of the world's most tragic love affair makes this wildly inventive ""Romeo & Juliet"" unforgettable.
Dating from 1969, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has never lost its popularity or its unusual appeal as a star-driven Western that tinkers with the genre's conventions and comes up with something both terrifically entertaining and--typical of its period--a tad paranoid. Paul Newman plays the legendary outlaw Butch Cassidy as an eternal optimist and self-styled visionary, conjuring dreams of banks just ripe for the picking all over the world. Robert Redford is his more level-headed partner, the sharp-shooting Sundance Kid. The film, written by William Goldman (The Princess Bride) and directed by George Roy Hill (The Sting), basically begins as a freewheeling story about robbing trains but soon becomes a chase as a relentless posse--always seen at a great distance like some remote authority--forces Butch and Sundance into the hills and, finally, Bolivia. Weakened a little by feel-good inclinations (a scene involving bicycle tricks and the song "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" is sort of Hollywood flower power), the film maintains an interesting tautness, and the chemistry between Redford and Newman is rare. (A factoid: Newman first offered the Sundance part to Jack Lemmon.) --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com On the DVD: This anamorphic widescreen print of the 2.35:1 Panavision original looks marvellously crisp, highlighting the sepia tinting and washed-out, over-exposed look of the film nicely and making the best of the deep focus cinematography. The mono soundtrack sounds clean and clear in Dolby 2.0. The commentary track is hosted by documentary-maker Robert Crawford with contributions from George Roy Hill, cinematographer Conrad Hall, and lyricist Hal David (who chips in during the "Raindrops" sequence). The 40-minute documentary dates from 1968 and is narrated by director Hill, who talks in detail about the making-of process, comments on his relationship with the three principals (Katharine Ross was the difficult one apparently), and adds little nuggets such as how they sprayed the bull's testicles to make him charge at the end of the bicycle scene. Also included are a series of absorbing 1994 interviews with all the main players: Newman, Redford, Ross, writer William Goldman, and composer Burt Bacharach. Trailers, Production Notes and an Alternate Credit Roll complete an attractive package. --Mark Walker
Winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay, this critical and box-office hit from 1973 provided a perfect reunion for director George Roy Hill and stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who had previously delighted audiences with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969. Set in 1936, The Sting features a pair of Chicago con artists (Newman and Redford) who find themselves in a high-stakes game against the master of all cheating mobsters (Robert Shaw) when they set out to avenge the murder of a mutual friend and partner. Using a bogus bookie joint as a front for their con of all cons, the two feel the heat from the Chicago Mob on one side and encroaching police on the other. But in a plot that contains more twists than a treacherous mountain road, the ultimate scam is pulled off with consummate style and panache. It's an added bonus that Newman and Redford were box-office kings at the top of their game, and while Shaw broods intensely as the Runyon-esque villain, The Sting is further blessed by a host of great supporting players including Dana Elcar, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning, and Harold Gould. Thanks to the flavourful music score by Marvin Hamlisch, this was also the movie that sparked a nationwide revival of Scott Joplin's ragtime jazz, which is featured prominently on the soundtrack. One of the most entertaining movies of the early 1970s, The Sting is a welcome throwback to Hollywood's golden age of the 30s that hasn't lost any of its popular charm. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
A comedy based around the lives of pensioner pals Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade Still Game is set in and around a fictional part of Glasgow called Craiglang and Jack and Victor's home in Osprey Heights. Focusing on the ironies and comedy of old age with humour tenderness and pathos these OAPS prove they're still game for anything the world can throw at them! Series 1: 1. Flittin' 2. Faimly 3. Cauld 4. Courtin' 5. Waddin' 6. Scones Series 2: 1. Gairden 2. Wummin' 3. Doacters 4. Brief 5. Tappin' 6. Scran 7. Shooglies 8. Buntin' 9. Dug Series 3: 1. Hoaliday 2. Swottin' 3. Cairds 4. Big Yin 5. Oot 6. Aff Series 4: 1. Kill Wullie 2. Wireless 3. Dial-a-Bus 4. Ring 5. Hatch 6. Who's The Daddy Series 5: 1. Drama 2. Fresh Lick 3. Smoke On The Water 4. Hard Nuts 5. All The Best 6. Saucy Series 6: 1. Hot Seat 2. Fly Society 3. Seconds Out 4. Hyper 5. Recipe 6. One In One Out 7. Plum Number 8. Hootenanny
This curiously overlooked drama from Clint Eastwood, released just after his Oscar triumph with Unforgiven, concerns a prisoner (Kevin Costner) on the run with a kidnapped young boy as protection and the Texas Ranger (Eastwood) and federal agent (Laura Dern) on his tail. Eastwood manages a number of nice touches--the boy's innocence is nicely contrasted with Costner's soft-spoken desperado by the Casper Halloween costume he wears and the law-enforcement officials look vaguely foolish, travelling around the countryside with a high-tech camper in tow. Eastwood gives a grizzled performance that, despite its seen-it-all surface, still feels fresh after all these years, and he coaxes surprisingly sensitive work out of Costner. But it's the sheer, modest scale of this piece that makes it so disarming--no planet lies in jeopardy, there are no cosmic make-or-break consequences here, just committed people doing their job and a well-meaning bad guy hoping things don't get too out of hand while he prevents them from doing so. --David Kronke
Otto Preminger's 1960 adaptation of Leon Uris's novel Exodus is a sprawling tale of the founding of modern Israel, starring Paul Newman as a resistance leader. The film works best as an example of Preminger's estimable skill with all levels of drama and action, but as a reflection upon history it is compromised by stereotypes, unpersuasive relationships and a certain moral ambivalence about issues related to the subject. There are good and exciting sequences, however, particularly one involving an effort to break through a British blockade and get to the homeland. --Tom Keogh
Russell Crowe stars as the mathematical genius John Forbes Nash Jr, a man who made a great discovery early in his life before descending into a notorious life of depravity and self discovery.
While the plot of this Australian film may seem a bit familiar (the Ugly Duckling meets Dirty Dancing), the humourous tone and superb dance sequences will make you forget the movie's predictability. Scott (Paul Mercurio) is a champion ballroom dancer who wants to dance "his own steps". Fran is the homely, beginning dancer who convinces Scott that he should dance his own steps...with her. Complicating matters are Scott's domineering mother (Pat Thompson), a former dancer herself, who wants her son to win the Australian Pan-Pacific Championship (the same contest she lost years ago), and a conniving dance committee that is determined that "there are no new steps!" The dancing is enjoyable, yet not overwhelming, and the movie strives hard not to take itself too seriously (the beginning of the film is even styled as a pseudo-documentary). Strictly Ballroom, while not so subtly imparting its moral ("A life lived in fear is a life half-lived"), is a funny romp that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. --Jenny Brown, Amazon.com
In 1981, Absence of Malice was a prescient drama set in the world of journalism just before its power exploded out of control. The title refers to a verbal loophole effectively allowing invasion of privacy. After months of fruitlessly investigating the disappearance of a prominent figure, the Justice Division contrive to leak a story that'll flush out information. Unfortunately they pick on the one news gal with a moral backbone lurking behind the all-business façade. Sally Field is superb at controlling the contradictions within Megan, and is perfect next to the resolutely calm Gallagher (an Oscar-nominated Paul Newman). His bogus investigation is sure to backfire, and once the two get together it does so in the most satisfying of ways. Shot in gloriously sunny Miami locations, the film has a constant atmosphere of realism. When it's time to point the finger of blame, the film is given over to the starriest of cameos from Wilfred Brimley as the straight-talking Assistant Attorney General. His differentiation between truth and accuracy ought to be required learning for all journalists. On the DVD: The sound may be mono, but the picture is crisp enough. A minute-long deleted scene expanding Gallagher's business crisis is in poor condition however and doesn't add much. Neither does the theatrical trailer or three mini Filmographies of director Sidney Pollack, Newman and Field. The real extra treat is a 30-minute documentary, which features new interviews with Pollack, writer Kurt Luedtke, Newman and Field. Everyone has fond memories of making the film, even Field despite her bruises after the rough-and-tumble scene with the usually genteel Newman. --Paul Tonks
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid:The Sundance Kid is the fastest gun in the West, his sidekick Butch is a dreamer, always planning that bigger, better bank raid. But things are getting tougher and soon the accident-prone anti-heroes decide it's time to head south and disappear into legend.Winner of 4 Oscars including Best Screenplay for William Goldman and Best Song ('Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head') and Best Score for Burt Bacharach.The Good, The Bad And The Ugly:The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, written by Age-Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Leone is the third and last western in Clint Eastwood's spaghetti trilogy. Director Sergio Leone substitutes for the upright puritan Protestant ethos, so familiar in Hollywood westerns, a seedy cynical standpoint towards death and mortality, as a team of brutal bandits battle to unearth a fortune buried beneath an unmarked grave. Joining Clint, clearly The Good, is the irredeemably Bad Lee and the resolutely Ugly Eli Wallach. The complete plot of bloodshed and betrayal winds its way through the American Civil War, filmed to resemble the French battlefields of World War One, to end in the climatic Dance Of Death. Arguably the quintessential Italian Western, this 1966 film boasts a fine Ennio Morricone score featuring a main theme that reached No. 1 in the world's pop charts.The Magnificent Seven:Yul Brynner stars as one of seven master gunmen who aid the helpless farmers of an isolated village, pitted against an army of marauding bandits in this rousing action tale based on Akira Kurosawa's classic 'Seven Samurai'.Released in 1960, John Sturges' masterpiece garnered an Oscar nomination for Elmer Bernstein (for Best Score) and launched the film careers of Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn and James Coburn.
Based on the best-selling anthologies of Victorian and Edwardian detective fi ction, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes features the world-famous consulting detective's fictional rivals in the fog-shrouded crime capital of London. Set in the three decades before the Great War, each story dealt with an individual and perplexing case (and a different detective). This top-flight, BAFTA-winning series attracted an incredible array of talent, including John Neville, Robert Stephens, Peter Vaughan, Roy Dotrice, Donald Pleasence, Ronald Hines, Peter Barkworth and Donald Sinden. This set contains the 13 high quality episodes that made up the complete first series
Here's how American critic Roger Ebert described the unique and lasting value of George Lucas' 1973 box-office hit, American Graffiti: "[It's] not only a great movie but a brilliant work of historical fiction; no sociological treatise could duplicate the movie's success in remembering exactly how it was to be alive at that cultural instant." The time to which Ebert and the film refers is the summer of 1962, and American Graffiti captures the look, feel, and sound of that era by chronicling one memorable night in the lives of several young Californians on the cusp of adulthood. (In essence, Lucas was making a semi-autobiographical tribute to his own days as a hot-rod cruiser, and the film's phenomenal success paved the way for Star Wars.) The action is propelled by the music of DJ Wolfman Jack's rock & roll radio show--a soundtrack of pop hits that would become as popular as the film itself. As Lucas develops several character subplots, American Graffiti becomes a flawless time capsule of meticulously re-created memory, as authentic as a documentary and vividly realised through innovative use of cinematography and sound. The once-in-a-lifetime ensemble cast members inhabit their roles so fully that they don't seem like actors at all, comprising a who's who of performers--some of whom went on to stellar careers--including Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark, and Paul Le Mat. A true American classic. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Sgt. Bilko is in charge of the Motor Pool at an Army base. He's also a good natured con man providing gambling facilities for the soldiers on base. When an old enemy from his past shows up to inspect his records and steal away his fiancee Sgt. Bilko has to put his skills to creative use.... This 3 disc box set includes 18 episodes.
Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) takes a shot at reinventing Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet as a visual pastiche inspired by MTV imagery, Hong Kong action-picture clichés, and Luhrmann's own taste for deliberate, gaudy excess. The result is explosive chaos, both in terms of bullets and visual sensibility, which some may find impossible to stick with for more than a few minutes. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the leads, though not with much distinction, while Pete Postlethwaite makes a huge impression as this movie's version of Friar Laurence. The film is successful in spots, but overall its fever-dream game plan is difficult to ride out. --Tom Keogh
Winner of 7 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, The Sting stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two con men in 1930s Chicago. After a friend is killed by the mob, they try to get even by attempting to pull off the ultimate sting. No one is to be trusted as the twists unfold, leading up to one of the greatest double-crosses in movie history. The con is on! Special Features The Art of The Sting: 3-Part Documentary on the creation of the film, featuring Interviews with Robert Redford, Paul Newman and many more 100 years of Universal: Restoring the Classics 100 years of Universal: The 70s 100 years of Universal: The Lot
It must be love but it's definitely exhausting. Scott Warden A middle-aged American writer of pornographic novels meets and falls in love with sixteen-year old Twinky. This alone is cause for concern but when the couple gets married and moves to America the trouble (and fun) really begins...
""Newman is outstanding."" -Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide Paul Newman is electrifying as Fast Eddie Felson an arrogant amoral hustler who haunts backstreet pool rooms fleecing anyone who'll pick up a cue. Determined to be acclaimed as the best Eddie seeks out the legendary Minnesota Fats who's backed by Bert Gordon a predatory gambler. Eddie can beat the champ but virtually defeats himself with his low self-image. The love of a lonely woman could turn Eddie's life around
A group of divers find themselves in deep trouble after they come upon the illicit cargo of a sunken airplane.
In autumn 2004 an all star line up of some of the world's greatest guitarists and thousands of fans gathered at London's Wembley Arena to celebrate the 50th birthday of a music legend the Fender Stratocaster guitar. Members of Queen Genesis Thin Lizzy The Crickets The Shadows Free The Eagles Roxy Music Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones... plus solo stars Albert Lee Jamie Cullum and Theresa Andersson. Tracklist: 1. Peggy Sue - The Crickets Albert Lee and Brian May
Rich with ambiguity, this smooth adaptation of Scott Turow's bestselling mystery novel stars Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich, the prosecuting attorney assigned to a case involving the murder of a beautiful, seductive lawyer (Greta Scacchi) with whom he'd been having a secret affair. After the investigation gets off to a slow start, damning evidence points to Rusty as the prime suspect. His career is destroyed when his superior and secondary suspect Raymond Horgan (Brian Dennehy) sets him up for the fall. Bonnie Bedelia plays Rusty's wife Barbara, who is not above suspicion herself. While Ford's performance rides a fine line between presumed innocence and possible guilt, director Alan J Pakula (All the President's Men) maintains a consistent tone of uncertainty that keeps the viewer guessing. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
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