With Time Bandits, only his second movie as director, Terry Gilliam's barbed humour and hyperactive visual imagination got themselves gloriously into full gear. Sketched out in a matter of weeks over Michael Palin's kitchen table while Gilliam struggled to get his dream project Brazil off the ground, this is a children's film made by a director who "hates kid films" and all the "mawkish sentimental crap" that goes with them. The 11-year-old hero, Kevin, finds himself lugged out of his suburban bedroom and off through a series of wormholes in time and space by a gang of rapacious, bickering midgets in search of loot, en route encountering (and casually despoiling) a gallery of eminent historical figures that include Agamemnon, Napoleon and Robin Hood, along with assorted ogres, giants and monsters. As co-screenwriters, Gilliam and Palin cheerfully filch ideas from everyone from Homer and Jonathan Swift to Lewis Carroll and Walt Disney, while the sets--as always with Gilliam--ingeniously work towering miracles on puny budgets. "The whole point of fairy tales", according to Gilliam, "is to frighten the kids" and Time Bandits taps into some archetypal nightmare imagery. But the whole farrago is much too good-humoured to be seriously scary. Not least of the movie's pleasures are a series of ripe cameos from the likes of Ian Holm as an irascible Bonaparte, Sean Connery good-humouredly spoofing his own image as Agamemnon, John Cleese's version of Robin Hood as inanely condescending minor royalty ("So you're a robber too! Jolly good!"), David Warner hamming it up gleefully as the Evil Genius, and the great Ralph Richardson playing the Supreme Being as a tetchy public-school headmaster. On the DVD: Time Bandits on disc comes with a generous wealth of extras. Along with the expected trailer--sent up Python-style by a disaffected voice-over--we get excerpts from Gilliam's storyboard and notated script, filmographies for Gilliam, Palin, Connery and David Rappaport (the leader of the vertically challenged gang), stills, production shots, a scrapbook with cast photos and drawings, notes on the film and plenty more background data, plus a cheerfully relaxed 27-minute interview with Gilliam and Palin. There's also an informative and appealingly unpretentious full-length commentary shared between Gilliam, Palin, Cleese, Warner and Craig Warnock, who played Kevin. The transfer, clean and crisp, is in the original full-width ratio, and there's a choice of Dolby Stereo or Dolby 5.1 sound. --Philip Kemp
Cathy is attempting to move on with her life after the death of her husband. Through a year of new beginnings she rebuilds her life surrounded by her sometimes problematic family and friends.
A sailor falls for the captain's daughter. They become thwarted in their attempt to keep their love alive but a strange twist in the tale offers these lovers another chance... A thrilling adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's opera.
A classic of the war genre, Aces High is based on R.C. Sheriff's 1929 London and Broadway stageplay and brings together the estimable talents of Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer and Simon Ward. Director Jack Gold's big-screen adaptation follows the story of a naive young officer (McDowell) in World War I, fresh out of school, who arrives on the Western Front, ready to join the airborne fight against the Germans.
In the gap between seasons four and five of Babylon 5, fans suffering withdrawal symptoms were sated by this first TV movie. As a prequel to the series' timeline, creator J. Michael Straczynski had an awful lot of continuity to consider. Amazingly, there's only one inconsistency throughout (a matter of who met whom and when), making this an essential part of the overall storyline. The tale is told cleverly from the future as the remembrances of Londo (Peter Jurasik), who is now Emperor of a dying Centauri homeworld. He looks back at the beginnings of the Earth-Minbari war and links together many clues strewn throughout the shows' early years. We see exactly how Delenn contributed to the first blows, the death of dignitary Dukhat, and most importantly what really happened to Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) at the Battle of the Line. The FX showcased by the battle are genuinely spectacular, but overshadowed by the make-up department which had the thankless task of making everyone look younger. Their best success is on an uncredited Claudia Christian who appears as an 18-year-old Susan Ivanova dealing with the death of her brother. Being a prequel there's little in the way of a surprise finale, but there's plenty of intrigue along the way. --Paul Tonks
Senior year, Prom, Graduation, College visits, Old friends, New problems, And plenty of Korean popstars. Ryan's savior complex becomes a recipe for disaster. Seth and Summer's relationship hits the rocks thanks to Seth's compulsion to edit the truth. As Kirsten attempts to put her life back together, Sandy assumes leadership of the Newport Group and finds himself the heir-apparent to Caleb Nichol's legacy of scandal. Marissa spirals out of control after little sis Kaitlin - a Julie Cooper in the making - returns home to stir the pot. And speaking of Julie Cooper, she'scast out of her Palace - into the slums of the OC. No sign of senioritis here. All 25 episodes lead to the most shocking season finale yet. With humor, heart, great music and all the teen angst you could hope for (and more)
Peter Sellers stars as gang-leader Pearly Gates who has a double life as Monsieur Jules the manager of a fashion house. The criminal world of London is being reduced to chaos by an Australian 'IPO mob' who acting on information provided by Gates' girlfriend Valerie (Nanette Newman) impersonate police officers and take the spoils of the true criminals after the crime has been safely committed. The crimes are relatively victimless involving jewellery thefts from the rich or robbe
East Is EastFor the seven kids of George Khan life is one long compromise. Tomboy Meenah prefers playing footie to wearing a sari hippie Saleem pretends to be studying engineering when he's really at art school heart throb Tariq has got a reputation as a local Casanova and Sajid hasn't even been circumcised yet! Brassed OffIt's 1992 and the miners of Grimley Colliery are facing uncertainty. Not only is their pit under threat but the Grimley Colliery Band is on the verge of breaking up - that is until Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) arrives. As the only female member of the band she somehow manages to rekindle their enthusiam for the forthcoming National Championships as well as rekindling a childhood romance with Andy (Ewan McGregor). Purely BelterAt the centre of this heart warming comedy are two young boys who won't give up on the pursuit of their dreams. Gerry and Sewell are broke. Owning season tickets to their beloved football club is their biggest dream of all. The tickets cost ''1000: they''re ''1000 short...
Aldo Vanucci (Sellers) also known as 'The Fox' is one of the greatest criminals in the world and master of disguise. After Aldo escaping from his Italian prison he plans to retrieve the ""gold of Cairo"" a large shipment of bullion. Devising the perfect plan after finding the ideal coastal village to unload the shipment Aldo poses as a famous director and persuades the entire population that he has chosen their village as the set for his new movie...
The U.S. Government is willing to help any country that requires help in ridding themselves of drugs with support from the Army. Unfortunately the drug cartels have countered that offer by hiring one of the best air-combat mercenaries and have armed him with a Scorpion attack helicopter. The army decides to send in its best people from its Apache Air Combat school. But first they have to be taught how to fly air-to-air combat missions....
The story centers on the veteran movie animal trainer Hank O'Hara his two dogs and a trio of horses. His daughter Mary Kate and her daughter Carly move from Texas to live with him after the death of Mary Kate's husband. Feeling lost and missing her father Carly bonds with the young dog Little Chuck. Behind the scenes Carly helps Hank prepare the dogs and his horses for film work and then watches excerpts from the finished movies a Western a commercial with a police chase and K9 unit a television detective series and a tongue in cheek horror movie. Along the way we meet several veteran actors from film and television. It is a warm family story highlighted by a fantasy sequence with Carly as a world famous animal trainer.
Tales From The Green Valley Turning the clock back over 400 years fi ve archaeologists and historians take on the challenge of running a farm for a year as it was in the 1600s when King James I held the throne. Victorian Farm & Victorian Farm Christmas In Victorian Farm Ruth Goodman Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands devote a year of their lives to re-creating life in a 19th century rural environment. From the warmth of summer to the depths of winter they rediscover this almost forgotten world. And in Victorian Farm Christmas the team return to prepare for a truly festive holiday season. Victorian Pharmacy Historian Ruth Goodman Professor of Pharmacy Nick Barber and PhD student Tom Quick open the doors to an authentic Victorian Pharmacy. They source ingredients mix potions and dispense cures. But in an age when skin creams contained arsenic and cold medicines were based on opium the team needs to be highly selective. Edwardian Farm The Victorian Farmers Alex Langlands Peter Ginn and domestic historian Ruth Goodman return to experience life on an Edwardian Farm. Setting up home at Morwellham Quay in Devon the intrepid trio have to get to grips with the trials and tribulations of life at the turn of the 20th century.
When Santa cancels his annual flight because of a hurt reindeer, a young Christmas loving dog named Olive is convinced she has what it takes to get Santa's flight off the ground and save Christmas.
Fully aware of its status as the sequel to the surprise hit thriller of 1996, this lively follow-up trades freshness for familiarity, playing on our affection for returning characters while obeying--and then subverting--the "rules" of sequels. Once again, movie references are cleverly employed to draw us into the story, which takes place two years after the events of Scream, at a small Ohio college, where the Scream survivors reunite when another series of mysterious killings begins. Capitalising on the guesswork involving a host of potential suspects, director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson have crafted a thriller that's more of a Scream clone than a genuinely inventive new story. But the shocks are just as effective, and escalating tension leads to a tautly staged climax that's simultaneously logical and giddily over the top. Background information for trivia buffs: to preserve the secrecy of plot twists, copies of the screenplay were heavily guarded during production and restricted to only the most crucial personnel. When an early draft was circulated on the Internet, screenwriter Kevin Williamson did rewrites, and subsequent drafts were printed with red ink on brown paper, eliminating the threat of photocopying. None of the cast members knew who the killer was until the final scenes were filmed. -- Jeff Shannon
In an affluent suburb of Buenos Aires in the early-80s, a seemingly normal family makes its living off kidnapping and murder. Welcome to the home of the Puccios - and the astonishing true story of Argentina's most notorious crime family. Patriarch and former secret service agent ArquÃmedes (a terrifying, icy performance from Guillermo Francella) plans and heads up the gruesome operations. His eldest sun Alejandro, a star rugby player with rising hopes for Argentina's national team, gives in to his father's will and helps identify possible candidates for abduction. Slowly but surely, the other family members all become accomplices as they either support or turn a blind eye to the terrible crimes, living off the large ransoms paid by their victims' families in the process. Winner of the 2015 Venice Silver Lion for Best Director and five Argentine Academy Awards, Pablo Trapero's thrilling new film is a true-life tale of corruption and manipulation, riddled with shocking intrigue and nail-biting suspense - taking place in the final years of the Argentine military dictatorship and incipient return to democracy.
Birds Of A Feather: Series 1
An investigation is called for when a mysterious visitor is crushed to death at Plummer And Sons.
As the leader of the IMF, Jim Phelps (played by original 60s cast member Peter Graves) is on a mission to save the world from enemies threatening the existence of the entire population. With a new team behind him, he leads the agents through dangerous assignments, taking on the deadliest of adversaries. The entire 88- 89 TV series comes to DVD in one complete set for the very first time in the UK and includes all 35 episodes from the classic series over 9 discs.
Arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick's cold war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. Dr. Strangelove is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with "the purity of precious bodily fluids," mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so-called "Doomsday Device," and the world hangs in the balance while the US president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about "acceptable losses." With dialogue ("You can't fight here! This is the war room!") and images (Slim Pickens' character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick's film regularly appears on critics' lists of the all-time best. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com --This text refers to another version of this video.
The Battle continues in Westeros with feuding families and power hungry rulers. Five Kings vie for a single, all-powerful throne in the all-new season of Game of Thrones - an epic story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honour, conquest and triumph. Season 2 plays out against the backdrop of a fast-approaching winter. In King's Landing, the coveted Iron Throne is occupied by cruel young Joffrey, counseled by his conniving mother Cersei and uncle Tyrion. But the Lannister hold on the Throne is under assault on many fronts. There's Robb Stark, son of the slain Lord of Winterfell, Ned Stark; Daenerys Targaryen, who looks to shore up her depleted power through three newborn dragons; Stannis Baratheon, eldest brother of the late King Robert; and Stannis' brother Renly, who has maintained his own claim since fleeing King's Landing. In the meantime, a new leader is rising among the wildlings North of the Wall, adding new perils for Jon Snow and the Night's Watch. With tensions and treaties, animosity and alliances, Season 2 of Game of Thrones promises to be a thrilling journey through a riveting, unforgettable landscape.
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