Tom Cruise returns as Special Agent Ethan Hunt, who faces the mission of his life.
Horror icon Barbara Shelley takes an early starring role as a top model whose marriage sends shockwaves through Society in this gripping mystery drama from the late 1950s. Adapted from the novel by Nina Bawden and directed by Gerald Thomas, The Solitary Child is featured in a brand-new digital transfer in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. The marriage of Harriet, a celebrated London model, to Captain James Random causes a sensation: only two years previously, the gentleman farmer was acquitted in rather dubious circumstances of the murder of his fi rst wife and there is still a widespread suspicion among the public that Random is a man who 'got away with it'...
The life of a young suburban housewife is transformed through a series of mishaps when her husband gives her a gun...
Contains Episodes: Baby Talk: Keeping George's alter ego secret from Janet's parents is becoming almost impossible since the new addition to the family. With a visit expected any minute George is busy teaching the baby superhero antics. Will the truth finaly come out? Zero Tolerance: Life at the health centre takes an unexpected turn when a gun wielding lunatic rushes in demanding access to the drugs cabinet. However it is George rather than Thermoman who is left to save the day.
Reputedly based on an incident in the life of its screenwriter, Ingmar Bergman, Faithless is a powerful film that investigates the consequences of adultery, betrayal and grief and the long-term implications for everyone involved. Directed by Bergman's former muse and actress-turned-director, Liv Ullman, the story begins when an old man who lives by the sea, just like Bergman himself, ransacks his memories for material for his writing. He conjures up the beautiful Marianne (Lena Endre) who recounts a major turning point in her life: her affair with her husband's best friend. Her story is captured both in flashback and through Marianne's dialogue, as the camera lingers on her expressive face and his rapt, silent countenance. Not surprisingly the story is an intense and convoluted one and what ensues is a tale of guilt, pain and enduring damage as "simple things become complicated". The remote shore-side confessional location adds to the mystery: just what is their relationship? Is Marianne a figment of his imagination? As the film progresses, the truth begins to dawn. Lena Endre gives a vividly emotional performance, particularly during the poignant scenes concerning her beautiful but increasingly withdrawn daughter (luminescently acted by Michelle Gylemo). Without seeming to judge her, Endre brilliantly portrays a woman who knows that what she is doing is wrong, but does it all the same. The rawness of the erupting emotions is reinforced by an almost total lack of background music and the film becomes ever more involving to watch, even if the key characters seem to have brought about their misfortune themselves. If there is a weakness here it is that the performances of the men are somewhat overshadowed. Lover David, enigmatically portrayed by Krister Henrekssen, looks older than his allocated years and his motivations are unclear; Thomas Hanzon, playing Markus the charismatic husband, seems too restrained in his role and the viewer longs for him to do something wrong to justify his wife's affair. When he eventually does, the ramifications are enormous. Faithless is riveting and very much in keeping with the Bergman oeuvre, here expressed through the sensitive, restrained direction of Liv Ullman. --Christina McLoughlin
The only full length Technicolor film of the Queen's coronation.
Charlie Kaufman, the writer behind such brain melting, cult hits as "Being John Malkovich" and "Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind" steps behind the camera for this puzzling and inventive take on one man's life
A new dramatic series from the creators of The Killing. As seen on the BBC.Borgen is the latest drama sensation from the producers of the acclaimed series The Killing. Following the intricate and complicated lives of politicians, media spinners and the reporters who feed off their triumphs and failures, Borgen uncovers a world of political and personal intrigue.The setting is Borgen, the nickname for Denmark's Parliamentary building, otherwise known as The Castle. After scoring her party a landslide victory through her idealism and work ethic, the smart and sexy populist Birgitte Nyborg now faces the biggest dilemma of her life. The question is: Will she succumb to pressure of compromise on her ideals and face consequences both on and off the political stage?
The Bounty is the third screen version of one of the best-known stories in naval history, here with Anthony Hopkins as Lieutenant William Bligh and Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian heading an extraordinary cast including Laurence Olivier, Edward Fox, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, Bernard Hill and Dexter Fletcher. HMS Bounty's voyage to Tahiti of 1787-9 and its infamous consequences are recounted with far greater historical accuracy than in the 1935 or 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty. The movie is gorgeously shot on location in Tahiti, England and New Zealand as well as on a full-size recreation of the original Bounty. Roger Donaldson's film benefits from a literate screenplay by Robert Bolt, who here as in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), brings real insight into the English institutional mind in conflict. Hopkins is at his complex best and Gibson offers more depth than his usual two-dimensional hero persona; here Bligh and Christian emerge as complex men gripped by circumstances beyond their control. The haunting score by Vangelis contributes immensely to a very underrated film which deserves to be considered a modern classic. On the DVD: There is an excellent 52-minute "making of" documentary that mixes historical information with on-location interviews. A 12-minute overview of previous screen versions of the story is narrated by the film's historical consultant, Stephen Walters, who also provides a somewhat stilted but nevertheless informative audio commentary. The second audio commentary is from director Roger Donaldson, Producer Bernie Williams and Production Designer John Graysmark, who genuinely appear to enjoy reminiscing and have real enthusiasm for the movie. Also included is a fascinating 28-page booklet. This is the stuff Special Editions should always be made of, and this would be one of the finest DVDs on the market were it not for the transfer of the film itself, which appears to be a reprocessed version of the same NTSC anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer found on the bare-bones Region 1 DVD, with no sign of PAL speed-up. The picture not only shows considerable grain in some scenes, but also demonstrates marked compression artefacting and enhancement shimmer on all horizontal lines, making some scenes extremely ugly. For such a beautiful film it is a most disappointing transition to the digital format. Most unusually for a UK release, the disc is region free.--Gary S Dalkin
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd opens with a retired Poirot (David Suchet) cursing vegetable marrows in his country garden. When his old friend is found stabbed in the neck, Poirot begins an investigation that reunites him with Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) and uncovers a chain of furtive phone calls and secret romances. Unfortunately, the restructuring necessary to adapt the story from text to film takes away some of the shock value of Christie's original ending, which caused quite a controversy when the book was first published in 1926. --Larisa Lomacky Moore
Are We There Yet? Smooth operator Nick (Ice Cube) is interested in young attractive divorcee Suzanne (Nia Long) mother of a 7-year-old-boy and an 11-year-old-girl. Trying to get together with Suzanne Nick volunteers to bring her children to meet her out of town. Missing the plane they must make the long journey by car. What Nick doesn't know is that Suzanne's children think that no man is good enough for their mom and will do everything they can to make the trip a nightmare for him.... Are We Done Yet? Newlyweds Nick (Ice Cube) and Suzanne (Nia Long) decide to move to the suburbs to provide a better life for their two kids. But their idea of a dream home is disturbed by a contractor (John C. McGinley) with a bizarre approach to business.
Available uncut for the first time in the UK, The Evil Dead is a classic cult horror film that tells of five college friends who journey to the woods and wake the spirits of demons who want their bodies!
Even if all written and documentary evidence were to disappear, you could still get a real insight into Britain's involvement in the Second World War through feature films such as Above Us the Waves (1955) and In Which We Serve (1942). Directed by Ralph Thomas, Above Us the Waves tells of a Royal Navy mission to sink the "invincible" German battleship Tirpitz off the Norwegian coast. John Mills is calm and confident as the mission commander, with strong support from John Gregson and Donald Sinden--all treated by the German personnel as fellow gentlemen when captured. Despite stirring music from Arthur Benjamin, the action sequences are visually no more than adequate, and the film is only a partial success compared with the naval and domestic drama of the earlier In Which We Serve. Noël Coward wrote the screenplay and musical score, co-directed (with David Lean) and gave possibly his finest screen performance as the commander of HMS Torrin. His speech to the survivors of the sunken ship, as they prepare for reassignment, is just the highlight of a film packed with memorable visuals and perceptive dialogue. On the DVD: Though there are no additional features the black-and-white prints have come up excellently in the 4:3 video aspect ratio. There are 15 access points for each film, though the lack of subtitles is an unfortunate omission. These are period pieces that capture the mood of an era.--Richard Whitehouse
Poirot and Hastings are in Windermere watching Charles Arundel's attempt to break the world water speed record. They return to the Arundel's family members. The situation is exasperated when Aunt Emily falls down the stairs. Poirot suspects foul play and his suspicions are confirmed when she is found dead the following day. It becomes clear to Poirot that the only one who knows who murdered Emily is Bob the resident fox terrier. Poirot understands that this dumb witness must find its own way of telling him what he has seen...
Steve Martin plays Jonas Nightingale a travelling preacher who performs 'miracles' for paying converts. Martin's portrayal of a con man posing as an evangelical preacher is suitably dry and manic creating a uniquely vibrant character who colours the whole film with energy and verve. 'Leap Of Faith' is a well-constructed satire about the phenomenon of miracles and the unwavering belief people place in others. Jonas's manipulation of unsuspecting innocents is superb and Martin rel
Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson star in this stylish New Orlean thriller about a kidnapping that goes wrong - or was it planned that way all along?
A BANNED BOOK, A RAPE, AND A TRIAL THAT TORE A TOWN APART! When Twentieth Century Fox signed sexploitation maestro Russ Meyer to a multi-picture deal, this resulted in two films. The first was the legendary Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. The second was the little-seen The Seven Minutes, about a subject that could hardly have been closer to Meyer s heart. Based on the best-selling novel by Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes is also the title of a notorious 1930s book whose belated publication in the US triggers an obscenity lawsuit, prompted by a hitherto clean-living young man raping a fellow student and leaving her for dead. But is the resulting trial a sincere exploration of links between (alleged) pornography and real-life violence or an attempted Kafkaesque stitch-up involving a shady businessman, ambitious politicians in search of a populist bandwagon, and even the Vatican? With a dazzling cast including cult legends John Carradine, Yvonne De Carlo (The Munsters), Jay C. Flippen (The Killing), Wolfman Jack (Motel Hell), Charles Napier (The Blues Brothers) and future star Tom Selleck (Magnum P.I.), The Seven Minutes is an absorbing, intelligent and thought-provoking drama. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS ¢ DVD presentation of the longer cut of The Seven Minutes, including the notorious sex-film studio scene ¢ Dolby Digital 1.0 sound, with optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired ¢ Sinister Image, an interview with Russ Meyer and his former model Yvette Vickers ¢ Theatrical trailer
This HBO docu-drama depicts the notorious 1971 prison revolt at the State Penitentiary at Attica, in upstate New York. One can sense the mastery of veteran theatrical feature director John Frankenheimer at the helm, in the movie's gripping suspense and gritty, hard-hitting realism. The semi-fictionalised narrative is told from the point of view of young Michael Smith, (Kyle MacLachlan), a newly recruited prison guard (the real Smith worked as a consultant on the film). When Smith arrives at Attica, the place is a revolt waiting to happen. When riots break out and the inmates take command of the prison, Smith and several other guards are held hostage. In this powder-keg climate, a relationship develops between Smith and the rebellion's wise, cool-headed leader, Jamaal, (the superb Samuel L Jackson), a political prisoner representing the African Liberation Movement. The insurrection at Attica became emblematic of protests taking place all over the United States at the time. "We've got a civil war going on in this country," says one prison guard, "This is where we hold the line." Against the Wall illustrates in no uncertain terms which side won this particular battle, and at what tragic cost. Then it goes one step further, becoming a platform for contemporary prison reform. The film's terrific performances include Clarence L Williams III as a wild-eyed, malcontent prisoner, Frederic Forrest as a rabid prison guard and Anne Heche as Smith's stalwart wife. --Laura Mirsky
Charlie Wilson's War features Tom Hanks Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman in an adaption of George Crile's extraordinary novel. Charlie Wilson's Waris the true story of how a playboy congressman a renegade CIA agent and a beautiful Houston socialite joined forces to lead the largest and most successful covert operation in history. Their efforts contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War with consequences that reverberate throughout the world today.
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