James Cameron wrote the script for this not-so-futuristic science fiction tale about a former vice cop (Ralph Fiennes) who now sells addicting, virtual reality clips that allow a user to experience the recorded sensations of others. He becomes embroiled in a murder conspiracy, tries to save a former girlfriend (Juliette Lewis), and has a romance with his chauffeur and bodyguard (Angela Bassett). Cameron's ex-wife, director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break), brought the whole, busy, violent enterprise to the screen, and while the film's socially relevant heart is in the right place, its excesses wear one out. Some of the casting doesn't quite click either: Fiennes isn't really right for his nervous role, and Lewis is annoying (and unbelievable as the hero's much-yearned-for former squeeze). Expect some ugly if daring moments with the virtual reality stuff. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Based on Thomas Harris's novel, Jonathan Demme's terrifying adaptation of Silence of the Lambs contains only a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter; Jodie Foster is equally memorable as the vulnerable FBI agent-in-training Clarice Starling. --Tom Keogh Hannibal is set 10 years after Silence of the Lambs, as Dr Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster), on the other hand, hasn't had it so good. The film is so stylistically different from its predecessor that it forces you to take it on its own terms. Director Ridley Scott gives the film a sleek, almost European look that lets you know that, unlike the first film (which was about the quintessentially American Clarice), this movie is all Hannibal. Hopkins and Moore are both first-rate, but the film contrives to keep them as far apart as possible. When they do connect it's quite thrilling but it's unfortunately too little too late. --Mark Englehart Anthony Hopkins returns as Hannibal Lecter in Red Dragon, a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs and a remake of 1986's Manhunter, Michael Mann's fine film of Thomas Harris's terrific book, in which Brian Cox carved the ham thinner as a more menacing, less hokey cannibal. This film beefs up Lecter's role, as FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) consults Lecter on the Tooth Fairy case, which means some pointed and familiar conversations, and the film then shifts focus from the investigation to the life and troubles of the mad and murderous but also abused and sympathetic Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes, with a major tattoo and a harelip). It's hard not to compare the current cast with Mann's excellent players. Still, Red Dragon is a solid film of great material, with all the sudden shocks and disturbing whispers in places. --Kim Newman
A future history as scripted by the visionary writer H.G. Wells, Things To Come set a high benchmark for science fiction with its fantastic design, gigantic sets and spectacular special effects. Acknowledged as a landmark within the genre, Oscar-winning William Cameron Menzies creates an astounding vision of post-war desolation and utopian futurism. Starring Oscar-nominated Raymond Massey as John Cabal and his descendants and the award-winning Ralph Richardson as The Boss, Things To Come showcases a gorgeous, and instantly recognisable, score by Arthur Bliss. Presented for the first time in High Definition, this version of Things To Come has been painstakingly restored from the remaining film elements and represents the most complete version known to exist.It's Christmas 1940 and the people of Everytown, unprepared and ill-equipped, find themselves at war against an enemy who has been planning such a conflict for years. The land is devastated by the horrors of aerial bombardment as the war drags on for thirty years, causing a period of despair, with feudal tyrants ruling a downtrodden populace suffering famine and pestilence. Can the human race rise above its desperate circumstances and build a scientific utopia?
So you're interested in the beginnings of Sherlock Holmes? Well then its elementary my dear Watson that you start here with 'The Dark Beginnings'... This BBC drama provides a fascinating insight into the fictional beginnings of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson the tale based on the real-life relationship between Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Joseph Bell his tutor at Edinburgh University.
Counter terrorism policing and the terrifying work of the Metropolitan Police Bomb Disposal Squad are the breath-taking backdrop for new high octane thriller, Trigger Point. Starring Vicky McClure and producer by Jed Mercurio. When a series of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) are found in the City, Expo officer Lana Washington is pushed to breaking point dealing with them, as well as her feelings for her fellow officer Nutkins and the growing suspicion that the Bomber may be someone she knows.
Martin Chuzzlewit (Dir. Pedr James 1994): Martin Chuzzlewit is a wealthy old man. But who will inherit his riches? He has disinherited his grandson young Martin suspecting the motives of the young man's love for Mary Chuzzlewit's nurse and companion. With such a prize to play for the rest of his family - including the snivelling hypocrite Pecksniff and the fabulously evil Jonas - bring forth all of their cunning greed and selfishness. With his grandson floundering in Amer
Olivia de Havilland won her second Academy Award for The Heiress giving one of her finest screen performances in this version of the Ruth and Augustus Goetz play based on Henry James's 'Washington Square'. In 1840's New York Catherine lives with her father Dr. Sloper a physician. Her mother died some years before and Dr. Sloper still idolizes her. He never misses an opportunity to compare his daughter to her - a comparison the daughter cannot win. When Morris Towns
Simultaneously elegiac and raw, My Life as a Dog is an uneven--but unforgettable--tearjerker which tells the story of Ingemar, a 12-year-old working-class Swedish boy sent to live with his childless aunt and uncle in a country village when his mother falls ill. Beginning with several representations of the most savage, unsentimental domestic intensity imaginable (interplay between a sick parent and loving child has never looked anywhere near as explosive), My Life as a Dog wisely doesn't attempt to maintain that level of danger; rather, the change in locale to rural Sweden is accompanied by a slackening of pace and a whimsical breeziness. Nevertheless, the tragic condition of Ingemar's mother (and later, the indeterminate fate of Sickan, his beloved dog, consigned to a kennel) hovers over the narrative with a gripping portentousness. At times, director Lasse Hallström misplaces the rhythm, and the film threatens to degenerate into a series of rustic vignettes; luckily, Ingemar's relationship with Gunnar, the jocular yet somewhat sinister uncle who essentially adopts him, carries a fascinating charge. This was later rewritten, whether intentionally or not, by Spike Lee, who changed the gender of the child, set the story in New York City, added a 1970s soul soundtrack, and called it Crooklyn. Swedish, with subtitles --Miles Bethany, Amazon.com
An infant child is raised by apes after being shipwrecked off the west coast of Africa. As he grows he learns the laws of the jungle and eventually claims the title Lord of the Apes. Yet years later when he is returned to civilization as the Earl of Greystoke Tarzan (Christopher Lambert in his first English speaking role) remains uncertain as to which laws he should obey; those of man or those of the jungle...
Made in 1968 and broadcast to tremendous critical acclaim The Caesars was one of the last great drama productions made in black and white for ITV by Granada. The Caesars is an unrivalled period drama detailing the murder sex and madness that will forever have a place in the annals of ancient history. This six-part series is available for the first time anywhere on DVD. After a century of being wrecked by dissension and ruinous civil wars the Romans were willing to p
Tony Rome: Tony Rome a tough Miami PI living on a houseboat is hired by a local millionaire to find jewelry stolen from his daughter and in the process has several encounters with local hoods as well as the Miami Beach PD. The Detective: A hard-boiled mystery starring Frank Sinatra as the tough-as-nails Detective Joe Leland 'The Detective' was based on a novel by Roderick Thorp. Called in to investigate the murder of Teddy Leikman the homosexual son of a well-conn
Marisa Tomei won an Awscah (OSCAR) for her hilarious turn as a car-savvy fish-outta-watah in this must-own comedy! When Bill and Stan (Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield) are mistakenly accused of murder on a trip through Alabama they recruit Bill's cousin Vinny (OSCAR Winner Joe Pesci) a New York lawyer who's never gone to trial to represent them before the formidable Judge Haller (Fred Gwynne). Will justice follow Vinny and his girlfriend (Tomei) south when they try to save the day? It's the most hilarious culture clash ever when they hit the road in this tried-and-true favourite.
Whoopi Goldberg returns in a gratuitous, poorly written sequel that contrives a reason to get her character back into Maggie Smith's convent. The "socially conscious" plot finds Goldberg being asked to relate to a bunch of street kids and pull them together into a choir. Since a bad guy is needed, the script grabs that old chestnut about a rich guy (James Coburn) preparing to close down the convent's school, and runs with it. The film is slow and unconvincing from start to finish, although co-stars Mary Wickes and Kathy Najimy get some good laughs, and the music is pretty spirited. --Tom Keogh
In 'A Bigger Splash', rock legend Marianne Lane is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope and interrupts their holiday.
Terence Young writes and directs this World War Two action drama. After the success of the Normandy landings, the British Guards Armoured Division sweeps across Europe, taking part in the liberation of Belgium before becoming entangled in the bloody German counter-attack in the Ardennes. Three soldiers are granted leave and return to their normal lives in England - but before long, they are recalled to duty and find themselves on the most perilous mission they have ever undertaken: a daring reconnaissance mission during the advance on Berlin.
Nearly every biblical film is ambitious, creating pictures to go with some of the most famous and sacred stories in the Western world. DreamWorks' first animated film, The Prince of Egypt was the vision of executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg after his ugly split from Disney, where he had been acknowledged as a key architect in that studio's rebirth (The Little Mermaid, etc.). His first film for the company he helped create was a huge, challenging project without a single toy or merchandising tie-in, the backbone du jour of family entertainment in the 1990s. Three directors and 16 writers succeed in carrying out much of Katzenberg's vision. The linear story of Moses is crisply told, and the look of the film is stunning; indeed, no animated film has looked so ready to be placed in the Louvre since Fantasia. Here is an Egypt alive with energetic bustle and pristine buildings. Born a slave and set adrift in the river, Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer) is raised as the son of Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart) and is a fitting rival for his stepbrother Rameses (Ralph Fiennes). When he learns of his roots--in a knockout sequence in which hieroglyphics come alive--he flees to the desert, where he finds his roots and heeds God's calling to free the slaves from Egypt. Katzenberg and his artists are careful to tread lightly on religious boundaries. The film stops at the parting of the Red Sea, only showing the Ten Commandments--without commentary--as the film's coda. Music is a big part (there were three CDs released) and Hans Zimmer's score and Stephen Schwartz's songs work well--in fact the pop-ready, Oscar-winning "When You Believe" is one of the weakest songs. Kids ages 5 and up should be able to handle the referenced violence; the film doesn't shy away from what Egyptians did to their slaves. Perhaps Katzenberg could have aimed lower and made a more successful animated film, but then again, what's a heaven for? --Doug Thomas
Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
Digitally re-mastered for superior sound and picture quality Lovin’ You is a genuine Elvis classic and an absolute “must have” for any true fan of the undisputed King of Rock’n’Roll from the days when he was lean mean and magnificent and had a hip wiggle that drove the girls crazy. Only Presley’s second ever feature film and his first in colour this rocking romance uncannily mirrors Elvis’s own explosion onto the music scene and rocket ride to fame and fortune. His raw animal prescence leaps sensationally from the screen in the all-singing all-dancing story of a humble delivery boy turned rock’n’roll star Deke Rivers – featuring the hit songs Teddy Bear Got A Lot Of Lovin’ To Do Hot Dog Mean Woman Blues Party and of course the tender ballad Lovin’ You. First released in the cinema in 1957 the movie showed Elvis had genuine acting talent with his gritty and emotional portrayal of a simple country boy catapulted to stardom. Interestingly two versions of the title song were recorded for the film and although two versions are on the Complete Fifties Masters both are shorter than the 2 minutes 12 seconds on-screen version here!
Set in the expanse of the Sudan desert in the midst of holy war, Khartoum (1966) plays like an attempt to work the Lawrence of Arabia magic on the (mostly) true story of eccentric British general Charles "Chinese" Gordon in 1884 North Africa. The magnificent opening desert battle suggests David Lean's epic sweep, at least until the film settles into a more modest story of political games, military standoffs, and a battle of wits and wiles between two fierce leaders. Charlton Heston plays the Christian soldier as cocky, unconventional maverick, and Laurence Olivier (behind heavy make-up and a thick black beard) is almost as good as his cagey nemesis the Mahdi, the Islamic holy warrior on a mission of annihilation. More talk than spectacle, the film falls short of Lawrence but is nonetheless a compelling story of colonial politics, cynical manoeuvring and the unconventional heroics of another colourful British maverick abroad. --Sean Axmaker
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