A potboiler featuring a demented caretaker and a seemingly hapless suburban family, this is The Nanny of the 1990s. However, it is much more predictable than that 1965 Bette Davis psychodrama, and more graphic. It works only because Rebecca De Mornay makes us intensely uncomfortable as the disturbed au pair who wants to take care of much more than her employer's well-being. Annabella Sciorra plays the perfect mother of a flawless family. Her obstetrician, however, is less than wonderful, having enjoyed her examination much more than he should have. When she files sexual harassment charges against the repugnant doctor, he loses face--literally--after shooting himself in the head. Several months later, an ideal nanny shows up at her home. You guessed it--she's the doc's widow. The movie follows a tried and trusted formula, with the audience in on everything. However, the story does surprise us in intense and intimate ways. The visit to the obstetrician is one of the creepiest moments in the film. You definitely hear the voice of writer Amanda Silver in a plot concerned with the vulnerabilities of a family, a newborn, a marriage. Since we know so much up front, there is an overall lack of inventiveness in the plot machinations. It may not jolt us, but De Mornay does. It's unsettling to watch someone who appears so attractive and who behaves so kindly suddenly reveal hideous psychopathic tendencies. Restraining herself from going over the top, she instead oozes such malevolence you'll want to shudder. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Perky teen starlet Hilary Duff wholeheartedly embraces the kind of earnest innocence all parents wish their daughters had. In Raise Your Voice, Terri Fletcher yearns to go to a prestigious music conservatory in Los Angeles. Her father won't let her because L.A. is a bad place, but her loving mom and kooky aunt sneak her away. Once there, she gets a sassy roommate-of-colour, geeky cool friends, a snooty rival, and a sexy British boyfriend. Of course, all conflicts with family and friends come to a head at a big competition at which Terri rediscovers herself. Formulaic? Yes. Bland? Yes. Will preteen girls enjoy it anyway? Maybe, because Duff plays it so sincere. --Bret Fetzer, amazon.com
A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film's unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring.
It's all for one and one for all as the daring trio (Kiefer Sutherland Oliver Platt and Charlie Sheen) attempt to stop the evil Cardinal Richelieu (Tim Curry) from overthrowing the King of France. Enter young D'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell) whose dream of becoming a Musketeer is put in jeopardy when he falls in love with Richelieu's beautiful but treacherous spy Milady de Winter (Rebecca De Mornay). If D'Artagnan is to escape her clutches and become a Musketeer he'll have to prove hi
To celebrate its 25th Anninversary Warner have re-released this dark comedy. Meet Joel Goodson an industrious college-bound 17-year-old and a responsible trustworthy son. However when his parents go away and leave him home alone in the wealthy Chicago suburbs with the Porsche at his disposal he quickly decides he has been good for too long and it is time to enjoy himself. After an unfortunate incident with the Porsche Joel must raise some cash in a risky way.
A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film's unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring.
A somewhat contrived screenplay doesn't stop this thriller from serving up some of the most spectacular fire sequences ever committed to film. Like any Ron Howard production Backdraft is impressively slick and boasts a stellar cast, including Kurt Russell and William Baldwin. The actors play sibling rivals who have been at odds since the death of their firefighter father years earlier. Robert De Niro is the veteran fire inspector who is tracking a series of mysterious and deadly arsons and Donald Sutherland is effectively creepy as the former arsonist who understands the criminal psychology of pyromaniacs. Rebecca De Mornay, Scott Glenn and Jennifer Jason Leigh are featured in supporting roles. Backdraft is a triumph of stunt work and flaming special effects. --Jeff Shannon
When a nasty storm hits a hotel, ten strangers are stranded within and as they begin to know each other, they discover they are being killed off one by one.
Little did Tom Cruise know that he would become a box-office superstar after he cranked up some Bob Seeger and played air guitar in his underwear. But there's more to this 1983 hit than the arrival of a hot young star. Making a stylish debut, writer-director Paul Brickman crafted a subtle satire of crass materialism wrapped in an irresistible plot about a crafty high schooler named Joel (Cruise) who goes into risky business with the beguiling prostitute Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) while his parents are out of town. Joel turns his affluent Chicago-suburb home into a lucrative bordello and forms a steamy personal and professional partnership with Lana, but only as long as the two can avoid the vengeful pimp Guido (Joe Pantoliano) and keep their customers happy. A signature film of the 1980s, Risky Business still holds up thanks to Cruise's effortless charm and the movie's timeless appeal as an adolescent male fantasy. --Jeff Shannon
Meet the model son who's been good too long. To celebrate its 25th Anninversary Warner have re-released this classic dark comedy. Meet Joel Goodson an industrious college-bound 17-year-old and a responsible trustworthy son. However when his parents go away and leave him home alone in the wealthy Chicago suburbs with the Porsche at his disposal he quickly decides he has been good for too long and it is time to enjoy himself. After an unfortunate incident with the Porsche Joel must raise some cash in a risky way.
Odd teaming of man-of-integrity A-list studio director Sidney Lumet (Twelve Angry Men, Serpico, The Verdict) with muckraking, lively independent screenwriter Larry Cohen (It's Alive, God Told Me To, Q: The Winged Serpent), the court-room drama Guilty As Sin relies rather heavily on the plot of Jagged Edge. Jack Warden reprises Robert Loggia's grumpy but decent private-eye role exactly, while ice-maiden lawyer Rebecca De Mornay is ensnared in a web of duplicity and violence by her client (Don Johnson), accused of murdering his wife. It hasn't got the gravitas of Lumet's best or the maniacal energy of top-rate Cohen film, but as a no-brain thriller it offers a couple of edgy, interesting star performances, with Johnson in particular cutting loose from his image with a display of razor-edged smiling charm as the killer gigolo. --Kim Newman
The film follows the surf and skateboarding trends that originated in California during the '70s.
DESPERATE AND DETERMINED TO SURVIVE Two convicts break out of Stonehaven Prison in the dead of winter, boarding a freight train with the intention of getting as far away as possible before their notoriously sadistic warden finds out. But the brakes fail and the driver has a heart attack, sending hundreds of tons of metal hurtling through the snowy Alaskan wastes at terrifying and unstoppable speed. Based on a script by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), with hardboiled prison slang added by real-life ex-con Edward Bunker (Mr Blue in Reservoir Dogs), this riveting thriller also boasts Oscar-nominated performances from Jon Voight and Eric Roberts with Voight playing spectacularly against type as a criminal so vicious that he served much of his sentence welded into his cell. Combining electrifying action with constant psychological tension (the only surviving member of the train crew is a young, inexperienced woman), Runaway Train is one of cinema's great thrill-rides. SPECIAL FEATURES: High Definition Blu-ray presentation of the film Original Uncompressed Stereo Audio Optional English SDH Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Running on Empty An Interview with director Andrei Konchalovsky From Thespian to Fugitive Star Jon Voight shares his memories of his Academy Award-nominated role Sweet and Savage: Eric Roberts recalls his Academy Award-nominated performance The Calm Before the Chaos Co-star Kyle T. Heffner remembers Runaway Train Trailer with commentary by Rod Lurie Original Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson
Golden Globe winner John Travolta (Face/Off, Pulp Fiction) returns to the action genre with a hard as nails performance as a man with nothing left to lose, seeking bloody vengeance! Unemployed engineer Stanley Hill (Travolta) witnesses the brutal murder of his wife Vivian (Rebecca De Mornay, TV's Jessica Jones) who was attacked by thugs in a parking garage. When Detective Gibson (Sam Trammell, True Blood) and other corrupt police officers are unable and unwilling to bring the killers to justice, Stanley turns to his old friend Dennis (Christopher Meloni, Man of Steel, TVs Law & Order) and decides to take matters into his own hands. It is only then that Stanley and Dennis are found to have a mysterious past that, until now, they kept very well hidden. As they wreak their revenge, those involved in the cover up realise that Stanley and Dennis are more dangerous than they could have ever imagined
Four People. Three Minutes. Two Choices. One Chance For Survival. Nuclear war: a nightmare that may become grim reality for the world in this riveting HBO thriller. When a fanatical group opposed to friendly US/Soviet relations explodes a nuclear missile over a Russian city it begins a chain reaction of accusations and actions that initiate the groundwork for WWIII. As the clock ticks toward nuclear annihilation the Presidents of USA and Russia race toward a solution figh
Anyone who grew up in Southern California will talk with both nostalgia and frustration about the periodic summers of drought in which the oppressive heat is exacerbated by a shortage of its antidote--fresh water. In 1975 a clan of scruffy rebellious teens found a way to turn this dearth to their advantage using the sloping bowl of empty suburban swimming pools to create a new underground sport - skateboarding. The development explosion and corporate co-opting of this now ubiquitous sport was the subject of Stacy Peralta's acclaimed 2002 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. Peralta one of the original skaters who came to be known as the Z-Boys has penned this dramatized account of his own story a kinetic and gripping tale with dramatic turns reflective of the extreme crests and falls of those concrete waves.
Stephen King's The Shining is a new adaptation from the author himself, made for American television, that bears very little resemblance to the 1980 Stanley Kubrick version. Which is not surprising since Kubrick practically threw out most of King's novel and presented his own version of the story. Here King redresses the balance in a mini-series that follows his original almost to the letter, and manages to be effectively creepy despite the budget and censorship limitations of the TV format. Stephen Weber takes over the role of Jack Torrance, the caretaker who slowly descends into madness in the haunted Overlook Hotel. His performance is as far from Jack Nicholson as you could get, with his insanity building slowly and menacingly rather than being virtually mad from the get-go. Rebecca de Mornay is superb as Wendy Torrance, struggling to hold her fragile family together amid the spooky goings on. Young Courtlan Mead plays Danny, whose unique gifts give the story its title, as one of those infuriating TV brats who overacts left right and centre. Fortunately, there are enough creepy moments and a fair few frights to hold the whole thing together: the woman in the bathtub scene being a stand out shocker. Sure, there is nothing quite like Nicholson's "Here's Johnny!" moment, but this is the story King wanted to tell and it still shines brighter than most of the other recent screen adaptations of his work. On the DVD: Stephen King's The Shining is a nicely packaged set, with the film spread over two discs complete with a commentary featuring Stephen King himself, instantly making this set a must-have for his fans. There are also several deleted scenes which add some interest to parts of the movie. The transfer is good, considering its TV origins, and the crisp sound captures every spooky moment on this well-thought-out and presented set. --Jonathan Weir
In this highly-anticipated psychological thriller from renowned director Darren Lynn Bousman and producer Brett Ratner, two mothers will give the holiday a terrifying new meaning as they battle to protect what is dearest to them.
Golden Globe winner nominated John Travolta (Face/Off, Pulp Fiction) returns to the action genre with a hard as nails performance as a man with nothing left to lose, seeking bloody vengeance! Unemployed engineer Stanley Hill (Travolta) witnesses the brutal murder of his wife Vivian (Rebecca De Mornay, TV's Jessica Jones) who was attacked by thugs in a parking garage. When Detective Gibson (Sam Trammell, True Blood) and other corrupt police officers are unable and unwilling to bring the killers to justice, Stanley turns to his old friend Dennis (Christopher Meloni, Man of Steel, TVs Law & Order) and decides to take matters into his own hands. It is only then that Stanley and Dennis are found to have a mysterious past that, until now, they kept very well hidden. As they wreak their revenge, those involved in the cover up realise that Stanley and Dennis are more dangerous than they could have ever imagined
Desperate and Determined to Survive. Two convicts break out of Stone haven Prison in the dead of winter boarding a freight train with the intention of getting as far away as possible before their notoriously sadistic warden finds out. But the brakes fail and the driver has a heart attack sending hundreds of tons of metal hurtling through the snowy Alaskan wastes at terrifying and unstoppable speed. Based on a script by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai) with hardboiled prison slang added by real-life ex-con Edward Bunker (Mr Blue in Reservoir Dogs) this riveting thriller also boasts Oscar-nominated performances from Jon Voight and Eric Roberts - with Voight playing spectacularly against type as a criminal so vicious that he served much of his sentence welded into his cell. Combining electrifying action with constant psychological tension (the only surviving member of the train crew is a young inexperienced woman) Runaway Train is one of cinema's great thrill-rides. Special Features: High Definition transfer of the film prepared by MGM for the Cannes Classics Film Festival premiere High Definition Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the film Optional English SDH Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing From Thespian to Fugitive - Star Jon Voight shares his memories of his Academy Award-nominated role Running on Empty - An Interview with director Andrei Konchalovsky The Calm Before the Chaos - Co-star Kyle T. Heffner remembers Runaway Train Original Trailer Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and a new interview with Runaway Train's Production Designer Stephen Marsh conducted by Calum Waddell illustrated with rare behind-the-scenes production images
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