The Cotton Club is routinely eclipsed by the controversies that surrounded its tumultuous production, but the film itself offers abundant pleasures that should not be overlooked. If Apocalypse Now represents the triumph of director Francis Coppola's perilous ambition, then The Cotton Club represents the ungainly glory of uncontrolled genius, as brilliant as it is out of its depth. As an upscale homage to classic gangster films it's frequently astonishing, cramming a thick novel's worth of plot and characters into 129 minutes, gloriously serviced by impeccable production design, elegant cinematography, and stylistic flourishes that show Coppola at the top of his game. What The Cotton Club lacks is cohesion. Written by Coppola and novelist William Kennedy (then enjoying the peak of his critical acclaim), the film struggles to exceed the narrative scope of The Godfather, but its multiple early-'30s plotlines fail to form any strong connective tissue. It's three (or four) movies in one, with cornet player Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere, playing his own jazzy solos) drifting from one story to the next--loving a young, ambitious vamp (Diane Lane, with whom Gere shares precious little chemistry), enjoying the success of a hot-shot hoofer (Gregory Hines), and protecting his brazen brother (Coppola's then-newcomer nephew, Nicolas Cage) from the deadly temper of mob boss "Dutch" Schultz (James Remar). Bob Hoskins and Fred Gwynne also score big in grand supporting roles, but The Cotton Club is perhaps best appreciated for its meticulous recreation of Harlem's Cotton Club heyday, and the brilliant music (Ellington, Calloway, etc.) that brought rhythm to gangland's rat-a-tat-tat. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
In case you'd forgotten, My Beautiful Laundrette will remind you of those mid-80s days when Thatcherism ruled the earth (or so it seemed) and money was king. Stephen Frears' low-budget realisation of Hanif Kureishi's subversively critical play captures the contradictions of that time in a way that's as fresh today as when it was new. Omar's wheeler-dealer uncle, Nasser (Saeed Jaffrey), sums it up when he says, "In this damn country, which we hate and love, you can get anything you want". He sets up Omar (Gordon Warnecke) with a rundown laundrette and the instruction to make it a success, which Omar temporarily does, with the help of his childhood friend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis). When the film first came out, it was the gay content that dominated the column inches, whereas now it seems a sensitive and multi-faceted summation of its decade, exploring social, ethnic and sexual issues and contradictions. Bringing together two such different characters as Omar--Asian, ambitious, for whom success is defined by wealth--and former childhood friend Johnny--white trash, ex-National Front--was inspired. Watching their friendship develop into love, and the ensuing bitterness and misunderstanding that they suffer from friends and family is very poignant. All the lead roles are well taken, the contradictory character of Nasser in particular. By turns, funny, touching and anger-inducing, this is a movie that wears its age lightly and its era proudly. On the DVD: the picture is in 4:3 ratio with a Dolby Digital soundtrack. There's an original trailer and filmographies of the four main characters, with an additional biography for Day-Lewis. --Harriet Smith
Horrid Henry finds himself doing things he never ever thought he'd do, and then some.
""Everybody's Favourite Shaggy Dog Story!"" Young Billy can't keep Digby the lovable sheepdog he brought home from the pound so he decides to leave him with animal expert Jeff (Jim Dale). But while Jeff's back is turned Digby accidentally drinks a top secret chemical which makes him grow... and grow... and grow! The gigantic Digby is soon being chased all over the country. The army think he dangerous and want to blow him up. Two thieves are trying to sell him to the circus! In this frantic and hilarious race against time Billy and the hapless Jeff must get to Digby with the antidote or lose him forever. With and all star cast including Spike Milligan and Victor Spinetti Digby The Biggest Dog In The World is a classic adventure story for the whole family. Available for the first time on DVD!
Cowboy is both a sturdy Delmer Daves picture--his third with Glenn Ford, following Jubal and 3:10 to Yuma--and also one of the most offbeat Westerns ever. It must be the most true to form too, with Frank Harris's memoirs as the source and a picaresque screenplay by Edmund H. North and Dalton Trumbo (a blacklistee, credited only posthumously). There's a pileup of oddities and complications at the outset, with Chicago hotel clerk Harris (Jack Lemmon) already in mid-romance with a daughter of the Mexican aristocracy (Anna Kashfi--Mrs Marlon Brando at the time), and Texas cattleman Tom Reese (Ford) storming in to commandeer an entire floor of the hotel for him and his drovers so they can party 'till, well, the cows come home. Partying is curtailed when Reese loses big at cards; Harris bails him out with his savings, and Reese finds he's taken on not only an unwanted partner but a tenderfoot besides. Soon everyone is headed south. Cowboy merits its bedrock title. This is a rare Western in which the job of breaking horses, trail herding, and so on, figures as a dynamic aspect of the storytelling. The film also has a blunt and original way of looking at death, not as a genre convention but as something abrupt, ungainly, and often absurd, in both senses of the word. (This applies equally to men and cattle, by the way.) The camerawork is trim, angular, and somehow precarious, and the jagged editing hustles the very eventful proceedings to a close in barely an hour and a half. Saddle up. --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com
It is 1492 and the Sultan of Turkey controls overland trade from the Far East to Europe. Christopher Columbus looking to make his fortune persuades the King and Queen of Spain to finance an expedition to find a new sea route to India.
From the vaults of British television comes a comedy gem starring two consummate actors who were also a couple in real life: Dame Judi Dench and her husband Michael Williams. They play a pair of middle-aged dating-game dropouts as wary of romance as they are perfect for each other. Laura a brainy translator and Mike a shy landscape gardener are introduced by Laura's glamorous younger sister who is intent on finding a mate for her spinsterish sibling. Awkward and rumpled Mike drives an old wreck and fails to impress the prickly Laura. Still Mike senses an opportunity if only he can find the courage to pursue it. From this unpromising beginning the pair lurch and swerve their way to companionship friendship and finally love. Featuring all the episodes from series 3. Episodes Comprise: 1. Missing 2. The Hotel 3. The Dinner Party 4. Business Problems 5. Parenthood 6. Extreme Measures
In The Square Peg Norman Wisdom plays one of a pair of council workmen who, while repairing the road outside an army base, come to illustrate the oxymoronic nature of the phrase "military intelligence". Finding themselves drafted, the workmen are sent to repair the roads ahead of the Allied advance through war-torn Europe by the sergeant they previously embarrassed. Norman finds himself behind the German lines, joins up with French Resistance, gets captured then sets out to rescue British prisoners from a German military HQ by impersonating General Schreiber. Of course Wisdom plays Schreiber too. The Square Peg is the film that introduced Norman Wisdom's famous catch-phrase, "Mr. Grimsdale!". Also here Hattie Jacques gets to sing a remarkable duet with Wisdom, and a pre-Goldfinger Honor Blackman provides the love interest. Following his rising star was just what Norman Wisdom's audience had been doing all through the 1950s and, by 1959, and after six films with director John Paddy Carstairs, it was time for a change. Hence Robert Asher made his directorial debut with Follow a Star. The plot is a comedy version of A Star is Born (1954), with Norman yet again playing a dreaming shop worker, this time aspiring to singing stardom. Vernon Carew (played by Wisdom regular Jerry Desmonde) is the fading singer who schemes to use Wisdom's talent to sustain his own rapidly failing career, while the girl is overlooked starlette June Laverick. Norman is surrounded by a particularly strong supporting cast, with Hattie Jacques returning from The Square Peg (1958), Richard Wattis, John Le Mesurier, Fenella Fielding, Ron Moody and, uncredited, future Bond villain Charles Grey. --Gary S Dalkin
Test your knowledge of the bawdy British comedies with this fantastic interactive quiz. Featuring various rounds and classic clips from the films this is a game sure to delight all those followers of the Carry On series. Features over 600 questions and there is an 'expert round' for hardcore Carry On fans! Features: Presented by Richard O'Brien - Carry On enthusiast and national treasureDVD game contains over 600 questions based on all the Carry On filmsLegendary archive moments including original footage from 1958 to present dayFeatures a combination of video clips stills and infamous quotes'Expert Round' for hardcore Carry On fansFeatures stars Sid James Kenneth Williams Barbara Windsor1 - 4 teams or players
Horrid Henry finds himself doing things he never ever thought he'd do, and then some.
The Windsors return for the royal wedding. Harry (Richard Goulding) and Meghan (Kathryn Drysdale) take Charles (Harry Enfield) to America to meet Meghan's mum, Doria (Suzette Llewellyn), but Charles fails to reassure her about Meghan marrying into the royal family. Wills (Hugh Skinner) is forced to protect his subjects from Windsor's evil Trampcatcher (Paul Kaye). Beatrice (Ellie White) is swept off her feet by a hunky political firebrand. Fergie (Katy Wix) finds an ingenious way to get a wedding invitation. Camilla (Haydn Gwynne) continues to cause trouble for the junior royals. And Pippa (Morgana Robinson) has a violent reaction to Harry's marriage.
From executive producer James Cameron (Avatar) comes a thrilling underwater adventure based on true events. Master cave diver Frank McGuire and his team have been exploring the least accessible, uncharted and dangerous underwater labyrinth on Earth. When a tropical storm cuts off their only escape route, they must find an exit to make it out alive. In Earth's inner sanctum, make just one mistake and no one will know you were ever there. Special Features: Deleted Scenes Feature Commentary Sanctum: The Real Story Nullarbor Dreaming
Originally rejected by the BBFC on its original release for being against nature, this first and best screen adaptation of H. G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau is a taboo-flaunting, blood-curdling spectacular, and one of Hollywood's wildest, most notorious, pre-Code pictures.Shipwrecked and adrift, Edward Parker finds himself a guest on Dr. Moreau's isolated South Seas island, but quickly discovers the horrifying nature of the doctor's work and the origin of the strange forms inhabiting the isle: a colony of wild animals reworked into humanoid form via sadistic surgical experiments. Furthermore, Parker quickly begins to fear his own part in the doctor's plans to take the unholy enterprise to a next level.Featuring a peerlessly erudite and sinister performance by Charles Laughton as the diabolical doctor, a sterling appearance by Bela Lugosi as the half-beast-half-man Sayer of the Law, and sensationally atmospheric cinematography by the great Karl Struss (Murnau's Sunrise, Mamoulian's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), Island of Lost Souls now returns to claim a central position among the most imaginative and nightmarish fantasies from Hollywood's golden age of horror.
Born to a weak but loving mother soon after his father dies David Copperfield is nine years old when his mother Clara marries Mr Murdstone. A cruel man who believes in extreme discipline he has no hesitation in sending David away to school. Shortly after he is sent away Clara dies and Murdstone seizes the opportunity to send him away for good this time into menial labour at a London wine merchants. It is here that David meets the genial Micawber family and his aunt Betsey arrange
The 3D action-thriller Sanctum, from executive producer James Cameron, follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth.
Sid the Sexist: Sidney Smutt is a smooth talking sex machine a lady killing hard man who can drink anyone under the table... or so he thinks. Meet Sid Baz Bob and Joe on their adventures as they paint Newcastle red and jet off to sunny Spain in search of love excitement and a truly satisfying takeaway. Oh Lordy! It's The Fat Slags - 3 Saucy Adventures: Here it is. Raunchier than a Swedish rabbit and bluer than a baboon's arse. The two and only Fat Slags burst on
Ever since the comedy greats stepped beyond the fringe for The Secret Policemen's Ball the annual Amnesty International concert has been one of the highlights of the comedy circuit. 2001's offering was called We Know Where You Live and let's face it, where else are you going to see the UK's top comedians and pop acts on one stage? Compeered by the "surreal stylings" of Eddie Izzard, this compilation of the night's highlights includes a new version of the classic "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch with Eddie, Harry Enfield, Vic Reeves and Alan Rickman. Rickman stubbornly sticks to the script while all around him improvise. There is also a great performance from Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse as the Self-Righteous Brothers and the Goodness Gracious Me team going out for "an English". As well as the comedy there are live performances from Tom Jones, Badly Drawn Boy and the Stereophonics, which seem rather abrupt and heavily edited. Some of the material is quite old, though--any fans of Izzard will already have seen him do the Star Trek phaser sketch where he talks about the other settings, other than stun and kill! On the DVD: What really makes this worth the price (apart from supporting a very worthwhile charity) is the extra footage. As well as some more performance stuff, including Phil impersonating Eddie Izzard which is frighteningly spot on, there is back stage material and a news report following the Amnesty bus round London. Buy it, because other wise you might get Eddie round your house! --Kristen Bowditch
An Australian drama about two brothers with plans for a better life, one through business and one through his phenomenal dancing talents.
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