The story line of No Mercy may seem familiar: to avenge his partner's murder and uncover the killer, a tough Chicago cop comes to Louisiana and finds himself embroiled with a beautiful and enigmatic blonde and a creepy crime lord. But the way this film executes a seemingly standard plot is unique, entertaining and effective. Richard Gere as the cop Eddie Jillette is an appropriate fish-out-of-water, uncovering a complex and frightening underworld. Under Richard Pearce's skilful direction both he and Kim Basinger (as Michel Duvall) are credibly drawn to each other as they're accidentally handcuffed and running through the eerie bayou. But also credit James Carabatsos's script which appropriately captures Jillette's grief and obsession, his anger and confusion, his growing understanding and affection for Michel. There's a particularly well-done love scene, borne out of passion and desperation and the chemistry between Gere and Basinger is very evident. Good support comes from William Atherton as the fey attorney Allan Deveneux, Jeroen Krabbé as the evil Losado, George Dzundza as Captain Stemkowski, Bruce McGill as Lieutenant Hall and the late Ray Sharkey as Angles Ryan. No Mercy, like Angel Heart before it, uses its mystical, magical Louisiana setting to its best advantage; it's beautiful, yet frightening; mysterious, yet compelling--like Michel and like the movie itself. --N F Mendoza, Amazon.com
All is well at an afternoon barbecue until one of the guests decides to seduce the hosts wife and kill the next door neighbour (for being miserable). Things go from bad to worse as the friends plot against each other to cover up their part of the crime and keep hidden their own skeletons that are rapidly being discovered.
Guns At Batas
The second series of The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin's relentlessly erudite drama about life behind the scenes at the White House, continues here with the emphasis on President Bartlet's multiple sclerosis, a condition that he has hitherto concealed from the American electorate and most of his staff. Tensions grow between himself and the First Lady (Stockard Channing) as she realises, in the episode "Third State of the Union" that he intends to run for a second term in office. It becomes clear to Bartlet (Martin Sheen) that he must go public with his MS, and his staff are forced to come to terms with this, as well as deal with the usual plethora of domestic and international incidents, which apparently preclude any of them from having any sort of private lives, least of all love lives. These include crises in Haiti and Columbia, an obstinate filibuster and a Surgeon General's excessively frank remarks about the drugs situation. Thankfully, the splendid Lord John Marbury (Roger Rees) is on hand to make chief of staff Leo McGarry's life more of a misery in "The Drop-In". These episodes, though occasionally marred by a sentimental soundtrack and an earnest and wishfully high regard for the Presidential office, are masterclasses in drama and dialogue, ranging from the wittily staccato to the magnificently grave, capturing authentically the hectic pace of political intrigue and the often vain efforts of decent, brilliant people to do the right thing. "Two Cathedrals", which features flashbacks to Bartlet's schooldays and his thunderous denunciation of God following a funeral, is perhaps the greatest West Wing episode of all. On the DVD: The West Wing, Series 2 Part 2 features no extras, though the transfer is immaculate. --David Stubbs
Four Men And A Prayer
Praised by film-makers (Akira Kurosawa called it One of the most beautiful films that I have ever seen) and critics the world over Truffaut's 400 Blows launched the Nouvelle Vague and paved the way for some of cinema's most important and influential directors. Twelve-year-old Antoine Doinel has troubles at home and at school. Ignored and neglected by his parents his relationship with his mother is further strained when he discovers that she has taken a secret lover. Added to this his school teachers have written him off as a troublemaker and with luck seemingly never on his side it is Antoine who ends up getting the blame for bad behaviour. Finding refuge only in his love of cinema Antoine soon finds it necessary to break free and discover what the world can offer outside of the confines of his everyday life. This remarkable film features the extraordinary talent of Jean-Pierre Leaud as the rebellious Antoine a character based on Truffaut himself. Antoine Doinel was to make appearances in a number of Truffaut's films (including 'Stolen Kisses' 'Bed and Board' and 'Love on the Run') all of which chart his further adventures into adulthood.
Shanghai Surprise
Available for the first time on DVD!!! Vincent a stunt pilot is acquitted of murdering his wife and her lover. However a few years later the judge in the case comes to blackmail him. The judge's nephew is having trouble with his wife and they demand that Vincent kill her. The judge a confirmed bachelor takes Paul and Vincent on the road to search for Paul's wife Marie... Patrice Leconte's outrageously fun black comedy is available for the first time on DVD!
John Drake is a special agent in the deadly world of international espionage. A master in his field he is free to go wherever duty calls. Danger Man does not simply attract danger he thrives on it. Episode 13 - The Prisoner: John Drake has to find a double for an American who has been accused of espionage and is kept prisoner in the American Embassy in a Caribbean City. Episode 14 - The Traitor: What makes a traitor? John Drake finds out when his latest assignment takes him to Kashmir in Northern India and to drama high up a mountain. Episode 15 - Deadline: Disguised as a gun runner Danger Man plunges into the African jungle in an attempt to penetrate a deadly terrorist group. Episode 16 - Colonel Rodriguez: John Drake flies to the Caribbean and masquerades as a reporter in a bid to aid an American jounalist who has been arrested on a spy charge. Episode 17 - The Island: Two assassins escape from Drake's custody in a mid aor struggle forcing the plane to crash. They survive and make it to a remote island where the real struggle begins. Episode 18 Find and Return: Drake finds himself in certain danger in the Middle East when he is assigned to find a woman wanted for espionage and possibly treason. He is not alone in his search. Episode 19 - The Girls Who Liked GI's: Drake investigates the death of a solider in Munich who worked on a top security missile section in Munich. The only clues are a roll of film and a girl who like Gls and the head of West German Intelligence. Episode 20 - Name Date and Place: A series of successive similar style murders in France Ireland Italy and London lead Drake to expose the possible link of a Murder Incorporated organisation.
The complete second series available on DVD for the first time! First screened in 1990 the Australian kids' show 'Round The Twist' soon became a much loved children's show when it was first aired on in the UK on the BBC. Adapted from the stories of Paul Jennings Round The Twist became renowned for its weird mysteries and was broadcast to over 70 countries. This complete series continues the story of the Twist family's amazing adventures. Pete becomes a chicken every time someone
The original and hippest version of Shaft cruised onto cinema screens in 1971. John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) is an African-American private eye who has a rocky relationship with cops, an even rockier one with Harlem gangsters, and a healthy sex life. The script finds Shaft tracking down the kidnapped daughter of a black mobster, but the pleasure of the film is the sum of its attitude, Roundtree's uncompromising performance, and the thrilling, Oscar-winning score by Isaac Hayes. Director Gordon Parks (The Learning Tree) seems fond of certain detective genre clichés (e.g., the hero walking into his low-rent office and finding a hood waiting to talk with him), but he and Roundtree make those moments their own. Shaft produced a couple of sequels, a follow-up television series, and a remake starring Samuel L. Jackson, but none had the impact this movie did. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com Shaft's Big Score is the first sequel to the super-hip 1971 original. When a pal of detective John Shaft is murdered in a bombing, New York's coolest private eye finds himself caught in the middle of a power struggle between black and white gangsters over the numbers racket in Queens. Directed by Gordon Parks (who does a brief cameo as a croupier in an illegal casino) and written by Ernest Tidyman (both of whom made the original Shaft), this film lacks the pacing of its progenitor. Roundtree is at his best when he's questioning a woman he's just met about a suspect while at the same time beguiling her into the sack (ah, those lazy, crazy days of the sexual revolution). The finale--a shootout in a cemetery, followed by a car-boat-helicopter chase through Queens and up the Harlem River--is preposterously drawn-out: Shaft, impervious to machine-gun fire, winds up tripping, spraining his ankle, and limping while running from the chopper; two shots later, he's sprinting like a halfback. Look for late Muhammad Ali trainer Drew Bundini Brown as a wise-cracking mobster. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.comShaft in Africa, the second sequel to the original hit, foreshadows itself early on when Shaft, asked to go undercover in Africa to halt a modern-day slave trade, claims that he's not James Bond but strictly Sam Spade. Bond, however, is the operative model here, with John Shaft masquerading as an Ethiopian to infiltrate the slave business and bring it down. Yet everyone he encounters seems to know who he is and wants to kill him--but the string of dead bodies he leaves in his wake across two continents proves that no one is able to stop everyone's favourite hip private eye. Written by Stirling Silliphant, the film is long on action set pieces that are filmed with more energy than the previous movie, Shaft's Big Score. Given contemporary practices involving smugglers of illegal Chinese and Mexican immigrants, the plot isn't all that far-fetched. Roundtree, as usual, is the picture of unflappable cool--but don't get him mad. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com
A World War II double-bill comes to DVD with the pairing of The Young Lions (1958) and D-Day the Sixth of June (1956). Edward Dmytryk's The Young Lions is one of the most thoughtful films about the War. Based on a novel by Irwin Shaw, it tells parallel stories of two American soldiers (Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin) and one German officer (Marlon Brando), whose war experiences we follow until they intersect outside a concentration camp. Martin plays what he calls "a likable coward", Clift is intense as a Jewish GI, and Brando experiments with the limits of his part as a Nazi re-evaluating his beliefs. Legend has it that Clift accused Brando of bleeding-heart excessiveness. Interestingly, the two Method actors share no scenes together. --Tom Keogh D-Day the Sixth of June is a misleading title for a very tame wartime romance with barely 10 minutes of combat in the last reel. What we mostly get is a year's worth of flashbacks depicting the reluctant, London-based affair of a married US staff officer (Robert Taylor) and a British Red Cross worker (Dana Wynter) whose commando suitor (Richard Todd) is fighting in Africa. To be sure, the emotional desperation and embattled decency of good people in time of war is as worthy of film treatment as any military campaign, and the script works pre-invasion Anglo-American tensions into the story. But the CinemaScope production is utterly formulaic, with leaden direction by Henry Koster. Wynter's porcelain beauty apparently didn't permit changes of expression, and Taylor looks about 15 years past his prime. --Richard T Jameson
Richard Gere and Kate Bosworth star in this family drama from directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel.
Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson yet again returns to Baltimore for inspiration with the semi-autobiographical Liberty Heights. Set in 1954, it tells the story of two young Jewish boys and their experiences of growing up in an America trying to come to terms with a changing society. The film focuses both on the sweet and innocent (the relationship between younger brother Ben and sole black student Sylvia) and the darker, more vicious side of a nation in flux. The evils of racism form a backdrop to all the intertwining plot lines--not only white against black but also widespread anti-Semitism. The young, largely unknown cast are all excellent--especially Adrien Brody and Ben Foster as the brothers and Rebecka Johnston as the quietly knowing Sylvia. Taking its cue from the great teen movies of the past, the film buzzes with the vitality of youth and of a generation on the verge of a new dawn (music plays a huge part), placing the political problems of the age in the context of adolescence to great effect. This is not Levinson's most high-profile work but certainly one of his best. On the DVD: The music of the period features heavily in the movie and dominates much of the action, so much so that it is possible to watch Liberty Heights with a music-only soundtrack. The film moves effortlessly between light and shade, both metaphorically and physically. Fair attempts have been made to provide an interesting set of extras: a gallery of interviews with the cast and director, deleted scenes and a very brief on-set documentary. --Phil Udell
After being shot on duty DI Crabbe decides to retires from the police force to set up his own restaurant 'Pie In The Sky'. While he would much rather be left to his own devices in the kitchen he is constantly called back on duty by his needy ex-boss Chief Constable Fisher (Malcolm Sinclair). Featuring the first 5 episodes of series 2: 1. Hard Cheese 2. Brown Bread 3. The Policeman's Daughter 4. The One That Got Away 5. Dead Right
Beauty and the BeastOne of the most acclaimed and treasured animated films of all time is about to sweep you off your feet. Follow the adventures of Belle a bright young woman who finds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all-that true beauty comes from within. Be our guest and let the music you'll never forget and the characters who will fill your heart cast a shimmering spell like never before. Special Features: Three Versions of the Film Music and More Classic DVD Bonus Features View Film With Commentary By Directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale Producer Don Hahn and Composer Alan Menken Belle's Magical WorldA lot happened before Belle and Beast lived happily ever after! Share the fun with one of Disney's most spirited Princesses and all her enchanted friends as their exciting adventures continue in Belle's Magical World - inspired by Disney's beloved Academy Award®-winning masterpiece Beauty And The Beast (1991: Winner - Best Song Best Original Score; nominated for Best Picture). Join Belle Beast Cogsworth Lumiere plus some charming new friends as they discover how love teamwork forgiveness and friendship can turn a once gloomy castle into a dazzling palace fit for a princess! Adorned with delightful bonus features your favourite characters and great songs this fun-filled modern-day classic proves that true beauty shines from within! Special Features: Disney's Sing Me A Story With Belle: 'What's Inside Counts' - Belle encourages children to look inside each other beyond outer appearances to discover what is truly important. Belle's Delightful Dinner Game - Help Belle plan a special dinner for Beast. Enchanted Environment- Enjoy the sights and sounds of Belle's enchanted forest. Disney's Song Selection - Select your favourite songs and sing along.
West of the Pecos (1945): Robert Mitchum stars in this well plotted exciting Zane Grey Western. Thurston Hall and his daughter Barbara Hale are accosted by robbers en route to their Texas ranch from Chicago. This is only the start of their troubles as they encounter hold-ups horse stampedes and outlaws. Hiring Robert Mitchum and his sidekick to run their ranch leads to further problems because of Mitchum's checkered past. Plot twists and Suspense highlight this old west cla
Includes the following great Clint Eastwood movies: Where Eagles Dare: The mission: rescue an important US general from the hands of the German High Command. The obstacle: the most inaccessible fortress in the world. The stakes: the very outcome of World War II... City Heat: A tough cop and a wise-cracking private investigator are forced to work together on a case involving the mob. Heartbreak Ridge: Sergeant Tom Highway (Eastwood) a hardened veteran of Korea
Revered director John Ford's fictionalized account of the early life of the American president as a young lawyer facing his greatest court case...
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