Let's see--he has been Han Solo in three films and Indiana Jones in three more. So why shouldn't Harrison Ford take on a new continuing character in Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan? In this film, directed by Phillip Noyce, Ford picked up the baton when Alec Baldwin, who played Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, opted for a Broadway role instead. In this film, Ryan and his family are on vacation when Ryan saves a member of the British royal family from attack by Irish terrorists. The next thing he knows, the Ryan clan has been targeted by the same terrorists, who invade his Maryland home. The film can't shed all of Clancy's lumbering prose, or his techno-dweeb fascination with spy satellites and the like. But no one is better than Ford at righteous heroism--and Sean Bean makes a suitably snakey villain. --Marshall Fine
Caustic wit gets a full-body workout in this 1994 comedy (known as The Ref in the US), in which a cat burglar (Denis Leary) gets trapped in an affluent Connecticut neighbourhood and is forced to hold a bickering couple hostage on Christmas Eve, only to discover that their Yuletide spirit is anything but cheerful. Caroline (Judy Davis) and her husband, Lloyd (Kevin Spacey), have been at each other's throats for so long that they've developed domestic arguments into an art form, and the would-be kidnapper turns into a reluctant mediator, even after he's got the battling couple wound up in bungee cords. The situation grows even more complicated when the couple's smart-aleck son comes home from military school, but it's not the plot here that's a top priority. Instead it's the sheer pleasure of witnessing a three-way verbal jousting match, written with razor-sharp skill and delivered by actors who are perfect for their roles. The movie's got a dark edge, but it never gets too dark--you know that it's not going to slide into more seriously damaging territory, so you can sit back and enjoy the volleys of scathing insults and sarcasm the way you would a Bill Hicks performance. If that sounds like your idea of entertainment, Hostile Hostages will serve it up with style. --Jeff Shannon
Starring Hollywood legends Richard Widmark (Madigan) and Lena Horne (Stormy Weather) - the latter in her first dramatic role - Death of a Gunfighter is an elegiac tale of the last days of the Old West. In Cottonwood Springs, Marshal Frank Patch kills a man in self defence. The town council, wishing to move away from frontier justice and into the modern world, decide that it's time for Patch to retire. Patch refuses, but with the dead man's son swearing revenge, and the council refusing to take no for an answer, he senses his time might be up. Based on a novel by Lewis B Patten, the film made history when, due to director Robert Totten's late replacement with Don Siegel (The Lineup, Charley Varrick), the pseudonym 'Allen Smithee' was born, prompting critics to praise Smithee's debut! Product Features High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary with screenwriter and novelist C Courtney Joyner and film historian Henry Parke (2023) Neil Sinyard on 'Death of a Gunfighter' (2023): appreciation by the film historian Richard Dyer on Lena Horne (2023): the author of Stars considers the career of the actor, singer and activist Off the Highway (1962): rare short film starring Richard Widmark, made by students of USC's Cinema Department under the supervision of Fred Zinnemann Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity material New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Limited edition booklet featuring a new essay by Paul Duane, an archival interview with Lena Horne, a contemporary article on 'Allen Smithee', an extract from Don Siegel's autobiography, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits UK premiere on Blu-ray Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK Extras subject to change
Young Candy is a college girl who seeks truth and meaning in life encountering a variety of kookie characters and humorous sexual situations in the process... Based on Terry Southern's satirical novel a sendup of Voltaire's 'Candide'.
The cult classic about two unemployed actors returns ot the big screens some twenty years after it's debut.
THE GENERAL WHO BECAME A SLAVE. THE SLAVE WHO BECAME A GLADIATOR. THE GLADIATOR WHO DEFIED AN EMPIRE. Forced into slavery by the corrupt, incestuous heir to the throne, Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe) becomes a gladiator. His prowess in the arena will eventually lead him to Rome, the Colosseum and a vengeful showdown with the new emperor. An Academy Award winning masterpiece, Gladiator is epic movie story-telling brought thrillingly into the 21st century by master director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien). Product Features TITAN EDITION INCLUDES: GLADIATOR on 4K UHD⢠& Blu-ray⢠with Blu-ray⢠Bonus Disc Collectable SteelBook® Case Exclusive Acrylic Cult Stand Sculpted Pin of Maximus' Helmet Collection of production photography from the set The RIGID TITAN box, in cardboard, featuring the helmet of Maximus on the front, is an exclusive collector's item which holds a treasure trove of TOC collectibles and captivating easter egg messages that transport you deep into the immersive world of Gladiator. An iconic SteelBook® Release featuring the armour of Maximus on the front and his helmet on the backside of the case is included in this TITAN Edition. The #CULTSTAND, designed for your SteelBook® Edition proudly showcase the iconic Gladiator Title Treatment and the TITANS OF CULT⢠logo. A collectable pin beautifully sculpted as The Majestic Helmet of Maximus is also a part of the TITAN Edition! Immerse yourself in the captivating world behind the scenes of Gladiator with the exclusive Production Photography Artcards. Each card offers a glimpse of the fascinating process of bringing Gladiator to life.
This Nicholas Nickleby is not one of Hollywood's condensed versions, it's the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic eight-and-a-half-hour adaptation of the life and times of the eponymous school-teacher. The 1982 production (originally staged in two parts) won worldwide acclaim and was such a success that Britain's then-newest TV station, Channel 4, launched a joint venture with independent production company Primetime to bring Nicholas Nickleby to a television audience. The result is this wonderfully theatrical version, filmed at the Old Vic and starring much of the original stage cast. It manages to stay true to Trevor Nunn's original artistic vision of Dickens's damning incitement of England's educational system. The ensemble cast are superb: Roger Rees as Nicholas is a bright-eyed idealist, every inch the young romantic hero whose principles are often his downfall, but ultimately his salvation; Fulton Mackay's twisted, embittered Squeers is every inch the Dickensian villain; and David Threlfall is transformed as Smike, Squeers' piteously subjugated, crippled servant and gives the most moving performances of his career. This enthralling TV adaptation recreates the magic of the stage version for all those who were unable to catch it on its pitifully short run. It doesn't pull any punches as the humour and inspiring storyline are tempered with real dark and tragic episodes. Forget the Hollywood fluff, this is the version you should watch if you want a faithful retelling of Dickens's story. --Kristen Bowditch
Legendary Monster Hunter Van Helsing is sent by the Vatican to distant Transylvania, a land terrorised by the powerful Count Dracula. Joining forces with a valiant Gypsy Princess who is determined to end an ancient curse on her family by defeating the infamous vampire, Van Helsing continues his quest to rid the world of evil.
Set in 1899, this musical drama from director Baz Luhrmann ("Romeo + Juliet") stars Ewan McGregor as a young poet who begins a passionate but doomed affair with the most famous courtesan in Paris (Nicole Kidman).
A noir crime drama set in Aberystwyth, Wales, where troubled DCI Tom Mathias solves murders while searching for redemption.
The legend that had it coming Robin Hood: Men In Tights wipes away the mystery - and the dignity! - of England's most infamous stocking-filler as Robin of Loxley and his merry men bring a dose of sheer mayhem to Sherwood Forest! Throwing away their titles and their trousers Robin and his nylon-clad crew battle to bring down evil Prince John and hideous side-kick the Sheriff of Rottingham to procure the key to Maid Marian's heart... and her chastity belt!
Miracle On 34th Street (1947): Discover that miracles really do happen with one of the most spellbinding Christmas classic tales of all time. When Kris Kringle is hired to be Santa Claus in a department store's 34th Street branch, his success is overwhelming, much to the disdain of a rival store. When their attempts to discredit Santa take hold, threatening all that is sacred and magical about Christmas, prepare to find out that miracles really do happen... Miracle O...
Hammer Volume Five: Death & Deceit collects four films from the early sixties which found the studio looking beyond the horror genre for its next box-office success. Visa to Canton (1961, released in the US as Passport to China) is a torn-from-the-headlines spy thriller; The Pirates of Blood River (1962), starring Kerwin Mathews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) and Christopher Lee (The Face of Fu Manchu), is a swashbuckling adventure; The Scarlet Blade (1963, released in the US as The Crimson Blade) is an English Civil War-set actioner which follows the fortunes of Cromwell's Roundheads; and The Brigand of Kandahar (1965) takes Hammer to the North-West Frontier for an action-adventure starring Ronald Lewis (Taste of Fear) and Oliver Reed (The System). All four films are presented for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, while Visa to Canton, The Scarlet Blade and The Brigand of Kandahar make their world Blu-ray premieres. Extras INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES: VISA TO CANTON High Definition remaster Original mono audio Two presentations of the film: Visa to Canton, and Passport to China, with the alternative US titles Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons (2020) Hammer's Women: Lisa Gastoni (2020): profile of the Hammer star by critic and writer Virginie Sélavy Ticket to Ride (2020): film historian Vic Pratt discusses ethnocentrism in sixties British cinema David Huckvale on Edwin Astley (2020): appreciation of the film's score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Josephine Botting, an account of the RB-47 affair which inspired Visa to Canton, an overview of promotional materials, and film credits World premiere on Blu-ray THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary with screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, art director Don Mingaye and Hammer historian Marcus Hearn (2008) Hammer's Women: Marla Landi (2020): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Kat Ellinger Stephen Laws Introduces The Pirates of Blood River' (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author Andrew Keir at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films (1993): archival video recording of the acclaimed actor in conversation with Stephen Laws Did I Write That? (2020): Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic, discusses the career of Jimmy Sangster David Huckvale on Gary Hughes (2020): appreciation of the film's score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde Yes, We Have No Piranhas (2020): video essay on the censorship history of The Pirates of Blood River Original theatrical trailer Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2013): short critical appreciation Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Lindsay Hallam, Jimmy Sangster on The Pirates of Blood River, a selection of promotional materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits UK premiere on Blu-ray THE SCARLET BLADE High Definition remaster Original mono audio Two presentations of the film: The Scarlet Blade, and The Crimson Blade, with the alternative US titles Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons (2020) Hammer's Women: June Thorburn (2020): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Josephine Botting Stephen Laws Introduces The Scarlet Blade' (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author Interviews with Hugh Harlow and Pauline Wise (2020): the second assistant director and continuity person discuss the making of The Scarlet Blade Almost an Auteur (2020): horror author and critic Kim Newman on the eclectic career of writer-director John Gilling David Huckvale on Gary Hughes (2020): appreciation of the film's score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde Original US theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, an extract from Oliver Reed's autobiography, a selection of promotional materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits World premiere on Blu-ray THE BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary with film historian Vic Pratt (2020) Hammer's Women: Yvonne Romain (2020): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Melanie Williams Stephen Laws Introduces The Brigand of Kandahar' (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author Swashbuckling (2020): writer and historian Neil Sinyard looks at writer-director John Gilling's films for Hammer David Huckvale on Don Banks (2020): appreciation of the film's score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Naman Ramachandran, an extensive selection of promotional materials, and film credits World premiere on Blu-ray
Using a faulty thriller for his soapbox as an outspoken critic of China, a devout follower of the Dalai Lama, and an influential supporter of Tibetan freedom, Richard Gere resorts to the equivalent of propagandistic drama to deliver a heavy-handed message. In other words, Red Corner relies on a dubious strategy to promote political awareness, but director Jon Avnet appeals to the viewer's outrage with such effective urgency that you're likely to forget you're being shamelessly manipulated. Gere plays a downtrodden TV executive who sells syndicated shows on the global market, and during a business trip to China he finds himself framed for the murder of the sexy daughter of a high Chinese official. Once trapped in a legal system in which his innocence will be all but impossible to prove, Gere must rely on a Chinese-appointed lawyer (played by Bai Ling) who first advises him to plead guilty but gradually grows convinced of foul play. Barely attempting to hide its agenda, Red Corner effectively sets the stage for abundant anti-Chinese sentiment, and to be sure, the movie gains powerful momentum with its tale of justice gone awry. It's a serious-minded, high-intensity courtroom drama with noble intentions, but one wonder if it has to be so conspicuously lacking in subtlety. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Oliver Stone used such words as "liberating" and "fun" to talk about U-Turn's relatively quick production schedule of 42 days. Stone's ideas of film fun, however, are something older generations would call sick. This film is a Southwestern noir tale about Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn), a hotshot who is stuck in the tight confines of Superior, Arizona, when his car breaks down. His subsequent adventure is a meatball comedy--loud, obnoxious and violent, and stuffed with diffused light, a hot cast and a no-fat Ennio Morricone score. This film has plenty of odd characters but you never really find out much about them. Bobby's first encounters include a repulsive mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton under the grease) and a blind Indian (Jon Voight under the makeup). Then there's Grace McKenna (a sizzling Jennifer Lopez), who is as dangerous as the curves of her red sundress. Bobby's got time to kill and Grace seems more than willing. Unfortunately, it seems that Bobby has never seen a movie such as A Touch of Evil; if he had, he would know it can only get worse. About the time Grace's husband, Jake (Nick Nolte), shows up, Bobby is knee-deep in murder plots and double-crosses. The first 40 minutes or so are "fun" to a point. Penn is the perfect near-creep to root for and as he wanders back into town after meeting Grace, the eclectic characters pile up. But soon it gets monotonous, tiring and just plain ugly. And when incest and bloody fights begin, the fun is gone. If Penn wasn't so solid an actor and able to be empathetic in the most morose situations, the movie would be unwatchable in stretches. Lopez makes another good impression but this is not a performance that stands out. Nolte, raspy and ill-looking, is the Lee Marvin of the 90s. Before U-Turn is over, you are already wondering if Oliver Stone will do something else, something more important, soon. --Doug Thomas
A baby suffering with AIDS and abandoned in a hospital is given a home by a nurse who fights for custody... Based on a true story.
Part road film, part romantic comedy, part thriller, and a whole lotta fun, The Mexican could get by on star power alone, but it offers Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and a clever plot full of delightful surprises. It's a thoroughly enjoyable shaggy-dog story in which the downtrodden Jerry Welbach (Pitt) copes with a dual dilemma: his girlfriend Samantha (Roberts) has just dumped him to pursue solo ambitions in Las Vegas, and a manipulative mobster has ordered Jerry to Mexico to retrieve a coveted antique pistol (the "Mexican" of the title) that carries a legacy of legend, death and danger. Jerry soon has his hands full with bandits, bloodshed and a grizzly hound dog that vanishes and reappears with amusing regularity. En route to Vegas, Samantha's taken hostage by a burly assassin (James Gandolfini) who's attached to the gun-fetching scheme and is, in more ways than one, not who he seems to be. Like a good magic act, JH Wyman's original screenplay distracts you from its gaps of logic using unexpected revelations to fuel its strategic vitality. It also provides a wealth of character development, director Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt) giving his stellar cast equal time to shine. It hardly matters that Pitt and Roberts spend most of the film apart; their time together is worth waiting for, and the machinations that separate them play out like a cross between vintage Peckinpah and Romancing the Stone. And why is the accursed pistola so valuable? That's just another surprise, setting the stage for the arrival of yet another big-name star, whose motivations are pure in a film full of double-crosses and darkly shaded humour. With a giddy plot such as this, star power is just icing on the cake. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.co.uk
Richard E. Grant plays a successful advertising executive who cracks up while trying to think up a campaign for a new spot cream. He then develops a spot himself, which soon enough grows a face and begins talking to him.
A BRAND NEW RESTORATION COMMEMORATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORIGINAL WWII RAID A much-loved British classic, Michael Anderson's 1955 drama captures the tension and bravery of an audacious raid on the center of Nazi Germany's industrial complex and the quintessentially English combination of inventiveness and dogged determination. Split into two distinct sections, the film deals first with the fraught, but the ultimately successful development of a new bomb, by Dr. Barnes N. Wallis (Michael Redgrave). The second deals with the mission itself during the British raid on the Ruhr Dams, and its associated costs for the enemy and for the British airmen. Adapted by R.C. Sherriff from Paul Brickhill's book Enemy Coast Ahead and featuring superlative special effects photography by Gilbert Taylor (to say nothing of Eric Coates' stirring theme tune), The Dam Busters was Britain's biggest box office the success of 1955
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