A slightly dated but nonetheless fascinating snap shot of musical history, Beat Street is an urban musical detailing the roots of hip-hop. Set in early 1980s New York, the film focuses on the lives of a small group of young people setting their experiences against the larger backdrop of the city's burgeoning music scene. The story of up and coming DJ Kenny and his relationship with jazz musician Tracy may only be a device, but it's surprisingly effective, as is the ultimately tragic tale of graffiti artist Remo. The movie's real raison d'ĂȘtre, however, is to showcase the sounds of the street and thus is full of some of hip-hop's most influential names--Melle Mel, Doug E Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, The Rocksteady Crew, Jazzy Jeff and Arthur Baker--and while the combination of electro and rapping may sound a little crude to modern ears, there can be no doubt that Beat Street is the sight and sound of history being made. On the DVD: Beat Street on disc comes with pretty basic picture quality, but the soundtrack has benefited greatly from the digital remastering. The extras are limited to a collection of stills from the film and an amusing guide to break beats, which seems like a wasted opportunity. Given the nature of the movie, it's something of a shame that this disc doesn't go deeper into the subject matter. For a far more detailed examination of how the music of Kraftwerk blended with the sounds of American city streets, go to Volume 3 of the excellent BBC series Dancing in the Street. --Phil Udell
An insightful examination of class barriers in England in the 1920s, following the romance between a wealthy young widow and her hired chauffeur. While recovering from a nervous breakdown, she starts a love affair with the chauffeur, but after she begins to recover her mental stability, the barriers rise once again.
A highly enjoyable sleeper, The Mighty Quinn is a variation on one of those 1930s studio pictures about two boyhood friends who grow up on different sides of the law. But it's 1989, and things are a bit different. Denzel Washington, smooth as Jamaican rum, plays the police chief of a Caribbean island, a place where crime isn't exactly a pressing concern. Thus the chief is put out when the clues in a murder case point to his old buddy, a dreadlocked ne'er-do-well played by a mischievous Robert Townsend. Director Carl Schenkel is much more interested in friendships and great island atmosphere than in the actual unlocking of the case, and that's just fine. Add in a bouncy soundtrack of reggae music, and The Mighty Quinn becomes one of those hard-to-resist vacation movies. --Robert Horton
A quintet of the finest Shakespeare adaptations in one box set! Featuring 'The Taming Of The Shrew' 'King Lear' 'Macbeth' 'Henry V' and 'Hamlet'. The Taming Of The Shrew: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton sparkle in Shakespeare's comic look at male chauvinism and women's lib. Petruchio journeys to Padua in search of a wealthy wife encountering the fiery Katharina a self willed shrew who leads Petruchio on a merry chase with Katharina as determined to maintain her indepen
Explosive high adventure! A mission more daring than silencing the ""Guns"". The survivors of The Guns Of Navarone (Dir. J. Lee Thompson 1961) are given an even more dangerous mission - they must destroy a huge bridge deep in the Balkans. During their journey they join up with 'Force 10' a group of tough American commandoes led by the daring Lt. Colonel Barnsby (Harrison Ford). But on their arrival in Yugoslavia they are captured by the Germans and failure of
The Caretaker was the play that made Harold Pinter's name when it was first performed at the Arts Theatre London in 1960 and it remains probably his most famous. Two years later Clive Donner's film version began shooting after producer Michael Birkett had raised the finance from such figures as Noel Coward Richard Burton Elizabeth Taylor Peter Sellers Peter Hall and Leslie Caron - all passionate admirers of the play. For the film two of the cast of the original production
Robin And Marian (Dir. Richard Lester 1976): Robin Hood (Connery) is an old man when he returns with his best friend Little John to England after the Crusades. Maid Marian (Hepburn) has entered a nunnery King Richard is a raving lunatic his Brother John a moron and the age of great adventure has seemed to have passed Robin by. But when The Sheriff of Nottingham (Shaw) once again threatens Sherwood Robin gathers his faithful men and band of peasants to fight oppression in
This is a spectacular retelling of a true story that shows courage at its inspiring best. Few defining moments can change the outcome of war; but when the outnumbered Royal Air Force defied unsurmountable odds in engaging the German Luftwaffe they may well have altered the course of history! Features Ron Goodwin's theatrical score or Sir William Walton's original (unused) score restored and remixed in 5.1 surround!
A ruthless kidnapper and blackmailer called Marlowe has abducted a young boy. After imprisoning the child in a deserted house Marlowe gives him a toy golly for comfort. But hidden inside the golly is time bomb which is set to explode at ten the following morning. A cracking thriller starring a wealth of stars from British film and television.
A couple move to live in a small town where their lives are interrupted by the appearance of a strange little girl.
The evil organization SPECTRE has hatched a plan to steal a decoder that will access Russian state secrets and irrevocably unbalance the world order. It is up to James Bond to seize the device first but he must confront enemies that include Red Grant and the ruthless Rosa Klebb a former KGB agent with poison-tipped shoes. Even as Bond romances a stunning Soviet defector he realizes he is being lured into a deadly trap and he will need all of his courage abilities and cutting-edge technology to triumph over the forces that seek to destroy him.
The Sting (Dir. George Roy Hill 1973): All it takes is a little Confidence. After the huge success of Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid George Roy Hill re-teamed with Hollywood stars Robert Redford and Paul Newman for this dazzlingly inventive tale about revenge in 1930s Chicago. The Sting is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of all time. Set in the 1930's this intricate comedy caper deals with an ambitious small time crook (Robert Redford) and a veteran con man (Paul Newman) who seeks revenge on the vicious crime lord (Robert Shaw) who murdered one of their gang. How this group of charlatans puts ""the sting"" on their enemy makes for the greatest double-crosses in movie history complete with an amazing surprise finish... Torn Curtain (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock 1966): One of the recurring themes of Alfred Hitchcock's movies is the plight of a common decent man caught in uncommon circumstances. 'Torn Curtain' is no exception. In this reaction to James Bondism Paul Newman plays world famous scientist Michael Armstrong who goes to an international congress of physics in Copenhagen with his fiancee/assistant Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews). While there she mistakenly picks up a message meant for him and discovers that he is defecting to East Berlin in order to get funding for his pet project. Or is he? That's the answer Sarah and the audience discover as 'Hitch' directs this action thriller behind the Iron Curtain...
When a legendary country musician dies, his best friend and road manager must steal his body to keep the promise they made to each other.
Offering only the finest amenities, the TITAN 1C space-cruiser is considered the most luxurious star-liner ever built. Future spring-breakers on board are excited to be touring through space with some of the world s elite. A sudden meteor storm smashes into the hull, and a deadly biological alien life-form is let loose on the ship. Seeking a suitable host, the retrovirus successfully merges with some the passengers, transforming them into seemingly invincible predators with the touch of death . As the ship is destroyed, the surviving passengers crash on a remote planet, and they learn that one of them is infected . They must quickly band together before it has a chance to slaughter them all.
The evil organization SPECTRE has hatched a plan to steal a decoder that will access Russian state secrets and irrevocably unbalance the world order. It is up to James Bond to seize the device first but he must confront enemies that include Red Grant and the ruthless Rosa Klebb a former KGB agent with poison-tipped shoes. Even as Bond romances a stunning Soviet defector he realizes he is being lured into a deadly trap and he will need all of his courage abilities and cutting-edge technology to triumph over the forces that seek to destroy him.
Each of this 'Bad Pack' are hand-picked bringing their own special skills and expertise to the table. Sims is a tough world class race car driver hired to drive munitions. Kurt is an out-of-work former East German spy of extraordinary physical strength. Remi a gorgeous assassin with a personal score to settle carries a large chip on her beautiful shoulder. Callin is a seventh degree black belt. Britt is a brilliant rookie FBI agent who has yet to face a fight and Hoffman was just sprung from the mental institution that he frequents and is crazy enough to do anything! The cynical seven are re-united once again for the most dangerous mission in their mercenary careers and for the 'Bad Pack' they can only have one motto: only the baddest will survive!
No priceless bauble or exquisite jewel is safe from the leering eyes and stealthy hands of Jing the King of Bandits. With a heart of gold and girl-crazy albatross sidekick Kir Jing steals his way through one exciting adventure after another! The Capital Of Thieves: The notorious Capital Of Thieves is home to the fabled Double Mermaids a treasure under guard by the city's evil mayor: Jing will do anything to retreive the prize but this jewel isn't quite what everyone expe
In the vastly overrated 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, author Peter Biskind puts the blame for Hollywood's blockbuster mentality at least partially on Steven Spielberg's box-office success with this adaptation of Peter Benchley's bestselling novel. But you can't blame Spielberg for making a terrific film, which Jaws definitely is. The story of a Long Island town whose summer tourist business is suddenly threatened by great white shark attacks on humans bypasses the potboiler trappings of Benchley's book and goes straight for the jugular with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense. This is supported by a trio of terrific performances by Roy Scheider (as the local sheriff), Richard Dreyfuss (as a shark specialist), and particularly Robert Shaw (as the old fisherman who offers to hunt the shark down). The sequences on Shaw's boat--as the three of them realise that in fact the shark is hunting them--are what entertaining moviemaking is all about. --Marshall Fine --This text refers to another version of this video.
Winner of seven Academy Awards (1973) including Best Picture, The Sting is one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed films of all time. Set in the 1930s, this intricate comedy caper deals with an ambitious small-time crook (Robert Redford) and veteran con man (Paul Newman) who seek revenge on the vicious crime lord (Robert Shaw) who murdered one of their gang. How this group of charlatans puts the sting on their enemy makes for the greatest double-cross in movie history.
The Natural (Dir. Barry Levinson) (1984): Nothing would stop Roy Hobbs from fulfilling his boyhood dream of baseball superstardom. Robert Redford stars in this inspiring fable that begins when 14-year-old Hobbs (Redford) fashions a powerful bat from a fallen oak tree. He soon impresses major league scouts with his ability fixing his extraordinary talent in the mind of sportswriter Max Mercy (Robert Duvall) who eventually becomes instrumental in Hobbs' career. But a meeting with a mysterious woman shatters his dreams. Years pass and an older Hobbs reappears as a rookie from the New York Knights. Overcoming physical pain and defying those who have a stake in seeing the Knights lose Hobbs with his boyhood bat has his chance to lead the Knights to the penant and to finally fufill his dream. The Sting (Dir. George Roy Hill) (1973): The Sting is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of all time. Set in the 1930's this intricate comedy caper deals with an ambitious small time crook (Robert Redford) and a veteran con man (Paul Newman) who seeks revenge on the vicious crime lord (Robert Shaw) who murdered one of their gang. How this group of charlatans puts ""the sting"" on their enemy makes for the greatest double-crosses in movie history complete with an amazing surprise finish...
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