Patch Adams raises two schools of thought: there are those who are inspired by the true story of a troubled man who finds happiness in helping others--a man set on changing the world and who may well accomplish the task. And then there are those who feel manipulated by this feel-good story, who want to smack the young medical student every time he begins his silly antics. Staving off suicidal thoughts, Hunter Adams commits himself into a psychiatric ward, where he not only garners the nickname "Patch" but learns the joy in helping others. To this end, he decides to go to medical school, where he clashes with the staid conventions of the establishment as he attempts to inject humour and humanity into his treatment of the patients ("We need to start treating the patient as well as the disease", he declares throughout the film). Robin Williams, in the title role, is as charming as ever, although someone should tell him to broaden his range--the ever-cheerful, do-gooder à la Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society is getting a little old. His sidekick Truman (Daniel London) steals the show with his gawky allure and eyebrows that threaten to overtake his lean face--he seems more real, which is odd considering that Patch Adams does exist and this film is based on his life. Monica Potter is the coolly reluctant love interest and she makes the most of her one-dimensional part. While moments of true heartfelt emotion do come through, the major flaw of this film is that the good guys are just so gosh-darn good and the bad ones are just big meanies with no character development. Patch Adams, though, does provide the tears, the giggles and the kooky folks who will keep you smiling at the end. --Jenny Brown
Steve Railsback (famed for his unhinged performance as Charles Manson in 1976's TV mini-series Helter Skelter) is at his sinister best as a troubled Vietnam Vet in 1982's Deadly Games - a tale of madness, murder and adultery from writer/director Scott Mansfied. A masked maniac with a penchant for a horror-themed board game is playing his own twisted game with the women of a small American town. Each time the dice is rolled, another victim meets a grisly end. Returning home to mourn the death of her murdered sister, Keegan (Jo Ann Harris) befriends local cop Roger and oddball cinema projectionist Billy (Railsback) - but soon finds herself in the killer's sights. Originally entitled Who Fell Asleep, Deadly Games is an intriguing early '80s slasher oddity which benefits from focusing as much on the development of its female-led cast as it does on its scenes of stalking and slashing. Available for the first time ever on disc, Arrow Video is proud to present this long-overlooked creepy gem in a brand new restoration from the recently-unearthed camera negative! Special Edition Contents: Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative Original uncompressed mono audio - Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues Sooty's a Sh*t - a brand new interview with actor Jere Rae-Mansfield Practical Magic - a brand new interview with special effects and stunt co-ordinator John Eggett Extensive image gallery featuring never-before-seen production photos and promotional material Original Trailer Original screenplay under the title Who Fell Asleep [BD-ROM content] Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Ralf Krause FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film historian/author Amanda Reyes
Patch Adams raises two schools of thought: there are those who are inspired by the true story of a troubled man who finds happiness in helping others--a man set on changing the world and who may well accomplish the task. And then there are those who feel manipulated by this feel-good story, who want to smack the young medical student every time he begins his silly antics. Staving off suicidal thoughts, Hunter Adams commits himself into a psychiatric ward, where he not only garners the nickname "Patch" but learns the joy in helping others. To this end, he decides to go to medical school, where he clashes with the staid conventions of the establishment as he attempts to inject humour and humanity into his treatment of the patients ("We need to start treating the patient as well as the disease", he declares throughout the film). Robin Williams, in the title role, is as charming as ever, although someone should tell him to broaden his range--the ever-cheerful, do-gooder à la Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society is getting a little old. His sidekick Truman (Daniel London) steals the show with his gawky allure and eyebrows that threaten to overtake his lean face--he seems more real, which is odd considering that Patch Adams does exist and this film is based on his life. Monica Potter is the coolly reluctant love interest and she makes the most of her one-dimensional part. While moments of true heartfelt emotion do come through, the major flaw of this film is that the good guys are just so gosh-darn good and the bad ones are just big meanies with no character development. Patch Adams, though, does provide the tears, the giggles and the kooky folks who will keep you smiling at the end. --Jenny Brown
A highflying adventure from the magic of Steven Spielberg, HOOK stars Robin Williams as a grownup Peter Pan and Dustin Hoffman as the infamous Captain Hook. Joining the fun is Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell, Bob Hoskins as the pirate Smee, and Maggie Smith as Granny Wendy Darling, who must convince middleaged lawyer Peter Banning that he was once the legendary Peter Pan. And so the adventure begins a new, with Peter off to Neverland to save his two children from Captain Hook. Along the way, he rediscovers the power of imagination, friendship and magic. A classic tale updated for children of all ages, HOOK was nominated for five 1991 Academy Awards® including Best Visual Effects in 1991. Features: 11 NeverBeforeSeen Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer
Peter Pan - the hero who never grows old - has grown up! And he's even forgotten how to fly! Enter the magical, mystical world of a hundred fun summers as the ageless avenger and faithful fairy Tinkerbell return to Never Never Land in search of Peter's forgotten childhood, his lost children, and a fearless confrontation with his evil pirate enemy - Captain Hook.Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Juila Roberts and Bob Hoskins hook up for the fantasy flight for a lifetime, as dream-maker Steven Spielberg brings this amazing tale of adventure to the screen. All children grow up... except one!
Jumanji (Dir. Joe Johnston 1995): When young Alan Parrish and his friend Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) begin to play a mysterious board game they don't realise its unimaginable powers until Alan is magically transported into the untamed jungles of Jumanji. Twenty-six years later Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) discover the dusty board and reawaken the game as they begin to play. Instantly the forces of Jumanji release a fully-grown bewildered Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) into their world. With each roll of the dice they must face the increasingly terrifying consequences until the game is finished and the victor had uttered the word Jumanji... Hook (Dir. Steven Spielberg 1991): Peter Pan - the hero who never grows old - has grown up! And he's even forgotten how to fly! Enter the magical mystical world of a hundred fun summers as the ageless avenger and faithful fairy Tinkerbell return to Never Never Land in search of Peter's forgotten childhood his lost children and a fearless confrontation with his evil pirate enemy - Captain Hook. Dustin Hoffman Robin Williams Juila Roberts and Bob Hoskins hook up for the fantasy flight for a lifetime as dream-maker Steven Spielberg brings this amazing tale of adventure to the screen. All children grow up...except one! Patch Adams (Dir. Tom Shadac 1998): Meet Patch Adams (Robin Williams) a doctor who doesn't look act or think like any doctor you've met before. For Patch humour is the best medicine and he's willing to do just about anything to make his patients laugh even if it means risking his own career. Based on a true story Patch Adams combines side-splitting humour with an inspiring story that transcends the traditional comedy.
In 1984 and 1985, The Tripods was the show that the BBC used to fill its traditional Saturday teatime Doctor Who slot. Adapted from the first two books in John Christopher's "Tripods" trilogy, the show frustratingly failed to deliver the final story that winds everything up. This release collects the first series of 13 episodes, which covers the first book (The White Mountains). In 2089, the human race lives a peaceful, agrarian existence in post-technological communities under the rule of the Tripods, vast alien machines that look like the Martians from War of the Worlds. In a small English village, teenage cousins Will (John Shackley) and Henry (Will Baker) are troubled as they near the age at which they will be "capped", fitted by the local Tripod with a metallic hairnet which will turn them into docile, uncreative, happy servants of the invaders. A wily vagrant tells the boys that far to the south, a community of uncapped freemen resists the Tripods, and they set off on a 13-episode journey that takes them to the coast, across the English Channel and down through France, with stop-offs in the impressive ruins of Paris, at a medieval-style chateau and on a vineyard in the Jura. Along the way, the lads fall in with "Bean Pole" (Ceri Seel), a gangling, bespectacled French rebel who is fascinated with the lost arts of machine-making, but at each of their stopovers there are temptations, mostly in the forms of appealing French girls, to settle down and become happy conformists, but in the end they do join up with the rebels, ready for a mission to the city of the Tripods that comes in Series Two. With production values significantly higher than Doctor Who at that time, the show conserves its effects and makes them count, with the Tripods only rarely intervening directly. Watched at a sitting, it seems padded and the three lead actors are variable, but taken in single-episode chunks it works quite well, with a subtly unsettling depiction of a backward world where everyone seems happy but actually isn't and actual villainy comes as a relief amidst the overwhelming niceness. The English and French locations are very well used, and the production design and costuming (lots of hats to cover the "caps") is imaginative without being panto-like. --Kim Newman
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