By transplanting the classic haunted house scenario into space, Ridley Scott, together with screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, produced a work of genuinely original cinematic sci-fi with Alien that, despite the passage of years and countless inferior imitations, remains shockingly fresh even after repeated viewing. Scott's legendary obsession with detail ensures that the setting is thoroughly conceived, while the Gothic production design and Jerry Goldsmith's wonderfully unsettling score produce a sense of disquiet from the outset: everything about the spaceship Nostromo--from Tupperware to toolboxes-seems oddly familiar yet disconcertingly ... well, alien.Nothing much to speak of happens for at least the first 30 minutes, and that in a way is the secret of the film's success: the audience has been nervously peering round every corner for so long that by the time the eponymous beast claims its first victim, the release of pent-up anxiety is all the more effective. Although Sigourney Weaver ultimately takes centre-stage, the ensemble cast is uniformly excellent. The remarkably low-tech effects still look good (better in many places than the CGI of the sequels), while the nightmarish quality of H.R. Giger's bio-mechanical creature and set design is enhanced by camerawork that tantalises by what it doesn't reveal.On the DVD: The director, audibly pausing to puff on his cigar at regular intervals, provides an insightful commentary which, in tandem with superior sound and picture, sheds light into some previously unexplored dark recesses of this much-analysed, much-discussed movie (why the crew eat muesli, for example, or where the "rain" in the engine room is coming from). Deleted scenes include the famous "cocoon" sequence, the completion of the creature's insect-like life-cycle for which cinema audiences had to wait until 1986 and James Cameron's Aliens. Isolated audio tracks, a picture gallery of production artwork and a "making of" documentary complete a highly attractive DVD package. --Mark Walker
Ninety Minutes. Six Bullets. No Choice. The clock is ticking for Johnny Depp in Nick Of Time a twist-filled race-against-time thriller directed by John Badham. And indeed it is a race filmed in ""real time"" so that onscreen events unfold minute by nail-biting minute as they would in real life. No sooner does accountant arrive at L.A.'s Union Station with his six-year-old daughter than he's plunged into a nightmare. Two shadowy strangers separate Watson from his little girl sl
When the child Arthur's father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur's uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy whether he likes it or not.
Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale, and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how to take the mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful. --Tom Keogh
THE PUNISHER Special agent Frank Castle (Tom Jane) lives the good life with a devoted family and a job he loves. But his world falls apart when his last assignment pits him against ruthless businessman Howard Saint (John Travolta). Seeking the revenge of his murdered family, Castle becomes a merciless vigilante hell bent on destroying Saint and his band of underworld assassins on his mission of redemption: vindicating the common man with a brand of justice the law cannot provide. PUNISHER: WAR ZONE Waging his one-man war on the world of organised crime, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on over-eager mob boss Billy Russoti. After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, he sets out for vengeance under his new alias: Jigsaw. With the Punisher Task Force hot on his trail and the FBI unable to take Jigsaw in, Frank must stand up to the formidable army that Jigsaw has recruited before more of his evil deeds go unpunished. BONUS FEATURES: THE PUNISHER Audio Commentary by Director Jonathan Hensleigh Alternate Opening Sequence War Journal Behind-the-Scenes featurette on the Making of the Movie Drawing Blood Bradstreet Style featurette Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary Step Up Music Video performed by Drowning Pool PUNISHER: WAR ZONE The Making of Punisher: War Zone featurette Training for the Punisher featurette Weapons of the Punisher featurette Meet Jigsaw featurette Creating the Look of the Punisher featurette Audio Commentary with Director Lexi Alexander and Cinematographer Steve Gainer
Cagliostro, an immortal magician with fearsome hypnotic powers, sends his murderous assistant Melissa (half woman, half bird) to kill Dr. Frankenstein and steal his Monster. He commands the creature to abduct young women whose bodies will provide material for a female counterpart: the two monsters will then copulate, creating a master race of slaves under Cagliostro's mesmeric control! Bending man, woman and monster to his terrifying will, Cagliostro rules an empire of passion in his castle by the sea, a place where lust and cruelty meet strange supernatural forces. As the police question the deceased Dr. Frankenstein by reviving him with his monster apparatus, his scientist daughter Vera falls under Cagliostro's spell and agrees to build the female monster: can anything now stop the wicked mesmerist from ruling the world? Features: Starring Cult horror legend Howard Vernon Directed by sultan of sleeze Jess Franco First ever UK Blu-Ray release Fully uncut
On a windswept barren island Andreas lives simply and quietly until he becomes entangled with Anna a beautiful mysterious widow and a neighbouring couple harbouring their own sorrows and illusions. But soon secrets from Andreas and Anna's pasts threaten to destroy everything...
Like the very best of SF TV, Stargate SG-1 began very simply. Of course it had the benefit of a movie preceding it--in which the alternate universe, its rules and its characters were largely established--so this premiere season was therefore able to concentrate on good storytelling. In 1997 not every new show was obsessed with securing a syndication-guaranteed franchise (same goes for Buffy debuting the same year), instead one-off episodes were the way of things, exploring interesting scenarios and conundrums. Naturally there were allusions to the feature film, but most were subtle and inspired. For example, a trip to retrieve the trapped professor who'd worked on the Gate decades ago was an unusual way of tying up loose ends. Some groundwork was laid for continuation should the show be renewed into an ongoing series. Knowing that these elements were pure wishful thinking at the time makes the tapestry of System Lords and the interlinks with our history and mythology all the more enjoyable in revisiting the show from its beginnings. With Richard Dean Anderson, leading the team in a far more charismatic and empathetic way than Kurt Russell in the movie, the series also benefited from some spot-on casting that instantly won audiences over. Special effects and use of studio sets may be less dazzling in these initial shows, but its solid grounding in old-fashioned SF won for the show a loyal audience. --Paul Tonks
A dentist hired to trade across the state meets up with a runaway and trouble in this romantic comedy.
The complete three seasons of the Emmy-nominated Danish crime drama created by Søren Sveistrup. In the first series, Detective Inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbol) is all set to emigrate to Sweden but her plans are put on hold when the police investigation into the murder of a young girl in Copenhagen turns out to have implications in high places. Each episode chronicles a single day in the investigation, which gradually brings a tangled web of corrupt politics and power struggles to light as the hunt for the killer intensifies. In the second series, set two years later, Lund, who has since been demoted from DI, is called into the homicide department to help her former colleagues on a tricky murder case. Initially reluctant, Lund soon gets involved and discovers that the victim was killed because she knew about the deaths of Afghan citizens at the hands of Danish soldiers. In the third and last series, having found peace after her previous ordeals, Lund has her curiosity ignited when she notices a tattoo on the victim of what seems to be a random murder at the Copenhagen docks. Attention is quickly drawn toward the Zeeland oil business run by the troubled Robert Zeuthen (Anders W. Berthelsen) whose daughter has been kidnapped, and an old flame of Lund's believes that both the kidnapping and murder may be connected to a possible assassination attempt on the prime minister.
The Godfather Trilogy is the benchmark for all cinematic storytelling. Francis Ford Coppola's masterful adptation of Mario Puzo's novel chronicles the rise and fall of the Corleone family in this celebrated epic. Collectively nominated for a staggering 28 Academy Awards®, the films are the winner of 9, including 2 for the Best Picture for The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. To this day the saga is rightfully viewed as one of the greatest in the history of motion pictures. Now, for true cinmea lovers, comes The Godfather Trilogy with the Corleone Legacy Family Tree, Original Theatrical Art Cards, and Collectible Portraits with Frame to complete every fan's collection.
Early on in Robocop 3, an action figure of our metal hero on the nightstand in a little girl's room informs us that he's now become a children's toy. The image is right on the money; despite following up two of the most violent, hilarious sci-fi/action films ever made, Robocop 3 is strictly for the kiddies. It's not just that the gore has been toned down considerably to make for a PG-13 rating; also excised is the straight-faced portrait of a world run by corporate fascism. When evil corporation OCP, and its even more evil Japanese parent company, plan to raze a Detroit neighbourhood to put up the shining new Delta City, the residents (including the aforementioned adolescent, who conveniently happens to be a computer expert) gang up to fight back, just like the angry neighbours in Death Wish V. Robocop (played this time out by Robert John Burke, Peter Weller having wisely passed) could be a hindrance to the companies' plans, so a ninja android is sent in to deal with him. Even all this could have been enjoyable, in a campy sort of way, but nothing pays off as either comedy or action--tellingly, the two big showdowns with the ninja start exhilaratingly (Robocop's clunky movements hilariously counterpoised by the android's acrobatic leaps), only to end just when they're getting good. Director Fred Dekker has some nice stylistic touches scattered about, but not nearly enough to save the film. One high note, though: the animated "Johnny Rehab" spot may be the funniest ad in the whole series. --Bruce Reid, Amazon.com
While imprisioned in a labour camp in Czechoslovakia 1950 Ex-Czech pilot Franta recalls how he and his young protege fled to Britain in 1940, where they joined the RAF and flew against the Nazis.
This one of a kind DVD showcases not only fifteen years of ONYX's music videos but never before seen footage of live shows studio sessions record signings music video shoots personal moments and general chaos. Special features include five solo videos audio commentary on all seventeen videos from Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz Slam karaoke an exclusive photo gallery and other madface goodies. All music videos are uncensored and have been re-mastered from their original reels. ONYX's energetic raspy hardcore style introduced rap to the mosh pit. They made you want to Throw Ya Gunz. They taught you how to SLAM. They made you feel Shiftee... now you can relive the madface invasion with ""Onyx: 15 Years of Videos History And Violence"".
Released in 1953, Summer with Monika, an early Ingmar Bergman-directed melodrama, did much to establish the reputation of Swedish cinema, and perhaps Swedish women in general, as leading the vanguard in sexual liberation. The film attracted the wrath of the censors and one scene of lovemaking had to be cut. While subsequent generations will look at the film and wonder whatever the fuss was about, it retains a vivid and frolicsome sensuality, before submitting to the inevitable, Bergmanesque bleakness. The film tells the story of a young couple, Harry (Lars Ekborg) and Monika (18-year-old Harriet Andersson, with whom Bergman would fall in love) stuck in lousy jobs in Stockholm. Harry is beset by parental responsibility--his mother died young and his father is ill--while Monika is fed up with her drunken, violent father. They escape in a motorboat and to spend a blissful summer on an island in the archipelago. Once Monika gets pregnant and they're forced to steal food, however, the idyll concludes and they return to Stockholm, where the relationship disintegrates. You realise that Monika, from a large and fractious family, yearns for escapism, while Harry, who has never known true family life, longs for domestic stability. It is he who is left holding the baby. But Bergman does not quite condemn Monika, giving her one of his best scenes: in a cafe, estranged from Harry, chatting up a stranger, she stares unwaveringly and directly to camera, as if defying us to judge her. Visually ravishing, this film would have a deep impact on French New Wave cinema. On the DVD: Summer with Monika on disc offers a fine restoration of the original film, and includes notes from Phillip Strick who points out that the film is in part hymn of praise to Stockholm's beauty and was influenced by the documentary "City Symphonies" made during World War II. --David Stubbs
A family find themselves on a desolate, seemingly endless country road on Christmas Eve in this unnerving slice of surreal horror.
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