Recognised as the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket Boys of Company C is a high-end member of the cannon of classic battle-field movies and a frighteningly realistic critique of the pointlessness and corruption universally associated with the US/Vietnam war. Boys of Company C follows the lives of five nave young Marine inductees from their training in boot camp through a tour in Vietnam that quickly devolves into a hellish nightmare. Disheartened by futile combat appalled by the corruption of their South Vietnamese ally and constantly endangered by the incompetence of their own company commander the young men find a possible way out of the war. They are told that if they can defeat a rival soccer team they can spend the rest of their tour playing exhibition games behind the lines. But as they might have predicted nothing in Vietnam is as simple as it seems.
Randolph Scott stars in this classic Western from 1949, directed by Edwin L. Marin. Scott plays Jim Dancer, one of Quantrill's Raiders, staging attacks on Kansas on behalf of the fallen Confederacy in the years following the Civil War. During one raid, Dancer kills the man he holds responsible for the death of his brother. The dead man was innocent, and Dancer becomes a fugitive. Months later, he resurfaces, under a stolen identity, as the Marshal of a lawless Kansas town. With the help of...
One of the greatest screen biographies ever produced, Patton is a monumental film that won seven Academy Awards and gave George C Scott the greatest role of his career. It was released in 1970 when protest against the Vietnam War still raged in the States and abroad. Inevitably, many critics and filmgoers struggled to reconcile the events of the day with the film's glorification of US General George S Patton as a crazy-brave genius of World War II; how could a film so huge in scope and so fascinated by its subject be considered an anti-war film? The simple truth is that it's not--Patton is less about World War II than about the rise and fall of a man whose life was literally defined by war and who felt lost and lonely without the grand-scale pursuit of an enemy. George C Scott embodies his role so fully, so convincingly, that we can't help but be drawn to and fascinated by Patton as a man who is simultaneously bound for hell and glory. The film's opening monologue alone is a masterful display of acting and character analysis and everything that follows is sheer brilliance on the part of Scott and director Franklin J Schaffner, aided in no small part by composer Jerry Goldsmith's masterfully understated score. Filmed on an epic scale at literally dozens of European locations, Patton does not embrace war as a noble pursuit, nor does it deny the reality of war as a breeding ground for heroes. Through the awesome achievement of Scott's performance and the film's grand ambition, General Patton shows all the complexities of a man who accepted his role in life and (like Scott) played it to the hilt. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.comOn the DVD: The widescreen print of the movie (which was originally filmed using a super-wide 70mm process called "Dimension 150") is handsomely presented on the first disc, with a remastered Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. It is accompanied by a rather dry "Audio essay on the historical Patton" read by the president and founder of the General George S. Patton Jr. historical society. The second, supplementary disc carries a new and impressive 50-minute "making-of" documentary, with significant contributions from Fox president Richard Zanuck, as well as composer Jerry Goldsmith and Oliver Stone. Director Franklin J. Schaffner (who died in 1989) and star George C. Scott are heard in interviews from 1970. In the documentary, Stone provocatively complains that Patton glorified war and that President Nixon's enthusiasm for the movie was directly responsible for his decision to invade Cambodia. Also on this disc, in a separate audio-only track, is Jerry Goldsmith's magnificent music score--one of his greatest achievements--heard complete with studio session takes for the famous "Echoplex" trumpet figures. --Mark Walker
Che Guevara
Ronna needs to make some extra cash. Simon wants to escape to Vegas for the weekend. Adam and Zack want to stay out of trouble. But it's not just another night in the life of these unusual characters. They're about to embark on a wild ride that won't end until the sun comes up.
Tony and Brenda appear to be the perfect married couple - with money, position, a great house and an adored son, John Andrew. When Tony invites John Beaver to stay for the weekend, he sets in motion a series of events which drastically disrupts the course of all their lives.
Dimples: Temple stars as a young singer who entertains the New York crowds providing the window of opportunity for her pick pocket of a grand father to carry out his work. A rich lady sees the young girl peforming - and after discovering her grim existence with her grand father - offers her an opportunity to rise out of lifestyle... The Littlest Rebel: Shirley Temple's father a rebel officer sneaks back to his rundown plantation to see his family and is arrested. How
Starring Mel Gibson in his second Hollywood film, The River celebrates traditional American values through the Garvey family's determination to hold onto their farm against all odds. The drama opens with the threat of flooding from the river that adjoins the Garvey's land, then depicts their struggles through ailing livestock, accident and risk of crop failure. Add to these a local businessman, Scott Glenn, planning to turn the valley into a dam, a subplot echoing Deliverance (1972), also filmed in Eastern Tennessee, and all the elements are in place for an emotional triumph-over-adversity movie. Much of The River has a realistic tone, unflinchingly depicting numerous hardships, especially when Gibson has to earn extra money as a strike-breaking hired hand in a steel mill. Against this, and a surprisingly left-wing tone advocating cooperation over competition, the more upbeat moments resort to feel-good cliché with John Williams' lilting score seemingly wandered in from a Spielberg fantasy. Nevertheless the cast, including Sissy Spacek as Gibson's wife, deliver first-rate performances and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond expertly captures the harshness and the beauty of the land. The River was one of a trio of major US farming movies in 1984, the others being Country and Places in the Heart. On the DVD: The 1.85:1 anamorphically enhanced image is virtually flawless, capturing the many subtle effects of light on water throughout the film. Released theatrically in stereo, the opening and closing sequences demonstrate the power of a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix in generating atmosphere through natural sound. Elsewhere the audio is less striking, but always clean and powerful. Extras are routine: the US trailer, four brief biographies, and interesting though short production notes. --Gary S. Dalkin
John Travolta stars as a country boy trying to make the best of his new life and new marriage in a big city...
This emotionally-charged film celebrates the triumph of a young rural couple as they face nature's greatest ravages the threat of poverty and a wrenching separation. Sissy Spacek Mel Gibson and Scott Glenn star in this moving tribute to love faith determination and the vanishing America of the independent farm family. Tom and Mae Garvey (Gibson and Spacek) are struggling to keep their homestead safe from the local power authority who wants to flood their land. When Mae's former beau John Wade (Glenn) turns out to be in charge of the plan to acquire the property tensions run high climaxing in a devastating confrontation on the flooded river banks. Directed by On Golden Pond's Mark Rydell 'The River' features magnificent location photography by Vilmos Zsigmond and an outstanding score by John Williams.
The Nerds are Back... and They're Taking a Trip to Paradise! Everyone's favourite nerds are back! This time the gang is off to the United Fraternity Conference in Ft. Lauderdale but thanks to the Alpha Betas the Tri-Lambs are forced to endure Florida's most dismal accommodations. Although the boys are misled mistreated and misused they once again strike back proving the importance of self-respect in a wild and wacky lesson you'll never forget.
My Name Is JoeKen Loach's My Name Is Joe is a slice of life so raw that you can see the blood dripping off it and as in real life it mixes humour passion tragedy and violence in equal measure. Joe (Peter Mullan) is a recovering alcoholic and has done a few things in his past which he'd rather forget. Like most people he knows he's out of work but he keeps sane by coaching the self-styled worst football team in Glasgow. When one of Joe's players Liam gets involved with some local gangsters a chain of events is set in motion which not only threatens the lives of those concerned but also comes between Joe's budding love affair with social worker Sarah (Louise Goodall). Raining StonesBob Williams is a survivor. He supplements his dole by becoming embroiled in whatever scam is on offer from rustling sheep to rotting drains. But now life has dealt him a bitter blow. His van has been stolen and his daughter Colleen is approaching her first communion. She needs the traditional white dress shoes veil and gloves. Where on earth is the money going to come from? Raining Stones is a funny and essentially human story of survival in the nineties and people's aspirations for a better way of life. Riff RaffStevie a young Glaswegian just out of Barlinnie prison comes down to London and gets a job on a building site - a melting pot of itinerant laborers from all over the country. Here he has to contend with Mick the bossy ganger trying - but usually failing to control his workers Shem Mo and Larry and the other lads as they duck and dive the rules and regulations of the building trade. Stevie has other problems to contend: the wages are low the site teems with rats he has nowhere to sleep and life in London isn't that easy. One day on his way to work Stevie finds a handbag in a skip. He takes it back to it owner and meets Susan. As Stevie and Susan learn to live with the ups and downs of life in London Riff-Raff builds a portrait - sometimes gritty often funny of life as it is lived in the margins.
The premise of Love Potion No. 9--that a magic potion makes the user irresistible to the opposite sex--could be the setup for the crassest sex farce imaginable. Instead, this film is a surprisingly subtle romantic comedy. Nebbishy scientist Paul (Tate Donovan) goes to a Gypsy fortune teller (Anne Bancroft), who tells him she sees no women in his entire life. To make up for this depressing news, she gives him a few drops of a love potion--number 8. Paul, a biochemist, scoffs; but when his pet cat accidentally gets a taste and attracts every female cat in the neighborhood, he enlists fellow dweeby scientist Diane (Sandra Bullock) to analyse it. After experimenting on monkeys, they decide to test it on themselves; soon Diane is being pursued by handsome Italians in the street and comes close to marrying the Prince of England (sic), while Paul gets a little revenge on a woman who previously rejected him, then embarks on his own love spree. Shortly they discover that they really want each other; but before they can get married, an old boyfriend of Diane returns with his own dose of love potion number 8. Paul's only hope is to get something even more powerful. Love Potion No. 9 is genuinely clever and sweet, and both Donovan and Bullock work well with the low-key but effective humour of the movie's well-written script. It's a tribute to her talent and her girl-next-door looks that Bullock, unlike most pretty stars dressing down, is effective as both a lovelorn loser and the confident glamour-girl she becomes. Altogether, a charming and enjoyable film.--Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com
A typically bored affluent Californian housewife's world of domestic oblivion careers off its axis when she develops a mystery illness that puts her at odds with every aspect of the world around her - cars dry cleaners hair perms and even the new couch! Gradually she develops nosebleeds vomiting and breathing problems and finally collapses. In a desperate search for what is 'safe' she opts for virtual isolation in a porcelain igloo in the Texas desert where the inhabitants drag round oxygen cylinders and the therapists act like evangelical preachers. Injected with horror comic touches and psychological suspense Safe is a visionary tale of the future. Has Carol brought her sickness upon herself or is she made vulnerable by a world that is more dangerous than we or she understands?
A freak rainstorm washes up a gruesome discovery - a bag containing seven severed children's hands each with a number tattooed on its tiny palm. A psychiatric expert's only clue comes from the disturbing behaviour of a mute patient who seems to have a telepathic link with killer's warped mind...
Between the mild profanities, underage drinking, and promiscuous sex, Greek is definitely not your older sibling's Saved by the Bell: The College Years. This instantly addictive series may not be, as its creators intended, "the definitive fun college show," but it gets high marks for its appealing cast, smart writing, and reasonably clear-eyed portrayal of fraternity and sorority life. Jacob Zachar stars as Rusty Cartwright, an incoming freshman at Cyprus Rhodes University. He is a geeky science major and socially awkward (his first taste of tequila earns him the nickname "Spitter"). But he is eager to join a fraternity and "have a real college experience". The soapsuds froth early. His sister, Casey (Spencer Grammer, Kelsey's daughter) is campus royalty, a junior with a wealthy and well-connected boyfriend, Evan (Jake McDorman). She is also "heir to the throne" of her "best of the best" sorority house. So embarrassed is she by Rusty, she has never told anyone she had a brother. "You have your world, and I have mine", she dismisses him early on. But her world is rocked after Rusty accidentally catches Evan about to cheat on Casey with Rebecca Logan (Dilshad Vadsaria), a senator's daughter and highly prized pledge who Casey has been charged to bring in to the sorority at all costs. Greek is not just kids behaving badly. What moves this series to the head of the class is that its characters struggle with doing the right thing, and as Casey tells Rusty, "sometimes doing the right thing isn't doing the right thing", adding, "It's shades of grey from here on out". Greek creates compelling moral dilemmas and should spark worthwhile family discussions. Should Rusty tell his sister about Evan and ruin his chance to join Evan's elite fraternity? Should Casey break up with Evan and risk her social standing? Greek is all about acceptance and how friends can become like an extended family. Rusty finds his at a rowdy Animal House-like frat headed by Cappie (Scott Foster), Casey's less reputable former boyfriend. Though Rusty may be lame, he proclaims, "he'd be fun to corrupt and bring to the dark side". How Rusty wrestles with his ideals and reconnects with Casey is at the heart of this auspicious season. Greek does traffic in stereotypes, but most of the characters emerge as fully dimensional, including Evan, less of a jerk and more soulful than one would expect, and Dale (Clark Duke), Rusty's "fundamentalist hick" roommate, who becomes less of an easy punch line as the season progresses. For a show that at one point gives a shout-out to Gilmore Girls, Greek's own pop-culture references (from The Matrix and Monty Python to Grey's Anatomy) are spot-on. Beyond that, the character-based writing is well observed. After a first date, a euphoric Rusty calls it the best night of life, adding, "Even better than the time they announced Pluto wasn't a planet. I hated Pluto". With one year under its belt, you'll want to pledge yourself to Greek. --Donald Liebenson
Hunt For Red October: Based on Tom Clancy's bestseller directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard ) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin The Hunt For Red October seethes with high-tech excitement and sweats with the tension of men who hold Doomsday in their hands. A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub the Red October is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Connery). The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst (Baldwin ) has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it-because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find him too. The hunt is on! Patriot Games: Harrison Ford stars as Jack Ryan in this explosive thriller based on Tom Clancy's international best-seller. His days as an intelligence agent behind him former CIA analyst Jack Ryan has traveled to London to vacation with his wife (Anne Archer Fatal Attraction) and child (Thora Birch All I Want For Christmas). Meeting his family outside of Buckingham Palace Ryan is caught in the middle of a terrorist attack on Lord Holmes (James Fox The Russia House) a member of the Royal Family. Ryan helps to thwart Holmes' assailants and becomes a local hero. But Ryan's courageous act marks him as a target in the sights of the terrorist (Sean Bean Stormy Monday) whose brother he killed. Now Ryan must return to action for the most vital assignment of his life: to save his family. Costarring James Earl Jones (The Hunt For Red October). Clear and Present Danger: Harrison Ford returns as intrepid CIA agent Jack Ryan. When his mentor Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones) becomes gravely ill Ryan is appointed acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. His first assignment: investigate the murder of one of the President's friends a prominent U.S. businessman with secret ties to Colombian drug cartels. Unbeknownst to Ryan the CIA has already dispatched a deadly operative to lead a paramilitary force against the Colombian drug lords. Caught in the crossfire Ryan takes matters into his own hands risking his career and life for the only cause he still believes in - the truth.
Bachelor Party (1984): This outrageously funny look at one man's final moments of bachelorhood stars Tom Hanks as Rick reluctant recipient of a bachelor bash given by a group of friends who view partying as their full-time religion. Rick's worried fiance Debbie (Tawny Kitaen) dresses up in disguise and crashes the party to spy on her future husband. To complicate the night further Debbie's father hires her ex-boyfriend to win back his daughter. It turns out to be an evenin
One of life's greatest blessings is the birth of a child. But unfortunately for many the pleasure of becoming parents does not come without hardship. Danielle Steel brings to life three interwoven stories of couples facing the joys and challenges associated with having children. Newlyweds Andy (Bruce Greenwood) and Diana (Gabrielle Carteris) are crushed to discover they can't have children. Searching for options they discover the delight and heartaches of adoption. Brad (James Naughton) and Pilar (Bess Armstrong) want to have children late in life. Although the risks are high they take the chance. Charlie (Scott Baio) longs for children but his wife Barbie (Julie Condra) doesn't. Is their marriage strong enough to keep them together? This powerful and uplifting drama is filled with inspirational and touching moments that every family will relate to.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy