In the years following the Civil War, Western Texas has become an uneasy meeting ground of two cultures; one white, the other Native American. Elvis stars as Pacer Burton, the son of a white rancher andihis beautiful Kiowan wife (Dolores Del Rio). When fighting breaks out between the settlers and natives, despite his peacemaking efforts, Pacer is pulled into the deadly violence.
The call went out. The recruits came in. No longer would police cadets have to meet standards of height weight or other requirements. Brains were optional too. Can't spell IQ? Don't know the number 911? No matter. Police Academy grads are ready to uphold law and disorder!
Although there are one or two belly laughs along the way, for the most part The Parole Officer gets by on the pleasantly old-fashioned charm of a latter-day Ealing comedy. And despite a handful of gross-out moments (involving a roller coaster at Blackpool, a severed head and a wasp) most of the humour comes from the interaction of a good ensemble cast. Its the first big-screen vehicle for Steve Coogan, who plays the titular officer as a watered-down, more likeable version of his most famous creation, Alan Partridge. After being set up by a corrupt detective Coogans hapless Simon Garden--in fact always identified as a Probation Officer, so presumably the films title is an attempt to attract a transatlantic audience--must recruit a motley gang of his ex-con clients to plan and execute a bank robbery in Manchester. Indeed, one of the films principal attractions is its affectionate use of that city centre as a setting instead of the more usual seedy London locations of most British caper-comedies.Coogans gang are a familiarly dysfunctional bunch, redeemed by sympathetic performances from, notably, Om Puri as irascible serial bigamist George and the young Emma Williams as serial car thief Kirsty. Not enough effort goes into fleshing out the characters, though, and in particular Lena Headey as Coogans policewoman girlfriend is far too thinly sketched to seem convincing. However, much fun is had by all as the team bond, bicker and construct, A Team-style, the tools they need for the big heist. The bank raid itself is the films highlight and features a surprising deus ex machina appearance from a very distinguished guest star. If The Parole Officer never stretches to the sublime heights (or psychological depths) of Im Alan Partridge, it does play out in a brisk 90 minutes like an extended episode of Coogans Run; which is to say its got plenty of easygoing charm even if it never pushes any boundaries. On the DVD: the handful of extra features include a surprisingly serious commentary from Coogan, cowriter Henry Normal, director John Duigan and producer Duncan Kenworthy. More interesting is the handful of deleted scenes, in which we find that some precious character development was sacrificed in the interests of pace (as well as a couple of perfectly good jokes). There's a 22-minute featurette, which isn't really a "making of" but just a series of interviews with the principal cast, plus the trailer and Atomic Kitten's "Eternal Flame" video. The picture is a good anamorphic (16:9) ratio with Dolby 5.1 sound. --Mark Walker
What started as a suggestion for Paul Simon to play a concert in New York's Central Park blossomed, on September 19, 1981, into a full-blown Simon and Garfunkel reunion after an 11-year hiatus, and now proves a priceless snapshot of two of America's greatest folk-rock performers. (It's also the rightful bookend to Simon and Garfunkel's acoustic Live from New York City, 1967.) Performed with a who's-who of East Coast session aces before a record-setting crowd of half-a-million fans, the Concert in Central Park finds its stars just shy of their 40th birthdays and very much in their primes, their voices sweet and pure and their playing relaxed, perfectly in tune and in synch. The show features a mix of S&G and solo Simon tunes, including all the songs that appear on the CD, with the addition of a reprise of "Late in the Evening" and the first live performance of Simon's "The Late Great Johnny Ace". This is classic material from start to finish, 87 minutes of unmitigated beauty. --Michael Mikesell
When their daughter is kidnapped by a pair of experienced nappers (Kevin Bacon and Courtney Love), the Jennings Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend) turn the tables on their seemingly foolproof plan.
All 5 series of the hit BBC show, collected for the first time in this DVD set. Includes subtitles for the Hard Of Hearing
Scorching the streets clean... Flamethrowers ready as the alleyways of skid row are set ablaze with the brutal vengeance of one man... The Exterminator!John Eastland has been to ‘Nam and he’s seen things... Things you wouldn’t believe. Surviving torture and witnessing the brutal deaths of his friends, John returns home to a tough neighbourhood in New York and his loving family. But when some local thugs take a crippling dislike to his best friend Mike, leaving him paralysed, something snaps in John. Did he fight the Vietcong for this? Taking the law into his own hands, Eastland sets out to clean the streets of every low life, good for nothing gang banger, mobster and ghetto ghoul across the city in director James Glickenhaus’ (McBain) brutally violent vigilante classic. Special Features: Also Includes an Interview with James Glickenhaus Collector’s Booklet by Author Calum Waddell
Inspector Jacques Clouseau returns to the big screen in the form of Steve Martin.
An Officer And A Gentleman (Dir. Taylor Hackford 1981): Zack Mayo is a young loner with a bad attitude. Tempted by the glamour and admiration of the life of a Navy pilot he decides to sign up for Officer Candidate School. After thirteen tortuous weeks under Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (Gossett Jnr.) he slowly begins to learn the importance of discipline love and friendship. Foley warns Zack about the local girls who will do anything to catch themselves a pilot for a husband
Max Simkin (Adam Sandler) repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. Disenchanted with the grind of daily life, Max stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. Sometimes walking in another man's shoes is the only way one can discover who they really are.
Follyfoot was based on an idea by novelist Monica Dickens and starred Gillian Blake Steve Hodson and Christian Rodska as the trio of workers at a retirement home for old or unwanted horses. A collection of every episode from each series!
A milestone in television comedy, Spitting Image lifted satire to a new level through the 1980s and '90s. No target was safe from its gunsights: politicians of all persuasions, even the Royal Family and the Pope could find themselves up for a ribbing on any given programme. BAFTA-nominated many times, Spitting Image won a Bronze medal at the Montreux TV festival in 1984, firmly establishing its success for over a decade. Packed with more wickedly witty sketches and spoof songs, this complete twelfth series employs the vocal talents of Rory Bremner, Steve Coogan, Jan Ravens, David Baddiel, Pamela Stephenson and Alistair McGowan among many others. In this series Maggie finally loses her sanity, Stephen Fry's house goes up in flames, Wogan has brain surgery, Hercule Poirot investigates a fight in a pub, and John Major gets home just in time to stop Norma reading his goodbye note...
From the creators of the smash hit Angels In The Outfield comes a high-spirited comedy equally triumphant - THE BIG GREEN. When a new teacher introduces soccer to her uncoordinated students it kicks off the wildest and wackiest sports tournament anyone has ever seen. With the help of their out-of-shape town sheriff (hilarious Steve Guttenberg - Three Men And A Baby) the kids gain confidence and turn themselves into winners. Suddenly the residents of their sleepy country town bec
The first TV series about the Vietnam War, Tour Of Duty focuses on a single platoon of young U.S soldiers during their one year of combat duty in Vietnam during the late 1960s Terence Knox, Stephen Caffrey, Joshua Maurer, Steve Akahoshi, Tony Becker, Eric Bruskotter, Stan Foster, Ramon Franco, Miquel.A Nunez,Jr and Kevin Conroy star as the infantrymen who represent diverse racial, cultural and philosophical backgrounds, but must ultimately depend on one another to face enemy troops and survive the hostile South East Asian terrain.Full of thrilling combat action, Tour Of Duty also goes deeper to portray the dramatic human side of war and the camaraderie of the men who gave their all for their country.All 22 episodes from the first season here available to own in it's original format for the first time ever on DVD. This UK version has retained all the original music score including Paint It Black which was removed for the US DVD release. This boxed set will also contain a brand new making of documentary featuring the cast of this much loved series, a stills gallery, character biographies and much, much more!!
A milestone in television comedy, Spitting Image lifted satire to a new level through the 1980s and '90s. No target was safe from its gunsights: politicians of all persuasions, even the Royal Family and the Pope could find themselves up for a ribbing on any given programme. BAFTA-nominated many times, Spitting Image won a Bronze medal at the Montreux TV festival in 1984, firmly establishing its success for over a decade; among its luminary team of contributors were Steve Coogan, Ian Hislop, ...
A stirring example of courage and the indomitable human spirit, for many John Sturges' The Great Escape is both the definitive World War II drama and the nonpareil prison escape movie. Featuring an unequalled ensemble cast in a rivetingly authentic true-life scenario set to Elmer Bernstein's admirable music (who writes contrapuntal march themes these days?), this picture is both a template for subsequent action-adventure movies and one of the last glories of Golden Age Hollywood. Reunited with the director who made him a star in The Magnificent Seven Steve McQueen presents a career-defining performance as the laconic Hilts, the baseball-loving, motorbike-riding "Cooler King". The rest of the all-male Anglo-American cast--Dickie Attenborough, Donald Pleasance, James Garner, Charles Bronson, David McCallum, James Coburn and Gordon Jackson--make the most of their meaty roles (though you have to forgive Coburn his Australian accent). Closely based on Paul Brickhill's book, the various escape attempts, scrounging, forging and ferreting activities are authentically realised thanks also to the presence of technical advisor Wally Flood on set, one of the original tunnel-digging POWs. Sturges orchestrates the climactic mass break-out with total conviction, giving us both high action and very poignant human drama. Without trivialising the grim reality, The Great Escape thrillingly celebrates the heroism of men who never gave up the fight. On the DVD: The Great Escape World Cup Special Edition includes all the features of the two-disc special edition, plus a full-size St George's Cross England flag, a feature on England footballers' World Cup memories and World Cup-themed packaging. --Mark Walker
The Swan Princess (based on the classic fairy tale of Swan Lake) is a musical fantasy set in a mythical time filled with majestic castles forbidden forests enchanted animals and a wicked sorcerer. The young lovers Prince Derek and Princess Odette the evil Rothbart and Odette's hilarious animal friends are brought to life by a team of brilliant animators and a cast of high calibre actors including John Cleese Steven Wright and Jack Palance. The Swan Princess brims with magic ad
Steve Coogan As Alan Partridge & Others
Series 1 Once the king of TV talk shows, Alan (Steve Coogan) now hosts Mid Morning Matters, a weekday local radio show at North Norfolk Digital which is beamed via studio webcam to a (potential) audience of billions. In this hilarious and critically acclaimed series, Alan and his sidekick Simon (Tim Key) courageously tackle the burning issues of the day; childhood obesity, popular TV prostitutes and how often you should wash your towels and prove beyond doubt that mid- mornings matter. Series 2 This second series sees the master at work as he broadcasts his daily radio show at the fictional North Norfolk Digital. Whether reprimanding a celebrity chef for the use of fennel in a recipe, or making history by having a massage live on air, Alan never fails to push the boundaries of broadcasting and, more often than not, good taste. Also includes Partrimilgrimage: The Specials. Mid Morning Matters Series 1 & 2 Boxset (DVD). Mid Morning Matters Series 1 & 2, Mid Morning Matters boxset, Mid Morning Matters Series, Mid Morning Matters Series 2, Mid Morning Matters complete, comedy boxsets, comedy dvd, Mid Morning Matters Series 1 & 2 dvd, alan partridge, steve coogan
Rambo meets Alien in this terrific science-fiction thriller from 1987, directed by John McTiernan just a year before Die Hard made him Hollywood's most sought-after director of action-packed blockbusters. Arnold Schwarzenegger leads an elite squad of US Army commandos to a remote region of the South American jungle, where they've been assigned to search for South American officials who've been kidnapped by terrorists. Instead they find a bunch of skinned corpses hanging from the trees and realise that they're now facing a mysterious and much deadlier threat. As the squad is picked off one by one, Arnold finds himself pitted against a hideous alien creature that's heavily armed and wearing a spacesuit enabling the creature to render itself invisible. The title says it all in describing the relentless, escalating action that follows, maintained by McTiernan with an abundance of visual flair. The film's special effects are still impressive, and stunning locations in the Mexican jungles create a combined atmosphere of verdant beauty and imminent danger. The plot doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, but the movie's so exciting and tightly paced that its weaknesses seem irrelevant. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
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