Offenbach's operetta La Belle Hélene, which pokes fun at the Parisian upper class of a century and a half ago through tales of ancient Greece, requires a leap of imagination on behalf of today's audience that this production only partly succeeds in reconciling. On musical grounds we're on sure footing. Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the chorus and orchestra of the Zurich Opera House with his customary flair for precise and taut rhythms and an appreciation of the composer's wit and the good tunes that are a-plenty. His multi-national cast headed by Vesselina Kasarova as Helen of Troy and Deon van der Walt as her lover Paris are excellent and among the smaller parts there's a lively and stylish performance from Liliana Nichiteanus as Oreste. The video direction by Hartmut Schroder and the superb sound obtained from the relatively intimate Zurich Opera House, a delightful setting for this operetta, are further assets. The production alas is unenlightening and perpetrates an over-the-top style that seems to be synonymous with Offenbach. The backdrop, a pink concave awning is hideous. The costumes by designer Jean-Charles de Castelibajac are silly: Paris is dressed in lederhosen and looks a twerp, Calchac, the high priest wears a Ku Klux Klan hat and Helen at one point looks as though she'll take to absailing. Kasarova suggests the lure of Helen in her voice but a beauty she's not. So it's left to Harnoncourt who joins the company at the curtain call with a twinkle in his eye and a nifty side step and his superb orchestra to remind us what might have been. --Adrian Edwards
First ten episodes from the children's animated series based on the novel 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum. After defeating the Wicked Witches of the East and the West, Dorothy Gale (voice of Kari Wahlgren) from Kansas finds herself back in the magical land of Oz where she has been named Princess of Emerald City by Queen Ozma (also Wahlgren). With her friends the Tin Man (JP Karliak), Scarecrow (Bill Fagerbakke), Lion (Jess Harnell) and her dog Toto by her side, Dorothy sets off for a series of magical adventures but soon discovers that the Wicked Witch of the West's niece Wilhelmina (Jessica DiCicco) is trying to bring her aunt back to life. The episodes are: 'Beware the Woozy', 'Magical Mandolin', 'Toto Unleashed', 'Official Ozian Exam', 'Locket Locket in My Pocket', 'Mixed-Up Mixer', 'Ojo the Unlucky', 'The Lion's Share', 'Rules of Attraction' and 'Brain Power of Love'.
Skin Flick follows a gang of skinheads on their daily quest for adventure: Man Sex Gang Banging Granny Theft Petty Pilfering & General Mayhem. Low on cash they 'visit' two bourgeois gay men. Then it turns nasty...
Based on a contemporary interpretation of the classic Henry James novel and set in present day New York City the story centres on Maisie an unwitting six-year-old girl enmeshed in the bitter divorce of her mother a rock and roll icon and her father a charming but distracted art dealer. Darkly comic and emotionally compelling What Maisie Knew is an evocative portrayal of the chaos and complexity of a modern marriage.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days, the third instalment in the Wimpy Kid films, is sublimely funny for all ages. That's a tall order, but it's really true. The script, the jokes, the acting, the dialogue are all appropriate for pretty much all ages of children, but manage to be super-appealing to adults too. Zachary Gordon is back as Greg, the wimpy kid who just can't quite square his true desires--to play video games all summer, indoors--with his well-meaning dad's intention that he do something worthwhile, and preferably outside. When Greg starts hanging out at the swanky country club pool to be nearer his crush, Holly (Peyton List), he lets his dad (Steve Zahn) believe he's gotten a job there. The jokes and gags are not highbrow, and yet director David Bowers and the talented cast and well-written script keep things moving along, if you will, swimmingly. What's great about the Wimpy Kid films is that the kids are believable and on-trend, and yet wear age-appropriate clothes and don't drop swear words. It's endearing to see middle-schoolers treated as the almost-teens they are--emphasis on "almost." Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days is truly a comedy that the whole family can enjoy together. --A.T. Hurley
In the near future after an unspecified holocaust survivors are herded into prison camps. There they are hunted for sport by the leaders of the camp. Paul one of the newest prisoners is determined not to go down as quietly as the others.
Features the tracks: 1. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird 2. Free - All Right Now 3. City Boy - 5705 4. Steelers Wheel - 'Stuck In The Middle 5. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen 6. Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Perfect Skin 7. Status Quo - Whatever You Want 8. Steve Winwood - Valerie 9. The Christians - Harvest For The World 10. 10cc - The Things We Do For Love 11. John Miles - Music 12. Joe Jackson - It's Different For A Girl 13. Thin Lizzy - Sarah 14. Free - My Brohter Joke
Before HD there was Super 8; before Independent film there was Underground Cinema and in the late 1970's and 80's, downtown Manhattan was the epicentre of a new kind of explosive, raw and confrontational filmmaking that bore witness to the rising East Village art and No Wave music scenes and the birth of hip hop. Filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, Beth B, Lizzie Borden and Amos Poe captured New York's gritty vibrance with dissonant tales and deadpan humour. Blank City tells their story and succeeds in capturing the glorious and grungy creative energy of another age, illustrated by extraordinary footage of their early work and the derelict landscapes of the Lower East Side. Interviews with Jim Jarmusch, John Waters, Steve Buscemi, Debbie Harry, Fab 5 Freddy, Thurston Moore and Lydia Lunch explore how a group of young visionaries pooled resources to create a DIY film movement that had a major influence on independent film today. Special Features: 50 minutes of bonus features - Director Interview Out-takes Deleted and Extended Scenes Trailer
The secret agent kids are back in another adventure that finds Carmen caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Toymaker (Sly Stallone), so it's up to Juni to save his sister and ultimately the world.
Three problem teens are headed for jail: (Claire Danes) for assault Pete (Giovanni Ribisi) for robbery and Linc (Omar Epps) for arson. They're set to do time with no hope for freedom until Captain Greer (Dennis Farina) offers them a deal to work for him - undercover. In a hip L.A. scene something is going down - but the cops aren't sure what. Captain Greer sends in his special undercover teen task force - The Mod Squad - to find out. But as this dynamic trio starts looking beyond
'Seriously Funny!' is the funniest DVD you will ever own! Introduced by Nick Hancock this is the best and most hilarious comic talent and their funniest sketches for Comic Relief. Whether it's Alan Partridge Kevin & Perry Ali G or Billy Connolly to name but a few who make you laugh out loud if it's hot comedic action you're after then you'll love this DVD! *Portion of sales going to Comic Relief.
One of the biggest hits of Sergio Leone's career 'My Name Is Nobody' brings together two Western icons: Henry Fonda and 70s Italian superstar Terence Hill. Fonda plays ageing gunslinger Jack Beauregard and nobody is faster than Beauregard - until he meets a man called Nobody (Hill) who has been hired to kill him. However Beauregard was Nobody's childhood hero and the wily young gun starts planning a way that Jack can go down in the history books. Directed by Leone's former assi
Investigative reporter Fran Simmons has only just returned to her native New York when a huge story lands on her desk. Five years ago Molly Carpenter was convicted of murdering her husband Dr Gary Lasch; now Fran is determined to reassemble Molly's partial memories of the fateful night...
A fading country music star (Keith) returns to his hometown where he reunites with his childhood sweetheart and also meets his 16-year-old daughter for the first time.
Unified Championship Match: Austin or Angle vs. Rock or Jericho World Title Match: Chris Jericho vs. The Rock Federation Championship Match: Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle Women's Championship Match: Trish Status vs. Jacqueline Federation Hardcore Match: Undertaker vs. Rob Van Dam Federation Tag Team Championship Match: Dudleyz vs. Big Show & Kane Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy (Lita as special referee) Federation Intercontinental Match: Edge vs. William regal Albert & Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Test & Christian
Steve Martin is back as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther 2! Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) teams up with a squad of International detectives who are just as bumbling as he is. Their mission: Stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts.
Titles Comprise: Bonnie And Clyde: Bonnie and Clyde balances itself on a knife-edge of laughter and terror thanks to vivid title role performances by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway and superb support from Michael J. Pollard Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons. Director Arthur Penn keeps the film's sensibilities tough but never cruel. It continually dazzles especially in the work of cinematographer Burnett Guffey and editor Dede Allen. And as film lovers since have discovered it's no ordinary gangster movie. Natural Born Killers: From two of the world's most controversial filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone comes one of the most controversial films ever made. Meet Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) - the most terrifying and relentless cold-blooded killers imaginable. Rejected by society these two lost souls embark on a murderous rampage. But as the body count soars so too does their notoriety and before long the greedy tabloid press has made them into cult heroes. In the media circus of life Mickey and Mallory have just become the main attraction... The Getaway: Master thief Doc McCoy knows his wife has been in bed with the local political boss in order to spring him from jail. What he can't know is the sinister succession of double-crosses that will sour the deal once he's on the oustisde - and executing the ultimate robbery. Fasten your seat belts and join Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw in a supreme action thriller based on Jim Thomson's novel (Scripted by Warriors director Walter Hill). Once the Getaway starts there's no escaping its breathless intensity!
Getting to the big dance takes style and grace and only those who are pure of sound and rhythm are fit to enter the grandest stage. And if your soiree involves a ring a ref and thousands of screaming fans a signature sound makes all the difference. Now countdown the greatest 25 entrance themes of all time with Signature Sounds: The Music of WWE. From shattering glass to chilling bell tolls to seductive melodies fit for the ball these are the tune that ring in the arrival of your favourite WWE Superstars. Includes insider commentary on 25 classic themes from the WWE Superstars Divas and the artists behind the tracks.
There''s a miracle on Sesame Street in this magical Christmas tale. Elmo Abby Cadabby and their new friend Stiller the Elf (voice of Ben Stiller) are going to count down to Christmas with the Christmas Counter-Downer. But all the counting boxes have gone missing and Christmas may never come again! Can Elmo and friends save Christmas? With the help of very special guests Sheryl Crow Jamie Foxx Anne Hathaway Jennifer Hudson Alicia Keys Brad Paisley Ty Pennington Steve Schirripa Tony Sirico and Kevin James (as Santa Claus) Elmo and friends will learn to believe in Christmas miracles.
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