They grew up in the violent immigrant ghetto of New York's Lower East Side: Max and Noodles Cockeye and Patsy Deborah and Fat Moe. They grew up on the streets and they grew up fast. Fighting their way to the top of the heap they took a vow to stick together but that's not how things worked out. Leone's commanding epic traces the destinies of four men from childhood on the streets through their violent rise to power and maturity during Prohibition as fully fledged hoods. De Niro is magnificent as ""Noodles"" Aaronson one of the four forced by murder and betrayal to flee New York in 1933. When he is mysteriously summoned back in 1968 he discovers that the tragic and bloody events surrounding his betrayal are not as they once seemed... 'Once Upon A Time In America' is director Sergio Leone's astonishing gangster melodrama an epic exploration of the dark side of the American dream. Ten years in the planning Leone's film is the work of a master storyteller - grandly conceived rich in detail and thrilling in the depth and originality of its vision.
The TV drama that had America mesmerised in the 80's about what could possibly happen after a nuclear bomb hits.
The 1980s was the make-and-break decade for Sylvester Stallone's career, and Lock Up typifies the direction he took in his post-Rocky and Rambo days. It's a concept movie in the same mould as Rambo III just before it, and Tango & Cash just after. The hero (Frank Leone) is put in jeopardy (Gateway Prison), establishes a nemesis to defeat (in the shape of Donald Sutherland as Warden Drumgoole), makes a few friendships that can be sacrificed along the way (Tom Sizemore as Dallas) and does what he does in the name of love (Darlanne Flugel as Melissa). The revenge-twisted warden puts him through hell over a shared back-story. The torture ranges from being made to hold his breath in a delousing chamber to sanity-stretching periods in "The Hole". It's all about how far a man can be pushed. But being a Stallone vehicle, it's not all depressing. Composer Bill Conti reunites with the star to put the same sort of heroic fuel behind a prison-yard football game as he did for Rocky. A couple of feel-good songs pep up the love story and a montage of camaraderie in rebuilding a broken-down car. There's a healthy sense of realism achieved by having Sly doing all his own stunts and the use of a real-life prison. If the elements lead to a by-the-numbers conclusion (it's no Shawshank Redemption), remember this was some years before the actor wanted to get serious. On the DVD: A surprising amount of footage has been assembled in the two behind-the-scenes featurettes: we see Stallone directing his own fight scenes, and how use of New Jersey's Rahway Prison came with 2,500 real inmates to keep under control. Sound bite interviews reveal Stallone's worldly philosophies, then a trailer and gallery of 17 photos round out a decent overall package. --Paul Tonks
Laura has her degree her job in Silicon Valley and it's time to leave home. Everything is fine until she meets Richard Farley who will not leave her alone...
Everybody has a dark side. That's the tag line for Sky Living's brand new spooky drama series Bedlam. And it's a phrase which is bound to haunt the lead characters as they settle into Bedlam Heights the converted lunatic asylum that they have chosen to call home. Kate (Charlotte Salt) has been working with her father Warren (Hugo Speer) to renovate the former asylum into the latest in modern living. She's also bagged herself a rather stylish flat in to the bargain which she now shares with best mate Molly (Ashley Madekwe) and Ryan (Will Young). That's until Kate's troubled cousin Jed (Theo James) turns up. He says he just needs a place to crash but the creepy goings on at Bedlam Heights soon start to get under his skin. Can he really 'Save Kate'? And from whom or what does she need saving? Bedlam is bound to bring a shiver to your evenings.
Jagged Edge was one of a series of entertaining if porous thrillers crafted by screenwriter Joe Eszterhas before he wrote the ridiculous Showgirls. This 1985 movie is a taut mystery about an attorney (Glenn Close) who defends a newspaper publisher (Jeff Bridges) accused of murder. The fact that Close's character falls for him is more convenient than plausible, but it is a necessary emotional bridge for Eszterhas and director Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle) to build toward a powerful finale. Scary, fun as courtroom dramas go, the film is well serviced by the two lead stars and has impressive support from co-star Peter Coyote and especially from Robert Loggia, who plays Close's cop buddy. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Charles Fuller adapted his Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play for the big screen in 1984. The film version, A Soldier's Story is essentially a murder mystery, played out against a background of inter and intra-racial conflict at a Second World War training camp. To the consternation of his white opposite number at the camp, a black captain (Howard W Rollins) arrives to investigate the death of a black sergeant (Adolph Caesar). Suspicion immediately falls on a pair of bigoted white officers but as the tale unfolds in a series of flashbacks, it soon becomes clear that a different kind of prejudice is also at work. Assisted by some excellent performances, director Norman Jewison opens the story out from its stage roots. There's a wonderful baseball scene (filmed on location at Little Rock) in which the double standards of Dennis Lipscomb's fidgety white captain are exposed with neat irony; he'll cheer his successful black team all the way home in the name of sport. His gradual, forced liberalisation provides the film with an important comic element. A Soldier's Story wears its heart on its sleeve without being superficial in any way. It's a compelling tale, well told and often highly entertaining, in which nobody gets off lightly, least of all the good guy. On the DVD: The widescreen presentation helps give an epic feel to what could, in other hands, have been a claustrophobic production. The picture quality is fine. But the monaural sound track is often rather muffled, leaving you straining to catch some of the dialogue. This is also a shame because the blues music--an inspired job by Herbie Hancock, assisted by Patti Labelle singing her lungs out as bar owner Big Mary--is an important element of the film's underlying theme and deserves to be better heard. The extras are valuable. Norman Jewison's commentary is detailed and sensitive. As he says, the film deals with "ideas in racism never seen on screen before", and he acknowledges the strength of his actors in getting those ideas across. "March to Freedom" is an excellent short documentary which features the moving testimonies of black servicemen on the insufferable prejudices they encountered while attempting to defend their country during the Second World War; A Soldier's Story is thus put sharply into context. --Piers Ford
Don Henley helped define the 70's as a member of the enormously successful rock band the Eagles before launching an impressive solo career that includes such hits as 'Dirty Laundry' 'The Boys Of Summer' and 'All She Wants To Do Is Dance'. On May 25 2000 he returned to his Texas roots for a remarkable concert recorded before an enthusiastic audience at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas. This rock legend's live performance captures all the passion satire and originality that fans around the world most treasure in his influential music. Tracklist: 'Dirty Laundry' 'Sunset Grill' 'Workin' It' 'Taking You Home' 'The Boys Of Summer' 'Lilah' 'Everything Is Different Now' 'The End Of Innocence' 'All She Wants To Do Is Dance' 'New York Minute' 'Talking To The Moon' 'They're Not Here They're Not Coming' 'The Heart Of The Matter' 'Desperado' 'The Long Run' 'My Thanksgiving' and 'Hotel California'.
Four convicts volunteer for a salvage space mission which turns into a nightmare when the crew begin disappearing.
For all those of us who spent months debating the Will versus Gareth battle, Pop Idol: A Star is Born is the ideal fix of cheesy Pop Idol action for anyone missing their weekend dose. While those fascinated by the dubious talents at the audition stage will love the Pop Idol: Raw Talent! video, A Star is Born starts from the point where the contest was between 10 finalists, ending with Will's triumphant victory. This video is basically a compilation of performances from the show, which also includes Ant and Dec presenting the wannabes, and although you can't help but love those cheeky Newcastle lads, their introductions become annoyingly repetitive. There are no new stories or additional behind-the-scenes footage here: it's principally about the performances, which were the main reason we tuned in so addictively. Highlights include Will's performance of "Light My Fire" and Hayley's "That Old Devil Called Love". It is fascinating to see Will, the dark horse at the start of the competition, slowly begin to shine in a triumph of flexibility and consistency. Against the patchy performances of some of the others, it's easy to see why Will and Gareth made it to the final two. The contest both united and divided the country but any fan of the series will find plenty of their favourite moments here.--Rachel Ediss
Writer-director Andrew Bergman is capable of funny, funny stuff, but Honeymoon in Vegas runs out of jokes long before it runs out of comic ideas. The result is a series of comedy concepts that never get past the one-liner stage and are distinctly unsatisfying. Still, there is plenty to be amused by in this story of a reluctant bridegroom (Nicolas Cage) who finally agrees to marriage, only to lose his fiancée (Sarah Jessica Parker) in a crooked poker game to a professional gambler (James Caan). The rest of the movie deals with his frantic attempt to get his fiancée back, while coping with a Vegas in the throes of an Elvis-impersonator convention. That's the funniest thing about the whole movie (most notably the team of parachuting Elvises at the end), but even that is drawn out in ways that are more clever than laughter-inducing.--Marshall Fine, Amazon.com
A heartwarming story of love at Christmas time.The story of a special Christmas that offers an unforgettable lesson in love and trust. Maddie Parker (Jobeth Williams The Big Chill Poltergeist) and her daughters are going to visit her mother (Dina Merrill The Player) for the holidays Coincidentally they run into her soon-to-be-ex-husband Mitch (Michael Ontkean Postcards From The Edge) who is heading in the opposite direction. Thanks to a blanket of snow and a closed airport these two weary travellers discover that they have nothing to do... except fall in love again - and make their two heartbroken children very happy again. As the snow begins to melt outside so too do the hearts of two adults and two happy children! It's Christmas and they are together again.
Daryl Hannah leads an all-star cast in The Tie That Binds - a spellbinding thriller from the producers of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle! When a childless couple adopts an abandoned little girl they discover a happiness they have never known before. But their new family is violently shattered when the girl's natural parents - a dangerous pair of outlaws - reappear to claim what's theirs! It's heart-stopping thrills as one couple is forced to fight for their lives agai
Helene Junot is rich beautiful powerful and envied for her success but is surrounded by enemies who seek to destroy her. As a young girl Helene witnessed the murder of her mother was seperated from her brother and sister and was herself both beaten and raped by the Nazi's in Paris. Helene now a fully grown woman meets a photographer who puts her on the road to fame as the hottest model in Paris until she turns her hand to design and becomes a director of a top fashion house. Helene attracts many men both good and bad especially in the case of Count De Ville but she meets an American Officer on his way to Vietnam and falls madly in love but happiness eludes her as she is forced to borrow money to pay a famed Nazi hunter to track down her long lost brother who has spent 15 years in a mental institution. Helene's empire flourishes but the ruthlessness and calculative ambition in business and her quest for revenge costs her dear as she has to deal with her many enemies as her life enters a new dimension when she has to fight for her own survival and that of her empire.
Kiss Of The Dragon China's top secret agent Liu Jian (Jet Li) visits Paris on a pleasure trip only to encounter government espionage at the highest level. Accused of a murder he did not commit and on the run in a city he doesn't know Liu befriends an American woman Jessica (Bridget Fonda) and makes a promise that could compromise his career and even cost him his life... Bulletproof Monk 'Bulletproof Monk' begins in the 1940s as a Tibetan Buddhist monk charged with protecting an ancient scroll passes on his legacy to his pupil. As the student receives the power to safeguard the scroll his aging process is halted and he gives up his name only to be known as the Monk (Chow Yun-Fat). Suddenly the monastery is raided by Nazis led by the ruthless Strucker (Karl Roden). As they attempt to seize the relic the Monk is shot and falls off a cliff taking the scroll with him... However six decades later the Monk appears in America and crosses paths with Kar (Seann William Scott) a tough city kid with a talent for picking pockets. Together the unlikely duo must contend with the forces of the now-elderly Strucker still determined to possess the mystical scroll. As Strucker's granddaughter Nina (Victoria Smurfit) leads his thugs to track down Kar and the Monk the two heroes receive help from the mysterious Jade (James King)... Marked For Death Just retired from the Drug Enforcement agency John Hatcher (Seagal) returns to his hometown and quickly discovers that drugs have infiltrated his old neighbourhood. Determined to drive the dealers out Hatcher crosses paths with a ferocious Jamaican druglord who vows that Hatcher and his family are now marked for death...
Brothers like no others. Harry aged 23 is a former boy band idol who is watching his younger brother Max aged 16 follow in his footsteps. Harry escorts Max on a long-promised camping adventure to the San Gabriel mountains above Los Angeles but things quickly turn serious as the boys discuss Harry's contradictory relationship with their family. Max's longing to connect with Harry both physically and emotionally grows even more wanting to bring stability to Harry's life.
The victorious winner of TV's Pop Idol, Will Young has already carved out a considerable run of success in the fickle world of pop. In Will Young, Live he abandons the cheesy boy-band ballads in favour of a more soulful approach that is perfectly suited to his "housewives favourite" status. His first live DVD is a rather laidback, sedate affair, lacking the fancy pyrotechnics and glittery costumes changes that gave fellow Pop Idol Gareth Gates' show a bit more razzle. Young breezes his way through a host of fan favourites including his first single "Evergreen", his take on The Doors classic "Light My Fire" and the Children in Need single "You and I". Not unsurprisingly, he wheels on Gareth for the finale to perform their duet "The Long and Winding Road". Young is a competent and confident performer and has a great live singing voice, backed by a great band and vocalists. He has shown great guts by not heading down the manufactured pop route, and his wide-ranging audience will enjoy reliving this concert for years to come. On the DVD: Will Young takes a similar approach to Gareth's live DVD, there are nicely designed, simple menus leading to the usual "photo gallery" and scene selection, but not much to get excited about. The picture and sound quality is quite excellent, with Young's stirring vocals always clear and crisp above the howling of 10,000 screaming fans. --Jon Weir
1955 The Nevada Desert. A young couple Brian and Peggy become known as America's First Nuclear Family after miraculously surviving an atomic weapons experiment. Soon after the test Peggy gives birth to a baby boy with a small red perfectly circular birthmark on his hand. Only a few days later Brian and Peggy spontaneously erupt in flames - melting plastic but leaving everything else in the room untouched. Thirty four years later Sam Kramer - his red circular birthmark now more pronounced is finding out that the results have had some unexpected effects on him....
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