Blu-Ray

  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On [Blu-ray]Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | Blu Ray | (26/06/2023) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Marcel, a 1-inch-tall shell, lives with his grandmother, Connie, the only residents of their town after their neighbors' sudden, mysterious disappearance. When discovered by a guest amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans and a new hope of reuniting with hisbr/long-lost family. MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON is the feature adaptation of Dean Fleischer Camp and Jenny Slate's popular series of short films and New York Times-bestselling books, and marks the big screen debut of the internet's most beloved mollusc.

  • Joanna [DVD + Blu-ray] [1968]Joanna | Blu Ray | (25/04/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

    Billed on the film's original release as 'the female Alfie' seventeen-year-old Joanna is cool stylish and determined to start a new life as an art student in swinging London. Played with gusto by Genevive Wate Joanna indulges in the pleasures of casual sexual encounters colourful daydreams and an impromptu trip to Morocco with the wise and debonair Lord Peter Sanderson (wonderfully played by Donald Sutherland). But when Joanna falls in love with Gordon from Sierra Leone her life begins to get complicated.

  • Fate Stay Night Heaven's Feel: Spring Song: Standard Edition [Blu-ray]Fate Stay Night Heaven's Feel: Spring Song: Standard Edition | Blu Ray | (20/06/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    To save the girl...to enact the justice he's chosen...The young man will no longer turn a blind eye to the truth.Mages (Masters) and Heroic Spirits (Servants) work together in the battles of the HolyGrail War...a fight for an omnipotent wish-granting container called the Holy Grail. However, this war has become horribly twisted. A young woman named Sakura Matou, with the sins she has committed, drowns in the murky darkness. A young man named Shirou Emiya, who vowed to protect Sakura, works together with Rin Tohsaka and throws himself into the raging battle to put a stop to the Holy Grail War.Illyasviel von Einzbern, as one of the few who knows the truth behind the conflict, confronts her own fate, while Zouken Matou uses Sakura to try to fulfil his own desires. Will the young man's wish reach her even as he challenges fate itself, battling against the rising tide?The Holy Grail War is coming to an end...The final battle is about to begin.

  • Cannibal Holocaust [Blu-ray]Cannibal Holocaust | Blu Ray | (12/12/2022) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Primitive savagery meets the brutality of the modern world in Ruggero Deodato s timeless slice of visceral horror - Cannibal Holocaust, a film so violent and depraved that the director was charged with killing his own cast! Anthropologist Harold Munroe is hellbound as he travels into the green inferno of South America s rainforest in an attempt to find a documentary crew lost months before. Instead of survivors he discovers a world of cannibalistic excess beyond his wildest imaginings but when he returns home and screens the footage left behind by the eviscerated filmmakers, chaos erupts as the screen is filled with some of most disturbing images ever committed to celluloid. The ultimate video nasty is now presented as never experienced before -remastered in 4K from original sources.

  • DEEPWATER HORIZON BD [Blu-ray] [2018]DEEPWATER HORIZON BD | Blu Ray | (30/01/2017) from £6.43   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Featuring an all-star cast, including Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O'Brien and Kate Hudson.On April 20th, 2010, one of the world's largest man-made disasters occurred on the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. Directed by Peter Berg (Lone Survivor), this story honors the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change everyone's lives forever.

  • Shinobi: Band of Assassins | Revenge | Resurrection (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] [Region A & B]Shinobi: Band of Assassins | Revenge | Resurrection (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (27/05/2024) from £31.44   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    It's the 16th century and Japan is in chaos. Samurai clans engage each other in battle over who gets to rule the nation, while warlords call upon the ninja to spy on and assassinate their rivals. Goemon, an ambitious young member of a ninja family, is thrown into the turmoil of Japanese history when his village is wiped out by the forces of leading warlord Oda Nobunaga, who has sworn to eradicate the ninja in his quest for absolute power. Fueled by vengeance, Goemon uses every weapon in his arsenal to bring down Oda and to prove that a ninja is an army of one. Starring the Japanese James Dean Raizo Ichikawa (Sleepy Eyes of Death, Conflagration) alongside Tomisaburo Wakayama (Lone Wolf and Cub, the Bounty Hunter trilogy) and Ayako Wakao (Elegant Beast, Red Angel), the Shinobi series was an epoch-making success and became a social phenomenon that left deep marks on Japan of the 1960s, from children's playgrounds to the leftist counter-culture. Packed with spectacular and oft-copied action scenes, it also established the ground rules for all ninja movies that followed, introducing such classic tropes as the shuriken throwing star and the iconic black mask and suit.LIMITED EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES: High-Definition digital transfer of each film presented on two discs, made available on Blu-ray (1080p) for the first time outside of Japan Uncompressed mono PCM audio Interview with Shozo Ichiyama, artistic director of the Tokyo International Film Festival, about director Satsuo Yamamoto Visual essay on the ninja in Japanese cinema by film scholar Mance Thompson Interview with film critic Toshiaki Sato on star Raizo Ichikawa Trailers New and improved optional English subtitles Six postcards of promotional material from the films Reversible sleeves featuring artwork based on original promotional materials Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements on the Shinobi no mono series and Diane Wei Lewis on writer Tomoyoshi Murayama Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

  • Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Limited Edition 4K UHD [Blu-ray] [Region Free]Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Limited Edition 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (24/03/2025) from £17.05   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    She's back! Elvira, Horrorland's hostess with the mostest, finally busts out on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with this long-awaited, positively bursting-at-the-seams special edition of her big screen debut, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark! Having just quit her job as a Los Angeles TV horror hostess, Elvira receives the unexpected news that she's set to inherit part of her great aunt Morgana's estate. Arriving in the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts to claim her inheritance, Elvira receives a less than enthusiastic reception from the conservative locals amongst them, her sinister uncle Vincent, who, unbeknownst to Elvira, is in fact an evil warlock secretly scheming to steal the old family spellbook for his own nefarious ends Campy, quirky and stuffed to the brim with more double entendres than your average Carry On movie, 1988's Elvira: Mistress of the Dark helped solidify the horror hostess (played by Cassandra Peterson) as a major pop culture icon, here owning every inch of the screen with her quick wit, sass, and of course, cleaving-enhancing gown!4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS¢ Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films¢ 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)¢ Original uncompressed stereo 2.0 audio¢ Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing ¢ Introduction to the film by director James Signorelli ¢ 2017 audio commentary with director James Signorelli, hosted by Fangoria editor emeritus Tony Timpone ¢ 2017 audio commentary with Patterson Lundquist, www.elviramistressofthedark.com webmaster and judge of US TV show The Search for the Next Elvira ¢ Archival audio commentary with actors Cassandra Peterson and Edie McClurg and writer John Paragon ¢ Too Macabre The Making of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark 2018 version of this feature-length documentary on the making of the film, including interviews with various cast and crew and archival material¢ Recipe for Terror: The Creation of the Pot Monster 2018 version of this featurette on the concept and design of the pot monster, as well as the film's other SFX ¢ Original storyboards ¢ Extensive image galleries ¢ Original US theatrical and teaser trailers¢ Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck ¢ Illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by Sam Irving, Kat Ellinger and Patterson Lundquist

  • Friend Request [Blu-ray] [2016] [Region Free]Friend Request | Blu Ray | (19/09/2016) from £3.99   |  Saving you £23.00 (576.44%)   |  RRP £26.99

    Enjoying college life as a popular student, Laura shares everything with her more than 800 friends on Facebook. But one day, after accepting a friend request from a social outcast named Marina, Laura's life is cursed, and her closest friends begin dying cruel deaths. Before her time is up, Laura must solve the mystery behind Marina and her Facebook profile, in order to break the deadly spell. Click Images to Enlarge

  • Night School (Blu-ray) [2018] [Region Free]Night School (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (11/02/2019) from £8.05   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    When accidentally destroying his workplace gets successful salesman Teddy (KEVIN HART) fired, he can't find another decent job unless he finally gets his GED. But two major things stand in his way: Carrie (TIFFANY HADDISH), a teacher with no time for grownup class clowns, and Stewart (TARAN KILLAM), Teddy's high school nemesis-turned-principal who will do anything to see him fail. Now every school rule is about to be broken when they all go head-to-head in a wild battle of wits, pranks, and lessons you can't learn in books. Night School is in session!

  • Martyrs [Blu-ray] [2008]Martyrs | Blu Ray | (25/05/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

    On a dark deserted street a half naked visibly abused girl runs screaming. Bruised bloody and suffering from dementia she is eventually rescued by the local police. Her name is Lucie and she's been missing for over a year but refuses to give away any information describing her captors or any details concerning her violent abduction. During an intensive investigation the police eventually discover an abandoned slaughterhouse containing what looks like a torture chamber. But what exactly took place and how Lucie managed to escape remains a mystery. Many years after the horrific incident a seemingly normal family have an unexpected guest during breakfast. Their surprise visitor is a distraught young woman carrying a loaded shotgun intent on revenge. Directed by Pascal Laugier (House Of Voices) Martyrs is an incredibly disturbing experience that goes beyond the constraints of an average Horror/Thriller and into the dark psychological depths of human drama and suffering. Extremely terrifying utterly believable provocative and ultimately tragic Martyrs is one of the most unforgettable films you'll ever witness.

  • Lock Up [Blu-ray] [2019]Lock Up | Blu Ray | (23/09/2019) from £9.55   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Whilst Frank Leone (Sylvester Stallone) is serving time for beating up some thugs, the prison's governor Drumgoole (Donald Sutherland) puts him through a hellish regime. Leone manages to escape and goes to the media to tell his tale of injustice and abuse. He is rewarded by being sent to an 'open' prison to finish his sentence but, six months before his release, he is grabbed in the night, taken to a maximum security prison and reunited with his old enemy... Bonus Features: Making Of Sylvester Stallone Profile Trailer Behind the Scenes Interviews Sylvester Stallone Donald Sutherland Sonny Landham John Amos

  • Violet Evergarden: TV Series (Standard Edition) [Blu-ray]Violet Evergarden: TV Series (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (13/12/2021) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    After four long years of conflict, The Great War has finally come to an end. Caught up in the bloodshed was Violet Evergarden, a young girl raised to be a deadly weapon on the battlefield. Hospitalized and maimed in a bloody skirmish during the War's final leg, she was left with only words from the person she held dearest, but no understanding of their meaning. Recovering from her wounds, Violet starts a new life working at CH Postal Services. There, she witnesses by pure chance the work of an Auto Memory Doll, amanuenses that transcribe people's thoughts and feelings into words on paper. Moved by the notion, Violet begins work as an Auto Memory Doll, a trade that will take her on an adventure, one that will reshape the lives of her clients and hopefully lead to self-discovery. Includes episodes 1-13, with a Bonus OVA, with Japanese and English audio and English subtitles.

  • Robocop [Blu-ray] [2014]Robocop | Blu Ray | (09/06/2014) from £5.67   |  Saving you £19.32 (340.74%)   |  RRP £24.99

    In RoboCop the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the centre of robot technology. Overseas their drones have been used by the military for years – and it’s meant billions for OmniCorp’s bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

  • John Wick: Chapter 4 - 4K UHD Lenticular (Amazon Exclusive) [Blu-ray]John Wick: Chapter 4 - 4K UHD Lenticular (Amazon Exclusive) | Blu Ray | (12/06/2023) from £28.19   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes

  • Sicario / Sicario 2: Soldado - 2 Movie Collection [Blu-ray] [2018]Sicario / Sicario 2: Soldado - 2 Movie Collection | Blu Ray | (29/10/2018) from £25.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Sicario: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin star in this action thriller from director Denis Villeneuve. FBI agent Kate Macer (Blunt) is recruited by government official Matt Graver (Brolin) to join a team, led by mysterious consultant Alejandro (Del Toro), on a secret mission to bring down a drug lord in Mexico. The operation is fraught with danger and Kate finds herself forced to reconsider what she stands for as she tries to successfully complete the mission and make it out alive... The film was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Cinematography and Best Original Score (Jóhann Jóhannsson). Sicario 2: Soldado In Sicario 2: Soldado, the drug war on the US Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) reteams with the mercurial Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).

  • Paul [Blu-ray]Paul | Blu Ray | (27/06/2011) from £6.49   |  Saving you £18.50 (285.05%)   |  RRP £24.99

    Everything you know about aliens from pop culture is true. At least that's the message from Paul, a swift, sharp, and very funny movie from the creative minds that also brought us Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Superbad, and Adventureland. The British stars of the first two, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, also wrote the snappy screenplay, and director Greg Mottola shows that he can make human and sentimental both the slapstick and the subtle, self-referential humour the same way he did in Superbad and Adventureland. The premise Pegg and Frost have laid out for themselves as likable, sci-fi fanatic supernerds is a dream vacation starting at Comic Con, then continuing through the American Southwest in an RV visiting historic UFO sites like Area 51, the Black Mailbox, and Roswell, and finishing up at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, the iconic centerpiece from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After their inauspicious start, they happen upon an escaped alien who is 4 feet tall, and has the big head, classic diamond eyes, and features we've come to recognize as both the benevolent and evil kinds of space aliens from movies and TV. He is also the titular character, and as voiced by Seth Rogen, this CGI creature spouts a never-ending string of wisecracks, insider secrets, and frat-boy humour that comes loud and clear as classic Rogen in tone and attitude. As an aside and terrific example of the very clever throwaway punch lines that run throughout, there's a brief flashback to 1980 showing Paul on a conference call with Steven Spielberg (really), giving him advice about script development issues for E.T. Paul crash-landed in the late 1940s and has been held prisoner by the government's men in black. They've not only been pumping him for knowledge, they've also leaked the fabric and features of his being to people who want to believe, especially the ones in Hollywood. Now Paul wants to go home, and he's found the perfect getaway with the want-to-believe team of Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost), who take him to his rendezvous (at Devil's Tower, of course). The road movie that unfolds is consistently hilarious, moving nimbly through one-off gags and inside jokes, but also creating larger relationships and drawn-out humour that relies on us believing that the little CGI Paul is real. And mostly we do, again thanks to Rogen's delivery and distinctive vocalizing. Paul constantly quips, makes fun, gets drunk, smokes dope, and spouts a steady stream of patter about how aliens have been bowdlerized and reimagined in entertainment and the minds of people like Graeme and Clive. There's a jam-packed supporting cast that complements and complicates the story (in a good way), including Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio as the bumbling men in black, and Jason Bateman as the scary man in black. Also passing through are some fun familiar faces like Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Jeffrey Tambor, John Carroll Lynch, and an iconic sci-fi actress who shall remain unnamed. Especially good is Kristen Wiig as a fundamentalist Christian whose mind is literally blown by Paul. Amid the broad humour and nonstop punch lines there's also a sweetness that stays with each finely drawn character (including Paul) and gives Paul an amiable sentimentality that runs throughout. Everyone clearly had fun making this movie, and that's exactly how it is to watch. --Ted Fry

  • Game of Death Limited Edition 4K UHD [Blu-ray] [Region Free]Game of Death Limited Edition 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (13/11/2023) from £17.05   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Game of Death Limited Edition . Five years after the release of Enter the Dragon and the death of its star Bruce Lee, director Robert Clouse was recruited by Golden Harvest to complete Lee’s last, unfinished masterwork, only a third of which was filmed before he died: Game of Death. The result is an exciting rollercoaster ride that blends Lee’s martial arts mastery with Clouse’s eye for nail-biting suspense.Billy Lo (Lee) is a kung fu superstar in the Hong Kong film industry whose happy life with his girlfriend Ann (Colleen Camp) is being intruded upon by a threatening group of American gangsters led by Dr Land (Dean Jagger) and henchman Steiner (Hugh O’Brian), intent on bringing Billy under their control. When Billy refuses, their lethal response sets about a chain of events where a disguised Billy turns the tables on the syndicate, fighting his way through the city for his and Ann’s freedom.With fantastic fight choreography by Sammo Hung, the leading inheritor to Lee’s throne at that time, and a much-beloved music score by John Barry, Game of Death was an international smash hit that helped to keep Lee’s star burning bright long after he was gone. It is accompanied here by its 1981 sequel Game of Death II (Tower of Death), one final star vehicle for Bruce Lee made using more rare footage found in the studio vaults.LIMITED EDITION 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY CONTENTS. • Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the films by Walter Chaw. • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella. DISC 1: GAME OF DEATH (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY). • 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible), restored by Arrow Films from original film elements, of the international cut and the Japanese cut of Game of Death via seamless branching. • Brand new 2K restoration of the International Cut of Game of Death II by Arrow Films from original film elements. • Original restored English mono audio on both cuts. • English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. • Feature commentary by Brandon Bentley & Mike Leeder. • The Song I’m Singing Tomorrow, an interview with star Colleen Camp. • Deleted and extended scenes from the Chinese-language versions of the film, including two alternate endings (some material in standard-definition). • Archive interviews with co-stars Dan Inosanto and Bob Wall. • Behind-the-scenes footage as featured in Bruce Lee: The Legend. • Rare pre-production sales featurette from 1976 with new commentary by Michael Worth and producer Andre Morgan. • Fight scene dailies directed by Sammo Hung. • Locations featurette from 2013. • Trailer gallery, including Bruceploitation and ‘Robert Clouse at Golden Harvest’ trailer reels. • Image gallery. DISC 2: GAME OF DEATH II (BLU-RAY). • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of Game of Death II as well as the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut titled Tower of Death (contains some standard-definition material). • Original lossless English mono audio on Game of Death II. • Original lossless Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono audio on Tower of Death. • English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on Game of Death, and optional English subtitles on Tower of Death. • Feature commentary by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth, co-producers of Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee. • Archive interview with co-star Roy Horan. • Alternate Korean version with unique footage, presented in High Definition with original lossless mono audio and English subtitles. • Alternate US video version in High Definition with lossless English mono audio, via seamless branching. • Alternate end credits sequence for Game of Death II. • Trailer gallery. • Image gallery

  • Good Guys Wear Black [Blu-ray] [2021]Good Guys Wear Black | Blu Ray | (29/08/2022) from £12.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Chuck Norris plays John T. Booker, a Vietnam veteran who finds out that several of his army buddies lost their lives in a mission that was intended to fail from the beginning. Seeking the reason behind his comrades unanswered deaths, Booker quits his job as a high school teacher in order to track down the last surviving members of his unit. In the midst of a plethora of martial arts, gunfire, and explosions, Booker discovers that his buddies are being systematically murdered by sinister forces, orchestrated by a crooked and politically untouchable politician.

  • Riding Giants [Blu-ray] [2004]Riding Giants | Blu Ray | (21/06/2021) from £13.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    First time on Blu-Ray in the UK. Three years after Dogtown and Z-Boys, Stacy Peralta came back with another spectacular doc - this time on the history of big-wave surfing. Widely regarded as one of the best surf documentaries ever made, it can now be viewed in high definition for the first time. Breaking the mold of traditional documentary filmmaking, Riding Giants uses its dynamic, cross-generational approach to profile the lives and times of the intrepid surfers who over the decades have dedicated themselves to finding and successfully challenging the biggest waves on earth. We meet Greg Noll, the pioneer, whose relentless push into Hawaii's big surf in the late 1950s earned him the nickname The Bull. There's Jeff Clark, Northern California's lone frontiersman, who, after discovering the massive waves of Maverick's near San Francisco, rode there alone for over a decade. And finally Hawaii's Laird Hamilton, the prototypical extreme surfer, a rare breed of athlete/innovator considered as the best big wave rider who ever waxed a board.

  • Magnolia [Blu-ray] [2015]Magnolia | Blu Ray | (29/06/2015) from £7.98   |  Saving you £11.27 (167.71%)   |  RRP £17.99

    A handful of people in California's San Fernando Valley are having one hell of a day. TV mogul Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) is on his deathbed and his trophy wife (Julianne Moore) is stockpiling tranquilliser prescriptions all over town with alarming determination. Earl's nurse (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is trying desperately to get in touch with Earl's only son, sex-guru Frank TJ Mackey (Tom Cruise), who's about to have his carefully constructed past blown by a TV reporter (April Grace). Whiz kid Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) is being goaded by his selfish dad into breaking the record for the game show What Do Kids Know? Meanwhile, Stanley's predecessor, the grown-up quiz kid Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) has lost his job and is nursing a severe case of unrequited love. And the host of What Do Kids Know?, the affable Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall), like Earl, is dying of cancer, and his attempt to reconcile with his cokehead daughter (Melora Walters) fails miserably. She, meanwhile, is running hot and cold with a cop (John C. Reilly) who would love to date her, if she can sit still for long enough. And over it all, a foreboding sky threatens to pour something more than just rain. This third feature from Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights) is a maddening, magnificent piece of film-making, and an ensemble film to rank with the best of Robert Altman (Short Cuts, Nashville)--every little piece of the film means something, solidly placed for a reason. Deftly juggling a breathtaking ensemble of actors, Anderson crafts a tale of neglectful parents, resentful children, and love-starved souls that's amazing in scope, both thematically and emotionally. Part of the charge of Magnolia is seeing exactly how many characters Anderson can juggle, and can he keep all those balls in the air (indeed he can, even if it means throwing frogs into the mix). And it's been far too long since we've seen a film-maker whose love of making movies is so purely joyful. This electric energy is reflected in the actors, from Cruise's revelatory performance to Reilly's quietly powerful turn as the moral centre of the story. While at three hours it's definitely not suited to everyone's taste, Magnolia is a compelling, heartbreaking, ultimately hopeful meditation on the accidents of chance that make up our lives. The soundtrack features eight wonderful songs by Aimee Mann, including "Save Me", around which Anderson built the script. --Mark Englehart

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