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Review New Line Home Video / First Strike [1997] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Jackie Chan
  • Stanley Tong
  • Yuri Petrov
  • Jackson Liu
  • Bill Tung
  • Annie Wu
Release date: 1999-03-02
Run time: 85 min.
Price: £2.69

Review First Strike [1997] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / New Line Home Video:

Action-god Jackie Chan does his best James Bond impression with First Strike, an ecstatic sequel to the classic Supercop. The bare-bones plot has Chan in pursuit of international terrorists, but the narrative quickly gives way to an unceasing barrage of insane stunt work (including a nitro-fuelled ski chase and a grandiose fight scene set inside a functioning shark tank). As with most of the ageing star's recent films, there is more of an emphasis placed on big, impersonal (albeit impressive) stunts rather than the close-up combat that made him famous; but the end result is still a must-see rush for longtime fans and a great introduction for newcomers eager to see what all the well-deserved fuss is about. The scene where Jackie takes on multiple goons while armed only with a ladder is one of his most jaw-dropping set pieces ever-and that's saying quite a lot. Be sure to stick around for the closing credits of gags gone awry, which graphically prove that Chan is truly the hardest working man in show business. -Andrew Wright.

Review Walt Disney Video / Shanghai Knights [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Aidan Gillen
  • Fann Wong
  • Jackie Chan
  • Aaron Johnson (III)
  • David Dobkin
  • Owen Wilson
Release date: 2003-07-15
Run time: 114 min.
Price: £2.92

Review Shanghai Knights [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Walt Disney Video:

Better than your average sequel, Shanghai Knights almost defies the law of diminishing returns. Lacking the freshness of Shanghai Noon, it compensates with a looser, disposable plot that plays to the strengths of costars Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. It's 1887 and odd-couple heroes Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) are in London to retrieve the Imperial Seal of China, stolen by an English lord (Aidan Gillen) who killed Wang's father in his quest for the British throne. Wang's lithe and lovely sister (Fann Wong) joins the battle with high-kicking force, appealing to Roy's roguish charm and surfer-dude anachronisms. While Chan continues his transition to safer stunts and good-natured homage to Buster Keaton, Gene Kelly, and other Hollywood legends, Wilson indulges the party vibe to good effect, maintaining the anything-goes approach that allows silly encounters with Jack the Ripper, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and a Dickensian urchin named Charlie Chaplin. (Chaplin wasn't born until 1889, but if the filmmakers didn't care, why should you?) -Jeff Shannon.

Actors & Directors
  • Vanessa Angel
  • Patrick Warburton
  • James Keach
  • Leslie Nielsen
  • William Forsythe
  • C. Ernst Harth
Release date: 2006-04-07
Run time: 97 min.
Price: £1.40

Review Camouflage [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Trinity:


Review 20th Century Fox / Big Trouble in Little China [1986] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Lia Chang
  • George Cheung
  • Kim Cattrall
  • Chao Li Chi
  • Kate Burton
Release date: 2001-05-22
Run time: 99 min.
Creator: John Carpenter
Price: £55.95

Review Big Trouble in Little China [1986] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / 20th Century Fox:

Trying to explain the cult appeal of John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China to the uninitiated is no easy task. The plot in a nutshell follows lorry driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) into San Francisco's Chinatown, where he's embroiled in street gang warfare over the mythical/magical intentions of would-be god David Lo Pan. There are wire-fu fight scenes, a floating eyeball and monsters from other dimensions. Quite simply it belongs to a genre of its own. Carpenter was drawing on years of chop-socky Eastern cinema tradition, which, at the time of the film's first release in 1986, was regrettably lost on a general audience. Predictably, it bombed. But now that Jackie Chan and Jet Li have made it big in the West, and Hong Kong cinema has spread its influence across Hollywood, it's much, much easier to enjoy this film's happy-go-lucky cocktail of influences. Russell's cocky anti-hero is easy to cheer on as he "experiences some very unreasonable things" blundering from one fight to another, and lusts after the gorgeously green-eyed Kim Cattrall. The script is peppered with countless memorable lines, too ("It's all in the reflexes"). Originally outlined as a sequel to the equally obscure Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, Big Trouble is a bona fide cult cinema delight. [+]
Jack sums up the day's reactions perfectly, "China is here? I don't even know what the Hell that means!". On the DVD: Big Trouble in Little China is released as a special edition two-disc set in its full unedited form. Some real effort has been put into both discs' animated menus, and the film itself is terrific in 2. 35:1 and 5. 1 (or DTS). The commentary by Carpenter and Russell may not be as fresh as their chat on The Thing, but clearly they both retain an enormous affection for the film. There are eight deleted scenes (some of which are expansions of existing scenes), plus a separate extended ending which was edited out for the right reasons. You'll also find a seven-minute featurette from the time of release, a 13-minute interview with FX guru Richard Edlund, a gallery of 200 photos, 25 pages of production notes and magazine articles from American Cinematographer and Cinefex. Best of all for real entertainment value is a music video with Carpenter and crew (the Coupe de Villes) coping with video FX and 80s hair-dos. -Paul Tonks.

Review Entertainment in Video / Rush Hour [UMD Mini for PSP] [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • Jackie Chan
  • Christopher Penn
  • Elizabeth Pena
  • Chris Tucker
  • Brett Ratner
  • Tom Wilkinson
Release date: 2005-09-01
Run time: 98 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £6.99

Review Rush Hour [UMD Mini for PSP] [1998] / Entertainment in Video:

The plot line may sound familiar: Two mismatched cops are assigned as reluctant partners to solve a crime. Culturally they are complete opposites, and they quickly realize they can't stand each other. One (Jackie Chan) believes in doing things by the book. He is a man with integrity and nerves of steel. The other (Chris Tucker) is an amiable rebel who can't stand authority figures. He's a man who has to do everything on his own, much to the displeasure of his superior officer, who in turn thinks this cop is a loose cannon but tolerates him because he gets the job done. Directed by Brett Ratner, Rush Hour doesn't break any new ground in terms of story, stunts, or direction. It rehashes just about every "buddy" movie ever made-in fact, it makes films such as Tango and Cash seem utterly original and clever by comparison. So, why did this uninspired movie make over $120 million at the box office? Was the whole world suffering from temporary insanity? Hardly. The explanation for the success of Rush Hour is quite simple: chemistry. [+]
The casting of veteran action maestro Jackie Chan with the charming and often hilarious Chris Tucker was a serendipitous stroke of genius. Fans of Jackie Chan may be slightly disappointed by the lack of action set pieces that emphasize his kung-fu craft. On the other hand, those who know the history of this seasoned Hong Kong actor will be able to appreciate that Rush Hour was the mainstream breakthrough that Chan had deserved for years. Coupled with the charismatic scene-stealer Tucker, Chan gets to flex his comic muscles to great effect. From their first scenes together to the trademark Chan outtakes during the end credits, their ability to play off of one another is a joy to behold, and this mischievous interaction is what saves the film from slipping into the depths of pitiful mediocrity. -Jeremy Storey.

Review Blue Underground / The Girl From Rio [1969]
Actors & Directors
  • Walter Rilia
  • Jesús Franco
  • Richard Wyler
  • Maria Rohm
  • Elisa Montes
  • Shirley Eaton
Release date: 2004-01-27
Run time: 94 min.
Creator: Daniel White
Price: £6.42

Review The Girl From Rio [1969] / Blue Underground:


Review Adv Films / Dirty Pair Flash - Perfect Collection And (Animated) (Dubbed) (DVD (Subtitled (Three Discs)
Actors & Directors
  • Kim Sevier
  • Rica Matsumoto
  • Allison Keith
  • Sue Ulu
  • Tsukasa Sunaga
  • Mariko Kouda
  • Tomomi Mochizuki
  • Katsuyoshi Yatabe
Release date: 2005-02-21
Run time: 400 min.
Price: £39.99

Review Dirty Pair Flash - Perfect Collection And (Animated) (Dubbed) (DVD (Subtitled (Three Discs) / Adv Films:


Review Walt Disney Video / My Science Project [1985] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • John Stockwell
  • Jonathan R. Betuel
  • Raphael Sbarge
  • Richard Masur
  • Danielle von Zerneck
  • Fisher Stevens
Release date: 2004-02-03
Run time: 95 min.
Price: £4.82

Review My Science Project [1985] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Walt Disney Video:


Review MGM / Tank Girl [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Jeff Kober
  • Naomi Watts
  • Don Harvey
  • Ice-T
  • Rachel Talalay
  • Lori Petty
Release date: 2001-04-10
Run time: 103 min.
Price: £2.98

Review Tank Girl [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MGM:

In Tank Girl, director Rachel Talalay's aggressively hip adaptation of the cult comic book, it is 2033 and the earth has been clobbered by a comet; civilization has been destroyed, and it hasn't rained in 11 years. Nearly all the water on the planet is controlled by the evil Water and Power Company, which is in turn controlled by the even more evil Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell). Who stands in the way? Mysterious mutants called the Rippers and, of course, Tank Girl. Lori Petty plays the eponymous, wisecracking, defiant heart of the movie as kind of an inner child gone wild. Unfortunately Petty can't quite carry a movie on her own-her zingers frequently fall flat and she seems to be continually worried that we still like her. Luckily there's Naomi Watts as Jet Girl to save the day: smart, shy and inherently way more appealing than Tank Girl. For all it lacks, Tank Girl is visually an eye-popper, worth watching for the insane set and costume designs alone. -Ali Davis, Amazon. com.

Review Columbia TriStar / Race the Sun [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Anthony Ruivivar
  • Casey Affleck
  • Charles T. Kanganis
  • Eliza Dushku
  • Kevin Tighe
  • Halle Berry
Release date: 2002-04-30
Run time: 99 min.
Price: £4.94

Review Race the Sun [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Columbia TriStar:


Review Direct Source / Marathon [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • John Hillerman
  • Valerie Landsburg
  • Lauren Hutton
  • Jackie Cooper
  • Herb Edelman
  • Anita Gillette
Release date: 2006-07-11
Run time: 96 min.
Creator: Joe Renzetti
Price: £1.71

Review Marathon [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Direct Source:


Review Universal Pictures UK / Charlie's Angels / Meet The Parents / Almost Famous [2000]
Actors & Directors
  • James Rebhorn
  • Cameron Diaz
  • Joseph McGinty
  • Cameron Crowe
  • Teri Polo
  • Jay Roach
  • Blythe Danner
  • Ben Stiller
Release date: 2003-09-15
Run time: 324 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £5.69

Review Charlie's Angels / Meet The Parents / Almost Famous [2000] / Universal Pictures UK:


Review 20th Century Fox / Jumpin' Jack Flash [1987] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Whoopi Goldberg
  • John Wood
  • Annie Potts
  • Penny Marshall
  • Carol Kane
  • Stephen Collins
Release date: 2004-06-01
Run time: 105 min.
Price: £3.21

Review Jumpin' Jack Flash [1987] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / 20th Century Fox:


Review Warner Home Video / Flipper's New Adventure [1964] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Leon Benson
  • Tom Helmore
  • Pamela Franklin
  • Francesca Annis
  • Helen Cherry
  • Luke Halpin
Release date: 2004-08-24
Run time: 94 min.
Price: £4.46

Review Flipper's New Adventure [1964] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Warner Home Video:


Review Lions Gate / Cheerleader Ninjas [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Kira Reed
  • Jeff Nicholson
  • Kevin Campbell
  • T. Scott Becker
  • Angela Brubaker
  • Renee Deemer
Release date: 2003-11-25
Run time: 96 min.
Price: £3.29

Review Cheerleader Ninjas [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Lions Gate:


Review MTI Home Video / Break a Leg [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Monika Mitchell
  • Elizabeth Berridge
  • Jennifer Beals
  • Paula Marshall
  • Kevin Corrigan
  • J.J. Johnston
Release date: 2006-03-21
Run time: 97 min.
Creator: Roger Bellon
Price: £3.15

Review Break a Leg [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MTI Home Video:


Review Universal Studios / Bulletproof [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Ernest R. Dickerson
  • James Caan
  • Jeep Swenson
  • Adam Sandler
  • Damon Wayans
  • James Farentino
Release date: 1998-07-01
Run time: 85 min.
Price: £4.26

Review Bulletproof [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Universal Studios:

Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler actually work together pretty well as action-flick buddies on opposite sides of the law. The storyline is familiar, to put it mildly, as car-thief and drug-courier Sandler is set up and busted by Wayans' undercover cop, a man he's come to trust with his life. Dozens of movies, including Quentin Tarantino's great Reservoir Dogs, have tilled this fallow field before. But for once we can actually feel the bonds connecting the two tough guys, and the pain of their falling out, even when the movie dawdles over repetitious squabbling scenes. Cinematographer-turned-director Ernest Dickers.

Review MGM / Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Frankie Muniz
  • Kevin Allen
  • Hannah Spearritt
  • Anthony Anderson
  • Daniel Roebuck
  • Cynthia Stevenson
Release date: 2004-07-13
Run time: 100 min.
Price: £2.93

Review Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MGM:


Review Warner Home Video / Extreme Dating [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Benjamin King
  • Lorena David
  • Monique Demers
  • Meat Loaf
  • Devon Sawa
  • Amanda Detmer
Release date: 2006-02-07
Run time: 96 min.
Price: £7.32

Review Extreme Dating [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Warner Home Video:


Review Columbia TriStar / Race the Sun [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Kevin Tighe
  • Halle Berry
  • Casey Affleck
  • Anthony Ruivivar
  • Charles T. Kanganis
  • Eliza Dushku
Release date: 2002-04-30
Run time: 99 min.
Price: £4.94

Review Race the Sun [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Columbia TriStar:


Models & Brands:
First Strike [1997] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Shanghai Knights [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Camouflage [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Big Trouble in Little China [1986] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Rush Hour [UMD Mini for PSP] [1998], The Girl From Rio [1969], Dirty Pair Flash - Perfect Collection And (Animated) (Dubbed) (DVD (Subtitled (Three Discs), My Science Project [1985] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Tank Girl [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Race the Sun [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Marathon [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Charlie's Angels / Meet The Parents / Almost Famous [2000], Jumpin' Jack Flash [1987] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Flipper's New Adventure [1964] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Cheerleader Ninjas [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Break a Leg [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Bulletproof [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Extreme Dating [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Race the Sun [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

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