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Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Ally McBeal - Season 2
Actors & Directors
  • Lisa Nicole Carson
  • Jonathan Pontell
  • Greg Germann
  • Peter MacNicol
  • Jace Alexander
  • Calista Flockhart
  • Tom Moore
  • Arvin Brown
  • Jane Krakowski
  • Adam Nimoy
Release date: 2005-02-21
Run time: 517 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £10.76

Review Ally McBeal - Season 2 / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:


Review MGM Entertainment / The French Lieutenant's Woman [1981]
Actors & Directors
  • Charlotte Mitchell
  • Jeremy Irons
  • Emily Morgan
  • Karel Reisz
  • Hilton McRae
  • Meryl Streep
Release date: 2002-02-04
Run time: 119 min.
Creator: John Fowles
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.99

Review The French Lieutenant's Woman [1981] / MGM Entertainment:

Writer Harold Pinter (Betrayal) and director Karel Reisz (Isadora) take an experimental spin with John Fowles's magnificent novel set in Victorian England, and come up with something puzzling. Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep play the forbidden lovers in Fowles's story, but in a parallel story line they also play contemporary actors performing those characters in a movie production and having an affair of their own during off-hours. Got that? Considering that Fowles himself presents alternative endings in his novel, something equally eccentric is called for here. But little is accomplished by this intertwining of a fictional past and present, and the opportunity to do justice to a great story is lost. On the plus side, Irons and Streep are instantly striking as a natural couple on screen, and their presence makes watching The French Lieutenant's Woman easy enough despite the larger problems. -Tom Keogh With The French Lieutenant's Woman writer Harold Pinter and director Karel Reisz take an experimental spin on John Fowles' magnificent novel set in Victorian England, and come up with something puzzling. Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep play the forbidden lovers in Fowles' story, but in a parallel story line they also play contemporary actors performing those characters in a movie production and having an affair of their own during off-hours. Got that? Considering that Fowles himself presents alternative endings in his novel, something equally eccentric is called for here. But little is accomplished by this intertwining of a fictional past and present, and the opportunity to do justice to a great story is lost. On the plus side, Irons and Streep are instantly striking as a natural couple on screen, and their presence makes watching this film easy enough despite the larger problems. [+]
-Tom Keogh, Amazon. com.

Review Optimum Home Entertainment / Shane Meadow's Collection (Twenty Four Seven, A Room for Romeo Brass, Dead Man's Shoes, This Is England) [1997]
Actors & Directors
  • Paddy Considine
  • Shane Meadows
  • Frank Harper
  • Stephen Graham
  • Andrew Shim
  • Vicky McClure
Release date: 2007-09-03
Run time: 363 min.
RRP: £34.99
Price: £14.17

Review Shane Meadow's Collection (Twenty Four Seven, A Room for Romeo Brass, Dead Man's Shoes, This Is England) [1997] / Optimum Home Entertainment:


Review Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment / Love in the Time of Cholera [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Benjamin Bratt
  • Javier Bardem
  • Mike Newell
  • Liev Schreiber
Release date: 2008-07-14
Run time: 139 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.93

Review Love in the Time of Cholera [2007] / Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment:

There's no reason an Englishman shouldn't take on a landmark in Latin American literature. Four Weddings and a Funeral, after all, proves Mike Newell has a feel for romance. Adapted by The Pianist's Ronald Harwood, Love in the Time of Cholera is an epic vision of true love. For all the talent involved, however, this lush realisation of the Gabriel García Márquez novel never takes flight. Newell begins with a death before backtracking 50 year to the late-1800s, with Florentino (Unax Ugalde), a poetry-writing telegraph operator living in an unnamed city (the movie was filmed in Cartagena, Columbia) who spots the graceful Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) while making his rounds, and that's it-he's in love. While Florentino's mother (Central Station's Fernanda Montenegro) encourages the courtship, Fermina's father (John Leguizamo in over-the-top mode) forbids it. Years pass, and the well-born Dr. Urbino (Benjamin Bratt) treats Fermina for a case of cholera. Then, Urbino proposes. Fermina accepts. [+]
A distraught Florentino (now played by Javier Bardem) decides to wait. With the help of his uncle (a sprightly Hector Elizondo), he amasses wealth of his own. All the while, he drifts from woman to woman. After five decades of waiting, he gets a second chance to win Fermina's heart, and it's easier said than done. Florentino's journey is absorbing, but Newell's film lacks the passion and complexity of Marquez's prose. The actors give it their all, but Love in the Time of Cholera is more of a pleasant diversion than a life-changing experience. -Kathleen C. Fennessy.

Review Universal Pictures UK / Scent Of A Woman [1993]
Actors & Directors
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman
  • James Rebhorn
  • Martin Brest
  • Chris O'Donnell
  • Gabrielle Anwar
  • Al Pacino
Release date: 2004-03-29
Run time: 149 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.04

Review Scent Of A Woman [1993] / Universal Pictures UK:

Hoo-ah! After seven Oscar nominations for his outstanding work in films such as The Godfather, Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, it's ironic that Al Pacino finally won the Oscar for his grandstanding lead performance in this 1992 crowd pleaser. As the blind, blunt, and ultimately benevolent retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, Pacino is both hammy and compelling, simultaneously subtle and grandly over-the-top when defending his new assistant and prep school student Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) at a disciplinary hearing. While the subplot involving Charlie's prep-school crisis plays like a sequel to Dead Poets Society, Pacino's adventurous escapades in New York City provide comic relief, rich character development, and a memorable supporting role for Gabrielle Anwar as the young woman who accepts the colonel's invitation to dance the tango. Scent of a Woman is a remake of the 1972 Italian film Profumo di donna. In addition to Pacino's award, Scent of Woman garnered Oscar nominations for director Martin Brest and for screenwriter Bo Goldman. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Boyz 'N The Hood [1991]
Actors & Directors
  • John Singleton
  • Lloyd Avery
  • Cuba Gooding Jr.
  • Yolanda Whittaker
  • Hudhail Al-Amir
  • Mia Bell
Release date: 2004-07-19
Run time: 107 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.92

Review Boyz 'N The Hood [1991] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

John Singleton, at the age of 23, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his debut film, Boyz n the Hood. The film stars Laurence Fishburne, Angela Basset, Ice Cube, and Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in his first starring role in a feature film. Gooding plays Tre Styles, a teenager growing up in South Central Los Angeles. His father, Furious (Fishburne), is divorced and living away from Tre and his mother (Basset), but he's still involved in Tre's upbringing, teaching him responsibility and the values of right and wrong. Meanwhile, Tre's childhood buddies Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) are living their lives in terms of the epidemic of violence and poverty that has plagued their neighborhood. Ricky, a talented football player, strives to get a full athletic scholarship to college. If only his SAT scores were higher. Doughboy lives a life full of crime but still remains true to his friends. The obstacles that these three young men come across result in dire consequences, devastatingly avoidable and inevitable at the same time. [+]
Boyz n the Hood is a landmark film beyond its commercial success, presenting a portrait of South Central in the late '80s and early '90s as painted by Singleton (who grew up in that neighborhood), achieving accuracy and dramatic resonance in this story of at-risk youth. -Shannon Gee.

Review Contender Home Entertainment Group / The Escapist [2008] [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Dominic Cooper
  • Brian Cox
  • Rupert Wyatt
  • Liam Cunningham
  • Joseph Fiennes
  • Damian Lewis
Release date: 2009-02-09
Run time: 102 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £8.98

Review The Escapist [2008] [2007] / Contender Home Entertainment Group:

Continuing the trend of making engaging productions out of the concept of a prison break, The Escapist earns extra bonus points by throwing in a meaty role for Brian Cox in the process. He plays Frank Perry, a prisoner who’s 12 years into his sentence with no hope of parole. Yet when his daughter becomes ill, he realises that he needs to be on the other side of the walls, and sets about hatching a plan to make that possible. In short, the break is on… Naturally, the master plan involves bringing together a mismatch of fellow prisoners to help, and The Escapist then follows their attempts to break out. Standing in their way? Damian Lewis’ sinister turn as Rizza, a threat more potent than any guard. Grounded on a solid script, The Escapist has plenty in its corner. Debut director Rupert Wyatt (who co-wrote the script) knows not to overcook his ingredients, and thus demonstrates commendably restraint, which really pays off when he needs to ratchet up some menace and tension. And then there’s the cast, led superbly by Brian Cox. Cox deserves far more roles of this quality, because he’s quite magnificent here, single-handedly lifting the film from a firm rental to a must-see. That said, The Escapist works in many different ways, and proves that Britain can deliver a prison break as compelling and interesting as any Hollywood can offer. [+]
An easy recommendation. -Jon Foster.

Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / The Ghost And Mrs Muir [1947]
Actors & Directors
  • Rex Harrison
  • George Sanders
  • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
  • Edna Best
  • Anna Lee
  • Gene Tierney
Release date: 2005-05-09
Run time: 100 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.96

Review The Ghost And Mrs Muir [1947] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:


Review Uca / Five Easy Pieces [1970]
Actors & Directors
  • Billy Green Bush
  • Fannie Flagg
  • Sally Struthers
  • Karen Black
  • Bob Rafelson
  • Jack Nicholson
Release date: 2004-03-08
Run time: 94 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.87

Review Five Easy Pieces [1970] / Uca:

This subtle, existential character study of an emotionally distant outcast (Nicholson) forced to confront his past failures remains an intimate cornerstone of American cinema of the 1970s. Written and directed with remarkable restraint by Bob Rafelson, the film is the result of a short-lived partnership between the filmmaker and Nicholson-the first was the zany formalist exercise, Head, while the equally impressive King of Marvin Gardens followed Five Easy Pieces. Quiet and full of long, controlled takes, this film draws its strength from the acutely detailed, non-judgemental observations of its complex protagonist, Robert Dupea-an extremely crass and frustrated oil worker and failed child pianist hiding from his past in Texas. Dupea spends his life drinking beer and sleeping with (and cheating on) his annoying but adoring Tammy Wynette-wannabe girlfriend, but when he learns that his father is dying in Washington State, he leaves. After the film transforms into a spirited road movie, and arrives at the eccentric upper-class Dupea family mansion, it becomes apparent that leaving is what Dupea does best-from his problems, fears and those who love him. Nicholson gives a difficult yet masterful performance in an unlikeable role, one that's full of ambiguity and requires violent shifts in acting style. Several sequences-such as his stopping traffic to play piano, or his famous verbal duels with a cranky waitress over a chicken-salad sandwich-are Nicholson landmarks. Yet, it's the quieter moments, when Dupea tries miserably to communicate and reconcile with his dying father, where the actor shows his real talent-and by extension, shows us the wounded little boy that lurks in the shell of the man Dupea has become. -Dave McCoy, Amazon. com.

Review Miss Marple / Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Collection - Murder she Said / Murder Ahoy / Murder At The Gallup / Murder Most Foul (4 Discs) (Box Set) (DVD)
Release date: 2007-01-01
RRP: £19.99
Price: £19.99

Review Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Collection - Murder she Said / Murder Ahoy / Murder At The Gallup / Murder Most Foul (4 Discs) (Box Set) (DVD) / Miss Marple:

Never mind purists who bemoan Margaret Rutherford's incarnation of Agatha Christie's celebrated spinster sleuth. These four British films, produced between 1961 and 64, are jolly good, regardless of their tenuous connection with Miss Marple as written, or with Christie herself. One of the films, in fact, Murder Ahoy, is an original screenplay credited as "an interpretation of Miss Marple. " And two others, Murder at the Gallop and Murder Most Foul were based on books featuring Christie's other famed detective, Hercule Poirot. " But no matter. The redoubtable Rutherford indelibly makes Marple her very own, or, as she proclaims to Inspector Craddock (Charles Tingwell), with whom she locks horns throughout all four films, "I am always myself. " Rutherford makes a formidable first impression in Murder She Said, based on Christie's 4:50 from Paddington, in which the armchair sleuth goes undercover as a servant after witnessing a murder on a train. In Murder at the Gallop, based on After the Funeral, where there's a will, there's murder. In Murder Ahoy, Marple discovers a ship of thieves. In Murder Most Foul, Marple deadlocks a jury and joins a theatrical troupe to prove the defendant's innocence. [+]
The Marple films are endearingly modest productions, redeemed by peerless performances and mostly sharp scripts. Ron Goodwin's theme music used in all four films is an irresistible piece of '60s symphonic pop that's a classical gas. None of the actors are suspect. Rutherford gets able support from her real-life husband, Stringer Davis, who portrays Marple's Watson-esque sidekick. Venerable character actors Robert Morley and Ron Moody enliven Gallop and Foul, respectively. And in Murder She Said, that's Joan Hickson, who would go on to acclaim as Miss Marple in the celebrated BBC series. But it's tough to steal a scene from Rutherford, whose Marple displays a keen mind, and, in Ahoy, surprising prowess with a sword! -Donald Liebenson.

Review Warner Home Video / The 11th Hour [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Leonardo diCaprio
Release date: 2008-06-02
Run time: 90 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £5.87

Review The 11th Hour [2007] / Warner Home Video:

The 11th Hour may not have enjoyed the profile of the last major documentary to tackle the issues and challenges of climate change (that'd be Al Gore's engrossing Oscar-winner An Inconvenient Truth), but it's no less compelling, and proves to be a thought-provoking feature in its own right. Producer and narrator Leonardo Di Caprio, who also shares a writing credit, is the glue that holds The 11th Hour together, and this diligent documentary presents a lot of information. What's more, it balances its subject matter a little more accessibly than An Inconvenient Truth. The latter appeared to rush through the segment where it addressed the things we can do to help fight climate change, but The 11th Hour-in among some very hard-hitting material-makes sure that it devotes enough of its focus to the what-happens-next. To top it off, it's attracted some heavyweight world figures to stand before the camera. Some you will have heard of (Professor Stephen Hawking and Mikhail Gorbachev, for instance), and others are less known, but the cumulative effect of their contributions gives The 11th Hour a gravity and power that is hard to ignore. And while occasionally you can't help but feel it slips into being a little too preachy, it tackles a serious subject exceptionally well. A documentary absolutely not to be missed, for more than one reason. -Jon Foster.

Review 2 Entertain Video / Portrait Of A Marriage [1990]
Actors & Directors
  • Cathryn Harrison
  • Janet McTeer
  • David Haig
Release date: 2008-06-30
Run time: 219 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £6.49

Review Portrait Of A Marriage [1990] / 2 Entertain Video:


Review Fremantle Home Entertainment / Widows - Series 1 [1983]
Actors & Directors
  • Ann Mitchell
  • David Calder
  • Eva Mottley
  • Fiona Hendley
  • Ian Toynton
  • Maureen O'Farrell
Release date: 2002-05-13
Run time: 289 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £5.99

Review Widows - Series 1 [1983] / Fremantle Home Entertainment:


Review Walt Disney Home Video / Beauty And The Beast [Disney 1992]
Actors & Directors
  • Robby Benson
  • Paige O'Hara
  • Jerry Orbach
  • Gary Trousdale
  • Richard White
  • David Ogden Stiers
  • Kirk Wise
Release date: 2002-11-02
Run time: 88 min.
Creator: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
RRP: £15.99
Price: £10.99

Review Beauty And The Beast [Disney 1992] / Walt Disney Home Video:

The film that officially signalled Disney's animation renaissance and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself), Belle boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love. What makes this such a dazzler, besides the amazingly accomplished animation and the winning coterie of supporting characters (the Beast's mansion is overrun by quipping, dancing household items) is the array of beautiful and hilarious songs by composer Alan Menken and the late, lamented lyricist Howard Ashman, (winning the 1991 Oscar for Best Song and Menken's score won a trophy as well). The downright funniest song is "Gaston", a lout's paean to himself (including the immortal line, "I use antlers in all of my de-co-ra-ting"). "Be Our Guest" is transformed into an inspired Busby Berkeley homage. Since Ashman's passing, animated musicals haven't quite reached the same exhilarating level of wit, sophistication and pure joy. -David Kronke, Amazon. comOn the DVD: Beauty and the Beast's regular DVD release still offers some special features, but doesn't hold a candle to the Collector's Edition. The "making-of" featurette is informative charting the production from Walt Disney's original idea to the final musical version. [+]
"The Story Behind the Story" shows the origins of many of Disney's adapted fairy tales. The two games are fun, if a little slow to load. Celine Dion's original video is slightly on the dull side, but Jump 5's remixed version of "Tale as Old as Time" is just ridiculous. As always the sing-along track is great fun for all budding Belles or Beasts in the house. The transfer is as pristine as could be expected from a 1991 release. On the DVD: Beauty and the Beast's two-disc Collector's Edition really is the stuff of fairy tales. Disc 1 has three versions of the movie, the best being the "Work in Progress" edition which offers the unfinished film, sketch lines and all. The theatrical cut has a pristine transfer and the sound is immaculate. The director's commentary relies on a lot on name-dropping and you'll find more interesting insight in the "making-of" feature on the second disc. The sing-a-long track (as with all Disney releases) is fantastic, particularly for such a well-loved score. Disc 2 is packed full of information, fun and games. The best of the informative features is "Animation Magic", an intelligent look into the production of Disney cartoons. In the games section you'll need to head straight for the West Wing to continue an adventure with Chip (Tip: finish the game "Maurice's Workshop" first), but get your fingers warmed up as it needs a little remote control action. This disc only really falls down on the slowness of some of its games and the appalling remix video of "Tale as Old as Time". -Nikki Disney.

Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / Dangerous Minds [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • George Dzundza
  • Courtney B. Vance
  • John N. Smith
  • Beatrice Winde
  • Michelle Pfeiffer
  • Robin Bartlett
Release date: 2006-06-15
Run time: 95 min.
Creator: Ronald Bass
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.13

Review Dangerous Minds [1996] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:

This "To Ma'am with Love" is much more an escapist popcorn movie than the inner-city document its marketing suggested. Michelle Pfeiffer plays real-life former Marine Louanne Johnson, a high school English teacher who meets resistance from kids and administration alike at a tough urban school in Northern California. Pfeiffer is good and her character's overall development even survives various post-production story cuts. (A romance with Andy Garcia's character was completely eliminated before release; Garcia is nowhere in sight. ) The actors who play Johnson's students are also fine and the whole film becomes the latest in a long tradition of sentimental movies about teachers who change the lives of kids. -Tom Keogh.

Review 2 Entertain Video / Doctor Who - Lost In Time [1963]
Actors & Directors
  • Jon Pertwee
  • William Hartnell
  • Tom Baker
  • Peter Davison
  • Patrick Troughton
Release date: 2004-11-01
Run time: 428 min.
Creator: Sydney Newman
RRP: £29.99
Price: £10.98

Review Doctor Who - Lost In Time [1963] / 2 Entertain Video:


Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / The Emperor And The Assassin [2000]
Actors & Directors
  • Kaige Chen
  • Li Gong
  • Zhou Sun
  • Xiaohe Lu
  • Fengyi Zhang
  • Zhiwen Wang
Release date: 2002-02-11
Run time: 161 min.
Creator: Peigong Wang
RRP: £19.99
Price: £5.52

Review The Emperor And The Assassin [2000] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

Set in 221 BC, The Emperor and the Assassin tells of Ying Zheng (Li Xuejian) and his obsession to unite seven Chinese kingdoms and become the first Emperor of China. The film mixes spectacular battle scenes with court intrigue, counterpointed by the King's complex relationship with the only woman he has truly loved, the Lady Zhao (Gong Li). From protocol-ridden palaces to wide open grasslands, this is a visually striking film, both beautiful and at the same time burdened with the horrors of the period. Though this was the most expensive film ever made in China, director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) nevertheless retains a tight reign on character and psychology, recalling Kurosawa's Ran (1985) and Kagemusha (1980). The cast, particularly the two leads, are magnificent and both production design and score are first rate. While the unfolding story has similar appeal to Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it can be as confusing and jarringly edited as the original (pre-director's cut) version of The Last Emperor (1987), and for the same reason-despite its 154 minutes-the film was cut by approximately 30 minutes prior to release. The full version may eventually reveal a masterpiece, though in its present form it is still an exceptionally powerful and compelling drama. On the DVD: The Emperor and the Assassin's original 1. 85:1 image is transferred anamorphically, and while not up with the finest DVDs is still sharp and detailed. Strangely, despite the film being presented in DTS theatrically, the DVD offers mere three-channel Dolby Pro-Logic. [+]
No more than adequate, this is a serious disappointment when at least Dolby Digital 5. 1 would be the accepted norm. The film can be watched with the original Mandarin soundtrack, with or without English subtitles, or dubbed into English. The extras are a 4:3 trailer and a serious, comprehensive commentary by director Chen Kaige. For anyone wanting to know how to mount such a large-scale production, there can be few better guides than Kaige. -Gary S. Dalkin.

Review Warner Home Video / Lassie Come Home / Son Of Lassie / Courage Of Lassie (3 Disc Box Set)
Actors & Directors
  • Fred M. Wilox
  • Roddy McDowall
  • Tom Drake
  • Donald Crisp
  • Elizabeth Taylor
  • June Lockhart
Release date: 2008-06-02
Run time: 271 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £7.49

Review Lassie Come Home / Son Of Lassie / Courage Of Lassie (3 Disc Box Set) / Warner Home Video:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment / The Terminal [2004]
Actors & Directors
  • Catherine Zeta-Jones
  • Tom Hanks
  • Steven Spielberg
Release date: 2007-03-05
Run time: 123 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.99

Review The Terminal [2004] / Paramount Home Entertainment:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / The Planet of the Apes Collection (6 Disk Box Set) [1968]
Actors & Directors
  • Severn Darden
  • Claude Akins
  • Lew Ayres
  • Natalie Trundy
  • Paul Williams (III)
Release date: 2001-10-08
Run time: 582 min.
RRP: £49.99
Price: £12.75

Review The Planet of the Apes Collection (6 Disk Box Set) [1968] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

The five films in the Planet of the Apes series are enjoyable as pure entertainment and yet substantial enough to have inspired academic studies about the film's broader political themes. Loosely adapted from the novel by French author Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes was released at the height of racial and political unrest in America, adding resonance to its story of a NASA astronaut (Charlton Heston) stranded on a planet where superior apes dominate inferior human slaves. The film's final image-in which a horrified Heston realises the fate of humankind-remains one of the most indelible in all of science-fiction cinema. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) continues the original's distant future scenario, pitting militant apes against mutant humans dwelling in the subterranean ruins of New York City. Its phenomenal success spawned Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), in which simian scientists Cornelius and Zira (Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter, reprising their roles from Planet) travel backward in time, setting the stage for the ape supremacy of the first two films. McDowall returned in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) as Caesar, the son of Cornelius, leading an ape revolution that bridges the historical gap of the previous films. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) ended the five-film cycle with McDowall again playing the chimpanzee leader Caesar, defeating gorillas and human mutants to establish the hierarchy introduced in the original film. The Apes films present a classic what-if scenario that hasn't lost a bit of its potency. As if to prove its cultural endurance, the cycle returned to its origins with director Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes in 2001. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. [+]
com On the DVD: A glorious indulgence for diehard fans of the series, this handsomely packaged six-disc set contains all five original" Apes" movies, from the wonderful 1967 original to 1973's low-budget Battle. It all look as good as possible in widescreen anamorphic transfers, the first movie's starkly wonderful cinematography in particular is a treat to see on DVD. Planet has been remixed in vivid Dolby 5. 1, highlighting the bold sound design and JerryGoldsmith's masterful avant-garde score. The others are good Dolby stereo, with the odd exception of Escape, which is mono. There are trailers on each disc, but no commentaries sadly. The sixth bonus disc consists of a relatively new two-hour documentary hosted by Roddy McDowall which takes us through the entire saga in detail, pointing out the series' daring social commentary and the increasing difficulties of working with progressively smaller budgets. Sensibly, the documentary spends about an hour on the first movie and then an hour discussing all the rest. Overall, this is a very attractive package. -Mark Walker.

Browse Drama:

Models & Brands:
Ally McBeal - Season 2, The French Lieutenant's Woman [1981], Shane Meadow's Collection (Twenty Four Seven, A Room for Romeo Brass, Dead Man's Shoes, This Is England) [1997], Love in the Time of Cholera [2007], Scent Of A Woman [1993], Boyz 'N The Hood [1991], The Escapist [2008] [2007], The Ghost And Mrs Muir [1947], Five Easy Pieces [1970], Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Collection - Murder she Said / Murder Ahoy / Murder At The Gallup / Murder Most Foul (4 Discs) (Box Set) (DVD), The 11th Hour [2007], Portrait Of A Marriage [1990], Widows - Series 1 [1983], Beauty And The Beast [Disney 1992], Dangerous Minds [1996], Doctor Who - Lost In Time [1963], The Emperor And The Assassin [2000], Lassie Come Home / Son Of Lassie / Courage Of Lassie (3 Disc Box Set), The Terminal [2004], The Planet of the Apes Collection (6 Disk Box Set) [1968]

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