The Hunger
by Tony Scott
from Warner Home Video
Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie are rich, beautiful, and oh-so chic as denizens of the night. Dressed in sleek outfits and stylish sunglasses, they haunt rock & roll clubs on the prowl for young blood, whom they bring home to their impossibly luxurious mansion for a late-night snack. Being a vampire never looked more sexy, but there's a price: Bowie starts to age so fast he wrinkles up in the waiting room of a doctor's (Susan Sarandon) office. The agelessly elegant Deneuve, evoking Delphine Seyrig's Countess Bathory from Daughters of Darkness, is perfectly cast as a millenniums-old bloodsucker who seeks a new mate in Sarandon and seduces her in a sunlight-bathed afternoon of smooth, silky sex. Tony Scott's (Ridley's brother) directorial debut, adapted from the Whitley Strieber novel, revises the vampire myth with Egyptian inflections and removes all references to garlic and crosses and wooden stakes--these bloodsuckers can even walk around in the daylight--but the ties between blood and sex are as strong as ever. Scott's background as an award-winning commercial director is evident in every richly textured frame and his densely interwoven editing, but the moody atmosphere comes at the expense of dramatic urgency. At times the film is so languid it becomes mired in its hazy, impeccably designed visual style. In its own way, The Hunger is the perfect vampire film for the '80s, all poise and attitude and surface beauty. Sarandon talks candidly about the film in the documentary The Celluloid Closet. --Sean Axmaker
Lord of the Flies - Criterion Collection
by Peter Brook
from Continental Distributing
In this classic 1963 adaptation of William Golding's novel, a planeload of schoolboys is stranded on a tropical island. They've got food and water; all that's left is to peacefully govern themselves until they're rescued. "After all," says choir leader Jack, "We're English. We're the best in the world at everything!" Unfortunately, living peacefully is not as easy as it seems. Though Ralph is named chief, Jack and the choristers quickly form a clique of their own, using the ever-effective political promise of fun rather than responsibility to draw converts. Director Peter Brook draws some excellent performances out of his young cast; the moment when Ralph realizes that even if he blows the conch for a meeting people might not come is an excruciating one. Well acted and faithfully executed, Lord of the Flies is as compelling today as when first released. --Ali Davis
Lord of the Flies is famed theater director Peter Brook's daring translation of William Golding's brilliant novel. The story of 30 English schoolboys stranded on an uncharted island at the start of the "next" war, Lord of the Flies is a seminal film of the New American Cinema and a fascinating anti-Hollywood experiment in location filmmaking. As the cast relived Golding's frightening fable, Brook found the cinematic "evidence" of the author's terrifying thesis: there is a beast in us all.
Masterpiece Theatre - The Cazalets
by Suri Krishnamma
from WGBH Boston
It's 1937 and the storm clouds of World War II gather across Europe. Tensions also simmer beneath the seemingly charmed lives of the Cazalet family. While this grand family saga commences during an idyllic summer at the Cazalet's Sussex country estate the years that follow will see birth death marriage adultery dementia intrigue and war play significant roles.Acclaimed for its richly detailed production talented cast and brilliant character depictions this vivid and poignant family portrait revolves around the wives lovers and children of the four Cazalet siblings: hard-working Hugh womanizing Edward spinster Rachel and the artistic Rupert.Soon after Hitler enters Poland and England enters the war the lives of three generations intertwine as devastating secrets explode like a blitzkrieg. Hardships invade with brutal reality and slowly the Cazalet's decorum can no longer mask their problems. As both the country and family are splintered by war the Cazalets must prove they have the strength to endure.Based on Elizabeth Jane Howard's captivating family epic The Cazalets stars Tony Award®-winner Stephen Dillane (The Real Thing) Hugh Bonneville (Madame Bovary) Paul Rhys (From Hell) and Emma Griffiths Malin (Mary Reilly).System Requirements: Running Time 360 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 783421354494 Manufacturer No: WG35449
Sex Pistols - The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
by Julien Temple
from Shout Factory
Cheeky and chaotic, the 1980 The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle began life as a Russ Meyer project (co-written by Roger Ebert) called Who Killed Bambi?. Julien Temple (Earth Girls Are Easy) took over, working closely with the Pistols' former manager, Malcolm McClaren, and overhauled the script to focus almost exclusively on McClaren's self-serving recollections of turning an unknown band into a success through poor musicianship, crafty bookings, and well-publicized bad manners at pivotal moments. Temple's rococo approach evokes an 18th century riot (in which effigies of the Pistols are burned), noir-like passages featuring guitarist Steve Jones as a thief, and the unholy sight of McClaren taking a bath in palatial surroundings. There's little footage of the Pistols themselves, though what exists is choice: the band's infamous Jubilee Day performance on the Thames, their last gig in San Francisco. Years later, McClaren's contention that he pulled one over on us because the Pistols couldn't play is patently absurd. --Tom Keogh
The Definitive Punk Movie - Finally on DVD!
The Sex Pistols star in director Julien Temple's bizarre and hilarious fictional documentary that charts the rise and fall of punk's most notorious band through the eyes of its calculating manager, Malcolm McLaren. Mixing animation and midgets with footage of some of The Pistols' most electrifying live performances, the 1980 film presents the band's success as an elaborate scam perpetrated by McLaren to make "a million pounds" at the expense of record companies, outraged moralists, the British Royal Family—and even the fans and band members themselves.
The Great Rock Rock 'n' Roll Swindle was called "a parable of our times" by the Guardian (UK), but most music fans simply consider it one of the best rock films ever. More than 25 years after their breakup, The Sex Pistols' music continues to influence punk and post-punk bands the world over. The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle shows why.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Interview and commentary with director Julien Temple by Chris Salewicz
5.1 Surround Sound
Crypt of Terror: Land of the Minotaur/Terror
by Kostas Karagiannis
from Bci / Eclipse
Land Of The MinotaurTourists visiting a Greek archeological site are being abducted by a strange cult intent on providing their God - the Minotaur - with sacrifice. Father Raoche (Donald Pleasance) enlists the help of former pupil and NY private detective to find out what has happened to them.TerrorFilmmaker James Garrick holds a party to screen his new movie about the violent deaths of his real-life ancestors. The part atmosphere turns grim as strange things begin to happen and a guest attacks Garrick. Soon the guests begin to meet their untimely deaths. Could the curse of a witch one of Garrick's ancestors have been unleashed and seek her vengeance centuries later?System Requirements:Running Time: 174 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 787364731794
The Sex Thief
Lord of the Flies: Essential Art House
by Peter Brook
from Criterion Collection
Under the direction of Peter Brook, William Golding's classic fable, about a swarm of young boys who devolve into chaos without adult supervision after crash-landing on a remote island during wartime, becomes an unforgettable work of cinematic horror. Shot with almost verité camera work, Lord of the Flies takes a radical approach to Brook's metaphor, grounding it in a terrifying reality.
The Sex Thief
by Martin Campbell
from Image Entertainment
Comedy this naughty just can't be legal! One of England's greatest sexy-'70s offerings, The Sex Thief centers on a lecherous masked thief (The Beyond's David Warbeck), who seduces and beds his willing female victims. He's pursued relentlessly throughout by a pair of hapless policemen who try in vain to stop him while occasionally making alarming comments about Danish pornstars' pubic hair. Also featuring Gloria Maley (Satan's Slave), and Michael Armstrong, the man behind the infamous Mark of the Devil. This also the directorial debut of Martin Campbell, now one of Hollywood's hottest properties thanks to GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro and the remake of Casino Royale.
+++
