Urquhart, Robert

The Dogs of War

Back before Christopher Walken became a caricature of himself, when he was still considered a rising actor based on his Oscar® for The Deer Hunter, he made this graphic, exciting action film, about a group of professional mercenaries. Walken leads a band of soldiers of fortune, who are hired to overthrow a dictator in West Africa (think Idi Amin). But when their mission is compromised by political and monetary forces, Walken returns to the United States, disillusioned, battered, and not sure the high life of lawyers, guns, and money is really for him. Still, vengeance is sweet, as his partner, Tom Berenger, keeps whispering into his ear. A better film than it's generally given credit for, The Dogs of War features the kind of cool, detached performance Walken used to be capable of, before he began believing both the hype and ridicule about his over-the-top style. --Marshall Fine

Academy AwardÂ(r) winner* Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction) is a brutal mercenary who must fight the ultimate battleagainst his own consciencein this powerful action thriller with a "heart-thumping tempo" (The Hollywood Reporter). The Dogs Of War is a spectacular adventure that brilliantly captures the gloryand horrorof war. Jamie Shannon (Walken) is a cynical warrior-for-hire who feels truly alive only in the heat of battle, and now he's aboutto take on the most challenging assignment of his career: to invade a corrupt African dictatorship and shift control to the "puppet" of a powerful British corporation. To prepare, Shannon masterfullytrains and equips a squad of deadly mercenaries with the latest and most destructive tactics and military hardware. But as their explosive assault begins, Shannon finds himself embroiled in an internal conflict of his own: Will this be his greatest triumph or has he sold his soul along with his battle expertise?

The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 1

The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Volume 1 include four adaptations of Rendell's brand of psychological mystery, tales of relative or questionable guilt, stories of truth-seekers who had long been obtuse, thrillers in which murder suspects are in the spotlight because of previously, under-the-radar neurotic tendencies. Volume 1 begins with the fascinating "Master of the Moor," starring Colin Firth as Stephen, a man who has found, since his troubled childhood, great comfort in the moor near his longtime village home. That is, until the presence of murdered women for whom Firth's character comes under suspicion, a situation not helped by some unusual quirks in Stephen's background and personality. An intriguing class drama, "Vanity Dies Hard" concerns two, longtime friends, wealthy Alice (Eleanor David) and struggling Nesta (Jane Gurnett), who come to a crossroads in their relationship when Alice marries a young, hunky teacher, Andrew (Mark Frankel). A square peg in Alice's world of refinement and gossip, Andrew begins tying Alice to their home, a situation she must reject when she suspects Nesta has disappeared--and Andrew might have something to do with it.

"The Secret House of Death" finds newly divorced mother Susan (Amanda Redman) trying to avoid the culture of gossip that consumes other women in her suburban neighborhood. But when Susan discovers the bodies of an adulterous neighbor and his lover in her neighbor's house, she begins putting the pieces together and not coincidentally puts her life at risk. Finally, "The Double" is a mind-bender about a fellow, Peter (Jason Flemyng), who becomes involved with a woman who is the apparent double of his girlfriend. A prediction of death and questions about who this mystery double really is make this a captivating drama. --Tom Keogh

The psychological crime dramas as seen on public television

From cold, rock-strewn moors to comfortable suburban estates, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell explores the dark fissures between friends and family members that motivate murder. Talented casts bring Rendell's unforgettable characters to life in four complex stories of suspense.

Master of the Moor—Since boyhood, Stephen Whalby (Colin Firth) has sought solitude on the wild, windy moor. But his taciturn ways and familiarity with the wilderness make him the prime suspect in a series of shocking murders. Approx. 154 min.

Vanity Dies Hard—After her best friend mysteriously disappears, Alice Fielding (Eleanor David) begins to suspect foul play, perhaps even murder. And the killer may have targeted Alice herself as the next victim. Approx. 155 min.

The Secret House of Death—Newly divorced Susan Townsend (Amanda Redman) makes a grisly discovery in her suburban neighborhood and soon becomes involved in a potentially deadly intrigue. Approx. 103 min.

The Double—Two women, identical in appearance but totally different in personality, compete for the affections of one man. Which will lose love and perhaps her life? Approx. 103 min.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Ruth Rendell biography and cast filmographies.

A Tale of Two Cities

The ultimate tale of love honor and sacrifice during the bloodstained French Revolution is movingly brought to life in this sumptuous production. The dashing Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride) stars in dual roles as the cynical lawyer Sydney Carton and the disenchanted aristocrat Charles Darnay both in love with the same woman (Alice Krige Star Trek: First Contact). Also starring Peter Cushing (Star Wars) this Golden Globe-nominated version of the Charles Dickens classic thrillingly captures all the drama and emotion of one of history's most explosive eras.System Requirements:Running Time: 156 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 014381364026

Knights of the Round Table

Long live King Arthur and Camelot! Yet in all of ancient England's newfound peace there is "a fraying link in Arthur's chain:" the growing passion between heroic knight Sir Lancelot and beautiful Queen Guinevere. One of history's most beloved legends is vibrantly retold in an adaptation downplaying fantasy elements and giving 6th-century England a new kind of fantasy: a dazzling Hollywood sheen bursting with the CinemaScope-sized pageantry conflicts and imposing citadels of location-lensed 1950s spectaculars. Robert Taylor is Lancelot sworn to serve his King (Mel Ferrer) but devoted to his Queen (Ava Gardner). Richard Thorpe who teamed with Taylor for eight films directs this colorful epic of bravery and honor.Running Time: 116 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569523623

This 1953 follow-up to the successful teaming of actor Robert Taylor and director Richard Thorpe on Ivanhoe isn't quite as good a film, but it is a sumptuous adventure-romance shot on location in England. MGM's first widescreen production finds Taylor playing Sir Lancelot to Mel Ferrer's King Arthur. Based in part on Thomas Malory's 14th-century version of the Camelot legend, Knights of the Round Table tells the familiar tale of Arthur's construction of a Utopian kingdom, where virtue, courage, and a sense of possibility rule the hearts of strong men. Lancelot is there every step of the way, but after Arthur marries a particularly bodacious Guinevere (Ava Gardner), Lancelot can't stifle his love for her, nor can she stifle her own for him. That chink in the wall of the Camelot dream is exploited by detractors Morgan le Fay (Anne Crawford) and Mordred (Stanley Baker), who set up the lovers for their downfall. The script by Talbot Jennings is proficient at capturing the outsized passions of Malory's epic, which may be one reason why Ivanhoe, with a bit more understatedness, is the better of the two adaptations. True-blue Arthurians, however, will want to see this for its visual sweep and loyalty to the source. --Tom Keogh

Mosquito Squadron

World War II aviation buffs may quibble with details in Mosquito Squadron, but they'll love it just the same. It's an average war movie, capably directed by Boris Sagal, who thrived in television before he was tragically killed by a helicopter rotor in 1981. At the peak of his post-Man from U.N.C.L.E. success, David McCallum plays a melancholy RAF ace, leading his squadron of De Havilland "Mosquito" bombers on low-altitude strikes over Nazi strongholds in Germany and France. His ground-based dilemma involves the grieving wife of his best friend, a fellow pilot presumed dead but later discovered alive with other POWs held at a French chalet where the Nazis are developing advanced V-class bombers. The RAF employs bouncing "highballs" capable of penetrating difficult targets, and the rousing climax doubles as a rescue mission and treacherous bombing run. Explosive action compensates for predictable melodrama, and Rocky Horror fans will enjoy seeing Charles ("the Criminologist") Gray as a stuffy RAF Commodore. --Jeff Shannon

David McCallum ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") stars in an epic adventure that perfectly captures the explosive action and emotional torment of war. With its astonishing special effects, stark cinematography and brilliantly choreographed aerial combat sequences, Mosquito Squadron catapults the viewer into the searing heat of battle! As Allied forces struggle against the awesome might of the German Luftwaffe, an even greater threat is posed by the destructive V3 rocket nearing completion at a secret testing center. The Royal Air Force's Mosquito Squadron gears up to destroy the site, but its leader, Quint Monroe (McCallum), becomes conflicted when he discovers that the air strikemay kill hundreds of British POWsincluding the squad's former commander!

The Looking Glass War

Bleak House

The Curse of Frankenstein

In this re-telling of the classic horror tale Baron Victor Frankenstein becomes friends with one of his teachers Paul Krempe. At first both men are fascinated by the potential of their re-animating experiments. Eventually though Krempe refuses to help with Frankenstien's human experiments. However he is drawn back into the plot when Frankenstein's creature kills a member of the house staff.Running Time: 83 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR UPC: 085391106623 Manufacturer No: 11066

Britain's Hammer Studios had been making films for decades before they suddenly redefined themselves with this lurid remake of the Universal Studios horror classic. Prohibited by Universal from copying their blocky makeup (and their script, for that matter), Hammer returned to Mary Shelley's novel for inspiration, and then went in its own direction. Peter Cushing plays Dr. Frankenstein as the rational scientist turned cold-blooded criminal in his campaign to discover the secret of life, committing murder to further his ends, or to remove an inconvenient mistress. Christopher Lee is the pitiable creature, a terrified behemoth more innocent newborn than malevolent monster. His pale, pallid, grotesquely scarred face was so thickly applied that he emotes almost exclusively with his eyes and his awkward, stumbling gestures. The not-so-good Dr. Frankenstein is the true monster, a ruthless scientist whose rejection of superstition extends to all moral considerations. Shot in blood-red color by Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher, the stylish, often salacious film became Hammer's biggest success to date, made horror stars out of the classically trained Cushing and Lee, and transformed the B studio into the Hammer we know and love today: the house that dripped blood. The Horror of Dracula immediately followed, reuniting the winning team of Cushing and Lee, and Cushing returned in four of six Frankenstein sequels. --Sean Axmaker

Testimony - Tony Palmer's Story of Shostakovich / Ben Kingsley

Testimony is one of those comparatively rare events nowadays - a real piece of cinema. Tony Palmer's prowess as an editor, his knack of juxtaposing image and music - something which has remained his forte since he first caused a stir back in the Sixties with Buddhist monks burning to The Beatles - has a field day in Testimony. Most importantly for a movie about a composer, there is always the feeling that Palmer understands the music. For a start he puts to rest the hoary old cliché that the private Shostakovich is only to be found in his chamber music - try listening to the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Fourteenth symphonies - but he also brings vividly alive musical details (like the composer's use of unison scoring) in colour sequences showing the orchestra, as in the climax of the Fifth..... a truly remarkable film. Starring Ben Kingsley.

Restless Natives

Two lads in Edinburgh embark on a nonviolent spree of robberies. They dress up in clown masks and act as modern highwaymen robbing coach loads of tourists in the highlands. In the process they become folk heroes to the locals. Their adventures make for a whimsical and gentle comedy in the Bill Forsyth vein.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 012236212881 Manufacturer No: 21288