Donner, Clive

The Nude Bomb

Yes, it's true; Don Adams's Maxwell Smart act is little more than shtick, but marvelous shtick it is, and on Get Smart! with its half-hour doses of high-tech hooliganism, straight Bond parody, and uproarious slapstick, he made his mark as one of the more memorable comic figures of 1960s television. You wouldn't necessarily bet that Adams's trademark moves--deadpan mock-seriousness, smart-alecky catchphrases, and elastic faces--would translate well to the big screen; truth is, though, he's no more irritating than Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, or any of the other comic leads of the early 1980s. In The Nude Bomb, the first (and only) Maxwell Smart movie, our secret agent 86 battles a mad KAOS scientist who possesses a fiendish weapon: one which will destroy the world's supply of clothing. Joined by several attractive compatriots (not, alas, Barbara Feldon, whose ultra-hip Agent 99--the crucial foil for the hyperactive Smart--is sorely missed), the hapless spy has 48 hours to confound the evil plot. Several hilarious premises, including a plan to render the weapon ineffective by wearing food, are adeptly exploited through winning and well-timed sight gags. Recommended not only to fans of Get Smart! but to those who appreciate high-spirited '80s comedy as well. --Miles Bethany

Get smart with the most bumbling - yet undeniably cool - spy ever! Join Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (aka Agent 86) of the original Get Smart TV series in The Nude Bomb! Agent 86 is assigned to battle an evil villain who is threatening to drop a "nude bomb" capable of destroying all the fabric in the world. With only 48 hours, some voluptuous assistants, and his questionable spy skills to help him, Maxwell Smart certainly has his hands full trying to save the world from severe nakedness! The Nude Bomb is a hilarious spoof that is sure to leave you in stitches.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

It's tough trying to beat the 1934 version of the popular adventure-romance story, starring Leslie Howard as the 18th-century British hero who poses as a fop in London society but runs a secret mission to rescue the doomed in Robespierre's Paris. But this 1982 television version, starring Anthony Andrews (Under the Volcano) as the Pimpernel and Jane Seymour as his beloved but estranged wife, is quite a treat. Andrews and Seymour expertly capture the essence of a relationship suffering from misunderstandings and elusive passion, and there is plenty of crackle to the action sequences. Clive Donner (What's New, Pussycat?) brings some strong cinematic qualities to this television presentation. --Tom Keogh

The swashbuckling classic comes to rip-roaring life in this lavish production, filled with breathless romance and derring-do! In the eyes of high society, Sir Percy Blakeney (Brideshead Revisited's Anthony Andrews) is a typical fop, surrounded by adoring ladies and clueless gentry. However, he is also a master of disguise and bears an infamous secret identity: the Scarlet Pimpernel, dashing and fearless rescuer of victims of the French Revolution! Sir Percy also falls head over heels for the beautiful Marguerite (Somewhere in Time's Jane Seymour), who is also wooed by the villainous Paul Chauvelin (The Lord of the Rings' Sir Ian McKellan), Robespierre's Chief Agent for the Committee of National Security. Suave, stylish, and utterly irresistible, this dazzling adventure is sure to capture your heart!

What's New Pussycat

It's tough being the cat's meow! A "zany blend of slapstick gags and madcap comedy" (Cue) this "hilarious" (Motion Picture Herald) romp starring Peter Sellers Peter O'Toole and Woody Allen in his acting and screenwriting debut is the "wildest wackiest" (Boxoffice) film to emerge from the swingin' '60s. Burt Bacharach's Oscar®-nominated* title song only adds to the infectious appeal!Michael (O Toole) has a problem: he's a mademoiselle magnet! His demented psychiatrist (Sellers) and sex-starved friend (Allen) would kill for this problem but his would-be fianc e (Romy Schneider) might just kill him. Undergoing therapy that would put Freud in a straitjacket Michael tries to reform but it won't be easy with sex kittens like Capucine Paula Prentiss and Ursula Andress on his tail!System Requirements: Running Time 109 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 027616924704 Manufacturer No: 1008470

An appealing, free-floating lunacy fuels What's New Pussycat?, and there's enough of it bubbling around to carry the movie past its many defects. The cast is like a collection of terribly attractive people stumbling over each other at a disorganized cocktail party--they aren't always witty, and some of them are drunk, but there's enough going on to keep you distracted. Peter O'Toole plays a swinging London womanizer seeking help for his addiction, who makes the mistake of consulting one Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers), a demented psychoanalyst. Woody Allen made his movie debut here and wrote the script (much altered, to Allen's chagrin, in the filmmaking process). This movie and Casino Royale--which also features Sellers, Allen, Ursula Andress, and a Burt Bacharach song--are overstuffed '60s artifacts, brimming with mod chaos. Alas, neither film is as funny as it should be. --Robert Horton

A Christmas Carol

In the same year that he directed a handsome version of The Scarlet Pimpernel for television, Clive Donner also made this worthy 1984 small-screen production of the Dickens tale. George C. Scott can't quite muster a decent English accent, but he does bring some new colors to this movie's interpretation of Scrooge, making the character less nasty for the sake of nastiness and more a product of a life of lovelessness. The supporting cast is first-rate, and the production is far more handsome than most TV fare. --Tom Keogh

Christmas elicits nothing more than "Bah, humbug!" from Ebenezer Scrooge (Scott), a miser whose sole pursuit of financial success has left him a bitter and lonely old man. But a Christmas Eve visit from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future ultimately teaches him to open his heart to the spirit of Christmas and to the joys of friends and family.

Rogue Male

A British aristocrat attempts to assasinate Hitler. After his plot fails he is hunted by the Gestapo.

Rogue Male

Rogue Male

Christmas Classics Box Set (Miracle on 34th Street / Jingle All the Way / Home Alone / A Christmas Carol)

This collection of holiday fun includes: Home AloneThis hilarious holiday favorite stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister a boy who gets mighty creative when his family goes off for Christmas inadvertently leaving him behind and two bumbling burglars try to invade the family home!A Christmas CarolAcademy Award® winner George C. Scott stars as the greedy Ebenezer Scrooge in this beloved film version of Charles Dickens' immortal story. As Christmas approaches three ghosts visit the miser Scrooge in an attempt to change - and save - him.Jingle All The WayArnold Schwarzenegger stars in this fun-filled holiday romp as a dad determined to get his son a popular "Turbo Man" action figure for Christmas despite the hectic and sometimes dangerous shopping frenzy of the season!Miracle On 34th Street (1994)This heartwarming and hilarious retelling of the perennial holiday favorite stars Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle a department store Santa who believes that he's the real deal!System Requirements:Run Time: 405 mins Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHRISTMAS/CHRISTMAS UPC: 024543382461 Manufacturer No: 2238246

To Catch a King

Robert Wagner (Austin Powers, Wild Things) and Teri Garr (Young Frankenstein, The Conversation) star in this tale of international espionage, mystery and intrigue, adapted from the novel by international bestselling author Jack Higgins (Dark Justice, Brought in Dead).

In the summer of 1940, as war rages across Europe, two American expatriates combat a sinister plot by Hitler to abduct the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. When Hannah Winter, a nightclub singer in Berlin, comes into possession of a secret SS memo, she suddenly finds her life in jeopardy. Fleeing to Portugal, Hannah enlists the aid of nightclub owner Joe Jackson to avert an international crisis. As the struggle unfolds, their passion for one another flares.

The Scarlet Pimpernel [Region 2]

It's tough trying to beat the 1934 version of the popular adventure-romance story, starring Leslie Howard as the 18th-century British hero who poses as a fop in London society but runs a secret mission to rescue the doomed in Robespierre's Paris. But this 1982 television version, starring Anthony Andrews (Under the Volcano) as the Pimpernel and Jane Seymour as his beloved but estranged wife, is quite a treat. Andrews and Seymour expertly capture the essence of a relationship suffering from misunderstandings and elusive passion, and there is plenty of crackle to the action sequences. Clive Donner (What's New, Pussycat?) brings some strong cinematic qualities to this television presentation. --Tom Keogh