Orme, Stuart

The Heist

There's a different kind of race going on at the track in San Diego but you'd have to be on the inside to know about it. After serving four years Neal Skinner is out of jail but he's put time behind bars to good use- planning his revenge. It was Neal's partner in track security Ebet Berens who framed him in an emerald smuggling deal. Ebet took Neal for everything he had-including his woman-and now Neal wants it back! His plan-- to holdup the track; get Berens put behind bars; and win back the love of the woman he lost-seems simple enough. But Berens knows Skinner is up to something; and Skinner knows Beren knows. Hot on both their trails is Leland an angry cop who a figure there's something crooked going down. It's a brutal game of cross and double-cross with $5 million a car full of emeralds and the love of a beautiful woman at stake.Running Time: 97 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 026359036323

Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe

This grand six-part adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's rousing adventure of the Middle Ages makes the most of its generous running time. In the course of five hours, director Stuart Orme tells the epic tale of the idealistic young knight Ivanhoe (Steven Waddington) and his battle against the evil Templar Bois-Guilbert (Ciarán Hinds, whose thoughtful performance gives his dark character a compelling dimension). Caught between the rivalries and religious struggles are Ivanhoe's betrothed Rowena (Victoria Smurfit) and the brave, beautiful Jewess healer Rebecca (Susan Lynch), who wins Ivanhoe's heart with her courage. Set against the historical backdrop of a Britain straining under the corrupt rule of Prince John while Richard the Lionhearted fights in the Crusades, director Stuart Orme makes up for a small budget (the crowd scenes are somewhat skimpy) with sweep, scale, and the lush green British countryside of verdant forests and rolling hills, where ancient castles still stand. While this production can't compete with the majesty of the gorgeous 1952 Hollywood production, Orme creates his own vision in which Merrye Olde England is grounded in earthy colors, creating a country of both sunny fields and dark, dangerous timberlands, open sunlit courts, and cramped candlelit inns. The uniformly superb cast etches vivid characters and the length allows the novel's rich array of subplots to play out (including appearances by Robin Hood and his men and the Black Knight) and slowly wind together for the exciting conclusion. --Sean Axmaker

Colditz: WWII

While WWII Allied officer Jack Rose is held prisoner in Germany's notorious Colditz Castle, he recruits a band of fellow escape artists in the ultimate break-out only to discover that the greatest betrayal awaits him on safe ground.

Exxon Mobil Masterpiece Theater: The Blackheath Poisonings

Behind the shutters of a Victorian family's home lies a lethal potion of lust, corruption and greed.

At first glance, the two toymaking families who share a spacious villa in the leafy London suburb of Blackheath appear to be the era's picture-perfect examples. But looks can be murderously deceiving.

The Collards and Vandervents are not alone in their house-they are also living with wicked secrets. Thrown together for the sake of the family business, they each harbor dangerous emotions—and equally dangerous habits. Led by the frosty hand of a diabolic matriarch, the extended family also includes a selfish, debauched son; a bitter spinster; an adulterous wife; and a sharp young man who suspects his father's sudden death wasn't caused by the hand of God, but by poison.

A police investigation reveals unseemly secrets and an illicit affair that leads to a shocking—and riveting—conclusion. The Blackheath Poisonings, based on the best-selling mystery novel by Julian Symons, and adapted by Simon Raven (Edward and Mrs. Simpson), boldly and brilliantly redefines the Victorian era.

Special DVD features include: selected cast flmographies; selected cast list; biography of host Russell Baker; a link to the Masterpiece Theatre Web site; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD9 discs. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4x3 full frame.

The Lost World

Not the Steven Spielberg blockbuster, this Lost World is a splendid 2001 BBC TV dramatization of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous adventure story. Bob Hoskins makes an unusually genial Professor Challenger, far less of a bully than Doyle's character, but his slightly stereotyped companions are nicely filled out by a solid cast. James Fox is Challenger's more timid but still covertly adventurous rival, Tom Ward is the mustachioed big-game hunter who faces an allosaur with an elephant gun, and Matthew Rhys plays the tagalong reporter hoping to impress his faithless fiancée.

As usual, the adaptation adds a woman--orphaned jungle girl Elaine Cassidy--to the expedition, and an interesting villain (religious fanatic Peter Falk) beefs up the travelogue by marooning Challenger's gang on the South American plateau where dinosaurs, cavemen, and Indians coexist eventfully. The Walking with Dinosaurs-style effects work well for the TV frame, but the real success is in integrating the adventuring with subtle eco-awareness, complex character interplay, and the reliable wonder of soaring pteranodons and carnosaur attacks. --Kim Newman

Inspector Morse - Second Time Around

The Puppet Masters

Here's the edge-of-your-seat thriller that delivers unrelenting suspense and nonstop action! Donald Sutherland (DISCLOSURE, BACKDRAFT) leads a team of top-level government agents who make a chilling discovery: extraterrestrial beings have landed and are quickly taking control of the residents of a small midwestern town -- manipulating their bodies and minds like puppets! Faced with an escalating crisis as the creatures multiply and spread, the team must somehow eliminate the seemingly unstoppable aliens. With riveting special effects and heart-stopping action, THE PUPPET MASTERS is sure to thrill you!

Inspector Morse - The Remorseful Day

An unsolved murder case is reopened after a suspect is released from jail, but when he and two of his associates are found dead, detectives Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis face one of their most difficult investigations, and Morse's involvement may be more personal than he is willing to admit.

The final case for British television's best-loved detective is suffused with melancholy. Years of stress and far too much beer have taken their toll, and Morse is a sick man. Popping pills, wincing with pain, and drinking in spite of doctor's orders, Morse keeps going because he is obsessed with bringing criminals to justice. It's impossible to imagine him in retirement, but his vocation has ruined his health and now threatens his life.

The complex relationship between Morse and his partner has always been at the heart of the show's success, and at the beginning of "The Remorseful Day," that relationship is even more strained than usual. Lewis is furious when Morse takes over his investigation into the multiple murders, and the ailing Morse is more irritable than ever. But in spite of all their differences the two men complement one another and they are soon working together again. When this final episode moves into its final act Kevin Whately's performance as the faithful, underappreciated Lewis is deeply moving, providing a fitting coda to their enduring partnership.

The accompanying documentary includes behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with many of the distinguished actors who have appeared in the show over the years, and comments from Morse's creator, Colin Dexter. --Simon Leake

A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection Megaset (Pride and Prejudice / Emma / Victoria & Albert / Tom Jones / Jane Eyre / Lorna Doone / Ivanhoe / The Scarlet Pimpernel)

This is a set of some of A&E's most popular literary adaptations on DVD in one 'mega-set', as follows: Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and Emma, A&E's Original Movie Victoria & Albert, Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone, Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, and the Baroness D'Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel (Books 1, 2, & 3).

Inspector Morse - Deadly Slumber