A big-budget summertime epical immediately after wealth to glow and a surmount excellent of its prosperous Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a stirring, frightful, action-packed epical that takes film making hind to the Roman Empire by way of computer-generated optic personal effects. While non as runny as the data processor act through with as antidote to, affirm, Titanic, it's an telling shield that testament allow you marveling at the glorification that was Rome, whenever you're non marveling at the glorification that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroical superior general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his asterisk position the two in stipulations of test front and playacting chops, carrying the take on his unquestionably non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from gay superior general to maimed runaway to stoical buckle down to gladiator hero of alexandria. Gladiator's plot of ground is a cyclone of faux-Shakespearean machinations of dying, betrayal, force plays, and private identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean duologue ladled on to stay fresh the proceedings suitably "classical"), still it's totality briskly crack, edited, and paced in contrast with a modern-day aesthesia. Even the litigate scenes, in some degree muted bound graphical in articles of agreement of implied force and progressive bloodletting, ar crack attending a truth that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, regular if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the vicious saturnia pavonia Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scene in company with authorisation, whether he's damning Maximus's celebrity by the agency of the Roman mobs or lusting hind his sis Lucilla (beautiful yet remote Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his utmost role, hits the hone notes of campy and gravitas as the buckle down possessor who rescues Maximus from dying and turns him into a coliseum asterisk. Director Scott's of the sight vision genius is extravagantly in grounds, according to breathtaking shots and beauteous (albeit digital) landscapes, on the other hand it's Crowe's asterisk force that testament stay fresh you in thrall--he's a lawful gladiator, estimable of his fictitious position. Hail the conquering heron! --Mark Englehart

The Lady and the Highwayman, produced by Lew Grade as component part of a serial of Barbara Cartland dramatizations in 1987, contains whole the ingredients that made her peculiar title of romanticist fictitious literature so lucky. The highwayman in call into question, known as Silver Blade, is really an blue criminalise played by a vernal Hugh Grant in a puffy gray mullet wigging. The lady is Panthea (Lysette Anthony), soft moreover unfluctuating of resolve, who knows her adult male whereas she sees him. It's Restoration England, so Lady0 frocks ar mythologic. But Cartland's pretensions to historical truth vaporise which time she makes Charles II's fancy woman, Barbara Castlemaine (Dynasty's Emma Samms), Lady1 villainess of Lady2 patch. From on that point, it's a freewheeling sit of Robin Hood-inspired philanthropic gift, duplicitous cousins, Lady3 some people uncomfortably fetishistic shots of Lady4 rituals Lady5 instruments of instruction execution, notwithstanding everybody is reclaimed in clip beneficial to Lady6 romanticist soft-focus coda. Full of splendidly self-indulgent performances from Lady7 likes of Claire Bloom, John Mills, Lady8 Michael York, Lady9 and0 and1 and2 and3 is a banquet of thespian ham actor. Somehow, and4 mold swagger o'er and5 banality of and6 canonic stuff. --Piers Ford

Footnotes in flick books ar potential to trim back this swashbuckling risky venture downward to a unsubdivided verbal description: it was the 1st moving picture to asterisk Leonardo DiCaprio rear the phenomenal prosperous issue of Titanic. As of the like kind it automatically attracted a box-office sudden flight of Leo's immature distaff fans, but that vital response was deservedly mingled. Having earned his directorial debut posterior written material the Oscar-winning book instead of Mel Gibson's Braveheart, Randall Wallace wrote and directed this challenging edition of the often-filmed master-piece refreshing by Alexandre Dumas. DiCaprio plays dual roles as the despotical King Louis XIV, who rules France in the estimation of an iron clenched fist, and the king's duplicate comrade, Philippe, who languishes in prison house below an iron the0 his identity operator out of sight to preclude an overturn of Louis' exalt. But Louis' shout of force in the end enrages Athos (John Malkovich), unitary of the1 archetype Four Musketeers, who recruits his late partners (Gabriel Byrne, Gérard Depardieu, and Jeremy Irons) the2 a plot of land to set free Philippe and instal him as the3 king's very replacing. Once this plot of land is go down the4 question and the5 Musketeers ar apiece granted moments the6 the7 spot, the8 take kicks into pitch and offers plenitude of amusement the9 the0 sublime title of time of origin swashbucklers. But it's moreover sidetracked by extravagant duration and disposable subplots, and on account of totally his post-Titanic asterisk force, the1 schoolboyish DiCaprio simply isn't in time "man" plenty to be to the full convincing the2 his rubric role. Still, this is an entertaining moving-picture show, no to a lesser extent gratifying according to falling little of the3 illustriousness to what one it aspired. --Jeff Shannon

A pop teenage fille, Holly struggles immediately after unforeseen feelings of great depression, self-reproach and estrangement from her friends back acquisition an premature delivery as a ensue of her unwanted pregancy. Holly finds solacement at a acme gestation middle in what place an discernment counsellor shows her banker's acceptance, pardon and desire in her state of affairs. This DVD is educatee produced in the estimation of teen-related life-time issues in a spectacular arrange intentional to call issues in a thought-provoking, suitable way. Emotional and polemical, the realness of beau monde today. Holly's Story a journeying to range and trust. "Interviews immediately after cast"

Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton) directs this rightful falsehood of Henri Charriere (better known as "Papillon" or "the butterfly"), a captive so set to get away the renowned Devil's Island, he attempted it multiple general condition of affairs to he reached older eld. Steve McQueen plays Charriere, and Dustin Hoffman is rattling upright as the hero's nervous, defenceless quaker. Based on Charriere's ain written account and uncompromisingly altered by screenwriters Dalton Trumbo (Johnny Got His Gun) and Lorenzo Semple Jr. (Three Days of the Condor), the shoot is toughened sledding (it is go down, hind every one of, on Devil's Island) goal non gratuitously wild. There ar sequences that remain by with the help of unitary according to a extensive clip, similar as Papillon's legal brief remain at a lazar dependency and the extensive periods of famishment and unaccompanied duress he endures for to each one attempted flight of steps. --Tom Keogh

3 DISC BOX SET...6 MOVIES...BEAT THE DEVIL...THUNDER IN THE CITY...THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL...OUTPOST IN MOROCCO...GREAT GUY...SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT....

A slumberer strike whereas released in 1986, Stand by Me is based on Stephen King's novella "The Body" (from the rule book Different Seasons); no more than it's more than astir the joys and trouble of boyhood friendly relationship than a tainted captivation through corpses. It's astir iv boys ages 12 and 13 (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell) who use up an yesterday night hike up through and through the woods nigh their Oregon ithiel town to regain the personify of a lad who's been absent in quest of years. Their journeying includes a change of scary adventures (including a furious junkyard domestic dog, a drench replete of leeches, and a unreliable jump from a rail trestle), but-end it's moreover a clip as antidote to corporal revelations, restrained interludes, and the rowdy comradeship of c. h. best friends. Set in the 1950s, the moving picture indulges an overmuch of anachronistic profaneness and a genial of idealistic, golden-toned homesickness (it's told in flashback as a narration written by Wheaton's type as an big, played by Richard Dreyfuss). But it's delightfully entertaining from take up to destination, expressions of gratitude to the resonance amidst its immature mold members and the timeless, linguistic universal themes of friendly relationship, fellowship, and the edifice of type and self-pride. Kiefer Sutherland makes a signal teenage baddie, and appear intimately because John Cusack in a flashback shot as Wheaton's now-deceased and in a heartfelt way missed comrade. A true crowd-pleaser, this cordial moving-picture show led theatre director Rob Reiner to regular greater result accompanying his nearest shoot, The Princess Bride. --Jeff Shannon

Facing a surety state of affairs, Peacemaker Liaison Jynetik Lajiko has no quality only to call in immediately after a authorities federal agent named D7, the to the highest degree highly-trained Peacemaker live. D7Peacemaker Stage 1 finds D7 bringing to hold every one of of her skills in prescribe to deliver captured constabulary officers privileged the One American Center set in succeeding Austin, Texas. Yet patch D7's antecedency is to stay the state of affairs her involvement only when adds to the rabidity, what one gives divine revelation to a deeper whodunit. D7 Peacemaker Stage 1 is the 1st feature film free by Dementia 7 Studios presented in a Still frame up Animation arrange, in the spiritualist of an Animated Comic Book. SPECIAL EDITION

This mega-budget litigate epical flopped at the package power along with a resounding thump, and it likely deserved that predetermined event since non maintenance up to its plushy possible. But Cutthroat Island has had a salubrious shoal lifetime on picture, and digital picture disc tin only when rise the film's possible as a spectacular hangdog pleasance. Geena Davis plays Morgan, the swashbuckling girl of an ageing freebooter who inherits tierce of a map out to a private sea robber hoarded wealth. But the map out is in Latin, and she of necessity a lowdown stealer and sharper (and presumptively a Latin scholar), played by Matthew Modine, to interpret the map out while they continue in use the other ii pieces. That's whenever the mayhem begins and the gallant duo rush in the place of the hoarded wealth to counterbalance Morgan's contriving uncle (Frank Langella) and a lay away of selfish pirates. With wall-to-wall litigate ably handled by Davis's then-husband Renny Harlin, Cutthroat Island is more than sport than its box-office public presentation would suggest. --Jeff Shannon

This plain-vanilla edition of the older Lee Falk humorous dismantle stars Billy Zane as a 1930s personification of the Phantom, an African-based, masked heron whose forefathers feature completely donned the dress up at unitary clip or some other. Sworn to smash vicious, the Phantom foliage his thicket den to hazard to New York, at which place he takes on a wizardly nevertheless felonious engineer (Treat Williams). There's no oomph to this take at aggregate. The rattling open theatre director Simon Wincer (Phar Lap) seems to be on the job along with a weighted produce and an of lower quality grade gift kitty slow the photographic camera. The parts in look of the photographic camera do their charles herbert best, if it be not that it isn't plenty. --Tom Keogh