The Agatha Christie Hour Set 1 DVD Review

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Based on the short fiction of dame Agatha Christie, Set 1 makes its long-awaited home video debut. Broadcast on PBS’ “Mystery” in the early 1980s, these five classic adaptations feature her customary crime solving along with romance and danger in the glittering 1920s and ‘30s. 
In these stories, lesser-known Christie heroes and heroines solve crimes of the heart as well as puzzling cases of larceny and murder.  With just the right mix of danger and deception, romance and revenge, innocence and intrigue, these classic adaptations are Christie at her best, now on DVD for the first time.

The top-notch ensemble cast includes John Nettles (Midsomer Murders), James Grout (Inspector Morse), and William Gaunt (No Place Like Home) and features Maurice Denham (All Passion Spent) as the unmatched Mr. Parker Pyne.

How can “happiness expert” Parker Pyne return a wayward husband’s affections to his wife?  Will a chance encounter on a train transform the life of a jobless investment broker forever?  And why does a vision in a mirror mean misery for a beautiful bride-to-be?

The Stories:
“The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife” – Season 1, Episode 1: Original Air Date—7 September 1982.   Mr. Parker Pyne helps a middle-aged wife recover the attentions of her husband, a philandering businessman too interested in his young secretary. Adapted by Freda Kelsall. Starring Maurice Denham, Angela Easterling, Gwen Watford, Peter Jones, Rupert Frazer, Kate Dorning.

“In a Glass Darkly” – Season 1, Episode 2: Original Air Date—14 September 1982.   A WWI officer sees a vision of a young woman’s doom. At an engagement party, he discovers with horror that the future victim and her murderer are the two betrothed.   Adapted by William Corlett. Starring Nicholas Clay, Emma Piper.

“The Girl in the Train” – Season 1, Episode 3: Original Air Date—21 September 1982.   George Rowland helps a young woman on a train escape her uncle, a hulking brute who is very possibly a foreign spy. The girl gives George an odd parcel and even odder instructions, then disappears. Adapted by William Corlett. Starring Osmund Bullock.

“The Fourth Man” – Season 1, Episode 4: Original Air Date—28 September 1982.   Three learned men on a journey share a train car with a fourth. As they discuss and debate a doctor’s recent patient, the fourth man interjects with a more disturbing version of events than the eminent doctor’s.  Adapted by William Corlett. Starring John Nettles, Michael Gough, Geoffrey Chater, Alan MacNaughton. (For MIDSOMER MURDER fans, here is a very young John Nettles – fun to watch him try on a French accent!)

“The Case of the Discontented Soldier” – Season 1, Episode 5: Original Air Date—5 October 1982.   With the able assistance of Mr. Parker Pyne, a retired major finds love and adventure. Adapted by T.R. Bowen. Starring William Gaunt, Patricia Garwood, Maurice Denham, Angela Easterling.

Prodigal Sons DVD Review

Returning home to a small town in Montana for her high school reunion, filmmaker Kimberly Reed hopes for reconciliation with her long-estranged adopted brother, Marc. But along the way she uncovers stunning revelations, including Marc's blood relationship with Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, intense sibling rivalries and unforeseeable twists of plot and gender that forces them to face challenges no one could imagine.
Winner of Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival's FIPRESCI prize, Jury Award for Best Documentary at Newfest, and Special Jury Prizes for Bravery in Filmmaking at the Florida and Nashville Film Festivals, Prodigal Sons is a raw and provocative examination of one family's struggle to come to terms with its past and present.

Special features include Short Film: Return of the Prodigal Sons; Q&A with Author Rick Moody; Director Commentary Track; Closed Captioned.

The Losers Movie Review

Synopsis: A tale of double cross and revenge, centered upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team-Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar -find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they're joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

The Runaways Movie Review

Synopsis: Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning star in this music-fueled story of the ground-breaking, all girl, teenage rock band of the 1970s: The Runaways. The film follows two friends, Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, as they rise from rebellious Southern California kids to rock stars of the now legendary group that paved the way for future generations of girl bands. Joan and Cherie fall under the Svengali-like influence of rock impresario Kim Fowley, played by Michael Shannon, who turns the group into an outrageous success and a family of misfits. With its tough-chick image and raw talent, the band quickly earns a name for itself—and so do its two leads: Joan is the band’s pure rock’ n’ roll heart, while Cherie, with her Bowie-Bardot looks, is the sex kitten. Written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, the film chronicles Joan and Cherie’s tumultuous relationship on and off stage, as the band starts to break out. --© Apparition

World War I claimed the lives of 10 million soldiers and shaped an entire century.  Narrated by four-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh, this extraordinary documentary brings the war’s horror and heroism to life in a way never before revealed.  Rare archival film—meticulously colorized under the guidance of expert historians—makes the past fresh, relevant, and alive.
In addition to these newly-reclaimed sights and sounds, surviving WWI veterans share their experiences, personally testifying about life in the trenches, the terror of “going over the top,” and the  courage and sacrifice of battle.  Analysis by military historians, detailed maps, and excerpts from the diaries and letters of men and women in the struggle offer a full range of perspectives on this unimaginably brutal, bloody clash of empires.
BONUS FEATURES: Tactics & Strategy, a 50-minutes special showing how new technology and bold thinking changed warfare; Making the Series behind-the-scenes featurette (15 min.); Biographies of political and military leaders, generals facts, and a timeline of events; 12-page viewer’s guide with historical background, including the Global War, Woman at War, and Revolutionary Weaponry

VENICE REVEALED, a new, insightful documentary that explores Europe’s most mysterious and seductive city. Historian and bestselling author Peter Ackroyd (LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY) captures the art and artifice, romance and decay, glorious past and tenuous future of one of the world’s most popular destinations, Venice, Italy, through an in-depth tour of its art, architecture, music and theatre. The 2009 series is based on Ackroyd’s new book “Venice: Pure City”, slated for US release in 2010.
Here, the pale Mediterranean light reveals cityscapes as painted by Canaletto and Guardi, modern voices revive the soaring spirituality of Vivaldi’s hymns, and Venetians still don disguises to revel and role-play at Carnival. Exploring private palazzos, magnificent churches, and winding alleyways, Ackroyd also discovers the truth beneath the artifice, where beauty masks terminal decay. He interviews preservationists now working desperately to rescue the city’s treasures from the ravages of time and the sea. Always a perceptive critic and spellbinding storyteller, Ackroyd serves as the perfect guide for an unforgettable journey. VENICE REVEALED originally aired as “Peter Ackroyd’s Venice” on the BBC in 2009. An award-winning novelist and bestselling historian, Ackroyd has written over 30 books and presented many TV documentaries. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Bonus Features:12-page viewer’s guide with highlights, questions to consider, avenues for further learning, interview with Peter Ackroyd, story of the Great Flood of 1966, gondola facts, and more; Biographies of Venetian architects, artists, playwrights, and composers; Venice on film; Exclusive web extras
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Bounty Hunter Movie Review:

Synopsis: Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurly (Jennifer Aniston). He thinks all that's ahead is an easy payday, but when Nicole gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, Milo realizes that nothing ever goes simply with him and Nicole. The exes continually one-up each other - until they find themselves on the run for their lives. They thought their promise to love, honor and obey was tough - staying alive is going to be a whole lot tougher.

Greenberg Movie Review

Synopsis: Roger Greenberg [Ben Stiller], single, fortyish and at a crossroads in his life, finds himself in Los Angeles, house-sitting for six weeks for his more successful/married-with-children brother. In search of a place to restart his life, Greenberg tries to reconnect with old friends including his former bandmate Ivan [Rhys Ifans]. But old friends aren't necessarily still best friends, and Greenberg soon finds himself spending more and more time with his brother's personal assistant Florence [Greta Gerwig], an aspiring singer and also something of a lost soul. Despite his best attempts not to be drawn in, Greenberg and Florence manage to forge a connection, and Greenberg realizes he may at last have found a reason to be happy. --© Focus

Crazy, in a coma, or back in time? Struck by a passing car in modern-day Manchester, detective Sam Tyler (John Simm, “State of Play”, “Doctor Who”) wakes up in 1973, where he’s the newest member of his old police squad.  Sam’s respect for proper procedure and 21st-century mentality clash mightily with his bullying boss, DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister, “Cranford”). Still, Sam gamely adapts to crime solving in this retro world, despite hearing strange voices that call him back to his former life. When he bonds with sympathetic policewoman Annie Cartwright (Liz White, “The Fixer”), Sam wonders: does he really want to return?
Winner of two International Emmys for best drama series, Life on Mars is “an entertaining collision of bare-knuckled police-procedural realism and mind-blowing surrealism” (TV Guide), acclaimed by critics and fans alike.
DVD BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
Audio commentaries for all Series 1 episodes
Take a Look at the Lawman documentary (64 min.)
Interview clip with director Bharat Nalluri (3 min.)
The Music of Life on Mars featurette (14 min.)
Get Sykes productions design featurette (8 min.)
Outtakes reel (6 min.)
The Return of Life on Mars documentary (45 min.)
Series 2 behind-the-scenes footage and set tour (48 min.)
The end of Life on Mars featurette (28 min.)

TOUCHING EVIL: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, the spellbinding British crime drama seen on PBS MYSTERY!, arrives on DVD from Acorn Media. After a near-death experience, detective Inspector Dave Creegan joins an elite police unit that investigates the most dangerous evildoers in Britain. Leading a superb ensemble cast, Robson Green (“Wire in the Blood”, “Reckless”) gives a charismatic lead performance as a cop with a unique ability to connect with criminal minds in these gripping dramas. THE COMPLETE COLLECTION includes all eight feature-length episodes from the three seasons.
Detective Inspector Dave Creegan (Robson Green) is new to the Organized and Serial Crime unit, but he’s no stranger to violence. After a gunshot wound to the head, Creegan recovers to find his personal life in shambles. He joins an elite team of detectives that takes on everyone from sadists and serial killers to psychopaths and pedophiles. Creegan’s new colleagues, DI Susan Taylor (Nicola Walker, “MI-5”) and DC Mark Rivers (Shaun Dingwall, “Above Suspicion”), are wary of his methods. While the OSC uses advanced police techniques, Creegan prefers to rely on his instincts. But they soon learn to respect him for his results, even though he rarely plays by the rules.
Created by Paul Abbott (“Cracker”, “State of Play”, “Shameless”), TOUCHING EVIL’s superb ensemble cast also includes Michael Feast (“State of Play”), with guest stars Ian McDiarmid (“Star Wars”), James Nesbitt (“Murphy’s Law”, “Match Point”), Philip Jackson (“Agatha Christie’s Poirot”), and Andy Serkis (“The Lord of the Rings”, “Little Dorrit”). A hit on PBS, this award-winning drama features gripping investigations into ghastly crimes, anchored by Green’s compelling lead performance.
The acclaimed series debuted on PBS’s MYSTERY! in the late 1990s and early 2000s and is still currently airing on PBS stations around the country. Airing for three series, TOUCHING EVIL was nominated for three BAFTAs, including best drama series, and seven Royal Television Society Awards. The series proved so popular, an American version was made for the USA Network in 2004 starring Jeffrey Donovan (“Burn Notice”), Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air”), and Bradley Cooper (“The Hangover”).
SDH subtitles courtesy of Acorn Media. Contains violence, nudity and disturbing images.