” The only thing we know for sure is that he’s *not* a vegetarian”
Mvd Entertainment Is Proud To Announce The North American High Definition Debut Of The 1992 Sci-fi Action Cult Classic “Split Second” On Blu-ray In An Ultimate Collector’S Edition.
In the year 2008, the cops are better armed than before, but nothing has prepared them for this. Swift, sharp-clawed and deadly, something moves among them on the streets, in the alleyways, on the rooftops, tearing out human hearts and devouring them. Maverick cop “Harley” Stone (Rutger Hauer) lost his partner to the beast, and now it looks like his girlfriend Michelle (Kim Cattrall) is next on the killer’s list. Even in the future, there aren’t guns big enough to stop the creature’s deadly force, but Stone has no choice. Teamed with rookie detective Durkin (Alastair Duncan), Stone must stalk the edge of his own sanity...
Mvd Entertainment Is Proud To Announce The North American High Definition Debut Of The 1992 Sci-fi Action Cult Classic “Split Second” On Blu-ray In An Ultimate Collector’S Edition.
In the year 2008, the cops are better armed than before, but nothing has prepared them for this. Swift, sharp-clawed and deadly, something moves among them on the streets, in the alleyways, on the rooftops, tearing out human hearts and devouring them. Maverick cop “Harley” Stone (Rutger Hauer) lost his partner to the beast, and now it looks like his girlfriend Michelle (Kim Cattrall) is next on the killer’s list. Even in the future, there aren’t guns big enough to stop the creature’s deadly force, but Stone has no choice. Teamed with rookie detective Durkin (Alastair Duncan), Stone must stalk the edge of his own sanity...
- 6/11/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Robert Heinlein’s frighteningly brilliant sci-fi horror concept spawned an entire generation of biological invasions from outer space. Stuart Orme’s faithful, authorized adaptation has a lot going for it, including sensationally good, gloppy special makeup effects, and a commanding performance from a dour, authoritative Donald Sutherland.
The Puppet Masters
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1994 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date December 4, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Julie Warner, Eric Thal, Keith David, Will Patton, Richard Belzer, Tom Mason, Yaphet Kotto, Marshall Bell.
Cinematography: Clive Tickner
Film Editor: William Goldenberg
Original Music: Colin Towns
Special Makeup Effects: Greg Cannom, Larry Odien
Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, David S. Goyer from the book by Robert A. Heinlein
Produced by Ralph Winter
Directed by Stuart Orme
Paranoid conspiracy movies got an early hold in film noir but really took off in early science fiction, abetted by rumors (and some evidence...
The Puppet Masters
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1994 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date December 4, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Julie Warner, Eric Thal, Keith David, Will Patton, Richard Belzer, Tom Mason, Yaphet Kotto, Marshall Bell.
Cinematography: Clive Tickner
Film Editor: William Goldenberg
Original Music: Colin Towns
Special Makeup Effects: Greg Cannom, Larry Odien
Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, David S. Goyer from the book by Robert A. Heinlein
Produced by Ralph Winter
Directed by Stuart Orme
Paranoid conspiracy movies got an early hold in film noir but really took off in early science fiction, abetted by rumors (and some evidence...
- 12/4/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Shortly before news broke of British auteur Ken Loach’s latest production (a surprise since his 2014 title Jimmy’s Hall was intended to be his last film) his 1990 film Hidden Agenda received a Blu-ray release. An interesting footnote in Loach’s extensive filmography, the film is a definite departure from a director whose work is usually invested in portraits of British Socialist realism. Sandwiched between 1986’s Fatherland (a co-production with West Germany, also seeing a Blu-ray release this November courtesy of Twilight Time) and 1991’s Riff-Raff, Loach tried his hand at a political thriller based on actual events. It took home the Jury Prize at that year’s Cannes Film Festival (of the many times Loach has competed for the Palme d’Or, he’s won this particular distinction three times, and the Palme itself in 2006) and caused a significant furor in the UK thanks to its blunt references to...
- 11/10/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Trevor Nunn's film version of one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies lacks the star power of the Mel Gibson "Hamlet" and the audacity of Ian McKellen's "Richard III" and should prove tough going for all but the most sophisticated art-house audiences. It does, however, succeed in putting the Bard ahead of Jane Austen in the current literary-adaptation horse race.
This play of mistaken identities and cross-dressing hasn't been filmed before and probably for good reason; its confusing plot lines and multiple characters make for a difficult experience, and this often-somber adaptation isn't particularly user-friendly. The story revolves around a pair of identical twins, Viola (Imogen Stubbs) and Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh), who are separated as a result of a shipwreck. Viola, believing her brother dead, disguises herself as a man and enters the service of the young Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens).
The duke sends his new charge to woo the beautiful widow Olivia Helena Bonham Carter) on his behalf, but Olivia is more interested in the messenger than the message. Viola, on the other hand, finds herself in love with Orsino. When Sebastian shows up, things become even more complicated.
There are many colorful supporting characters, including Olivia's foolish steward, Malvolio (Nigel Hawthorne), who becomes the victim of a cruel practical joke engineered by Olivia's uncle Sir Toby Belch (Mel Smith) and his friend Andrew Aguecheek (Richard E. Grant). Ben Kingsley appears sporadically as Feste, the fool, who provides acerbic comments on the absurd goings-on.
Nunn, the esteemed theater director who makes a film only every decade or so, is faithful to the material and doesn't invest it with any gimmickry. He has also assembled a first-rate group of performers. But the film never quite comes to life.
The theatricality of the piece doesn't translate particularly well, with the realism of film not kind to such artifices as Viola's pretending to be a man. The acting, too, is surprisingly pallid, with the exception of Hawthorne, who provides laughs and poignance. Kingsley also has some wonderful moments, although he is required to wander around the countryside, crooning like a 19th-century Bing Crosby, a little too often.
The neo-Victorian look of the settings and costumes is handsome but drab, and so is the cinematography.
TWELFTH NIGHT
Fine Line Features
Director-screenplay Trevor Nunn
Producers Stephen Evans, David Parfitt
Executive producer Greg Smith
Director of photography Clive Tickner
Editor Peter Boyle
Music Shaun Davey
Color/stereo
Cast:
Olivia Helena Bonham Carter
Sir Andrew Aguecheek Richard E. Grant
Malvolio Nigel Hawthorne
Feste Ben Kingsley
Sir Toby Belch Mel Smith
Maria Imelda Staunton
Orsino Toby Stephens
Viola Imogen Stubbs
Running time -- 125 min.
MPAA rating: PG...
This play of mistaken identities and cross-dressing hasn't been filmed before and probably for good reason; its confusing plot lines and multiple characters make for a difficult experience, and this often-somber adaptation isn't particularly user-friendly. The story revolves around a pair of identical twins, Viola (Imogen Stubbs) and Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh), who are separated as a result of a shipwreck. Viola, believing her brother dead, disguises herself as a man and enters the service of the young Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens).
The duke sends his new charge to woo the beautiful widow Olivia Helena Bonham Carter) on his behalf, but Olivia is more interested in the messenger than the message. Viola, on the other hand, finds herself in love with Orsino. When Sebastian shows up, things become even more complicated.
There are many colorful supporting characters, including Olivia's foolish steward, Malvolio (Nigel Hawthorne), who becomes the victim of a cruel practical joke engineered by Olivia's uncle Sir Toby Belch (Mel Smith) and his friend Andrew Aguecheek (Richard E. Grant). Ben Kingsley appears sporadically as Feste, the fool, who provides acerbic comments on the absurd goings-on.
Nunn, the esteemed theater director who makes a film only every decade or so, is faithful to the material and doesn't invest it with any gimmickry. He has also assembled a first-rate group of performers. But the film never quite comes to life.
The theatricality of the piece doesn't translate particularly well, with the realism of film not kind to such artifices as Viola's pretending to be a man. The acting, too, is surprisingly pallid, with the exception of Hawthorne, who provides laughs and poignance. Kingsley also has some wonderful moments, although he is required to wander around the countryside, crooning like a 19th-century Bing Crosby, a little too often.
The neo-Victorian look of the settings and costumes is handsome but drab, and so is the cinematography.
TWELFTH NIGHT
Fine Line Features
Director-screenplay Trevor Nunn
Producers Stephen Evans, David Parfitt
Executive producer Greg Smith
Director of photography Clive Tickner
Editor Peter Boyle
Music Shaun Davey
Color/stereo
Cast:
Olivia Helena Bonham Carter
Sir Andrew Aguecheek Richard E. Grant
Malvolio Nigel Hawthorne
Feste Ben Kingsley
Sir Toby Belch Mel Smith
Maria Imelda Staunton
Orsino Toby Stephens
Viola Imogen Stubbs
Running time -- 125 min.
MPAA rating: PG...
- 10/25/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While the title seems to have nothing to do with the storyline, it augurs the film's likely duration at the boxoffice.
Admittedly, it's hard to knock a film that includes Michael J. Pollard as a rat catcher, but this convoluted eco-actioner is so numbingly formulaic and mindlessly violent that even the usual forbidding presence of Rutger Hauer in the lead role can't rescue it.
Set in London, 2008, when the ozone layer has eroded to such an extent that all of Europe is plagued by apocalyptic weather patterns, "Split Second'' begins impressively. Torrential rains have waterlogged the city, engulfing the subways, overrunning the streets. Vicious water rats terrorize the citizenry and, in this scummy maelstrom, a darker form of evil rises up from the sloughs. A serial killer, with the strength of a beast, is ripping the hearts out of the good people of London town.
The police force is overwhelmed, out of its depth. Only a wacko cop named Harley Stone (Hauer), suspended for violence, drinking and every imaginable professional transgression, seems to have a bead on the killer. The bright bobbies have no choice. They reinstate Harley and hope he doesn't run amok again.
To keep him somewhat on target, they assign him a partner, Dick Durkin (Neil Duncan), who's some sort of high-and-dry psychoanalyst specializing in serial killers. Not surprisingly, Harley doesn't take to Dick, rarely acknowledging him except when loudly barking out his first name, Dick. Such is the blend of dialogue and humor.
While screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson has imaginatively wound a torrent of subtext into this narrative, including hunks of astrology and parapsychology, the narrative continually misconnects, ultimately shorting out in one noisy, charged climax.
On the plus side, the film's visual components under director Tony Maylam's kinetic hand are impressively realized. Cinematographer Clive Tickner's vivid etching of this dark, washed-out future world is powerful. Similarly, Chris Edwards' harsh, minimalist production design is appropriately unnerving.
In addition, a cup of tea and a warm fire to rat and pigeon wrangler David Corke who, obviously, had his hands full on this one.
SPLIT SECOND
Muse Prods. B.V. and Chris Hanley Presents
A Challenge Film
Producer Laura Gregory
Director Tony Maylam
Screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson
Executive producer Keith Cavele
Director of photography Clive Tickner
Executive in charge of production USA
Susan Nicoletti
Music Stephen Parons, Francis Haines
Editor Dan Rae
Production designer Chris Edwards
Costume designer Antoinette Gregory
Rat and pigeon wrangler David Corke
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Stone Rutger Hauer
Michelle Kim Cattrall
Durkin Neil Duncan
The Rat Catcher Michael J. Pollard
Thrasher Alun Armstrong
Paulsen Pete Postlethwaite
The Killer Stewart Harvey-Wilson, Paul Grayson
Running time -- 90 minutes
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Admittedly, it's hard to knock a film that includes Michael J. Pollard as a rat catcher, but this convoluted eco-actioner is so numbingly formulaic and mindlessly violent that even the usual forbidding presence of Rutger Hauer in the lead role can't rescue it.
Set in London, 2008, when the ozone layer has eroded to such an extent that all of Europe is plagued by apocalyptic weather patterns, "Split Second'' begins impressively. Torrential rains have waterlogged the city, engulfing the subways, overrunning the streets. Vicious water rats terrorize the citizenry and, in this scummy maelstrom, a darker form of evil rises up from the sloughs. A serial killer, with the strength of a beast, is ripping the hearts out of the good people of London town.
The police force is overwhelmed, out of its depth. Only a wacko cop named Harley Stone (Hauer), suspended for violence, drinking and every imaginable professional transgression, seems to have a bead on the killer. The bright bobbies have no choice. They reinstate Harley and hope he doesn't run amok again.
To keep him somewhat on target, they assign him a partner, Dick Durkin (Neil Duncan), who's some sort of high-and-dry psychoanalyst specializing in serial killers. Not surprisingly, Harley doesn't take to Dick, rarely acknowledging him except when loudly barking out his first name, Dick. Such is the blend of dialogue and humor.
While screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson has imaginatively wound a torrent of subtext into this narrative, including hunks of astrology and parapsychology, the narrative continually misconnects, ultimately shorting out in one noisy, charged climax.
On the plus side, the film's visual components under director Tony Maylam's kinetic hand are impressively realized. Cinematographer Clive Tickner's vivid etching of this dark, washed-out future world is powerful. Similarly, Chris Edwards' harsh, minimalist production design is appropriately unnerving.
In addition, a cup of tea and a warm fire to rat and pigeon wrangler David Corke who, obviously, had his hands full on this one.
SPLIT SECOND
Muse Prods. B.V. and Chris Hanley Presents
A Challenge Film
Producer Laura Gregory
Director Tony Maylam
Screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson
Executive producer Keith Cavele
Director of photography Clive Tickner
Executive in charge of production USA
Susan Nicoletti
Music Stephen Parons, Francis Haines
Editor Dan Rae
Production designer Chris Edwards
Costume designer Antoinette Gregory
Rat and pigeon wrangler David Corke
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Stone Rutger Hauer
Michelle Kim Cattrall
Durkin Neil Duncan
The Rat Catcher Michael J. Pollard
Thrasher Alun Armstrong
Paulsen Pete Postlethwaite
The Killer Stewart Harvey-Wilson, Paul Grayson
Running time -- 90 minutes
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
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