Release date: 2000-11-20 Run time: 196 min. RRP: £15.99 Price: £6.19
Review Inspector Morse - Remorseful Day / Rest In Peace / ITV DVD:When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and storylines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world-and with his colleagues in the police force-most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to the next. And he is scarred-more deeply than he would ever admit-by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep down, sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. [+]
It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! - Piers Ford.
Actors & Directors
- John Thaw
- Patricia Hodge
- Herbert Wise
- Kevin Whately
- Amanda Hillwood
Release date: 1999-02-08 Run time: 103 min. RRP: £9.99 Price: £0.75
Review Inspector Morse - The Ghost In The Machine - Series 3 - Episode 1 [1987] / ITV DVD:When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and storylines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world-and with his colleagues in the police force-most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to the next. And he is scarred-more deeply than he would ever admit-by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep down, sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. [+]
It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! - Piers Ford.
Actors & Directors
- Ferdinand Fairfax
- Jimmy Yuill
- Helen Masters
- Jack Shepherd
- A.J. Quinn
- Martyn Friend
Release date: 1998-10-05 Run time: 102 min. RRP: £12.99 Price: £19.95
Review Wycliffe - The Four Jacks / The Dead Flautist [1994] / Clear Vision Ltd:
Actors & Directors
- Tony Wharmby
- John A. Davis (II)
Release date: 2002-06-03 Run time: 101 min. RRP: £10.99 Price: £7.00
Review Agatha Christie's Partners In Crime - The Man In The Mist / An Unbreakable Alibi [1983] / 2 Entertain Video:
Actors & Directors
- Leigh Lawson
- Connie Booth
- James Warwick (II)
- John Davies
- John Gielgud
- Francesca Annis
- Tony Wharmby
Release date: 2000-06-05 Run time: 144 min. Price: £10.99
Review Why Didn't They Ask Evans? [1980] / Granada Media:
Actors & Directors
- George Pollock
- William Mervyn
- Joan Benham
- Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
- Margaret Rutherford
- Lionel Jeffries
Release date: 2000-08-21 Run time: 89 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £5.79
Review Miss Marple - Murder Ahoy [1964] / Warner Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Sheila Keith
- Jimmy Gardner
- Clifford Rose
- Ronald Wilson
- Derek Newark
- Ian Carmichael
Release date: 2000-09-11 Run time: 180 min. Price: £16.99
Review Lord Peter Wimsey - The Unpleasantness At The Bellona Club [1973] / Acorn Media:Based on the series of novels written by Dorothy L Sayers in the 1920s and 30s, Lord Peter Wimsey was dramatised for TV by the BBC between 1972-5. Ian Carmichael, veteran of British film comedy, played the genial, aristocratic sleuth; Glyn Houston was his manservant Bunter. The pair are similar to PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Bertie Wooster (whom Carmichael played in an earlier TV adaptation) though here the duo are equal in intelligence, breezing about the country together in Wimsey's Bentley and stumbling with morbid regularity upon baffling murder mysteries to test their wits. Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, and the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series and ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by and large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent and the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle. There were five feature-length adaptations in all. "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club" sees Wimsey investigate the somewhat fishy death of a general, whose demise prompts the distribution of an enormous inheritance. -David Stubbs.
Actors & Directors
- Michael A. Simpson
- Christopher Hodson
- Edward Petherbridge
- Paul Hastings
- Derek Royle
- Richard Morant
- Harriet Walter
Release date: 2002-04-08 Run time: 200 min. Price: £16.99
Review Lord Peter Wimsey - Have His Carcase [1987] / Acorn Media:Based on the series of novels written by Dorothy L Sayers in the 1920s and 30s, Lord Peter Wimsey was dramatised for TV by the BBC between 1972-5. Ian Carmichael, veteran of British film comedy, played the genial, aristocratic sleuth; Glyn Houston was his manservant Bunter. The pair are similar to PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Bertie Wooster (whom Carmichael played in an earlier TV adaptation) though here the duo are equal in intelligence, breezing about the country together in Wimsey's Bentley and stumbling with morbid regularity upon baffling murder mysteries to test their wits. Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, and the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series and ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by and large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent and the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle. There were five feature-length adaptations in all. "Clouds of Witness" sees Wimsey investigate the death of his brother the Duke of Denver's fiancée. -David Stubbs.
Release date: 2003-07-16 Price: £12.99
Review Wycliffe - Vol. 7 - Wild Oats [1994] / Wycliffe:
Actors & Directors
- Angela Morant
- John Normington
- Kevin Whately
- Maurice O'Connell
- John Thaw
- Peter Hammond
Release date: 1998-07-13 Run time: 102 min. RRP: £9.99 Price: £1.45
Review Inspector Morse - Service Of All The Dead [1987] / Carlton Visual Entertainment Ltd:When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and storylines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world-and with his colleagues in the police force-most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to the next. And he is scarred-more deeply than he would ever admit-by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep down, sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. [+]
It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! - Piers Ford.
Actors & Directors
- George Pollock
- Thorley Walters
- Margaret Rutherford
- James Robertson Justice
- Muriel Pavlow
- Arthur Kennedy
Release date: 2000-08-21 Run time: 87 min. RRP: £6.99 Price: £8.87
Review Miss Marple - Murder She Said [1961] / Warner Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Lee Horsley
- Faye Dunaway
- Diane Keen
- Jonathan Cecil
- Lou Antonio
- Peter Ustinov
Release date: 2000-08-21 Run time: 91 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £24.75
Review 13 At Dinner [1985] / Warner Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- John A. Davis (II)
- Tony Wharmby
Release date: 2001-06-18 Run time: 103 min. RRP: £10.99 Price: £5.00
Review Agatha Christie's Partners In Crime - The Affair Of The Pink Pearl / The House Of Lurking Death [1983] / 2 Entertain Video:
Actors & Directors
- Paul Hastings
- Christopher Hodson
- Harriet Walter
- Edward Petherbridge
- Michael A. Simpson
- Derek Royle
- Richard Morant
Release date: 2002-02-11 Run time: 165 min. Price: £16.99
Review Lord Peter Wimsey - Strong Poison [1987] / Acorn Media:Based on the series of novels written by Dorothy L Sayers in the 1920s and 30s, Lord Peter Wimsey was dramatised for TV by the BBC between 1972-5. Ian Carmichael, veteran of British film comedy, played the genial, aristocratic sleuth; Glyn Houston was his manservant Bunter. The pair are similar to PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Bertie Wooster (whom Carmichael played in an earlier TV adaptation) though here the duo are equal in intelligence, breezing about the country together in Wimsey's Bentley and stumbling with morbid regularity upon baffling murder mysteries to test their wits. Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, and the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series and ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by and large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent and the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle. There were five feature-length adaptations in all. "Clouds of Witness" sees Wimsey investigate the death of his brother the Duke of Denver's fiancée. -David Stubbs.
Actors & Directors
- John Thaw
- Jim Broadbent
- Sean Bean
- Diana Quick
- Kevin Whately
- Antonia Bird
Release date: 1999-08-09 Run time: 104 min. RRP: £9.99 Price: £1.10
Review Inspector Morse - Absolute Conviction - Series 6 - Episode 4 [1987] / ITV DVD:When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and storylines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world-and with his colleagues in the police force-most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to the next. And he is scarred-more deeply than he would ever admit-by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep down, sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. [+]
It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! - Piers Ford.
Actors & Directors
- Donald Douglas (III)
- Ian Carmichael
- Robert Tronson
- John Junkin
- Russell Hunter
- Glyn Houston
Release date: 2001-10-08 Run time: 200 min. RRP: £16.99 Price: £24.99
Review Lord Peter Wimsey - Five Red Herrings [1975] / Acorn Media:Based on the series of novels written by Dorothy L Sayers in the 1920s and 30s, Lord Peter Wimsey was dramatised for TV by the BBC between 1972-5. Ian Carmichael, veteran of British film comedy, played the genial, aristocratic sleuth; Glyn Houston was his manservant Bunter. The pair are similar to PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Bertie Wooster (whom Carmichael played in an earlier TV adaptation) though here the duo are equal in intelligence, breezing about the country together in Wimsey's Bentley and stumbling with morbid regularity upon baffling murder mysteries to test their wits. Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, and the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series and ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by and large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent and the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle. There were five feature-length adaptations in all. "Five Red Herrings" is the last and perhaps the least of the series, involving a trout fishing holiday interrupted by the death of a local artist. -David Stubbs.
Actors & Directors
- Andrew Cruickshank
- Ron Moody
- Megs Jenkins
- Margaret Rutherford
- George Pollock
- Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
Release date: 2000-08-21 Run time: 87 min. RRP: £6.99 Price: £4.89
Review Agatha Christie's Murder Most Foul [1964] / Warner Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Richard Standeven
- Michael Pennington
- Robbie Coltrane
- Ricky Tomlinson
- Barnaby Kay
Release date: 2002-08-05 Run time: 101 min. Price: £5.99
Review Cracker - White Ghost [1996] / Cinema Club:
Actors & Directors
- Kate Reid
- Suzanne Pleshette
- Jack Smight
- John Kerr (II)
- Peter Falk
- Eddie Albert
Release date: 1999-10-18 Price: £9.99
Review Columbo - Vol. 1: Pilot Episode: Prescription Murder / Episode 2: Deadweight / Playback:
Actors & Directors
- Edward Petherbridge
- Harriet Walter
- Paul Hastings
- Christopher Hodson
- Richard Morant
- Michael A. Simpson
- Derek Royle
Release date: 2002-06-10 Run time: 150 min. Price: £16.99
Review Lord Peter Wimsey - Gaudy Night [1987] / Acorn Media:Based on the series of novels written by Dorothy L Sayers in the 1920s and 30s, Lord Peter Wimsey was dramatised for TV by the BBC between 1972-5. Ian Carmichael, veteran of British film comedy, played the genial, aristocratic sleuth; Glyn Houston was his manservant Bunter. The pair are similar to PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Bertie Wooster (whom Carmichael played in an earlier TV adaptation) though here the duo are equal in intelligence, breezing about the country together in Wimsey's Bentley and stumbling with morbid regularity upon baffling murder mysteries to test their wits. Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, and the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series and ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by and large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent and the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle. There were five feature-length adaptations in all. "Clouds of Witness" sees Wimsey investigate the death of his brother the Duke of Denver's fiancée. -David Stubbs.
| Models & Brands: Inspector Morse - Remorseful Day / Rest In Peace, Inspector Morse - The Ghost In The Machine - Series 3 - Episode 1 [1987], Wycliffe - The Four Jacks / The Dead Flautist [1994], Agatha Christie's Partners In Crime - The Man In The Mist / An Unbreakable Alibi [1983], Why Didn't They Ask Evans? [1980], Miss Marple - Murder Ahoy [1964], Lord Peter Wimsey - The Unpleasantness At The Bellona Club [1973], Lord Peter Wimsey - Have His Carcase [1987], Wycliffe - Vol. 7 - Wild Oats [1994], Inspector Morse - Service Of All The Dead [1987], Miss Marple - Murder She Said [1961], 13 At Dinner [1985], Agatha Christie's Partners In Crime - The Affair Of The Pink Pearl / The House Of Lurking Death [1983], Lord Peter Wimsey - Strong Poison [1987], Inspector Morse - Absolute Conviction - Series 6 - Episode 4 [1987], Lord Peter Wimsey - Five Red Herrings [1975], Agatha Christie's Murder Most Foul [1964], Cracker - White Ghost [1996], Columbo - Vol. 1: Pilot Episode: Prescription Murder / Episode 2: Deadweight, Lord Peter Wimsey - Gaudy Night [1987]Top headlines: Olympic sailors brace for 'the dog': Two baby river otters are safely in the care of a wildlife rescue group after a weekend excursion that took them through several Petaluma neighborhoods, including a stop at a local pub. ›15:21, 2.07 Beijing polishes up image, welcomes visitors: In the seven years since the Olympic movement anointed Beijing as host of the 2008 Summer Games, China's capital has undergone a transformation so thoroughgoing that "makeover" doesn't begin to describe the change. ›20:51 Report: Biofuels blamed for food price crisis: The U.S. government has done the least among the worlds eight biggest economies to address global warming, a study released Thursday found. ›14:28, 3.07 Goat and dog arrested in Alabama: The goat was arrested, the Mercedes-Benz was assaulted and the dog came along for the ride. ›23:55, 7.07 Town split over teacher accused of preaching: Demonstrations on the town square in Mount Vernon, Ohio, show how divided people are over the school board's decision to fire a science teacher accused of preaching his Christian beliefs in the classroom and burning crosses on students' arms. ›16:12 Body ID'd as wife of convicted Calif. man: Police have identified the body found in the Oakland hills as convicted killer Hans Reiser's estranged wife. ›03:54 Police puzzled by foot in shoe on beach: Swedish police say they have found a human foot inside a shoe, which washed up on a beach near one of the country's most popular tourist resorts. ›20:16 Should you check or ship your bags?: While it's still generally more expensive to ship a suitcase than to check it, the latest airline fees have narrowed the cost differential and what you gain in convenience and reliability may be worth paying a few extra bucks. ›13:44 Prince Charles uses wine for eco-sports car: Federal officials are considering euthanizing wild horses to deal with the growing population on the range and in holding facilities, authorities said Monday. ›01:25, 1.07 U.S., Czech Republic OK missile plan: The United States and the Czech Republic have signed an initial agreement to begin basing part of a U.S. missile shield in the former Soviet territory. ›13:54 Parents of twins more prone mental issues: The Food and Drug Administration hopes to add its most serious warning label to epilepsy drugs, based on evidence they increase the risk of suicide in patients. ›19:08, 7.07 Barristers attack anonymity bill: Plans to give judges the power to allow anonymous evidence in court cases are "too broad", barristers warn. ›21:25 Video: Ride a bike, lengthen your life: July 8: Studies show that cycling an hour a day can decrease mortality risk by 35 percentand biking half that much still cuts your risk of heart disease and stroke by half. 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