robert-bucknor's - BEST List

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Set in a remote monastery in Northern Russia, Pavel Longuine's acclaimed film tells the story of Father Anatoly (Pyotr Mamonov) whose bizarre conduct confuses and intrigues the rest of the order.

Whilst some believe he has the power to heal, exorcise demons and foretell the future, Anatoly himself is in spiritual crisis, consumed with guilt and remorse over a terrible event from his past. Stunningly photographed and wonderfully acted by former rock musician Mamonov, 'The Island' is a haunting tale of faith and salvation.

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His crime: nonconformity. His sentence: the chain gang. Paul Newman plays one of his best-loved roles as Cool Hand Luke, the loner who won't - or can't - conform to the arbitrary rules of his captivity.

It recalls other hallmark Newman performances: Luke is The Hustler without a dream of victory, Harper without a moral mission, Hud without a father to defy. A cast of fine character actors, including George Kennedy in his Academy Award-winning role of Dragline, gives Newman solid support as fellow prisoners. And Strother Martin is the Captain who taunts Luke with the famous line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate." No failure here. With rich humour and vibrant storytelling power, 'Cool Hand Luke' succeeds resoundingly.

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In this sweeping epic that swings from high comedy to drama, Dustin Hoffman gives a "virtuoso performance" (Hollywood Reporter) as the 121-year-old sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand.

Narrating his colorful life story, he tells about everything from his adoption by Cheyenne Indians to his marriages and friendship with Wild Bill Hickok. His tall tales indicate he just may be one of the biggest liars who roamed' the West.

In 1973 Frank Spencer made his first appearance on our screens. Enjoy again his greatest disasters, in this collection of classic episode. Episodes Comprise: - Cliffhanger - The Raf Reunion - Father's Clinic - Moving House - King of the Road

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A National Emergency grips the US as the zombie population grows at an alarming rate. Two S.W.A.T. officers, a helicopter pilot and his girlfriend escape the city and take refuge in an abandoned shopping mall after securing it following a series of flesh-shredding confrontations with the undead.

Their survival is threatened when a band of looters leave a door open allowing the zombies access to the mall once more and a final stand-off for survival must play out.

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Eleven jurors are convinced that the defendant is guilty of murder. The twelfth has no doubt of his innocence.

How can this one man steer the others toward the same conclusion? It's a case of seemingly overwhelming evidence against a teenager accused of killing his father in "one of the best pictures ever made".

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Maria and Hermann Braun marry in Germany close to the end of World War II but are shortly separated.

Just after being sent to the Russian Front, Hermann is reported missing and, although Maria believes he is still alive, her brother in law, just returned from a POW camp in Russia, confirms his death. Alone, Maria uses her beauty and ambition to prosper in Germany's "economic miracle" of the 1950s. 'The Marriage of Maria Braun' is heartbreaking study of a woman picking herself up from the ruins of her own life, as well as a pointed metaphorical attack on a society determined to forget its past.

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Perhaps his most famous film, La Dolce Vita slices into the decadent amoral core of Roman society with Fellini's trademark attention to detail and spectacular photography.

Marcello Mastroianni plays a gossip columnist (the term 'paparazzi' derives from the in a film) who aspires to be a more serious writer but knows he never will be, because like society, he is fascinated by the decadent hedonist pursuits which are seemingly everywhere. The Vatican was appalled by the film, but the public adored it, relishing the images Fellini fed them, most notably the now infamous scene of Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg frolicking in the Trevi Fountain.

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Six unemployed men, inspired by a touring group of male strippers, decide they can make a small fortune by putting on a striptease show of their own - but with one small difference.

They intend to go the "full monty" and strip completely naked! In this hilarious, heartfelt comedy, these six friends discover the inner strength to bare it all in front of the world. This "enchantingly funny…crowd-pleasing" comedy features the music of Donna Summer, Gary Glitter, Sister Sledge and Tom Jones.

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Good Night, And Good Luck takes place during the early days of US broadcast. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television news pioneer Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and Senator Joseph McCarthy.

With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, the ground-breaking Murrow, and his dedicated staff, headed by his producers Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba (George Clooney & Robert Downey Jr.) defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on regardless and their tenaciousness eventually pays off when McCarthy is brought before the US Senate. Their legacy has remained intact and even reverberates today as the standard for high quality broadcast journalism.

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Sinbad (Patrick Wayne), daring sailor and Prince of Bagdad, sets sail towards Charnak seeking permission from Prince Kassim (Damien Thomas) to woo his sister, Farah (Jane Seymour). But Sinbad discovers that Kassim has been placed under a spell by their fiendish stepmother (Margaret Whiting).

To break the wicked spell Sinbad must set forth on a journey unlike any ever traveled. Awaiting him on this perilous voyage is an assortment of beasts beyond one's wildest imagination. Among the creatures encountered are the Minoton, a bronze colossus; a giant troglodyte; a saber-toothed tiger; and an "almost human" baboon.

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Told entirely in the words of James Baldwin, through both personal appearances and the text of his final unfinished book project, "I Am Not Your Negro" touches on the lives and assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr.

, and Medgar Evers to bring powerful clarity to how the image and reality of Blacks in America today is fabricated and enforced.

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Rex Harrison reprises his signature role of Henry Higgins, the supremely assured phoneticist who wagers that under his tutelage, cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle can pass for a duchess at the Embassy Ball. In one of her best-loved roles, Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza.

If ever there were a face that the professor could grow accustomed to, it's hers. In Hartford, Heresford and Hampshire (and elsewhere) no one's fairer than 'My Fair Lady' on of the most irresistible musicals ever.

Join the "practically perfect" Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) as she magically turns every chore into a game and every day into a whimsical adventure. Along the way, you'll be enchanted by unforgettable characters such as the multitalented chimney sweep Bert (Dick Van Dyke).

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In 1950's industrial Yorkshire, social climber Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) woos the boss's daughter as he sets out to reach the top of his profession.

But when his working-class background hampers his efforts, Joe seeks solace with the unhappily married Alice (Simone Signoret), an affair that will have dire consequences.