Sports / Music / Knowledge etc

David Attenborough's thrilling series, taking us on a guided tour through the secret world of plants, is captured on this amazing DVD. The account of plant life's struggle for survival is seen as never before in a story full of drama, beauty and staggering achievement. Attenborough takes us through each aspect of plants' lives travelling, growing, flowering, their struggle with other plants and animals, and the ingenious way they adapt to even the harshest of conditions.
From the 290-foot-high California Sequoia or the rattan plants that use ferocious ants as bodyguards, to the insect- and even rat-devouring pitcher plants of Borneo, the mysteries of the plant world are unravelled. Using fantastic time-lapse photography, Attenborough shows us plant life in action; beautiful filming highlights the biggest, brightest and the most bizarre of plants and, with the aid of computer graphics, we enter the inner workings of the bodies of plants. Prepare to be surprised and delighted as Attenborough takes you on a journey through a world you thought you knew.

Like the albatross glimpsed in the beginning of this 10-part series The Life of Birds quickly takes flight. Sir David Attenborough hosts this unprecedented and extraordinary global look at the magnificent and often curious winged species with which we share our planet. Like the best wildlife shows, The Life of Birds offers a fresh and accessible view of creatures we may take for granted (didn't Alfred Hitchcock warn us about that?). The focus of this series is not on the different bird species, but on bird behaviour. Remarkable and awe-inspiring footage preserves the wide range of tools and techniques with which birds fly, hunt for food, attract a mate, hatch their chicks and defend themselves against predators. Attenborough pops up in the most remote, most exotic locales, with occasional comic effect: at one point, night-vision cameras capture the rare sight of the nocturnal kiwi as it forages for food on a New Zealand beach; the camera pans to reveal scant paces away our guide shining a flashlight on the nonplussed bird.

Walking with Dinosaurs, which must have surprised even its makers by reaching the viewing figures usually reserved for royal weddings, was the undoubted television event of 1999. (The companion book and soundtrack album became bestsellers, too.) Extending the computer animation techniques developed for Jurassic Park (1993) these six 30-minute programmes, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, became the first blockbuster special-effects documentary. Here was natural history with a difference, recreating "the lost world" of the Cretaceous and Mesozoic with modern technology, the remarkable visuals enabling the programme-makers to show what life may have been like during the estimated 160 million years "when dinosaurs ruled the Earth".
As well as the dinosaurs, the series investigates the plants, insects, climate and geography of the distant past, and considers the mystery of why the creatures became extinct so suddenly. There has been some argument over how much is scientific fact, and how much is entertaining speculation--after all, Life on Earth (1978) and The Living Planet (1984) had the advantage of living subjects to film--but for the moment this series must stand as the definitive visual chronicle of the life and times of the fascinating "terrible lizards". A year later the BBC followed this with the surprisingly sympathetic The Ballad of Big Al (about a youthful Allosaurus), before the equally ambitious, and equally enthralling Walking with Beasts (2001).

On the DVD: Those interested in special effects techniques will appreciate the inclusion of a 50-minute "making of" documentary (which is also on the VHS). There's also an informative director's commentary, plus some behind-the-scenes picture sequences and additional graphics. The sound is vivid Dolby stereo and the picture is anamorphic 16:9 widescreen.--

LIVING WITH LIONS: THE COMPLETE STORY is a behind-the-scenes documentary following the British Lions 1997 tour of South Africa. Starting with training in England and continuing through every provincial game and test match, this sports film offers a rare glimpse inside the workings of a world-class team.

This DVD Boxset contains Bothams Ashes, 1966 World Cup and Barbarians vs All Blacks.
Experience some of the greatest sporting moments, from an English point of view, of the 20th century. Features the World Cup 1966, the Barbarians versus the All Blacks 1973 and Botham's Ashes.

The Old Grey Whistle Test was the UKs seminal live music show. Launched in September 1971, it hosted performances from the most legendary bands and performers- including Elton John, Bob Marley, Lou Reed, The Ramones and many more. For better and for worse, The Old Grey Whistle Test was probably the most resolutely serious music program ever broadcast on television. During its 16-year run it showcased only the most earnest exponents of whichever musical style was currently popular, and given that the program's heyday coincided with the early 70s, some of the footage included here will provide mirth as exquisite as only unintentional comedy can. The absurd prog noodlings of The Edgar Winter Group and the belief-beggaringly awful Focus now seem as unfathomable in retrospect as trench warfare or child labor. However, the good stuff collected here is very good, both in terms of performance (Tom Petty snarling 'American Girl', a pre-irony U2 whooping up 'I Will Follow') and historical interest, notably a shockingly youthful Elton John crooning 'Tiny Dancer' and reminding us, in the process, of a time when he was regarded as a cool and hip singer-songwriter, rather than understudy to the Queen Mother.

In what just might be the finest rock & roll concert film ever, THE LAST WALTZ celebrates the final performance by the Band (Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, and Garth Hudson). The show took place on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, at San Francisco's Winterland Arena--where the group had played their very first show more than 16 years before. In order to make their farewell even more unforgettable, they recruited numerous guests to join them onstage. They include Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Paul Butterfield, Ronnie Hawkins, and the Staples. Martin Scorsese, a former roommate of Robbie Robertson's, employs some of the world's greatest cinematographers--including Michael Chapman, Vilmos Zsigmond, and Laszlo Kovacs--to film the set in a way that captures the show's sweat and energy with a powerful intimacy. Interspersed into the songs are a series of interviews with the Band's members, who recall their early days playing for empty bars and their emergence as major players in the rock & roll game. THE LAST WALTZ is a thrilling concert film, mandatory viewing even for those unfamiliar with the Band or rock music in general.

A live performance of Flately's show 'Celtic Tiger' combining powerful music with dance and special effects in two Acts. Includes: 'The Heartbeat Of The Tiger', 'Dancing In The Dark' and 'St Patrick'.

Billed as an updating and retelling of Irish folk legend, Lord of the Dance is less Erin Go Bragh than Hooray for Hollywood. Michael Flatley, lately of Riverdance, gives us the old razzle-dazzle, fashioning a Celtic-influenced spectacular that wanders faraway from its Riverdance roots. The light-show presentation is closer kin to another contemporary Irish musical group, U2. Flatley himself has gone designer chic. With close-cropped haircut, earring, buffed abs,and tight black pants he bears more than a passing resemblance to Bono. But you have to hand it to the guy--he works hard for the money, as does his attractive corps. The one maddening aspect of this glitzy, entertaining 90-minute festival is the overzealous editing. No image remains on screen for more than a few seconds. Neither Flatley nor his talented troupe deserves to have such craftsmanship sliced and diced like an MTV music video.

An expanded and more polished version of Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames was recorded at an outdoor performance in London's Hyde Park. While much of the material is familiar to Flatley fans, the production is superior in every way. It's better photographed and the editing is less frenetic. The individual segments are sharper, more self-assured, as is Flatley, who also produced and directed this version. (He also demonstrates his talents as a flutist--maybe he should call himself Lord of the Renaissance.) The outdoor setting also makes the show feel less like a Vegas act, though the proceedings have about as much relation to their Celtic folk roots as the Broadway musical Cats has to the TS Eliot children's poems on which it was based.

A examination of the British naval victory over Napoleon Bonaparte's invading force that would lead to Horatio Nelson being remembered as one of the greatest Admirals in maritime history. Sadly, it was also this battle that would claim his life.

The real magic of David Blaine is in his command of an all-walks-of-life audience, but featured here is the "Frozen in Time" show that follows the preparation and aftermath of his three days and nights entombed in a six-ton block of ice. The footage is often quite alarming, as is a narration explaining his state of mind at the end. Visited by his girlfriend, Kevin Spacey and Michael J Fox (in subtler fashion than Leo DiCaprio on the Mystifier show), it's all about re-affirming the reality of the situation. Intercut with the Times Square footage is plenty of the street magic Blaine excels at. Confounding the NY Knicks and increasingly eccentric passers-by, you'll see him resurrect dead animals, cry the diamond from a woman's ring and bafflingly show off a tattoo of a complete stranger's girlfriend. Fans are treated to his very first video footage test of the show format as well as the dearly departed (!) Tarko the Great.

An English guide to the art of Feng Shui for domestic application. Included is detailed instruction and demonstrations on: directions, elements and energy flow in relation to the home, improving auspiciousness and positive energy and an introduction to the principles of Feng Shui in the garden.

An introduction to the ancient art of Feng Shui for use in the workplace. Includes instruction on directions, elements and energy flow, application of principles, improving auspiciousness, enhancing energy flow and using mirrors and plants to create positive energy.