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Live Forever (2003) --> This John Dower directed documentary about the Brit-Pop scene of the '90s is a humourous and informative film that interviews all the major players of the time period. Beginning with a Stone Roses live concert and going through the whole period including naming all the major albums and release dates, the film does a thorough job in covering what was for Britain a renaissance of home bred talent. Covering Tony Blair's rise to power with New Labour and its link to creating a feeling of cultural rebirth after the constraints of Thatcherism, the documentary gives the watcher the complete picture of excitement on the streets of London and across England.


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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) --> Jack Nicholson's greatest role was as Randle Patrick McMurphy in this 1975 movie. Winning an Oscar for his portrayal as the enigmatic McMurphy, Nicholson was perfect for the part. Based on the novel by Merry Prankster Ken Kesey, it tells the story of a mental institution brought to the brink of chaos by a man who doesnt like to play by the rules. But at its heart this Milos Forman directed film is a graphic representation of the dehumanizing effect a 'total institution' can have when order is seen as the pinnacle of success rather than its ability to help its patients. This movie is a must own for any DVD collector.


Full Spectrum Staff

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) --> One of the great prison dramas, The Shawshank Redemption was directed by Frank Darabont and stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The story tells of the redemption (hence the movie title) of a wrongly convicted man. Sentenced to two life terms for the murder of his wife and her lover Andy Dufresne (Robbins) must endure rape, assault, and months in solitary before he finally escapes to Mexico to begin his life anew. Taken from the writings of Steven King, the film can be considered along with The Green Mile (1999) as a Darabont success story as he both directed and wrote the screenplay adaptation of King stories about prison life.


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Broken Arrow (1996) --> Although this movie is directed by Hong Kong great John Woo, who with actor Chow Yuen Fat created some of the greatest Asian action films in history, Broken Arrow was a disappointment. This was his second film after Hard Target (1993) that he directed after coming to Hollywood and continues the trend of lackluster releases that dog Woo to this day. Even though Hard Target is one of the better Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicles, Woo seems to have lost his touch. Broken Arrow stars John Travolta and Christian Slater as two Air Force Pilots. Travolta decides to betray his country when he crashes a plane carrying nuclear weapons in order to sell them to American enemies. Slater must stop him before the bombs fall into the wrong hands. The movie is uninspired and Travolta takes a vacation in his acting as the evil Major Vic 'Deak' Deakins. Woo continues to disappoint with films such as Mission Impossible II (2000) and Paycheck (2003).


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