"Actor: Alan M"

• Speed -- Two-Disc Special Edition | DVD | (03/06/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The movie that transformed Keanu Reeves into a bona fide action hero, Speed was also former cinematographer Jan De Bont’s assured directorial debut. It’s an almost perfect high-concept movie that lives up to its title both in the adroit choreography of the action set-pieces and Graham Yost’s taut screenplay, which is admirably stripped of all padding. De Bont further heightens the excitement by his use of authentic locations as the out-of-control bus travels through, across and--in one unforgettable scene--a few feet in the air above the urban sprawl of LA. And instead of relegating the love interest to a dull subplot, here Sandra Bullock is an integral part of the action as she and her bus career around the city at 50-plus miles an hour. Even the opening credits neatly illustrate the film’s title, as does composer Mark Mancina’s pulsing score. Sensibly, Reeves passed on the ill-advised sequel and took on The Matrix instead; both screenwriter and director have yet to do anything better than this. On the DVD: Speed is the kind of movie that was made for the DVD format, and this two-disc special edition does it full justice. The feature is presented anamorphically in its original 2.35:1 ratio with spectacularly vivid Dolby 5.1 or DTS 5.1 options. Jan De Bont provides a commentary, though his solo effort is less engaging than that of chatty producer Mark Gordon and writer Graham Yost who enjoy constantly interrupting each other. Disc 2 has lots of goodies, including mini-documentaries on the key action set-pieces with storyboards and multi-angle views of the major stunts. "Inside Speed" looks at various aspects of the production, from locations to stunts; production design and visual effects, plus reproducing all of Graham Yost’s original screenplay. There are individual interviews with the director and principal stars, a short selection of extended scenes and a brief deleted one; a photo gallery, plus a promotional menu in which there is a HBO "making of" featurette, TV spots, trailers, a press kit and Billy Idol’s music video. In all, a satisfyingly extensive package.--Mark Walker

• The Champions - The Complete Series | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Craig Sterling (Damon) Sharron Macready (Bastedo) and Richard Barrett (Gaunt) are agents for an international intelligence organisation called NEMESIS. After a plane crash and being rescued by an unknown civilisation the trio make their way back Geneva to continue their work only to discover they have mysteriously developed super-human abilities like telepathy amazing memories and abnormal strengths. Instead of telling anyone about these developments they keep their secret quiet but use their new powers to help complete a range of dangerous assignments... This 8 DVD box set features all 30 episodes from the ITC series The Champions. Episodes: The Beginning The Invisible Man Reply Box No. 666 The Experiment Happening Operation Deep-Freeze The Survivors To Trap A Rat The Iron Man The Ghost Plane The Dark Island The Fanatics Twelve Hours The Search The Gilded Cage Shadow of the Panther A Case of Lemmings The Interrogation The Mission The Silent Enemy The Body Snatchers Get Me Out Of Here! The Night People Project Zero Desert Journey Full Circle Nutcracker The Final Countdown The Gun-Runners Autokill.

• The Final Days | DVD | (04/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  This compelling drama traces the activities of Richard Nixon's (played by Lane Smith) last days in office as he and his aides try desperately to repair the damage and clear up all allegations about the Watergate scandal. Based on the riveting book by the Pultizer Prize-winning team of Woodward and Bernstein The Final Days not only captures the feverish intensity of the Watergate era but also offers a valuable insight into the psyche of Nixon.

• The Imposter | Blu Ray | (07/01/2013) from £29.14   |  Saving you £-11.15 (-62.00%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A kidnapped young boy is returned to his family after two years, but when the family notices strange differences they begin to question things...

• The Medusa Touch | DVD | (28/02/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Richard Burton stars as successful novelist John Morlar who believes he has 'a gift for disaster' - the power to cause death and destruction through unconscious telekinesis.When Morlar is viciously assaulted and left for dead the night of the Moon Mission disaster and a jet crash police investigating the attack quickly turn to Morlar's mysterious therapist Zonfeld (Lee Remick) in the belief that there is a link between the assault and Morlar's disturbing complex.

• Riddle Of The Sands | DVD | (01/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Based on the ""classic spy thriller of the 20th century"" that historians hail as the ""tip-off"" that saved Britain from invasion. Two sailboating Englishmen discover a massive German fleet secretly preparing to attack their nation and set out to do something about it not only do they have to thwart the German Navy but Kaiser Wilhelm himself.

• Seasons | DVD | (31/05/2010) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Seasons

• Run | DVD | (27/04/2004) from £6.46   |  Saving you £8.53 (56.90%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Fast-paced story of a law student who is hunted by vicious mobsters and a corrupt police force for a murder he didn't commit. His only ally is a sexy casino card dealer who tries to help him escape.

• The Old Grey Whistle Test 2 | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £7.07   |  Saving you £12.92 (182.74%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In some ways The Old Grey Whistle Test Volume 2 is more interesting than its predecessor, as it covers the show's enjoyably uncomfortable period of transition from beard-rock to punk/new wave. Hence, the music ranges across the likes of Loggins and Messina (the frightful "The House at Pooh Corner"), the Who, Judee Sill, Argent (doing "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You", which all Bill and Ted fans probably think is a Kiss original), Roy Harper, the Adverts, the Undertones (not playing "Teenage Kicks", sadly), Patti Smith and Siouxie and the Banshees. There's also some arty stuff that doesn't really fit into either camp, including Kevin Ayers and Roxy Music at their uncommercially weirdest. There are a few nicely revelatory moments, too, such as the realisation that Thomas Dolby's "Hyperactive" was in fact a nu-jazz masterpiece born 20 years too soon and that Robbie Williams should cover Aztec Camera's wonderful "Walk Out to Winter" immediately. This is an enjoyable and diverse collection of music from a fairly fraught period in the history of more-or-less popular music, so it's good to be reminded just how much good stuff was actually happening amidst the melée. On the DVD: The Old Grey Whistle Test 2 comes on only one disc (the first was a two-disc set), but you still get 30 or so excellent tracks plus all the trimmings, so that's hardly a fault. The layout features the same kind of horribly overdesigned menus as its predecessor: there's no obvious chapter sub-menu, believe it or not; instead, you have to access individual tracks through the artists' gallery in the extras section! Aargh! Other extras include contributor profiles, additional linking material and the wonderful Old Grey Squirrel Test animation, which mere words would only spoil for those who have yet to see it. --Roger Thomas

• About A Boy/Love Actually/Notting Hill | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Love Actually: The story of a group of people who find themselves surrounded by love... There's the new Prime Minister who falls for his personal assistant the Prime Minister's sister Karan who realises that her husband is attracted to his secretary. Author Jamie who flees England to escape his unfaithful girlfriend and then falls for his housekeeper. Movie stand-ins John and Judy who become attracted to each other on the film set. Recently widowed Daniel who helps his stepson who is smitten with one of his class-mates and Billy Mack an ageing rock star who discovers that love can be found in the most unlikely of places... (Dir. Richard Curtis 2003) About A Boy: Growing up has nothing to do with age... Will (Grant) is a 38-year old Londoner living a bachelor lifestyle on the back of royalties earned from a Christmas song penned by his father some years previously. A serial womaniser Will comes up with the idea of attending a single parents group as a new way to pick up women. Inventing a two-year old son for himself he meets lonely bullied schoolboy Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) and his depressed music therapist mother (Toni Collette). The intelligent Marcus soon learns Will's secret and so blackmails him into letting him hang out at his place and watch afternoon telly. However what starts out as an uneasy quiz show watching alliance turns into an unlikely friendship... (Dir. Paul Weitz Chris Weitz 2002) Notting Hill: A famous actress in disguise (Julia Roberts) in London runs into a divorced bookstore owner (Hugh Grant). They strike up a friendship with each other as they each find something that was previously missing from their own lives... (Dir. Roger Michell 1999)

• Sanctuary | DVD | (17/06/2002) from £15.56   |  Saving you £-9.57 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Confirming the testosterone-laced promise he showed in the earlier Drive, the charismatically lithe Mark Decascos stars as buff man-of-the-cloth Father Luke, whose plans for a successful food drive are put on hold when a covert kill squad forces him to confront his shadowy past in this surprisingly effective bullet ballet. The needlessly complex high-tech storyline may be somewhat shaky, but this adrenalised conspiracy thriller earns its wings by virtue of a strong cast (including a villainous Jaimz Woolvett, miles away from his role as the greenhorn gunslinger in Unforgiven), an impressively stylised lighting palette and a jaw-droppingly gonzo epilogue that cries out for--nay, demands--a sequel. Director Tibor Takacs was previously responsible for two unfairly forgotten 1980s horror gems The Gate and I, Madman. --Andrew Wright

• Santa Fe Trail | Blu Ray | (14/09/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• X | DVD | (31/12/2000) from £9.11   |  Saving you £8.88 (97.48%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Tokyo is the city where the final battle between the Dragon of Earth and the Dragon of Heaven will take place in the Japanese anime film X, directed by Taro Rin and written by the all-woman writing team Clamp. The Dragon of Earth wants to wipe out humankind because of the damage people have inflicted on the Earth, while the Dragon of Heaven is fighting to protect civilisation. At the centre of all this is Kamui, the chosen one, who must pick a dragon to fight for.Full of dreams and flashbacks that pop up out of nowhere, the structure of X could be considered confusing and needlessly complex if the story weren't so simple. Obviously, we are supposed to root for the Dragon of Heaven to win and save mankind, but the funny thing is, the Dragon of Earth has the better argument. If it were a debate, humanity would lose. But it's not a debate, it's an action film, and many of Tokyo's most famous buildings get destroyed in the battles. As with most anime, the women are either girlishly cute or slutty, but luckily in X, there are no graphic rapes; the love interest is merely crucified three or four times. It may not be the greatest anime film out there, but at least it's never boring. --Andy Spletzer

• Mistress Of Seduction 2 | DVD | (25/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  By day the beautiful and sexy Samantha has a job as a Pr executive. Yet by night she indulges herself in erotic novels that spark lustful feelings beyond her wildest imagination...

• The Anniversary Party | DVD | (28/06/2004) from £6.20   |  Saving you £13.79 (222.42%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When novelist Joe (Alan Cumming) and his actress wife Sally (Jennifer Jason Leigh) throw themselves a party to celebrate the sixth anniversary of their turbulent marriage both the hosts and the guests start telling each other the one thing they never hear in Hollywood - the truth! This scathingly funny drama takes an unflinching look at new friends old lovers annoying neighbours marriage and the movie business...

• DIE ZEITMASCHINE (1959) (BLU-R | Blu Ray | (31/07/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Yanks Go Home - The Complete Series | DVD | (05/03/2012) from £8.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (122.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Yanks Go Home takes a hilarious (and, at the time, controversial) look at relations between a group of American servicemen and the inhabitants of the Lancashire town in which they are billeted during World War Two. Both parties experience a series of culture shocks, with the GIs encountering resentment and romance in equal measure. Starring Peter Sallis, Stuart Damon, Bruce Boa and Lionel Murton, this set comprises all thirteen episodes from both series.It's 1942, and a detachment of GIs is about to descend on Warrington. The town clerk, a motley crowd and a band wait anxiously at the station, while local landlady Phoebe Sankey and her daughter, Doreen, speculate as to what the Americans' arrival will bring. Some of the older residents are none too keen on the prospect of USAF troops making themselves at home in their town; but when they see the money flowing in the local pub as a shindig gets going, even they grudgingly admit that the 'invasion' has its advantages!

• Cribb - The Hand That Rocks The Cradle | DVD | (09/08/2004) from £21.29   |  Saving you £-1.30 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Alan Dobie stars as Victorian Detective Sergeant Cribb in this classic series written by award-winning crime writer Peter Lovesey. Known for his wry sense of humour Cribb is the backbone of Scotland Yard's newly formed Criminal Investigation Department aided and sometimes hindered by the faithful Constable Thackeray. Featuring the episodes: 1. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle 2. The Choir That Wouldn't Sing 3. Murder Old Boy 4. Invitation To A Dynamite Party

• 3 Ninjas High Noon at Mega Mountain | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  An evil gang takes over an amusement park only to be foiled by three Ninja-trained brothers and a TV action star in 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, a smartly-paced, if by-the-numbers, kiddie action flick. Medusa (Loni Anderson) and Lothar (Jim Varney) head up the gang with ransom money and mayhem on their minds. But they don't count on the young trio, taught by their Asian grandfather, and Dave Dragon (Hulk Hogan), making a live appearance at the park. What follows is campy humour, lots of Karate-style action and plenty of Home Alone-type boy vs foolish bad-guy high jinks. And girls aren't left out: the brothers' neighbour, a brainy techno girl, is on hand to hack into the computer and override the gang's murderous plans, while also providing 007-style gadgets for hand-to-hand combat. While there is plenty of gunplay in the 90-minute film, no one is killed or even significantly hurt, making it appropriate for ages five and up. --Kimberly Heinrichs, Amazon.com

• Hamlet | DVD | (10/08/2015) from £7.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Franco Zeffirelli's stripped-down, two-hour version of Shakespeare's play stars Mel Gibson as a rather robust version of the ambivalent Danish prince. Gibson is much better in the part than many critics have admitted, his powers of clarity doing much to make this particular Hamlet more accessible than several other filmed versions. The supporting cast is outstanding, including Glenn Close as Gertrude, Alan Bates as Claudius, Ian Holm as Polonius, and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia. Zeffirelli's vigorous direction employs a lively camera style that nicely alters the viewer's preconceptions about the way Hamlet should look. --Tom Keogh