"Actor: Alex Ball"

• To Catch A Thief | DVD | (13/01/2003) from £5.18   |  Saving you £7.81 (150.77%)   |  RRP £12.99

  To Catch a Thief is not one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest, but it's arguably his most stylish thriller, loved as much for the elegantly erotic banter between Grace Kelly and Cary Grant as for the suspense that ensues when retired burglar Grant attempts to net the copycat diamond thief. The action, much of it shot on location, hugs the coast of the French Riviera; John Michael Hayes' screenplay crackles with doubles entendres; and Edith Head's dresses define the aloof poise of one of cinema's more enigmatic icons. If anything is missing, it's the undertow of black humour which snags the unsuspecting viewer in so many of Hitchcock's greater films. Here, the edge is supplied by the splendid Jessie Royce Landis as Kelly's vulgar, worldly mother; her special way with a fried egg is one of those cinematic moments which linger in the mind with almost pornographic disgust. History, of course, delivered its own ironic blow years later when the then Princess Grace of Monaco died in an accident on the very road where Kelly and Grant shot their exhilarating car chase. Portents aside, she remains Hitchcock's most alluring and sophisticated heroine. On the DVD: To Catch a Thief is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, which distils the distinctive qualities of the VistaVision cinematography, and with a mono Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Interesting extras include several mini-documentaries in which Hitchcock's daughter and granddaughter, among others, reminisce about the great director, censor problems over the risqué dialogue, the talents of costume designer Edith Head, and the peculiar difficulties of shooting in VistaVision. An original theatrical trailer is another bonus. --Piers Ford

• The Ugly Dachshund | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £3.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (275.69%)   |  RRP £14.99

  When a Great Dane puppy is raised with a litter of Dachshunds, it naturally thinks it's a Dachshund too--even when it grows to 10 times the size. Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette star as the hapless couple who took in the galumphing dog, which wreaks havoc on their house and home. The Ugly Dachshund is mostly a series of spectacular disasters (the doggy demolition of Jones's art studio will delight kids and reduce adults to nervous wrecks), but it's held together by the convincing domestic banter of Jones and Pleshette (who was quite a dish in 1965); the pair went on to star in a couple of other Disney live-action flicks, Bluebeard's Ghost and The Shaggy D.A.. Despite some racial and gender stereotypes, it's a good-natured and amusing movie in the Disney mold. Also featuring classic character actor Charlie Ruggles (Bringing Up Baby, The Parent Trap). --Bret Fetzer

• Carry On: Collection 2 | Blu Ray | (28/07/2023) from £40.90   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Joey - The Complete First Season | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £28.99   |  Saving you £22.00 (75.89%)   |  RRP £50.99

  New town. Still lost! In this hilarious 'Friends' spin-off the lovably dim Joey Tribbiani (Matt Le Blanc) moves to Los Angeles to pursue his disastrous acting career... Episodes comprise: 1. Pilot 2. Joey and the Student (aka Episode One ) 3. Joey and the Party 4. Joey and the Book Club 5. Joey and the Perfect Storm 6. Joey and the Nemesis 7. Joey and the Husband 8. Joey and the Dream Girl (Part 1) 9. Joey and the Dream Girl (Part 2) 10. Joey and the Big A

• Croupier | DVD | (17/09/2007) from £4.35   |  Saving you £11.64 (267.59%)   |  RRP £15.99

  An ingenious story of the wheel of chance, of good luck against bad, of fate against coincidence, a plot against destiny.