"Actor: Alison Folland"

• Boys Don't Cry | DVD | (18/02/2002) from £4.80   |  Saving you £8.19 (170.62%)   |  RRP £12.99

  When Brandon Teena, a young man with an infectious, aw-shucks grin and an angelic face that's all angles, wanders into Falls City, Nebraska, he takes to the town as if it's a second skin. In little time he's fallen in with a gang of goofy if temperamental redneck boys, found himself a girlfriend, and befriended enough people to form something of a small family. In fact, it's the best time Brandon's ever had. However, there are shadows looming over Brandon's life: a court date for grand theft auto, a chequered criminal record, and a seemingly innocuous speeding ticket that could prove to be his undoing. Why? Because as it turns out, Brandon Teena is actually Teena Brandon, a woman masquerading as a man. This fascinating story was based on real-life events (as documented in The Brandon Teena Story) that occurred in 1993 and ended in tragedy: Brandon's rape and murder by two of his supposed friends. Despite this horrible outcome, however, in the hands of director Kimberly Peirce (who co-wrote the unfettered screenplay with Andy Bienen), Brandon's story becomes not oppressive or preachy, but rather oddly and touchingly transcendent, anchored by Hilary Swank's phenomenal, unsentimental (and Oscar-winning) performance. Swank inhabits Brandon's contradictions and passions with a natural vitality most actresses would refuse to give themselves over to. Brandon's deception is doomed from the start, but Swank's enthusiasm is infectious, and when Brandon starts romancing the sloe-eyed Lana (a pitch-perfect Chloë Sevigny), he finds a soulmate who wants to transcend boundaries and fated identities as much as he does. The last part of the film, when Brandon's true identity is discovered, is truly painful to watch, but in between the agony there are touching moments of sweetness between Brandon and Lana, who wrestles with the truth of who Brandon actually is. You'll come away from Boys Don't Cry with affection and respect for Brandon, not pity. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com

• To Die for | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £11.45   |  Saving you £-2.47 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Suzanne Stone (Kidman) has always dreamed of being on TV - and she's dead-set on making that dream come true. But there is just one obstacle: Larry Maretto her husband (Dillon). So Suzanne convinces a love-struck teenager (Phoenix) to get Larry out of the way - for good. To Die For is the most critically acclaimed comedy of the year and Nicole Kidman struts her stuff with enough come-on carnality to singe the screen! (Peter Travers Rolling Stone)

• To Die For | DVD | (06/11/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

• All Over Me | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £12.98   |  Saving you £7.01 (54.01%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Coming-of-age themes are an obvious choice for movie-makers but All Over Me is far from being run of the mill. It follows the friendship and codependence of two 15-year-old New York girls, one (Claude) gradually coming to terms with the fact that she's gay, the other (Ellen), getting sucked into a world of boys, violence and drugs. It brilliantly and sympathetically realised by film-maker sisters Alex and Sylvia Sichel, with superb performances by the two leads, Alison Folland and Tara Subkoff. When the violent, homophobic murder of the girls' new-found friend, Jesse (Wilson Cruz) threatens to rip them apart, Ellen embarks on a trail of self-destruction while Claude finally seems able to come to terms with her own destiny, ultimately getting together with the pretty, magenta-haired punk musician, Lucy (a superbly empathetic performance from Leisha Hailey). It's a film that's saved from introspective self-indulgence by the brutal interruption of the outside world, and it's not just a thought-provoking hour-and-a-half, it's a compelling narrative experience. The only weakness is the two-dimensional characterization of Ellen's psychotic boyfriend, well enough played by Cole Hauser, but intrinsically limited in scope. Ann Dowd is superb as Claude's man-chasing mother and the film is topped off by a funky soundtrack. On the DVD: All over Me doesn't just offer the "usual theatrical trailer" for the film in question but instead offers trailers for two related films, Better than Chocolate and Trick, both of which deal truthfully with gay issues offering a light and often humorous touch. However, that's it as far as additional goodies are concerned, which is a shame, but the vibrant soundtrack is presented in a great Dolby Digital sound. --Harriet Smith

• All Over Me (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk) | DVD | (07/12/2009) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-5.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Claude is a cute young slightly butch skateboarding teenager who has a thing for her messed-up best friend Ellen. Ellen however has a thing for a homophobe. Enter Luke a self-assured gay musician who encourages Claude to actually explore her feelings and perceptions of herself and the world that she lives in. Claude's life is falling apart as those around her continue to destroy themselves in an orgy of drug abuse that eventually leads to murder. Thanking Luke's advice she finds her way to the local lesbian bar where she meets Lucy a cute punkish girl playing in an all girl band. But is this the lifestyle that Claude really wants?

• Milwaukee Minnesota | DVD | (21/03/2005) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-4.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The sharks start to move in for a vulnerable man's money in this indie drama.

• To Die For / Circus / Bugsy | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Bugsy: Benjamin Bugsy Siegel ( Warren Beatty) is the legendary power broker whose disarming charm and elegant good looks hide a violent and dangerous personality. Virginis The Flamingo Hill ( Annette Bening) is a stunning glamorous starlet with a wise guy wit and tough past. Their attraction is magnetic - together sex risk and danger to fight their underworld bosses and builds their dream of a city in the desert - Las Vegas drive them. To Die For: Suzanne Stone (Kidman) has always dreamed of being on TV - and she's dead-set on making that dream come true. But there is just one obstacle: Larry Maretto her husband (Dillon). So Suzanne convinces a love-struck teenager (Phoenix) to get Larry out of the way - for good. Circus: 'Circus' is a modern crime thriller of cross double-cross and triple-cross. Set in Brighton away from the funfair and day-trippers it is a violent and darkly humorous tale that twists like an epileptic Boa Constricter riding a helter skelter.

• Milwaukee Minnesota | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The sharks start to move in for a vulnerable man's money in this indie drama.