"Actor: Anthony Da Silva"

• Amistad | DVD | (29/01/2001) from £6.77   |  Saving you £13.22 (195.27%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Steven Spielberg's most simplistic, sanitised history lesson, Amistad, explores the symbolic 1840s trials of 53 West Africans following their bloody rebellion aboard a slave ship. For most of Schindler's List (and, later, Saving Private Ryan) Spielberg restrains himself from the sweeping narrative and technical flourishes that make him one of our most entertaining and manipulative directors. Here, he doesn't even bother trying, succumbing to his driving need to entertain with beautiful images and contrived emotion. He cheapens his grandiose motives and simplifies slavery, treating it as cut- and-dry genre piece. Characters are easy Hollywood stereotypes--"villains" like the Spanish sailors or zealous abolitionists are drawn one-dimensionally and sneered upon. And Spielberg can't suppress his gifted eye, undercutting normally ugly sequences, such as the terrifying slave passage, which is shot as a gorgeous, well-lit composition. At its core, Amistad is a traditional courtroom drama, centred by a tired, clichéd narrative: a struggling, idealistic young lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) fighting the crooked political system and saving helpless victims. Worse yet, Spielberg actually takes the underlying premise of his childhood fantasy, E.T. and repackages it for slavery. Cinque (Djimon Hounsou), the leader of the West African rebellion, is presented much like the adorable alien: lost, lacking a common language, and trying to find his way home. McConaughey is a grown-up Elliot who tries communicating complicated ideas such as geography by drawing pictures in the sand or language by having Cinque mimic his facial expressions. Such stuff was effective for a sci-fi fantasy about the communication barriers between a boy and a lost alien; here, it seems like a naive view of real, complex history. --Dave McCoy, Amazon.com

• U.H.F. | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £9.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (27.40%)   |  RRP £12.99

  ""Weird"" Al Yankovic the man responsible for ""Eat it"" the famous 80's parody of Michael Jackson's ""Beat it"" co-wrote and stars in MGM Home Entertainment's cult comedy U.H.F. Aside from Yankovic playing most of the characters in the film David Bowe Michael Richards Fran Drescher and Kevin McCarthy also appear in this inspired comedy which is packed full of gags film parodies music satire and tons of laughs. Opening with an hilarious parody of the starting sequence

• Animated Adventures Collection - Laura's Star/The Magic Sword/Dr Seuss/Powerpuff Girls - The Movie | DVD | (21/09/2009) from £6.57   |  Saving you £1.42 (21.61%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Laura's Star (2004): Did you ever believe that somewhere there's a special friend just for you? That what Laura finds the day she moves with her family to the city. She misses her old friends and her old house - until she rescues a fallen star the perfect size for cuddling. The star is homesick too. And as Laura and the star share a series of enchanted adventures (stardust makes toys come to life!) she finds that friendship can turn her strange new surroundings into a wonderful new place. A place called home. Beloved by children acclaimed by critics and based on the popular book series this resplendent movie glows with charm and storybook-like animation. Sprinkle a little stardust in the life of your little one. The Magic Sword (1998): Stunning animation and sensational songs await you in the enchanted land of Camelot. A spirited teenage girl names Kayley answers the call to adventure when Ruber the evil knight steals King Arthur's legendary sword Excalibur. Aided by Garrett a handsome blind squire Kayley embarks on a thrilling quest to recover the sword and save her beloved kingdom. Along the way these two unlikely heroes meet up with one outrageously funny creature a wise-cracking two-headed dragon named Devon and Cornwell. On their magical musical journey Kayley and Garrett discover the unlimited power of friendship and courage. You'll discover dazzling fun-filled entertainment in Quest for Camelot. Powerpuff Girls - The Movie (2002): This full-length adventure features an animated epic so big so funny and so spectacular that only the Powerpuff Girls can handle it! Created by a perfectly powerful experiment Blossom Bubbles and Buttercup explode into action as the new kids in Townsville! But after one enthusiastic game of tag they nearly destroy their beloved city. Now called social freaks they turn to the mysterious Mojo Jojo for help but this sinister simian has other plans big plans like leading an army of evil monkeys to destroy the world! Join the celebration as the Powerpuff Girls save Townsville and the world - for the very first time ... before bedtime!