"Actor: B"

• Welcome To Death Row | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Welcome to Death Row tells the unauthorised history of the most notorious rap label ever. And what a story it is, with enough blood and betrayal to satiate the Borgias and machinations that would make Machiavelli proud. The rise and fall of Death Row and its power-hungry CEO, Marion "Suge" Knight, makes The Godfather look like a bedtime story. The film centres on the testimony of Michael Harris--also known as "Harry O", as in octopus, because he had his business fingers in so many pies--who provided Suge Knight with the seed money to set up Death Row, and assigned his lawyer David Kenner to oversee the label's business affairs. The film traces the entire controversial history of the label, which at its height was turning over $500 million a year, and the impact it had on not only the music industry but American culture. "It was like working in a prison", says Doug Young, the label's record promoter, of Suge Knight's predilection for hiring gangsters and ex-felons. The film also details the relationship between Death Row and its biggest star, Tupac Shakur, and the effect that Shakur's sudden death in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting had on the label's fortunes (a story told in greater depth in Savidge's film Thug Immortal).Although none of the major players in this drama are represented on tape--Dr Dre and Interscope Records heads Jimmy Iovine and Ted Fields are as conspicuous by their absence as lawyer David Kenner and Suge Knight, the villains of the piece--the producers have unearthed an alarming number of believable behind-the-scenes sources including record promoters, managers, private investigators and former associates and employees of the label. Director Savidge wisely uses talking heads to tell his story, weaving into it a wealth of archive material and previously unseen home-video footage. The epic narrative is split into discrete chapters but, with so much information and opinion flying about, at times the chronology of events becomes confused. Yet this does little to spoil a documentary that goes a long way to revealing the intimate connection between the music industry and organised crime, and the desire for power and glory that drives them both.On the DVD: As if there wasn't enough information to digest in the documentary (which is presented in a clean 1:85.1 anamorphic format), the extra features on the DVD provide even more supplementary evidence. There are outtakes from the interviews used in the main feature, as well as additional interview footage of Snoop Dogg and Harry O. There is uncensored security camera footage of a fight in the lobby of the MGM Grand involving the Death Row entourage that preceded the death of Tupac Shakur by minutes, a music video for "Deep Cover" (the song that launched Snoop Dogg) and a fascinating audio commentary by director Savidge and producers Jeff Scheftel and Stephen A Housden, in which they relate the difficulties encountered in obtaining the trust of those they interviewed and the factors they took into consideration when constructing the film. Savidge recalls that the model they had in mind was the fractured, multi-perspective narrative of Kurosawa's Rashomon. --Chris Campion

• La Veuve De Saint-Pierre | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £6.78   |  Saving you £3.21 (47.35%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The "widow" referred to in the title of La Veuve de Saint-Pierre isn't a woman, but a mechanism--to be exact, the guillotine, (though the title does take on a second meaning in the tragic final moments of the film). We're on the island of Saint-Pierre, a tiny forgotten French colony off the coast of Newfoundland, midway through the 19th century. A senseless drunken murder is committed and the killer is condemned to death, but zut alors!, there's no guillotine on the island. So one must be requested from the slow, bureaucratic authorities in Paris and, once approved, laboriously shipped over. Meanwhile the killer, a simple-minded giant of a man, is placed in the custody of the Captain, whose beautiful wife starts taking an interest in the prisoner. Director Patrice Leconte has always had an acute feel for place and period--he directed the mordantly witty costume drama Ridicule--and La Veuve vividly captures the sense of remoteness and resentful isolation of this blizzard-swept community. The brooding landscape, all slate-blues and greys, is beautifully framed by Eduardo Serra's camera, and Leconte draws affecting performances from his central trio of actors: Daniel Auteuil, with his intriguingly lopsided face, as the Captain; Juliette Binoche, radiantly vulnerable as his wife; and, in an unexpected but remarkably successful bit of casting, Serbian film director Emir Kusturica as the condemned man. La Veuve de Saint-Pierre may be a touch over-solemn at times, and its message is hardly unexpected; but it's an intelligent, engrossing and richly atmospheric piece of filmmaking. --Philip Kemp

• Pelle The Conqueror | DVD | (05/09/2002) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-14.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Pelle the Conqueror is a Scandinavian drama which won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film and a Best Actor nomination for Max (The Exorcist) Von Sydow. Set at the end of the 19th century, it tells of a widowed Swedish farmer who goes looking for a better life in Denmark with his young son, Pelle (a fine Pelle Hvenegaard). Much like Life is Beautiful (1998) the heart of the film is the bond between father and son and their dreams for a better world. Although the photography brings an austere beauty to the bleak coastlands of Denmark, the story, a 150-minute intimate epic, is intense and harrowing; the antithesis of the feel-good father-son relationship of a movie like Billy Elliot.On the DVD: Unfortunately, rather than the subtitles of the cinema release, this DVD is dubbed for the American market, which significantly diminishes the performances and undermines the emotional impact. This is particularly regrettable given that both subtitled and dubbed versions could exist on the same disc. The only feature is a Photo Library of full-frame screen-grabs. The stated ratio of 1:1.85 is incorrect, the film being cropped from the original cinema 1:1.66 to 4:3 TV ratio. The sound is unremarkable stereo. The picture, transferred from an already imperfect print, is crawling with grain and littered with compression artefacts, making it no better than many videos. Without even a booklet, this release does no justice to a landmark film. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Fortitude - Season 1-2 | Blu Ray | (01/05/2017) from £26.59   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Season 1 About the Show, Filming in Iceland, On the Glacier, From Script to Screen, Rogue Secrets, The Set Tour, Let it Snow, Beware the Bear, Reflection of Reality, Killer Revealed, Recipe for Blood, Graphic Content Season 2 The Story So Far: Fortitude, Fortitude: New Faces, New Dangers, Investigate Fortitude Part 1: Climate Change & Human Health, Investigate Fortitude Part 2: From Wildlife Behaviour to Pathogens, Investigate Fortitude Part 3: Emerging Infectious Diseases, Investigate Fortitude Part 4: Creating a Healthy Future

• Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book - Mowgli And Baloo | DVD | (11/04/2016) from £9.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Based on the works of Rudyard Kipling, The Second Jungle Book tells the story of Mowgli, a young boy abandoned in the wilds of India. Raised by a panther, an elephant and a bear, Mowgli must learn civilization's ways when his long-lost uncle and a circus scout from Barnum and Bailey come looking for him. UK Key Art Synopsis: Add a new chapter to one of the best-loved adventures of all time. In this exciting live-action adventure, young Mowgli, an orphan raised by wolves, is spotted by a scout for a giant circus. Accompanied by a cruel hunter and a snake charmer, the scout sets out to trap Mowgli. But with the help of Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther, little Mowgli leads the adults into his biggest and wildest adventure yet! A fun-filled movie every member of the family will enjoy.

• Revenge Of The Nerds II | DVD | (20/06/2005) from £6.98   |  Saving you £9.00 (225.56%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Nerds are Back... and They're Taking a Trip to Paradise! Everyone's favourite nerds are back! This time the gang is off to the United Fraternity Conference in Ft. Lauderdale but thanks to the Alpha Betas the Tri-Lambs are forced to endure Florida's most dismal accommodations. Although the boys are misled mistreated and misused they once again strike back proving the importance of self-respect in a wild and wacky lesson you'll never forget.

• Colonel Redl | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In the early part of the 20th Century Alfred Redl (Klaus Maria Brandauer) ruthlessly rises from his peasant background to become a high-ranking member of the Imperial Austrian Military. But when Redl is sent to spy on the Russian Empire his espionage is compromised by his secret double life as a homosexual. As the world perches on the brink of war Redl finds himself trapped in a web of deception where honor grandeur and greed can only be betrayed by one final shocking act of fate. Armin Mueller-Stahl (Shine) co-stars in this remarkable epic written and directed by Istvan Szabo (Sunshine) that became Szabo and Brandauer's internationally acclaimed follow-up to their Oscar-winning classic Mephisto (1981 Best Foreign Language Film).

• Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire | DVD | (07/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  ""When I've finished with the Green Baize Vampire he's gonna need a blood transfusion a brain transplant and a set of National Health railings!"" This comedy-horror-musical pits new boy on the block Billy the Kid (Phil Daniels) against the old man on the block The Green Baize Vampire Maxwell Randall (Alun Armstrong) in a battle of surreal snooker. It's one hell of a grudge match that's for sure! Directed by Alan Clarke (Scum).

• 24 : Series 1 & 2 (Limited Edition Box Set) | DVD | (11/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £69.99

  This limited-edition DVD box set contains the complete first and second series of 24. Read our reviews of the individual series here: 24, Series 1, 24, Series 2.

• Man On Fire / The Transporter / The Siege | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Man On Fire: Denzel Washington stars as a government operative/soldier of fortune who has pretty much given up on life. In Mexico City he reluctantly agrees to take a job to protect a child whose parents are threatened by a wave of kidnappings. He eventually becomes close to the child and their relationship reawakens and rekindles his spirit. When she is abducted his fiery rage is unleashed on those he feels responsible and he stops at nothing to save her. The Transporte

• Claire's Knee | DVD | (28/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Eric Rohmer's Claire's Knee is one of his series of "Moral Tales", though it deals delicately with areas of intense moral ambiguity rather than in any obvious certainty. Jerome, a man holidaying at the very end of his youth, allows his old friend Aurora to co-opt him in her experiments with the hearts of two teenage girls. Sensitive gawky Laura fixates on him, but knows enough to realise he is dangerous to her, whereas Claire, for whom he develops a vague obsession, largely ignores him as a sexual being. He develops elaborate theories in justification of what he does and says, and the film does not dismiss these theories, while allowing for the possibility that Jerome is nothing but a manipulative self-deceived letch. This is a movie with a delicate visual palette; Nestor Almendros' elegiac camera work constantly makes clear that for all the characters this is a summer vacation with consequences. It is also a conversation piece in which almost nothing happens--the most Jerome ever allows himself is to stroke Claire's knee--and the interesting thing is how all the intense talk and extended scenes of one-to-one dialogue make that quite enough to sustain our fascinated interest. --Roz Kaveney

• Red Sun | DVD | (07/02/2005) from £8.99   |  Saving you £1.00 (11.12%)   |  RRP £9.99

  East meets West in this classic train robbery movie as one of the bandits gets away with not only all the money but a priceless Samurai Sword owned by Japanese gentleman Kuroda Jubie. Kuruda and his allies tear off in search of the stolen sword only to discover a violent twist of events that will change their lives forever...

• Echo in the Canyon | DVD | (10/09/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The X Files: Season 8 | DVD | (15/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £79.99

  The eighth series of The X-Files was a year of brave decisions. David Duchovny's increasing dissatisfaction with the role meant he only appeared in a few episodes. The solution: enter Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) who basically stole the show within his first two minutes of screen time (and watch out for several Terminator 2 in-jokes too). Scully switched roles to being the believer alongside Doggett's sceptic in a year that was more reliant on the background story arc than ever before. Her pregnancy remained at the foreground, while a more prominent Skinner joined in a hunt for the abducted Mulder that drew upon the black oil, cloning and bounty hunting aspects of the convoluted alien conspiracy story. A distinct lack of guest stars or writers indicated maturity beyond the need for ratings stunts: dedicated fans were pleased to see cameos from sinister Krycek, the reliable Lone Gunmen and the return of the show's very first abductee. The real strengths of the series came from new characters, including alternative female role model Special Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and some terrific standalone episodes. Investigations covered a man going backwards in time, deaths aboard an oil rig, a contagion in the Boston subway tunnels and creatures resembling bats and slugs. Agent Leyla Harrison (named after an X-Files fan who died of cancer) got to ask all the petty questions regular viewers want to know themselves. This year turned out to be a remarkable achievement so late in the show's life. On the DVD: The X-Files, Series 8 is a six-disc box set with all the episodes presented in anamorphic 16:9 format with Dolby 2.0 sound. The extras are mainly confined to the final disc, though there are selected deleted scenes and "international" clips from the dubbed German, Japanese and Italian versions of the show on the other discs. Two audio commentaries for the episodes "Alone" (from director Frank Spotnitz) and "Existence" (from director Kim Manners) are supplemented by a routine 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary, more deleted scenes (with optional commentary), character profiles and special effects clips. --Paul Tonks

• Premiers Desirs | DVD | (04/09/2006) from £36.54   |  Saving you £-21.55 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Though better known for his still photography than for his work in film David Hamilton explores similar themes in each medium. With the stunningly shot Premiers Desirs Hamilton turns once again to familiar ideas and images. The film - which revolves around three young girls adjusting to adolescence and their own sexuality after being stranded by a boat wreck in the Mediterranean - explores issues of innocence purity and sexuality. While many object to Hamilton's subject ma

• Black Panther - 4K UHD Mondo Steelbook Edition | Blu Ray | (06/05/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• I Am Curious Yellow/Blue | DVD | (04/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Seized by U.S. customs and subsequently the subject of a heated court debate I am Curious: Yellow is a cinematic landmark that caused a sensation for its explicit sexual content. Its subsequent infamy saw it become the highest grossing foreign film in the U.S. for 25 years. Combining fiction and documentary techniques Vilgot Sjoman's film tells the story of Lena a radical young woman exploring the social issues of Sweden in the 60's as well as her own sexual identity. This disc also includes Sjoman's follow-up I am Curious Blue which continues Lena's journey of self-discovery.

• Mission: Impossible Collector's Edition | DVD | (01/05/2006) from £7.03   |  Saving you £12.22 (211.79%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Expect the Impossible. Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt a secret agent framed for the deaths of his espionage team. Fleeing from government assassins breaking into the CIA's most impenetrable vault clinging to the roof of a speeding bullet train Hunt races like a burning fuse to stay one step ahead of his pursuers and draw one step closer to discovering the shocking truth. ""This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.""

• Boa Vs. Python | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £13.15   |  Saving you £6.84 (52.02%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Two of nature's biggest and most terrifying scaled predators square off in an action-filled battle of fangs! When a gigantic python is on the loose on a private reserve the FBI must release an equally large boa to track and capture it as a group of wealthy big game hunters try to bag the python as a trophy themselves...

• Free Fall | DVD | (27/07/2015) from £2.19   |  Saving you £10.80 (83.10%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A top executive is killed in an apparent suicide leap from the roof of Gault Capital’s skyscraper headquarters. But when the dead man’s loyal protégé Jane Porter (Sarah Butler of I Spit On Your Grave) uncovers some startling criminal evidence the corporation calls in their ‘crisis manager’ (D.B. Sweeney of Taken 2 and Fire In The Sky) to silence her forever. He will trap Jane in an elevator between floors. It is a holiday weekend in the empty building and for one desperate woman surviving a cold-blooded killer may now mean a very long drop to the ground floor. Ian Gomez (Cougar Town) and screen legend Malcolm McDowell (The Artist A Clockwork Orange) co-star in this intense suspense thriller from the producers of the Halloween and Final Destination movies.