"Actor: Barbara O"

• Verdi: Falstaff -- Royal Opera House | DVD | (20/11/2000) from £30.24   |  Saving you £-5.25 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  This Graham Vicks production of Falstaff opened the new Covent Garden Royal Opera House, but was not to everybody's taste; the garish primary colours of the costumes, especially Falstaff's unusually hideous get-ups, go several steps beyond the Breughelian effect Vicks intended. The staging is effective--the complicated counterpoint of the ensembles is reflected in unobtrusive blocking that keeps the vocal lines clear and separate, especially in the final fugue. Bryn Terfel's Falstaff is a memorable creation, self-mocking and self-aggrandising at the same time--so much so, in fact, that he almost does not need the vast prosthetic body he has to wear for the part. Desiree Rancatore is an admirably sweet-toned Nanetta; Bernadette Manca di Nissa an appropriately sardonic Mistress Quickly; Roberto Frontali as Ford, in his Act 2 scena, perfectly distils and parodies every jealousy aria ever written, including Verdi's own. Haitink's conducting is exemplary in the lyrical passages, and gets almost everything out of the fast and furious comic sections. --Roz KaveneyOn the DVD: The disc comes with act introductions by James Naughtie, interviews with Haitink, Terfel and Graham Vicks and a documentary about the reaction of the stage-hands to the new building. It has scene selection and subtitles in English. --Roz Kaveney

• Torchlight | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A talented and wealthy young married couple's close-knit life together becomes unstitched when the husband becomes addicted to cocaine...

• Cracker - True Romance | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £9.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (37.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Fitz has to increase his lectures at several universities as he is broke. The attentions of one of his pupils leave him unaffected until he realises that she may be involved in murder and harming his family.

• Raiders Of The Living Dead | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A newspaper reporter hears of strange goings-on on a remote island. He travels there and finds a mad scientist creating zombies...

• Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro (Teatro Real: TR97001BD) | Blu Ray | (31/01/2012) from £32.38   |  Saving you £-2.39 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  From the opening notes of the overture to the final curtain, Emilio Sagi's classic, triumphant production fully brings to life all the elegant wit and theatricality of Mozarts comic masterpiece. Leading baritone Ludovic T�zier shines as the lustful Count Almaviva who attempts to obtain the favours of Figaros bride-to-be, Susanna (Isabel Rey), while Luca Pisaroni gives a feisty performance as Figaro. Conductor Jes�s L�pez Cobos masterfully captures the enchanting score. A witty yet profound ta...

• Space: 1999 - Vol. 4 - Episodes 13-16 | DVD | (11/06/2001) from £16.03   |  Saving you £-0.04 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  For the time, there had never been a more lavishly produced science fiction TV series than Space: 1999, which was British-made on an astounding first-season budget of 3.25 million pounds, and ran for two seasons from 1975-77. What keeps fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to do with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV SF predecessors such as Star Trek in which the mood is more generally convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances: the moon and the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth orbit and travel endlessly through space, making our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this. Of course, the show is not without its detractors, having been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticised the show for its premise in the opening episode "Breakaway", which had nuclear explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propelling it out of Earth orbit and flying through space without regard to physical law. In "Earthbound", aliens travelling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena they encounter on their journey through the galaxy. --Jim Gay, Amazon.com

• Cracker - To Be A Somebody | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Albie Kinsella (Robert Carlyle) is at his father's funeral. This death compounded by Albie's marriage breakdown triggers some kind of post traumatic stress disorder and when an Asian newsagent refuses him 4p credit something snaps and Albie murders him. Initially shocked by his actions Albie tries to justify this needless killing with a twisted logic a logic which threatens the whole community. Convinced that this murder bears all the hallmark of a racist attack the police centre their investigation around local fascist sympathisers. However when all leads prove fruitless and another psychologist's profile is undermined Fitz's expertise is required. Fitz has to unlock the force that drives Albie to commit murder a philosophy that has no reason and is potentially explosive.

• 36 Hours To Die | DVD | (15/09/2003) from £6.95   |  Saving you £-3.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  Millionaire Noah Stone suffers a heart attack and is told to rest at home to recover. In his abscence his brother allows Noah's business to be used by The Mob. When Noah gets back to work he finds himself faced with the full force of the underworld....

• The Ballad Of Andy Crocker | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £5.89   |  Saving you £-1.90 (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

• The Honeymoon Killers | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  Though it was pre-produced by Martin Scorsese, who left the project after arguments with the producers, The Honeymoon Killers wound up being written and directed by Leonard Kastle, one of cinema's great one-hit wonders. The Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer of 1969, The Honeymoon Killers follows hefty nurse Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler, who looks like a humourlessly malevolent Roseanne) and her low-rent gigolo lover Raymond Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco) as they take up serial murder for profit and passion, luring middle-aged women into marriage through lonely-hearts ads, then killing them and raiding their savings. Based on a genuine crime case history, it is filmed in the candid-camera style of a Frederick Wiseman documentary. The intense scenes (such as the couple's frightening love-play: escalating arguments that end in awkward killings) unfold with a fly-on-the-wall dryness, showcasing the extraordinary acting of the leads and their cameo victims. A rare film in which genuine romantic love does not excuse the central couple's amoral behaviour, this still manages to generate some sympathy for the truly monstrous Martha. The washed-out black and white photography and sometimes scratchy soundtrack (the score is sampled from Mahler) have a deliberately amateurish feel which adds to the film's chilling power, lodging it into the memory. On the DVD: Along with a lurid trailer and gallery of images are filmographies for Stoler, Lo Bianco and (redundantly) Kastle. The widescreen transfer is excellent, representing perfectly the film's rough-hewn look but also bringing out a lot of detail--like Stoler's freckles, which have looked like grain on video releases. --Kim Newman

• Danger Man - Vol. 2 - The Lovers / Girls In Pink Pyjamas | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £91.31   |  Saving you £-75.32 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Patrick McGoohan stars as John Drake who's up to his neck in drug-smuggling kidnapping and espionage in these eight cult adventures. Episode 5 - The Lovers: Drake provides security for the visiting President of Boravia. Episode 6 - The Girl In Pink Pyjamas: Drake is assigned to look after a confused young woman. Episode 7 - Position of Trust: Drake and an American agent team up to break up a Middle East opium ring. Episode 8 - The Lonely Chair: The daughter of a designer is kidnapped and Drake impersonates her father. Episode 9 - The Sanctury: Drake mimics a newly released prisoner and lands himself into a web of danger. Episode 10 - An Affair of State: Drake investigates an apparent suicide but discovers the body is missing. Episode 11 - The Key: Information is being leaked from the US embassy in Vienna. Drake is called in to help. Episode 12 - The Sisters: A beautiful refugee's claim for political asylum gives Drake an awkward case.

• 3 Classic Comedies Of The Silver Screen - Vol. 2 - Jack And The Beanstalk / Utopia / Spooks Run Wild | DVD | (07/02/2005) from £9.89   |  Saving you £-4.90 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Jack And The Beanstalk: The legendary comedic duo Abbott and Costello provide fairy tale fun for kids (of ALL ages!). The wacky pair pretty much stick to the outline of the original childrens fairytale but add their own signature comic flourishes and slapstick details. Utopia: Stan and Ollie inherit a yacht along with a small island. They set sail accompanied by a stateless refugee and a stowaway. A violent storm causes our heroes to crash on their island. Together

• A Family At War - Series 2 - Part 4 | DVD | (11/04/2005) from £12.98   |  Saving you £7.01 (54.01%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Phillip Ashton arrives home but has temporarily lost his sight. Jean Ashton is devastated by her youngest son's death and becomes increasingly unwell. Freda on the other hand meets a charming older man. 4 more episodes of the ground-breaking ITV drama series. Please be aware that due to industrial action at the time these episodes were filmed in black and white

• Jack And The Beanstalk / Africa Screams | DVD | (08/05/2006) from £6.15   |  Saving you £-1.16 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Africa Screams (Dir. Charles Barton 1949): Abbott and Costello go on an African safari armed with a secret map which will lead them to hidden diamonds... Jack And The Beanstalk (Dir. Jean Yarbrough 1952): Bud and Lou take on a babysitting job and find themselves involved in the Jack And The Beanstalk fairy tale! One of the very few colour films that Abbott and Costello made beginning in black and white but then turning into a full on colourful fairy tale. One of the

• Space: 1999 - Vol. 6 - Episodes 21-24 | DVD | (11/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  For the time, there had never been a more lavishly produced science fiction TV series than Space: 1999, which was British-made on an astounding first-season budget of 3.25 million pounds, and ran for two seasons from 1975-77. What keeps fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to do with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV SF predecessors such as Star Trek in which the mood is more generally convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances: the moon and the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth orbit and travel endlessly through space, making our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this. Of course, the show is not without its detractors, having been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticised the show for its premise in the opening episode "Breakaway", which had nuclear explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propelling it out of Earth orbit and flying through space without regard to physical law. In "Earthbound", aliens travelling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena they encounter on their journey through the galaxy. --Jim Gay, Amazon.com

• Dementia 13 | DVD | (27/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Francis Ford Coppola's feature debut co-written with blaxploitation legend Jack Hill (Coffy) and produced by the grand-master of independent cinema Roger Corman. The Haloran family gather at a sinister Irish castle to memorialize the death of the youngest sister Kathleen. While various family members plot and connive an axe-murderer is terrorizing the grounds and Kathleen's body shows up at just the wrong time. Slowly the family members become increasingly suspicious o

• Blue Money | DVD | (29/03/2005) from £9.24   |  Saving you £-1.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Alain Patrick stars in this dark drama about a man losing control of his life as he becomes caught up in the sleazy underworld of pornographic filmmaking. The cast also includes Inga Maria and Barbara Caron.

• The Mad Miss Manton | DVD | (25/10/2010) from £13.48   |  Saving you £-0.49 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Melsa Manton (Barbara Stanwyck) is a wealthy Manhattan debutante who is notorious for headline grabbing pranks. One night Melsa notices a man running out of a supposedly deserted house and goes to investigate. She discovers a body but when the police eventually arrive the body has disappeared and Lieutenant Brent (Sam Levene) accuses Melsa of playing one of her jokes. High-flying newspaper reporter Peter Ames (Henry Fonda) picks up the story and prints an article ridiculing the 'Park Avenue Pranksters'. But Melissa knows there is a killer on the loose and drags Ames all over Manhattan to find him in this manic comedy-thriller that saw the first ever pairing of Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.

• Cracker - Brotherly Love | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £5.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (116.86%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The police believe they have solved the brutal murder of a prostitute when they arrest father of four David Harvey on strong circumstantial evidence. However an identical murder while David is in custody means the team have to decide if they have the wrong man or whether they are dealing with a copycat killer. Meanwhile the death of Fitz's mother drives him into the arms of his wife while Jimmy Beck recently returned from sick leave finally breaks under the strain of work and his own guilt. When he takes the law to the limits he finds Penhaligon staring at him across an unbridgeable gap. Something has to give ...

• The Plague Dogs | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £10.88   |  Saving you £-7.89 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  An animated adventure from the artistic team behind 'Watership Down'. A pair of dogs Rowf (Christopher Benjamin) and Snitter (John Hurt) escape from an animal research facility situated in a remote part of the English countryside. Rowf is cynical and mistrusting of humans having only known the tortured existence of being a laboratory animal. Snitter on the other hand had previously enjoyed life as a domestic pet and longs to be loved and cared for by a human master once again. Unprepared for life in the wild the pair befriend a fox The Tod (James Bolam) who helps them learn to survive in the bleak environment by feeding on the area's livestock. As the authorities attempt to track down the escapees things take a turn for the worse when a deliberately leaked story suggests the dogs may be infected with the bubonic plague...