"Actor: Beck"

• The Warriors | DVD | (02/07/2001) from £6.62   |  Saving you £6.37 (96.22%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In 1979, The Warriors seemed like a frighteningly realistic possible future for The Big Apple. The film's depiction of multiple street gangs no longer content with occupying their own territories was an uncomfortably real issue across New York City. A deceptively simple plot begins with a truce gathering representatives from all the gangs at a meeting. Would-be leader Cyrus has a vision. Unfortunately a member of the Rogues shoots him before we learn what it is, and then pins the blame on the Warriors. With anything up to 60,000 gang soldiers and 20,000 police on their trail, the seven Warrior members beat a hasty retreat any which way they can back to Coney Island. What's really going on, as per Sol Yurick's original novel, is a subtle examination of the seemingly contradictory traits of loyalty and nobility that occur in a close-knit group. Explosions of violence and a disregard for bystanders are secondary to what the characters mean to one another. All this brotherly love is presented with some truly amazing production design and cinematography: though dark, this is a world of colourful night-lights and even more colourful gang uniforms. Historically, this is a movie way past its sell-by date (it certainly won't instigate real life violence now as it did when released), but thematically it remains a worthy exploration of all those unspoken codes of honour. On the DVD: This is a good movie to test the dark end of the spectrum. It's in 1.78:1 and only in mono, but that somehow works for what's little more than a lot of running around in the dark. The only extra is the original trailer.--Paul Tonks

• Lenny | DVD | (23/06/2003) from £8.98   |  Saving you £7.00 (116.86%)   |  RRP £12.99

  From his first gig as a nervous Catskills comedian it's obvious that Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman) is a force to be reckoned with. Armed with a shocking routine and a stripper as his muse (Valerie Perrine) Lenny turns comedy and America on its ear with his abrasive and often offensive humour. But life in the smoke-filled bars of the comedy curcuit begins to take its toll. The drugs and arrests for his subject matter wear heavily on this maverick crusader but don't stop him from goi

• The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - The Complete Collection | DVD | (22/09/2014) from £11.99   |  Saving you £20.00 (200.20%)   |  RRP £29.99

  In the early days of criminal investigation, before guilt and innocence were determined by forensic science, there was a detective, "a man of mystery", with an uncanny ability to read the human character and an unswerving instinct for the truth. In Victorian England, justice depended on The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. The Murder at Road Hill House Daybreak, 1860. In an elegant country house, the Kent family wakes to a shocking discovery: overnight an unimaginably horrible murder has taken place in their home. As local police struggle to solve the crime, the case becomes a national scandal. Inspector Jack Whicher, "the Prince of Sleuths", is despatched to restore justice, but at what cost? Adapted from the best-selling book, this is a gripping true story of murder, psychological suspense and courtroom drama. The Murder in Angel Lane Disgraced Scotland Yard detective, Jack Whicher saves a respectable country lady from a violent robbery. When he offers to help find her young niece, he is drawn into a disturbing case of murder which brings him up against wealthy and powerful figures and throws him into conflict with his former police colleagues. The investigation leads to a private lunatic asylum where Whicher must confront the darkness of his own demons. Beyond the Pale Whicher is hired by a powerful political grandee, Sir Edward Shore, to investigate violent threats made against his son, who has recently returned from India with his young family. Whicher's quest for justice, leads him into the most dangerous corners of London's docklands and to the exposure of a terrible crime. The Ties That Bind An apparently simple divorce case involving a wealthy landowner and his unhappy young wife spirals into something darker, drawing Whicher into the heart of the English countryside where he uncovers the most disturbing and destructive of secrets.

• Dad's Army: The Movie | DVD | (16/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  In the 1970s the British film industry went through a craze for turning hit TV comedies into big screen features. From On the Buses (1971) to Porridge (1979), Dad's Army was one of the few which made the transition with style. Set in the small south coast town of Walmington-on-Sea in 1940, the film does have the structure of three TV episodes remade and sequenced together. Beginning with the formation of the local Home Guard, the company has a self-contained adventure on military manoeuvres, before a finale which allows for some heroism as three German officers take over the church hall. Dad's Army has all the gentle character comedy of the classic BBC TV series, benefiting enormously by retaining the entire television cast, headed by the incomparable Arthur Lowe as the blustering Captain Mainwaring and supported by the equally wonderful John Le Mesurier and Clive Dunn. The cinema budget allows far superior production values to the original series, with a loving re-creation of 1940's England and some surprisingly beautiful cinematography. Above all, the film is both funny and a nostalgic reminder of a time when ordinary middle-aged and old men could be both real and movie heroes. --Gary S. Dalkin

• The Mitchells vs. The Machines | Blu Ray | (14/12/2021) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  An old school father and his plugged-in, filmmaker daughter struggle to relate as their family embarks on a road trip to her new college. Their drive is interrupted by a machine apocalypse that threatens to tear these unlikely heroes apart unless they can find a way to join forces and save humanity.

• The Big Blue | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £7.28   |  Saving you £5.70 (132.87%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A hit in Europe but a flop in the US--where it was trimmed, rescored, and given a new ending--Luc Besson's The Big Blue has endured as a minor cult classic for its gorgeous photography (both on land and underwater) and dreamy ambiance. Jean-Marc Barr is a sweet and sensitive but passive presence as Jacques, a diver with a unique connection to the sea. He has the astounding ability to slow his heartbeat and his circulation on deep dives, "a phenomenon that's only been observed in whales and dolphins until now," remarks one scientist. Kooky New York insurance adjuster Joanna (Rosanna Arquette at her most delightfully flustered and endearingly sexy best) melts after falling into his innocent baby blues, and she follows him to Italy, where he's continuing a lifelong competition with boyhood rival Enzo (Jean Reno in a performance both comic and touching). Besson's first English-language production looks more European than Hollywood, and it suffers from a tin ear for the language. At times it feels more like an IMAX undersea documentary than a drama about free divers, but the lush and lovely images create a fairy tale dimension to Jacques's story, a veritable Little Merman. More dolphin than man, he's so torn between earthly love and aquatic paradise that even his dreams call him to the sea (in a sequence more eloquent than any speech). Besson has expanded the film by 50 minutes for his director's cut, which adds little story but slows the contemplative pace until it practically floats in time, and has restored Eric Serra's synthesizer-heavy score, a slice of 1980s pop that at times borders on disco kitsch. Most importantly, he has restored his original ending, which echoes the fairy tale he tells Joanna earlier in the film and leaves the story floating in the inky blackness of ambiguity. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

• Dad's Army - Christmas Special | DVD | (12/11/2007) from £4.97   |  Saving you £11.02 (221.73%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Episodes Comprise: 1. A happy wartime Christmas often meant pooling coupons even for simple festive fare such as shortbread biscuits and shelter cake. 2. Captain Mainwaring arranges for a sherry party for local dignitaries but during the festivities an unwelcome guest arrives. 3. As Christmas is coming the Vicar decides to hold a bazaar to raise money for comforts for troops on active duty and he asks for contributions from the troop.

• Dad's Army | Blu Ray | (14/06/2021) from £9.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  First time on Blu-Ray in the UK. The film spin-off from the much-loved TV comedy series starring Arthur Lowe as the commander of an incompetent Home Guard platoon in wartime Britain. With the trusted comedy genius from the TV series shining through, Mainwaring and company save the day when a crew of a German aircraft take the vicar and villagers hostage in the church.

• Romany Jones: The Complete Series | DVD | (05/02/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  James Beck, Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts star in this hilarious comedy of bad manners and one-upmanship amidst the mud, pennilessness and eye-watering fashion sense of a run-down 1970s caravan site. A hugely successful sitcom from On the Buses creators Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe and eventually spinning off into the equally successful Yus, My Dear Romany Jones charts the misadventures of two couples living side by side under severely strained circumstances! This complete set features all four series. Wally and Lily Briggs find themselves sharing their caravan site with Bert and Betty Jones, a recently married couple reduced to living on wheels until their circumstances improve which is an unlikely prospect, given Bert's workshy tendencies

• Bill & Ted Face The Music | Blu Ray | (25/01/2021) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The stakes are higher than ever for the time-traveling exploits of William Bill S. Preston Esq. and Theodore Ted Logan. Yet to fulfill their rock and roll destiny, the now middle aged best friends set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. Along the way, they will be helped by their daughters, a new batch of historical figures, and a few music legends - to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe. Bill & Ted Face the Music is directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), from a screenplay by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) - and produced by Scott Kroopf, Alex Lebovici, and Steve Ponce.

• Heidi (Colourised) | DVD | (24/09/2012) from £26.63   |  Saving you £-16.64 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Shirley Temple, in a role that seems custom-made for her, portrays the spirited young heroine of the popular children's novel, giving her rich emotional depth and infinite charm. When her Aunt tires of caring for her, orphan Heidi is taken into the Swiss mountains to live with her gruff Grandfather (Jean Hersholt), a hermit who comes to adore her. But the Aunt returns to steal Heidi away, selling her to a family whose invalid daughter (Marcia Mae Jones) needs a companion. Bullied by an evil governess (Mary Nash), Heidi still charms the entire household and never stops trying to return to her beloved Grandfather.

• Cheerleader Massacre | DVD | (18/08/2003) from £14.55   |  Saving you £-8.56 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Five high school cheerleaders their coach and a couple of sex-crazed guys travel to a cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway only to be stalked one by one by an unseen maniac!

• Tweenies - Let's All Make Music | DVD | (22/03/2004) from £4.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  More fun with the Tweenies in four individual episodes which look at the orchestra. Includes percussion instruments strings brass and woodwind.

• The Very Best of Dad's Army | DVD | (01/10/2001) from £6.19   |  Saving you £6.80 (109.85%)   |  RRP £12.99

  If the mark of a successful TV comedy is that repeat showings attract new viewers, then Dad's Army must be one of the best. The Very Best of Dad's Army includes five episodes almost covering its whole time span--from 1969's "Sons of the Sea", an entertaining caper when lost at home, to 1977's final episode "Never Too Old", in which sparky Corporal Jones marries his longtime sweetheart, and the ageing Second World War platoon drinks a toast to Britain's Home Guard. Along with these is 1973's "The Deadly Attachment", where a captive U-boat crew falls prey to dummy hand-grenades; 1972's "Keep Young and Beautiful", a touching tale of looking younger and sticking together; and the same year's "Asleep in the Deep", where the platoon uses its skill and judgement, plus a little luck, to escape a life-threatening situation. Fans and newcomers will enjoy the priceless interplay of Arthur Lowe and John le Mesurier, along with the contributions of Clive Dunn, John Laurie, Arnold Ridley, Ian Lavender and James Beck, in this nostalgic depiction of Britain as it once was. On the DVD: The 4:3 picture reproduction has come up well and the dual mono sound is more than adequate. Each episode features six scene selections, while the artist profiles provide brief but relevant biographical details. The half-hour Selection Box gives celebrities past and present a chance to pick their favourite extracts and explain just why they're hooked. Chances are you will be too.--Richard Whitehouse

• The Warriors | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Tonight they're all out to get the Warriors. A battle of gigantic proportions is looming in the neon underground of New York City. The armies of the night number 100 000; they outnumber the police 5 to 1; and tonight they're after the Warriors - a street gang unfairly blamed for a rival gang leader's death. This contemporary action-adventure story takes place at night underground in the sub-culture of gang warfare that rages from the Bronx to Coney Island Bay as the Warrio

• Megaforce | DVD | (25/11/2013) from £6.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (53.40%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Colossal special effects and death defying stunts highlight the futuristic thriller, MEGAFORCE. Barry Bostwick stars as Ace Hunter, leader of an elite task force of adventurers who gallantly fight to uphold justice. Director Hal Needham's (Smokey and the Bandit, Cannonball Run) undisputed mastery and knowledge of stunt work is vividly apparent throughout the many action packed scenes. The high flying stunts, combined with a dynamic display of futuristic vehicles make this an e...

• The Sparks Brothers | Blu Ray | (18/10/2021) from £12.15   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? From acclaimed director Edgar Wright comes THE SPARKS BROTHERS, a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael. Featuring passionate tributes from Beck, Flea, Duran Duran, Mike Meyers, Patton Oswalt, and more, THE SPARKS BROTHERS celebrates the inspiring legacy of your favorite band's favorite band. Features: Full Concert Sparks Live in London Deleted Scenes Additional Interviews

• The Sparks Brothers | DVD | (18/10/2021) from £11.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? From acclaimed director Edgar Wright comes THE SPARKS BROTHERS, a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael. Featuring passionate tributes from Beck, Flea, Duran Duran, Mike Meyers, Patton Oswalt, and more, THE SPARKS BROTHERS celebrates the inspiring legacy of your favorite band's favorite band. Features: Full Concert Sparks Live in London Deleted Scenes Additional Interviews

• Rollerball | DVD | (24/06/2002) from £23.36   |  Saving you £-2.11 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Norman Jewison's dystopian Rollerball portrays a near-future in the aftermath of the Corporate Wars, in which nations have crumbled and conglomerates rule. In place of freedom the people are given bread and circuses: material comfort and rollerball itself. Played on a circular, slanted track by men on skates and motorbikes, this extreme sport is the ultimate extrapolation of the primitive blood lust implicit in many team sports. James Caan is outstanding as Jonathan E, star player with the Houston team. In the elegant detachment of Jewison's direction, emphasised by the stark, alienating use of classical music, there are echoes of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Notwithstanding the brilliantly staged arena sequences, Rollerball is essentially about freedom versus conformity and the corruption of unfettered capitalism, with Caan leading an existential rebellion in the tradition of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 which leads to a chilling, apocalyptic finale. Certainly the most prophetic film of the 1970s, Rollerball has an intelligence and power overlooked by those who simply denounce its brutal violence. On the DVD: Rollerball arrives on DVD with clear three-channel Dolby Digital sound, although obviously it lacks the impact of a more modern 5.1 soundtrack. The 1.77:1 transfer is anamorphically enhanced and is generally very sharp and detailed with excellent colour. Some scenes show a lot of grain, but this is presumably a consequence of having to shoot with very fast lenses to capture the swift and dramatic action under indoor lighting conditions. "Return to the Arena--The Making of Rollerball" is a new 25-minute documentary (4:3 with letterboxed film clips) that features Jewison, Harrison and various other personnel reminiscing about the making of the film. The highlight of the extras are commentary tacks from the Jewison and Harrison, and while there is inevitably some overlap of information, and some quite lengthy gaps in Harrison's track, there is also much to interest the serious film buff. Also included is an original seven-minute promotional featurette "From Rome to Rollerball: The Full Circle", the chilling original trailer, the teaser trailer and a trailer for the remake.--Gary S Dalkin

• Dad's Army: The Movie | DVD | (23/11/2015) from £7.05   |  Saving you £-1.06 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Five fine episodes of the evergreen Home Guard sitcom here. Dad's Army endures because it combines a healthy dollop of self-mockery with a sense of pride in Britain's lonely defiance against Hitler's might in 1940, encapsulated in the pompous and incompetent yet courageous Captain Mainwaring. Arthur Lowe is sublime in this role. Though he generally acts as a foil to his flippant platoon of funny stereotypes (Walker, Frazier, Godfrey, etc.), his subtle double-takes and apoplectic facial expressions of exasperation are endlessly hilarious. Corporal Jones' doddery recklessness can generally be relied upon to culminate in a finale involving trousers, cries of "Don't panic!" and chases across country but the masterstroke of this series was the casting against type of John Le Mesurier as the vague, aristocratic Sergeant and Lowe as his military but not social superior. These episodes include "The Day The Balloon Went Up" (a typically frantic caper involving a stray barrage balloon), "The Two And A Half Feathers" (including a wonderful Jonesy flashback to his days in the Sudan) and "The Deadly Attachment", in which Pike cheeks the captain of a captive U-Boat crew, who demands his name to add to his "list" of insolent Englanders. "Don't tell him, Pike!" urges Mainwaring. --David Stubbs