"Actor: Bill Paterson"

• Sea Of Souls - Series 2 | DVD | (25/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Sea Of Souls follows para-psychologist Monaghan and his two sidekicks from a fictitious Scottish University that investigates paranormal activity.

• Truly, Madly, Deeply BD | Blu Ray | (05/03/2018) from £10.98   |  Saving you £-0.89 (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.09

  Truly Madly Deeply is an intelligent, moving, and deeply funny story about love and death. Nina (Juliet Stevenson), a scatterbrained professional translator, has lost the love of her life, Jamie (Alan Rickman). As her life (and her flat) slowly falls to pieces, she is inundated with an endless stream of repairmen and eligible suitors. But rather than go on with life, Nina dwells on her dead love, slumped at her piano, endlessly playing half of a Bach duet. Then, in a truly magical sequence, his cello suddenly joins her melody... and Jamie's back from the dead. At first it's bliss--think of the superficially similar blockbuster Ghost, only with real people instead of pretty faces Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. But Nina gradually realises it's a thoroughly real Jamie who's back; complete with every annoying, argumentative fault she'd conveniently forgotten. (He might be dead, he explains, but he still attends political meetings.) Moreover, he has to hide whenever any of the living are around. And he's constantly ice-cold. And he invites his dead pals to her place at all hours. What's a living woman to do? Director Anthony Minghella went on to create the melodramatic period piece The English Patient--but in this film, he shows a far more sensitive, subtle touch. The photography is brilliant, capturing the simple beauties of suburban London. And the wonderfully acted characters, quirky and all too real, will keep you laughing--and always guessing what will happen next.--Grant Balfour, Amazon.com

• Simon Schama - A History of Britain : The Complete Series | DVD | (18/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  Stretching from the Stone Age to the year 2000, Simon Schama's Complete History of Britain does not pretend to be a definitive chronicle of the turbulent events which buffeted and shaped the British Isles. What Schama does do, however, is tell the story in vivid and gripping narrative terms, free of the fustiness of traditional academe, personalising key historical events by examining the major characters at the centre of them. Not all historians would approve of the history depicted here as shaped principally by the actions of great men and women rather than by more abstract developments, but Schama's way of telling it is a good deal more enthralling as a result. Schama successfully gives lie to the idea that the history of Britain has been moderate and temperate, passing down the generations as stately as a galleon, taking on board sensible ideas but steering clear of sillier, revolutionary ones. Nonsense. Schama retells British history the way it was--as bloody, convulsive, precarious, hot-blooded and several times within an inch of haring off onto an entirely different course. Schama seems almost to delight in the goriness of history. Themes returned to repeatedly include the wars between the Scots and the Irish and the Catholic/Protestant conflicts--only the Irish question remains unresolved by the new millennium. As Britain becomes a constitutional monarchy, Schama talks less of Kings and Queens but of poets and idea-makers like Orwell. Still, with his pungent, direct manner and against an evocative visual and aural backdrop, Schama makes history seem as though it happened yesterday, the bloodstains not yet dry. On the DVD: The Complete History of Britain extras are generously packaged on a separate disc and include the original score and a Simon Schama biography. There's an interesting "promotional message" to camera in which Schama explains the role of a cab driver, Wally, in inspiring the series, along with an interview with Mark Lawson in which Schama stresses the deliberate subjectivity of these programmes and an inaugural BBC History lecture in which he defends TV's ability to transpose history to camera. --David Stubbs

• A Private Function | DVD | (24/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The story's setting is 1947 England where hard-hit Brits won't let mandatory food rationing keep them from celebrating the wedding of the future queen to Lt. Phillip Mountbatten. But there may be no public banquet for citizens in a Yorkshire town. The contraband guest of honour they've pampered and fattened has been pignapped!

• Sea Of Souls - Series 1 | DVD | (31/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  One man's truth is another man's mystery and that is where Dr Douglas Monaghan and his team come to the fore. They make up the fictional Parapsychology Unit at Clyde University that is at the heart of Sea of Souls a fascinating and compelling BBC1 drama which looks at the power of the paranormal. From Voodoo to cult rituals past life experiences to telepathic twins the trio of bewitching storylines featured in Sea of Souls tap into the fascination with all things paranormal as Doug

• The Killing Fields | DVD | (01/01/2001) from £8.17   |  Saving you £7.82 (95.72%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This harrowing but rewarding 1984 drama concerns the real-life relationship between New York Times reporter Sidney Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor), the latter left at the mercy of the Khmer Rouge after Schanberg--who chose to stay after American evacuation but was booted out--failed to get him safe passage. Filmmaker Roland Joffé, previously a documentarist, made his feature debut with this account of Dith's rocky survival in the ensuing madness of the Khmer Rouge's genocidal campaign. The script of The Killing Fields spends some time with Schanberg's feelings of guilt after the fact, but most of the movie is a shattering re-creation of hell on Earth. The late Haing S. Ngor--a real-life doctor who had never acted before and who lived through the events depicted by Joffé--is outstanding, and he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Oscars also went to cinematographer Chris Menges and editor Jim Clark. --Tom Keogh

• Complicity | DVD | (10/07/2000) from £17.29   |  Saving you £2.70 (15.62%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Based on the Iain Banks novel this gripping thriller is set in Scotland with a strong cast including the brilliant Johnny Lee Miller. Cameron Colley is a journalist who writes articles that takes the underdog's viewpoint. His motives are shared by a serial killer who commits murder on behalf of the underdog. The two stories then begin to fuse together...

• Auf Wiedersehen Pet Box Set - The Complete Series 1 and 2 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £89.99

  The entire first and second series of the cult TV show. In the first series a group of builders from England go over to Germany to work on a site by day and do their bit for European harmony and understanding by night. The episodes are: 'If I Were a Carpenter' 'Who Won the War Anyway?' 'The Girls They Left Behind' 'Suspicion' 'Home Thoughts From Abroad' 'The Accused' 'Private Lives' 'The Fugitive' 'The Alien' 'The Last Rites' 'The Lovers' 'Love and Other Four Letter Words'

• The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen | DVD | (02/05/2011) from £13.26   |  Saving you £-7.27 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Monty Python's Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) directs this wild, wild version of the stories of Baron Munchausen, pushing the limits of 1989 special effects technology to bring us such sights as a horse divided in half and running around in two parts, and a giant Robin Williams with his head flying off his shoulders. Basically, this is a treat for Gilliam fans, as the sustaining idea of the film runs out of steam, and manic energy alone keeps the momentum going. Casual viewers might find it tedious after awhile. There are nice parts for fellow Python Eric Idle, as well as Sting, Alison Steadman, and Uma Thurman as a dazzlingly beautiful Venus on a half-shell. Gilliam had greater artistic and commercial success with Brazil, The Fisher King and 12 Monkeys. --Tom Keogh

• 37 Days: The Countdown To World War 1 (BBC) | Blu Ray | (09/06/2014) from £6.99   |  Saving you £18.00 (257.51%)   |  RRP £24.99

  37 Days37 Days: The Countdown to World War 1 is a masterful tense and gripping three 'part political thriller set within the corridors of power in Whitehall and Berlin tracks the unfolding crisis through the eyes of leading politicians and civil servants struggling to prevent the world's first global war. A stellar cast led by Ian McDiarmid and Tim Piggott-Smith reveal the complex behind-closed-doors story of the countdown to World War One in this political thriller following the catastrophic chain of events that led from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28th June 1914 to the declaration of war between Britain and Germany on 4th August. One Month In SummerThe British Foreign Office led by foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey receives news of an assassination in the Balkans. In Berlin the Kaiser thinks he can exploit it for his own advantage. One Week In JulyWar in Europe is becoming a real possibility. Under pressure from the cabinet the British foreign secretary unravels a tangled web of intrigue between Austria Germany Russia and France while the German military command conspires to force the Kaiser's hand. Who will gain the upper hand? One Long WeekendThe last hours of peace. With the continental powers pushed to the brink Sir Edward Grey seems unsure of whether to keep Britain out of the conflict. Desperate negotiations resignations and a battle of wills in the Cabinet reach a crescendo with Germany's ultimatum to Belgium. Which way will Britain go?

• Just Ask For Diamond | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 1 - Vol. 3 : Episodes 7-9 | DVD | (27/05/2002) from £3.80   |  Saving you £9.19 (241.84%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Episodes include: 'Private Lives' 'The Fugitive' and 'The Alien'.

• Shoebox Zoo - Series 1 | DVD | (15/11/2004) from £2.70   |  Saving you £2.29 (84.81%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Shoebox Zoo fuses classic drama with state of the art CGI animation by taking viewers on a magical adventure in search of the alchemist's Book of Forbidden Knowledge lost a millennium ago in the borders of Scotland. It's the worst birthday of Marnie McBride's life. She half-heartedly blows out the 11 candles on her birthday cake and makes a wish. What she wants more than anything is for her Mom to come back. She's 11 years old today and she's never felt so lost and alone... Marni

• The Witches: Ultimate Collector's Edition | Blu Ray | (12/10/2020) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.

• The Repair Shop: Series 6 | DVD | (21/03/2022) from £29.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Match | DVD | (06/04/2009) from £8.98   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The Match is a contemporary romantic comedy, set in the idyllic Highland village of Inverdoune.

• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 1 - Vol. 2 : Episodes 4-6 | DVD | (27/05/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Episodes include: 'Suspicion' 'Home Thoughts From Abroad' and 'The Accused'.

• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 1 - Vol. 1 : Episodes 1-3 | DVD | (27/05/2002) from £7.24   |  Saving you £5.75 (79.42%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Contains the episodes: 'If I Were A Carpenter' 'Who Won The War Anyway?' and 'The Girls They Left Behind'.

• Hilary And Jackie (Wide Screen) | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £6.88   |  Saving you £6.10 (156.81%)   |  RRP £9.99

  It earned Oscar nods, yet this cinematic look at a genius--that of English cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who enraptured audiences with her bold, emblazoned and wholly unconventional playing style, and who died at age 42--was criticised for its "lapses" in truth by people who purportedly knew du Pré. Some of the controversy revolved around the other main character in Anand Tuckers gorgeous, involving movie--du Prés sister, Hilary, whose book,A Genius in the Family (cowritten with brother Piers), dished some dirt on Jackies sleeping with Hilarys husband. But dont let that deter you from this ebullient movie experience. Hilary and Jackie is a bisected story (each sisters tale is told in the same amount of screen time) teeming with heartfelt drama that belies the cheap shots it received from its detractors. Its stirring, reckless, loving, involving, and rife with unconventional passion; passion for music, life, art, and the delicate relationship between these two synchronous, extraordinary sisters as played by brilliant actors Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths (both of whom earned Oscar nods). Though Watson got the juicy, showy role as Jackie, its Griffiths who provides the heart, soul, and spine of the film. And director Tucker has that gift of being able to explain through the visual medium what is happening inside of his characters heads. Hes helped by a fine screenplay by Frank Boyce Cottrell. No matter what the truth of Hilary and Jackie might really be, this is an exceptional, rare film that is defined and graced by fine acting and writing. --Paula Nechak

• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 2 - Vol. 3 : Episodes 7-9 | DVD | (08/07/2002) from £5.98   |  Saving you £7.01 (117.22%)   |  RRP £12.99

  First broadcast in 1983 with its second series airing in 1986, Auf Wiedersehen Pet was an unlikely comedy hit about a group of British labourers forced to work in Germany during the recession. Scripted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, (previously responsible for Porridge and The Likely Lads) its main players are likable stereotypes from all over England: Barry (Timothy Spall), the bumbling, haplessly pretentious Brummie; gentle West Country giant Bomber (Pat Roach); amiable scouse Moxey (Christopher Fairbank); and the three Geordies, nervous Neville (Kevin Whately), loudmouth xenophobic lummox Oz (Jimmy Nail) and put-upon Dennis (Tim Healy), the reluctant gaffer of the mob. The second series saw the lads reunited to work for a dubious entrepreneur called Ally Fraser to whom Dennis owes money, and the location varying from Spain to Derbyshire. Gary Holton (cheeky cockney Wayne) died during the making of the series and Clement and La Frenais farmed out several episodes to other writers, such as Stan Hey, but the characters were well established by this point and the comedy held up. An episode in which the gang upset the locals of a stuffy country pub with their very presence is particularly memorable. A belated third series followed in 2002. --David Stubbs