"Actor: Caitlin Wachs"

• My Dog Skip (2000) | DVD | (04/06/2001) from £5.16   |  Saving you £8.83 (171.12%)   |  RRP £13.99

  My Dog Skip, a nonpareil family film, is, as one of the characters so aptly puts it, "a heartbreak waiting to happen". Frankie Muniz, winning over audiences in the TV series Malcolm in the Middle, has competition in My Dog Skip--Skip himself (adorably played by a total of six Jack Russell terriers). Muniz, an inveterate charmer, stars as Willie Morris (from whose memoir the film is adapted), a gawky, awkward boy growing up during World War II under an overly protective father (Kevin Bacon). When his mom (Diane Lane) gives him Skip on his ninth birthday, his life is changed in every way for the better. Previously disinterested peers become pals, and he experiences puppy love with a girl named Rivers (Caitlin Wachs). There are plenty of high jinks and rah-rah touches of Americana, and the film also attempts to deal with sophisticated emotions--Willie's boyhood hero turns out to be less than heroic--but its devastating emotional core comes, simply and obviously, with Skip's eventual ageing and demise. Dog lovers will be wiped out; those who don't care for canines shouldn't even be bothering to read this review. (Ages 8 and older) --David Kronke, Amazon.com

• Thirteen Days | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £13.16   |  Saving you £2.83 (21.50%)   |  RRP £15.99

  On its theatrical release Thirteen Days was pummelled by American critics for taking liberties with the facts of the Cuban missile crisis and smothering its compelling drama with phoney Boston accents by its primary stars. But anyone who enjoys taut, intelligent political thrillers will find little to complain about here. Co-star and co-producer Kevin Costner drew criticism for fictionally enhancing the White House role of presidential aide Kenneth O'Donnell, but while Costner's Boston accent may be grating, his fine performance as O'Donnell offers expert witness to the crisis, its nerve-wracking escalation and the efforts of John F Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) and Robert F Kennedy (Steven Culp) to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Russia. While Soviet missiles approach operational status in Cuba, director Roger Donaldson (who directed Costner in No Way Out) cuts to exciting US Navy flights over the missile site, ramping up the tension that history itself provided. Donaldson's occasional use of black and white is self-consciously distracting, and he's further guilty of allowing a shrillness (along with repetitive, ominous shots of nuclear explosions) to invade the urgency of David Self's screenplay. Still, as Hollywood history lessons go, Thirteen Days is riveting stuff. You may find yourself wondering what might happen if reality presented a repeat scenario under less intelligent leadership.--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Air Bud: World Pup | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £6.08   |  Saving you £8.91 (146.55%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Disney is proud to present the second heartwarming and hilarious sequel to the popular family favorite Air Bud! Buddy masters two new starring roles... soccer player and father. 'Air Bud: World Pup' is loaded with laughs and cool soccer action as Buddy teams up alongside U.S. women's soccer greats Brandi Chastain Briana Scurry and Tisha Venturini meanwhile keeping a protective eye over his adorable new family of soccer-playing puppies!

• Inspector Gadget 2 | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £7.97   |  Saving you £10.02 (125.72%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Inspector Gadget 2 sees the unlikely detective with higher-tech gadgets and more special effects. French Stewart (from TV's Third Rock from the Sun) replaces Matthew Broderick as the bumbling detective in a plot that revolves around the glitch-ridden Gadget being replaced by a completely robotised female. Parent Trap's Elaine Hendrix does what little she can with the one-dimensional role of "G2". Still, Gadget falls for his rival and the pair team up with his smart-as-a-whip niece Penny and her brainy beagle for a showdown with Claw. Where Broderick struggled to humanise the caricature of an inept detective in the 1999 original, Stewart doesn't even try. Instead he plays Gadget as a cartoon with endless over-the-top theatrics. The enhanced special effects may placate young viewers, but without the comedy of the original, that's small comfort. --Kimberly Heinrichs

• Shiloh Season | DVD | (02/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  The big-hearted little beagle and his resourceful master return in Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season the second movie in the trilogy based on Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Newberry Award-winning novels. Zachary Browne plays seventh-grader Marty whose run-ins with a neighbor (Scott Wilson) who mistreats his dog put Marty on a problem-filled path called growing up. Marty's caring father (Michael Moriarty) and genial Doc Wallace (Rod Steiger) help him confront his troubles responsibly. But Shiloh te

• Kids In America | DVD | (26/02/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Based on real events Kids In America is a teen comedy about a diverse group of high school kids who band together to peacefully kick their principal's ass. Boasting an impressive cast of both established stars and hot new talent ""Kids"" tackles such issues as sex education freedom of speech and how to kiss for six minutes straight without losing consciousness from lack of oxygen. Holden Donovan (Gregory Smith) is fed up with Principal Weller (Julie Bowen) who goes to great lengths to stop the students from exercising their right to free expression. She expels a young woman for passing out condoms and advocating safe sex on national 'safe sex' day and suspends two boys who were kissing in the hallway. Meanwhile she is running for the Superintendent of their school district which will give her a chance to practice her brand of administration beyond Booker High School. The students have an ally in Mr. Drucker (Malik Yoba) one of their teachers who encourages them to fight for their rights. He pays a price for his leadership and is fired by Principal Weller. He decides to use his dismissal to make a change of his own by producing a documentary chronicling the experiences of students who are faced with similar issues. As the story unfolds Donovan befriends a group of kids including love interest Charlotte (Stephanie Sherrin) Lawrence Chuck Walanda Emily and Katie. Together they organize the student body to take on Weller and make real change at Booker High.

• Air Bud | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Air Bud: Golden Receiver: This time out Buddy the hoop-shooting hotshot canine tackles a new sport - American football. When his teenage owner reluctantly becomes the school's new quarterback Buddy catches the spirit and joins the team. Soon the two find themselves leading the Timberwolves to the state championship. But victory hopes are sidelined when two sinister Russian circus owners take a bite out of everyone's plans and dognap Buddy for their star attraction! Give three cheers for Air Bud full of outrageous fun and adventure it goes the whole nine yards for family fun. Air Bud: World Pup: Disney is proud to present the second heartwarming and hilarious sequel to the popular family favorite Air Bud! Buddy masters two new starring roles... soccer player and father. 'Air Bud: World Pup' is loaded with laughs and cool soccer action as Buddy teams up alongside U.S. women's soccer greats Brandi Chastain Briana Scurry and Tisha Venturini meanwhile keeping a protective eye over his adorable new family of soccer-playing puppies! Air Bud: Spikes Back: Disney serves up an all-new adventure starring everyone's favorite sports-playing golden retreiver Buddy! This time he masters the coolest sport under the sun... beach volleyball! But there's plenty of action off the courtias well - a rash of mysterious crimes have been puzzling everyone and the paw prints seem to point to Buddy! So it's up to Buddy to lead the authorities to the real culprit! With a special appearance by pro-volleyball champion Gabrielle Reece and a heartwarming story your family is sure to enjoy this fun-filled adventure! Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch: Air Bud knocks one out of the park when he takes up baseball in this all-new fun and heartwarming Disney adventure! This time Buddy joins in and shows that he's a natural baseball player with major league talent! In the midst of the season however a terrible discovery is made: Buddy's now grown puppies have mysteriously begun to disappear from their new homes. Now it's up to Buddy to stop the dog-nappings and find his pups before it's too late!