"Actor: Cheadle"

• Donnie Brasco/Charlie/Traffic | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Donnie Brasco: The true story of an FBI undercover agent (Johnny Depp) who becomes Donnie Brasco 'The Jewel Man' to infiltrate one of the mob families. Donnie manoeuvres his way into the confidence of ageing hit man Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino) who trusts Donnie and vouches for him to the mob. But Lefty and Donnie become friends when they should be enemies. As Donnie moves deeper and deeper into the Mafia chain of command he realises he is not only crossing the line between federal agent and criminal but it also leading his friend Lefty to an almost certain death sentence... Charlie: Luke Goss teams up with Steven Berkoff to tell the real life story of `Charlie Richardson' the head of the notorious `torture gang'. In the sixties London was owned and ruled by two families north of the river the Krays the Richardsons to the south. Now for the first time in his own words `Charlie' reveals what really happened when he was arrested and tried in what notoriously became known as the `Torture Trial'. Traffic: A high-ranking judge with a vendetta against drugs learns his own daughter is a cocaine addict - a San Diego housewife must suddenly take over her husband's drug dealing business when he is arrested - a Mexican police officer struggles to do the right thing in the midst of corruption. Michael Douglas Catherine Zeta-Jones and Benicio Del Toro star in Steven Soderbergh's amazing intertwined stories of the failing war on drugs.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition) | DVD | (10/12/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  The greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. The new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. What's New? One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about losing his only appearance. It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls "pure Tolkien," and provides better context for Pippin to find the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film. In fact, "valuable but not critical" might sum up the ROTK extended edition. It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being mistaken for Orc soldiers. We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields. It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did, but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the theatrical cut. If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do. And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see. Nor is there a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better explained both his foresight and his madness. As Jackson notes, when cuts are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes. Another big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead. In the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the film is available in both versions. If you feel like watching the relatively shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can. If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do. How Are the Bonus Features? To complete the experience, The Return of the King provides the same sprawling set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks, sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition. Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there was no commentary for the earlier ROTK DVD, so it's still entertaining to hear him break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ("So this is the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on DVD!"). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between Aragorn and Sauron. One DVD Set to Rule Them All Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi

• Drama Blu-Ray Pack | Blu Ray | (10/12/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £68.99

  Into The Blue (2005): Treasure has its price in this gripping underwater thriller set off the tropical shores of the Bahamas. Four young divers discover a legendary shipwreck rumoured to contain millions in gold at the bottom of the sea. But nearby on the ocean floor a plane full of illegal cargo threatens their find and with their loyalties tested the treasure hunters soon find themselves as the hunted... All The Kings men (2006): Absolute power corrupts absolutely in writer-director Steven Zaillian's (Schindler's List) adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's classic novel All the King's Men featuring an all-star cast led by Sean Penn Jude Law Kate Winslet Patricia Clarkson James Gandolfini Mark Ruffalo Anthony Hopkins. All the King's Men charts the spectacular rise and fall of a charismatic Southern politician Boss Willie Stark (Penn). Law co-stars as Jack Burden the once idealistic now embittered ex-reporter who unwittingly fuels Stark's corrupt political ambitions. Stranger Than Fiction: Stranger Than Fiction is an inventive comedy about a novelist (Emma Thompson) struggling to complete her latest and potentially finest book - she only has to find a way to kill off her main character Harold Crick and she'll be done. Little does she know that Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is inexplicably alive and well in the real world and suddenly aware of her words. Fiction and reality collide when the bewildered and hilariously resistant Harold hears what she has in mind and realizes he must find a way to change her (and his) ending. The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006): Chris Gardner is a bright and talented but marginally employed salesman. Struggling to make ends meet Gardner finds himself and his five-year-old son evicted from their San Francisco apartment with nowhere to go. When Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm he and his son endure many hardships including living in shelters in pursuit of his dream of a better life for the two of them. Reign Over Me (2007): Adam Sandler Don Cheadle Jada Pinkett Smith and Liv Tyler star in this heart-rending story about Charlie Fineman (Sandler) who has slipped away from reality after the sudden loss of his wife and children. But Charlie's life takes a turn for the better when he runs into his old college roommate Alan Johnson (Cheadle) whose life is torn between the demands of career and family. Their renewed friendship rekindles their long-forgotten bond and both men emerge enriched and enlightened.

• Hotel Rwanda | DVD | (20/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  the true story of a man who fought the impossible odds to save everyone he could

• The Guard | DVD | (16/01/2012) from £7.55   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brandon Gleeson) is a small-town Irish cop with a confrontational personality and absolutely no interest in the international cocaine-smuggling ring that has brought FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) to his door.

• Volcano | Blu Ray | (14/05/2012) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-7.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Quakes. Riots. Mudslides. Los Angeles has seen it all... almost. Get set for nonstop action, searing suspense and explosive special effects with Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones.Something unspeakable chilling is heating up the City of Angels. Beneath the famed La Brea Tar Pits, a raging volcano has formed, raining a storm of deadly fire bombs and an endless tide of white-hot lava upon the stunned city. Experience the pulse-pounding thrills as the dream capital of the world erupts into the stuff nightmares are made of.

• The Guard | DVD | (16/01/2012) from £7.55   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A