"Actor: David Simon"

• Pitch Black | DVD | (04/07/2011) from £4.49   |  Saving you £5.50 (55.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Vin Diesel creates a cult icon as Riddick in this epic sci-fi adventure. The new Special Edition DVD comes complete with a range of exclusive extra features.

• Bucky O'Hare - Complete Series | DVD | (11/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  'Bucky O'Hare And The Toad Wars' started as a comic book about the aforementioned individual and his crew who fought toads in an intergalactic space war. In 1989 it became a TV show and in 1991 Hasbro released a series of 10 figures. Bucky returned to his original medium as a member of the Continuity stable of comics around the same time. He's had a Nintendo game based on him and an Arcade game based on the cartoon (see below) which even used some of the voices from the series. B

• Romeo And Juliet | DVD | (24/05/2004) from £4.27   |  Saving you £8.72 (204.22%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's tragic story of young impetuous love thwarted by a bitter Veronese family feud. Romeo heir of the Montague family attends a masquerade dance at the home of the Capulets where he meets Juliet the Capulets' daughter. It is love at first sight. Their love is torn asunder by the feud between their families. It is only after the double suicide of the young lovers that their long divided kinsmen are reconciled in sorrow.

• Haunted London | DVD | (26/10/2009) from £19.98   |  Saving you £-5.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Exploring London's real ghost stories from Biggin Hill airfield to a haunted Underground station, including interviews with eye-witnesses

• Ken Loach: My Name Is Joe, Raining Stones, Riff Raff | DVD | (01/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  My Name Is JoeKen Loach's My Name Is Joe is a slice of life so raw that you can see the blood dripping off it and as in real life it mixes humour passion tragedy and violence in equal measure. Joe (Peter Mullan) is a recovering alcoholic and has done a few things in his past which he'd rather forget. Like most people he knows he's out of work but he keeps sane by coaching the self-styled worst football team in Glasgow. When one of Joe's players Liam gets involved with some local gangsters a chain of events is set in motion which not only threatens the lives of those concerned but also comes between Joe's budding love affair with social worker Sarah (Louise Goodall). Raining StonesBob Williams is a survivor. He supplements his dole by becoming embroiled in whatever scam is on offer from rustling sheep to rotting drains. But now life has dealt him a bitter blow. His van has been stolen and his daughter Colleen is approaching her first communion. She needs the traditional white dress shoes veil and gloves. Where on earth is the money going to come from? Raining Stones is a funny and essentially human story of survival in the nineties and people's aspirations for a better way of life. Riff RaffStevie a young Glaswegian just out of Barlinnie prison comes down to London and gets a job on a building site - a melting pot of itinerant laborers from all over the country. Here he has to contend with Mick the bossy ganger trying - but usually failing to control his workers Shem Mo and Larry and the other lads as they duck and dive the rules and regulations of the building trade. Stevie has other problems to contend: the wages are low the site teems with rats he has nowhere to sleep and life in London isn't that easy. One day on his way to work Stevie finds a handbag in a skip. He takes it back to it owner and meets Susan. As Stevie and Susan learn to live with the ups and downs of life in London Riff-Raff builds a portrait - sometimes gritty often funny of life as it is lived in the margins.

• Puppetry Of The Penis | DVD | (19/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  There is nothing more entertaining than a grown man putting his arm up something furry and talking to it on daytime television, but nothing comes close to the entertainment factor of Puppetry of the Penis, the two-member show that wowed the Edinburgh festival and probably the strangest 50 minutes of entertainment you will ever experience. The creators of this strange puppetry are two lads hailing from Melbourne--David Friend and Simon Morley--who use an altogether different kind of marionette: their penises. This small-screen version of the Puppetry of the Penis (subtitled "The Ancient Art of Genital Origami") is filmed live at Melbourne's Forum theatre. Basically the guys do exactly what it says on the box, strip down to their socks and shoes and then manipulate their members into all manner of objects. Highlights include the Lock Ness monster (obviously added for the festival), the hamburger and their "penis de resistance", the windsurfer, which with the aid of a skateboard and fan signals their final exit. Funny and original as the concept is, this is the kind of show that definitely loses something on screen. Although it tries to capture some of the hilarity ensuing from the predominantly female hen-night audience by panning over the crowd, you can't help feeling that you are missing part of the joke. But some of the "dick tricks" are eye-wateringly funny, and if nothing else it's not every show where you get a quick tutorial into how to make your penis look like Ronald MacDonald's fave food. On the DVD: Although the show itself is only 50-min long, you also get a brilliant "Cockstars", a 45-min "Fly on the Wall" mockumentary, which details the twosome's rise to fame. And what about the disc itself? Well, you can cop a load of the boys in dramatic full-frame transfer and titter along with the Dolby Surround soundtrack; there is even a "Dick Trick" book, so that you can really can try these at home. --Kristen Bowditch

• You're Dead | DVD | (20/03/2000) from £4.75   |  Saving you £15.24 (320.84%)   |  RRP £19.99

  On the surface, it is a seamless caper. A beautiful bank robbery staged by a veteran expert and two exuberant heirs apparent.

• Spiders | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  The future of the human race hangs by a thread! Assigned to cover the space shuttle landing college newspaper reporter Marci and her colleagues head out to a restricted area of the desert where they are also attempting to prove the existence of aliens they believe have landed there. When the shuttle crash lands nearby they sneak into headquarters and stumble upon a secret unauthorized experiment that has gone wrong: a spider on board that was injected with alien DNA is now on the loose...and each time it kills it gets bigger and hungrier!

• Jack Said | Blu Ray | (05/10/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Cop. Gangster. Lover. Killer. Who says you have to choose? Danny Dyer and Simon Phillips star in this all-action sequel to the comic book-inspired "Jack Says".

• Bingo | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £7.32   |  Saving you £-1.33 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A shaggy-dog spoof about a boy and his dog separated by a continent! Bingo the lovable pooch becomes involved in a variety of adventures and misdemeanours and even ends up in jail (with his own green uniform yet) followed by a court appearance. That doesn't stop the boy's faithful best friend from trying to make his way home...

• The Sherlock Holmes Collection (23 Disc Box Set) | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £159.99

  The Sherlock Holmes Collection is a comprehensive box set containing all 36 hour-long episodes plus the five feature-length specials of Granada TV's classic series starring Jeremy Brett. Originally screened in 1984, the series ran intermittently until the mid-1990s, when the leading actor's chronically failing health forced a final end (he died in 1995). Still hailed by many as the definitive Holmes, Brett presented the great detective as a solitary, nervous and depressive personality whose brilliant flashes of inspiration were interrupted by long bouts of introspection and drug-induced lethargy. In the later feature-length episodes, the actor's own ill-health added a poignant extra dimension that both deepened and darkened his portrayal of Holmes. In a welcome departure from earlier adaptations, Dr Watson (originally played by David Burke, then by Edward Hardwicke) is a thoroughly sensible, pragmatic--if rather unimaginative--companion, not at all the bumbling sidekick made famous by Nigel Bruce in the Basil Rathbone era. Aside from impeccable central casting--bolstered by a host of distinguished thespian guest stars--and scripts that remain remarkably faithful to Conan Doyle's original stories, the series also boasts lavish period production design and a haunting music score from Patrick Gowers. Although latterly they both err too far on the side of melodrama, overall both the series and Jeremy Brett's tour de force performances are likely to remain unsurpassed. On the DVD: The Sherlock Holmes Collection DVD box set might be complete, but the individual discs themselves are disappointingly spartan, with no additional features of any kind nor any attempt to clean up the rather scratchy 4:3 picture quality or the dull mono sound. --Mark Walker

• The Disappearance Of Flight 412 | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Whitney Airforce Base 10.30 hours: Shadow Delta One prepares for take off on a routine mission. 11.56 hours: Blanco Vista Marine Airbase picks up three blips pacing Shadow Delta One. A squadron of Marine Jets is scrambled to investigate but both they and the UFO's disappear when they are about to make contact. What follows is a tense drama to discover the truth...

• Scott Walker 30 Century Man | DVD | (10/09/2007) from £14.25   |  Saving you £5.74 (40.28%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Scott Walker: 30 Century Man explores Scott Walker's music and career from his early days as a jobbing bass player on the Sunset Strip to mega-stardom in Britain's swinging 60's pop scene and finally to his transformation into a composer of true genius; an uncompromising and serious musician working at the peak of his powers. Featuring interviews with friends collaborators and fans including among others: David Bowie Radiohead Jarvis Cocker Brian Eno Damon Albarn Ne

• Family | DVD | (30/03/2009) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-0.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Grow up a Cutler and you don't have to worry about career plans. The real family business is crime and extortion. When the Cutlers take over a high class restaurant Joey sees a way to step back from the violence and get involved in a legitimate business that will keep his wife and kids safe. In an atmosphere of jealousy betrayal sibling resentment and deeply hidden secrets it's clear that family tensions within the Cutler firm are more sinister and threatening than anything rival gangs can hit them with.

• The Uninvited | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A photo-journalist witnesses a car accident where he sees the driver die but the next day he finds him alive and well?! The police find this fits a pattern of recent deaths followed by resurrection that could be linked to the drowned village of Sweethope...

• Neville's Island | DVD | (15/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Neville's Island is an ITV TV film which plays like The Lord of the Flies meets Three Men in a Boat. Except here there are four men, who, when their boat sinks, find themselves stranded on a small island in the middle of the Lake District's Derwent Water with a sausage and an almost defunct mobile phone. Given that our heroes are middle-aged executives on a weekend training exercise, tempers and personalities soon fray. Starting Martin-Men Behaving Badly-Clunes this is essentially a comedy, though the funniest lines go to Timothy Spall as the mercilessly sarcastic Gordon. Jeff Rawle is Neville, the capable team leader, David Bamber the organised Angus, while Clunes has the plum role as Roy, whose mental instability triggers the sometimes-surreal concluding sequences. In a scene paralleling Scream (1996) the rules of the stranded-on-an-island film genre are established, allowing writer Tim Firth to have fun twisting the clichés. He even feints that the film is about to turn into a slasher pic, or the UK's answer to Deliverance (1972). Neville's Island does get a little out of its depth when it ventures into metaphysical waters, but the performances are perfectly judged and the exceptionally sharp dialogue delivers sustained amusement and intermittent belly laughs. On the DVD: There is a basic stills gallery and a list of screen credits for each of the four stars which is misleadingly labelled "biography". Otherwise there are no special features. The sound is effective three channel Dolby Pro logic with the dialogue well presented and Barrington Pheloung's inventive score highlighted. The anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 ratio picture is occasionally grainy but the DVD clarity does succeed in making a TV film look like a real, albeit low-budget, feature film, with some beautiful daytime cinematography and some imaginative firework shots demonstrating strong contrast and luminosity.--Gary S Dalkin

• Mary, Mother Of Jesus | DVD | (22/09/2003) from £19.59   |  Saving you £-17.60 (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  The world's greatest story seen from the eyes of the Virgin Mary as she watches her infant son Jesus grow to manhood inspiring the known world with his miracles and teachings on the Word of God. The Angel Gabriel visits the 16 year-old Mary and tells her that she has been chosen to give birth to the Son of God. The child is born in Bethlehem and so begins a very human and touching story of love sacrifice and inspirational faith highlighting a real mother's concern for a son who knows that he must die on the cross so he can be born again.

• The Queen's Sister | DVD | (17/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Queens Sister written by award-winning writer Craig Warner follows the trials and loves of this complicated glamorous and controversial member of the royal family. The story - a witty irreverent romp - spans four decades; from her childhood in which she displayed a gift for music and performance to a much publicised prohibited love affair in the '50s and her rebellious bohemian life in the swinging '60s through to the private isolation of a woman rejected by her

• Evil Beneath Loch Ness | DVD | (11/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Professor Gus Egan and his team of scientists are exploring the depths of Scotland's mysterious Loch Ness to prove his theory that it was once a prehistoric breeding ground for ancient marine reptiles. Suddenly a fault-line ruptures deep below the surface of the Loch and Gus disappears in an underwater earthquake. Unbeknownst to the team the rupture has reopened a passageway to the depths of the North Sea and given new life to the most fabled creature ever known to man - the legendary Loch Ness monster.

• Pitch Black/Dark Fury/the Chronicles of Riddick | DVD | (03/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £27.99

  Pitch Black Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts. A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory. What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of B-movie schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon Dark Fury Taking a page from The Animatrix, Dark Fury is part of a new trend of bridging theatrical sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. This story opens with the new action hero and the two other survivors of Pitch Black already caught by a giant spaceship filled with dread. The sinewy leader has a unique--and creepy--jail for master villains and she has her sights set on Riddick. The film--indeed the series--is indebted to animator Peter Chung, who brings his techno style from his Aeon Flux series. His smooth animation for Riddick doesn't reinvent the character as much as give him a new, appealing fluidity. As anime goes, there's nothing really new here--plenty of action, cool killers, and dramatic spurts of blood--but it's a building block for how this genre might enliven movie series and sequels in the future. --Doug Thomas The Chronicles of Riddick Bigger isn't always better, but for anyone who enjoyed Pitch Black, a nominal sequel like The Chronicles of Riddick should prove adequately entertaining. Writer-director David Twohy returns with expansive sets, detailed costumes, an army of CGI effects artists, and the star he helped launch--Vin Diesel--bearing his franchise burden quite nicely as he reprises his title role. The Furian renegade Riddick has another bounty on his head, but when he escapes from his mercenary captors, he's plunged into an epic-scale war waged by the Necromongers. A fascist master race led by Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), they're determined to conquer all enemies in their quest for the Underverse, the appeal of which is largely unexplained (since Twohy is presumably reserving details for subsequent "chronicles"). With tissue-thin plotting, scant character development, and skimpy roles that waste the talents of Thandie Newton (as a Necromonger conspirator) and Judi Dench (as a wispy "Elemental" priestess), Twohy's back in the B-movie territory he started in (with The Arrival), brought to vivid life on a vast digital landscape with the conceptual allure of a lavish graphic novel. But does Riddick have leadership skills on his resumé? To get an answer to that question, sci-fi fans will welcome another sequel. --Jeff Shannon