"Actor: Davis"

• Another Man's Poison | DVD | (29/11/2021) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Bette Davis stars with her then husband Gary Merrill in this British crime noir . Vivacious mystery novelist Janet Frobisher (Bette Davis) has been happily separated from her criminal husband for years. She now lives alone in a dark English country house, where she enjoys devious dalliances with her secretary's fiancé (Anthony Steel). When her husband returns out of the blue and threatens to ruin her relationship, Janet resolves to poison him.Just as she's preparing to dispose of the body, disaster strikes! Her husband's criminal cohort George (Gary Merrill) arrives looking for his pal... George wastes no time insinuating himself into Janet's home and life, and the web of tangled relationships soon develops into a macabre game of cat and mouse.

• Roots - Original Series - 25th Anniversary Edition | DVD | (23/12/2002) from £13.66   |  Saving you £7.33 (53.66%)   |  RRP £20.99

  Based on Alex Haley's bestseller, the 1977 TV mini-series Roots told the harrowing story of one man's ancestors, commencing with African warrior Kunta Kinte, captured, transported to America, stripped of his dignity, his rights, and even his name. He tries but fails to escape before accepting he can never return to Africa. He marries and bears a daughter, Kizzy, who is callously sold, then raped by her new "master". However, her son, Chicken George, a resourceful dab hand with gamecocks, lives long enough to see his own children attain a liberty of sorts following the Civil War. Roots is told in the same, accessible televisual language as The Waltons or Bonanza, yet it is never bland or evasive. It leaves no doubt as to the torment and abuse suffered by blacks, and although the series' conclusion is fictionally satisfying, for many of the black characters their only hope lies in generations yet unborn. It is sturdy enough drama but its greatest, most revolutionary effects were social. It persuaded American audiences to regard their history from a black perspective, and to see how--against odds far more desperate than those the pilgrims faced--Africans laid claim to their status as free African-Americans. Roots was massively popular, triggering a craze for genealogy and paving the way for series like 1979's Holocaust, which similarly raised the public's awareness of the slaughter of the Jews under Hitler. Most importantly, Roots changed forever the way black people were depicted on American TV. On the DVD: Roots is presented in 1:33:1 format and is visually extremely well-preserved. Extra features include a "Roots Family Tree", a copious, informative audio commentary featuring members of cast and crew, and a documentary, "Remembering Roots". Although this consists only of interviews, these convey the extraordinary emotional grip this project had on those who took part in it.--David Stubbs

• Fletch | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £6.73   |  Saving you £-0.74 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Fletch is a fairly sarcastic and occasionally very funny Chevy Chase vehicle scripted by Andrew Bergman (Blazing Saddles, The Freshman, Honeymoon in Vegas) from Gregory McDonald's lightweight mystery novel about an undercover newspaper reporter cracking a police drug ring. Enjoyment of the film pivots on whether you find Chase's flippant, smart-ass brand of verbal humour funny, or merely egocentric. If you don't like Chase, there's really no one else worth watching (Geena Davis is sadly underused). Chase seems born to play IM "Fletch" Fletcher, a disillusioned investigative reporter whose cynicism and detached view on life mirrors the actor's understated approach to comedy. Fletcher offers Chase the opportunity to adopt numerous personas, as his job requires numerous (bad) physical disguises, and much of film's humour centres on the ridiculous idea that any of these phoney accents or bad hairpieces could fool anyone. These not-so-clever disguises are put to use when Fletch becomes involved in the film's smart but continually self-mocking two-part mystery. As well as trying to gather drug-smuggling evidence against the LAPD for a long-overdue newspaper story, a rich and apparently terminally ill stranger also offers Fletch a large payoff to kill him. While the film does a fairly good job juggling both of these plots, not to mention tossing in a love interest as well, they're subservient, for better or worse, to Chase's memorable one-liners and disguises. Followed by two forgettable sequels that lack both the original's wit and Chase's attention span.--Dave McCoy, Amazon.com

• Connecting Rooms (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (30/05/2022) from £17.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When enigmatic school master James Wallraven (Michael Redgrave, Time Without Pity) rents a small room adjacent to Wanda's (Bette Davis, The Nanny), an ageing cellist, he soon realises that the privacy he seeks is clearly unattainable. From there begins a parade of revolving doors through which the occupants of this seedy West London boarding house a sleazy young musician (Alexis Kanner, Goodbye Gemini), a snooping landlady (Kay Walsh, The Rainbow Jacket) all seemingly stuck in purgatories of their own making, desperately attempt to find their place in a tainted society. Featuring a pair of screen legends and based on the stage play The Cellist by Marion Hart, Connecting Rooms is presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, and is accompanied by a wealth of archival extras, including a rare recording of Bette Davis in conversation, and two short films by director Franklin Gollings. Product Features 4K restoration Original mono audio The John Player Lecture with Bette Davis (1976): archival interview with the iconic performer, recorded at London's National Film Theatre Spotlight at the Fair (1951): documentary short directed by Franklin Gollings, taking a look at travelling fairs and the amusement park at Blackpool The Way to Wimbledon (1952): documentary short directed by Gollings and narrated by John Mills, focusing on the fifty weeks in a year when Wimbledon isn't hosting the world-famous tennis championships Image gallery: promotional and publicity material New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Laura Mayne, an archival production report on the making of the film, an archival interview with director Franklin Gollings, an overview of contemporary critical responses, new writing on the short films, and film credits UK premiere on Blu-ray Limited edition of 3,000 copies All extras subject to change

• Fences | Blu Ray | (12/06/2017) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  An African-American father struggles with race relations in the United States while trying to raise his family in the 1950s and coming to terms with the events of his life. Click Images to Enlarge

• Navy Seal Team | DVD | (22/04/2013) from £5.39   |  Saving you £0.60 (10.00%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A team of Navy Seals were sent on a black ops incursion into Iraq prior to Operation Desert Storm, but when their mission is compromised they face harrowing consequences that will change the course of the conflict. Based on actual events this film follows the most elite of the U.S. Navy's Seal Teams and tells their incredible true story.

• Elgar: Enigma Variations | DVD | (29/03/2005) from £13.47   |  Saving you £6.52 (48.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Includes BBC drama documentary A Hidden Portrait presented by Sir Andrew Davis plus a complete performance of The Enigma Variations given in Elgar's home town of Worcester by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

• A Passage To India | Blu Ray | (26/09/2022) from £11.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Enter a world where cultures clash so violently that an entire country could split at any moment. Nominated for eleven Academy Awards® and winner of two, A Passage to India is a wonderfully provocative tale, full of vivid characters, all played to near perfection. With a fabulous cast that include Peggy Ashcroft, Judy Davis, James Fox, Sir Alec Guinness, and Nigel Havers, this hauntingly beautiful film is a daring triumph. When liberal-minded English ladies Mrs. Moore (Ashcroft) and Adela Quested (Davis) arrive in India, they're shocked by the extreme racial prejudice that exists here. Fortunately, kind Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee) rises above the intolerance and guides the women on a splendid tour of the mysterious Marabar caves. But the outing turns tragic when Adela suddenly comes running from one of the caves-scratched, bleeding and terribly frightened. News of the incident quickly spreads across the whole of India...igniting a powder keg of tension just waiting to explode. A rich tapestry woven of the clash between cultures, A Passage to India is supreme entertainment, and a visual wonder that is truly spellbinding!

• Hex - Season 1 | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £12.98   |  Saving you £17.01 (131.05%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Bloody. Hell. Set in a remote English school Hex is the chilling story of one girl's exploration of the supernatural and her own sexual awakening. Cassie is a shy student who discovers she is cursed by terrifying links to the past. Longing to be popular but only truly loved by her best friend Cassie will come to realise she possesses dangerous powers. Stalked by Azazeal the leader of the Nephelim it will fall to Cassie to fight against the powerful forces th

• The X Files: Season 5 | DVD | (27/12/2004) from £19.73   |  Saving you £15.26 (77.34%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Mulder continues his search for a cure for Scully's illness even as her genetically altered DNA takes her to the brink of death. Scully's DNA comes into play once again when it proves that she is somehow the mother of a little girl named Emily an incident that could only be related to her abduction years earlier. But in the end it is a young boy named Gibson Praise whose body may actually contain the elusive proof Mulder has been searching for so desperately. Episodes comprise:

• Genova | DVD | (15/02/2010) from £3.99   |  Saving you £2.00 (50.13%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Colin Firth stars as Joe, a father and a recent widow, who decides to make a fresh start with his two daughters by moving to the Italian town of Genova.

• Pariah (2011) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (26/07/2021) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The path to living as one's authentic self is paved with trials and tribulations in this revelatory, assured feature debut by DEE REES (Mudbound)the all too rare coming-of-age tale to honestly represent the experiences of queer Black women. Grounded in the fine-grained specificity and deft characterizations of Rees's script and built around a beautifully layered performance from ADEPERO ODUYE (12 Years a Slave), Pariah follows Brooklyn teenager Alike, who is dealing with the emotional minefields of both first love and heartache and the disapproval of her family as she navigates the expression of her gender and sexual identities within a system that does not make space for them. Achieving an aching intimacy with its subject through the expressive cinematography of BRADFORD YOUNG (Arrival), his deeply felt portrait finds strength in vulnerability and liberation in letting go. Special Features: 2K digital transfer, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray New conversation between director Dee Rees and filmmaker and scholar Michelle Parkerson New cast reunion featuring Rees, Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, and Aasha Davis, moderated by scholar Jacqueline Stewart New programme on the making of the film, featuring Rees, cinematographer Bradford Young, production designer Inbal Weinberg, producer Nekisa Cooper, and editor Mako Kamitsuna, moderated by Stewart New interview with film scholar Kara Keeling, author of Queer Times, Black Futures English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by critic Cassie da Costa

• Duma | DVD | (26/09/2005) from £5.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (217.03%)   |  RRP £18.99

  A young boy and a cheetah face a perilious journey in this heart-warming adventure.

• Nighty Night - Series 2 | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  ""We'll settle up later. Otherwise it just gets nasty."" Julia Davis returns as the psychotic bunny-boiler Jill Tyrell hell-bent on getting her man no matter how much depravity she needs to wade through! This truly is subversive comedy at its very best. Following on from the events of last series Glen now resides at Bettle Lodge Home for the Criminally Insane. As always Jill has a plan; sniffing the money she'll receive for bumping him off why not get married? Elsewhere

• Stargate SG-1: Season 7 | DVD | (28/02/2005) from £36.43   |  Saving you £23.56 (64.67%)   |  RRP £59.99

  A gradual shift in overall style, character homecomings and departures, and evolving on and off-screen roles for the major players are among the attractions of the complete seventh season of Stargate SG-1. Spread out over five discs, these 21 episodes are ample indication that changes notwithstanding--and admittedly, not all of them are for the better--the series remains arguably the best-made, most compelling sci-fi program on television. Perhaps most noticeable is the reduced role of star Richard Dean Anderson, who opted to limit his number of trips to Vancouver, where Stargate SG-1 is filmed. But that's not a bad thing. The show's ability to poke fun at itself has always been a strong suit, and while Anderson still brings a welcome sense of humor to his portrayal of wiseacre and loose cannon Col. Jack O'Neill, his act is getting a little smug by now. What's more, the other principal cast members have taken up the slack, both behind and in front of the camera: Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson, who rejoins the cast in episode 1) wrote one episode and co-wrote another; Christopher Judge (Teal'c) wrote one as well; Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samatha Carter) directed episode 19, "Resurrection"; and even Corin Nemec (Jonas Quinn, who appears in just a few episodes) contributed one story. The seventh season also finds the series somewhat more earthbound than in the past; indeed, there are episodes in which the Stargate (the "wormhole" our heroes use to travel to different worlds) doesn't appear at all. On balance, the stories are more personal, and more political--especially the final two, with the newly elected U.S. President (William Devane) struggling to decide the fate of the Stargate program (and, of course, the fate of the entire known universe as well!). And then there's the ultimate villain, Anubis, who makes perennial nemeses the Goa'uld (of which Anubis is one... sort of) look tame. He's a combination of Star Wars' Darth Vader and evil Emperor, but hey, at least these guys borrow from the best. Stargate SG-1's production values remain first-rate. The bonus DVD features are also much better than they once were, with audio commentary (mainly by directors and writers) for every episode, as well as director profiles and "Beyond the Gate" featurettes focusing on individual characters. --Sam Graham

• Frank Sinatra - The Sinatra TV Show | DVD | (18/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  One of the greatest performers of the twentieth century Frank Sinatra is presented here in a series of legendary American television series' from the 1950s. There's the Welcome Home Elvis show which features Frank and Nancy Sinatra Sammy Davis Jr and of course Elvis Presley a tribute show to the ladies and the performance of Cole Porter's Anything Goes among the seven shows. The performers include Ella Fitzgerald Bing Crosby Dean Martin Mitzi Gaynor and many more!

• The X Files: Season 4 | DVD | (27/12/2004) from £16.90   |  Saving you £18.09 (107.04%)   |  RRP £34.99

  In Season 4 of The X-Files, Scully is a bit upset by her on-off terminal cancer and Mulder is supposed to shoot himself in the season finale (did anyone believe that?), but in episode after episode the characters still plod dutifully around atrocity sites tossing off wry witticisms in that bland investigative demeanour out of fashion among TV cops since Dragnet. Perhaps the best achievement of this season is "Home", the most unpleasant horror story ever presented on prime-time US TV. It's not a comfortable show--confronted with this ghastly parade of incest, inbreeding, infanticide and mutilation, you'd think M & S would drop the jokes for once--but shows a willingness to expand the envelope. By contrast, ventures into golem, reincarnation, witchcraft and Invisible Man territory throw up run-of-the-mill body counts, spotlighting another recurrent problem. For heroes, M & S rarely do anything positive: they work out what is happening after all the killer's intended victims have been snuffed ("Kaddish"), let the monster get away ("Sanguinarium") and cause tragedies ("The Field Where I Died"). No wonder they're stuck in the FBI basement where they can do the least damage. The series has settled enough to play variations on earlier hits: following the liver vampire, we have a melanin vampire ("Teliko") and a cancer vampire ("Leonard Betts"), and return engagements for the oily contact lens aliens and the weasely ex-Agent Krycek ("Tunguska"/"Terma"). Occasional detours into send-up or post-modernism are indulged, yielding both the season's best episode ("Small Potatoes") and its most disappointing ("Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man"). "Small Potatoes", with the mimic mutant who tries out Mulder's life and realises what a loser he is (how many other pin-up series heroes get answerphone messages from their favourite phone-sex lines?), works as a genuine sci-fi mystery--for once featuring a mutant who doesn't have to kill people to live--and as character insight. --Kim Newman

• Pocketful of Miracles (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (21/09/2020) from £9.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  For years Apple Annie (Bette Davis), a poor Broadway fruit seller, has maintained to her daughter that she is a wealthy New York socialite. But, with a reunion and society wedding on the horizon, Annie's fabricated lifestyle risks being revealed. To maintain the ruse, local gangster Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford) engages a colourful crop of 42nd Street characters to help imitate high society. But will Annie be able to maintain the masquerade? Nominated for three Academy Awards and the last film by director Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life), Pocketful of Miracles is a charming urban fairy tale, featuring stand out performances from Davis, Ford, Hope Lange and Peter Falk. Special Features: To Be Confirmed

• Halt & Catch Fire - Complete First Season | DVD | (11/05/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Set at the dawn of the PC-era Halt and Catch Fire follows three unlikely mavericks in the race to build a computer that will revolutionise the modern world. When former IBM executive Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace) plans to reverse engineer IBM’s flagship product in the hope of producing a smaller and faster PC he enlists the help of engineer Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy) and volatile prodigy Cameron Howe (MacKenzie Davis) who between them put their personal and professional lives at risk in the hope of revolutionising the market.

• Vera Drake | Blu Ray | (15/11/2021) from £10.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A new restoration of the acclaimed British period drama VERA DRAKE by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year, Mr. Turner, Peterloo). London, 1950: Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) lives with her husband Stan (Phil Davis) and their grown-up children, Sid (Daniel Mays) and Ethel (Alex Kelly). They are not rich, but they are a happy, close family. Vera cleans houses, Stan is a mechanic in his brother's garage, Sid works for a tailor and Ethel works in a factory testing lightbulbs. But selfless Vera has a side-line which she keeps secret from all of those around her: without accepting payment, she helps young women to end unwanted pregnancies. When one of these girls is rushed to hospital following an abortion, the police investigation leads to Vera and her world comes crashing down.