"Actor: Eric Gale"

• Nightwatch | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £6.12   |  Saving you £8.87 (144.93%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Ole Bornedal's thriller about a young law student who takes a job as a night watchman in a creepy morgue is long on style but comes up a little short on quality of storytelling. Bornedal sets things up in high style as Martin Bells (Ewan McGregor doing an American accent) makes his rounds in the middle of the night, with only corpses and his own paranoia for company. When bodies start coming in, the prostitute victims of a grisly serial killer, the imposing detective on the case (a hulking Nick Nolte) begins to suspect that Bells is the killer, as all clues start pointing to him. Coscripted by Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight) and adapted from Bornedal's 1994 Danish thriller, Nightwatch forsakes out-and-out thrills for a more moody approach with flickering lights, menacing shadows and echoing footsteps down long hallways. If only there was a little more energy before the highly effective denouement, which does get scares, even after the killer is revealed. Still, McGregor is supported by a stronger than average cast: in addition to Nolte, Josh Brolin does an amusing turn as McGregor's out-of-control best friend, Patricia Arquette fares well in the standard girlfriend role and the always creepy Brad Dourif makes the most of a sinister and funny bit part as the on-call doctor. You won't jump out of your seat but by the end of Nightwatch you will find yourself remarkably tense. --Mark Englehart

• Stuff - Live at Montreux 1976 | DVD | (01/12/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Stuff caught here in their only performance at Montreux combined the talents of five amazing musicians. Individually they were amongst the most sought after session players of their day but together as Stuff they had a magic all of their own brilliantly captured on this DVD which also features a guest appearance from vocalist Odetta on ""Oh Happy Day"" and specially written sleeve notes by Gordon Edwards and longtime fan of the band Chris Rea Tracklisting 1. Foots 2. Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Your... 3. The Gadd Solo 4. Stuff's Stuff 5. That's The Way Of The World 6. Feelin' Alright 7. Lift Every Voice And Sing / Oh Happ... 8. Ode To Stuff 9. How Long Will It Last? 10. You Are So Beautiful 11. Boogie On Reggae Woman 12. Do It Again

• The Time Of Your Life | DVD | (01/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  When James Cagney starred in the movie adaptation of The Time of Your Life in 1948, it was hotly been debated whether William Saroyan’s stage play was really filmable at all. Because of its small cast, because all the action takes place on a single claustrophobic set, because the "plot" consists entirely of sub-plots, and because Saroyan’s "dirty sentimentality" isn’t to everyone’s taste, such doubts are still understandable today. However, accept the movie for what it is--a play in a box--and you’ll be captivated. The story revolves around a slightly down-at-heel bar-restaurant, where a group of disparate characters come and go as their stories gradually unfold. They include an ex-prostitute desperately seeking a new life, a dancer looking for a break into showbusiness, a down-and-out who discovers a vocation as a pianist, a beer-sodden cowboy and a villainous "stoolie" who, needless to say, gets his comeuppance. This gaggle of misfits is presided over by an enigmatic, champagne-drinking philanthropist (brilliantly played by Cagney) who gently nudges them towards their goals while indulging his own fascination with the minutiae of daily life. Throughout this quietly delightful picture the audience are not told why he’s this way, but it is possible to make an educated guess. On the DVD: The Time of Your Life might be a classic, but it apparently warrants no extra features. The black and white picture is 4:3. --Roger Thomas

• The Time Of Your Life | DVD | (01/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  When James Cagney starred in the movie adaptation of The Time of Your Life in 1948, it was hotly been debated whether William Saroyan’s stage play was really filmable at all. Because of its small cast, because all the action takes place on a single claustrophobic set, because the "plot" consists entirely of sub-plots, and because Saroyan’s "dirty sentimentality" isn’t to everyone’s taste, such doubts are still understandable today. However, accept the movie for what it is--a play in a box--and you’ll be captivated. The story revolves around a slightly down-at-heel bar-restaurant, where a group of disparate characters come and go as their stories gradually unfold. They include an ex-prostitute desperately seeking a new life, a dancer looking for a break into showbusiness, a down-and-out who discovers a vocation as a pianist, a beer-sodden cowboy and a villainous "stoolie" who, needless to say, gets his comeuppance. This gaggle of misfits is presided over by an enigmatic, champagne-drinking philanthropist (brilliantly played by Cagney) who gently nudges them towards their goals while indulging his own fascination with the minutiae of daily life. Throughout this quietly delightful picture the audience are not told why he’s this way, but it is possible to make an educated guess. On the DVD: The Time of Your Life might be a classic, but it apparently warrants no extra features. The black and white picture is 4:3. --Roger Thomas

• Chopper Chicks In Zombietown | DVD | (20/11/2000) from £12.98   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  With a title like Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, you'd be excused from any great expectations here--but you'd also be missing out on one of trash-cinema's great pleasures: catching one of Hollywoood's A-list in their pre-fame days. In this case, the catch is Billy Bob Thornton, in a brief appearance as one of the Chopper Chicks' ex-husbands. It may be a guilty pleasure, but seeing this good 'ol boy playing dumb-as-a-doorknob long before Sling Blade (or A Simple Plan) and paying his dues is still, however strangely, gratifying. As for the film itself, Chopper Chicks is no Hell Comes to Frogtown, but it comes with all of the Troma hallmarks. The requisite beheadings and low-grade effects are all present and correct, along with the so-bad-it's-really-bad dialogue (except for the occasional so-bad-it's-good one-liner). The acting is wooden, the story negligible (cycle sluts come to town, kill zombies, save a schoolbus full of blind kids), and even the appearances by Thornton and original MTV (US) VJ Martha Quinn provide only occasional relief. The DVD extras include a photo gallery of screen-stills and the original trailer. --Randy Silver