"Actor: Jack Perrin"

• Superman | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.19   |  Saving you £6.80 (94.58%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Modern blockbuster cinema came of age with the release of three huge science fiction/fantasy extravaganzas in the late 1970s. In 1978 Superman was the last of these, a gigantic hit unfairly overshadowed by Star Wars (1977) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Christopher Reeve is completely convincing as both Superman and mild-mannered alter ego Clarke Kent, sparking real chemistry with Margot Kidder's fellow reporter Lois Lane. Very much a film of two halves, the opening tells the origin of Superman from the apocalyptic fate of Krypton to his nostalgically rendered boyhood in the mid-West. After a wonderful sequence introducing the Fortress of Solitude the film changes gear as the adult Clarke Kent arrives in Metropolis and Superman battles arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). Though the tone becomes lighter and introduces comedy, Superman succeeds because Donner plays the titular character straight. From Marlon Brando's heavyweight cameo to the surprisingly wrenching finale, Superman unfolds as an epic modern myth, a spiritual fable for a secular age and a fantastic entertainment for the young at heart. With breathtaking production design, still special effects, gorgeous cinematography, thrilling set-pieces, wit, romance and John Williams' extraordinarily rich music score, Superman has the power to make you believe a man can fly.On the DVD: Superman is presented in an extended director's cut which adds eight minutes to the theatrical original. The restored material is so artfully integrated many viewers may not even notice, but it would have been nice to at least have the opportunity to watch the original via seamless branching. The sound has been remixed into extraordinarily powerful Dolby Digital 5.1--the superb main title sequence is worth the price alone--and the anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image is, except for some unavoidably grainy effects shots, pristine. The commentary by Richard Donner and writer Tom Mankiewicz reveals more about the background than all but the most dedicated fan will ever need to know, while film music aficionados will revel in the opportunity to listen to John Williams' score isolated in Dolby Digital 5.1. On the second side of the disc are a eight alternate John Williams music cues, a selection of deleted scenes and the screen tests of a variety of would-be Lois Lanes, introduced and with optional commentary by casting director Lynn Stalmaster. These are fascinating, and show how right for the part Margot Kidder really was. A DVD-ROM only feature presents the storyboards plus various Web features, while the real highlight is a 90-minute documentary divided into three sections covering pre-production, filming and special effects. The picture quality on all the extras is very good indeed. An enthralling package, DVD doesn't get much better than this. --Gary S Dalkin

• Superman 2 | DVD | (24/09/2001) from £4.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (180.36%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night) took over the franchise with this first sequel in the series, though the film doesn't look much like his usual stylish work. (Superman III is far more Lesteresque.) Still, there is a lot to like about this film, which finds Superman grappling with the conflict between his responsibilities as Earth's saviour and his own needs of the heart. Choosing the latter, he gives up his powers to be with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), but the timing is awful: three renegades from his home planet, Krypton, are smashing up the White House, aided by the mocking Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). The film isn't nearly as ambitious as its predecessor, but the accent on relationships over special effects (not that there aren't plenty of them) is very satisfying. --Tom Keogh

• The Border (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (21/03/2022) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Jack Nicholson (The Last Detail, Wolf) gives one of his finest and most subtle performances as a hard-working but deeply disillusioned Mexican border-guard in this tough thriller from renowned British filmmaker Tony Richardson (Look Back in Anger, A Taste of Honey). Extras High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary with critic and film historian Nick Pinkerton The Guardian/NFT Tribute to Tony Richardson (1992, 58 mins): archival audio recording of an event chaired by Sight & Sound editor Philip Dodd, featuring Lindsay Anderson, Kevin Brownlow, Jocelyn Herbert, Vanessa Redgrave, Karel Reisz and Natasha Richardson, each sharing their memories of Tony Richardson Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• The Border (Blu-Ray) | Blu Ray | (22/01/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Jack Nicholson (The Last Detail, Wolf) gives one of his finest and most subtle performances as a hard-working but deeply disillusioned Mexican border-guard in this tough thriller from renowned British filmmaker Tony Richardson (Look Back in Anger, A Taste of Honey).

• Superman / Superman 2 | DVD | (24/09/2001) from £8.89   |  Saving you £22.10 (248.59%)   |  RRP £30.99

  Modern blockbuster cinema came of age with the release of three huge science fiction/fantasy extravaganzas in the late 1970s. In 1978 Superman was the last of these, a gigantic hit unfairly overshadowed by Star Wars (1977) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Christopher Reeve is completely convincing as both Superman and mild-mannered alter ego Clarke Kent, sparking real chemistry with Margot Kidder's fellow reporter Lois Lane. Though the tone becomes lighter and introduces comedy as Superman battles arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) the film succeeds because Donner plays the titular character straight. From Marlon Brando's heavyweight cameo to the surprisingly wrenching finale, Superman unfolds as an epic modern myth, a spiritual fable for a secular age and a fantastic entertainment for the young at heart. With breathtaking production design, special effects, gorgeous cinematography, thrilling set-pieces, wit, romance and John Williams' extraordinarily rich music score, Superman has the power to make you believe a man can fly.Although Superman II is credited to director Richard Lester the film is largely the work of Richard Donner, who shot 70 per cent of the footage back-to-back with Superman at a staggering combined cost of $55 million. Indeed, while each film works perfectly well alone, together they form four-and-a-half hours of the finest fantasy in cinema history. Superman II sees the release of the three super-villains exiled at the beginning of Superman, then without the need to tell Superman's origins offers a full two hours of rip-roaring comic-book action. The villains, led by a marvellously menacing Terrance Stamp, prove stronger adversaries than Lex Luthor, while Clarke's romance with Lois Lane is developed through polished comedy and a serious subplot in which Superman must chose between love and duty. From an atom bomb on the Eiffel Tower to an epic battle amid the skyscrapers of Metropolis (New York) the action and special effects are superb, the characters portrayed with verve and the story delivered with just the right amount of seriousness. A rousing entertainment very nearly as fine as its predecessor, the wirework battles paved the way for Hong Kong's seminal Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain (1983) and ultimately The Matrix (1999).On the DVD: Superman is presented in an extended director's cut which adds eight minutes to the theatrical original. The restored material is so artfully integrated many viewers may not even notice, but it would have been nice to at least have the opportunity to watch the original via seamless branching. The sound has been remixed into extraordinarily powerful Dolby Digital 5.1--the superb main title sequence is worth the price alone--and the anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image is, except for some unavoidably grainy effects shots, pristine. The commentary by Richard Donner and writer Tom Mankiewicz reveals more about the background than all but the most dedicated fan will ever need to know, while film music aficionados will revel in the opportunity to listen to John Williams' score isolated in Dolby Digital 5.1. On the second side of the disc are a eight alternate John Williams music cues, a selection of deleted scenes and the screen tests of a variety of would-be Lois Lanes, introduced and with optional commentary by casting director Lynn Stalmaster. These are fascinating, and show how right for the part Margot Kidder really was. A DVD-ROM only feature presents the storyboards plus various Web features, while the real highlight is a 90-minute documentary divided into three sections covering pre-production, filming and special effects. The picture quality on all the extras is very good indeed. An enthralling package, DVD doesn't get much better than this. In contrast to the fantastic Superman DVD the Superman II disc is a bare-bones release with the original trailer being the only extra. The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image is absolutely first-rate, but if Superman can be presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound with an isolated score there is absolutely no excuse for the sequel being offered in lacklustre stereo. --Gary S Dalkin

• The Border | DVD | (30/01/2013) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-20.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  It divided the land. It divided the man. Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson stars alongside Harvey Keitel and cult favourite Warren Oates in this gripping story of a man torn between his career and his conscience. As a border guard involved in drug smuggling along the Rio Grande Charlie Smith (Nicholson) has crossed the line many times. But when he decides to clean up his act and help unite an ""illegal"" woman with her baby he runs afoul of his corrupt department his greed

• Annie Oakley TV Collection | DVD | (07/07/2014) from £20.23   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A