"Actor: James Hicks"

• Carry On Girls | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £15.05   |  Saving you £-5.06 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Carry On Girls was the last really successful instalment of the epic series of British film comedies. It's studded with gems of cameo performances and a tremendously innuendo-laden Talbot Rothwell script that is easily the equal of any of its predecessors. The setting, a beauty contest to raise the profile of the dismal resort Fircombe-on-Sea, is ripe for politically incorrect activity of the sort that could only be conducted by Sid James at the height of his lecherous powers. Enter Bernard Bresslaw in a corset, Wendy Richard as Ida Downs, Barbara Windsor as Miss Easy Rider and a host of other semi-clad lovelies and watch as the whole thing rises to a slapstick climax of frisky old colonels, bikinis, bosoms and itching powder. In the smaller roles, Joan Hickson (BBC television's Miss Marple) is hilarious as an elderly woman who believes she is a man-magnet and the always under-used Patsy Rowlands excels as the downtrodden mayor's wife, a worm who finally turns. But in many ways this is June Whitfield's film. As the terrifying reactionary councillor Mrs Prodworthy, with a butch lesbian sidekick, she plots the downfall of her male colleagues with classic lines. "Rosemary, get the candle", she orders as Patsy Rowlands requests initiation into the cause. Margaret Thatcher never sounded so ominous. On the DVD: Like most of the other DVD Carry On releases, this one is presented in 4:3 format with a mono soundtrack. All right, you don't really need anything more sophisticated to recreate the cosy ritual of Carry On watching in your living room. And the print is good and sharp. But apart from the usual scene index, the lack of extras reflects a disappointingly unimaginative approach to celebrating a genre of film comedy that, for all its low budget reputation, provided a showcase for the cream of a whole generation of British comic actors. They deserve better.--Piers Ford

• Star Trek 3 - The Search For Spock | DVD | (01/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The name says it all--Star Trek III: The Search for Spock--so you didn't think Mr. Spock was really dead, did you? When Spock's casket landed on the surface of the Genesis planet at the end of Star Trek II, we had already been told that Genesis had the power to bring "life from lifelessness". So it's no surprise that this energetic but somewhat hokey sequel gives Spock a new lease of life, beginning with his rebirth and rapid growth as the Genesis planet literally shakes itself apart in a series of tumultuous geological spasms. As Kirk is getting to know his estranged son (Merritt Butrick), he must also do battle with the fiendish Klingon Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), who is determined to seize the power of Genesis from the Federation. Meanwhile, the regenerated Spock returns to his home planet, and Star Trek III gains considerable interest by exploring the ceremonial (and, of course, highly logical) traditions of Vulcan society. The movie's a minor disappointment compared to Star Trek II, but it's a--well, logical--sequel that successfully restores Spock (and first-time film director Leonard Nimoy) to the phenomenal Trek franchise ... as if he were ever really gone. With Kirk's wilful destruction of the USS Enterprise and Robin Curtis replacing the departing Kirstie Alley as Vulcan Lt Saavik, this was clearly a transitional film in the series, clearing the way for the highly popular Star Trek IV. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock -- Two Disc Special Edition | DVD | (13/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  With hindsight, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is the satisfactory middle instalment of a well-rounded trilogy that began with The Wrath of Kahn and ended with The Voyage Home (after which this crew really should have retired gracefully). But on its first release, few fans knew what to expect and initial impressions were disappointing. The biggest talking points were that the film was Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut and that his name wasn't in the opening credits. Naturally, the biggest question was just how would the loss of Spock affect the franchise? That question was neatly dodged and what audiences got instead was a tale of team-spiritedness, sacrifice and rebellion that ended on a question mark. In other words it was a fun ride without many answers. The centrepiece of the movie has to be stealing The Enterprise, a beautifully conceived sequence that remains at the heart of classic Trek's filmic storyline: sacrificing all for the sake of friendship, Kirk and co. set out to rescue their lost companion; this single action defines everything the characters had ever meant to each other, and has an effect on everything that followed. And if the loss of Spock had left audiences eager for more, that was as nothing compared to the loss of The Enterprise. On the DVD: Star Trek III on disc does not come in a new transfer as the previous two special edition DVDs, and you won't find any deleted or new scenes either. The extras package is fascinating, nonetheless, especially with the contributions from Nimoy. His fond reminiscences in the commentary track are priceless, with good support from writer-producer Harve Bennett, director of photography Charles Correll, and Robin Curtis (Saavik). The text commentary from the Okudas isn't as involving as the others, sadly, but this is made up for by the trivia dished out in documentaries covering: model-making, costume design, the science of Terraforming, and how to speak Klingon. The best inclusion is "Captain's Log" featuring interviews with an enthusiastic Nimoy, a sarcastic Shatner, an appreciative Curtis and the rarely seen Christopher Lloyd. --Paul Tonks

• Northfork | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £12.96   |  Saving you £10.02 (100.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A dream-like story of loss and redemption set in the lost Montana town of Northfork, flooded to make way for a hydroelectric damn in 1955.

• U.S. Seals | DVD | (15/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  When death stalks the high seas...There's only one combat force for the job... Modern-day pirates have taken to the seas crippling the world shipping trade and making the ocean a very dangerous place to be. The U.S. president has no choice but to call on the immediate intervention of the world's most lethal daring combat force: the Navy SEALs. From an oil rig in the icy North Atlantic to the luxurious playground of the French Riviera the SEALs engage the pirates at every turn leading to the fiery climax at the pirate's base in remote Kazahkstan. What stars as an important mission for the SEALs becomes a personal grudge match and finally a life-and-death struggle for control of the seas. In the tradition of Under Siege and Delta Force U.S. Seals is searing white-hot high-caliber action you'll watch again and again.

• Love And A Bullet | DVD | (09/12/2002) from £6.73   |  Saving you £13.26 (197.03%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In the ruthless world of contract killing the line between business and pleasure is one that should never be crossed. Music sensation Treach stars in the explosive and intense thriller Love And A Bullet. Maleek 'Ghost' Bishop (Treach) is a nasty dangerous killing machine - loaded with rage and a temper that's primed to explode. As word of his prowess in the fine art of murder spreads he finds himself recruited to join an elite band of professional hitmen. But when the big boss

• The Catherine Cookson Collection (23 Disc Boxset) | DVD | (28/04/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £159.99

  A complete collection of the filmed adaptations of Catherine Cookson novels. Includes: The Mallen Secret / The Mallen Curse / The Mallen Girls / The Mallen Streak / The Fifteen Streets / The Wingless Bird / The Round Tower / The Black Velvet Gown / The Black Candle / The Rag Nymph / The Moth / The Girl / The Tide Of Life / The Glass Virgin / The Gambling Man / The Man Who Cried / The Cinder Path / The Dwelling Place / The Colour Blind / The Tilly Trotter / The Storyteller / The Secret / Dinner Of Herbs

• Ice | DVD | (12/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A husband and wife team Charley and Ellen steal diamonds from a crime lord which results in Charley being gunned down. Now Ellen must escape from a team of professional killers and a rival gangster family.

• Miss Monday | DVD | (05/07/2005) from £17.97   |  Saving you £-13.98 (-350.40%)   |  RRP £3.99

  A struggling young screenwriter is about to experience a surreal world of passion beyond his wildest imagination...a door is about to open and expose intimate places he never dreamed existed.

• U.S. Seals | DVD | (11/09/2006) from £8.20   |  Saving you £-2.22 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  When death stalks the high seas...There's only one combat force for the job... Modern-day pirates have taken to the seas crippling the world shipping trade and making the ocean a very dangerous place to be. The U.S. president has no choice but to call on the immediate intervention of the world's most lethal daring combat force: the Navy SEALs. From an oil rig in the icy North Atlantic to the luxurious playground of the French Riviera the SEALs engage the pirates at every turn leading to the fiery climax at the pirate's base in remote Kazahkstan. What stars as an important mission for the SEALs becomes a personal grudge match and finally a life-and-death struggle for control of the seas. In the tradition of Under Siege and Delta Force U.S. Seals is searing white-hot high-caliber action you'll watch again and again.

• King Of The Cowboys | DVD | (14/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Roy is sent by the Governor to investigate a gang of saboteurs and bring them in to justice. Joining a travelling show Roy discovers that the saboteurs communicate during Maurice's mind-reading act.

• Taking Care Of Business | DVD | (12/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Jack Hill's SWITCHBLADE SISTERS is the outlandish action-packed story of a tough gang of teenage girls -- the all-female Dagger Debs -- who are looking for love and fighting for turf on the mean streets of the city! Bad girls to the core these impossibly outrageous high school hoodlums go where they want ... and create mayhem wherever they go! A riotously entertaining mix of sex jealousy and massive firepower that critics loved -- don't miss your chance to see one of the wildest films ever made!