"Actor: James Ho"

• Stanley Kubrick | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  This superb nine-disc Stanley Kubrick Box Set contains all the late director's work from 1962's Lolita to Kubrick's final film, the highly controversial Eyes Wide Shut (1999). There's also the excellent and highly informative two-hour documentary: Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, narrated (a little drably) by Tom Cruise. It isn't exactly a warts-and-all portrait of Stan the Man, which is not surprising, really, given that it's directed and produced by Kubrick's brother-in-law Jan Harlan, and that Kubrick's widow Christine was closely involved in the making of it. But it does give a detailed and revealing portrait of a brilliant, demanding and often infuriating man, airing rare footage that goes right back to his earliest years as a brash youngster in the Bronx, already playing to camera with a frightening degree of self-awareness. Six of the eight movies (all but Dr Strangelove and Eyes Wide Shut) have been digitally restored and remastered, and almost all (barring Strangelove again and Lolita) now boast Dolby Digital 5.1 stereo sound remixes. For some bizarre reason, Kubrick insisted on mono sound for the 1999 set, which he approved shortly before his death. Visually the improvement over the often grainy, scratchy prints previously on offer--The Shining (1980) was notoriously messy--is immense. All the features are presented in their original ratios, which in the case of Strangelove means the changing ratios in which it was originally shot, and for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) the full glorious 2.21:1 expanse of the Cinerama screen.So what don't you get? Essentially, the early Kubrick--the work of the young, hungry director before he moved to England and started to gather all the controlling strings into his own hand: most notably the tough, taut thriller The Killing (1956) and the icily furious war film Paths of Glory (1957). Too bad Warners couldn't have negotiated the rights for those too. But what we have here is the culminating phase of Kubrick's filmmaking career--the final 27 years of one of the great masters of cinema. On the DVDs: Besides the visual and sonic improvements mentioned above, each of the eight features includes the original theatrical trailer and multiple-language subtitles. The DVD of Dr Strangelove also gives us filmographies of the principal players, plus theatrical posters and a photo gallery, while Eyes Wide Shut includes interviews (taped after Kubrick's death) with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg, plus a couple of 30-second TV spots. And with The Shining we get a fascinating 34-minute documentary made by Kubrick's then 17-year-old daughter Vivian, plus--just to add a further layer--Vivian's present-day voice-over commentary on her film. --Philip Kemp

• Night of the Animated Dead | DVD | (04/10/2021) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  What begins as a simple visit to a grave site soon escalates into a night of sheer terror! In this dark, animated retelling of the 1968 cult classic Night of the Living Dead, bloodthirsty zombies suddenly begin amassing everywhere. As Barbara, Ben and an odd group of strangers hide in a remote farmhouse, their struggle to ward off the flesh-eaters outside creates fierce tension inside. Containing terrifying new content not found in the original, Night of the Animated Dead will convince you to lock your doors. Bonus Features Making of: Animating the Dead-Join Director Jason Axinn, Producer Michael J. Luisi and the well-rounded cast as they explore the efforts required to honorably remake the legendary classic, The Night of the Living Dead, in animated form.

• Bless This House | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The classic sitcom about the Abbotts a family with generation gap problems. Starring the unforgettable Sid James as Sidney Abbott the series revolves around his doomed efforts to get with it for his children whilst being constantly thwarted in pursuing his love of birds booze and football. This DVD contains the first five episodes in colour from the first series. Episodes: The Day Of Rest Make Love... Not War Charity Begins At Home If The Dog Collar Fits... Wear It The Morning After The Night Before.

• Midsomer Murders - Talent For Life | DVD | (11/04/2005) from £4.90   |  Saving you £12.09 (246.73%)   |  RRP £16.99

  In Malham Bridge former socialite and feisty pensioner Isobel Hewitt is accused of assault by fellow fly fisher Margaret Seagrove. When Barnaby and Troy investigate the allegations they discover that all is not well on the Midsomer riverbanks. The investigation takes a more serious turn when two bodies are discovered in the river. Are they the victims of an uncalculated attack by poachers or was there a more sinister motive?

• Miami Vice - Series 1 | DVD | (24/07/2006) from £24.99   |  Saving you £25.00 (100.04%)   |  RRP £49.99

  The cops. The cars. The clothes. The music. From executive producer Michael Mann (Heat Collateral) comes the first season of the explosive groundbreaking detective show that redefined the word ""cool."" Set against the seamy and steamy Miami underworld ride shotgun with suave Vice cops Sonny Crockett (Golden Globe winner Don Johnson) and Rico Tubbs (Phillip Michael Thomas) as they battle a never-ending gallery of criminals drug dealers and lowlifes. Episodes Comprise: 1. Brother's Keeper (Parts 1 & 2) 2. Heart of Darkness 3. Cool Runnin' 4. The Hit List 5. Calderone's Demise 6. One-Eyed Jack 7. No Exit (a.k.a. Three-Eyed Turtle) 8. The Great McCarthy 9. Glades 10. Give a Little Take a Little 11. Little Prince 12. The Milk Run 13. Golden Triangle (Part 1) (a.k.a. Score) 14. Golden Triangle (Part 2) 15. Smuggler's Blues 16. Rites of Passage 17. The Maze 18. Made for Each Other 19. The Home Invaders 20. Nobody Lives Forever 21. Evan 22. Lombard

• Water for Elephants | Blu Ray | (05/09/2011) from £7.85   |  Saving you £17.14 (218.34%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Sara Gruen's bestselling novel comes to glossy life in this period romance. A sparkle-free Robert Pattinson plays Jacob Jankowski, who studies veterinary medicine during the Great Depression. After a family tragedy, he loses everything, including the chance to graduate from prestigious Cornell, so he hops a train, where he finds himself part of the struggling Benzini Brothers Circus. Ringleader August (Christoph Waltz, echoing his Oscar®-winning Inglourious Basterds performance) has doubts about the softhearted lad, but a fellow Pole smoothes the way, and Jacob becomes the company vet, which leads him to platinum-blonde equestrian Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), August's wife. The two make eyes at each other, but an affair would surely end badly, so they concentrate on their work. When Marlena's prize steed falls ill, August purchases an elephant, hoping Rosie will turn their fortunes around, and enlists Jacob to train her. Unfortunately, she's slow to respond to commands until Jankowski unlocks her secret--and after August has beaten the poor thing into submission. After that, things start to look up until Jacob steals a kiss from his dream girl. As in The Notebook, the film it most closely resembles, an elderly version of the central character (Hal Holbrook, touching) narrates in the present day (screenwriter Richard LaGravenese also adapted The Bridges of Madison County). He tells an interesting tale, so it's too bad the leads strike so few sparks. For those who find big-top classics like Nightmare Alley too dark, however, Francis Lawrence's feel-better variant may be just the ticket. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

• Alien Nation | DVD | (03/06/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Alien Nation is a routine cop thriller with a comedic sci-fi twist. They get drunk on sour milk. They have two hearts and bald, spotted heads. They're highly intelligent, but if you drop them in seawater they'll melt into a puddle of goop. They're "Newcomers", and they arrived as refugees in a massive alien slave-ship, quarantined for three years and then reluctantly accepted as citizens of Earth. To some humans--including seasoned Los Angeles cop Matt Sykes (James Caan)--the Newcomers are unwelcomed "slags". Sykes' own virulent "speciesism" intensifies when Newcomer thugs kill his partner, but he sees logic in teaming up with Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin), the first Newcomer detective in the LAPD. Francisco's Newcomer knowledge is vital to their investigation of an alien drug ring, and a friendship grows from life-or-death circumstances.Alien Nation has two things working in its favour: Caan and Patinkin form a memorable duo, and the basic premise--as conceived by Rockne S O'Bannon (who later developed the film as a TV series)--intelligently accounts for the sociological impact of an alien population. The subtle point is made that humans are extraordinary beings who squander their potential, and the evil of drugs--as dealt by a social-climbing Newcomer played by Terence Stamp--leads to a crisis that threatens to generate global intolerance. These points are well presented in a context of overly familiar plotting and standard-issue sarcasm. It's entertaining for a brisk 90 minutes, but in its attempt to be widely appealing, Alien Nation glosses over issues that might have made it more uniquely provocative. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Q: The Winged Serpent | DVD | (20/06/2005) from £20.59   |  Saving you £-3.60 (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  It's name is Quetzalcoatl... just call it Q that's all you'll have time to say before it tears you apart! It's just another monstrous day in New York City where window washers have their heads bitten off topless sunbathers are plucked from rooftops bloody body parts rain down onto the streets and small-time crook Jimmy Quinn (Moriarty) discovers an enormous nest in the spire of the Chrysler building. Meanwhile an NYPD detective (Carradine) investigates a series of ritual

• Murphy's Law - Series 2 | DVD | (28/08/2006) from £11.98   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  James Nesbitt plays Detective Sergeant Tommy Murphy a maverick cop with a dark past. After failing a psychiatric assessment he is given one last chance by his boss and given a dangerous undercover assignment. Murphy is a loner with little to lose and deals with everything on his own terms... Episodes Comprise: 1. Jack's Back 2. Bent Moon On The Rise 3. Ringers 4. Go Ask Alice 5. Convent 6. The Group

• Carry On Up The Khyber | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £10.25   |  Saving you £-0.26 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Filmed in 1968 and set in British India in 1895, Carry On Up the Khyber is one of the team's most memorable efforts. Sid James plays Sid James as ever, though nominally his role is that of Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond, the unflappable British Governor who must deal with the snakelike, scheming Khasi of Khalabar, played by Kenneth Williams. A crisis occurs when the mystique of the "devils in skirts" of the 3rd Foot and Mouth regiment is exploded when one of their numbers, the sensitive-to-draughts Charles Hawtrey, is discovered by the natives to be wearing underpants. Revolt is in the offing, with Bernard Bresslaw once again playing a seething native warrior. Roy Castle neatly plays the sort of role normally assigned to Jim Dale, as the ineffectual young officer, Peter Butterworth is a splendid compromised evangelist, while Terry Scott puts his comedic all into the role of the gruff Sergeant. Most enduring, however, is the final dinner party sequence in which the British contingent, with the Burpas at the gates of the compound, plaster falling all about them, demonstrates typical insouciance in the face of imminent peril. The "I'm Backing Britain" Union Jack hoist at the end, however, over-excitedly reveals the streak of reactionary patriotism that lurked beneath the bumbling double entendres of most Carry On films. On the DVD: Sadly, no extra features except scene selection. The picture is 4:3 full screen. --David Stubbs

• The Mean Machine (aka The Longest Yard) | DVD | (01/07/2002) from £19.19   |  Saving you £3.79 (23.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  First Down...And Ten Years To Go. In this rough-and-tumble yarn actually filmed on-location at the Georgia State Prison the cons are the heroes and the guards are the heavies. Eddie Albert is the sadistic warden who'll gladly make any sacrifice to push his guards' semi-pro football team to a national championship. Reynolds plays one time pro quarterback Paul Crewe now behind bars for leading State Police on a wild chase in a ""borrowed"" car. He agrees to organize a prisoners'

• Taking Care of Business | DVD | (12/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Jimmy Dworski is a happy-go-lucky convict who breaks out of prison and finally gets a life - somebody else's! When Dworski finds the daily planner that literally runs the life of ultra-organized executive Spencer Barnes (Charles Grodin) all hell breaks loose! With newfound cash credit cards and the keys to a Malibu mansion the imposter Dworski embarks on an all-expenses-paid trip to ""Easy Street"" while posing as the high-powered Barnes. Meanwhile Spencer's life is turned upside down as he hunts through the jungles of Los Angeles for his beloved book: when these oddball opposites finally meet it's a comedic collision you won't soon forget!

• Hell Is For Heroes | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  His reputation precedes him but commander Fess Parker is in no position to be choosy when he learns that his tired platoon will not be shipping home as rumored but tossed into a ragged new offensive...

• Merlin Series 4 - Volume 2 | DVD | (23/01/2012) from £9.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (30.03%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Merlin is back for a fourth series of the hit BBC adventure as Camelot stands on the brink of a golden age. But its birth will not be an easy one. For the forces of evil are gathering and the darkest hour is just before the dawn... This series sees the arrival of the fearless Knights of Camelot and a fantastic guest cast featuring Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones' Diary, Harry Potter), Phil Davis (Doctor Who, Brighton Rock) and Nathaniel Parker (Stardust, The Chronicles of Narnia) as well as the return of Santiago Cabrera (Heroes, Che) as the dashing Lancelot. With its thrilling mix of action, adventure and pure magic, the fourth series of Merlin will captivate the imagination as never before...

• Beneath The Planet Of The Apes | DVD | (22/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The bizarre world you met in 'Planet of the Apes' was only the beginning... What lies beneath may be the end! The second installment in the Planet Of The Apes series. Here an earthling sent to find the astronauts of the original film discovers not only a world of intelligent talking apes but an underground cult of grotesque ""humans"" who are the survivors of a nuclear blast years ago. Unfortunately these mutants worship a nuclear bomb a weapon which not only is the

• Some Kind Of Wonderful / Pretty In Pink / Planes, Trains And Automobiles | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Ferris Bueller. Larger than life. Blessed with a magical sense of serendipity. He's a model for all those who take themselves too seriously. A guy who knows the value of a day off. Ferris Bueller's Day Off chronicles the events in the day of a rather magical young man Ferris (Matthew Broderick). One spring day toward the end of his senior year Ferris gives in to an overwhelming urge to cut school and head for downtown Chicago with his girl (Mia Sa

• Doctor In Trouble | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £9.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The madcap doctor team are at it again! This time Dr. Burke stows away on a cruise ship when his girlfriend is assigned a modelling job aboard the vessel and ends up as a ship's doctor.

• Wind | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £105.56   |  Saving you £-95.57 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Winning Is Everything.... Matthew Modine Jennifer Grey and Cliff Robertson star in this heart-racing adventure about a brash young sailor who breaks with tradition in his quest to reclaim the America's Cup for the U.S. Stunning cinematography puts you at the centre of the strategic sea battles as Will Parker (Modine) and Kate Bass (Grey) take on an arrogant Australian sailor (Jack Thompson) for the coveted Cup. Interwoven with the thrilling race sequences is a classic love story o

• Hellraiser: Inferno | DVD | (11/10/2004) from £7.10   |  Saving you £7.89 (111.13%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A shady L.A. detective (Sheffer) finds himself lost in a darkly nightmarish world of evil when he solves the mysterious puzzle box that releases the diabolical demon Pinhead! As those around him begin to meet tragic fates he sets out to conquer the horrifying Pinhead and escape eternal hell!

• Ariadne Auf Naxos | DVD | (02/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Strauss's opera 'Ariadne Auf Naxos' performed by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Artists include: Jessye Norman Kathleen Battle Tatania Troyanos and James King. Conducted by James Levine.