"Actor: Jan Shepard"

• King Creole | DVD | (18/03/2002) from £5.06   |  Saving you £7.93 (156.72%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Before his handlers persuaded him to settle for the safety of a screen franchise, the young Elvis Presley had weightier ambitions as an actor. The 1958 King Creole, his fourth feature outing, hints at the underlying seriousness of his goals. Presley plays Danny Fisher, a New Orleans teenager struggling to graduate from high school while working in a sleazy French Quarter club to support his family. He's also characterised as a troubled youth with a dangerous temper and feelings of shame and resentment toward his meek, unemployed father (Dean Jagger). When Danny's gift for singing provides him with a potential career break (and the requisite excuse for Elvis's production numbers), his involvement with a ruthless gangster (Walter Matthau) and his sultry, alcoholic moll (Carolyn Jones) threatens both his future and his family. King Creole boasts an impressive production pedigree (including producer Hal Wallis and director Michael Curtiz, the team behind Casablanca) and the supporting cast helps elicit one of Presley's most emotional performances. Jones in particular overrides the inherent clichés of her role: her self-loathing and sexuality are both palpable. Presley--still a few years away from the more sanitised image that would be integral to those franchise features--is young enough to be a credible teen, but more crucially he makes his rage and yearning largely convincing. --Sam Sutherland

• Ally McBeal - Season 2 | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-0.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Join the whimsical Ally McBeal both in and out of the courtroom to watch her defend and prosecute the most flamboyant and comical cases whilst at the same time falling in and out of relationships. The introduction of icy Nelle Porter (Portia de Rossi) often known as 'sub-zero Nelle' and the tempestuous Ling Woo (Lucy Liu) into the firm creates an ever intriguing element of love and hate in Season 2. Amusing to some but a cause of great anguish to others both of them capture the h

• Ally McBeal, Series 5 Box Set 1 | DVD | (10/02/2003) from £10.65   |  Saving you £9.34 (87.70%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The fifth season was the last series of Ally McBeal, and probably the least satisfying. While always at least slightly entertaining, it was troubled by two conflicting imperatives: first, to steer its neurotic characters and multiplicity of sub-plots towards a coherent and credible resolution; second, to sustain another series of a programme which had, by now, exhausted all the plot possibilities that were remotely believable. The result is a bemusing onslaught of new characters (Ally's Mini-Me Jenny and a barely distinguishable phalanx of lantern-jawed male leads), celebrity cameos (Edna Everage, Christina Ricci, Barry White, Matthew Perry, Jon Bon Jovi), several storylines that would test the credulity of any of the curiously indulgent judges before whom Ally's firm practises (notably the arrival of a 10-year-old daughter that Ally didn't know she had) and one misbegotten attempt to anchor the programme to the real world (the "Nine One One" episode, an unwatchably mawkish allegory about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States). Granted that Ally McBeal was never intended to be realistic drama, but when the programme spirals entirely off into the realms of the surreal, any possibility of the sort of identification with the characters on which the programme once relied is lost. Though not without its moments, the sudden redemption of Fish, always the best-written character, is deftly handled. Series Five will be of chief interest to adherents who stuck with it through the first four and so wanted to see how it all ends; in keeping with the central character's defining motifs of solipsism and self-pity, it does so with a whimper. On the DVD: Ally McBeal has episode selector on each disc, and a scene selector within each of those. The final disc contains two short and desultory documentaries on the series billed, somewhat hopefully, as "Special Features". A French audio soundtrack is available, as are subtitles in English, French and Dutch. –-Andrew Mueller

• Ally McBeal - Season 3 | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  What's a girl to do when she's about to turn 30? If you're Ally you'll have a sexual encounter with a stranger kiss Ling get sued defend Santa date a homeless guy and then decide that John Cage is ""the one"". Meanwhile John loses touch with his inner Barry White. Billy goes blonde and dumps Georgia. Ling gets arrested for pimping Richard and Ling breakup Nelle and John kiss and make up while Elaine tries to adopt a baby. Features the entire collection of Season 3 episodes.

• Ally McBeal - Season 1 Part 1 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Much lighter in tone than creator, producer and writer David E Kelley's other forays into legal drama LA Law, and The Practice, the slick thirtysomething series Ally McBeal has never been out-and-out comedy but it spikes its exploration of emotional territory with sharp funny lines. Ally (Calista Flockhart) is a kookie cutie, a ditzy, skinny, single lawyer and we are privy to scenes from her overactive imagination (courtesy of CGI), surrounded by larger-than-life peripheral characters--almost grotesques--like outspoken boss Richard Fish (Greg Germann), nervy courtroom wizz John "The Biscuit" Cage (Peter MacNicol) and nosy secretary Elaine Vassal (Jane Krakowski). In later series these characters (including popular newcomers Lucy Lui and Portia de Rossi as frosty law babes Ling and Nelle) would edge towards one-dimensional caricatures as the same ground was retrodden relentlessly, but in this first series there is something compelling about the intrusive dynamics of this group of oddballs. The point is you don't have to like them to find them entertaining. Ally herself can be extremely irritating in a love-to-hate-her kind of a way. She is a curious dichotomy, a 1990s woman with a go-getting career and a penchant for her own way and yet with the romantic ideals of someone from another generation. Basically still hung up on ex-boyfriend Billy (Gil Bellows) who works for same Boston practice, alongside wife Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith), Ally is on the look out for her Prince Charming. The first series and its lead both garnered Golden Globes, a lot of gossip and a healthy audience for the Fox television network in America. Channel 4 snapped it up for British audiences who were intrigued, not least by the unisex toilets and sophisticated afterwork bar soirées where chanteuse Vonda Shepherd was always to be found crooning away in the corner. All in all, Ally McBeal leaves you with the conundrum of wanting more but not being able to say why. --Emma Perry

• Paradise, Hawaiian Style | DVD | (23/06/2003) from £7.89   |  Saving you £8.10 (102.66%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Rick Richards is a helicopter pilot who wants to set up a charter flying service in Hawaii - along the way he makes a whole lotta friends.

• Ally McBeal, Series 5 Box Set 2 | DVD | (10/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The fifth season was the last series of Ally McBeal, and probably the least satisfying. While always at least slightly entertaining, it was troubled by two conflicting imperatives: first, to steer its neurotic characters and multiplicity of sub-plots towards a coherent and credible resolution; second, to sustain another series of a programme that had, by now, exhausted all the plot possibilities that were remotely believable. The result is a bemusing onslaught of new characters (Ally's Mini-Me Jenny and a barely distinguishable phalanx of lantern-jawed male leads), celebrity cameos (Edna Everage, Christina Ricci, Barry White, Matthew Perry, Jon Bon Jovi), several storylines that would test the credulity of any of the curiously indulgent judges before whom Ally's firm practises (notably the arrival of a 10-year-old daughter that Ally didn't know she had) and one misbegotten attempt to anchor the programme to the real world (the "Nine One One" episode, an unwatchably mawkish allegory about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States). Granted that Ally McBeal was never intended to be realistic drama, but when the programme spirals entirely off into the realms of the surreal, any possibility of the sort of identification with the characters on which the programme once relied is lost. Though not without its moments, the sudden redemption of Fish, always the best-written character, is deftly handled. Season Five will be of chief interest to adherents who stuck with it through the first four and so wanted to see how it all ends; in keeping with the central character's defining motifs of solipsism and self-pity, it does so with a whimper. On the DVD: Ally McBeal has episode selector on each disc, and a scene selector within each of those. The final disc contains two short and desultory documentaries on the series billed, somewhat hopefully, as "Special Features". A French audio soundtrack is available, as are subtitles in English, French and Dutch. –-Andrew Mueller

• 3 Classic Horrors Of The Silver Screen - Vol. 7 - Attack Of The Giant Leeches | DVD | (07/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Attack Of The Giant Leeches: Unbeknown to the locals giant leeches live in caves under a swamp. The disappearance of a succession of trappers prompts the game warden to investigate matters with horrifying results. The Amazing Transparent Man: An expert safecracker named Faust (Douglas Kennedy) turns invisible via radioactive rays in this low-budget science fiction-crime movie. A beautiful dame (Marguerite Chapman) busts Faust out of jail and takes him to a remote Te

• Ally McBeal - Season 4 Box Set 2 | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £10.87   |  Saving you £12.11 (153.68%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Too mainstream to be a cult, yet too odd to be totally conventional, Ally McBeal has become one of televisions curios. While its early days saw the show become something of a victim of its own self-conscious stylising, the episodes included on series 4 volume 2 are far stronger in terms of characterisation and plot and the storylines are easy to pick up. Not that the quirks have been exiled--the first programme features McBeal hallucinating about Barry Manilow--rather they have now become part of the overall feel of the show. Despite the attention lavished on both the lead character and the actress who plays her, the show is a real ensemble piece and works best when all the players are together. One of the collection's weakest moments is the episode that sends the usually excellent Richard and John off to LA on their own, an episode which lays threat to a dreaded spin off. While there are annoying moments--could they not have edited out the "previously on Ally McBeal" parts for retail release and why do they never go out with anyone other than work colleagues--with guest appearances from the likes of Sting this is a must for any fan of the series. On the DVD: Sadly, the DVD collection betrays very little thought or effort. The pace of the show is certainly brisk (especially when shorn of the adverts) and the picture quality is equally dynamic, instilling real depth to the many aerial shots of Boston itself. Given that music is such an integral part in the show, it is no surprise that the soundtrack has been given a boost by its recreation in Dolby digital stereo. The interactive menu, however, is clumsy to use and having to work back through the options at the end of each episode quickly becomes tiresome. The complete lack of any extras whatsoever is also a definite minus point.--Phil Udell

• Ally McBeal - Season 4 Part 1 | DVD | (11/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The first half of Ally McBeal's fourth season starts with that all important question, the one Ally has been waiting for from day one: "Ally will you... move in with me?". As always Ally's romantic dreams never quite become a reality and the series continues within the Grimm Fairy Tale world of Ally's love (and quirky work) life. The most important twist this season occurs in the first episode "Sex, Lies and Second Thoughts"--the departure of Tracy Ullman and Ally's current beau, Brian, to be replaced by the series' new heart-throb Larry (Robert Downey Jr). Initially dating both father and son ("Two's a Crowd") Ally cannot help but become besotted by Larry's charisma; he being a fellow lawyer further seals their bond, that is until Larry's past comes back to haunt him. Other highlights include a quirky romance for John ("Reason to Belive"), a charity auction leading to an all male fan-club for John ("Love on Holiday") and a romantic connection for Mark--though the recipient of his affection may have hidden more than he bargained for. Unfortunately the series was outshone by the real-life drama of Calista Flockhart's and Downey's rocky relationship along with Downey's drugs convictions. Even though he won a Golden Globe for his performance, he ultimately had to be dropped from the series. On the DVD: Not much on offer here for Ally's début into the DVD market. The individual episode menu does offer a language selection of French and English and the subtitles for the Netherlands and French. You also have the option to select chapters from the specific episodes, along with a "previously on Ally McBeal..." for that little reminder of whom Ally is dating now. Although standard for a TV DVD release, the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and 2.0 Dolby sound is disappointing for a television series which offers ground-breaking use of special effects. --Nikki Disney

• Ally McBeal - Season 1 Part 2 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Follow Ally's trials and tribulations in life through her eyes and caricaturises her personal thoughts and fantasies. Contains the second half of Season One's episodes. The episodes are: 'The Blame Game' 'Body Language' 'Once In A Lifetime' 'Forbidden Fruits' 'Theme Of Life' 'The Playing Field' 'Happy Birthday Baby' 'The Inmates' 'Being There' 'Alone Again' and 'These Are The Days'.

• Ally McBeal - Season 2 Part 2 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £9.39   |  Saving you £10.60 (53.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A blend of courtroom dramas and neurotic love affairs create the perfect formula for the second part of the acclaimed Ally McBeal season 2. Ally (Calista Flockhart) continues to suffer in the hands of love and embarks upon a series of doomed love affairs that culminate in an adulterous kiss with her old love Billy (Gil Bellows). The confusion that accompanies her fated love life follows her into the courtroom where not only does she experience bizarre Al Green hallucinations but she also tries to sue God in defence of a little boy with leukaemia (Angels and Blimps). Meanwhile as Ally encounters visions of Al Green in the courtroom an inner Barry White takes over John Cage (Peter Macnicol) leaving him re-energised and finally confident enough to conquer his infatuation with sub-zero Nelle (Portia di Rossi). Enter the magical world of Ally with these essential Season 2 Part 2 DVDs that chronicle the daily traumas of Elaine's (Jane Krawkoski) face bras imaginary extended tongues and rigorous therapy sessions that will leave us all hollering for more. This box set includes the episodes: Angels & Blimps; Pyramids on the Nile; Sideshow; Sex Lies and Politics; Civil Wars; Those Lips That Hand; Lets Dance; Only the Lonely; The Green Monster; and I Know Him by Heart.

• Ally McBeal - Season 2 Part 1 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  At the start of Series Two of the Boston law firm drama, nothing much had changed at Richard Fish's rather kooky establishment. Ally (Calista Flockhart) was still a skinny, whimsical woman-child looking for Mr Right. Billy (Gil Bellows) was still married to Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith), John Cage (Peter McNicol) was still too eccentric to be considered for romantic involvement, Elaine (Jane Krakowski) was still a nosey meddler and Fish (Greg Germann) himself was still looking for ways to make money. Lots of it. Greed prompts him to hire new litigator Nelle (Portia DiRossi), a tall, blonde power-dresser who leaves the other women bristling in her wake. But their antipathy towards their new colleague is nothing compared to the forces of hatred spiky Ling (Lucy Liu) inspires. Before long John (The Biscuit) and Nelle are embarking on a tempestuous romance, Ally is stealing Elaine's new boyfriend before going out with one of Georgia's exes and Billy begins to show the signs of instability which lead to him to bleach his hair blonde in the following season. Ally's outspoken flatmate Renee (Lisa Nicole Carson) got a welcome increase in her time on screen in this second season. Despite the sheer number of episodes David E Kelley and his team turn around each year, this second series consistently provided entertaining viewing to the last, despite--or perhaps because of--some of the characters being so unlikable. The inter-office banter reached new heights of inventive bitchiness, the comic CGI illustrations of Ally's imagination still felt reasonably fresh and the court cases managed to combine oddity with emotional involvement. All in all this group of dysfunctional and rather incestuous workaholics proved curiously engaging yet again. --Emma Perry

• Ally McBeal - Season 3 Part 1 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In David E Kelley's Boston law drama, Ally McBeal, his lawyers' private and work lives are always inextricably linked. Nobody does anything in the "Cage and Fish" firm without their colleagues knowing about it, including going to the toilet. Kelley is as willing as always to embrace implausible coincidence in his storylines for the pay-off of maintaining the high pace and dramatic neatness. Our anti-heroine Ally McBeal starts her third season with a wet, wordless fling in a car wash with Jason Gedrick, and it's no surprise that Ally ends up facing Gedrick at the altar when a client asks her to be bridesmaid. With the entire firm invited along as guests, can she keep quiet about the groom? Well, you know Ally--she may not have any lasting success in the romance department but it's a subject she feels very strongly about. The third season sees fewer CGI expressions of Ally's thoughts and imagination, but the drama is just as colourful. Billy's increasing concerns over the balance of male and female power manifests itself in his newly dyed blond hair and his hiring of six PVC-clad women to follow him around boosting his testosterone. Other highlights include Ally exploring her lesbian side with Ling, Elaine posing as John's "fluffer" to banish his sexual insecurities and an explosive Thanksgiving party at Ally's. There are plotlines within Series 3 which stretch plausibility, such as finding out that Ally's dad is the man Georgia's been snogging to forget her husband's metamorphosis into a blonde-haired, sexist egomaniac. Ally McBeal does have the tendency to descend into sickening sentimental tosh, like all the "child inside" nonsense in Episode 11, but that aside, it continues to provide escapist entertainment of the first order. --Emma Perry

• Attack Of The Giant Leeches | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £6.73   |  Saving you £-1.74 (-34.90%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Unbeknown to the locals giant leeches live in caves under a swamp. The disappearance of a succession of trappers prompts the game warden to investigate matters with horrifying results.

• Ally McBeal - Season 3 Part 2 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £8.08   |  Saving you £11.91 (147.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Be prepared for a very emotional ride as Ally McBeal returns with the conclusion of Season 3. Blending humour and poignant drama Season 3 Part 2 bids a tearful goodbye to Ally’s first love Billy. The episodes commence with Ally’s brazen spirit going to dangerous lengths to capture a man… by purposely crashing her car into his. It would’ve worked if the gorgeous guy in question hadn’t laughed like the sound of “a cow giving birth” (In Search of Pygmies). The team’s frolics continue as Ally wins a contest to become one of Tina Turner’s backing singers for a night (Oddball Parade) has cyber-sex with a minor (Do You Wanna Dance?) and goes kicking and screaming into her thirties with collagen lip implants (Turning Thirty)! Amidst all this grab the tissues as Ally and the crew try to come to terms with the unexpected loss of Billy and new characters and old prove no one can be taken at face value. Season 3 Part 2 brings together all the elements that Ally McBeal is famous for: fun love lust and thoughtful moments that will certainly touch the heartstrings and leave you singing for more. Features the episodes 'In Search Of Pygmies' 'Pursuit Of Loneliness' 'The Oddball Parade' 'Prime Suspect' 'Boy Next Door' 'I Will Survive' 'Turning Thirty' 'Do You Wanna Dance' 'Hope And Glory' and 'Ally McBeal - The Musical Almost'.

• Ironside | DVD | (09/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  1: The Taker When Andy Anderson a policeman friend of former Chief of Detectives Ironside is shot and killed strong circumstantial evidence indicates he was blackmailing someone. Refusing to believe Anderson was on 'the take' Ironside uses all his unorthodox methods. 2: The Past is Prologue Wally Stowe's 17-year masquerade as a law-abiding citizen is about to end as he is arrested as a convicted murderer at his son's graduation party. Chief Ironside an old friend of Stowe's believes his claims of innocence and sets about reconstructing the circumstantial evidence that convicted him. 3: To Kill a Cop When two officers who arrest a noisy drunk on an assault charge are later killed San Francisco Police try to link the events. Despite the lack of evidence Sergeant Brown is determined to make the charges stick.

• Attack Of The Giant Leeches | DVD | (30/11/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  After local-moonshine swilling trapper Lem Sawyer sees a giant creature people start disappearing. While searching for illegal traps Steve Benton and Nan Greyson his girl-friend find Lem dying with giant sucker wounds on his body. One couple Liz Walker and Cal Moulton forced into the water by her enraged husband Dave Walker gets taken by the leeches. When police refuse to believe Dave's story he hangs himself. Soon after this 2 more trappers disappear the local Game Warden Steve Benton gets involved. He and Nan's father Dr Greyson realize that the people were taken by the leeches and the leeches live in caves under the swamp.