"Actor: Jean Hayes"

• Born Free / Living Free | DVD | (12/01/2004) from £14.24   |  Saving you £-1.25 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Born Free is a bona fide family classic. The tale of how Kenya game warden George Adamson and his wife Joy (on whose book the film is based, with Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers in the principal roles) adopted and raised three orphaned lion cubs, taking a particular shine to the one they call Elsa before helping her return to the wild, is familiar by now; so is John Barry's Oscar-winning title song. And while the movie has its flaws (it contains references to "Bwana George" and such that would be considered frightfully un-PC nowadays), the animal footage, especially that of the lions in their various stages of development, is extraordinary and timelessly entertaining. The 1972 sequel doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor but, in an era when most "family entertainment" tends toward the insipid at best, Living Free is still a worthwhile venture. Susan Hampshire and Nigel Davenport take over the roles of Joy and George Adamson, the British couple who, while stationed in Kenya, adopted three orphaned lion cubs. Living Free finds the dying Elsa, their favourite of the original three and now a mother herself, returning to the Adamsons, who must figure out what to do with Elsa's three cubs, who develop an unfortunate appetite for domestic livestock. The film is on the slow side, but once again it's the animals who steal the show; the footage of the young lions interacting with other beasts, from wild giraffes and rhinos to a pet dog, is remarkable. --Sam Graham

• Willow | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £8.79   |  Saving you £4.20 (47.78%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Billed as a fantasy to please kids and adults alike in 1988, Willow was revolutionary in its day. Not only did it have a vertically challenged actor (Warwick Davis) as its leading man, it also set new standards for special effects, using the first known "morfing" (sic) systems. To top it all off it combined the talents of two of Hollywood's biggest names, director Ron Howard and writer-producer George Lucas, and changed Val Kilmer's destiny, influencing both his career and love life. In theory all this should have added up to a rip-roaring success of a film. Alas, the end result has been unkindly if accurately described as the bastard son of Lord of the Rings, with Star Wars as its doting mother. The plot line (plucky young man sent off on a quest to protect something which could change the reign of evil) has obvious links to Tolkien's classic; Kilmer's Madmartigan (the diamond in the rough) has distinct similarities to Hans Solo. And with the great advances in modern cinemas special effects, Willow's ferocious two-headed dragons now look like something out of 1963's Jason and the Argonauts. However, even though it marked the end of the road for fantasy films in the 1980s, Willow's combination of locations, set design and groundbreaking SFX set new standards and influenced much modern cinema, including Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings. All in all, this is a movie with its heart, soul and magic in the right place. On the DVD: Willow is brought up to date on DVD with this excellent special effects enhancing anamorphic transfer of the original 2.35:1 screen ratio; the Dolby 5.1 surround sound boosts the power behind Badmorda's roar as well as spotlighting James Horner's swashbuckling score. A lively commentary is offered by Warwick Davis, although he has a tendency to dwell on his own musings rather than the film as a whole. Other features include "The Making of the Adventure", which is a standard TV behind-the-scenes documentary/advert and a wealth of TV spots, trailers and photos. By far the most interesting feature is the "Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Film" documentary including interviews with George Lucas, Ron Howard and Dennis Muren (the renowned special effects guru) on the creation of morphing and its influence on later movies. –-Nikki Disney

• Airport | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £6.35   |  Saving you £-0.36 (-6.00%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Take a non-stop flight with an all-star cast to a world of tension-filled human drama in this trend-setting box office blockbuster. Based on Arthur Hailey's runaway best seller the emotion-charged adventure stars Burt Lancaster as the manager of a glamorous international airport who must juggle personal crisis with professional responsibilities as he attempts to keep his blizzard torn facility open to rescue a bomb-damaged jetliner. The lavish Ross Hunter production co-stars a ve

• Willow / Legend / Ladyhawke | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £24.99   |  Saving you £-5.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  WillowTimid yet valiant dwarf and apprentice magician Willow Ufgood (Davis) is entrusted with delivering a tiny royal infant from evil queen Bavmorda to fulfil a prophecy that will restore peace and justice to the land... LegendIn Ridley Scott's 'Legend' young Jack (Cruise) lives in a magic forest populated with friendly and exotic creatures. But the delicate balance between good and evil is upset when the Lord of Darkness seizes Jack's beloved Lili (Sara) and a horn from one of the last unicorns thereby gaining control of the universe. LadyhawkeLadyhawke is an enchanting tale of a beauty a knight - and a pickpocket known as the Mouse. Once the knight and the lady were lovers. Now the curse of an evil Bishop keeps them always together eternally apart. By day she is a hawk by night he is a wolf. To end the evil spell the knight vows to break into the Bishop's stonghold with help from the Mouse...

• The Brylcreem Boys | DVD | (05/03/2007) from £8.99   |  Saving you £1.00 (11.12%)   |  RRP £9.99

  When two enemy pilots shoot each other down over Ireland they are both captured as prisoners of war. During World War II Neutral Ireland interned all soldiers sailors and airmen regardless of their nationality captured on Irish soil. What they failed to mention was that they would put them all in the same camp... Our pilots (Bill Campbell) and Rudi (Angus MacFayden) are astonished to come face to face with each other at the entrance of the interment camp. Further surprises are in