"Actor: John C"

• Monty Python's Life Of Brian | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £9.75   |  Saving you £3.24 (33.23%)   |  RRP £12.99

  There is not a single joke, sight-gag or one-liner in Monty Python's Life of Brian that will not forever burn itself into the viewer's memory as being just as funny as it is possible to be, but--extraordinarily--almost every indestructibly hilarious scene also serves a dual purpose, making this one of the most consistently sustained film satires ever made. Like all great satire, the Pythons not only attack and vilify their targets (the bigotry and hypocrisy of organised religion and politics) supremely well, they also propose an alternative: be an individual, think for yourself, don't be led by others. "You've all got to work it out for yourselves", cries Brian in a key moment. "Yes, we've all got to work it our for ourselves", the crowd reply en masse. Two thousand years later, in a world still blighted by religious zealots, Brian's is still a lone voice crying in the wilderness. Aside from being a neat spoof on the Hollywood epic, it's also almost incidentally one of the most realistic on-screen depictions of the ancient world--instead of treating their characters as posturing historical stereotypes, the Pythons realised what no sword 'n' sandal epic ever has: that people are all the same, no matter what period of history they live in. People always have and always will bicker, lie, cheat, swear, conceal cowardice with bravado (like Reg, leader of the People's Front of Judea), abuse power (like Pontius Pilate), blindly follow the latest fads and giggle at silly things ("Biggus Dickus"). In the end, Life of Brian teaches us that the only way for a despairing individual to cope in a world of idiocy and hypocrisy is to always look on the bright side of life. On the DVD: Life of Brian returns to Region 2 DVD in a decent widescreen anamorphic print with Dolby 5.1 sound--neither are exactly revelatory, but at least it's an improvement on the previous release, which was, shockingly, pan & scan. The 50-minute BBC documentary, "The Pythons", was filmed mainly on location in 1979 and isn't especially remarkable or insightful (a new retrospective would have been appreciated). There are trailers for this movie, as well as Holy Grail plus three other non-Python movies. There's no commentary track, sadly. --Mark Walker

• The Batman | Blu Ray | (13/06/2022) from £16.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman, striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies amongst the city's corrupt network of officials and highprofile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens. When a killer targets Gotham's elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World's Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman, Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.

• Teen Beach Movie | DVD | (19/08/2013) from £4.63   |  Saving you £8.36 (180.56%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Teen Beach Movie centers around two teen surfers Brady and Mackenzie who are magically transported into a 1960s Beach Movie where they must try to blend in until they can find their way out! They soon discover that there is an intense rivalry between the local surfers and bikers. Things don't go according to plan when our modern-day duo accidently change the plot of the movie and the two lead characters fall for them instead of each other! As everyone around them starts singing and dancing and a fight between bikers and surfers break out Brady and Mack must attempt to get out of the movie and back to present day.

• Hairspray (2007) | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £5.93   |  Saving you £14.06 (237.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  John Waters' 1988 cult classic gets a 21st century makeover in this update of the musical.

• Alien 1-6 Boxset | Blu Ray | (18/09/2017) from £23.99   |  Saving you £-8.32 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.67

  All six films in the 'Alien' franchise. In Ridley Scott's 'Alien' (1979) the crew of the Nostromo starship are on their way back to Earth after completing a mission when they are diverted to a planetoid to investigate a cryptic message. While exploring an abandoned spacecraft on the planet, they come across a store of unhatched eggs. When one of the eggs releases a mysterious creature that leeches on to a crew member's face, the others bring him back on board to recover from the ordeal. Little do they know that they have also brought on board an alien lifeform that will kill anyone or anything that gets in its way. In James Cameron's sequel, 'Aliens' (1986), sole survivor from the Nostromo Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) awakens after 57 years in stasis, and with a team of Space Marines in tow she returns to the planetoid now named LV-426 to investigate the loss of contact with the terraforming colony in residence. In David Fincher's dark 'Alien 3' (1992), Ripley crash lands on an old prison planet used to house convicted murderers - but she's not alone. When Ripley discovers her body is being used to carry an alien queen she faces a difficult decision to save humanity and sacrifice herself. In Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 'Alien Resurrection' (1997), 200 years after Ripley died bearing the alien queen, a group of scientists successfully produce clones of both her and the alien. The United States Military, hoping to use the queen to breed aliens to study, fail to keep the clones locked up and they escape. It is not long before the new Ripley is forced to team up with a gang of smugglers to repel the alien clones that are set on destroying life on Earth. In 'Prometheus' (2012) Scott returns to direct a new cast of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce. After finding fragments of alien DNA, a team of scientists known as The Company travel into space aboard the state-of-the-art Prometheus spacecraft to investigate the origins of human life on Earth. Their journey takes them into the darkest corners of the universe - but, to their horror, their inquisitive nature ends up posing a threat to the future existence of humankind. The scientists now find themselves tested to their mental and physical limits as they fight a desperate battle to preserve the future of the human race. Finally, in 'Alien: Covenant' (2017), set as a sequel to 'Prometheus' (2012), the crew of the Covenant discover a planet they believe to be paradise, but when they actually start to investigate they find a dark and dangerous world inhabited by a colony of creatures who are less than pleased to see the.

• A Quiet Place (Blu-Ray) | Blu Ray | (13/08/2018) from £6.99   |  Saving you £6.01 (85.98%)   |  RRP £13.00

  In the modern horror thriller A Quiet Place, a family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their survival. If they hear you, they hunt you.

• The Abyss | Blu Ray | (26/04/2024) from £27.54   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Of Mice and Men | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £9.68   |  Saving you £0.31 (3.20%)   |  RRP £9.99

  John Malkovich Gary Sinise and Sherilyn Fenn shine in this contemporary remake of the beloved classic about a nomadic farmworker who looks after his dimwitted gentle-giant friend.

• Planet of the Apes Triple | DVD | (27/11/2017) from £13.45   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Billed as a "re-imagining" of the original film, Tim Burton's extraordinary Planet of the Apes constantly borders on greatness, adhering to the spirit of Pierre Boulle's original novel while exploring fresh and inventive ideas and paying honourable tribute to the '68 sci-fi classic. Burton's gifts for eccentric inspiration and visual ingenuity make this a movie that's as entertaining as it is provocative, beginning with Rick Baker's best-ever ape make-up (hand that man an Oscar®!), and continuing through the surprisingly nuanced performances and breathtaking production design. Add to all this an intelligent screenplay that turns Boulle's speculative reversal--the dominance of apes over humans--into a provocative study of civil rights and civil war. The film finally goes too far with a woefully misguided ending that pays weak homage to the original, but everything preceding that misfire is astonishingly right. While attempting the space-pod retrieval of a chimpanzee test pilot, Major Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) enters a magnetic storm that propels him into the distant future, where he crash-lands on the ape-ruled planet. Among the primitively civilized apes, treatment of enslaved humans is a divisive issue: senator's daughter Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) advocates equality while the ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) promotes extermination. While Davidson ignites a human rebellion, this conflict is explored with admirable depth and emotion, and sharp dialogue allows Burton's exceptional cast to bring remarkable expressiveness to their embattled ape characters, most notably in the comic relief of orangutan slave trader Limbo (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti). Classic lines from the original film are cleverly reversed (including an unbilled cameo for Charlton Heston, in ape regalia as Thade's dying father), and while this tale of interspecies warfare leads to an ironic conclusion that's not altogether satisfying, it still bears the ripe fruit of a timeless what-if idea. --Jeff Shannon

• Gandhi | DVD | (04/07/2011) from £5.11   |  Saving you £0.88 (17.22%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Gandhi is a great subject, but is Gandhi a great film? Undoubtedly it is, not least because it is one of the last old-school epics ever made, a glorious visual treat featuring tens of thousands of extras (real people, not digital effects) and sumptuous Panavision cinematography. But a true epic is about more than just widescreen photography, it concerns itself with noble subjects too, and the life story of Mahatma Gandhi is one of the noblest of all. Both the man and the film have profound things to say about the meaning of freedom and racial harmony, as well as how to achieve them. Ben Kingsley, in his first major screen role, bears the heavy responsibility of the central performance and carries it off magnificently; without his magnetic and utterly convincing portrayal the film would founder in the very first scene. Sir Richard Attenborough surrounds his main character with a cast of distinguished thespians (Trevor Howard, John Mills, John Gielgud and Martin Sheen, to name but four), none of whom do anything but provide the most sympathetic support. John Briley's literate screenplay achieves the almost impossible task of distilling the bewildering complexities of Anglo-Indian politics. Attenborough's treatment is openly reverential, but, given the saint-like character of his subject, it's hard to see how it could have been anything else. He doesn't flinch from the implication that the Mahatma was naïve to expect a unified India, for example, but instead lets Gandhi's actions speak for themselves. The outstanding achievement of this labour of love is that it tells the story of an avowed pacifist who never raised a hand in anger, of a man who never held high office, of a man who shied away from publicity, and turns it into three hours of utterly mesmerising cinema.On the DVD: The anamorphic (16:9) picture of the original 2.35:1 image has a certain softness to it that may reflect the age of the print, but somehow seems entirely in keeping with the subject . Sound is Dolby 5.1. The extras are fairly brief, but worthwhile: original newsreel footage of Gandhi includes an astonishingly patronising British news account of his visit to England; in a recent interview, Ben Kinglsey chats enthusiastically about the film and the difficulties he experienced bringing the character to life. The dull "making-of" feature is simply a montage of stills. --Mark Walker

• Star Trek - The Kelvin Timeline | Blu Ray | (30/09/2019) from £41.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Includes all 3 movies on 4k Ultra HD When the U.S.S. Kelvin is wrapped up in a temporal anomaly, the path of Starfl eet and the future of the universe as we know it takes off in a new direction: the Kelvin Timeline. Up against the Romulans, the superhuman Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), and the alien warlord Krall (Idris Elba), it's all hands on deck for the U.S.S. Enterprise crew, led by the young and headstrong Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoë Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), and Scotty (Simon Pegg). J. J. Abrams's reboot of the classic franchise has received dozens of accolades, including an Oscar®*. For devoted fans of the beloved benchmark sci-fi series, all three fi lms now come together in the Kelvin Timeline Trilogy a bold, new beginning and a must-have in anyone's Star Trek collection. 4k Ultra HD + Feature Films 4X The Resolution of Full HD HDR (HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE) For More Detail, Brightness, Vivid Colour and Greater Contrast IMMERSIVE OBJECT-BASED AUDIO Dolby Atmos

• The Sweeney: Series Two (50th Anniversary Edition) | Blu Ray | (01/09/2025) from £61.05   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  We're The Sweeney, son, and we haven't had any dinner! For season 2 of the police drama that threw out the TV rulebook fifty years ago, the stakes for Detective Inspector Jack Regan (John Thaw) and Detective Sergeant George Carter (Dennis Waterman) have never been higher! Whether they're dealing with the death of a loved one in a hit or run; rescuing hostages at a bank-heist-gone-wrong seige or tracking down a couple of ruthless Australian criminals, the Flying Squad are going to do whatever it takes to keep the streets of London clean - even if it means playing nice with dodgy informants or being stitched up for corruption and being targteted by the men on their own force. In the second season of The Sweeney, newly restored and remastered for the first time in the original TV aspect ratio on Blu-ray, everything is bigger, badder and more action packed. This definitive collector's boxset will take you right to the heart of it, with a snout's worth of special features and bonus materials thrown in. Watch it or we come in shooting!Option to view episodes in original Mono, 5.1 Surround sound, or isolated music only tracksWild Boys FeaturetteInterview with stunt arranger Peter BrayhamInterview with writer Roger MarshallSweeney! Film trailer with introduction by Lynda BellinghamIntroduction to Supersnout by Bill MaynardIntroduction to Big Brother by Gwen TaylorIntroduction to Poppy by James BoothIntroduction to Stay Lucky, Eh? by Ken HutchisonIntroduction to The Trojan Bus by Lynda BellinghamAudio Commentary on Chalk and Cheese with Robert Fairclough & Mike KenwoodAudio Commentary on Hit & Run with Dennis Waterman and Garfield MorganBooklet

• Wreck-It Ralph | DVD | (03/06/2013) from £9.15   |  Saving you £-2.16 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Prepare for adventure with one of the very best from Disney Animation Studios (Jonathan Ross). A hilarious arcade-game-hopping journey in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. For decades Ralph has played the bad guy in his popular video game. In a bold move he embarks on an action-packed adventure and sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart. As he explores exciting new worlds he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope Von Schweetz. Then when an evil enemy threatens their world Ralph realises he holds the fate of the entire arcade in his massive hands. Featuring an all-star voice cast and breakthrough bonus features that take you even deeper into the world of video games Disney's Wreck-It Ralph has something for every player. Special Features: Paperman

• Moulin Rouge - Single Disc Edition | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £8.25   |  Saving you £9.74 (118.06%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Set in 1899, this musical drama from director Baz Luhrmann ("Romeo + Juliet") stars Ewan McGregor as a young poet who begins a passionate but doomed affair with the most famous courtesan in Paris (Nicole Kidman).

• Adventure Time - Complete Seasons 1-5 Collection | Blu Ray | (25/11/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Finn, the human boy with the awesome hat, and Jake, the wise dog with magical powers, are close friends and partners in the strange land of Ooo. It's one quirky and off-beat adventure as they fly all over the land of Ooo, saving princesses, dueling evil-doers, and having the most fun possible!

• Monsters, Inc. (Disney Pixar) Fullscreen (4:3) Single-Disc Edition | DVD | (07/09/2002) from £4.40   |  Saving you £1.59 (36.14%)   |  RRP £5.99

  From the team that brought you "Toy Story" comes this CGI tale about the monsters that every child knows live in the cupboard! However these monsters are far less fierce that they'd have us believe.

• Hudson & Rex: Season 6 | DVD | (11/11/2024) from £24.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Top Gun | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £5.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (166.94%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A hip, heart-pounding combination of action, music and incredible aerial photography helped make "Top Gun" the blockbuster hit of the '80s.

• 1917 (DVD Format) | DVD | (18/05/2020) from £7.55   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sam Mendes, the Oscar®-winning director of Skyfall, Spectre and American Beauty, brings his singular vision to his World War I epic, 1917. At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiersBlake's own brother among them. Bonus Features The Weight Of The World: Sam Mendes Allied Forces: Making 1917 The Score Of 1917 Feature Commentaries

• The Suicide Squad | Blu Ray | (08/11/2021) from £10.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Assemble a collection of cons, arm them heavily and drop them on the enemyinfused island of Corto Maltese. If anyone's laying down bets, the smart money is against themall of them.