"Actor: John S"

• Starman | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Starman is easily director John Carpenter's warmest and most beguiling film, and the only one that ever earned him an Oscar nomination. While most movie buffs are likely to call Halloween the best movie from Carpenter, die-hard romantics and anyone who cried while watching E.T. will vote in favour of the director's 1984 hit. Jeff Bridges is the alien visitor to Earth who is knocked off course and must take an interstate road trip to rendezvous with a mothership from his home planet. To complete this journey he assumes the physical form of the dead husband of a Wisconsin widow (Karen Allen) who responds first with fear, then sympathy, and finally love. Carpenter's graceful strategy is to switch the focus of this E.T.-like film from science fiction to a gentle road-movie love story, made believable by the memorable performances of Bridges and Allen. It's a bit heavy-handed with tenacious government agents who view the Starman as an alien threat (don't they always?), but Carpenter handles the action with intelligent flair, sensitivity and lighthearted humour. If you're not choked up during the final scene, well, you just might not be human. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com On the DVD: Starman on disc is presented in anamorphic widescreen transferred from NTSC and letterboxed at 2.35.1. The picture is clear and sharp with very little grain. The soundtrack is crisp, perfectly complementing the romantic nature of this film. The overriding reason to shell out on this special edition is the commentary from John Carpenter and Jeff Bridges, in which director and actor show a genuine affection for the film. Other extras are a featurette filmed around the original release in 1884, a music video starring Bridges and costar Karen Allen covering The Everly Brothers classic "All I Have to Do is Dream", and a trailer for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. --Kristen Bowditch

• What's The Worst That Could Happen? | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £5.25   |  Saving you £12.74 (242.67%)   |  RRP £17.99

  What's the worst that could happen? Probably being forced to watch What's the Worst That Could Happen? from start to finish without a pause button: it's more lame than a three-legged dog. The plot is straightforward enough: two men, each as crooked as the other, come into conflict when petty thief Kevin Caffrey (Martin Lawrence) breaks into the apparently unoccupied beach house of wealthy and unscrupulous businessman Max Fairbanks (Danny DeVito). The house turns out not to be empty: Fairbanks calls the cops, claims that Caffrey has stolen his ring and coolly claims it back in front of his uniformed audience. It's a ring that Caffrey values because it has just been given to him by his new girlfriend Amber (Carmen Ejogo). He's so desperate to get it back that he hounds Fairbanks through the rest of the film, breaking into various Fairbanks properties as he goes. Words like "zany" and "madcap" could be used in the interests of charity, but actually the film falls flat on its face. Lawrence is certainly no Eddie Murphy and the plot would need an injection of major talent to give it a chance. DeVito yet again relies on his stature to provide the laughs. John Leguizamo plays Caffrey's sidekick as best he can but the fake sheikhs-in-tea-towels scene induces more groans than laughs. This is one for diehard fans of the lead actors only. On the DVD: What's the Worst That Could Happen? comes to DVD with a choice of two spoken languages (English or French) and many subtitle options. There's also a generous selection of outtakes, an alternative ending, a music video ("Music" by Erick Sermon) and the original theatrical trailer. It's just a shame that the film itself isn't better. --Harriet Smith

• Catchfire | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Previous UK releases of Catchfire have listed the pseudonymous Allan Smithee as director, but this version proudly opens with "a Dennis Hopper film". Also known as Backtrack, it offers a plot that advances by illogical leaps and bounds while whole scenes seem to go astray. With prominently billed actors getting almost nothing to do while major players go un-credited, a bland music score that might have been laid in from another film entirely and an ending that makes a lot of noise without actually resolving much, the film certainly has its bad points. However, it's also one of Hopper's more eccentric films, and more fun than Colors or The Hot Spot (which he had no trouble owning up to), partly because the director also takes a quirky lead role and his own personal interests are stirred by the modern art frills of the chase plot. The film opens with LA-based conceptual artist Jodie Foster, looking chunkily terrific just before her adult career took off, suffering a minor breakdown on the freeway and happening on a gangland execution. Pint-sized mob boss Joe Pesci sets his killers on her but the crooks ineptly murder Foster's boyfriend (Charlie Sheen, taking a very early bath). Pesci calls in Hopper, a professional hitman who immerses himself in Foster's life and art in order to track her down only to develop an obsessive crush on the woman. When he finds her, he gives her the choice between getting rubbed out or becoming his property. Hopper retains the knack for finding odd-looking byways of rural America, but is uncomfortable with helicopter chases and shoot-outs. The leads, despite great chunks of missing story, are both interesting--Foster sexily vulnerable and Hopper doing a wry New York drawl as the sax-playing hit man. Catchfire also offers an amazing supporting cast of the director's friends, including Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price, Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich), Tony Sirico (The Sopranos), Bob Dylan (with a chainsaw), Helena Kallianotes (Five Easy Pieces), Julia Adams (The Creature from the Black Lagoon), and John Turturro.On the DVD: the film itself comes in a good-looking widescreen transfer, but the lack of special features let the disc down, with only feeble notes for three cast members (and no Smithee filmography). --Kim Newman

• Leprechaun 3 | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £5.85   |  Saving you £4.14 (70.77%)   |  RRP £9.99

  He's back! The Leprechaun is on the loose again this time trying his luck in Las Vegas. The terror begins when a young college student (Scott) gives a beautiful magician's assistant a lift into town. Once in Vegas Scott can't resist taking a turn at the roulette wheel. He has a run of bad luck and loses all his money. To win it back he decides to pawn his Rolex watch but while at the pawn shop he finds one of the Leprechaun's gold shillings. A single piece of the Leprechaun's gold he discovers will grant the fondest wish of the one who holds it. Thanks to the lucky coin Scott goes on a winning streak. Unfortunately the Leprechaun knows his coin is missing and will gladly kill to get it back.

• Justice - The Complete Third Series | DVD | (20/04/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Margaret Lockwood one of British film's greatest stars takes the role of a no-nonsense female barrister in this compelling courtroom drama series from the makers of Yorkshire Television's similarly themed The Main Chance. Introducing charming ambitious young barrister James Eliot – played by Anthony Valentine – this third and final series also includes guest appearances by Anton Rodgers Barbara Shelley and future Gentle Touch lead Jill Gascoine among others. Harriet Peterson is intuitive tenacious and highly principled – qualities that have helped her succeed spectacularly in a world still largely dominated by men. But while Harriet's commitment to her profession remains undiminished through a range of typically challenging cases her personal life grows ever more complicated... and this time it seems there's no going back.

• Rio Grande | DVD | (28/05/2001) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Rio Grande was the last and least memorable of John Ford's famous cavalry trilogy (following Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon), but it none the less maintains an interesting continuity about the gentlemanly rules of military conduct. Here the focus is on the family. While creating a heated controversy over his handling of the Apache war, John Wayne must also contend with disgruntled wife Maureen O'Hara and estranged son Claude Jarman Jr, a new recruit trying to earn his father's love and respect. Ford suggests that there are two conflicting codes of honour in every cavalry officer's life, the personal as well as the professional, and that it takes an act of heroism to maintain both. It's fascinating to observe Wayne's progression throughout the trilogy, as his personal stakes intensify. This is the first of five onscreen appearances between the Duke and O'Hara, each filled with a competitive spirit and stormy sexuality. --Bill Desowitz, Amazon.com

• Miranda | DVD | (27/07/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A librarian begins a passionate affair with a mysterious woman who walks into his library. But then she disappears and he discover that she has three identities - dancer, dominatrix and con-woman. But which one is the real Miranda?

• Mad Men: The Complete Collection | DVD | (28/11/2016) from £38.70   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Every episode from all seven seasons of the Golden Globe-winning drama from 'Sopranos' writer Matthew Weiner, set in a prestigious advertising agency in early 1960s New York, where sexism is a way of life and everyone smokes like a chimney. In this highly competitive, all white, male-dominated environment, the indefatigable Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is the top ad executive, but there are plenty of young guns eager to topple him from his perch. Season 1 episodes are: 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes', 'Ladies Room', 'Marriage of Figaro', 'New Amsterdam', 'Five G', 'Babylon', 'Red in the Face', 'The Hobo Code', 'Shoot', 'Long Weekend', 'Indian Summer', 'Nixon Vs. Kennedy' and 'The Wheel'. Season 2 episodes are: 'For Those Who Think Young', 'Flight 1', 'The Benefactor', 'Three Sundays', 'The New Girl', 'Maidenform', 'The Gold Violin', 'A Night to Remember', 'Six Month Leave', 'The Inheritance', 'The Jet Set', 'The Mountain King' and 'Meditations in an Emergency'. Season 3 episodes are: 'Out of Town', 'Love Among the Ruins', 'My Old Kentucky Home', 'The Arrangements', 'The Fog', 'Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency', 'Seven Twenty Three', 'Souvenir', 'Wee Small Hours', 'The Colour Blue', 'The Gypsy and the Hobo', 'The Grown-Ups' and 'Shut the Door. Have a Seat'. Season 4 episodes are: 'Public Relations', 'Christmas Comes But Once a Year', 'The Good News', 'The Rejected', 'The Chrysanthemum and the Sword', 'Waldorf Stories', 'The Suitcase', 'The Summer Man', 'The Beautiful Girls', 'Hands and Knees', 'Chinese Wall', 'Blowing Smoke' and 'Tomorrowland'. Season 5 episodes are: 'A Little Kiss: Part 1', 'A Little Kiss: Part 2', 'Tea Leaves', 'Mystery Date', 'Signal 30', 'Far Away Places', 'At the Codfish Ball', 'Lady Lazarus', 'Dark Shadows', 'Christmas Waltz', 'The Other Woman', 'Commissions and Fees' and 'The Phantom'. Season 6 episodes are: 'The Doorway: Part 1', 'The Doorway: Part 2', 'Collaborators', 'To Have and to Hold', 'The Flood', 'For Immediate Release', 'Man With a Plan', 'The Crash', 'The Better Half', 'A Tale of Two Cities', 'Favors', 'The Quality of Mercy' and 'In Care Of'. Season 7 episodes are: 'Time Zones', 'A Day's Work', 'Field Trip', 'The Monolith', 'The Runaways', 'The Strategy', 'Waterloo', 'Severance', 'New Business', 'The Forecast', 'Time & Life', 'Lost Horizon', 'The Milk and Honey Route' and 'Person to Person'.

• A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman (DVD) | DVD | (18/02/2013) from £15.89   |  Saving you £2.10 (13.22%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Graham Chapman (the dead one from Monty Python) writes and stars in the movie of his own life story. Although Chapman selfishly dropped dead in 1989 he had taken the trouble to record himself reading his book and those recordings have now been used to provide Chapman's voice in the film. Fellow Pythons John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam also turn up, along with a few surprise guest including Cameron Diaz, Stephen Fry and Lloyd Kaufman.

• The Other 'Arf - The Complete Series 2 | DVD | (23/01/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This second series finds Cockney model Lorraine with fading prospects of Tory MP Charles ever proposing marriage - particularly with his aristocratic fiance Sybilla (Patricia Hodge) still very much on the scene. So, displaying a greater spirit of independence, she decides to move far enough out of town to avoid being always at Charles' beck and call; a little reminder that she's still a free agent.

• Killers Collection - Summer Of Sam/The Boston Strangler/Kalifornia | DVD | (28/05/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Summer Of Sam (Dir. Spike Lee 1999): In the summer of 1977 Saturday night fever ruled and the first thrashings of punk were being heard. By day temperatures soared on the sweltering streets of Manhattan but by night a serial killer dubbed the Son of Sam stalked the suburbs indiscriminately shooting young brunettes and held New York City in a grip of terror. Trying to make sense of their lives in this overwhelming atmosphere of fear and suspicion are Vinny a streetwise Casanova indulging in affairs under the nose of his loving wife Dionna and Ritchie a punk musician moonlighting as a male stripper. As the murder's actions impact on all their lifestyles they start to suspect the killer might be someone from their own neighborhood - or even one of their own friends. From the controversial director Spike Lee comes his boldest and most ambitious film brilliantly capturing the sights sounds and sexual attitudes of the 1970s. Boston Strangler (Dir. Richard Fleischer 1968): With 13 women murdered Boston is held under siege by a madman. One by one they fall each death more gruesome than the last. The actual murders that rocked Boston in the 60's are the gripping subject of this unforgettable police thriller. The Boston Strangler is one of the most powerful films in its genre with possibly Tony Curtis' finest performance. Kalifornia (Dir. Dominic Sena 1993): Excitement adventure... and unimaginable terror await on the road to Kalifornia. Brad Pitt is outstanding and Juliette Lewis is utterly heartbreakingly convincing in this chilling psychological thriller co-starring David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes. When urban intellectuals Brian (Duchovny) and Carrie (Forbes) set out a cross-country trip to research a book about serial killers they share the ride with a couple they barely know - Early Grayce (Pitt) and his girlfriend Adele (Lewis). Locked in a car hurtling westword the four travelers struggle to find some common ground. But when they finally do connect Early's violent nature abruptly emerges and the petrified Brian and Carrie realise they don't need to go very far to learn about ruthless killers... because they're already face to face with one!

• Cloverfield 1-3 Collection (DVD) | DVD | (04/02/2019) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Producer J.J. Abrams takes you deeper into the Cloverfi eld universe than ever before with this mysterious sci-fi thriller. Orbiting Earth on the brink of a devastating energy war, scientists prepare to test a device that could provide unlimited power or trap them in a terrifying alternate reality. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl and Chris O'Dowd, The Cloverfi eld Paradox is the ultimate journey into the unknown.

• Lion Of The Desert | DVD | (05/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Destined to remain a dubious footnote in books of movie trivia, Lion of the Desert--an occasionally impressive epic from 1981--was financed with a budget of $35 million by Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, who previously attempted the role of movie producer with the critically roasted Mohammad: Messenger of God. This effort didn't fare much better (it grossed approximately $1 million worldwide), and although some of its wartime action sequences are intelligently filmed, it's not likely to gain much more of a reputation on home video. Under a shaggy Muslim beard, Anthony Quinn stars as Omar Mukhtar, the Arab hero and guerrilla fighter who defended Libya against Benito Mussolini and Italy's attempted conquests during World War II. As straightforward biography, the movie's got an admirable epic sweep, but a cliché-ridden script and uniformly bad performances (from a cast that includes John Gielgud, Oliver Reed and Rod Steiger) make this little more than a curiosity for those wanting to learn more about Libyan history. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Two Evil Eyes | DVD | (26/04/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Two of the high-priests of horror directors George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead Monkey Shines) and Dario Argento (Tenebre Phenomena) each pay tribute to Edgar Allan Poe with screen adaptions of the master's most terrifying tales from the dark side. Romero's shock-filled story (The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar) centres on a greedy young wife's bid to trick her dying husband out of his millions and the terror that is unleashed when mysterious beings take possession of the old man's body. The inspiration for Argento's blood-curdling tale is Poe's The Black Cat. Skilfully grafting in chilling scenes from several of Poe's other classic stories Argento's trip into terror tells of a man's cruel obsession with his wife's cat that finally drives him to murder of the most gruesome kind.

• Miami Vice | DVD | (09/04/2001) from £8.64   |  Saving you £1.35 (13.50%)   |  RRP £9.99

  1: Pilot Sonny Crockett an undercover cop for the Miami Vice Department and Ricardo Tubbs a New York street cop unwillingly team up to apprehend a Columbian cocaine smuggler in this pilot episode. 2: The Golden Triangle Crockett and Tubbs' assignment as hotel security turns out to be more than just routine when a drugs-related hit leads to a side of Lt. Castillo they've never seen before. 3: The Golden Triangle Part 2 Lt. Castillo must find a way to catch General Lao Li with enough evidence to send him to prison but without endangering My Ying's life who was brought to Miami by Lao Li as a hostage to protect himself from Castillo.

• And The Same To You | DVD | (14/06/2004) from £19.19   |  Saving you £-3.21 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A boxing promoter who shares a church hall with a prudish reverend is the knockout formula for this sparkling Brian Rix farce.

• School Of Life | DVD | (16/08/2010) from £9.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (30.03%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A new teacher squares off against his crusty competitor for a teacher of the year award.

• Class of 1999 | DVD | (24/09/2007) from £13.48   |  Saving you £2.51 (18.62%)   |  RRP £15.99

  When Miles Langfore (Malcolm McDowell) the head of Kennedy High School decides to take his school back from the gangs robotics specialist Dr. Robert Forrest (Stacy Keach) provides ""tactical education units"". These are amazingly human-like androids that have been programmed to teach and are supplied with devastatingly effective solutions to discipline problems. So when the violent out-of-control students of Kennedy High report for class tomorrow they're going to get a real education... in staying alive!

• Constantine/V For Vendetta | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £11.45   |  Saving you £6.53 (77.19%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Constantine (Dir. Francis Lawrence 2005): Hell wants him. Heaven won't take him. Earth needs him! Supernatural detective John Constantine (Reeves) has literally been to Hell and back. When he teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles... V For Vendetta (Dir. James McTeigue 2005): Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain V For Vendetta tells the story of a young working-class woman named Evey who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man known only as 'V'. Profoundly complex V is at once literary flamboyant tender and intellectual a man dedicated to freeing his fellow citizens from those who have terrorized them into compliance... The Matrix Trilogy writing/directing team of Larry & And Wachowski adapt Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel into a thought-provoking blockbuster.

• Row Your Boat | DVD | (11/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99