"Actor: Liesel Matthews"

• A Little Princess | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £5.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (133.56%)   |  RRP £13.99

  After the critical success of 1993's The Secret Garden, Warner Bros returned to the novels of Frances Hodgson Burnett to create this 1995 adaptation of A Little Princess, which instantly ranked with The Secret Garden as one of the finest children's films of the 1990s. Neither film was a huge box-office success, but their quality speaks for itself, and A Little Princess has all the ingredients of a timeless classic. A marvel of production design, the film features lavish sets built almost entirely on a studio backlot in Burbank, California. The story opens in New York just before the outbreak of World War I, when young Sara (Liesel Matthews) is enrolled in private boarding school while her father goes off to war. Under the domineering scrutiny of the school's wicked headmistress, Miss Minchen (Eleanor Bron), Sara quickly becomes popular with her schoolmates, but fate intervenes and she soon faces a stern reversal of fortune, resorting to wild flights of fancy to cope with an unexpectedly harsh reality. Rather than label her fanciful tales as escapist fantasy, A Little Princess actively encourages a child's power of imagination--a power that can be used to learn, grow, and adapt to a world that is often cruel and difficult. It's also one of the most visually beautiful films of the 90s and creates a fully detailed world within the boarding school--a place where imagination is vital to survival. A first-class production in every respect, this is one family film that should (if it's not too stuffy to say it) be considered required viewing for parents and kids alike. --Jeff Shannon

• Air Force One | DVD | (11/06/2001) from £4.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (220.44%)   |  RRP £15.99

  If you can manage to suspend your disbelief for the duration, you won't be disappointed with Air Force One. Harrison Ford plays a US president who single-handedly employs his rigid anti-terrorism policy when a band of Russian thugs hatch a mid-flight takeover of Air Force One. Gary Oldman, who chews the scenery as the lead terrorist, will shoot a hostage at the slightest provocation. Glenn Close plays the sternly pragmatic vice president who negotiates with Oldman from her Washington seat of power. If you can believe that the aircraft's pressurized cabin can sustain hundreds of rounds of machine-gun fire, you'll buy anything in this entertaining potboiler, especially thanks to Ford's stalwart heroics and some nifty special effects. Director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot) keeps the action moving so fast you won't be sweating the details.--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Air Force One | DVD | (11/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

• Little Princess, A / The Secret Garden / Black Beauty | DVD | (11/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Little PrincessSara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) shares a life of wonder in exotic India with her devoted father (Liam Cunningham). But war draws Sara's father into the military and Sara is sent to a new York boarding school run by the strict Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron) to whom exuberant Sara is a troublemaker. But with courage imagination and kindness Sara overcomes her hardships - and changes her life and the fortunes of those around her. Experience this jewel of a movie (Leonard Maltin) for anyone who ever wishes are dreams. Secret GardenIt's a special garden where friendships blossom illnesses fade away and sorrows flee. There troubled orphan Mary (Kate Maberly) her spoiled sickly cousin Colin (Heydon Prowse) and kindly country boy Dickon (Andrew Knott) discover that a world of caring can make a world of difference. Black BeautyWritten and directed by Caroline Thompson this is the most faithful of the book's several filmings. You'll cherish rebellious filly Ginger mischievous pony Merrylegs and gallant Beauty Whose generous heart guides him under caretakers both kindly and harsh from Farmer Grey (Sean Bean) and young groom Joe Green (Andrew Knott) to sweet-natured cabbie Jerry Barker (David Thewlis).