"Actor: Louis McKay"

• My Name Is Joe | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Can we talk? Everybody is pretty well agreed that Great Britain's Ken Loach is one of our most important filmmakers. On the basis of his work with actors alone--often actors who are unknown until showcased in his films--he commands a place in the modern Pantheon. The problem is that he sounds terminally "worthy"; his films invariably reflect a commitment to framing harsh sociopolitical realities and steeping us in the fight for justice, a square deal or a square meal. They sound, in short, as if they're "good for you"--whereas the fact is that they are almost always damned good, period.My Name Is Joe makes for an excellent introduction to Loach country--partly because it's just a tad more immediate in its basic viewer appeal. Joe Kavanagh (Peter Mullan), out-of-work Glasgow housepainter, is a terrifically attractive fellow, and though he is also a recovering alcoholic, he seems eminently pulled-together and ready for yeoman service as a movie leading man. The main story line concerns his encounter with and growing attraction to a smart social worker (Louise Goodall). There is nothing star-crossed about their potential love, but each is tough enough to set limits till they've travelled over a distance of mutual ground. Meanwhile, Joe's status as role model among his more emotionally and economically precarious neighbours--an extended family of man--is good for a surprising number of lusty laughs and one fatal, criminal complication that could jeopardise his future. Peter Mullan won a well-deserved Best Actor award at Cannes in 1998, and subsequently directed a family comedy-drama of his own, Orphans. --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com

• My Name Is Joe | DVD | (17/03/2008) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-14.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  'My Name Is Joe' is a slice of life so raw that you can see the blood dripping off it and as in real life it mixes humour passion tragedy and violence in equal measure. Joe is a recovering alcoholic and has done a few things in his past which he'd rather forget. Like most people he knows he's out of work but he keeps sane by coaching the self-styled worst football team in Glasgow. When one of Joe's players Liam gets involved with some local gangsters a chain of events is set in motion which not only threatens the lives of those concerned but also comes between Joe's budding love affair with social worker Sarah.

• My Name Is Joe | DVD | (18/03/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The second of many collaborations between acclaimed director Ken Loach and award-winning screenwriter Paul Laverty, My Name Is Joe is a typically hard-hitting drama with humour, passion, tragedy and violence in equal measure. Peter Mullan (Orphans) stars as Joe, a recovering alcoholic who has done a few things in his past which he'd rather forget. Out of work and on the dole, he keeps sane by coaching a local football team largely made up of delinquents. When one of Joe's players, Liam, gets involved with some local gangsters a chain of events is set in motion which not only threatens the lives of those concerned but also impacts on Joe's budding love affair with social worker, Sarah. Set in the stark surroundings of a socially deprived Glasgow, My Name Is Joe is another masterful social-realist work from Loach supplemented by an arresting performance from Peter Mullan (who won Best Actor at Cannes for this performance).

• Billie Holiday - The Ultimate DVD Collection | DVD | (24/10/2005) from £18.30   |  Saving you £-5.31 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Universal are delighted to present the very first multi-region DVD collection dedicated to one of the great legends of jazz Billie Holiday. The DVD includes performances of ""My Man "" ""Please Don't Talk About Me Since I'm Gone "" and ""Billie's Blues"" from 1956's Stars Of Jazz previously unavailable since their original airings her film debut and four other rare TV and film performances plus full videos of Billie's biggest influences Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. In addition the DVD includes five rare audio tracks a complete 1955 rehearsal session and a rarely heard 1956 radio interview with legendary journalist Mike Wallace. Further included is a robust timeline that allows for an interactive tour through the entire DVD linking dates from her humble birth to her star-studded funeral including interviews with musical collaborators a discography and literally hundreds of rarely viewed photos documents and posters. Film & TV Performances: 1. Saddest tale 2. The Blues are brewin' 3. Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans 4. My man (Mon homme) 5. Please don't talk about me when I'm gone 6. Billie's blues 7. Fine and mellow 8. What a little moonlight can do 9. St. Louis blues - Bessie Smith 10. I cover the waterfront - Louis Armstrong Audio Performances: 1.Swing! Brother swing! 2.They can't take that away from me 3.Do nothing till you hear from me 4.I'll get by 5.I wonder where our love has gone Audio Interviews: 1. John Hammond Shraft's Restaurant New York NY July 17 1972 2. Jo Jones Markwell Hotel New York NY July 20 1971 3. Roy Eldridge Jimmy Ryan's New York NY July 21 1971 4. Barney Josephson The Cookery New York NY December 3 1971 5. Tiny Grimes Linda Keuhl's New York NY July 21 1971 6. Billy Eckstine Musso & Frank's Hollywood CA September 8 1971 7. Jimmy Rowles Monteceito Hotel Hollywood NY August 23 1971 8. Sylvia Syms Yonkers Hospital New York NY January 20 1973 9. Corky Hale Corky Hale's New York NY November 17 1971

• Ken Loach: My Name Is Joe, Raining Stones, Riff Raff | DVD | (01/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  My Name Is JoeKen Loach's My Name Is Joe is a slice of life so raw that you can see the blood dripping off it and as in real life it mixes humour passion tragedy and violence in equal measure. Joe (Peter Mullan) is a recovering alcoholic and has done a few things in his past which he'd rather forget. Like most people he knows he's out of work but he keeps sane by coaching the self-styled worst football team in Glasgow. When one of Joe's players Liam gets involved with some local gangsters a chain of events is set in motion which not only threatens the lives of those concerned but also comes between Joe's budding love affair with social worker Sarah (Louise Goodall). Raining StonesBob Williams is a survivor. He supplements his dole by becoming embroiled in whatever scam is on offer from rustling sheep to rotting drains. But now life has dealt him a bitter blow. His van has been stolen and his daughter Colleen is approaching her first communion. She needs the traditional white dress shoes veil and gloves. Where on earth is the money going to come from? Raining Stones is a funny and essentially human story of survival in the nineties and people's aspirations for a better way of life. Riff RaffStevie a young Glaswegian just out of Barlinnie prison comes down to London and gets a job on a building site - a melting pot of itinerant laborers from all over the country. Here he has to contend with Mick the bossy ganger trying - but usually failing to control his workers Shem Mo and Larry and the other lads as they duck and dive the rules and regulations of the building trade. Stevie has other problems to contend: the wages are low the site teems with rats he has nowhere to sleep and life in London isn't that easy. One day on his way to work Stevie finds a handbag in a skip. He takes it back to it owner and meets Susan. As Stevie and Susan learn to live with the ups and downs of life in London Riff-Raff builds a portrait - sometimes gritty often funny of life as it is lived in the margins.

• My Name Is Joe | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  My Name Is Joe: A former alcoholic who is currently out of work keeps himself busy by coaching a football team in Glasgow. When one of his players becomes involved with local gangsters their lives are changed forever... Bread And Roses: Maya and Rosa are Mexican sisters living and working in downtown Los Angeles working for a pittence and in very hostile conditions. When they happen upon a young activist there seems to be hope as he vows to help them both get the justice they deserve.