"Actor: Max Davidson"

• Conan the Barbarian | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £8.09   |  Saving you £-2.10 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The film that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger's international career, Conan the Barbarian is still regarded by many as his finest hour. Limited to a mere handful of lines and expertly directed to play up the Nietzschean strength of the character by John Milius, the Austrian Oak has never looked more suited to a role, his muscle flexing and sword twirling apparently effortless. The extraordinarily finely detailed production design ensures that the barren Spanish countryside perfectly suits the Hyborean-era backdrop envisioned by author Robert E Howard. Whether dressed in rags or riches, Schwarzenegger and companions Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) look believably born to their surroundings. Backing their own very fine performances are brilliant supporting roles from James Earl Jones as serpentine baddie Thulsa Doom and Max Von Sydow as doomed King Osric. Plot-wise the film is simply the transformation of a wild barbarian into a worldly-wise king who, via a quest for revenge, finally learns the riddle of steel. The script is highly regarded for its dazzling set-pieces (the opening village raid, the orgy of body parts) and quotable dialogue ("They shall all drown in lakes of blood"), and it comes complete with an anti-peace movement reactionary subtext for anyone who cares to look close enough. One other element deserving mention is the extraordinary score by Basil Poledouris, which inspires the film with a sense of operatic grandeur. On the DVD: Conan the Barbarian appears as a suitably mythic special edition DVD. Sadly the magnificent score can only be heard in a mono mix, but the very fine picture is presented in 2.35:1. The extras package is phenomenal, too. Several deleted scenes have been re-edited into the film, but are available to view independently as well. There's a quick split-screen special effects feature showing how the ghostly spirits were added to Conan's resurrection. "The Conan Archives" is an 11-minute slide show of drawings, costumes and advertising. Best of all is the fantastic 53-minute "Conan Unchained" documentary interviewing every conceivable contributor who all reminisce with great fondness. It's slightly better seeing Schwarzenegger and Milius than hearing them talk in their commentary, which inevitably re-tells many of the same anecdotes in between puffs of Arnie's stogies. --Paul Tonks

• Laurel & Hardy - The Collection (21-disc Box Set) | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £68.95   |  Saving you £-33.95 (N/A%)   |  RRP £35.00

  The ultimate collection for fans of Laurel and Hardy: 21 discs of classic comedy! Content comprises: 1. A Chump At Oxford / Related Shorts 2. Classic Shorts / Someone's Ailing 3. Way Out West / Shorts 4. Classic Shorts / Ollie And Matrimony 5. Our Relations / Dual Roles Shorts 6. Classic Shorts / Murder In The Air 7. Blockheads / Themed Shorts 8. Classic Shorts / Blackmail 9. The Bohemian Girl / Related Shorts 10. Classic Shorts / Be Big / Laughing Gravy 11. Saps At Sea / Themed Shor

• Conan The Barbarian | Blu Ray | (11/07/2011) from £7.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (100.13%)   |  RRP £15.99

  An action packed tale of Conan the Cimmerian and his adventures across the continent of Hyboria on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village.

• Laurel & Hardy Volume 12 - L & H and the Law/Classic Shorts | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £4.22   |  Saving you £3.03 (102.36%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Comedy with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Contains: Scram! (b/w) Scram! (colourised) Night Owls (b/w) Night Owls (colourised) Night Owls (Spanish version) The Second Hundred Years (silent with musical score) The Call Of The Cuckoo (silent with musical score) Duck Soup (silent with musical score and sound effects) 45 Minutes From Hollywood (silent with musical score) Big Business (silent with musical score) A collection of classic shorts with Stan and Ollie finding themselves - mostly - on the wrong side of the law. In 'Scram!' a judge orders them to leave town after finding them guilty of vagrancy. 'Night Owls' sees Stan and Ollie in the same condition but the local cop is willing to let them go if they are willing to pose as burglars. 'Ladrones' is an extended Spanish-language version of 'Night Owls' with L&H speaking their own dialogue. Stan and Ollie are shaven-headed convicts in 'The Second Hundred Years' a silent classic in which they escape from jail disguised as painters. The shaven heads are still visible in a guest appearance made at the same time in the Max Davidson comedy 'Call of the Cuckoo'. In 'Duck Soup' they elude the sheriff by taking refuge in an empty mansion posing as owner and maid for the benefit of prospective tenants. '45 Minutes From Hollywood' the first Hal Roach film in which both Laurel and Hardy appeared casts Oliver Hardy as a hotel detective. The all-time classic 'Big Business' - sometimes hailed as the greatest of all the L&H films - involves them in battle with irascible James Finlayson following their attempts to sell him a Christmas tree.

• Santa Who | DVD | (01/01/2008) from £2.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.34%)   |  RRP £2.99

  The last thing TV news reporter Peter Allbright expects when covering the typically trivial Christmas stories is to get a great scoop. But then he never expected the real Santa Claus to drop into his life - literally.While cruising in his sleigh Santa tumbles out and lands in front of Peter's car. Santa is fine, except that he has total amnesia and can't remember a thing about his Christmas duties, or the words to Jingle Bells, or even how to ho-ho-ho. Peter, jaded by the crass commercialism of the season, sees the strange man with amnesia in the Santa costume as a great human-interest story. And his on-again off-again girlfriend, Claire, sees the bearded old man as the perfect choice for the department store Santa she needs. The only one who suspects he is the real Santa is Claire's seven-year-old son, Zack.With Christmas just days away, Santa's elves, led by elf-boss Max, have launched an all-out search to find their jolly ol' boss.

• Santa Who? (2000) | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Leslie Nielsen tones down the bumbling for Santa Who? but wearing a belly like a bowl full of jelly does little to diminish his trademark dimwittedness, which is what gets the bells ringing on this St. Nick flick. Peter Albright, self-involved TV reporter, can't believe his luck when Santa, presumably the for-hire variety, sails into his windshield and gets amnesia--what a story! When his search for Santa's family stops short at the North Pole, his humbug infestation subsides, setting him free to make merry. Predictability aside, Santa Who? drags a sleigh-full of better than average shenanigans into living rooms, making this a winter-evening warmer for the whole family. --Tammy La Gorce, Amazon.com

• Stargate / Deep Star 6 / Flash Gordon | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Stargate: It has been buried for thousands of years. A mystery. A secret. A threshold. Stargate. One man will break its code and open the door the other will lead the way. They prepared for danger they expected the unknown but they could never have imagined what they would discover. Now they must find the key to return home or remain trapped on the other side of the known universe forever. The most amazing discovery of our time is about to become the most extraordinary adventure of all time. Deep Star Six: Not All Aliens Come From Space. Save Your Last Breath...To Scream. Far below the surface of the unforgiving sea the daring crew of DeepStar Six are explorers in a forbidding world of impenetrable darkness and unimaginable pressure. They have invaded the icy fathoms into which no human has ever ventured. Their mission is to establish a top secret Navy base on the ocean floor. But something's down there and the crew of DeepStar Six are about to make a startling discovery - there's no escape from the terror of the deep. Director Sean Cunningham has created a new horror that will plunge you into the depths of fear. Better hold your last breath...to scream! Flash Gordon: Ming the Merciless Emperor of planet Mongo has begun his plan of destruction for planet Earth. Zarkov a mad scientist detects the signs of an intergalactic assault and forces Flash Gordon star football player and the beautiful Dale Arden to board his rocket and save the human race from the evil Emperor. Can Flash save the universe?

• Santa Who? | DVD | (15/10/2007) from £23.30   |  Saving you £-17.31 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The last thing TV news reporter Peter Allbright expects when covering the typically trivial Christmas stories is to get a great scoop. But then he never expected the real Santa Claus to drop into his life - literally. While cruising in his sleigh Santa tumbles out and lands in front of Peter's car. Santa is fine except that he has total amnesia and can't remember a thing about his Christmas duties or the words to 'Jingle Bells' or even how to ho-ho-ho. Peter jaded by the crass commercialism of the season sees the strange man with amnesia in the Santa costume as a great human-interest story. And his on-again off-again girlfriend Claire sees the bearded old man as the perfect choice for the department store Santa she needs. The only one who suspects he is the real Santa is Claire's seven-year-old son Zack. With Christmas just days away Santa's elves led by elf-boss Max have launched an all-out search to find their jolly ol' boss.