"Actor: Max"

• 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

• Promising Young Woman | DVD | (02/08/2021) from £4.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  From visionary director Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve) comes a delicious new take on revenge. Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman...until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be: she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story.

• Mad Dogs: Series 1-4 | DVD | (13/01/2014) from £17.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (55.59%)   |  RRP £27.99

  'In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.' Mad Dogs is the tale of four Englishmen - Max Beesley Philip Glenister John Simm and Marc Warren - who venture for a holiday together in the Majorcan sun. The holiday soon turns from an idyll into a nightmare with lies deception and murder being the main memories the boys can hope to take back with them. How far would you go for your friends not least when you can't remember why you liked them in the first place? The boys enter into a Faustian pact involving drugs money witchcraft and goats. Madness prevails in what is becoming the worst holiday of anyone's lifetime... Will the Mad Dogs ever get home?

• One Punch Man Season 2 (Episodes 1-12 + 6 OVAs) | DVD | (13/09/2021) from £12.89   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In the wake of defeating Boros and his mighty army, Saitama has returned to his unremarkable everyday life in Z-City. However, unbeknownst to him, the number of monsters appearing is still continuously on the rise, putting a strain on the Hero Association's resources. Their top executives decide on the bold move of recruiting hoodlums in order to help in their battle. But during the first meeting with these potential newcomers, a mysterious man calling himself Garou makes his appearance. Claiming to be a monster, he starts mercilessly attacking the crowd.

• Spooks - Series 10 | DVD | (28/11/2011) from £35.98   |  Saving you £-27.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £8.74

  Harry holds the key to the secrets, and trusting his natural instincts uses his connections to seek the truth, but will his personal relationships end up compromising the lives of those around him?

• 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 4K | Blu Ray | (08/07/2019) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Joe Dziemianowicz, New York daily news A riveting and exhilarating true story. A masterpiece. Stephen Hayes, The weekly standard- When everything went wrong, six men had the courage to do what was right. Visionary director Michael Bay delivers a Rock-solid action drama* you won't soon forget in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Follow the elite ex-military operators who fought back against overwhelming odds to save American lives in this visceral, powerful, pulse-pounding portrayal of true heroism.

• Buster/5 Seconds | DVD | (17/07/2006) from £20.98   |  Saving you £-17.99 (-601.70%)   |  RRP £2.99

• Flash Gordon (40th Anniversary Edition) | Blu Ray | (10/08/2020) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Get ready to kick some Flash, with an out-of-this world 4K restoration of the much loved, gloriously sparkly cult classic, FLASH GORDON directed by Mike Hodges. In celebration of Flash Gordon's 40th anniversary, this collection is the ultimate Flash release. Featuring an all-star cast, including Sam J Jones (Flash Gordon) Brian Blessed (Prince Vultan) Timothy Dalton (Prince Barin) Max Von Sydow (Ming The Merciless) and Melody Anderson (Dale) and accompanied by a brilliant soundtrack by the inimitable Queen, this is the ultimate version of the '80s cult classic. Features: New Lost in Space: Nic Roeg's Flash Gordon Audio commentary with Mike Hodges Audio commentary with Brian Blessed Behind the scenes of Flash Gordon Stills gallery Storyboards gallery Original theatrical trailer Interview with Mike Hodges Episode 24 of Flash Gordon (1979-1982): The Survival Game / Gremlin's Finest Hour Sam Jones's acting start Entertainment Earth on Flash Gordon merchandise Bob Lindenmayer discussed deleted scenes and original endings 35th Anniversary Greenroom 35th Anniversary reunion featurette Renato Casaro extended interview Brian Blessed anecdotes Melody's musings on the soundtrack

• What Dreams May Come | DVD | (15/11/1999) from £14.59   |  Saving you £-7.60 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra star in this visually stunning metaphysical tale of life after death. Neurologist Chris and artist Annie had the perfect life until they lost their children in an auto accident; they're just starting to recover when Chris meets an untimely death himself. He's met by a messenger named Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and taken to his own personal afterlife--a freshly drawn world reminiscent of Annie's own artwork, still dripping and wet with paint. Meanwhile a depressed Annie takes her own life, compelling Chris to traverse heaven and hell to save Annie from an eternity of despair. The multitextured visuals seem to have been created from a lost fairy tale. Heaven recalls the landscape paintings of Thomas Cole and Renaissance architecture complete with floating cherubs, while hell is a massive shipwreck, an upside-down cathedral overgrown with thorns and a sea of groaning faces popping out of the ground (one of those faces is German director Werner Herzog). Williams is the perfect actor to play against the imaginative computer-generated imagery--he himself is a human special effect. But the lack of chemistry between Williams and Sciorra is painfully apparent, and the flashback plot structure flattens the story's impact despite its deeply felt examinations of the heart and the spirit. Still, there's no denying Eugenio Zanetti's triumphant production design and the Oscar-winning special effects, which create a fully formed universe that is at once beautiful, eerie, and a unique example of movie magic. --Shannon Gee

• My Soul To Take | DVD | (04/04/2011) from £11.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (33.36%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A serial killer returns to his hometown to stalk seven children who share the same birthday as the date he was allegedly put to rest.

• Under the Dome - Season 3 | DVD | (07/04/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Apollo 13 (4K UHD + Blu-ray + UV) | 4K UHD | (02/10/2017) from £24.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Nominated for nine Academy Awards®✝, including Best Picture, produced by Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer* and directed by Academy Award® winner Ron Howard**, Apollo 13 stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris in the inspiring and riveting story of the real-life space flight that gripped a nation and changed the world. Special Features: LOST MOON: THE TRIUMPH OF APOLLO 13 (THE MAKING OF APOLLO 13) CONQUERING SPACE: THE MOON AND BEYOND LUCKY 13: THE ASTRONAUT'S STORY APOLLO 13: 20 YEARS LATER FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR RON HOWARD

• Metropolis | DVD | (27/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Fritz Lang's Expressionistic masterwork continues to exert its influence today, from Chaplin's Modern Times (1936) to Dr Strangelove (1963), and into the late 1990s with Dark City (1998). In the stratified society of the future (Y2K no less), the son of a capitalist discovers the atrocious conditions of the factory slaves, falling in love with the charismatic Maria in the bargain, who preaches nonviolence to the workers. But even the benevolent leadership of Maria is a challenge to the privileged class, so they have the mad-scientist Rotwang concoct a robot double to take her place and incite the workers to riot. The story is melodrama, but it's the powerful imagery that is so memorable. One of the most arresting images has legions of cowed workers filing listlessly into the great maw of the all-consuming machine-god Moloch. Unfortunately, the print used for this DVD is unfocused, scratchy, and five minutes short, altogether unworthy of a visionary masterpiece. It may be too much to hope for the complete film to be restored (only two hours of the original three-hour film are extant), but a clean transfer from a fine-grain negative ought to be possible. And why, when there are other possible future Metropolises to be had, should we downtrodden masses accept this junk? --Jim Gay

• The Internship | DVD | (11/11/2013) from £3.39   |  Saving you £16.60 (489.68%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson portray out of work -- and out of luck -- salesmen who after finagling internships at Google, must compete with candidates half as old and twice as smart, for highly-coveted positions at the internet giant.

• Marvel Studio's X-Men 1-10 Movie Collection | DVD | (26/04/2021) from £24.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Follow the epic story of the X-MEN, a group of humans with genetic mutations that give them extraordinary abilities. Engaged in a constant battle for acceptance in society, the X-MEN must learn to use their powers to fight those intent on world domination. Join Professor X, Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops and Wolverine as they try to save themselves and the world from Magneto, Sentinels, and Apocalypse, a powerful mutant whose vengeful wrath threatens the planet. Special Features Includes hours of special features

• The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C. S. Lewis | DVD | (03/06/2022) from £11.04   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Harder They Fall | DVD | (27/01/2003) from £7.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (62.58%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A movie that proved a fine swansong for Humphrey Bogart, The Harder They Fall is a gripping drama set against a background of fixed boxing matches. Not so much about the fights as the exploitation of the sport, the film is based on a novel by Budd Schulberg, whose Oscar-winning screenplay for On the Waterfront (1954) helped turn Rod Steiger into a star. Here Steiger delivers an equally bravura performance as the chillingly corrupt manager, Nick Benko, a man who will do anything to turn a buck. Bogart meanwhile is outstanding as unemployed sports writer Eddie Willis, hired against his better judgement to promote a no-hope Argentinean boxer, Toro Moreno (Mike Lane). Powerfully written, if built around the unlikely premise of building a 10th-rate fighter into a world-class contender, the drama is essentially a battle for Willis's soul as he is torn between money and conscience. Though the scenes with Bogart and Steiger facing off are the strongest and a veritable masterclass of hardboiled characterisation, Mark Robson, who also helmed the Kirk Douglas boxing classic Champion (1949), directs with a convincingly dirty realism, the final punishing and bloody match a clear influence on Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980). On the DVD: The Harder They Fall's anamorphic 1.77:1 transfer is excellent with only one brief scene showing any significant print damage. Burnett Guffey's noir-ish black-and-white cinematography looks sharp and fresh as the day it was shot, with only minimal grain. The mono sound is strong and clear, without a hint of distortion or compression. The only extra is a scored gallery of posters and lobby cards from other Bogart films available on Columbia. There are dubbed versions in French, German, Spanish and Italian, and a plethora of subtitle options. --Gary S Dalkin

• The Last Enemy | DVD | (10/03/2008) from £4.35   |  Saving you £20.64 (474.48%)   |  RRP £24.99

  When the reclusive Stephen Ezard (Cumberbatch) returns to London for the funeral of his brother Michael (Beesley) he feels like a stranger in his own country. National security fears have transformed Britain into a security state where ID cards are compulsory and armed police patrol the streets. He is startled to discover that Michael had a beautiful wife Yasim (Marinca) and seeks comfort in her arms. But Yasim is on a mission of her own. Terrified of losing her Stephen agrees to support a secretive government project - but his actions trigger a spiral of deadly events. Kidnapped by a violent man seduced by an old lover with friends in high places and followed at every turn Stephen doesn't know who he can trust. When he tries to uncover the truth behind his brother's death he discovers that his civil liberties have been so seriously eroded that his investigation makes him an enemy of the state. The Last Enemy is a compelling thriller |set in the future; a future that is a lot closer than you may think.

• Jabberwocky | DVD | (17/02/2003) from £6.91   |  Saving you £6.08 (87.99%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A medieval comedy-adventure starring Michael Palin and directed by Terry Gilliam, Jabberwocky is an episodic adaptation of Lewis Carrolls surreal poem. Having previously directed Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975) with Terry Jones, Jabberwocky marked Gilliams solo directorial debut--is it coincidental that Jones is killed by the titular monster in the opening scene? Palin plays the naive Dennis Cooper, a man seeking his fortune just as the Jabberwocky is laying waste to the country. Its much the same world as Holy Grail, with all the trappings of the romantic Hollywood epic being liberally coated with literal and metaphorical muck. Palins character causes unwitting mayhem wherever he goes--one stand-out scene involves the destruction of a maintenance shop for damaged knights-in-armour--though as much humour comes from exposing the foibles of the people he meets. And those people constitute a roll call of contemporary British comedy: Harry H Corbett as a sex-mad squire, Warren Mitchells Mr Fishfinger, plus Annette Badland, Max Wall, John Le Mesurier, Rodney Bewes, John Bird, Neil Innes and John Gorman. Jabberwocky lacks the hilarity of Holy Grail, but is a consistently amusing, exceptionally atmospheric, gleefully gory yarn which points the way to Gilliams Time Bandits (1981) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). On the DVD Jabberwocky is distinguished by an engaging and enthusiastic commentary from Gilliam and Palin, in which they delight in the amazing cast and ponder how such a handsome film was made. Otherwise the extras are a short sketch-to-screen comparison, three posters and three trailers (only one for Jabberwocky). Transferred anamorphically enhanced at 1.77:1, the picture is variable, with many beautifully lit indoor scenes looking fine, while other exterior, daylight shots appear washed out. There is some minor print damage. The sound is a revelation for a low-budget 1970s film originally released in mono. Given a full Dolby Digital 5.1 remix the tremendously detailed, rich and involving soundscape really brings Gilliams world alive and puts many much more recent and expensive titles to shame. --Gary S Dalkin

• Shame | DVD | (02/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  On a remote island far removed from a raging civil war Jan and Eva retreat to their apolitical fortress: a small vegetable farm. But their serene existence is shattered when soldiers violently invade their home. Now caught in the crosshairs of a brutal and inhuman conflict Jan and Eva become survivors with only one concern - to endure.