"Actor: Michael Balfour"

• Genevieve -- Special Edition | DVD | (11/06/2007) from £2.98   |  Saving you £13.01 (436.58%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The 1953 fast paced comedy finally makes it to DVD in a Special Collectors' edition.

• 24: Series 1 | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £14.93   |  Saving you £35.06 (234.83%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Such a simple idea--yet so fiendishly complex in the execution. 24, as surely everyone knows by now, is a thriller that takes place over 24 hours, midnight to midnight, in 24 one-hour episodes (well, 45-minute episodes if you extract the ad breaks). Everything to take place in real time--on-screen and off-screen time the same--which means no flash-backs, no flash-forwards, no nice handy time-dissolves. Every strand of the plot has to be dovetailed and interlocked to make sure that things happen just when they should, in the right amount of time. Not that easy. Creator Robert Cochran and his team of writers and directors have done a pretty impressive job in putting the jigsaw together and keeping the tension ratcheted up high, as Federal Agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) hares around LA trying to stall an assassination attempt on a black Presidential candidate and rescue his wife and daughter from the clutches of the Balkan baddies. Twists, turns, revelations and cliffhangers are tossed at us with satisfying regularity. It’s not perfect: we get some hokey plot devices (instant amnesia, anybody?) and the final twist, once you start thinking back, makes no sense whatsoever. There are altogether too many huggy family moments ("I love you, Dad." "I love you, son"); and as for überbaddie Dennis Hopper’s "Serbian" accent… Even so, this is undeniably mould-breaking TV. Sutherland, rescuing his career from the doldrums in one heroic leap, fully deserves his Golden Globe. Sets and locations are artfully deployed--we gain a real sense of LA’s splayed-out geography--and Sean Callery’s score is a powerful, brooding presence. Like Murder One and The Sopranos, 24 is one of those series future TV thrillers will have to measure themselves against. On the DVDs: 24 is released in a six-disc box set. On discs 1- 5 there are no extras, but disc 6 includes the "alternative" ending and a preview of Series 2, presented by an urbane Kiefer Sutherland, that tells us precisely nothing. The transfer, in 16x9 widescreen and 2.0 Dolby Digital sound, does the high production values of the original every justice.--Philip Kemp

• Fahrenheit 451 | DVD | (10/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with petrol and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct towards reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

• The Sea Shall Not Have Them (Digitally Remastered) | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £9.45   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A stirring British war film depicting the boat crews whose job it was to rescue downed RAF pilots. After the Normandy D-Day landings, a dangerous attempt is made to rescue the survivors of a WWII British Hudson bomber, crashed at sea. On board is an Air Commodore who has secret plans that could stop enemy air raids on London. Produced by Daniel M. Angel. Written by Lewis Gilbert and Vernon Harris from the novel by John Harris.

• The Small Voice | DVD | (13/07/2015) from £5.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (66.78%)   |  RRP £9.99

  James Donald and Valerie Hobson star as a couple whose act of kindness has devastating consequences while a young Howard Keel (billed as "Harold Keel") makes his film debut as the desperate fugitive who terrorises them in this brilliantly claustrophobic post-war thriller. Keel's astonishing performance brought him to the attention of MGM and paved the way to Hollywood success and the film earned a BAFTA nomination for Best British Film. Released in the U.S. as The Hideout The Small Voice is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.  Whilst driving to their house in the Welsh hills Murray Byrne and his wife Eleanor come across a crashed car and take the occupants home with them for medical care. Then they discover that the men are armed. No one is allowed to leave the house and the Byrnes' movements are now closely watched by their captors... Features: Image Gallery Press Material PDF

• Six Feet Under 1-5 : The Complete DVD Collector's Edition | DVD | (10/04/2006) from £49.99   |  Saving you £0.57 (1.14%)   |  RRP £50.56

  Every Day Above Ground Is A Good One. All the episodes of the quirky drama series created by American Beauty writer Alan Ball that takes a darkly comical look at members of a dysfunctional Pasadena family that runs an independent funeral home. Season 1: 1. Pilot 2. The Will 3. The Foot 4. Familia 5. An Open Book 6. The Room 7. Brotherhood 8. Crossroads 9. Life's Too Short 10. The New Person 11. The Trip 12. A Private Life 13. Knock Knock Season 2:

• The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  When a beautiful woman claims that her dear husband has disappeared the investigation takes Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) and Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) to Scotland where - to their surprise - they uncover a plot involving clandestine society Her Majesty's Secret Service... and the Loch Ness Monster! But before he can deduce matters to the elementary Holmes makes an error that may jeopardize the national safety of Britain... and ruin his reputation!

• Six Feet Under - The Complete Fourth Season | DVD | (09/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £50.99

  There's a new pecking order at the Fisher & Diaz funeral home but Nate Ruth David and Claire still try to make every day above ground a good one. Death and dysfunction are par for the course in The Complete Fourth Season of Six Feet Under. Episodes comprise: 1. Falling Into Place 2. In Case Of Rapture 3. Parallel Play 4. Can I Come Up Now 5. That's My Dog 6. Terror Starts At Home 7. The Dare 8. Coming And Going 9. Grinding The Corn 10. The Black Forest 11. The Bomb Shelter

• Secondhand Lions | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £36.95   |  Saving you £-16.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A coming-of-age tale following the comedic adventures of an introverted 14-year-old packed off to spend the summer with a pair of cranky, eccentric great-uncles.

• Six Feet Under - The Complete Fifth Season | DVD | (04/10/2006) from £16.77   |  Saving you £33.22 (198.09%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Alan Ball's incredible drama series comes to an end in this the concluding season of Six Feet Under Episodes Comprise: 1. A Coat of White Primer 2. Dancing For Me 3. Hold My Hand 4. Time Flies 5. Eat a Peach 6. Rainbow of Her Reasons 7. The Silence 8. Singing For Our Lives 9. Ecotone 10. All Alone 11. Static 12. Everyone's Waiting

• Albert R.N. | DVD | (29/11/2021) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Genevieve | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £13.66   |  Saving you £-0.68 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  For anyone who travels the congested roads of Britain these days the utterly delightful Genevieve will provoke a wistful, nostalgic sigh of regret for times gone by when there were no motorways, traffic jams were almost non-existent and friendly police motorcyclists riding classic Nortons (without helmets) cheerfully let people driving vintage cars race each other along country lanes. Even in 1953, Henry Cornelius’ gentle comedy must have seemed pleasingly old-fashioned, concerned as it is with the antics of two obsessive enthusiasts on the annual London to Brighton classic car rally. The principal quartet could hardly be bettered: though John Gregson is something of a cold fish as Genevieve’s proud owner, the radiant warmth of Dinah Sheridan as his long-suffering wife more than compensates. Kenneth More is ideally cast in the role of boastful rival enthusiast and Kay Kendall has possibly the best comic moment of all when she astonishes everyone with her drunken trumpet playing. Cornelius also directed Ealing’s Passport to Pimlico, so his sure eye for gently mocking and celebrating British eccentricities is never in doubt. The screenplay by (American writer) William Rose now seems like an elegy to a way of life long disappeared: the pivotal moment when Gregson stops to humour a passing old buffer about his love of classic cars comes from a vanished era of politeness before road rage; as does the priceless exchange between hotel owner Joyce Grenfell and her aged resident: "No one’s ever complained before", says the mystified Grenfell after Gregson and Sheridan moan about the facilities, "Are they Americans?" asks the old lady, unable to conceive that anyone British could say such things. Genevieve is both a wonderful period comedy and a nostalgic portrait of England the way it used to be. On the DVD: the "Special Edition" version of Genevieve has a decent new documentary with reminiscences from Dinah Sheridan (still radiant), the director of photography and the film’s editor, who talk about the challenges of filming on location. Most treasurable of all, though, is legendary harmonica player Larry Adler, who remembers his distinctive score with much fondness and is not at all embittered by his Hollywood blacklisting, which meant he was denied an Academy Award nomination. There’s also a short piece on some of the locations used (which for economic reasons were mostly in the lanes around Pinewood studios), cast biographies and a gallery of stills. The 4:3 ratio colour picture looks pretty good for its age and the mono sound is adequate. --Mark Walker

• Six Feet Under: Complete Series 2 | DVD | (21/06/2004) from £21.98   |  Saving you £31.00 (155.08%)   |  RRP £50.99

  In some ways, HBO's Six Feet Under plays kid brother to the Sopranos: it's spunkier, less refined, chancier and a bit of a punk. Nevertheless, the show, set in the southern California mortuary Fisher and Sons, deserves its place in the pantheon of great television series. The initial series was a showcase for the most original characters, including tight-lipped brother David (Michael C Hall) coming out of the closet, emotionally trippy mom Ruth (Frances Conroy) and the most complex girlfriend on the face of the planet, Brenda (Rachel Griffiths). Slowly, the major force in series two 2 is the unassuming lead, Peter Krause. Part of the long line of good-looking actors who never get respect because they make it look too easy, Krause finds the perfect blend of optimism and wonderful, bittersweet anguish as Nate, the prodigal son. The opening series' happy ending is forgotten as relationships change, the business is still under fire from the evil conglomerate Kroehner, and a lively dream sequence is just around the corner. As with the first series, creator Alan Ball lets many others direct and write the show, but his stamp is all over it. The eccentricities of the characters are shaped, and not always suddenly. Take daughter Claire (Lauren Ambrose), who sheds her bad boyfriend only to find more complex relationships on her road to discovering her own groove. One person in the mix is Ruth's beatnik sister (Patricia Clarkson, in an Emmy-winning role). She's a joyous embodiment of thriving--if ageing--counter-culture. Another new character is Nate's old girlfriend, the granola-loving Lisa (Lili Taylor). With Brenda heading down another destructive course, Nate is at more than one crossroads by series' end. For fans who groove with the wild, serio-comedic world of the Fishers (and let's face it, many didn't), the second series goes down like a fine meal of fusion cuisine. --Doug Thomas

• Enid Blyton's The Famous Five - Five Have A Mystery To Solve | DVD | (13/09/2010) from £13.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (28.59%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Five have a Mystery to Solve(1964) The second of the BFIs releases of the long unseen Children's Film Foundation's Famous Five serial follows Julian Dick Anne George and Timmy the dog on an adventure to the shadowy Whispering Island. With the help of ten year-old Wilfred - whose strange gifts include an ability to commune with animals - the gang discover the truth behind the mystery. With enthusiastic and memorable performances from the well cast young actors this is a delightful series which no Famous Five fan should be without.

• Revenge Of Billy The Kid | DVD | (21/08/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The Revenge of Billy the Kid is an outrageous farce like no other comedy film you've ever seen. Its bizarre blend of murder and mirth terror and titters simply defies sane description! When horney-handed farmer Gyles MacDonald has his wicked way with the farmyard goat little does he realise the freakish consequences of his strange desires. The Macdonalds are crude and grotesque living by their (dim) wits on a desolate island. Shunned by the mainlanders the family's laughable lifestyle is shattered when the unfortunate goat finally gives birth! Only Gyles' soft-headed daughter takes pity on the hideous creature. Naming it Billy she warns her brutish brothers to keep their hands off her new-found friend! But Billy doesn't beat about the bush. He grows quickly... Too quickly for Gyles who realises his diabolical secret will soon be out and the legacy of his evil lust is about to drop him deep in the manure....

• Fiend Without A Face | DVD | (24/07/2017) from £9.67   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Few 1950s creature features deliver in the way Fiend Without a Face does. The first hour is all build-up as tension grows between an Air Force research base and a small Canadian town (this is one of those British B films that pretends to be set overseas) as a series of mystery deaths are blamed by the superstitious on weird military experiments. It's not a spoiler to give away the big revelation, since every item of publicity material, including the DVD cover, blows the surprise: the initially invisible culprits turn out to be a killer swarm of disembodied brains with eyes on stalks and inchworm-like spinal cord tails. These creatures have a nasty habit of latching onto victims and sucking out their grey matter. The finale is a siege of a house by the fiends, which swarm en masse making unsettling brain-sucking sounds, and are bloodily done away with by the heroes. Using excellent stop-motion animation, this climax goes beyond silliness and manages to be genuinely nightmarish. The orgy of splattering brains stands proud among the cinema's first attempts at genuine horror-comic glee, setting a precedent for everything from The Evil Dead to Peter Jackson's Braindead. Marshall Thompson is a bland, stolid uniformed hero and most of the rest of the cast struggle with "anadian" accents, but Kynaston Reeves is fun as the decrepit lone researcher whose fault it all is. On the DVD: Fiend Without a Face on disc comes with a montage of scenes from other films in this batch of releases (The Day of the Triffids, The Stars Look Down) that plays automatically when the disc is inserted, but otherwise not even a trailer, much less the commentary track and other material found on the pricey but luxurious US Region 1 Criterion release. The print has nice contrasts but is pretty grainy. --Kim Newman

• The Quiet Woman | DVD | (10/02/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  1951 crime drama from renowned Hammer director John Gilling with acclaimed cinematography sees Jane Hylton confronted by her past. Jane Foster, the former wife of a criminal, moves to a coastal town and takes over the running of a bar known as 'The Quiet Woman'. Initially she's outraged when she learns that the previous owner had allowed an amiable local artist, and part-time smuggler, Duncan McLeod (Derek Bond) to use the inn as a base. In spite of her resentment she becomes romantically i...

• No Orchids for Miss Blandish | DVD | (24/07/2006) from £6.98   |  Saving you £6.01 (86.10%)   |  RRP £12.99

  One of the most controversial films of the 1940s the gangster thriller No Orchids For Miss Blandish caused outrage amongst critics cinema audiences and censors alike on both sides of the Atlantic when it was first released in 1948. Virginal young heiress Miss Blandish (Linda Travers) is kidnapped by a couple of small time hoods only to find herself seized from them by gangster Slim Grissom (Jack LaRue). He isn't just interested in her for the ransom money - and neither are the other members of the Grissom gang. Despite her terrifying ordeal Miss Blandish finds herself perversely attracted to the gang leader. They plan to run off together but amongst gangsters life is cheap -and a double cross is always just around the corner. Based on the best-selling novel by James Hadley Chase No Orchids For Miss Blandish's mixture of sex sadism and gutter morals outraged the world. The book itself was ferociously condemned provoking George Orwell to defend it as 'a brilliant piece of writing'. It was also the most-read book amongst members of Britain's armed forces during the Second World.

• She Always Gets Her Man | DVD | (16/11/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The ladies of the Kensington Residential Club For Women have a problem - she's petite has long blonde hair hourglass figure and has a nasty habit of turning every man's head who sees her. Sally is the shy sweet and not-so-innocent cousin of Betty Tate who has come to visit her in London from the small village of Twickelberry. It's not long before every man in London is swooning at Sally's feet something Betty and her fellow residence of the woman's club are not going to stand for. In an attempt to distract the gold digging Sally the women hire an actor to play an aristocratic millionaire leaving the other men of London free to pursue however when the actor begins to take his role a little to literally Betty and her friends must cancel the performance before it's too late.

• Press For Time | DVD | (12/11/2001) from £6.28   |  Saving you £3.71 (59.08%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In Press for Time Norman Wisdom offered his version of the crusading reporter movie, though by 1966 time was running out for Norman's style of big-screen comedy. Wisdom had played duel roles in The Square Peg (1958) and On the Beat (1962), but perhaps a sign of his growing frustration with the formulaic nature of his pictures was that he stretched himself to play not just his usual underdog hero, but also his own mother and his grandfather, the Prime Minister. Wisdom also co-wrote the movie, and as a reporter in a small seaside town causes chaos for the council, organises a beauty parade and manages to reprise his drag act (he dressed as a female nurse in A Stitch in Time) as a suffragette. This was really the penultimate Norman Wisdom comedy, since apart from What's Good for the Goose (1969), he has only made two more features, William Friedkin's The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and the belated thriller Double X (1992). Though now nearing the end of his years as a movie star, Wisdom shows himself to still be as polished as ever at his own brand of good-natured slapstick. Fans can be sure that with Norman around there's Trouble in Store (1953). --Gary S. Dalkin