"Actor: Michael Chan"

• The Sopranos: Series 1 (Vol. 5) | DVD | (16/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Sopranos, writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home: This ambitious TV series chronicles a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there is the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood.The series' brilliant first season is built around what Tony learns when, whipsawed between those two worlds, he finds himself plunged into depression and seeks psychotherapy--a gesture at odds with his mid-level capo's machismo, yet instantly recognisable as a modern emotional test. With analysis built into the very spine of the show's elaborate episodic structure, creator Chase and his formidable corps of directors, writers and actors weave an unpredictable series of parallel and intersecting plot arcs that twist from tragedy to farce to social realism. While creating for a smaller screen, they enjoy a far larger canvas than a single movie would afford, and the results, like the very best episodic television, attain a richness and scope far closer to a novel than movies normally get.Unlike Francis Coppola's operatic dramatisation of Mario Puzo's Godfather epic, The Sopranos sustains a poignant, even mundane intimacy in its focus on Tony, brought to vivid life by James Gandolfini's mercurial performance. Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful and murderous, Gandolfini is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. Both he and the superb team of Italian-American actors recruited as his loyal (and, sometimes, not-so-loyal) henchman and their various "associates" make this mob as credible as the evocative Bronx and New Jersey locations where the episodes were filmed.The first season's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional", perceptive and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what is not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings. --Sam Sutherland, Amazon.com

• American Mavericks - Fight the Power | DVD | (21/08/2006) from £19.80   |  Saving you £0.19 (1.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Assasination Of Richard Nixon The mad story of a true man. A chilling drama that explores and exposes the dark side of the American Dream The Assassination of Richard Nixon focuses on the tragic true story of Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) a disillusioned everyman who in 1974 was driven to plot the assassination of the 37th president of the United States. Despite the fact that his marriage is breaking up and that he is trapped in a sales job he finds demeaning Sam tries desperately to succeed both at home and at work; all he wants is to win his family back and to start a business of his own. However in a society worn down by political corruption and the Vietnam War there is not much room left for dreamers. Sam's world unravels against the backdrop of the Watergate scandal which exposes culpability at the highest levels of society. With images of Nixon - ""the greatest salesman of them all"" - flooding the airwaves Sam believes he has found the person responsible for his and America's problems and makes his appointment with destiny. (Dir. Niels Mueller 2004) The Corporation A fascinating feature length documentary expose that dissects the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day global dominance. 150 years ago the corporation was a relatively insignificant entity. Today it is a vivid dramatic and pervasive presence in all our lives. The the church the monarchy and the communist party in other times and places the corporation is today's dominant institution. But history humbles dominant institutions. All have been crushed belittled or absorbed into some new order. The corporation is unlikely to be the first to defy history. In this complex and highly entertaining documentary Mark Achbar teams up with co-director Jennifer Abbott and writer Joel Bakan to examine the far-reaching repercussions of the corporation's increasing preeminence. Based on Bakan's book The Corporation: The Pursuit Of Profit And Power the film is a timely critical inquiry that invites CEOs whistle blowers brokers gurus spies players pawns and pundits on a graphic and engaging quest to reveal the corporation's inner workings curious history controversial impacts and possible futures. Featuring illuminating interviews with Noam Chomsky Michael Moore Howard Zinn and many others The Corporation charts the spectacular rise of an institution aimed at achieving specific economic goals as it also recounts victories against this apparently invincible force.... (Dir. Jennifer Abbott Mark Achbar 2003) Manic A troubled young man (Gordon-Levitt) is committed to a juvenile mental institution where he's forced by his counselor (Cheadle) to confront the source of his rage or face the grim prospect of a life behind bars... (Dir. Jordan Melamed 2001)

• Tavener - Fall & Resurrection | DVD | (20/04/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

• The Classic Western Box Set - Vol. 2 | DVD | (04/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Apache Rifles (1964): A young cavalry officer is assigned the job of bringing in a band of Apaches who have been terrorizing the countryside. Days of Jesse James (1939): Roy Rogers is sent to investigate a recent bank robbery believed to have been carried out by the 'James Gang'. Roy manages to join the posse and finds out that Jesse and the boys did not commit the crime. Now he must uncover who in fact did rob the bank... Riders Of The Whistling Pines (1949): When an insect plague ravages the forest evil loggers plan on harvesting protected land. They murder a forest ranger so they can carry out the plan and they frame Gene Autry for the crime. Autry is cleared but the loggers' devious plan continues when they spray the forest to kill the insects yet wind up killing much of the wildlife too. Autry must step in and utilize his patented brand of cowboy justice. Abilene Town (1946): It's the Cattle Baron versus the Settlers and the Sheriff (Randolph Scott) has his hands - and jail-cells - full just keeping the peace between them. Great musical numbers by the Sheriff's sweetheart round out this old fashioned rootin' tootin' western! Edgar Buchanan shines as the bumbling Marhsal and Lloyd Bridges co-starring in one of his earliest roles is the settler who leads the fight against the crooked cattlemen! Kansas Pacific (1953): On the eve of the Civil War southern rebels attack railroad builders in an attempt to stop the Kansas Pacific line from crossing the western frontier. Rugged U.S. Army Captain John Nelson (Sterling Hayden) is sent out to battle the ruthless renegades and make sure the tracks push westward. Violence and treachery abound as the Captain pursues his bloody mission but Nelson must continue fighting the relentless saboteurs not knowing who masterminds the deadly assaults. Colorado (1940): Lt. Burke (Rogers) is sent to investigate an Indian uprising in Colorado that threatens the success of the Union cause. When Burke arrives he finds the Union boys fighting amongst each other and the instigator of all the trouble is his very own brother Donald Mason (Stone). 4 Episodes of The Cisco Kid: The Cisco Kid stars Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Leo Carillo as his faithful sidekick and comic foil Pancho. Set in 1890's New Mexico Cisco and Pancho fight corruption and seek justice for the victims of bandits con men and cattle rustlers. Featuring: 'Confession for Money' 'Freight Line Feud' 'Burried Treasure' and 'Lost Identity'.

• Ricochet/Once in the Life/A Murder of Crows | DVD | (29/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Ricochet: 'Cape Fear' meets its match as uber-producer Joel Silver turns on the terror in the fast and furious no-frills thriller 'Ricochet'. Denzel Washington is crack cop turned deputy DA Nick Styles. LA's hottest hero he's on a roll and a rocket ride to the top. John Lithgow is vindictive sadistic psycho Earl Blake sent down by Styles and he's out for revenge. For Blake taking Styles' life will not be enough - tearing it apart will be much more fun! The ultimate in screen suspense Ricochet takes the pace to breaking point as one man's pain becomes another man's very twisted pleasure. Once In The Life: A powerful urban crime thriller. Estranged half-brothers Torch and Mike 20/20 are re-united in a prison cell. Both are involved in the citys underground crime scene - Torch to raise cash to feed his drug habit and Mike wanting to raise enough to to enable him to leave crime behind. Mike is planning to intercerpt a heroin deal and persuades Torch to help. When the manic junkie-brother shoots one the young drug couriers the pair take refuge in an abandoned building. Mike seeks help from his friend and old cell-mate Tony not realising that the dope they have stolen is his. Based on Fisburne's play 'Riff Raff'. Murder Of Crows: Lawson Russell is a prominent New Orleans attorney whose legal savvy and unbeatable charm have gained him the reputation of being a man who can get even the most guilty suspects off the hook. That is until Russell can no longer bear to defend the guilty and drops his wealthy client Truman Banks. Disbarred and disgraced Russell leaves for Key West to write a novel and attempt to pull the pieces of his life back together. A chance meeting and moment of indiscretion put Russell into a dangerous web of murder treachery and deceit. Time is running out as Russell battles to prove that he is an innocent man...

• Don't Look In The Basement | DVD | (29/11/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  In an experimental hospital for the criminally insane the 'pioneering' director continues to introduce unorthadox methods despite the protestors of an anxious community. In awe of his experiments he allows the inmates to act out their wild and brutal fantasies... slowly but surely the nurse and her patients descend into a dark abyss of sex and death. Who can survive the carnage... where should they look for help? One things for sure... dont look in the basement!

• Boo, Zino and the Snurks/Secondhand Lions/Elf | DVD | (07/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Boo Zino And The Snurks (Dir. Lenard Fritz Krawinkel and Holger Tappe 2004): German animation with featuring the voice of Captain Jean Luc-Picard! When Gaya's power stone the Dalamite is stolen by the diabolical scientist Professor N. Icely (Lander) using his vortex machine local hero Zino (Wrage) his trusted companion Boo (Mariot) the major's daughter Alanta (Watson) and the local trouble makers The Snurks are pulled into the swirling vortex as well. They awake to find themselves in a strange world filled with giants monster rats and buildings that reach into the sky. Realising they are not in Gaya anymore the group are shocked to discover that Gaya is not real but their homeland and themselves are in fact the creation of Albert Drollinger (Stewart) and have been pulled out of a TV show! Secondhand Lions (Dir. Tim McCanlies 2003): A coming-of-age story about a shy young boy sent by his irresponsible mother to spend the summer with his wealthy eccentric uncles in Texas. Neighbours think the crazy old men have a secret fortune stashed away... But what's the real truth and where's the cash? Elf (Dir. Jon Favreau 2003): After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity. This charming fantasy is packed full of hysterically funny moments and is destined to be a future classic!

• American Ninja / American Ninja 2 / American Ninja 3 | DVD | (04/12/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This boxset features American Ninja 1 2 and 3. American Ninja (Dir. Sam Firstenberg 1985): US army private Joe Armstrong is escorting a supply convoy when it is ambushed by rebels. Instinctively he defends himself using the martial art of Ninjitsu - an ability that puts him under suspicion by his commander and fellow soldiers. In a plot riddled with dark intrigue Armstrong now finds himself a lone warrior fighting corruption within his ranks. In the depths of the Philippino jungle he discovers a dark secret in his past. He has been initiated into the deadliest art of the Orient and he must now face his destiny and fight the evil Black Star Ninja in the ultimate martial arts battle. This is a seminal Ninja movie with breath taking action as swift and sure as the blade of a samurai sword! American Ninja 2 (Dir. Sam Firstenberg 1987): On a remote Caribbean island Army Ranger Joe Armstrong saves an old friend from the clutches of The Lion an evil super-criminal who has kidnapped a local scientist and mass-produced an army of mutant Ninja warriors. American Ninja 3 (Dir. Cedric Sundstrom 1989): Jackson is back and now he has a new partner karate champion Sean as they must face a deadly terrorist known as The Cobra...

• Johannes Passion - Bach | DVD | (09/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Performed by Kings College Choir Cambridge and the The Brandeburg Consort (leader Roy Goodman). Conducted by Stephen Cleobury and filmed at King's College Chapel.

• Come Away | DVD | (12/04/2021) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Directed by Brenda Chapman, the Oscar-winning director and co-writer of Pixar's Brave, COME AWAY is a whimsical and inspiring British made live-action fairy-tale and an ingeniously conceived prequel to two of the world's most beloved and enduring pieces of children's literature Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Starring Angelina Jolie, David Oyelowo, Anna Chancellor, Michael Caine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Reece Yates, the film follows the adventures of siblings Alice and Peter who transform into Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland in a bid to help their parents overcome the tragedy of losing their eldest son. Peter and Alice find strength in the power of their imaginations and set off on a real adventure to try and rescue the family - escaping to a destiny of eternal boyhood in the distant isle of Neverland - whilst Alice delves into a world of Wonderland.

• Lucid surf DVD | DVD | (10/04/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A