"Actor: Michelle Ang"

• Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon -- Superbit | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £5.84   |  Saving you £7.15 (122.43%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is so many things: an historical epic on a grand scale, an Asian martial-arts flick with both great effects and fantastic fighting (choreographed by The Matrix's guru Yuen Wo Ping), a story of magic, revenge and power played with a posse of star-crossed lovers thrown in for good measure. Set during the Qing dynasty (the late 19th century), the film follows the fortunes of righteous warriors Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien (Asian superstars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, respectively) whose love for one another has lain too long unspoken. When Li Mu Bai's legendary sword Green Destiny is stolen by wilful aristocrat's daughter Jen (exquisite newcomer Zhang Ziyi), who has been trained in the way of the gangster by Li Mu Bai's arch-rival Jade Fox, the warriors must fight to recover the mystical blade. The plot takes us all across China, from dens of iniquity and sumptuous palaces to the stark plains of the Western desert. Characters chase each other up walls and across roof and treetops to breathtaking effect, and Tan Dun's haunting, Oscar-winning East-West inflected score. Directed by Taiwanese-born Ang Lee and co-written by his longtime collaborator American James Schamus, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon joins the ranks of the team's slate of high-quality, genre-spanning literary adaptations. Although it superficially seems like a return to Ang's Asian roots, there's a clear throughline connecting this with their earlier, Western films given the thematic focus on propriety and family honour (Sense and Sensibility), repressed emotions (The Ice Storm) and divided loyalties in a time of war (Ride with the Devil). Nonetheless, a film this good needs no prior acquaintance with the director's oeuvre; it stands on its own. The only people who might be dismissive of it are jaded chop-socky fans who will probably feel bored with all the romance. Everyone else will love it. --Leslie Felperin On the DVD: As might be expected this superb anamorphic widescreen version of the original 2.35:1 theatrical ratio presents Peter Pau's spellbinding cinematography in its full glory; the same goes for the Dolby 5.1 audio track that showcases Tan Dun's haunting score. Annoyingly, however, the default language option is the dubbed English soundtrack, which means you have to select the original Mandarin version before playing. The extra features are good but not exceptional, with an obligatory "making-of" documentary and commentary from Ang Lee and James Schamus being the best options: the director and producer/cowriter chat amiably and in some detail about their martial arts version of Sense and Sensibility. But it's the breathtaking delight of the seeing the movie in such quality that really counts, and this disc does not disappoint. --Mark Walker

• Martial Arts Super Box Set | DVD | (18/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  King Boxer II: Bruce Le is back with a vengeance thundering his way through a multitude of adversaries using all the techniques he knows. From the Leopard Fist to the Tiger Claw he smashes all who stand in his way in his battle against an evil Shaolin sect. Karate Kill: Martial Arts champion Steve Hunt is lured to a desert fortress to compete in what he thinks will be an Olympic-style contest between Martial Arts Champions with a prize of a fortune in diamonds. In

• Adrenalin Charged | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £6.95   |  Saving you £13.04 (187.63%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Butterfly & Sword: Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh - Enough said! You only need mention the names of these two superstars in relation to a Hong Kong movie and you know you're dealing with a quality production. Such is the adrenaline-charged swordplay fantasy Butterfly & Sword (18) - a hugely impressive showcase for the dazzling skills of both - which also stars Hard Boiled's Tony Leung. Directed by Chin Siu-Tung (who choreographed Jet Li in Swordsman II) this breathtaking spectacle explodes into action from the very first scene and continues at a mind-blowing pace until the stunning climax. During the ride viewers are treated to jaw-dropping locations awesome fight choreography and surreal violence with all the key performers in top form throughout. Butterfly & Sword is full of the stylish sweeping action which later would make Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Michelle Yeoh again) such a huge worldwide hit. Characters routinely spin upside down through the air use soccer balls as deadly weapons run up walls with ease and in one particularly memorable sequence use each other as human bows and arrows - sending Tony Leung flying straight through the bad guys like a hot knife through butter! Such a sumptuous visual experience as this tends not worry too much about plotting and this is no exception. The story is sufficiently convoluted as to be unfathomable so we'll just say this: Michelle Yeoh is a loyal defender of her King's empire under siege from an army of revolutionaries. That'll do! This is Hong Kong cinema at its most exuberant: an action adventure which bombards the viewer with amazing images and gorgeous cinematography but isn't afraid of delivering some startling scenes of violence and gore to boot. The Blade: Legendary Hong Kong Director Tsui Hark blends violent action and stunning swordplay in his remake of the Shaw Brothers classic One-Armed Swordsman. The Blade is a sweeping epic which highlights the incredible fighting talent of Chiu Cheuk Hong Kong's latest action start. When a master sword-maker adopts the son of a murdered friend (Chiu Cheuk) the boy learns the master's craft well. As a young man he learns about his fathers death at the hand of a mysterious tattooed killer (Xiong-Xin-Xin). He takes fathers broken blade and sets out to seek vengeance. The daughter Ling follows but is caught in a bloody ambush. When he tries to rescue her his arm is hacked off in the battle and he is believed dead by all except Ling and his friend who set out in search of him. But he is saved by a hermit girl who nurses him back to health where he finds an old kung fu manual and practices with the broken blade to perfect the art of one armed swordfighting. In a breathtaking finale unlike anything you have seen before our hero sets off once again to find the tattooed assassin a quest that leads to an explosive and spectacular showdown. What Price Survival: 'What Price Survival' is the stunning reworking of the Shaw Brothers classic 'The One Armed Swordsman'...... An eye for an eye... An arm for an arm...

• Gomorrah Club | DVD | (25/04/2011) from £17.53   |  Saving you £-4.54 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

• Hidden Beauties | DVD | (28/03/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  When a sister and brother discover three beautiful women in a coma-like trance deep in the dungeon of their newly inherited English castle, they wake each beauty with a kiss. But they soon find that they have also awakened centuries of pent-up passion!

• Tea With Mussolini/How To Make An American Quilt/A Thousand Acres | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Tea With Mussolini (Dir. Franco Zeffirelli 1999): Florence 1934. A diverse group of cultured ladies meet for tea each afternoon: Lady Hester Random widow of the British Ambassador to Italy Arabella an artist and singer Georgie the exuberant American archaeologist and the brash and uninhibited Elsa. One of their fold Mary becomes surrogate mother to a young boy Luca and he is soon virtually adopted and brought up by the group of ladies. But the shifting political climate begins to have serious consequences for this unconventional community and the maturing Luca must face up to a personal challenge of independence. How To Make An American Quilt (Dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse 1995): Berkeley graduate student Finn (Winona Ryder) is spending the summer at the home of her sparring grandmother and great aunt (Oscar-winners Ellen Burstyn & Anne Bancroft). Their house is a quiet haven where Finn intends to finish her latest thesis and think over a marriage proposal. But when she meets sexy smoldering Leon things begin to get complicated. As she wrestles with her decision the women in her grandmother's quilting bee confide to her the stories of the loves that shaped their own lives. How to Make an American Quilt brings unbridled passion true love betrayal joy and heartbreak vividly to life in a touchingly funny cinematic tapestry that celebrates finding your way and following your heart. A Thousand Acres (Dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse 1997): Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-selling novel A Thousand Acres (penned by Jane Smiley) follows the saga of the Cook family headed by the indomitable patriarch Larry Cook (Jason Robards). Cook's kingdom is a fertile farm that spans 1 000 acres but the seeds of its destruction are sown when he impulsively decides to distribute it among his three daughters Ginny (Jessica Lange) Rose (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Caroline (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The apportioned land soon begins to divide the family. Long-guarded secrets unspoken rivalries and denied desires buried just beneath the surface of their respective lives are unwillingly unearthed with profound catastrophic and ultimately liberating repercussions...