"Actor: Paula Paul"

• Mermaids | DVD | (23/07/2001) from £10.00   |  Saving you £2.99 (29.90%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Richard Benjamin's off-beat 1990 comedy Mermaids found Cher at the peak of her big-screen form. She plays Mrs Flax to the manner born. The eccentric mother feeds her two daughters on hors d'oeuvres and sticks a pin in the map to decide the family's next destination when her love affairs have run their course. When they reach New England, however, events--and an unlikely but amiable suitor (Bob Hoskins)--interrupt her self-centred progress and bring the facts of life home to roost with a vengeance. It's a well-made comedy with good performances from Cher and Hoskins, although neither of them is particularly stretched. There is also enough tension in the relationship between Mrs Flax and her eldest child to make it poignant as well as funny. As the Flax daughters, Winona Ryder (neurotic, unworldly Charlotte) and Christina Ricci (swimming-mad "fishhead") show plenty of the promise which has since made them two of America's most appealing film actresses. Stuffed with authentic 1960s detail, Mermaids is actually a modern "woman's picture" which affirms the often precarious bonds of family relationships. On the DVD: Presented in widescreen format, optimised for high-resolution television sets, Mermaids is a vibrant visual treat for anybody with an affection for 1960s kitsch and fashion. The picture quality is superb and the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack sharp; some cracking dialogue has to share the sound waves with thumping hits of the day and, over the final credits, Cher's global smash hit rendering of "It's in His Kiss". But apart from a multilingual choice of soundtracks and subtitles and the original theatrical trailer, there are no extras. --Piers Ford

• Full Eclipse | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Pimps pushers and armed gangs daily deal in violence and death in a war the police just can't seem to win; until now. A sinister cop leader has recruited a secret vigilante squad. Eradicating the criminal with an incredible new weapon an extra-ordinary serum that gives his team superhuman powers while turning them into subhuman crossbreeds. Fantastically strong and ferocious these strange warriors are fighting tooth and claw to sweep the scum of the streets...permanently. A daily breed it's sometimes hard to tell who the real animals are as the 'pack' get increasingly out of control.

• The Eternal | DVD | (11/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Tormented by nightmare visions of a past she cannot explain wealthy New Yorker Nora (Alison Elliot) persuades her husband Jim (Jared Harris) to escape with her to the peace and quiet of her ancestral home in remotest Ireland. Arriving at the gloomy old house the couple are met by Nora's uncle (Christopher Walken) who unshrouds a gruesome secret; the mummified corpse of a druid witch who died 2000 years ago and who is trapped halfway between life and death. Little does Nora realise that her presence in the old family house will compel her not only to face her dark side but also do battle with forces of true evil...

• The Serpent's Egg | DVD | (02/08/2004) from £14.97   |  Saving you £1.02 (6.81%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Abel Rosenberg (Carradine) is a circus acrobat out of work and living in a defeated Germany after the First World War. He takes a job at the Veregus Clinic and there he finds the truth behind the work of the Professor Veregus (Bennett) work that led to his own brother committing suicide...

• She'll Be Wearing Pink Pyjamas | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £12.15   |  Saving you £-6.16 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  She'll be Wearing Pink Pyjamas (1984) epitomises the early work of the FilmFour brand: solid productions, usually awash with issues, a strong dose of prickly humour and a reliable ensemble of British character actors. This tale of female bonding concerns a miscellaneous group of women thrown together on an Outward Bound course. They've all come for their own reasons--men (the lack of, or to escape from), midlife crisis, feelings of now-or-never--and as the course escalates, these are discovered and shared. Even the rather tiresome and bossy course leader has a moment of revelation. Think Steel Magnolias in a tent. Will they make it? The bonding scenes are sufficiently well counterpointed by the wet and muddy action to keep you guessing. There are plenty of laughs to keep the clichés at bay, although John Goldschmidt's direction could have been tighter. The performances, led by Julie Walters at her most attention-seeking, are good and often touching. All in all this is a brittle but warm-hearted little comedy about optimism and survival. On the DVD: She'll be Wearing Pink Pyjamas is presented in 4:3 picture format with a dull mono soundtrack, which betrays its made-for-television origins. There are no subtitles and, apart from a scene index, no extras. --Piers Ford

• The Breaks | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This is the story of a day in the life of Derrick King. As a young orphaned Irish boy Derrick falls off the boat on his way to America and is rescued by an African-American family living in South Central L.A. His mother has tried in vain to install a set of virtues into her wayward son who is now in his early 20's. After being caught having sex at home Derrick gets kicked out of the house and is given an ultimatum: he must prove that he can do something right--he must simply bring

• The Tube - Vol. 1 | DVD | (23/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The best live performances from the first series of The Tube - the groundbreaking and anarchic Friday night music programme hosted by Jools Holland and - the late - Paula Yates. As well as featuring up-and-coming acts The Tube also played host to a number of well-established groups giving live performances which for the most part have not been seen since their original transmission and have never been released in any format before now. The live spirit of the series (first broadcast on Bonfire Night 1982) is further underlined with the inclusion of live interviews and behind the scenes footage as well as original linking sequences from Jools and Paula. Including sets from The Jam (in their last performance) Culture Club Robert Palmer Soft Cell Iggy Pop Depeche Mode The Stranglers Thin Lizzy Madness The Eurythmics The Undertones and U2.

• The Serpent's Egg | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Abel Rosenberg (Carradine) is a circus acrobat out of work and living in a defeated Germany after the First World War. He takes a job at the Veregus Clinic and there he finds the truth behind the work of the Professor Veregus (Bennett) work that led to his own brother committing suicide...

• Kebab Connection | DVD | (31/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A