"Actor: Peter Dane"

• Carry On Again Doctor | DVD | (17/02/2003) from £8.70   |  Saving you £4.29 (49.31%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The title of 1969's Carry On Again Doctor says it all; almost the same cast playing similar characters to their previous year's outing in Carry On Doctor. This one rejoices in the alternative title "Bowels are Ringing". But the enduring popularity of these films owes almost everything to their basic formula and if it occasionally seems a bit cobbled together, all the old favourites are still here. This time, the setting moves from the National Health Service to the private sector and even stretches as far as the "Beatific Islands" when Jim Dale is exiled to a missionary clinic for his overzealous attention to the female patients--who include Barbara Windsor of course. There, orderly Sid James rules the roost of the clinic with his harem of local women. Trivia addicts can spot Mrs Michael Caine in a brief role as a token dusky maiden. The second half of the Talbot Rothwell script picks up nicely as the characters converge on the private hospital back in England where Dale rakes in the money with a bogus weight loss treatment. Hattie Jacques is in fine form as Matron, Kenneth Williams fascinates with his usual mass of mannerisms and Joan Sims is stately as the Lady Bountiful figure financing most of the shenanigans. It's a tribute to their professionalism that we can still lose ourselves in some of the creakiest old jokes around. --Piers Ford

• The Greatest Game Ever Played | DVD | (24/07/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The story is based on a real-life event the 1913 U.S. Open golf championship at which two equally sympathetic young men both of whom grew up economically and socially disadvantaged go club to club in one of the most exciting and dramatic athletic events of the early 20th century. Though British star Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) and the young American prodigy Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBoeuf) hail from opposite sides of the Atlantic the struggles that the two young golfers have had to overcome are markedly similar; both grew up in hard-scrabble working-class homes that happened to be adjacent to golf courses and both were preternaturally disposed to the game. In addition both must defy the disdain of the golfing gentry....

• Stargate SG-1: Season 4 | DVD | (31/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  It wasn't until the beginning of Stargate SG-1's fourth season that fans knew to take the Replicator threat seriously. The spidery nasties had only seemed like one of many new enemies introduced in previous years. But when the one seemingly omnipotent backbone of the galaxy was asking Earth for help, clearly we were in real trouble! In fact, the team's list of enemies expanded and got far more complicated this year. Proving without a shadow of a doubt that this is science fiction, the Russians reveal they have their own Stargate program and ask the Americans for help. This twist allows for exploration of all the political machinations occurring behind the scenes of the SG-C, all of which appear to stem from the embittered Senator Kinsey (Ronny Cox). There were quite a few Earth-based stories in the year, but not all the new enemies were originally local. Willie Garson comically guest-starred as Martin, a geekily suspicious guy with too much knowledge of the Stargate. More sinister was an old flame of Daniel's turning into something far more painful than an old wound (thanks to an ancient Egyptian curse). Thankfully, the writers hadn't forgotten the importance of one-off storylines too. In "Upgrades" the team learns a lesson in abuse of power. In "The Other Side" (featuring DS9's Rene Auberjonois) they learn about blind trust. In "Scorched Earth" a dangerous claim for a planet's ownership means they learn to value Daniel's contribution to the group dynamic. If only this last lesson were learned better, season 5 might not have ended up as muddled as it did. --Paul Tonks

• One Down, Two To Go | DVD | (29/09/2003) from £5.96   |  Saving you £-0.97 (-19.40%)   |  RRP £4.99

  During a high-stakes east-west karate tournament coach Chuck suspects the match is rigged against him. When looking around the other team's locker room gets him shot he calls in Cal and J his partners from California. After exercising a little persuasion and a lot of brute force they discover who's behind it all. Now the only problem is getting back the money Chuck is owed.

• The Steamie | DVD | (22/09/2003) from £5.22   |  Saving you £9.77 (187.16%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Written by Tony Roper The Steamie is set around Hogmany 1957 when a feisty bunch of Glasgow women (Mrs Culfeathers Dolly Doreen and the irrepresible Magrit) all meet at The Steamie to do the traditional family wash before the New Year. The Steamie is a hilarious cameo of Glasgow's social histroy where the washing was always easier to do when the women shared their laughter and sorrow and a scandalous supply of gossip.

• Time Without Pity | DVD | (21/04/2008) from £10.44   |  Saving you £2.55 (24.43%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Following his blacklisting in the McCarthy witch hunts the American director Joseph Losey worked in England and fashioned this gritty noir thriller about David Graham (Michael Redgrave) an alcoholic father who has 24 hours to prove that his son is not guilty of murder and save him from the gallows. Robert Stanford (Leo McKern) is a car dealer who knows the truth but continues to keep Graham on the defensive. As the clock ticks mercilessly Graham fights a battle against both Stanford as he tries to save his sons life. Time Without Pity was Losey's first film under his own name and retains the director's striking blend of drama and social commentary. The film was also photographed by the legendary Freddie Francis of Elephant Man fame.

• Barbara Taylor Bradford | DVD | (10/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  A box set containing the following titles: A Woman Of Substance (2 discs) Hold The Dream To Be The Best Act Of Will Voice Of The Heart Her Own Rules A Secret Affair.

• To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday | DVD | (15/01/2007) from £7.97   |  Saving you £5.02 (62.99%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Undying love collides with real life in this unforgettable romance starring Peter Gallagher Claire Danes Kathy Baker and Michelle Pfeiffer. Gallagher is David Lewis a grieving widower on the brink of a breakdown who continues to ""see"" his late wife two years after her death. As he withdraws further into his fantasy world he leaves his neglected daughter behind. Hoping to help him David's meddling in-laws (Baker and Bruce Altman) bring an uninvited guess - and a hidden agenda - for a weekend at David's beach house. What follows is a warm funny deeply touching story of a love that doesn't die and a man who finally learns to keep on living.

• Carry On Again Doctor | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The title of Carry On Again Doctor (1969) says it all; almost the same cast playing similar characters to their previous year's outing in Carry On Doctor. This one rejoices in the alternative title "Bowels are Ringing". But the enduring popularity of these films owes almost everything to their basic formula and if this one occasionally seems a bit cobbled together, all the old favourites are still there, working away. This time, the setting moves from the National Health Service to the private sector and even stretches as far as the "Beatific Islands" when Jim Dale is exiled to a missionary clinic for his overzealous attention to the female patients, who include Barbara Windsor of course. There, orderly Sid James rules the roost of the clinic with his harem of local women. Trivia addicts can spot Mrs Michael Caine in a brief role as a token dusky maiden. The second half of the Talbot Rothwell script picks up nicely as the characters converge on the private hospital back in England where Dale rakes in the money with a bogus weight loss treatment. Hattie Jacques is in fine form as Matron, Kenneth Williams fascinates with his usual mass of mannerisms and Joan Sims is stately as the Lady Bountiful figure financing most of the shenanigans. It's a tribute to their professionalism that we can still lose ourselves in some of the creakiest old jokes around. On the DVD: Bog standard 4:3 picture format and mono soundtrack provide an adequate viewing experience, especially as today most people will be more familiar with these films from television transmissions than from their cinema release. However, the lack of extras is a shame. Apart from the scene index, there is nothing to distinguish the DVD from its video equivalent. At the very least, a cast list or star biographies would add a little value. --Piers Ford

• Of Unknown Origin | Blu Ray | (22/05/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Black Samurai | DVD | (04/08/2008) from £2.68   |  Saving you £-0.69 (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  Jim Kelly, the star of Black Samurai, was a multi-talented martial artist perhaps best remembered for his role in Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. Black Samurai is essentially a vehicle for his fighting skills in which he plays a secret agent out to retrieve his Japanese sweetheart from the drug-dealing Satanist who has abducted her to blackmail her father. His investigative skills are almost non-existent--much of the plot consists of his arriving at the villains' houses and hitting people. At the same time, the character's utter ruthlessness and the extravagant evil of the villains, the chief of whom, Jannicot, is in the habit of sicking a vulture on his enemies, are entertaining enough and the 1970s styling unselfconsciously entertaining. The director, Al Adamson, was mostly famous for his horror films, and there is a Gothic extravagance to the sets and gimmicks here: Kelly's jet-pack sequence has to be seen to be believed. On the DVD: The DVD comes with a wonderful period trailer for The Green Hornet, the usual chapter selection, biographies of Kelly and Adamson (who was murdered in 1995) and a feature which enables you to look at the fight scenes in isolation. --Roz Kaveney

• Evita/Les Miserables/Gypsy | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Evita (Dir. Alan Parker 1996): Eva Peron (Madonna) was born the illegitimate daughter of a penniless farmer. Determined to make it to the top Eva attaches herself to a poplar tango singer (Jimmy Nail) in the big city. Eva becomes a radio and film actress moving in influential circles within Buenos Aires society. When she becomes involved with rising politician Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce) the establishment disapproves and he is arrested. Eva fights on the freedom both for her husband and the oppressed masses. Peron is freed by the people the couple marries and Peron is elected president. But Eva's greatest battle is yet to come. Les Miserables (Dir. Bille August 1998): Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel this is an epic tale of love honour and obsession against the dramatic background of the French Revolution. Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) lives a life on the run for stealing a loaf of bread. Settling in a remote town he devotes himself to the care of the poor including the beautiful young and poverty stricken Fantine (Uma Thurman). When Fantine dies she leaves a daughter Cosette (Claire Danes) who Valjean raises. But they are haunted by Javert (Geoffrey Rush) a policeman whose lifelong search for Valjean has become an obsession. A hunt begins that will come to a final confrontation on the revolution torn streets of Paris. Gyspy (Dir. Emile Ardolino 1993): It's Emmy Grammy and Golden Globe-winner Bette Midler in the role she was born to play. The superstar of Beaches Ruthless People Down & Out in Beverly Hills and For the Boys delivers a standing room only performance as Mama Rose the ultimate vaudeville stage mother. Rose's blind ambition for her two daughters forces one to desert her and the other to emerge as the world's most famous striptease artist - Gypsy Rose Lee. Based on the actual memoirs of Ms. Lee and directed by the late Emile Ardolino (Sister Act Dirty Dancing) this musical motion picture extravaganza is true to the original Broadway production... including the glorious Jerome Robbins choreography and the memorable Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim score. The classics are all here - from Everything's Coming Up Roses to Let Me Entertain You and as a special bonus the complete version of Gypsy's classic overture. Spectacular performances by Ms. Midler and her supporting cast - Peter Riegert Cynthia Gibb (as the legendary Gypsy Rose Lee) and Ed Asner - will leave you asking for an encore!

• Of Unknown Origin | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  A low-rent horror flick from the early 1980s, Of Unknown Origin completely misses the mark in the scare stakes and instead comes across like a grisly, live-action version of Tom and Jerry. Our inept hero is the ambitious, house-proud executive Bart Hughes (Peter Weller), who is left alone by his wife and son to complete a business proposal only to discover that he is sharing his apartment with a mischievous giant rat. Unable to trap or poison his foe, Hughes quickly descends into nightmare-haunted madness and thus the stage is set for a suspenseless battle of wits that is less cat-and-mouse and more idiot-versus-rat. Finding an angry rodent swimming in your toilet might be a pretty unpleasant prospect, but cinematically speaking it's far from terrifying. Created using jerky point-of-view shots and creature effects that range from incongruous real-life footage to button-eyed glove puppets, the rat is an unthreatening villain, despite Weller's best efforts to react in abject horror when he finds the corners of his mail nibbled or his dry groceries spoiled. There are some unsuccessful attempts to make Hughes' plight more immediate to the audience by references to real-life rat problems--he visits a library to research his enemy and finds some disturbing photographs of rat-attack victims and subsequently ruins a dinner party with a genuinely unsettling rant about infestation and plagues--but it's difficult to feel sorry for him when he can't even muster the tenacity to track down a professional exterminator. By the time Weller gets caught in one of his own traps, you will probably be rooting for the rat anyway, and might take some pleasure from a ridiculous denouement in which, dressed in full battle-gear, he completely destroys his beloved apartment by clumsily chasing the elusive vermin with a nail-studded baseball bat. Gore Verbinski's genuinely hilarious Mousehunt did it with a lot more charm. On the DVD: Of Unknown Origin comes to DVD with a basic selection of extras. An entertaining commentary from Peter Weller and the likeable George P Cosmatos III does the film a lot of favours, even if their efforts to talk up its importance as an allegory for man's struggle against nature using comparisons with The Old Man and the Sea, Moby Dick, Alien and Jaws fail to convince. Added to this is the theatrical trailer ("If it doesn't scare you to death, it WILL find another way!"), a choice of languages and scene selection. --Paul Philpott

• Violent City | Blu Ray | (17/05/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A