"Actor: Peter MacNicol"

• The Secret Of Nimh 2 | DVD | (06/05/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In the sequel to The Secret of Nimh, we join a mighty little mouse as he discovers he has the strength to face his foes - and end up the Big Cheese - in this rousing musical adventure your family will treasure. Welcome to beautiful Thorn Valley, where the mice folk have everything they could possibly need... expect a hero. That's why they call upon Timmy Brisby, the youngest son of Jonathan Brisby who once saved them from an evil place called NIMH. There's only one problem - Timmy's a novic...

• Balto: Wolf Quest | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £3.84   |  Saving you £6.15 (160.16%)   |  RRP £9.99

  BALTO II picks up where the first ended. After settling down with Jenna and having 6 pups it soon becomes time for Balto to give his children up for adoption to human families. However no one wants Aleu his daughter because she looks so much like a wolf. When Aleu figures this out she runs away forcing Balto to go after her and sending her on a journey that reveals quite a bit about herself.

• Sophie's Choice | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £6.50   |  Saving you £0.49 (7.54%)   |  RRP £6.99

  The sunny streets of Brooklyn, just after World War II. A young would-be writer named Stingo (Peter MacNicol) shares a boarding house with beautiful Polish immigrant Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her tempestuous lover, Nathan (Kevin Kline); their friendship changes his life. This adaptation of the bestselling novel by William Styron is faithful to the point of being reverential, which is not always the right way to make a film come to life. But director Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men) provides a steady, intelligent path into the harrowing story of Sophie, whose flashback memories of the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp form the backbone of the movie. Streep's exceptional performance--flawless Polish accent and all--won her an Oscar, and effectively raised the standard for American actresses of her generation. No less impressive is Kevin Kline, in his movie debut, capturing the mercurial moods of the dangerously attractive Nathan. The two worlds of Sophie's Choice, nostalgic Brooklyn and monstrous Europe, are beautifully captured by the gifted cinematographer Néstor Almendros, whose work was Oscar-nominated but didn't win. It should have. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

• On Golden Pond / Sophie's Choice | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £4.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (160.32%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The sunny streets of Brooklyn, just after World War II. A young would-be writer named Stingo (Peter MacNicol) shares a boarding house with beautiful Polish immigrant Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her tempestuous lover, Nathan (Kevin Kline); their friendship changes his life. This adaptation of the bestselling novel by William Styron is faithful to the point of being reverential, which is not always the right way to make a film come to life. But director Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men) provides a steady, intelligent path into the harrowing story of Sophie, whose flashback memories of the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp form the backbone of the movie. Streep's exceptional performance--flawless Polish accent and all--won her an Oscar, and effectively raised the standard for American actresses of her generation. No less impressive is Kevin Kline, in his movie debut, capturing the mercurial moods of the dangerously attractive Nathan. The two worlds of Sophie's Choice, nostalgic Brooklyn and monstrous Europe, are beautifully captured by the gifted cinematographer Néstor Almendros, whose work was Oscar-nominated but didn't win. It should have. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

• Olive, The Other Reindeer | DVD | (07/11/2005) from £5.89   |  Saving you £2.10 (35.65%)   |  RRP £7.99

  When Santa is in trouble Olive the reindeer who is actually a kind-hearted dog and her friend Martin the Penguin head for the North Pole. However an evil mailman has other plans for Santa this year and it's going to be quite an adventure for Olive! Produced by The Simpsons creator Matt Groening.

• 3 Classic Award Winning Dramas - Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe / Sophie's Choice / On Golden Pond | DVD | (20/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  The sunny streets of Brooklyn, just after World War II. A young would-be writer named Stingo (Peter MacNicol) shares a boarding house with beautiful Polish immigrant Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her tempestuous lover, Nathan (Kevin Kline); their friendship changes his life. This adaptation of the bestselling novel by William Styron is faithful to the point of being reverential, which is not always the right way to make a film come to life. But director Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men) provides a steady, intelligent path into the harrowing story of Sophie, whose flashback memories of the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp form the backbone of the movie. Streep's exceptional performance--flawless Polish accent and all--won her an Oscar, and effectively raised the standard for American actresses of her generation. No less impressive is Kevin Kline, in his movie debut, capturing the mercurial moods of the dangerously attractive Nathan. The two worlds of Sophie's Choice, nostalgic Brooklyn and monstrous Europe, are beautifully captured by the gifted cinematographer Néstor Almendros, whose work was Oscar-nominated but didn't win. It should have. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

• Ally McBeal, Series 5 Box Set 2 | DVD | (10/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The fifth season was the last series of Ally McBeal, and probably the least satisfying. While always at least slightly entertaining, it was troubled by two conflicting imperatives: first, to steer its neurotic characters and multiplicity of sub-plots towards a coherent and credible resolution; second, to sustain another series of a programme that had, by now, exhausted all the plot possibilities that were remotely believable. The result is a bemusing onslaught of new characters (Ally's Mini-Me Jenny and a barely distinguishable phalanx of lantern-jawed male leads), celebrity cameos (Edna Everage, Christina Ricci, Barry White, Matthew Perry, Jon Bon Jovi), several storylines that would test the credulity of any of the curiously indulgent judges before whom Ally's firm practises (notably the arrival of a 10-year-old daughter that Ally didn't know she had) and one misbegotten attempt to anchor the programme to the real world (the "Nine One One" episode, an unwatchably mawkish allegory about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States). Granted that Ally McBeal was never intended to be realistic drama, but when the programme spirals entirely off into the realms of the surreal, any possibility of the sort of identification with the characters on which the programme once relied is lost. Though not without its moments, the sudden redemption of Fish, always the best-written character, is deftly handled. Season Five will be of chief interest to adherents who stuck with it through the first four and so wanted to see how it all ends; in keeping with the central character's defining motifs of solipsism and self-pity, it does so with a whimper. On the DVD: Ally McBeal has episode selector on each disc, and a scene selector within each of those. The final disc contains two short and desultory documentaries on the series billed, somewhat hopefully, as "Special Features". A French audio soundtrack is available, as are subtitles in English, French and Dutch. –-Andrew Mueller

• Balto/Balto 2 - Wolf Quest | DVD | (26/03/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Balto: Based on a true story Balto will touch your heart. Part husky/part wolf Balto doesn't know where he belongs. He's an outcast in Alaska except to his true friends - Boris the Russian snow goose; polar bear cubs Muk and Luk; and the beautiful husky Jenna. Even though he's different all of Balto's friends recognise what he still can't see himself: his noble spirit. One day a serious diphtheria epidemic spreads fast among the children of Nome. When a fierce bizarre blizzard closes all routes of transport there's no way to obtain life-saving medicine... unless a team of sled dogs can race six-hundred miles through the blinding Arctic storm and bring back antitoxin. But the dogs are lost in the frozen wilderness. Now only Balto can rescue the team and save the children. Starring the voices of Kevin Bacon Bridget Fonda Bob Hoskins and Phil Collins Balto is the remarkable tale of a hero who inspired a nation - and became a legend! (Dir. Simon Wells 1995) Balto 2 - Wolf Quest: BALTO II picks up where the first ended. After settling down with Jenna and having 6 pups it soon becomes time for Balto to give his children up for adoption to human families. However no one wants Aleu his daughter because she looks so much like a wolf. When Aleu figures this out she runs away forcing Balto to go after her and sending her on a journey that reveals quite a bit about herself. (Dir. Phil Weinstein 2001)

• Ally McBeal - Season 4 Box Set 2 | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £10.87   |  Saving you £12.11 (153.68%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Too mainstream to be a cult, yet too odd to be totally conventional, Ally McBeal has become one of televisions curios. While its early days saw the show become something of a victim of its own self-conscious stylising, the episodes included on series 4 volume 2 are far stronger in terms of characterisation and plot and the storylines are easy to pick up. Not that the quirks have been exiled--the first programme features McBeal hallucinating about Barry Manilow--rather they have now become part of the overall feel of the show. Despite the attention lavished on both the lead character and the actress who plays her, the show is a real ensemble piece and works best when all the players are together. One of the collection's weakest moments is the episode that sends the usually excellent Richard and John off to LA on their own, an episode which lays threat to a dreaded spin off. While there are annoying moments--could they not have edited out the "previously on Ally McBeal" parts for retail release and why do they never go out with anyone other than work colleagues--with guest appearances from the likes of Sting this is a must for any fan of the series. On the DVD: Sadly, the DVD collection betrays very little thought or effort. The pace of the show is certainly brisk (especially when shorn of the adverts) and the picture quality is equally dynamic, instilling real depth to the many aerial shots of Boston itself. Given that music is such an integral part in the show, it is no surprise that the soundtrack has been given a boost by its recreation in Dolby digital stereo. The interactive menu, however, is clumsy to use and having to work back through the options at the end of each episode quickly becomes tiresome. The complete lack of any extras whatsoever is also a definite minus point.--Phil Udell

• Ally McBeal - Season 4 Part 1 | DVD | (11/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The first half of Ally McBeal's fourth season starts with that all important question, the one Ally has been waiting for from day one: "Ally will you... move in with me?". As always Ally's romantic dreams never quite become a reality and the series continues within the Grimm Fairy Tale world of Ally's love (and quirky work) life. The most important twist this season occurs in the first episode "Sex, Lies and Second Thoughts"--the departure of Tracy Ullman and Ally's current beau, Brian, to be replaced by the series' new heart-throb Larry (Robert Downey Jr). Initially dating both father and son ("Two's a Crowd") Ally cannot help but become besotted by Larry's charisma; he being a fellow lawyer further seals their bond, that is until Larry's past comes back to haunt him. Other highlights include a quirky romance for John ("Reason to Belive"), a charity auction leading to an all male fan-club for John ("Love on Holiday") and a romantic connection for Mark--though the recipient of his affection may have hidden more than he bargained for. Unfortunately the series was outshone by the real-life drama of Calista Flockhart's and Downey's rocky relationship along with Downey's drugs convictions. Even though he won a Golden Globe for his performance, he ultimately had to be dropped from the series. On the DVD: Not much on offer here for Ally's début into the DVD market. The individual episode menu does offer a language selection of French and English and the subtitles for the Netherlands and French. You also have the option to select chapters from the specific episodes, along with a "previously on Ally McBeal..." for that little reminder of whom Ally is dating now. Although standard for a TV DVD release, the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and 2.0 Dolby sound is disappointing for a television series which offers ground-breaking use of special effects. --Nikki Disney

• Ally McBeal - Season 1 Part 2 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Follow Ally's trials and tribulations in life through her eyes and caricaturises her personal thoughts and fantasies. Contains the second half of Season One's episodes. The episodes are: 'The Blame Game' 'Body Language' 'Once In A Lifetime' 'Forbidden Fruits' 'Theme Of Life' 'The Playing Field' 'Happy Birthday Baby' 'The Inmates' 'Being There' 'Alone Again' and 'These Are The Days'.

• Ally McBeal - Season 2 Part 2 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £9.39   |  Saving you £10.60 (53.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A blend of courtroom dramas and neurotic love affairs create the perfect formula for the second part of the acclaimed Ally McBeal season 2. Ally (Calista Flockhart) continues to suffer in the hands of love and embarks upon a series of doomed love affairs that culminate in an adulterous kiss with her old love Billy (Gil Bellows). The confusion that accompanies her fated love life follows her into the courtroom where not only does she experience bizarre Al Green hallucinations but she also tries to sue God in defence of a little boy with leukaemia (Angels and Blimps). Meanwhile as Ally encounters visions of Al Green in the courtroom an inner Barry White takes over John Cage (Peter Macnicol) leaving him re-energised and finally confident enough to conquer his infatuation with sub-zero Nelle (Portia di Rossi). Enter the magical world of Ally with these essential Season 2 Part 2 DVDs that chronicle the daily traumas of Elaine's (Jane Krawkoski) face bras imaginary extended tongues and rigorous therapy sessions that will leave us all hollering for more. This box set includes the episodes: Angels & Blimps; Pyramids on the Nile; Sideshow; Sex Lies and Politics; Civil Wars; Those Lips That Hand; Lets Dance; Only the Lonely; The Green Monster; and I Know Him by Heart.

• Ally McBeal - Season 2 Part 1 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  At the start of Series Two of the Boston law firm drama, nothing much had changed at Richard Fish's rather kooky establishment. Ally (Calista Flockhart) was still a skinny, whimsical woman-child looking for Mr Right. Billy (Gil Bellows) was still married to Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith), John Cage (Peter McNicol) was still too eccentric to be considered for romantic involvement, Elaine (Jane Krakowski) was still a nosey meddler and Fish (Greg Germann) himself was still looking for ways to make money. Lots of it. Greed prompts him to hire new litigator Nelle (Portia DiRossi), a tall, blonde power-dresser who leaves the other women bristling in her wake. But their antipathy towards their new colleague is nothing compared to the forces of hatred spiky Ling (Lucy Liu) inspires. Before long John (The Biscuit) and Nelle are embarking on a tempestuous romance, Ally is stealing Elaine's new boyfriend before going out with one of Georgia's exes and Billy begins to show the signs of instability which lead to him to bleach his hair blonde in the following season. Ally's outspoken flatmate Renee (Lisa Nicole Carson) got a welcome increase in her time on screen in this second season. Despite the sheer number of episodes David E Kelley and his team turn around each year, this second series consistently provided entertaining viewing to the last, despite--or perhaps because of--some of the characters being so unlikable. The inter-office banter reached new heights of inventive bitchiness, the comic CGI illustrations of Ally's imagination still felt reasonably fresh and the court cases managed to combine oddity with emotional involvement. All in all this group of dysfunctional and rather incestuous workaholics proved curiously engaging yet again. --Emma Perry

• Ally McBeal - Season 3 Part 1 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In David E Kelley's Boston law drama, Ally McBeal, his lawyers' private and work lives are always inextricably linked. Nobody does anything in the "Cage and Fish" firm without their colleagues knowing about it, including going to the toilet. Kelley is as willing as always to embrace implausible coincidence in his storylines for the pay-off of maintaining the high pace and dramatic neatness. Our anti-heroine Ally McBeal starts her third season with a wet, wordless fling in a car wash with Jason Gedrick, and it's no surprise that Ally ends up facing Gedrick at the altar when a client asks her to be bridesmaid. With the entire firm invited along as guests, can she keep quiet about the groom? Well, you know Ally--she may not have any lasting success in the romance department but it's a subject she feels very strongly about. The third season sees fewer CGI expressions of Ally's thoughts and imagination, but the drama is just as colourful. Billy's increasing concerns over the balance of male and female power manifests itself in his newly dyed blond hair and his hiring of six PVC-clad women to follow him around boosting his testosterone. Other highlights include Ally exploring her lesbian side with Ling, Elaine posing as John's "fluffer" to banish his sexual insecurities and an explosive Thanksgiving party at Ally's. There are plotlines within Series 3 which stretch plausibility, such as finding out that Ally's dad is the man Georgia's been snogging to forget her husband's metamorphosis into a blonde-haired, sexist egomaniac. Ally McBeal does have the tendency to descend into sickening sentimental tosh, like all the "child inside" nonsense in Episode 11, but that aside, it continues to provide escapist entertainment of the first order. --Emma Perry

• Housesitter | DVD | (25/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A slick, smart vehicle for Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, Housesitter offers an acceptably daffy premise and enough inventive business to sustain it through to the, not unexpected, happy ending. Architect Martin builds a dream home for his childhood sweetheart (Dana Delaney) only to be rejected when he proposes marriage. After a one-night stand, Hawn--a daffy waitress with a gift for making up improbable but convincing lies--moves into Martin's house and tells his parents (Donald Moffatt, Julie Harris) and the whole community that she is his surprise new wife. When he sees how this impresses Delaney, Martin goes along with the charade, encouraging wilder and wilder fictions and doing his best to join in so that he can rush through to a divorce and move on to the woman he has always wanted. Hawn has to recruit a couple of winos to pose as her parents and impress Martin's boss into giving him a promotion, but we glimpse her real misery at his eventual intention to toss her out of the make-believe world she has created because her own real background is so grim. Its sit-com hi-jinx are manic enough not to be strangled by an inevitable dip in to sentiment towards the end, and Hawn, who always has to work hard, is better matched against the apparently effortless Martin than in their subsequent pairing in Out-of-Towners. Martin, often wasted in comparatively straight roles, has a few wild and crazy scenes as Hawn prompts him into joining her improvised fantasies. Director Frank Oz, a frequent Martin collaborator (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Little Shop of Horrors, Bowfinger), is the model of a proper, competent, professional craftsman when he sets out to put a comedy together--but the film misses streaks of lunacy or cruelty that might have made it funnier and more affecting. On the DVD: The disc offers a pristine widescreen non-anamorphic transfer, letterboxed to 1.85:1. There are no extra features to speak of, just text-based production notes, cast and director bios, plus a trailer and an assortment of language and subtitle options. --Kim Newman

• Ally McBeal - Season 3 Part 2 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £8.08   |  Saving you £11.91 (147.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Be prepared for a very emotional ride as Ally McBeal returns with the conclusion of Season 3. Blending humour and poignant drama Season 3 Part 2 bids a tearful goodbye to Ally’s first love Billy. The episodes commence with Ally’s brazen spirit going to dangerous lengths to capture a man… by purposely crashing her car into his. It would’ve worked if the gorgeous guy in question hadn’t laughed like the sound of “a cow giving birth” (In Search of Pygmies). The team’s frolics continue as Ally wins a contest to become one of Tina Turner’s backing singers for a night (Oddball Parade) has cyber-sex with a minor (Do You Wanna Dance?) and goes kicking and screaming into her thirties with collagen lip implants (Turning Thirty)! Amidst all this grab the tissues as Ally and the crew try to come to terms with the unexpected loss of Billy and new characters and old prove no one can be taken at face value. Season 3 Part 2 brings together all the elements that Ally McBeal is famous for: fun love lust and thoughtful moments that will certainly touch the heartstrings and leave you singing for more. Features the episodes 'In Search Of Pygmies' 'Pursuit Of Loneliness' 'The Oddball Parade' 'Prime Suspect' 'Boy Next Door' 'I Will Survive' 'Turning Thirty' 'Do You Wanna Dance' 'Hope And Glory' and 'Ally McBeal - The Musical Almost'.

• Bean - The Ultimate Disaster Movie | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Translating Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean character from British television to the big screen takes a bit of a toll, but there are some hilarious sequences in this popular comedy. The eponymous Bean, a boy-man twit with a knack for getting into difficult binds (and then making them worse and worse and worse), is a London museum guard who is sent to Los Angeles in the company of the famous painting Whistler's Mother. He's mistaken as an art expert by the well-meaning curator (Peter MacNicol) of an LA museum, but Bean's famously eccentric behaviour soon causes the poor guy to almost lose his family and job. The insularity of Bean's TV world is sacrificed in this film, and that change diminishes some of the character's appeal. But Atkinson is a man naturally full of comedy, and he doesn't let his fans down. --Tom Keogh

• Stuart Little 3 - Call of the Wild | DVD | (11/06/2012) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  School's out for the summer and the Littles are spending their vacation at a beautiful lakeside cabin. Leading the way is Stuart, who can't wait to become a Scout and spend his entire vacation canoeing, hiking and being the outdoorsy little guy he claims to be. But there is something lurking in the forest which could spoil the fun!

• Baby Geniuses | DVD | (07/08/2000) from £49.99   |  Saving you £-44.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  When babies babble or draw, adults jokingly say they know what the baby is trying to communicate. What if a clinic found that these babblings and doodles were actually very intelligent responses or scribbling of an ancient form of communication? Well, it seems that all it would create is this tepid comedy. Kathleen Turner runs the clinic that believes babies have "universal knowledge" before they learn to speak (and dumb down). What she plans to do with this knowledge is never really understood, but know this: the plans are evil. The secret lives of babies have been pretty adorably filmed previously with Look Who's Talking, but here the babies talk and move via visual effects like the animals in Babe. They also karate chop adults and talk about such adorable things as "diaper gravy". By the time the story (a variation of The Parent Trap) heats up (relatively speaking), there is not much left to engage us except some cute babies that just look odd as effects take over their mouths and movements. --Doug Thomas

• Balto Triple Pack | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Balto: Based on a true story Balto will touch your heart. Part husky/part wolf Balto doesn't know where he belongs. He's an outcast in Alaska except to his true friends - Boris the Russian snow goose; polar bear cubs Muk and Luk; and the beautiful husky Jenna. Even though he's different all of Balto's friends recognise what he still can't see himself: his noble spirit. One day a serious diphtheria epidemic spreads fast among the children of Nome. When a fierce bizarre blizzard closes all routes of transport there's no way to obtain life-saving medicine... unless a team of sled dogs can race six-hundred miles through the blinding Arctic storm and bring back antitoxin. But the dogs are lost in the frozen wilderness. Now only Balto can rescue the team and save the children. Starring the voices of Kevin Bacon Bridget Fonda Bob Hoskins and Phil Collins Balto is the remarkable tale of a hero who inspired a nation - and became a legend! (Dir. Simon Wells 1995) Balto 2 - Wolf Quest: BALTO II picks up where the first ended. After settling down with Jenna and having 6 pups it soon becomes time for Balto to give his children up for adoption to human families. However no one wants Aleu his daughter because she looks so much like a wolf. When Aleu figures this out she runs away forcing Balto to go after her and sending her on a journey that reveals quite a bit about herself. (Dir. Phil Weinstein 2001) Balto 3 - Wings Of Change: Your favourite is back in an all-new adventure! Balto and his son Kodi (voiced by Sean Astin) find that technology is threatening the sled dog team's future as the airplane becomes a faster choice for bringing mail and supplies to Nome. Amidst the controversy a race to deliver the mail is arranged between a sled team led by Balto and a bush pilot who flies a plane that truly fascinates Balto. When Duke the pilot never makes it to his destination some of the dogs are jubilant that they've proven their superiority but Balto knows something has gone amiss. Balto with help from Muc and Luc go on a search and rescue operation to rescue Duke and Boris in the downed plane. Join Balto and all his friends on an amazing journey that will make your spirit soar. (Dir. Phil Weinstein 2004)