"Actor: Peter"

• Shock Waves | DVD | (23/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  In 1945 during the final death throes of the Third Reich a crack division of SS Shock Troops went down aboard their ship. They had supposedly drowned beneath several fathoms of ocean. Yet there was one thing about them the world didn't know: they couldn't die as they had never been alive in the first place. Genetically engineered and adaptable to battle conditions anywhere (even under water) these were the Gestapo outfits known as the Death Corps pathological murderers and criminals with an innate desire for violence...

• Claudio Abbado In Rehearsal | DVD | (17/05/2002) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-1.59 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Claudio Abbado in Rehearsal has the eminent conductor rehearsing Verdi's Requiem Mass both at the La Scala Opera House and the church of San Marco in Milan where Verdi's choral masterpiece was first performed. This new performance was given in 1985 to mark the 200th birthday of the Italian national poet Alessandro Manzoni, with whom Verdi shared aspirations for a united Italy. The camera dwells a good deal on Abbado, whose concentration seems well nigh tangible as he raises his arms and throws out his chest to communicate the power of Verdi's music. Abbado takes much care with his soloists, gives strong leads, checking the reverberant acoustic of San Marco with a lift of the head during the thunderous "Dies Irae". We eavesdrop on a piano rehearsal with two of his soloists as he keeps the rather musically wayward mezzo on course and works with Samuel Ramey, his bass, to intensify his hushed delivery of "More stupebit" ("Death and nature stand aghast"). We also see Monserrat Caballe, who can float a note pianissimo like no other soprano, have an unexpected fit of the giggles when beginning her "Libera me". Some reservations in director Norbert Beilharz's treatment of the "Lux Aeterna" require comment. His concept of juxtaposing a well-dressed audience with pictures from tombstones and statues as a reminder of the transience of human life grows wearisome after a while, as does his commentary and translation of the Latin, already on screen as subtitles, which masks some of the most poignant music in the score. On the DVD: Claudio Abbado in Rehearsal has one major disappointment: the lighting. Neither the San Marco Church or the interior of La Scala is well lit. There are brief trailers for three other ArtHaus Musik productions, including a film about Callas and Abbado conducting the Mozart Requiem in a splendid baroque church in Salzburg where the brilliance of the picture, stunningly lit, really shows up the deficiencies of this film. To hear Abbado conduct the Verdi Requiem where everyone performs as though their lives depended on it, try the version he recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic in January 2001. --Adrian Edwards

• Cult Action Extravaganza | DVD | (21/04/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Cult Action Extravaganza three-disc set offers three very different movies that have nothing in common bar residency in Siren's film archive. They are: The Most Dangerous Game (1932), Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953) and Get Christie Love! (1974). The Most Dangerous Game is a classic, one of the first talkies to get pictures moving after five very static years following the birth of sound. The plot finds resourceful hero Joel McCrea and heroine Fay Wray being hunted on the island of the insane Zaroff (Leslie Banks). One of the grandfathers of the summer blockbuster, the film's setup has been reworked many times since, notably in John Woo's Hard Target (1993). By modern standards it's technically primitive, though still gripping stuff, complete with the jungle set built as a test run for King Kong (1933) and graced by Max Steiner's prototype of all Hollywood action scores. Beneath the 12-Mile Reef is another landmark or rather watermark. The third-ever CinemaScope production, this was a prestige release with Technicolor location filming at Key West, Florida of never-before-achieved underwater cinematography and four-channel stereo recording of a superlative Bernard Herrmann score. Even a still-impressive underwater battle with an octopus pre-dates the more famous giant squid of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The humans aren't bad either, with a young Robert Wagner making a charismatic if ethnically unconvincing Greek lead as sponge fisherman Tony and Terry Moore playing Juliet to his Romeo with real vivacity. Starring Theresa Graves, Get Christie Love! is a tame TV movie imitation of early 1970s female blaxploitation films such Pam Grier's Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974). Running a standard TVM 73 minutes and with a low budget and content sanitised to US network standards, this is lightweight stuff about an undercover cop determined to smash a drugs ring. Nevertheless the movie was popular enough to spawn a short-lived TV show and is significant for being the first time a black woman took the title role in any American network production. Tarantino completists may be interested, as before he paid homage to Christie Love in the dialogue of Reservoir Dogs (1991). On the DVD: Cult Action Extravaganza presents the films in their original aspect ratio and sound format; The Most Dangerous Game and Get Christie Love! are 4:3, mono. The former is faded b/w with reasonably sturdy sound, though the transfer suffers from compression artefacting. No one would expect great quality from a 1974 TV movie, but Get Christie Love! suffers from both a poor print and a mediocre DVD transfer. Beneath the 12-Mile Reef is presented in the extra wide 2.55:1 of early CinemaScope and though sadly not anamorphic both the seascapes and underwater cinematography are still impressive. The four-channel stereo sound is revelatory, clear, detailed and years ahead of what we have come to expect early 1950s films to sound like. --Gary S Dalkin

• Black Beauty | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £14.25   |  Saving you £-8.26 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It would be easy to pass by this movie, based on Anna Sewell's famous novel Black Beauty, on the assumption that it's dated and twee. Well, perhaps it is a little, but the sheer quality of the whole enterprise places it in the front rank of children's cinema classics. Screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz's ability to harness both literary and popular techniques in the same work (also true of his written fiction) remains unsurpassed in this captivating tale of Beauty's eventful life, from being raised as a foal by the devoted Joe (Lester), then passing through the hands of various owners before being purchased by, supposedly, Miss Sewell herself, to be once more cared for by a now-adult Joe who is in her employ. Along the way, Beauty passes through the hands of gypsies, a circus owner, a family of aristocrats and is even ridden into war, with each episode being expertly cast (Mower is in particularly fine form as a mad, bad and dangerous army officer) and produced to the highest cinematic standards--even the exterior lighting is perfect. Absolutely recommended. The 4:3 DVD is a transfer of exceptionally high quality and includes the cinema trailer, an image gallery of stills and collector-enthusing promotional ephemera (presented in a thumb-saving slideshow format) and, rather incongruously, a trailer for Help! I'm a Fish!--Roger Thomas

• Chariots Of Fire (Special Edition) | DVD | (08/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  'The British Are Coming!' Britain's finest athletes have begun their quest for glory in the 1924 Olympic Games. Success brings honour to their nation. For two runners, the honour at stake is personal... and their challenge one from within. Winner of four 1981 Academy Awards including Best Picture, 'Chariots Of Fire' is the inspiring, true story of Harold Abrahams, Eric Liddell and the team that brought Britain one of its greatest sports victories. Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel...

• UFO - Vol. 3 - Episodes 8-10 | DVD | (13/05/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Gerry Anderson's classic sci-fi series. The operatives of the secret Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation (S.H.A.D.O.) defend the earth from extra-terrestrials who are abducting humans to obtain their organs which can be transplanted into their own bodies... Episodes include: A Question Of Priorities Ordeal The Responsibility Seat

• Peter Allen - The Boy From Oz | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  A Fascinating Insight Into The Personal And Public Life Of A Great Australian Icon And International Star.The Boy From Oz tells the dazzling funny and heartbreaking story of the great entertainer Peter Allen from his humble beginnings growing up in the Australian Outback through a meteoric rise to fame as an international star who would go on to sell out week-long shows at Radio City Music Hall.Singing in pubs at age 11 Peter Allen survived family tragedy to become a local TV star at 16. Discovered by Judy Garland he married her daughter Liza Minnelli and went on to become a beloved performer and an Oscar winning songwriter.Narrated by Jack Thompson The Boy From Oz features rare footage of Peter's family including a family appearance on This Is Your Life.

• The Tomorrow People - Into The Unknown - 4.2 | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £9.23   |  Saving you £9.75 (156.25%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Their names are John Stephen Carol and Kenny... they seem to be just ordinary kids perhaps a bit quieter than most but they are The Tomorrow People forerunners of a new race... the homo superior. Gifted with superhuman powers they are nature's response to man's aggression: a new species wiser and more peace loving than homo sapiens and until more of their race evolve these four have intergalactic responsibility for the future of Planet Earth. The Tomorrow People receive a

• Twilight Zone - Series 3 (Black & White) | DVD | (20/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow between science and superstition and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area we call...The Twilight Zone! Episodes comprise: 1. Two 2. The Arrival 3. The Shelter 4. The Passerby 5. A Game of Pool 6. The Mirror 7. The Grave 8. It's a Good Life 9. Death's Head Revisited 10. The Midnight Sun 11. Still Valley 12. The Jungle 13. Once Upon a Time 14. Five Characters in Search of an Exit 15. A Quality of Mercy 16. Nothing in the Dark 17. One More Pallbearer 18. Dead Man's Shoes 19. The Hunt 20. Showdown with Rance McGrew 21. Kick the Can 22. A Piano in the House 23. The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank 24. To Serve Man 25. The Fugitive 26. Little Girl Lost 27. Person or Persons Unknown 28. The Little People 29. Four O'Clock 30. Hocus-Pocus and Frisby 31. The Trade-ins 32. The Gift 33. The Dummy 34. Young Man's Fancy 35. I Sing the Body Electric 36. Cavender Is Coming 37. The Changing of the Guard.

• Ratatouille And Cars Pixar Pop-up Pack (Disney Pixar) (2 Discs) | DVD | (23/06/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Ratatouille: A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely - and certainly unwanted - visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant Remy's passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down. Remy finds himself torn between his calling and passion in life or returning forever to his previous existence as a rat. He learns the truth about friendship family and having no choice but to be who he really is a rat who wants to be a chef. Cars: Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a cocky rookie race car. Speeding on his way to a big race he crashes into Radiator Springs destroying lots of the inhabitants' belongings! In order to make up for what he did the raucous roadster is sentenced to community service. Though he will do anything to get away from the work McQueen must learn to respect and bond with the Radiator Springs inhabitants in order to get out of the town and back on the racetrack... After taking moviegoers magically into the realm of toys bugs monsters fish and superheroes the masterful storytellers and technical wizards at Pixar Animation Studios (The Incredibles Finding Nemo Monsters Inc.) and Academy Award-winning director John Lasseter (Toy Story A Bug's Life) hit the road with a fast-paced comedy adventure set inside the world of cars. Fuelled with plenty of humour action heartfelt drama and amazing new technical feats Cars is a high octane delight for moviegoers of all ages.

• JESUS VON NAZARETH - VARIOUS | DVD | (09/03/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• 7 Seconds | UMD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

• Leeds United Collection, The Peter Risdale - My Leeds United | DVD | (12/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This DVD follows Peter Ridsdale through a typically busy week addressing the club's move from Elland Road reflecting on recent multi-million pound player deals looking at memorable parts of the city he grew up in re-visiting his former homes and secondary school and talking about his favourite subject - the supporters. This is Peter Ridsdale as frank as you would expect taking you to the heart of his chairmanship and his love of all things Leeds. From the night in 1965 he queued up round the block as a thirteen year old for a cup final ticket to his back me or sack me appointment of David O'Leary that began the new era at the club this is the story all Leeds fans will want to hear.

• Don Cherry's Multikulti | DVD | (15/02/2010) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Don Cherry (1936-1995) created an influential legacy by contrasting his Bebop-style Jazz with genres such as Free Jazz and World music. His rise to prominence came in the late 1950s performing Free Jazz with Ornette Coleman. Their music not only shook up the Jazz community with their avant garde sound and inventive compositional structure, but became part of the liberating social revolution that resonated in 1960s American culture. '...one of the most lyrical and important jazz trumpeters'- ...

• Lost World - Complete Season 3 | DVD | (03/03/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Lost World: Complete Season 3 (6 Discs)

• Deep Blue Sea / Space Cowboys / Sphere | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £30.99

  With a voracious trio of mako sharks wreaking havoc, Deep Blue Sea dares to up the ante on Jaws, but director Renny Harlin trades the nuanced suspense of Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster for the trickery of the digital age. In other words, why build genuine terror when you can show ill-fated humans getting torn into bloody chunks? It's inevitable that Saffron Burrows should end up in her underwear like Sigourney Weaver in Alien, but even then the movie offers a credible reason for the strip-down; that Deep Blue Sea can be simultaneously ridiculous and sensible is just another one of its shlocky charms. Space Cowboys is a slice of cornball Americana that's so much fun you'll be tempted to stand up and salute. Director and costar Clint Eastwood manages to turn what might have been ludicrous into a jubilant tribute to age and experience, and Space Cowboys succeeds as two movies in one--a comedy about retired pilots given one last shot at glory and an Apollo 13-like thriller with all the requisite heroics. Space Cowboys earns its wings, once again demonstrating Eastwood's comfort with any genre he chooses. From yet another derivative science fiction novel by Michael Crichton comes the equally derivative and flaccid movie Sphere, in which three top Hollywood stars struggle to squeeze tension and excitement out of material that doesn't match their talents. There are moments of high intensity and psychological suspense, and the stellar cast works hard to boost the talky screenplay. But it's clear that this was a hurried production (Hoffman and director Barry Levinson made Wag the Dog during an extended production delay), and as a result Sphere's look and feel is like a film that wasn't quite ready for the cameras. Though it's by no means a waste of time, it's undeniably disappointing. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Viramundo | DVD | (05/08/2013) from £5.19   |  Saving you £12.80 (246.63%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Legendary musician Gilberto Gil embarks on a new kind of world tour through the southern hemisphere. From Bahia he travels to the land of the Aborigines of Australia and the townships of South Africa ending in the Brazilian Amazon region. He continues the work he began as Brazil's first black Minister of Culture - promoting the power of cultural diversity in a globalized world and sharing his vision for our future: a diverse interconnected planet filled with hope exchange... and of course music!

• Mozart: Piano Quartets K 478 And K 493 | DVD | (02/12/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Piano Quartet G minor K 478 Piano Quartet E-flat major K 493

• The Stan And Ollie Collection - Mud And Sand / The Sawmill | DVD | (19/06/2003) from £11.93   |  Saving you £2.05 (22.93%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Mud And Sand: A marvellous satire on the Valentino classic Blood And Sand. Stan is the bullfighter who wants to make it to the top. All he has to do is beat the bull and win back the girl. The Sawmill: Our hero the mild mannered Larry is in a fix. Lumber camp boss Oliver Hardy has his eye on the girl as well as the payroll. It's up to Larry to save the day.

• Minder - Series 10 - Part 2 Of 3 | DVD | (21/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Part Two of the final series of Minder starring Arthur Daley (George Cole) and nephew Ray Daley (Gary Webster).