"Actor: Richard Martin"

• Monarch Of The Glen - Series 7 | DVD | (03/04/2006) from £20.00   |  Saving you £4.99 (24.95%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The seventh and final series of this wonderful Highland drama brings with it a host of new problems for the McDonald family to contend with introducing a few new faces as well as revisiting one or two old ones. Following the sudden death of his partner Meg Golly now finds himself as a single parent struggling to cope with the demands of both his son and his job. He soon learns that he is not alone and he and Molly become become closer than they have been for a long time. Meanwhile

• Cleopatra | Blu Ray | (30/01/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Still the most expensive movie ever made, Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. It also scandalised the world with the very public affair of its two major stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But Joseph L Mankiewicz's 1963 epic deserves to be remembered for more than its off-screen troubles. An extravagantly elaborate production, the sets and costumes alone are awe-inspiring; Mankiewicz's own literate screenplay draws heavily on the classics and Shakespeare; while the supporting cast, led by Rex Harrison as Caesar and Roddy McDowall as his nephew (and future emperor) Octavian, are all first-rate thespians and generally put in more convincing performances than either of the two leads. Mankiewicz's original intention was to make two three-hour films: the first being Caesar and Cleopatra, the second Antony and Cleopatra. But before the film’s completion, and following a boardroom coup worthy of Ancient Rome itself, legendary mogul Darryl F Zanuck took back control of Fox and insisted that Cleopatra be cut to a more economical length. A heartbroken Mankiewicz was forced to trim his six-hour vision down to four. This was the "roadshow" version shown at the film’s premiere and now restored here for the first time. Then following adverse criticism and pressure from cinema chains Zanuck demanded more cuts, and the final released version ran a mere three hours--half the original length. Capitalising on the feverish publicity surrounding Burton and Taylor, the shortened version played up both their on- and off-screen romance. This longer four-hour roadshow version allows for a broader view of the film, adding some depth to the politics and manipulation of the characters. But the director’s original six-hour edit has been lost. Perhaps one day it will be rediscovered in the vaults and Mankiewicz’s much-maligned movie will finally be seen the way it was meant to be. Until then, Cleopatra remains an epic curiosity rather than the complete spectacle it should be. On the DVD: this handsome three-disc set spreads the restored four-hour print of the movie across two discs. The anamorphic widescreen print looks quite magnificent and Alex North’s wondrous score comes up like new in Dolby 5.1 sound. There’s a patchy and only intermittently revealing commentary from Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky. Much better is the comprehensive two-hour documentary that occupies disc three, which tells in hair-raising detail the extraordinary story of a film production that became totally out of control. This is accompanied by some short archival material, but the documentary alone is a compelling reason to acquire this set. --Mark Walker

• Michael Collins | DVD | (25/09/1998) from £9.85   |  Saving you £4.14 (42.03%)   |  RRP £13.99

  A heartfelt epic from Irish director Neal Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire), Michael Collins is the biography of the charismatic and controversial Irish rebel leader who led the fight for independence from Britain. Among the most beautiful and atmospherically photographed movies of the 1990s, Michael Collins is also a rich and intelligent study of the nature of politics and leadership: the IRA spokesman, full of fiery convictions, eventually gives way to the more mature negotiator who strives to reach a compromise solution and is politically undone in the process. Liam Neeson gives a grand and towering performance as Collins, but for all the character's legendary, heroic, or otherwise larger-than-life attributes, Jordan and Neeson also keep him human. This is sweeping historical filmmaking of the kind we haven't seen since the heyday of David Lean, but with Jordan's characteristic touches of complexity and ambivalence. --Jim Emerson

• Boston Kickout | DVD | (19/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In the 1980s Phil moved with his parents from an inner-city slum to start a new life in Stevenage. However on leaving school he finds himself in a world of violence unemployment alcoholism and drug abuse.

• The Girl On The Boat | DVD | (26/01/2004) from £6.49   |  Saving you £6.50 (100.15%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Sam Marlowe travels to the States with the intention of convincing his aunt to let him rent out her summer house in England. But when the aunt discovers that Eustace Sam's cousin is planning to secretly marry she sends them back to England. On the return trip Sam meets and falls for Eustace's ex-fiancee Billie with hilarious results. Adapted from the P.G. Wodehouse novel.

• Nadia: Secret Of The Blue Water - Complete Series Collection Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (22/06/2015) from £39.97   |  Saving you £30.02 (75.11%)   |  RRP £69.99

  FROM THE CREATOR OF NEON GENESIS EVANGELION AND BASED ON A STORY BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI The classic anime series from Hideaki Anno (Evangelion) now available in HD for the first time! The World's Fair Paris 1889: a young inventor crosses paths with an enigmatic girl and her pet lion. Suddenly they find themselves pursued by villainous trio intent upon stealing the magical Blue Water. Thus begins an epic adventure inspired by Jules Verne's masterpiece 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea. Join Nadia and Jean as they travel the high seas in search of Nadia's homeland and her past their only clue the mysterious jewel Nadia wears. Can they unravel the Secret of the Blue Water before it is too late? Discover Nadia Secret of Blue Water the animated series beloved by millions and find out for yourself. Contains episodes 1-39. Spoken Languages: English Japanese English subtitles.'

• The Deep End | DVD | (16/09/2002) from £8.50   |  Saving you £4.49 (34.60%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The story tells of a mother who covers up a murder to protect her teenage son from being implicated. But someone knows and soon she is sinking deeper and deeper into a mire of blackmail and extortion.

• Monarch Of The Glen - Series 1 | DVD | (27/12/2002) from £17.94   |  Saving you £7.05 (39.30%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Based on the Highland novels by Compton Mackenzie Monarch of The Glen follows the fortunes of Archie MacDonald (Alastair Mackenzie) who is carving out a life for himself as a restauranteur in London when he is summoned home to the Scottish Highlands after his father The Laird of Glenbogle (Richard Briers) is injured in an accident.

• The Chronicles Of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It is a quiet sort of a day in the heart of the English countryside when Peter Susan Edmund and Lucy stumble through the back of an old wardrobe into the enchanted land of Narnia. They embark on an extraordinary adventure discovering talking fauns friendly beavers giants and flying horses. When the White Witch learns of their presence in Narnia their lives are in danger but there is talk that Aslan the Great Lion is on the move. Originally broadcast in 1988 this adaptation o

• Cleopatra | DVD | (07/12/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Possibly the most alluring mysterious and powerful woman of all time Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) changed the course of history when two of the most powerful men in Rome fell in love with her. Rex Harrison is Julius Caesar who wins the Egyptian throne for Cleopatra marries her and provides her with a child Caesarion. Upon returning to his native country Caesar is crowned Dictator of Rome but his desperate desire for even greater power causes a worried Roman Senate to fatally conspire against him on the Ides of March.

• Guess Who's Coming To Dinner | DVD | (04/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Spencer Tracy's last performance was in this well-meaning, handsome film by Stanley Kramer about a pair of white parents (Tracy and Katharine Hepburn) trying to make sense of their daughter's impending marriage to an African American doctor (Sidney Poitier). Guess Who's Coming to Dinner has been knocked over the years for padding conflict and stoking easy liberalism by making Poitier's character in every socioeconomic sense a good catch: but what if Kramer had made this stranger a factory worker? Would the audience still find it as easy to accept a mixed-race relationship? But there's no denying the drawing power of this movie, which gets most of its integrity from the stirring performances of Tracy and Hepburn. When the former (who had been so ill that the production could not get completion insurance) gives a speech toward the end about race, love and much else, it's impossible not to be affected by the last great moment in a great actor's life and career. --Tom Keogh

• Monarch Of The Glen - Series 3 - Part 1 | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £9.73   |  Saving you £10.26 (105.45%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Glenbogle Estate remains in financial trouble and Bank sends their representative Stella Moon to oversee its day-to-day management. Stella is shocked by the extravagant lifestyle of the Glenbogle inhabitants and introduces fierce cutbacks. These involve laying off staff and giving the dogs to the neighbours. Finally Stella relents and the dogs return to Glenbogle and eventually everything gets back to normal. EVeryone is working towards the re-opening of the estate to the public

• Sleepy Hollow 20th Anniversary Digibook | Blu Ray | (06/01/2020) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  20th Anniversary Limited Collector's Edition On Blu-Ray INCLUDES 40-PAGE BOOK OF THE WASHINGTON IRVING CLASSIC STORY, THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW. Master storyteller Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissorhands) weaves an eerie, enchanting version of this classic tale of horror. Johnny Depp is Ichabod Crane, an eccentric investigator determined to stop the murderous Headless Horseman. Christina Ricci is Katrina Van Tassel, the beautiful and mysterious girl with secret ties to the supernatural terror. This release includes Special Features never before available on Blu-ray in the UK: Commentary by Director Tim Burton Sleepy Hollow - Behind the Legend Reflections on Sleepy Hollow

• Robert De Niro | DVD | (23/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Mean Streets: You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it on the streets... 'Mean Streets' heralded Martin Scorsese's arrival as a new filmmaking force - and marked his first historic teaming with Robert De Niro. It's a story Scorsese lived a semi-autobiographical tale of first-generation sons and daughters in New York's Little Italy. Harvey Keitel plays Charlie working his way up the ranks of a local mob. Amy Robinson is Teresa the girlfriend his family deems unsuitable because of her epilepsy. And in the starmaking role that won Best Supporting Actor Awards from the New York and National Society of Film Critics De Niro is Johnny Boy a small-time gambler in big-time debt to the loan sharks... (Dir. Martin Scorsese 1973) Taxi Driver: 'Taxi Driver' provoked fierce controversy when it was released running into censorship problems in America as some of the scenes of violence were described to be 'as gory as Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs' (Evening News '76). In addition there was outcry at a 13-year-old schoolgirl actress (Jodie Foster) co-starring as a prostitute. (Dir. Martin Scorsese 1976) Casino: Robert De Niro Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci star in Director Martin Scorsese's riveting look at how blind ambition white-hot passion and 24-carat greed toppled an empire. Las Vegas in 1973 is the setting for this fact-based story about the Mob's multi-million dollar casino operation - where fortunes and lives were made and lost with a roll of the dice... (Dir. Matin Scorsese 1995) Sleepers: To four boys growing up on the streets in the mid 1960s Hell's Kitchen was a place of innocence ruled by corruption. The infamous New York City neighbourhood that stretched north from 34th to 56th Street and pushed west from the 8th Avenue to the Hudson River was guided by both priest and gangsters. The children who grew up there shared joyful times but subscribed to a sacred social code-crimes against the neighbourhood were not permitted and when they did occur punishment was severe. Four friends made a mistake that changed their lives forever... (Dir. Barry Levinson 1996) Cape Fear: Sam Bowden has always provided for his family's future. But the past is coming back to haunt them. Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese brings heart - pounding suspense to one of the most acclaimed thrillers of all time. Fourteen years after being imprisoned vicious psychopath Max Cady [Robert De Niro] emerges with a single - minded mission to seek revenge on his attorney Sam Bowden [Nick Nolte]. Cady becomes a terrifying presence as he menancingly circles Bowden's increasingly unstable family. Realising he is legally powerless to protect his beautiful wife [Jessica Lange] and his troubled teenage daughter Danielle [Juliette Lewis] Sam resorts to unorthodox measures which lead to an unforgettable showdown on Cape Fear. Visually stunning images and brilliant performances from a talented cast highlight this roller-coaster ride through relentless psychological torment. (Dir. Martin Scorsese 1991)

• The Panic In Needle Park | DVD | (12/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

• The Halls Of Montezuma | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Once again returning to the genre to which he was perhaps best-suited, director Lewis Milestone traces the fate of a Marine platoon during WWII. The film stars Richard Widmark as the no-nonsense Lt. Carl Anderson, an officer charged with the responibility of leading his unit on a scouting mission to capture prisoners from an experimental rocket-launching facility and bring them back for interrogation. Among his platoon are veterans Pidgeon Lane (Jack Palance), Doc (Karl Malden), and Sgt. Zelenko (Neville Brand), as well as raw recruits Coffman (Robert Wagner) and Cpl. Stuart Conroy (Richard Hylton). Anderson is skilled at subtly motivating the varied group of characters, while suffering himself from crushing headaches. The platoon attacks the island, taking losses on the heavily defended beach. When they try to take a strategic ridge, they're pinned down by rocket fire whose source is impossible to locate. In desperation, Anderson is ordered to take a hand-picked patrol behind enemy lines to bring back prisoners. After some painful losses, they finally return with prisoners. Despite occasional war movie cliches, this is a solid, exceptionally well acted effort, which gives full weight to the terrible human cost of war. The film is also notable for great performances by Malden, Palance, Widmark, Webb, and the very young Wagner.

• Jurassic Park | DVD | (09/10/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  On remote Isla Nuba entrepreneur John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has built the ultimate theme-park, populated by genetically engineered dinosaurs painstakingly reconstructed from DNA extracted from prehistoric amber... and, of course, frogs! Adapted from Michael Crichton's novel, Steven Spielberg's classic blockbuster became a cultural and commercial phenomenon thanks in part to the enduring appeal of all things prehistoric. But the film's extraordinarily realistic digital dinosaurs also showcased the spectacular computer-generated effects which have since become ubiquitous in Hollywood filmmaking. Indeed, in the years since 1993 it is debatable whether any film has revolutionised special effects to such an extent, and this DVD release offers the perfect opportunity to relive its visual and aural splendour (the film was also the first to be released with a DTS soundtrack). Given the rather insipid team of experts (including Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum) sent to approve Hammond's site, there is no doubt that the dinosaurs are the real stars of Spielberg's film. From the benign majesty of the towering brachiosaurus to the reptilian menace of the velociraptors, the inhabitants of Jurassic Park were a radical departure from their stop-motion predecessors, and remain compellingly real in their animalistic pursuit of survival at all costs. Most memorable of all is the T-rex, displaying a spine-chilling combination of physical ferocity and child-like bewilderment in the face of its reincarnation in the modern world. It was no surprise that in The Lost World sequel the T-rex once again took centre stage, but this first appearance still retains a unique power and a seminal place in film history. --Steve Napleton

• Heavy Metal | DVD | (13/12/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  As long as there is a need for adolescent male sexual fantasy, there will be an audience for Heavy Metal. Released in 1981 and based on stories from the graphic magazine of the same name, this silly and senseless the movie is an aimless, juvenile amalgam of disjointed stories and clashing visual styles. Hundreds of animators from around the world were employed, resulting in a near-total absence of creative cohesion in the finished product. It remains, for better and worse, a midnight-movie favourite for the stoner crowd--a movie best enjoyed by randy adolescents or near-adults in an altered state of consciousness. With a framing story about a glowing green orb claiming to be the embodiment of all evil, the film shuttles through eight episodic tales of sci-fi adventure, each fuelled by some of the most wretched rock music to emerge from the late 1970s-early 80s period. The most consistent trademark is an abundance of blood-splattering violence and wet-dream sex, the latter involving a succession of huge-breasted babes who shed their clothes at the drop of a G-string. It's rampantly brainless desire to fuel the young male libido becomes rather fun, and for all its incoherence Heavy Metal impresses for the ambitious artistry of its individual segments. Produced by Ivan Reitman (who went on to direct Ghostbusters), the voice talents include several Canadian veterans of the Second City improvisation comedy troupe--including John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty--many of whom went on to greater fame on the US TV series Saturday Night Live. --Jeff Shannon DVD Special Features Feature-length Rough Cut with Optional Commentary by Carl MacEk, Production notes Theatrical trailer Documentary: Imagining Heavy Metal Art Galleries Deleted Scenes, Carl MacEk reading his book "Heavy Metal: The Movie" 1:85:1 widescreen anamorphic Dolby Digital 5.1

• Merlin | DVD | (15/07/2002) from £8.77   |  Saving you £1.22 (13.91%)   |  RRP £9.99

  What kind of guy was the wizard Merlin, anyway? He lives a long time, raises a boy to be a king, props up a Utopian empire with his magic and wisdom, and then watches as it all crumbles under such banal forces as vengeance and betrayal. This four-hour mini-series re-tells the story of Camelot and King Arthur from the perspective of the magic man who sacrifices a great deal to guide mortals toward a better destiny. Sam Neill plays Merlin as an accessible, flesh-and-blood fellow of real passion, powerless to undo the spell of a rival (Rutger Hauer) who has virtually imprisoned Merlin's great love, Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), but gifted enough to counter the treachery of Morgan Le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wicked Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson). The battle sequences and special effects are striking and original, and it is great fun to see such art-house movie actors as Richardson, Carter, Neill, etc., in fantasy entertainment the whole family can enjoy. (An unrecognizable Martin Short must be singled out, however, for a wonderful, largely dramatic performance as Mab's sidekick, Frik.) Directed by Steve Barron (The Adventures of Pinocchio), Merlin is a nice bit of glossy revisionism of a beloved legend. --Tom Keogh

• The Hound Of The Baskervilles | Blu Ray | (25/04/2016) from £9.05   |  Saving you £10.94 (120.88%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Of all the Sherlock Holmes tales written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles (one of the four novels) remains the best-known. Adding a dash of the supernatural to the Great Detective's adventures, it is certainly one of the most dramatic and an obvious target for screen interpretation. Prior to Jeremy Brett indelibly making the role his own to modern TV audiences, Ian Richardson made for a suitably incisive and enthusiastic Holmes in this enjoyable 1983 adaptation. The much-filmed tale finds Holmes and Watson drawn in to the mysterious curse afflicting the well-heeled Baskerville dynasty. Is a monster stalking the heir to the Baskerville fortune, or is the culprit a far from demonic force? As Holmes, Ian Richardson is blessed with the avian features that, like Basil Rathbone or Peter Cushing, effectively capture Sidney Paget's original likeness. Though Holmes' more anti-social facets are dispensed with, Richardson is engaging in such a well-explored role, recalling the razor-sharp wit and intelligence of Rathbone. Attracting a distinguished British cast (Brian Blessed, Denholm Elliot, Martin Shaw) and decent production values (though with a few Hammer Horror moments), this will not disappoint fans of Victorian literature's finest detective, nor those in search of a classic, chilling thriller. --Danny Graydon