"Actor: Robert Hoffman"

• Capote/In Cold Blood | Blu Ray | (08/02/2010) from £24.28   |  Saving you £0.71 (2.92%)   |  RRP £24.99

  CapoteBolstered by an Oscar-caliber performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role, Capote ranked highly among the best films of 2005. Written by actor/screenwriter Dan Futterman and based on selected chapters from the biography by Gerald Clarke, this mercilessly perceptive drama shows how Truman Capote brought about his own self-destruction in the course of writing In Cold Blood, the "nonfiction novel" that was immediately acclaimed as a literary milestone. After learning of brutal killings in rural Holcomb, Kansas, in November 1959, Capote gained the confidence of captured killers Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) in an effort to tell their story, but he ultimately sacrificed his soul in the process of writing his greatest book. Hoffman transcends mere mimicry to create an utterly authentic, psychologically tormented portrait of an insincere artist who was not above lying and manipulation to get what he needed. Bennett Miller's intimate direction focuses on the consequences of Capote's literary ambition, tempered by an equally fine performance by Catherine Keener as Harper Lee, Capote's friend and the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, who served as Capote's quiet voice of conscience. Spanning the seven-year period between the Kansas murders and the publication of In Cold Blood in 1966, Capote reveals the many faces of a writer who grew too close to his subjects, losing his moral compass as they were fitted with a hangman's noose. --Jeff ShannonIn Cold BloodTruman Capote's extraordinary nonfiction book about the course of two killers in this world--their lives, their senseless slaughter of an entire family, their executions--was faithfully adapted for the screen in this 1967 film by Richard Brooks (Deadline USA, The Blackboard Jungle). Robert Blake and Scott Wilson are remarkable as the murderers, but what has kept this film special over the decades is Brooks's blunt, clearheaded, and nonsensational approach to the story. (The term "semidocumentary" has been applied to Brooks's style on this film, and it's an entirely fair description.) The experience of watching In Cold Blood is naturally unsettling, but the director--as with Capote--leaves final judgments about justice to the beholder. --Tom Keogh

• Sleepers | DVD | (14/03/2016) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-5.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The first thing you need to know about Sleepers is that it's based on a novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra that was allegedly based on a true story. The movie repeats this bogus claim, which was attacked and determined by a wide majority to be misleading. Knowing this, Sleepers becomes problematic because it's too neat, too clean, too manipulative in terms of legal justice and dramatic impact to be truly convincing. And yet, with its stellar cast directed by Barry Levinson, it succeeds as gripping entertainment, and its tale of complex morality--despite a dubious emphasis on homophobic revenge--is sufficiently provocative. It's about four boys in New York's Hell's Kitchen district who are sent to reform school, where they must endure routine sexual assaults by the sadistic guards. Years after their release, the opportunity for revenge proves irresistible for two of the young men, who must then rely on the other pair of friends (Brad Pitt, Jason Patric), a loyal priest (Robert De Niro), and a shabby lawyer (Dustin Hoffman) to defend them in court. Despite the compelling ambiguities of the story, there's never any doubt about how we're supposed to feel, and the screenplay glosses over the story's most difficult moral dilemmas. At its best, Sleepers grabs your attention and pulls you into its intense story of friendship and the price of loyalty under extreme conditions. The movie's New York settings are vividly authentic, and Minnie Driver makes a strong impression as a long-time friend of the loyal group of guys. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Charlie Wilson's War/Capote | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Charlie Wilson's War: The true story of how a playboy congressman a renegade CIA agent and a beautiful Houston socialite joined forces to lead the largest and most successful covert operation in history. Their efforts contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War with consequences that reverberate throughout the world today. Capote: In 1959 Truman Capote a popular writer for The New Yorker learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Halcomb Kansas. Inspired by the story material Capote and his partner Harper Lee travel to the town to research for an article. However as Capote digs deeper into the story he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work 'In Cold Blood'. To that end he arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners especially with Perry Smith a quiet and articulate man with a troubled history. As he works on his book Capote feels some compassion for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree. However that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for the book which only an execution can provide. The conflict and mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would produce a literary account that redefined modern non-fiction....

• She's the Man/Bring It on/Take the Lead | DVD | (22/10/2007) from £23.45   |  Saving you £-3.46 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This box set features the following films: She's The Man (Dir. Andy Fickman) (2006): Viola Johnson (Amanda Bynes) had her own good reasons for disguising herself as her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) and enrolling in his place at his new boarding school Illyria Prep. She was counting on Sebastian being AWOL from school as he tried to break into the music scene in London. What she didn't count on was falling in love with her hot roommate Duke (Channing Tatum) who in turn only has eyes for the beautiful Olivia (Laura Ramsey). Making matters worse Olivia is starting to fall for Sebastian who-for reasons Olivia couldn't begin to guess-appears to be the sensitive type of guy she'd always dreamed of meeting. If things weren't complicated enough the real Sebastian has come back from London two days earlier than expected and arrives on campus having no clue that he's been replaced... by his own twin sister. Bring It on (Dir. Peyton Reed) (2000): The Toro cheerleader squad from Rancho Carne High School in San Diego has got spirit spunk sass and a killer routine that's sure to land them the national championship trophy for the sixth year in a row. But for newly-elected team captain Torrance the Toros' road to total cheer glory takes a shady turn when she discovers that their perfectly choreographed routines were in fact stolen from the Clovers a hip-hop squad from East Compton by the Toros' former captain. While the Toros scramble to come up with a new routine the Clovers led by squad captain Isis (Gabrielle Union) have their own problems coming up with enough money to cover their travel expenses to the championships. With time running out and the pressure mounting both captains drive their squads to the point of exhaustion: Torrance hell bent on saving the Toros' reputation and Isis more determined than ever to see that the Clovers finally get the recognition they deserve. But only one team can bring home the title so may the best moves win... Take The Lead (Dir. Liz Friedlander) (2006): Pierre Dulaine is a Manhattan ballroom teacher and competitor who volunteers his time to teach ballroom dancing to a group of New York inner city high school kids. Initially forced to participate as a form of detention the kids reject Mr. Dulaine's efforts until his unwavering commitment and dedication finally inspires them to embrace the program infusing it with their own unique hip-hop style while subconsciously learning valuable life lessons about pride respect self-esteem and honour.

• Meet the Parents / Meet the Fockers / Little Fockers | Blu Ray | (17/10/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £45.99

  Titles Comprise:Meet The Parents: First comes love. Then comes the interrogation!Male nurse Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is poised to propose to his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo) during a weekend stay at her parents' home. But here's the catch... he needs to ask her father first. Alas, the fur flies as Jack Byrnes, Pam's cat-crazy, ex-CIA father (Robert De Niro), takes an immediate dislike to her less-than-truthful beau. Greg's quest for approval gets seriously sidetracked as Murphy's Law takes over and a hilarious string of mishaps turn him into a master of disaster and total pariah in the eyes of the entire family... all except for his shell-shocked girlfriend, who can't believe she still loves her one-man wreaking crew.'Meet The Parents', from the director of Austin Powers, is an uproarious blockbuster hit that bombards you with one laugh after another, as true love tries to conquer all, against all the odds!Meet The Fockers: And you thought your parents were embarrassing.Domestic disaster looms for male nurse 'Greg' Focker (Stiller) when his straight-laced, ex-CIA father-in-law (De Niro) asks to meet his wildly unconventional mom (Streisand) and dad (Hoffman). It's family bonding gone hysterically haywire in this must-see comedy!Little Fockers: Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has finally begun to earn the respect of his ex-CIA father-in-law, Jack Byrnes (Robert DeNiro) but one important test still lies ahead: will Greg prove that he has what it takes to be the family's next Godfocker ... or will the circle of trust be broken for good?Returning co-stars Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand are joined by newcomers Jessica Alba, Laura Dern and Harvey Keitel in this hysterical family affair.

• Step Up / Step Up 2 / Honey / | DVD | (16/02/2009) from £150.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Step Up: Incredible dancing and awesome music fuel Step Up, the exhilarating and inspiring movie starring Channing Tatum (She's The Man) who sizzles as Tyler Gage, a rough and streetwise hunk with raw talent. When Tyler finds himself doing community service at a school for the performing arts, he also finds Nora, a beautiful and privileged classically trained dancer who's searching for a temporary replacement for her injured dance partner. Spying Tyler's smooth moves, Nora decides to ...

• Step Up 2: The Streets | Blu Ray | (14/07/2014) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The follow-up to the smash hit Step Up is an electrifying tale of bodies hearts and dreams in motion. Rebellious newcomer Andie (Briana Evigan) is an outcast street dancer trying to fit in at the elite School of the Arts. Chase (Robert Hoffman) is the school's red hot talent and a rising star. Both want to win the biggest baddest street dancing battle 'The Streets' and they might just do it if they team up. As the gifted dancers clash and sizzle Andie must learn to build a bridge between love and loyalty between who she is and who she believes she can be. It's time to Step Up. Special Features: The Making of Deleted Scenes Alternative Openings