"Actor: Ron Stevens"

• Carry On Cruising | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £10.42   |  Saving you £3.57 (34.26%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Well, the gang's all here, but Carry On Cruising isn't one of the classics of the series. This may be partly due to the film's well-intentioned stab at some sort of authenticity, being set as it is on a genuine cruise liner rather than in a studio full of cheap sets. It swiftly becomes apparent that the cramped environment isn't well suited to the kind of slapstick which is usually a key ingredient in any Carry On film. Veteran couch spuds will recall that the TV series Triangle was similarly disadvantaged, except that it wasn't supposed to be funny. As ever, though, the brilliant cast-in-residence manage to make the most of the situation. The plot, such as it is, deals with the tribulations which beset a world-weary captain (James) when he realises he's been saddled with a crew of misfits and incompetents (practically everybody else) on a cruise which is of course supposed to offer its passengers every comfort and convenience. If there's a single outstanding performance it has to be that of Lance Percival's chef, whose cheeriness as he presides over his various culinary experiments is extremely funny in a menacing sort of way. On the DVD: The DVD issue has no additional features. --Roger Thomas

• Dentist On The Job | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The marketing department of a pharmaceutical company decide to enlist a dentist to endorse its brand of toothpaste despite the fact that they would be struck off for doing so. They hire two post-graduates who sign the contracts without even reading them first. Declaring the toothpaste rubbish the graduates decide to make a better tooth-cleaner worthy of being struck-off!

• R.S.V.P. | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  An expose book launch turns into a wild Hollywood party where the hosts attempt to conceal the death of a guest whose untimely end is caused by a popular erotic stimulus...

• Very Important Person | DVD | (15/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Sir Ernest Pease KBE FRS (James Robertson Justice) is a cantankerous and crotchety old professor. Testing one of his new radar inventions (and travelling incognito as Lt. Farrow RN) the plane he is travelling is shot down and he is incarcerated as a POW. His overbearing and abrasive manner leads his fellow inmates into believing he is a German spy but when they discover who he actually is they realise that his escape is vital to the war effort. Written by Henry Blyth (The Bul

• Bellini: Norma | DVD | (02/04/2001) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-1.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Bellini's Norma, first performed in 1831, is one of the most glittering jewels in the bel canto repertoire, placing huge vocal demands on the soprano in the title role. The druid priestess who falls prey to human frail ties before redeeming her grace in the flames of the sacrificial fire must also be played with a high degree of dramatic truth. In the 20th century, two singers scaled new heights in combining these requirements: Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. Sutherland's great achievement, preserved in this 1978 recording of Opera Australia's production at Sidney Opera House, was to render Norma a very human being, unravelling her complex reactions to the events which bring her personal world tumbling down around her. Using Bellini's deceptively simple melodies to tender effect, she reveals the essential purity of many of his greatest arias, not least "Casta diva": an equally valid alternative to Callas' pyrotechnics. Ronald Stevens as Norma's errant Roman lover Pollione and Margreta Elkins as Adalgisa, the unwitting agent of the priestess's ultimate downfall, strike vocal sparks in their duets with Sutherland. But this is essentially a treasurable record of one of the all-time great divas in a role that brought her some of her finest notices, with her husband and long-time collaborator Richard Bonynge in the conductor's box. On the DVD: In all respects, this is a solid offering with few frills. The only extra is an Arthaus trailer. The 4:3 picture format and PCM stereo-sound quality are adequate media for a theatrical performance which is very much of its time: crudely-edited plot explanations separate the acts and there is the imposition of some rather naff stills of the ill-fated lovers on flickering flames to suggest the pyre. But Sutherland's performance triumphs over all. --Piers Ford

• On The Beat / Man Of The Moment | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In 1962's On the Beat, Norman Wisdom's Pitkin, the most famous incarnation of his riotous buffoon character, is dreaming of something better as usual. Pitkin wants to follow in his father's footsteps and become a policeman, but being decidedly on the short side, has to settle for washing police cars. Of course it's not long before Norman is impersonating an officer of the law. Wisdom also plays his nemesis here, the German General Schreiber, as well as the chief suspect in a series of jewel robberies which only Pitkin's chaotic antics can solve. Terence Alexander effectively reprises his character from The Square Peg (1958), and Wisdom regular David Lodge, previously seen costarring in The Bulldog Breed (1960), is also on hand, though otherwise the supporting cast is less stellar than before. By the time of 1955's Man of the Moment, Wisdom was firmly established as Britain's favourite movie comedian, his shy, helpful and good-natured "gump" character forever unintentionally causing catastrophe in the great tradition of Charlie Chaplin. However, while Chaplin ventured into politics in Modern Times (1936) for satirical purposes, when Norman's minor civil servant here accidentally becomes the UK delegate at a conference in Geneva the emphasis is on farce and pratfalls. The plot sees Norman sticking up for the rights of the fictional kingdom of Tawaki against less-than-honest government interests, while his new-found status brings the attention of the ladies, including the return of his Trouble in Store (1953) costar Lana Morris. Continuing his collaboration with veteran director John Paddy Carstairs, the film is a polished laughter machine that continues to entertain. --Gary S Dalkin

• The Yakuza Way | DVD | (17/06/2002) from £6.25   |  Saving you £1.74 (21.80%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Kanuma a member of a Japanese gang and his friend are set to smuggle a shipment of cocaine back to Japan. En-route Kanuma persuades his girlfriend to smuggle the drugs as she is a flight attendant. But the girl is killed and the drugs stolen. Now Kanuma must face a double-crossing partner and a world of corruption to avenge a death and retrieve the drugs...

• Death Hunt | DVD | (25/10/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Based on the incredible true story of the deadliest manhunt in history... In Canada; 31st December 1931 the lone trapper Albert Johnson lives for himself in the ice cold mountains near the Yukon river. He shot and killed a man in self-defence near his remote cabin. A few days later Sergeant Edgar Millen under protest brought a heavily armed posse to arrest Johnson for murder. In the siege that followed Johnson defended himself in any way possible before escaping in to the frozen mountains. As the whole nation watched Millen was forced to pursue Johnson by foot dogsled and plane in a desperate struggle that took both men from the brink of survival to the edge of vengeance.

• 8 Seconds | DVD | (28/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A gruelling competition of nerve strength and skill to stay on top of 2 000 pounds of wild animal for eight seconds: that's professional bull-riding. Champion Cowboy Lane Frost is driven by an obsession to exceed his father's expectations and gain his love. But the sacrifices he makes to his craft threatens not only his marriage but also his friendships. Set against an unpredictably precarious world this is a bittersweet love story about a maverick hero who elevated his sport in

• The Big Trail | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  John Wayne hits the pioneer trail in his first feature film. Starring as the leader of a wagon trail he battles through tough terrain and Indian attacks and learns of love and friendship in this sweeping Western epic!

• Not Wanted on Voyage | DVD | (28/01/2008) from £17.53   |  Saving you £-4.54 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A rollicking comedy adventure with Brian Rix and Ronald Shiner playing two cabin stewards bound for Tangiers aboard a cruise ship. As comedy enthusiasts would expect Rix loses his trousers as the two bumbling stewards attempt to uncover the identity of a jewel thief and recover the priceless diamonds of a wealthy passenger.

• Killing Dad | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Alistair a hair tonic salesman is not very happy about welcoming back a father who twenty-three years earlier went out to fetch some cigarettes. He decides to spy on his father and discovers that he is still the drunken disgrace that he used to be. Alistair decides that drastic action must be taken to stop this awful man....the outcome is outrageous!

• Bleed | DVD | (21/04/2003) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-1.59 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When Maddy (Debbie Rochon) goes to a party with her new boyfriend Shawn (Danny Wolske) she only wants to meet his friends and have a good time. They tell her about their 'Murder Club' and invite her to join. Confused but intrigued Maddy really wants to be part of the group. Before she can join the 'Murder Club' members are being killed off one by one...

• Breaker Breaker | DVD | (05/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Chuck Norris is a Vietnam veteran searching the country for his lost brother. When he and his fellow truckers have to pass through a corrupt town where everyone is on the take they decide to take things into their own hands by plotting revenge against the local bullies. Filled with martial arts action adventure and plenty of 18 wheelers the truckers teach the town a lesson they won't soon forget.

• Ghost Sweeper Mikami | DVD | (16/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Meet Mikami - the sexy leader of one of Japan's most successful independent ghost-busting agencies. Together with her eclectic team of exorcists she's prepared to do battle with any supernatural adversary but only for the right price! When an ancient spirit enlists her aid to deal with a re-incarnated foe Mikami gets more than she bargained for. As the wicked Nosferatu - a vampire lord able to absorb the very life essence of his victims - begins to turn the city's inhabitants int

• Silent Night, Bloody Night | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  The new owner of a mansion discovers it was once a mental home. When he visits his inheritance he sets about investigating some old crimes that took place at the mansion scaring the local populace in the process.

• Space Patrol | DVD | (16/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This is Earth - the year 2100. These are the adventures of 'Space Patrol', unseen on British television since 1968, now rescued and restored to delight the many fans of this cult puppet classic.; ; The Swamps Of Jupiter:; Captain Dart and his crew are sent to investigate the loss of contact with a scientific base on Jupiter and encounter Martian fur trappers who are killing the native Loomi creatures for their heat-retaining skins.; ; The Wandering Asteroid:; The Space Patrol crew accept a da...

• On The Beat | DVD | (12/11/2001) from £8.96   |  Saving you £1.03 (11.50%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Having proved himself a war hero in The Square Peg (1958), Norman Pitkin, Norman Wisdom's most famous incarnation of his riotous buffoon character, is here demobbed and, as usual for a Wisdom movie, dreaming of something better. Norman wants to follow in his father's footsteps and become a policeman, but being decidedly on the short side, has to settle for washing police cars. Of course it's not long before Norman is impersonating an officer of the law. As in The Square Peg, Wisdom also plays his nemesis here, the German General Schreiber, as well as the chief suspect in a series of jewel robberies which only Pitkin's chaotic antics can solve. In fact, as if emphasising that On the Beat really is The Square Peg with different uniforms, Terence Alexander, who later found fame as Charlie Hungerford in the long running BBC series Bergerac, also returns, albeit playing a different character. Wisdom film-regular David Lodge, previously seen co-starring in The Bulldog Breed (1960) is also on hand, though otherwise the supporting cast is less stellar than before. Solid if very predictable feel-good entertainment, Wisdom's particular brand of charming anarchy proves again his box-office formula could withstand endless variations. --Gary S Dalkin

• Ah! My Goddess Flights Of Fancy Series 2 Part 1 | DVD | (17/05/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Episodes 1 - 8 It's been almost a year since the Goddess Belldandy came to live with college student Keiichi Morisato and he's almost gotten up the nerve to kiss her. Unfortunately the encounter with the Lord of Terror damaged some of Yggdrasil's systems and the contract binding Belldandy and Keiichi is among the lost data. The lovebirds can only hope the information can be retrieved before the Almighty One orders Belldandy back to Heaven. Naturally Skuld and Urd try to help but it might be better if they didn't. Then with Christmas at hand Keiichi works himself to the bone to buy a present and the rivalry with Sayoko may have driven Belldandy to drink?! What happens when a Goddess is (literally) drunk with power? Find out what happens next in Ah! My Goddess Season Two.

• Count Of Monte Cristo | DVD | (24/05/2004) from £4.75   |  Saving you £3.24 (68.21%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Take a classic swashbuckling story add unforgettable songs fill it with a cast of cool characters including a very funky feline and you've got the latest adaptation of Alexander Dumas' classic tale THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO.From the first rousing sailor's song to the last breathtaking duel it's a story we guarantee your family will treasure forever.The magic begins in Marseilles in 1815. Edmond Dantes is about to marry his true love Mercedes when three jealous sc