"Actor: Sam"

• China Moon | DVD | (30/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  China Moon (1991) is a pleasing entertainment that assembles the dependable elements of film noir in the tradition of Body Heat (1981), The Last Seduction (1994) and, of course, the mother of all such films, Double Indemnity (1944). There's a femme fatale (the beautiful and talented Madeleine Stowe) and an honest cop (reliable Ed Harris) who soon becomes smitten. Her husband (Charles Dance) is a brute who beats her, so she murders him and inveigles Harris into helping her dispose of the body. That's when the complications begin, and Harris starts to sweat when his fellow cop keeps asking awkward questions. The acting is uniformly good, with Harris' partner played by Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) offering an excellent performance. Harris and Stowe strike sparks off each other, to the point where you almost believe he is being sucked into her schemes. On the DVD: The disc contains a theatrical trailer and several TV ads, with scroll-down filmographies of the major talents involved which are incomplete for some unknown reason. There's a brief and unenlightening five-minute documentary, with the principal cast plus the director, John Bailey, commenting on the film. Both image and sound are excellent quality, sound in Dolby Digital, picture in anamorphic widescreen ratio of 2.35:1 --Ed Buscombe

• The Work And The Glory Vol.1 | DVD | (17/03/2008) from £4.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (160.32%)   |  RRP £12.99

  When Benjamin Steed (Sam Hennings) and Mary Ann Steed (Brenda Strong Seinfeld) relocate their family to upstate New York in the early 1800's they unwittingly settle in a town divided along religious lines. After their new hired help turns out to be at the center of the uproar each member of the Steed family must come to terms with their own beliefs in the face of heavy persecution. Together they struggle to weather the raging controversy surrounding a young man named Joseph Smith.

• Dynamite Shaolin Heroes | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £9.75   |  Saving you £0.24 (2.46%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A mysterious master with superb Shaolin techniques uses all his skill to prevent a prince of the fallen Ming Dynasty from being used as a promotion tool by a power-hungry government official....

• The Last Picture Show | Blu Ray | (18/03/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Released in 1971 to critical acclaim and public controversy, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW garnered eight Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and was hailed as the most important work by a young American director since Citizen Kane.A surprisingly frank, bittersweet drama of social and sexual mores in small-town Texas, the film features a talent-laden cast led by Jeff Bridges (The Mirror Has Two Faces), Cybill Shepherd (Taxi Driver) and Timothy Bottoms (The Man in the Iron Mask). Cloris Leachman (TVs The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Ben Johnson (Rio Grande) each won Oscars for their work in supporting roles.

• Island Of Terror | DVD | (17/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  When oh when will scientists learn to stop playing with radiation? Island of Terror takes place on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. No phones no regular transport to and from the mainland but there is a well-equipped cancer research center where the well intentioned - but foolish! - scientists are irradiating lumps of tissue. The local constable finds a body with no bones in it ('No bones?' 'No bones!') and soon a team from London led by the ever-game Peter Cushing arri

• Winston Churchill - The Wilderness Years - Vol. 2: In High Places / A Menace In The House | DVD | (26/11/2001) from £10.31   |  Saving you £-4.32 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It’s easy to forget that before fronting the British war effort through most of World War II, Winston Churchill had spent the previous decade isolated in Parliament and in internal opposition to the Conservative party. Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years dramatises this period in which the growing menace of Nazism in Germany was met with indifference, even fear by governments of the day who were more concerned with their survival than in serving those who had elected them. Churchill is perceptively played by Robert Hardy, confirming the image without falling into caricature. Visionary and obstinate by turns, he galvanises his supporters and enrages his enemies with a passion borne of conviction. A seasoned British cast includes Peter Barkworth as the amiable but ineffectual Stanley Baldwin, Eric Porter as the truly "out of time" Neville Chamberlain, Edward Woodward as the scheming Samuel Hoare and Nigel Havers as the tragically flawed Randolph Churchill. Martin Gilbert has done a persuasive job transforming his novel into a TV script, the scenes in the House of Commons having a gritty reality that makes compulsive viewing. On the DVD: it’s a pity that the Southern Pictures production, first screened in 1981, has emerged so dimly in this incarnation. Has the master tape eroded so badly, or was it simply not available? However, it’s worth putting up with the technical defects to enjoy this historically informed and grippingly dramatic serial. --Richard Whitehouse

• Black Hawk Down | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £12.54   |  Saving you £0.45 (3.59%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The harrowing true account of what happened when a mission by a group of elite US troops in Somalia went terrribly wrong.

• A Man Called Hero | DVD | (21/05/2001) from £9.55   |  Saving you £10.44 (109.32%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An example of Hong Kong action cinema at its most mainstream, A Man Called Hero owes perhaps more to the films of Steven Segal than it does those of John Woo. The tale of a mythical hero who borders on the status of superhero, the film is stripped of any potential credibility by some of the most appalling dubbing ever seen at the cinema. While the original Chinese cast may inject the movie with passion, their American voice-over replacements obviously never made it past the sincere section of acting class. Each line is delivered with such false earnestness that the film sounds like a cross between Days of Our Lives and an episode of Pokémon. No cinematic cliché is left untouched, suggesting that this is not just a case of something lost in the translation but just a bad film... in anybody's language. The world-wide success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has proved that there is a huge market for original Eastern cinema, even more reason to avoid the pointless rehashing of the worst of Hollywood that A Man Called Hero undoubtedly is. --Phil Udell

• Mad Max / Lethal Weapon / We Were Soldiers | DVD | (27/09/2004) from £7.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (162.70%)   |  RRP £20.99

  Mad Max: On a remote stretch of deserted highway a band of violent bikers has taken over attacking anyone unlucky enough to cross their savage path. Racing up and down the seemingly endless miles of asphalt the crazed outlaws blaze through small towns plowing into vehicles and pedestrians alike with reckless abandon. Bringing a sense of law to this lawlessness are the mobile police force led by Max and Goose who are as fast and mean as their adversaries and are willing to

• Jungle Heat | DVD | (18/02/2002) from £13.48   |  Saving you £-0.49 (-3.80%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Vietnam war was about to end when a specially trained convoy is sent into the war-zone. The convoy is ambushed and captured by a vicious band of Vietcong rebels. Forced to witness the sickening torture of death of one of their comrades they each expect to meet the same grizzly fate. Only an act of bravery of one soldier with the flesh ripped from his hands aids their escape. Returning to Saigon they learn that the war is over - but that their war isn't. One man's brother has been taken by the Vietcong rebels. It was a matter of honour they had to rescue him they had to take revenge. The war was over. Their war had just begun.

• The Hunt for Red October | Blu Ray | (05/10/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Sweet William | DVD | (11/02/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  As soon as she meets William (Sam Waterston) Ann (Jenny Agutter) finds herself drawn to him. Their whirlwind romance is rapidly consummated and they decide to live together in Ann's flat. However Ann soon discovers that William is also in a relationship with her friend Pamela...and is also married...and then she finds herself pregnant.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Vol. 1 | DVD | (20/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Cowabunga!Episodes include:1.01 Things Change Attacked by vicious Mouser Robots heroic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Donatello Michelangelo and Leonardo are driven from their home and separated from there beloved master Splinter. Can they fight back against such powerful and hungry foes? 1.02 A Better Mousetrap The brainy Donatello gets one of the dangerous Mouser Robots working and the Turtles uncover the creator of the machines that attacked them. But in the mean-time lab assistant April O'Neil is getting curious about her boss - and it'll take some ninja heros to save her! 1.03 Attack Of The Mousers April meets the Turtles and their wise friend Splinter and learns the strange tale of how they all came to be here in New York. As April provides some information of her own the Turtles discover who their real enemy is - that calls for some Mouser Mashin' Mayhem!

• Stoic | DVD | (10/05/2010) from £6.46   |  Saving you £-0.47 (-7.80%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Inspired by a real life account of the violence and brutality behind the bars of one of the world's most notorious prisons Stoic tells the story of the bloody aftermath of a shockingly violent death at the hands of three infamous hooligans. Shifting between the police interrogation and flashbacks leading up to the event itself the shocking truth behind what three brutal criminals are capable of is eventually revealed. Starring Edward Furlong (American History X Terminator 2) Stoic is a gripping visceral and distressing tale of hard men trapped in an even harder place that will stay with you long after the doors slam shut...

• Curtis Mayfield And The Impressions - Movin' On Up 1965 - 1974 | DVD | (05/05/2008) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-6.59 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  This two-hour film tells the incredible story of one of the greatest artists and most important R&B groups of all time. Also included in the documentary are 22 complete vintage television performances from The Impressions and Curtis Mayfield's solo career filmed between 1965 and 1973. In addition to telling the history of Curtis Mayfield as an artist and the Impressions as a group the film explores how The Impressions' music was a virtual soundtrack for the civil rights era in the '60s. In an interview filmed exclusively for the documentary civil rights leader Ambassador Andrew Young (who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) speaks about the effect classic Impressions songs such as People Get Ready Choice of Colours and We're A Winner had on the movement and how often their songs were sung for inspiration in churches and during marches (some led by Dr. King.) The film also shows how Curtis Mayfield's solo work helped define the early '70s. Chuck D leader of the rap group Public Enemy provides context about Curtis's music as a soundtrack to the grim realities of urban life culminating with his 1972 masterpiece Superfly. In addition Carlos Santana speaks about Curtis Mayfield's unique genius as a songwriter artist and teacher and also comments on the spiritual nature of his music. Also featured in the film are Impressions Fred Cash and Sam Gooden who discuss the history of the group beginning with their origins in the late '50s and share incredible stories about many of their classic songs as well as give insight into Curtis as a songwriter. In addition producer/arranger Johnny Pate speaks about the recording process of their classic songs and reminisces about the Impressions in the studio. Altheida Mayfield Curtis's widow provides tender insight into the personal side of Curtis including his inspirations and aspirations as well as stories about Curtis as a husband and family man. Curtis Mayfield himself speaks through several archival interviews filmed throughout his career. Tracklist: It's All Right (1965) Woman's Got Soul (1965) I Need You (1965) People Get Ready (1965) Meeting Over Yonda (1965) We're A Winner/Amen (1968) This Is My County (1970) Choice of Colours (1969) Check Out Your Mind (1970) (Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Gonna Go (1970) Keep On Keeping On (1972) We've Got To Have Peace (1972) We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue/ Give Me Your Love (1972) Superfly (1972) Freddie's Dead (1972) Pusherman (1972) Eddie You Should Know Better (1973) Future Shock (1973) The Makings Of You (1970)

• Dead Even | DVD | (06/02/2006) from £14.98   |  Saving you £1.01 (6.74%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Beauty can be deadly... Rebecka Fairbanks (Elizabeth Hurley) is a beautiful but temperamental movie star who is struggling to find her next hit picture. She accepts the part of the nineteenth century serial killer Belle Gunness and commits herself to the role with an almost obsessive passion. As filming gets underway she begins adopting more and more of Belle's sinister mannerisms. Soon people start disappearing from the set and are later found dead. The murders share a st

• The Mask | DVD | (26/01/2009) from £14.98   |  Saving you £-10.08 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.90

  Sometimes the most unlikely people become heroes. Based on the true story of a teenager with a facial deformity from a rare disorder that no child has been known to survive. Cher won Best Actress Award at Cannes for her performance as Rocky's mother in this emotional and spirited drama.

• Shot in the Heart | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-10.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  January 1977. Utah State Prison. Double-murderer Gary Gilmore is about to become the first convicted killer in a decade to be executed on U.S. soil. Awaiting his fate on death row Gilmore agrees to a one-time only visit from Mikal the younger he barely remembers. Piecing together fragments of their shared past- born of a brutal father raised in a family haunted by death religion and superstition- Mikal searches for a reason to appeal against the execution or to accept that the moment of blood atonement has arrived. Meanwhile the killer's twisted celebrity fuelled by a media frenzy has the eyes of the world looking on. Based on Mikal Gilmore's award winning book 'Shot In The Heart' is the harrowing expose of a cold-blooded killer: A journey to the darkside of a mind tortured by the sins and secrets of his past.

• The Good Wife | DVD | (16/07/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Unbridled passions sear under the hot Australian sun in this smoldering tale of desperation betrayal and redemption. Breathtakingly beautiful to watch this ""well made and well acted"" (Leonard Maltin) drama stars Rachel Ward Bryan Brown and Sam Neill in a haunting story of lost opportunities and unrequited love. Marge (Ward) a sensuous but proper wife lives with her quiet lumberjack husband Sonny (Brown) in a remote Aussie town. Lonely and unfulfilled Marge develops an attraction - and then an obsession - for the town's sexy new bartender Neville (Neill). And when Neville acts on Marge's desires he unleashes her insatiable sexual appetite. But word of her infidelity catches and spreads like wildfire through their small town leaving Sonny with no choice but to squelch the flames or lose everything he's got!

• Winston Churchill - The Wilderness Years - Vol. 3: The Flying Peril / His Own Funeral | DVD | (26/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It’s easy to forget that before fronting the British war effort through most of World War II, Winston Churchill had spent the previous decade isolated in Parliament and in internal opposition to the Conservative party. Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years dramatises this period in which the growing menace of Nazism in Germany was met with indifference, even fear by governments of the day who were more concerned with their survival than in serving those who had elected them. Churchill is perceptively played by Robert Hardy, confirming the image without falling into caricature. Visionary and obstinate by turns, he galvanises his supporters and enrages his enemies with a passion borne of conviction. A seasoned British cast includes Peter Barkworth as the amiable but ineffectual Stanley Baldwin, Eric Porter as the truly "out of time" Neville Chamberlain, Edward Woodward as the scheming Samuel Hoare and Nigel Havers as the tragically flawed Randolph Churchill. Martin Gilbert has done a persuasive job transforming his novel into a TV script, the scenes in the House of Commons having a gritty reality that makes compulsive viewing. On the DVD: it’s a pity that the Southern Pictures production, first screened in 1981, has emerged so dimly in this incarnation. Has the master tape eroded so badly, or was it simply not available? However, it’s worth putting up with the technical defects to enjoy this historically informed and grippingly dramatic serial. --Richard Whitehouse