"Actor: Tom Richards"

• The White Lotus: Season 2 | DVD | (21/08/2023) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Mike White's (HBO's Enlightened) Emmy®-winning series The White Lotus follows various hotel guests over the span of a week - but with each passing day, a darker side of the picture-perfect travelers, hotel employees, and idyllic locale emerges. Now in their Sicily location, the White Lotus welcomes two couples trying to decide if they're friends or frenemies; a three-generation Italian American family exploring their Sicilian roots; and a White Lotus VIP (Emmy® winner Jennifer Coolidge) traveling with her husband (and assistant) intow. Behind the scenes, the hotel's professional but prickly manager tries to keep two young locals - each striving to get ahead by different means - out of her luxury establishment. Diving into the vagaries of gender roles and sexual politics, season two of the acclaimed social satire promises to keep audiences guessing from week to week.

• Doctor Zhivago | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £3.92   |  Saving you £10.07 (256.89%)   |  RRP £13.99

  David Lean's wintry adaptation of Boris Pasternak's melodramatic Russian Revolution romance, Doctor Zhivago, is a masterpiece of epic filmmaking, but one that risks leaving the viewer cold. Though none of the film was shot in the then USSR, Lean's assured technique nevertheless illuminates the breathtaking backgrounds magnificently: from the snowy wastes of the Urals to the strife-torn streets of Moscow, Lean stages a series of wonderful set-pieces showing war, revolution and its terrible aftermath. The problem lies in the foreground. Omar Sharif's entirely passive Zhivago is, we are told, a romantic poet of great sensitivity who internalises all his emotions and expresses them in verse. The trouble is the audience never gets to see a line of his poems, not even the centrally important "Lara" cycle. Thus Zhivago at the end of the picture is as much an emotional blank to us as he was at the beginning. His affair with the idealised beauty that is Julie Christie's Lara is also taken for granted by the filmmakers rather than set up in any convincing way, their mutual attraction remaining a mystery that creates a vacuum at the core of the picture. Given that none of the central characters with the exception of Rod Steiger's fire-breathing lecher Komarovsky ever give way to strong emotions, the romantic heart of the film remains oddly frigid. Matters are not helped by composer Maurice Jarre's incessant "Lara's Theme", which many will find teeth-grindingly irritating. Still, any David Lean epic, even a flawed one, is always going to be a first-class cinematic experience, and Zhivago is assuredly that. On the DVD: A stunning anamorphic widescreen print is the ideal way to appreciate David Lean's craftsmanship and this movie's glorious, wintry cinematography. Maurice Jarre's "Lara's Theme" and the rest of his patchwork score can be heard in a music-only track, while Omar Sharif is joined by Lean's widow Sandra and Rod Steiger for an intermittent commentary. The second bonus disc contains a good hour-long making-of documentary plus 10 shorter contemporary documentaries giving various insights into the location shooting and the cast and crew. But it's the sheer beauty of the picture that will astonish and make this disc forever treasurable. --Mark Walker

• The Bodyguard | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.35   |  Saving you £7.64 (120.31%)   |  RRP £13.99

  In her spectacular film debut Houston plays Rachel Marron a music and movie superstar at her peak. Fans want to see her touch her. But one wants to kill her - and that's where security expert Frank Farmer (Costner) comes in. Farmer is a professional who never lets his guard down. Rachel's glamorous life often puts her at risk. Each expects to be in charge. What they don't expect is to fall in love...

• U.S. Marshals | DVD | (04/01/1999) from £7.19   |  Saving you £6.80 (94.58%)   |  RRP £13.99

  An ultimately futile attempt to make lightning strike twice, this so-called spin-off from 1993's blockbuster The Fugitive avoids the label of "sequel" by forging ahead without the first film's star, Harrison Ford. The idea is to showcase the return of Tommy Lee Jones in his Oscar-winning role as tenacious U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard, this time testing his mettle against a covert government operative (Wesley Snipes) accused of murdering two secret service attachés. Unfortunately, Jones and the entire cast have been trapped in a rambling plot, and the underdog status that made Ford such a compelling hero is sacrificed to an evenly matched and eventually tiresome game of cat and mouse, with a villain whose identity is far too predictable. With no dramatic build-up and several superfluous characters to distract its focus, the film's momentum plays out like a rote exercise compared to the high stakes of the earlier film. --Jeff Shannon

• Belle | DVD | (20/10/2014) from £6.23   |  Saving you £15.02 (302.21%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Belle is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson) Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges yet the colour of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar's son bent on change who with her help shapes Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.

• Titian | DVD | (23/07/2018) from £7.85   |  Saving you £2.14 (27.26%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Titian is one of the undisputed masters of Western art and his influence has proved to be as long lasting as it is widespread. His fresh interpretations of old stories and constant reinvention of the portrait have inspired artists for over four centuries. Filmed in France and Italy as well as the UK this film explores the reasons for the enduring power and abiding attraction of Titian's paintings. His work and life are investigated by a wide range of enthusiasts: John Berger Charles hope Tom Phillips Katya Berger John Lessore Jill Dunkerton Ray Richardson and Amanda Bradley.

• The Lost Prince | DVD | (20/01/2003) from £6.12   |  Saving you £9.87 (161.27%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A marvellous reinvention of the costume epic, The Lost Prince is Stephen Poliakoff's absorbing study of the turbulent years leading up to and during the First World War, seen through the percipient eyes of a scarcely remembered royal child. Extensively researched, impeccably cast, beautifully filmed, written and directed by Poliakoff himself with masterly economy and restraint, this is a timely reminder that original, intelligent drama can work as prime time entertainment while appealing on multiple levels; and there isn't an escaped soap star in sight. Johnnie, the prince kept hidden away by his parents Queen Mary and George V for fear that his epileptic fits and idiosyncratic ways might draw unwelcome attention, is not presented as a tragic figure. His view of the great events which shatter his family and change the world forever is direct and uncluttered. Poliakoff celebrates his apartness--and that of all children who are different--as a force for good, without judging the standards, protocols and contemporary medical theories which kept him on the periphery of society. The series makes the most of its well-chosen locations, and from Johnnie's garden at Sandringham to the assassination of the Russian imperial family, it maintains a hypnotic and elegiac quality The acting is first-rate, too. Gina McKee is profoundly moving as Johnnie's devoted nurse Lalla; and Miranda Richardson's Mary is an extraordinary performance, the controlled façade of single-minded focus occasionally fracturing to reveal a flash of humanity. This production is exquisite in every respect. On the DVD: The Lost Prince is presented in its original transmission format of 16:9. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, enhanced by Adrian Johnston's haunting score is crystal clear. Extras include Poliakoff's revealing commentary, with occasional input from Johnston and designer John-Paul Kelly, and a couple of documentary fragments which show the production in progress and place it in context with the rest of Poliakoff's work. --Piers Ford

• Rolling Thunder | Blu Ray | (23/05/2022) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When Major Charles Rane and his friend Johnny Vohden returns home to San Antonio after eight years of physical and mental torture in a Vietnam POW camp they are treated as a heroes. But Rane cannot know his experiences are nothing compared to the ordeal he must still face. A gang of thugs invade his home to steal the silver coins he received for his service and mangle his hand leaving him and his family for dead. Whilst recovering in hospital Rane becomes more distant and cold. Aided by his loyal friend and now wielding a hook for a hand he sets out on a mission of vengeance with the ice cold determination of a man who has suffered too much and has nothing else to live for but revenge.

• Rolling Thunder | DVD | (25/09/2023) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When Major Charles Rane and his friend Johnny Vohden returns home to San Antonio after eight years of physical and mental torture in a Vietnam POW camp they are treated as heroes. But Rane cannot know his experiences are nothing compared to the ordeal he must still face. A gang of thugs invade his home to steal the silver coins he received for his service and mangle his hand leaving him and his family for dead. Whilst recovering in hospital Rane becomes more distant and cold. Aided by his loyal friend and now wielding a hook for a hand he sets out on a mission of vengeance with the ice cold determination of a man who has suffered too much and has nothing else to live for but revenge.

• The Bodyguard | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £18.99

  This 1992 crowd pleaser made almost as much money for Whitney Houston as its chart-busting soundtrack. A high-wattage star vehicle as only Hollywood can make, The Bodyguard stars Houston as a pop-music diva (now there's a stretch) and Kevin Costner as the stern bodyguard who is assigned to protect her after the singer receives some nasty death threats. Pop star and bodyguard don't hit it off at first, but they wear down each others' defenses, and before long Houston is baring her tonsils with a rousing rendition of the Dolly Parton chestnut "I Will Always Love You." The film, written by Lawrence Kasden, was originally intended for Steve McQueen, but the script languished for years before Houston took an interest in the project. A proposed sequel would potentially have starred Costner and Princess Diana, until Diana's tragic death precluded that possibility. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Sons & Daughters - Collection Two (Complete Season 2) | DVD | (12/03/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Sleepless In Seattle / Maid In Manhattan / French Kiss | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sleepless In Seattle (Dir. Nora Ephron 1993): Christmas is a magical time when anything can happen. And for Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) a down-to-earth newspaper reporter it's just about to. Whilst driving to her fianc''e's house on Christmas Eve she hears a radio broadcast that will change her life. Eight-year-old Jonah is worried about his recently widowed father and calls a radio station agony aunt. Persuaded onto the phone Jonah's dad Sam (Tom Hanks) tells of his love for his dead wife and how their time together was pure magic. Annie is so touched by his heartfelt sentiment that she becomes determined to meet him. But there are a few problems: Sam's in Seattle Annie's in Baltimore and Sam doesn't even know that Annie exists! Maid In Manhattan (Dir. Wayne Wang 2002): Marisa Ventura is a single mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City. She works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity Marisa meets Christopher Marshall a handsome heir to a political dynasty who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the unlikely pair together for one night. When Marisa's true identity is revealed the two find that they are worlds apart even though the distance separating them is just a subway ride between Manhattan and the Bronx. French Kiss (Dir. Lawrence Kasdan 1995): Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline are a Paris match made in heaven in this hilarious adventure-filled romantic comedy. Straight-laced Kate (Ryan)has her future all planned out: marry her fiance Charlie (Timothy Hutton) and live happily ever after. What she didn't count on was Juliette the beautiful French woman Charlie falls for on a business trip to Paris! Determined to win him back Kate jumps on a plane where she meets Luc (Kline) a petty thief whom she immediately dislikes. But when Luc sneaks a stolen necklace into Kate's purse she finds herself travelling through France with him on a trip full of surprises: the biggest one being that this con man is stealing her heart! A sexy savvy and very funny romantic romp 'French Kiss' is a passionate heartfelt reminder that life can always surprise you.

• Eyes Wide Shut | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Visually beautiful, Stanley Kubrick's last completed film Eyes Wide Shut blends the sinister, the sensual and the clinical in a combination that is rather too personal and idiosyncratic to be entirely successful as the final statement about gender and sexuality he intended it to be. Adapted by Frederick Raphael from the Dream Story of Freud's friend Schnitzler, it shows a young successful couple confront the dangers that lurk beyond monogamy; Nicole Kidman's Alice does little more than fantasise, flirt and dream, but even this causes guilt and pain. Doctor Bill (Tom Cruise) does rather more--he visits a whore, crashes an orgy and continues to ask questions when warned off; if no disaster ensues, and it is possible that two people die as a result, it is only luck that averts it. Much of the best of what is here is to be found in occasional moments of stillness--Cruise walking through a morgue--or wild comedy--Cruise's attempt to hire a costume in the middle of the night interrupts major shenanigans at the fancy-dress shop. Cruise and Kidman do what they can with material that never means as much as it aspires to, and the standout performance is Sydney Pollack's, as a worldly wise client. On the DVD: Eyes Wide Shut on DVD is presented in lavish Dolby Sound that makes the most of the obsessive Ligeti piano piece and Shostakovich waltz that dominate the score, and in the 1.33:1 ratio that was Kubrick's considered choice. It has subtitles in English, Arabic, Bulgarian and Rumanian, two TV spots and informative interviews with Kidman and Cruise, as well as with Steven Spielberg, to whom Kubrick had talked at length about his artistic intentions. --Roz Kaveney

• TEEN TITANS GO: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON | Blu Ray | (21/04/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Tigerland | DVD | (01/04/2002) from £4.87   |  Saving you £14.38 (398.34%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Director Joel Schumacher's acclaimed story of a group of young US infantry men in 1971, in training for Viet Nam, at a time when not even many of the soldiers themselves believed in what they were doing.

• Eyes Wide Shut | DVD | (10/09/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Visually beautiful, Kubrick's last completed film Eyes Wide Shut blends the sinister, the sensual and the clinical in a combination that is rather too personal and idiosyncratic to be entirely successful as the final statement about gender and sexuality he intended it to be. Adapted by Frederick Raphael from the Dream Story of Freud's friend Schnitzler, it shows a young successful couple confront the dangers that lurk beyond monogamy; Nicole Kidman's Alice does little more than fantasise, flirt and dream, but even this causes guilt and pain. Doctor Bill (Tom Cruise) does rather more--he visits a whore, crashes an orgy and continues to ask questions when warned off; if no disaster ensues, and it is possible that two people die as a result, it is only luck that averts it. Much of the best of what is here is to be found in the occasional moments of stillness--Cruise walking through a morgue--or wild comedy--Cruise's attempt to hire a costume in the middle of the night interrupts major shenanigans at the fancy-dress shop. Cruise and Kidman do what they can with material that never means as much as it aspires to and the stand-out performance is Sydney Pollack's, as a worldly wise client. On the DVD: The DVD is presented in a lavish Dolby Sound that makes the most of the obsessive Ligeti piano piece and Shostakovich waltz that dominate the score and in the 1.33:1 ratio that was Kubrick's considered choice. It has subtitles in English, Arabic, Bulgarian and Rumanian, two TV spots and informative interviews with Kidman and Cruise, as well as with Stephen Spielberg to whom Kubrick had talked at length about his artistic intentions. --Roz Kaveney

• The Christmas Miracle Of Jonathan Toomey | DVD | (24/11/2008) from £5.85   |  Saving you £2.14 (36.58%)   |  RRP £7.99

  This live-action feature based on one of America's most loved children's books is now a must-see family movie experience. Oscar nominee Tom Berenger stars as a recluse with a secret past until a widowed mother (Joely Richardson) and her young son move into town and commission the ill-tempered woodcarver to create a replica of a nativity set given to the boy by his father. A story of love redemption and above all hope makes The Christmas Miracle Of Jonathan Toomey a holiday classic for years to come.

• Stanley Kubrick | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  This superb nine-disc Stanley Kubrick Box Set contains all the late director's work from 1962's Lolita to Kubrick's final film, the highly controversial Eyes Wide Shut (1999). There's also the excellent and highly informative two-hour documentary: Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, narrated (a little drably) by Tom Cruise. It isn't exactly a warts-and-all portrait of Stan the Man, which is not surprising, really, given that it's directed and produced by Kubrick's brother-in-law Jan Harlan, and that Kubrick's widow Christine was closely involved in the making of it. But it does give a detailed and revealing portrait of a brilliant, demanding and often infuriating man, airing rare footage that goes right back to his earliest years as a brash youngster in the Bronx, already playing to camera with a frightening degree of self-awareness. Six of the eight movies (all but Dr Strangelove and Eyes Wide Shut) have been digitally restored and remastered, and almost all (barring Strangelove again and Lolita) now boast Dolby Digital 5.1 stereo sound remixes. For some bizarre reason, Kubrick insisted on mono sound for the 1999 set, which he approved shortly before his death. Visually the improvement over the often grainy, scratchy prints previously on offer--The Shining (1980) was notoriously messy--is immense. All the features are presented in their original ratios, which in the case of Strangelove means the changing ratios in which it was originally shot, and for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) the full glorious 2.21:1 expanse of the Cinerama screen.So what don't you get? Essentially, the early Kubrick--the work of the young, hungry director before he moved to England and started to gather all the controlling strings into his own hand: most notably the tough, taut thriller The Killing (1956) and the icily furious war film Paths of Glory (1957). Too bad Warners couldn't have negotiated the rights for those too. But what we have here is the culminating phase of Kubrick's filmmaking career--the final 27 years of one of the great masters of cinema. On the DVDs: Besides the visual and sonic improvements mentioned above, each of the eight features includes the original theatrical trailer and multiple-language subtitles. The DVD of Dr Strangelove also gives us filmographies of the principal players, plus theatrical posters and a photo gallery, while Eyes Wide Shut includes interviews (taped after Kubrick's death) with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg, plus a couple of 30-second TV spots. And with The Shining we get a fascinating 34-minute documentary made by Kubrick's then 17-year-old daughter Vivian, plus--just to add a further layer--Vivian's present-day voice-over commentary on her film. --Philip Kemp

• Eyes Wide Shut | Blu Ray | (03/03/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Stanley Kubrick's daring last film is many things. It is a compelling psychosexual journey. A haunting dreamscape. A riveting tale of suspense. A major milestone in the careers of stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. And a worthy final chapter to a great director's career. Cruise plays Dr William Hartford who plunges into an erotic foray that threatens his marriage - and may even ensnare him in a lurid murder mystery - after his wife's (Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self-discovery and reconciliation Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. Graceful tracking shots controlled pacing rich colours startling images: bravura traits that make Kubrick a filmmaker for the ages are here to keep everyone's eyes wide open.

• Eyes Wide Shut | HD DVD | (24/03/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Stanley Kubrick's daring last film is many things. It is a compelling psychosexual journey. A haunting dreamscape. A riveting tale of suspense. A major milestone in the careers of stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. And a worthy final chapter to a great director's career. Cruise plays Dr William Hartford who plunges into an erotic foray that threatens his marriage - and may even ensnare him in a lurid murder mystery - after his wife's (Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self-discovery and reconciliation Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. Graceful tracking shots controlled pacing rich colours startling images: bravura traits that make Kubrick a filmmaker for the ages are here to keep everyone's eyes wide open.