Comedy

• Red Dwarf: Series 3 | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £6.15   |  Saving you £13.84 (225.04%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The third series of Red Dwarf introduced some radical changes--all of them for the better--but the scripts remained as sharp and character-focussed as ever, making this a firm candidate for the show's best year. Gone were the dull metallic grey sets and costumes, gone too was Norman Lovett's lugubrious Holly, replaced now by comedienne Hattie Hayridge, who had previously played Hilly in the Series 2 episode "Parallel Universe". New this year were custom-made costumes, more elaborate sets, the zippy pea-green Starbug, bigger special effects and the wholly admirable Robert Llewellyn as Kryten. The benefits of the show's changes are apparent from the outset, with the mind-bending hilarity of "Backwards", in which Kryten and Rimmer establish themselves as a forwards-talking double-act on a reverse Earth. After a modest two-hander that sees Rimmer and Lister "Marooned", comes one of the Dwarf's most beloved episodes, "Polymorph". Here is the ensemble working at its best, as each character unwittingly has their strongest emotion sucked out of them. Lister loses his fear; Cat his vanity; Kryten his reserve; and Rimmer his anger ("Chameleonic Life-Forms. No Thanks"). "Body Swap" sees Lister and Rimmer involved in a bizarre attempt to prevent the ship from self-destructing. "Timeslides" delves deep into Rimmer's psyche as the boys journey haphazardly through history. Finally, "The Last Day" shows how completely Kryten has been adopted as a crewmember, when his replacement Hudzen unexpectedly shows up. On the DVD: Red Dwarf, Series 3 two-disc set maintains the high standard of presentation and wealth of extra material established by its predecessors. Among other delights there are the usual "Smeg Ups" and deleted scenes, plus another fun commentary with the cast. There's a lengthy documentary, "All Change", specifically about Series 3, a tribute to costume designer Mel Bibby, Hattie Hayridge's convention video diary, and--most fascinating--the opportunity to watch "Backwards" played forwards, so you can finally understand what Arthur Smith's backwards-talking pub manager actually says to Rimmer and Kryten in the dressing room. --Mark Walker

• American Pie 1-8 | DVD | (19/11/2012) from £24.99   |  Saving you £-15.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Tuck into the whole pie. Here they are all frantically funny and deliciously sexy slices of American Pie available together. Join the fun and experience everything from prom night and summer vacation to marriage and babies in this unforgettable collection packed with bonus features that every self-disrespecting pie love must own.

• Ghostbusters | DVD | (22/09/2008) from £6.35   |  Saving you £-0.36 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script, but Bill Murray gets all the best lines and moments in this 1984 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (Meatballs). The three comics, plus Ernie Hudson, play the New York City-based team that provides supernatural pest control, and Sigourney Weaver is the love interest possessed by an ancient demon. Reitman and company are full of original ideas about hobgoblins--who knew they could "slime" people with green plasma goo?--but hovering above the plot is Murray's patented ironic view of all the action. Still a lot of fun, and an obvious model for sci-fi comedies such as Men in Black. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Swingers | Blu Ray | (16/07/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Wannabe actors become regulars in the stylish neo-lounge scene; Trent teaches his friend Mike the unwritten rules of the scene.

• Carry On Behind | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £6.22   |  Saving you £6.77 (108.84%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The discovery of valuable archaeological remains beneath a holiday caravan site is the cause of the mayhem in Carry On Behind. That said, the sub-"plots", which involve Windsor Davies and Jack Douglas as a pair of randy fishermen, a couple sharing their caravan with an outsize dog (no, it's not like that...), the obligatory giggling dolly birds and so on are all typical grist to the Carry On mill. The location is of course as bleakly miserable as such a place could ever be and will bring a frisson of familiarity to many Brits. Widely held to be one of the best in the series, the film would in fact have been a rather lacklustre effort were it not for the superbly over-the-top presence of Elke Sommer, whose performance as the strapping assistant to archaeologist Roland Crump (Kenneth Williams) seems like a wonderful hybrid of Ute Lemper and Charlie Dimmock. --Roger Thomas

• A League of Their Own | DVD | (04/07/2005) from £9.99   |  Saving you £-4.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Tom Hanks Geena Davis and Madonna star in this major-league comedy from the team that brought you Big. Hanks stars as Jimmy Dugan a washed-up ball player whose big league days are over. Hired to coach in the All-American Girls League of 1943 - while the male pros are at war - Dugan finds himself drawn back into the game by the heart and heroics of his ""all-girl"" team. Jon Lovitz adds a scene stealing cameo as the sarcastic scout who recruits Dottie Hanson (Davis) the ""baseball dolly"" with a Babe Ruth swing. Teammates Madonna Lori Petty and Rosie O'Donnell round out the roster taking the team to the World Series. Based on the true story of the pioneering women who blazed the trail for generations of athletes.

• Peter's Friends | DVD | (26/11/2001) from £10.75   |  Saving you £2.24 (20.84%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Ten years after leaving university Peter and his best friends reunite for a New Year's party to end all parties. Having weathered most of life's triumphs and disasters there doesn't seem to be much left to shock them - but Peter has a special surprise that will test their friendship to the utmost. A wonderfully wicked comedy about life love and other natural disasters.

• Big Momma's House / Big Momma's House 2 | DVD | (29/05/2006) from £9.17   |  Saving you £17.08 (215.93%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Big Momma's House: Disguise the limit in this hilarious heavyweight hit that's ""bigger than Mrs. Doubtfire and badder than Tootsie"" (Mike Cidoni ABC-TV). ""Martin Lawrence brings down the house"" (E! Online) as crafty FBI agent Malcolm Turner - he's willing to go through thick and thin in order to catch an escaped federal prisoner. ""Nia Long is captivating"" (Checkout.com) as Sherry the con's sexy former flame - she might have the skinny on millions in stolen bank loot and she'

• Boogie Nights | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £12.95   |  Saving you £7.04 (54.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Even if the notorious 1970s porn-filmmaking milieu doesn't exactly turn you on, don't let it turn you off to this movie's extraordinary virtues, either. Boogie Nights is one of the key movies of the 1990s and among the most ambitious and exuberantly alive American movies in years. It's also the breakthrough for an amazing new director, whose dazzling kaleidoscopic style here recalls the Robert Altman of Nashville and the Martin Scorsese of Good Fellas. Although loosely based on the sleazy life and times of real-life porn legend John Holmes, at heart it's a classic Hollywood rise-and-fall fable: a naive, good-looking young busboy is discovered in a San Fernando Valley disco by a famous motion picture producer, becomes a hotshot movie star, lives the high life and then loses everything when he gets too big for his britches, succumbs to insobriety and is left behind by new times and new technology. Of course, it isn't exactly A Star Is Born or Singin' in the Rain. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (in only his second feature!) puts his own affectionately sardonic twist on the old showbiz biopic formula: the ambitious upstart changes his name and achieves stardom in porno films as "Dirk Diggler." Instead of drinking to excess, he snorts cocaine (the classic drug of 70s hedonism); and it's the coming of home video (rather than talkies) that helps to dash his big-screen dreams. As for the britches ... well, the controversial "money shot" explains everything. And the cast is one of the great ensembles of the 90s, including Oscar nominees Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg (who really can act--from the waist up, too!), Heather Graham (as Rollergirl), William H. Macy, John C. Reilly and Ricky Jay. --Jim Emerson

• Curb Your Enthusiasm - Series 2 | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £6.22   |  Saving you £19.77 (317.85%)   |  RRP £25.99

  It's more of the same for Larry David's sitcom from HBO, and for fans, that's a good thing. The show--largely extemporized--follows suit of David's former series, Seinfeld: it's a show about nothing, just the everyday life of the star going about his pseudo-real world. But David's show has far more edge (thanks, in part, to airing on cable TV) with all the bad luck, embarrassing situations, and dreadful behavior as its premiere season. The closest thing to an arc is David's season-long pitch to the networks for a new show starring former Seinfeld stars Jason Alexander and Julia-Louis Dreyfus. Each network is lampooned, especially HBO, which David has a bad history with in this alternate world. Sure to repel those with soft funny bones, Curb's acerbic comedy allows jokes where David is accidentally framed--if ever so briefly--as a child molester, wife abuser, or murderer. But for those who do love his shtick, there are big laughs, especially when we bump into characters as unbridled as David, like a fellow writer who is quite protective of his dad's invention, the Cobb salad. Many comic actors pop up, some as "themselves" (Richard Lewis, Rob Reiner) and others as characters (Rita Wilson, Ed Asner) along with the delights of co-stars Cheryl Hines as David's wife and his affable manger, Jeff Garlin. There are several touchstone bits: what a thong brief can do to a relationship, a run-in with pro wrestler, Larry's first baptism, and one very collectible doll. To pick one episode to capture this second season--and its grandstanding nature--it would be "Shaq," in which the NBA star is accidentally tripped, changing David's usual bad luck with gut-busting results. --Doug Thomas

• Blithe Spirit | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £6.00   |  Saving you £3.99 (66.50%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Noel Coward's favourite play, Blithe Spirit, was certainly a departure for David Lean, best known at the time for adapting Dickens. While it's the director's only comedy, the result is a delightful gem. Rex Harrison is an acerbic author haunted by the ghost of first wife Elvira (Kay Hammond), who tries to seduce him all over again. This throws his second wife (Constance Cummings) into a panic, second-guessing her lack of passion. It's a celestial sex romp that hasn't lost its bite. Margaret Rutherford, as always, steals the show as the sardonic medium. --Bill Desowitz

• Always | DVD | (10/04/2003) from £9.80   |  Saving you £0.19 (1.94%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Steven Spielberg directs this heartwarming romantic adventure USA Today calls a ""winner"". Pete Sandrich (Richard Dreyfuss) is a legendary pilot with a passion for daredevil firefighting. However Dorinda (Holly Hunter) the woman he loves and Al (John Goodman) Pete's best friend know that legends can't take risks forever. After sacrificing himself to save Al the ace pilot faces his most challenging mission: helping Dorinda move on with her life. Breathtaking cinematography and exhilarating aerial choreography highlight this compelling adventure that co-stars Brad Johnson and features a special appearance by Audrey Hepburn.

• Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back | Blu Ray | (19/09/2011) from £12.98   |  Saving you £12.01 (92.53%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The comic 'Bluntman and Chronic' is based on real-life stoners Jay and Silent Bob, so when they get no profit from a big-screen adaptation they set out to wreck the movie.

• The Thrill Of It All | DVD | (04/04/2005) from £5.81   |  Saving you £4.18 (71.94%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This romantic comedy takes a satirical aim at the frenetic world of television. Happily married Beverly Boyer is the ultimate housewife but her life is about to change dramatically. It seems that the president of a soap company who she has just met sees the clean-cut Beverly as the perfect TV pitchwoman for his product. After the ads air Beverly becomes famous from coast to coast and an even better breadwinner than her husband - who isn't coping with either of these occurrences v

• Al Murray: One Man, One Guvnor | DVD | (24/11/2014) from £4.94   |  Saving you £15.05 (304.66%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Britain’s loved Pub Landlord is back and celebrating his two decades at the lager top by serving up his unique special brew of bar-room banter. Following the nationwide success of the Guv’s previous sold out tours no half measures are served as the multi-award winning comedian commemorates his 20th anniversary with a monumental brand new stand-up show. Get your orders in now!

• The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard | Blu Ray | (06/09/2021) from £5.77   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The world's most lethal odd couple bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius's even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as well, you'll have to see. Special Features Ryan, Sam, Salma: One F'd Up Family Gone Soft: The New Michael Bryce The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard: #stuntlife On the Set of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard Gag Reel

• My Girl 2 | DVD | (14/07/2008) from £5.31   |  Saving you £4.68 (88.14%)   |  RRP £9.99

  After her adventures in 'My Girl' Vada is now thirteen years-old and living with her father and pregnant step-mother. A school project leads to a stay in Los Angeles and a holiday with Uncle Phil. There she discovers a lot about herself the uncertainties of first love and her role in a changing family...

• Road To Morocco | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £8.65   |  Saving you £1.34 (15.49%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Shipwreck survivors Jeff and Turkey (Bing Crosby and Bob Hope) are guests of a beautiful princess (Dorothy Lamour) who plans to marry Turkey. But the jealous Sheik Kassim has other plans for the groom. Jeff and Turkey manage to save their skins at the brink of a desert war. The film garnered 2 Academy Award Nominations including Best Original Screenplay.

• Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life | DVD | (17/05/2004) from £6.55   |  Saving you £13.44 (205.19%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Those six pandemonium-mad Pythons are back with their craziest adventure ever! These naughty lads offer the usual tasteful sketches involving favorite bodily parts and functions the wonders of war the miracle of birth and a special preview of what's waiting for us in Heaven. Nothing is too sacred for the probing Python crew. After seeing them in action you'll never look at life in quite the same way again. It's far-out frank and jolly good fun!

• Home Alone | DVD | (27/11/2000) from £6.19   |  Saving you £6.80 (109.85%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) has become the man of the house overnight! Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation Kevin gets busy decorating the house for the holidays. But he's not decking the halls with tinsel and holly. Two bumbling burglars are trying to break in and Kevin's rigging a bewildering battery of booby traps to welcome them! Written and produced by John Hughes this madcap slapstick adventure features an all-star supporting cast including Catherine O'Hara and John Heard as Kevin's parents Joe Pesci and Daniel Stem as the burglars and John Candy as the Polka King of the Midwest.