"Director: Irwin Winkler"

• De-Lovely | DVD | (07/03/2005) from £5.09   |  Saving you £14.90 (292.73%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd star in this musical portrait of American composer Cole Porter filled with his own unforgettable songs.

• Life As A House | DVD | (30/09/2002) from £13.85   |  Saving you £9.13 (84.07%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Confronted with life-changing news a middle-aged architect seizes the opportunity to begin living life on his own terms as he builds the house of his dreams and winds up rebuilding the world around him in the process...

• The Net | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £10.76   |  Saving you £-1.78 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The Net, the first of Hollywood's big cyber-thrillers of the mid-1990s, was also the most successful, thanks in large part to the natural appeal of star Sandra Bullock. Still riding high from Speed and While You Were Sleeping, Bullock plays a computer expert victimised by sinister cyber-forces who steal her identity for reasons unknown. It's a clever combination of high-tech paranoia and Hitchcockian references (including Jeremy Northam as a romantic stranger named Devlin, after Cary Grant in Notorious). Film historians may look back someday on films like this--Roger Ebert calls them "hacksploitation"--to see what they reveal about our society's reaction to the increasing role of technology in our lives, just as we now study the fears of Communism and the atom bomb reflected in films of the 1950s. Dennis Miller and Diane Baker co-star. --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com

• Guilty By Suspicion | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A witch hunt has begun. The hunters are politicians sitting before clicking cameras in HAUC hearing rooms. Hollywood is on trail. An David Merrill is asked to 'name names'. This powerful directorial and screenwriting debut of veteran producer Irwin Winkler vividly recreates the creative community's infamous Blacklist era. De Niro plays Merrill an A-list director who can revive his stalled career by testifying against friends who are suspected communists. Annette Bening is Merrill's e

• The Net | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £7.40   |  Saving you £5.59 (75.54%)   |  RRP £12.99

  For a while The Net looked like it was going to be quickly outdated by the technology it showcased. But now we know that anyone can personalise their systems and Internet search engines, so the colourful displays endlessly intercut on Sandra Bullock's screens look perfectly contemporary. As a movie, the concept was already outdated by the time of its 1995 release, however. The plot takes pains to emulate the style and formula of a Hitchcock chase thriller. There's a computer disc "McGuffin" being sought after by conspiratorial baddies; while the lonely hero on the run is eminently sympathetic yet attractively flawed. Bullock, though, was perfectly cast at a point well before her star status took over. Although some of the suspense contrivances may seem simplistically predictable, there's an undeniable fascination in the theme of losing one's identity. Everywhere Bullock turns she's faced with either a bald reflection or mirroring metaphor of how the computer age strips us of individuality. And, indeed, privacy. Sooner or later, the technology will become outdated of course. Until then, be careful how you surf. On the DVD: The Net comes to disc in Dolby 5.1 sound and widescreen 1.85:1. It's hard to choose between the two commentaries included. Both the Writer's and the joint talk from the Director and Producer are crammed with anecdotal reference (with a little overlap). Then there are two documentaries of about 20 minutes each, but here the newest is by far the most interesting. Trailers and filmographies fill out the package. --Paul Tonks

• At First Sight | DVD | (01/02/2000) from £9.43   |  Saving you £6.56 (69.57%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The tagline states, "Only love can bring you to your senses." Well, your senses have to be pretty dulled to love At First Sight. On paper the story--based on the writings of medical writer extraordinaire Oliver Sacks (Awakenings)--is intriguing: a blind man regains sight after surgery yet can never connect with what he sees, including a lovely new girlfriend. Indeed, maybe blind was better. From such interesting stuff (and a talented cast) comes a tepid love story and an unconvincing drama. Val Kilmer plays Virgil, a serene resort worker who plays hockey in the dark and is the best masseur this side of the Catskills. Onto his table comes Amy, a bone-weary NYC architect (Mira Sorvino) who cries the first time Virgil does his magic. Instead of a voyage into the world of blindness, Amy's first instinct is to take Virgil to an eye doctor who can restore sight (Bruce Davison). Virgil receives sight, crumbling the trust between him and Amy. The clichés start building up and by the time Amy is wooed by her ex-husband (Steven Weber), her boss no less, one's patience wears thin. The medical curiosities of the story--Virgil can see an item but can't grasp what it is until he touches it--do not translate well on screen. The film's liveliest character is Nathan Lane as a teacher of the blind. A scene with Virgil that gets to the heart of his ailment is so filled with spontaneity, one wonders if it was scripted or simply Lane's own extemporaneous dialogue. After an admirable start as a director (Guilty by Suspicion), Oscar-winning producer Irwin Winkler has not been able to put cinematic highs or believable angst into his films (The Net, Night in the City). At First Sight may look good but it is blind where it counts. --Doug Thomas

• Home Of The Brave | DVD | (25/02/2008) from £5.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (166.94%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Home Of The Brave revolves around the struggles of three soldiers as they attempt to readjust to life at home after returning home from a lengthy tour in Iraq.

• West Side Story / Guys And Dolls / De-Lovely | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  West Side Story: Garnering a total of ten Academy Awards - including Best Picture of 1961 - West Side Story set a brilliant standard for movie musicals that remains unsurpassed to this day. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins from Ernest Lehman's spectacular screenplay the film combines the unforgettable score of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim with Robbins' exuberant choreography to create a transcendent fusion of realism and fantasy that will forever be a feast for the eye the ear and ultimately the heart. A triumph on every level this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of gang warfare in the slums of 1950's New York. Guys & Dolls: Based on the Broadway show from the Damon Runyon short story and filled to the brim with Frank Loesser tunes such as Luck Be a Lady and Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat this outrageously comic film featuring Marlon Brando's bold musical debut is a colorful tale about gamblers a feisty Salvation Army lass and a dance-hall girl with a pining heart. Veteran gambler Sky Masterson (Brando) takes a bet from Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) that he can win the affection of a soldier (Jean Simmons) in the Salvation Army setting himself up to lose both his money and his heart. Romance is the last thing the gambler and the missionary expect and they fight against their attraction for all they're worth in glowing singing and dancing numbers. Love proves to be contagious as spicy dancer Miss Adelaide in a role re-created for the screen from Broadway by showstopper Vivian Blaine is determined to get her fiance Nathan to the altar one way or another. Stubby Kaye and B.S. Pully also reprise their stage roles in this glorious Cinemascope film that earned four Academy Award nominations. Guys And Dolls consistently ranks among the most popular film musicals of all time. De-Lovely: Directed by Irwin Winkler De-Lovely depicts the life of the great American composer Cole Porter (Kevin Kline). Despite his sexual preference for men Porter found inspiration and virtually unconditional love with Linda Lee (Ashley Judd). Told in flashback as Porter is near death the film follows the Porters' fabulous unconventional relationship from their meeting in Paris to their subsequent moves to Venice New York Hollywood and Williamstown as well as the many stops along the way. Kline perfectly captures the Porters' zest for life and seemingly inexhaustible need for love. Classic tunes such as Let's Do It Let's Fall in Love Let's Misbehave and Anything Goes take on whole new meanings when considered in the context of Porter and Lee's life together. Contemporary musical performers including Alanis Morissette Natalie Cole Robbie Williams Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow appear in the film singing Porter standards.

• Night And The City | DVD | (01/01/2007) from £24.90   |  Saving you £-11.91 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Producer-turned-director Irwin Winkler (The Net) crafted this 1992 remake of Jules Dassin's 1950 film noir about a small-time hustler in London who gets in over his head. Winkler's version is set in New York and stars Robert De Niro as crooked lawyer Harry Fabian who decides to get even with a boxing promoter (Alan King) who beats him in court. Fabian convinces 'friends' into helping the cause notably the brother (Jack Warden) of De Niro's enemy and a barmaid (Jessica Lange) who agrees to finance the operation.

• Night And The City | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Producer-turned-director Irwin Winkler crafted this 1992 remake of Jules Dassin's 1950 film noir Night and the City, the tale of a small-time hustler in London who gets in over his head. Winkler's version is set in New York and stars Robert De Niro as a shyster lawyer who decides to get even with a boxing promoter (Alan King) who bests him in court. A couple of innocents are talked into helping the cause, notably the brother (Jack Warden) of De Niro's enemy and a barmaid (Jessica Lange) who agrees to finance the operation. Everything goes south, plunging the hero into prospects of real disaster. The film is far from an exemplary, contemporary noir, but its outstanding cast, with no shortage of charisma and dynamics, keeps things terribly interesting. So does the funny but terse script by Richard Price (Clockers), who also has a cameo as a doctor. Winkler's sensibilities as a tasteful and intelligent producer still get in the way of his daring as a director, but he does leave us with much to be satisfied about.--Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• The Net - Collector's Edition / The Net 2.0 | DVD | (20/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Net (Dir. Irwin Winkler 1995): Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) is a freelance computer analyst who spends her days tracking down computer viruses and her nights at home 'chatting' to other Internet users. She is content with her reclusive existence until her life is turned upside down when she is sent a top-secret disc. Caught up in a murderous web of corruption and conspiracy and pursued by a force that will stop at nothing including deleting all traces of her existenc

• 28 Days / The Net / Forces Of Nature | DVD | (04/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Net:Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) is a freelance computer analyst who spends her days tracking down computer viruses and her nights at home 'chatting' to other Internet users. She is content with her reclusive existence until her life is turned upside down when she is sent a top-secret disc. Caught up in a murderous web of corruption and conspiracy and pursued by a force that will stop at nothing including deleting all traces of her existence Angela is forced to flee for her life... 28 Days:From director Betty Thomas (Dr. Dolittle Private Parts) comes 28 Days the story of Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) a successful New York writer living in the fast lane and everyone's favorite party girl - until she gets drunk with boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West) borrows her sister's (Elizabeth Perkins) wedding limo and earns herself a stay in court-ordered rehab. There Gwen comes face to face with a unique set of rules and rituals embraced by an assortment of interesting characters - Counselor Cornell (Steve Buscemi) and fellow re-habbers Eddie (Viggo Mortensen) Gerhardt (Alan Tudyk) Oliver (Mike O'Malley) Andrea (Azura Skye) Roshanda (Oscar-nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and Bobbie Jean (Oscar nominee Diane Ladd). Forces Of Nature:It's only two days before his wedding when Ben's (Ben Affleck) plane skids out of control leaving him stranded in New York with no way home to his nervous fianc''e in Savannah. Against his better judgment the reliable groom-to-be hitches a ride with free spirited traveler Sarah (Sandra Bullock) - setting off the year's most riotous road trip. At first these two opposites attract nothing but trouble in a sidesplitting series of comic mishap as and unnatural disasters. But an irresistible attraction and the forces of nature threaten to detour them forever in this sexy whirlwind adventure Jeffrey Lyons (WNBC-TV) declared 'a fun hip ride' - one you'll never forget.

• Home Of The Brave | Blu Ray | (05/10/2009) from £13.48   |  Saving you £2.51 (18.62%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Nearing the end of their tour of Iraq four American soldiers are sent on one last humanitarian mission that sees them ambushed taking heavy losses with the troops suffering physical and psychological injuries. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Will Marsh a doctor tormented by the lives he could not save returning home to a son who now hates him for going and a wife who is struggling to understand him. Living in the same town driver Vanessa Price (Jessica Biel) has lost her right hand in the ambush and now finds herself having to face the emotional and physical readjustment that her wounds carry. Army specialist Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson is haunted by the killing of an Iraqi woman and unable to cope with the rage inside when he returns home to his friends. Finally Brian Presley is the combat soldier whose best friend dies in his arms and who ultimately feels compelled to go back to war and support his comrades in their fight. For all coming home is the real battle.

• At First Sight | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Share in the adventure of seeing the world for the first time and fall in love with life all over again. Val Kilmer and Oscar winner Mira Sorvino have a sweet and sexy chemistry in this moving film based on a true story from the writer of Awakenings. When stresses-out Amy seeks relaxation at a spa she falls madly in love with Virgil a handsome masseur . Compassionate and Insightful Virgil has a unique way of seeing the world...he's blind. When a miraculous operation promises to restore his sight both Amy and Virgil discover that even the most wonderful of life's gifts can come at a price.