"Director: John Badham"

• Saturday Night Fever | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.91   |  Saving you £9.08 (131.40%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The years have endowed Saturday Night Fever with a powerful, elegiac quality since its explosive release in 1977. It was the must-see movie for a whole generation of adolescents, sparking controversy for rough language and clumsily realistic sex scenes which took teen cinema irrevocably into a new age. And of course, it revived the career of the Bee Gees to stratospheric heights, thanks to a justifiably legendary soundtrack which now embodies the disco age. But Saturday Night Fever was always more than a disco movie. Tony Manero is an Italian youth from Brooklyn straining at the leash to escape a life defined by his family, blue collar job and his gang. Disco provides the medium for him to break free. It was the snake-hipped dance routines which made John Travolta an immediate sex symbol. But seen today, his performance as Tony is compelling: rough-hewn, certainly, but complex and true, anticipating the fine screen actor he would be recognised as 20 years later. Scenes of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, representing Tony's route to a bigger world, now have an added poignancy, adding to Saturday Night Fever's evocative power. It's a bittersweet classic. On the DVD: Saturday Night Fever is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, both of which help to recapture the unique atmosphere of the late 1970s. The main extra is a director's commentary from John Badham, with detailed descriptions of casting and the improvisation behind many of the scenes, plus the unsavoury reality behind Travolta's iconic white disco suit. --Piers Ford

• Stakeout | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £5.38   |  Saving you £9.61 (178.62%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A comedy thriller with a silken thread of romance, 1987’s Stakeout stars Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez as a pair of undercover cops assigned to watch the apartment of the former girlfriend (Madeleine Stowe) of a violent escaped convict. Complications ensue when Dreyfuss’ cop poses as a telephone inspector to get in and bug the girlfriend’s phone and they strike up a relationship. Initially coming on a bit like a cross between Hitchcock's Rear Window and Porky's, Stakeout ends up falling between the two stools of mirth and suspense. Some half-amusing business involving a series of practical jokes between the cop duo and their relief partners doesn’t add materially to the film. Emilio Estevez’s sidekick role is under-developed and he brings to this none of the loose cannon mania he would later bring to Young Guns. Dreyfuss isn’t entirely convincing as a tough, seasoned cop and Aidan Quinn as the villain comes across as a poor man’s James Woods. Yet for all these flaws, director John Badham just about manages to cobble together a watchable caper. On the DVD: Stakeout on disc has no extras of any kind, not even a trailer. The feature is presented in widescreen 1.85:1 format with Dolby digital 5.1 sound. The dubbing briefly goes awry near the end. --David Stubbs

• Saturday Night Fever/Staying Alive | DVD | (07/09/2009) from £12.78   |  Saving you £0.21 (1.64%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Saturday Night Fever: John Travolta gives a sensual and intelligent performance as the troubled Tony Manero - Brooklyn paint store clerk by day and undisputed king of the dance floor by night. Every Saturday Tony puts on his wide collared shirt flared trousers and platform shoes and heads out to the only place where he's seen as a god rather than some young punk. But in the darkness away from from the strobe lights and glitter ball is a tragic story of disillusionment violence and heartbreak. Without a doubt Travolta's performance made him a Hollywood legend but 'Saturday Night Fever' is more than just a movie that defined the music and fashion of a generation. It's a powerful and provocative urban tragedy that carries as much significance today as it did in 1977. Staying Alive: It's five years later and Tony Manero's 'Saturday Night Fever' is still burning. Now he's strutting towards his biggest challenge yet - making it as a dancer on the Broadway stage. John Travolta ignites the screen as he recreates his legendary Oscar-nominated character. Cynthia Rhodes and Finola Hughes sizzle as the women in Tony's life. And the soundtrack pulsates with the power of five unforgettable Bee Gees songs plus Frank Stallone's chart topping hit 'Far From Over'.

• Blue Thunder | Blu Ray | (03/08/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Roy Scheider stars in this intense action thriller as a courageous police officer pilot battling government fanatics planning to misuse an experimental attack helicopter. Chosen to test Blue Thunder Frank Murphy (Scheider) is amazed by the high-speed high-tech chopper. It can see through walls record a whisper or level a city block. Distrusting the military mentality behind Blue Thunder Murphy and his partner Lymangood (Daniel Stern) soon discover that the remarkable craft is slated for use as the ultimate weapon in surveillance and crowd control. Jeopardized after being discovered by sinister Colonel Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell) Murphy flies Blue Thunder against military aircraft in a spellbinding contest over Los Angeles.

• The Assassin | DVD | (24/05/1999) from £15.34   |  Saving you £-2.35 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This is one of those Hollywood remakes of a European hit in which one can visualize a committee of studio executives sitting around and saying, "Okay, we know what made the original film unique and different and fun. How can we make that same movie and do exactly the opposite?" For-hire director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) took La Femme Nikita, Luc Besson's undeniably sexy, original, and kitschy French film about a female assassin, and translated it into The Assassin, a calculating, mechanistic American thriller with no distinctive style. Bridget Fonda gamely plays the willowy street punk who becomes a high-society killer, but once that provocative irony is in place, the movie is pretty much a series of by-the-numbers action set pieces. Until, that is, Dermot Mulroney shows up as a love interest; but even that twist can't save this film. You're much better off with the original, subtitles and all. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, production notes, theatrical trailer, optional French and Spanish soundtracks, and optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Wargames | DVD | (10/02/2014) from £6.45   |  Saving you £3.54 (54.88%)   |  RRP £9.99

  David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) is a young computer whizz who hacks into what he believes is a new line of video games, little knowing that it is in fact NORAD, America's defence program. He inadvertently creates a hostile global situation, placing the world on the brink of nuclear war. Together with his girlfriend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) and a misanthropic computer expert (John Wood), David must fight to prevent an atomic meltdown.

• WarGames | Blu Ray | (07/01/2013) from £9.25   |  Saving you £0.74 (8.00%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ) and Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) star in this compelling drama filled with action, suspense and high-tech adventures! Featuring superb performances by Dabney Coleman and Barry Corbin, WarGames is brilliant...funny...and provocative (New York) - a fast-paced cyber-thriller. Computer hacker David Lightman (Broderick) can bypass the most advanced security systems, break the most intricate secret codes and master even the most difficult computer games. But when he unwittingly taps into the Defence Department's war computer, he initiates a confrontation of global proportions - World War III! Together with his girlfriend (Sheedy) and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent...and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

• Short Circuit | DVD | (19/11/2012) from £15.98   |  Saving you £2.00 (14.30%)   |  RRP £15.99

  An experimental military robot escapes after being struck by lightning and given human intelligence. He finds a home with medcap Stephanie Speck who believes he's an alien but hot on the trail are scientists Newton Crosby and his assistant who must get to their creation before the army who plan to put Number 5 out of service permanently. Special Features: Commentary by Director John Badham and Writers S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock Original Theatrical Trailer The Creation of Number 5 Cast and Crew Interviews Behind the Scenes Featurette

• Bird on a Wire | DVD | (27/03/2017) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This action-comedy from 1990 makes the critical mistake of trying to mix a potentially suspenseful plot with the kind of humour that Mel Gibson can only get away with in his Lethal Weapon movies. It doesn't work here because the movie's supposed to be a Hitchcockian thriller and Mel's wisecracking--not to mention some implausible plot twists and ridiculous chase scenes--makes it impossible to take any of this movie seriously. It works best as a lightweight vehicle for Gibson and Goldie Hawn, who bring their own established appeal to their roles as old lovers who are reunited under unexpectedly dangerous circumstances. After testifying against some drug-running killers, Mel's been safe under the protection of the FBI's witness relocation program, and Goldie coincidentally enters his life again just as the bad guys are hot on Mel's trail. They join up and go on the run from the villains and ... well, let's just say director John Badham doesn't have any big surprises up his sleeve. Goldie and Mel are enjoyable, as always, but you'd have to be their biggest fan to watch this movie more than once. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Nick Of Time | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £5.38   |  Saving you £7.61 (141.45%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Ninety Minutes. Six Bullets. No Choice. The clock is ticking for Johnny Depp in Nick Of Time a twist-filled race-against-time thriller directed by John Badham. And indeed it is a race filmed in ""real time"" so that onscreen events unfold minute by nail-biting minute as they would in real life. No sooner does accountant arrive at L.A.'s Union Station with his six-year-old daughter than he's plunged into a nightmare. Two shadowy strangers separate Watson from his little girl sl

• Goldie Hawn Collection - Death Becomes Her/Bird On A Wire/Housesitter | DVD | (07/05/2007) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-15.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Death Becomes Her: Oscar-winning actress's Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn star with Bruce Willis in Robert Zemeckis' outrageously entertaining comedy about greed vanity sex immortality life - and death. First there's actress Madeline Ashton who's gaining more wrinkles than good screen roles. Then there's her former friend Helen Sharp who loses her fiance to Madeline and subsequently doubles her weight. Finally there's Madeline's husband Ernest a renowned plastic surgeon who spends his nights drunkenly cursing the day he met his wife. Enter a beautiful enchantress who changes their lives-and deaths-forever. It's a fast-paced romp that blends ground-breaking special effects. Bird On A Wire: Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn star in this action-packed comedy directed by John Badham about two old flames who meet by accident and are plunged into a cross-country run for their lives. Housesitter: Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn star in this hilarious romantic comedy about the consequences of ""stretching"" the truth. When architect Newton Davis' girlfriend Becky (Dana Delany) turns down his marriage proposal his newly-built dream house suddenly becomes nothing more than an empty monument to her rejection. That is until a chance encounter with Gwen (Hawn) turns his life upside-down. Intrigued by Newton's story Gwen visits the house and decides to move in on her own. Resourceful and creative Gwen is soon fixing up the house and charming Newton's family and neighbors - all the while passing herself off as his new wife! Gwen even befriends Becky who begins to see a Newton she never knew existed. Horrified at the deception yet unable to stop it Newton finds himself playing along with her preposterous stories her attempts at reconciling differences within his family and her campaign for his promotion at work. Finally he convinces Gwen to fabricate their ""divorce"" so he can still get married to Becky - until he has a change of heart. It's a delightful warmhearted and intelligent comedy from director Frank Oz.

• The Hard Way | DVD | (05/06/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Michael J. Fox and James Woods team up for hilarious action-adventure from director John Badham. Nick Lang (Fox) is a popular actor who seeks out obsessive detective Moss (Woods) in order to research a new part and break out of his 'nice guy' screen image. On the trail of a ruthless serial killer the last thing Moss needs is a pampered Hollywood sidekick...

• Perfect/The Breakfast Club/Bird On A Wire | DVD | (21/01/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Perfect: Where love is a dance and beauty is everything... John Travolta is a writer for Rolling Stone; Jamie lee Curtis is a beautiful aerobics instuctor. When he investigates health clubs as the singles bar of the '80's sparks fly and a sizzling romance heats up. The Breakfast Club: Without doubt John Hughes' The Breakfast Club is one of the greatest teen movies of all-time if not the best. Without it we might not have witnessed the phenomenal rise of the 'brat pack'; the group of actors synonymous with the teen films of the '80s. They were five teenage students with nothing in common faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their High School library. At 7am they had nothing to say but by 4pm they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends. To the outside world they were simply the Jock the Brain the Criminal the Princess and the Kook but to each other they would always be the Breakfast Club. The film's title comes from the nickname invented by students and staff for detention at the school attended by the son of one of John Hughes' friends. Thus those who were sent to detention were designated members of ""The Breakfast Club"". Bird On A Wire: Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn star in this action-packed comedy directed by John Badham about two old flames who meet by accident and are plunged into a cross-country run for their lives.

• Stakeout / Another Stakeout | DVD | (10/10/2005) from £9.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (80.08%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Stakeout (Dir. John Badham 1987): While on an FBI stakeout detective Chris Lecce (Richard Dreyfuss) falls hard for Maria (Madeleine Stowe) the woman he's supposed to be watching. Soon he's inside her home enjoying a torrid love affair while his young partner Bill Reimers (Emilio Estevez) waits across the street looking through his binoculars and fuming. But the woman's ex-boyfriend (Aidan Quinn) a crazed escaped convict who is the real object of the stakeout is on his

• Bird On A Wire | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £9.54   |  Saving you £0.45 (4.72%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This action-comedy from 1990 makes the critical mistake of trying to mix a potentially suspenseful plot with the kind of humour that Mel Gibson can only get away with in his Lethal Weapon movies. It doesn't work here because the movie's supposed to be a Hitchcockian thriller and Mel's wisecracking--not to mention some implausible plot twists and ridiculous chase scenes--makes it impossible to take any of this movie seriously. It works best as a lightweight vehicle for Gibson and Goldie Hawn, who bring their own established appeal to their roles as old lovers who are reunited under unexpectedly dangerous circumstances. After testifying against some drug-running killers, Mel's been safe under the protection of the FBI's witness relocation program, and Goldie coincidentally enters his life again just as the bad guys are hot on Mel's trail. They join up and go on the run from the villains and ... well, let's just say director John Badham doesn't have any big surprises up his sleeve. Goldie and Mel are enjoyable, as always, but you'd have to be their biggest fan to watch this movie more than once. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Short Circuit | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  John Badham's family-orientated adventure comedy Short Circuit, though obviously hatched in the wake of E.T. and Star Wars, manages to create its own identity through a sweet tone and an affectionate sense of fun. Military robot Number 5, a well-armed killing machine, is zapped by lightning during a test and emerges with a wacky sense of humour and a new peace-loving philosophy. Ally Sheedy (who debuted in Badham's hit WarGames) is the animal-lover whose home is sanctuary for a zoo-full of strays and who adopts the adolescent robot. Steve Guttenberg is the goofy but reclusive robotics designer who goes off in search of his creation to save him from the gun-happy army. The mix of gentle slapstick and innocent romance makes for a harmless family comedy. It veers toward the terminally cute, what with Number 5's hyperactive antics and E.T.-ish voice, and the mangled grammar of Guttenberg's East Indian sidekick (Fisher Stevens) threatens to become offensive, but Badham's breezy direction keeps the film on track. Sheedy and Guttenberg deliver spirited and engaging performances, but most importantly the robot emerges as a real person. Give credit to designer Syd Mead, an army of puppeteers and robotics operators, and the cartoony voice of Tim Blaney: Number 5 is alive. --Sean Axmaker

• The Hard Way | Blu Ray | (05/10/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Preparing for a screen test, a pampered actor becomes the unwelcome partner of a detective on the trail of a killer.

• John Travolta - Saturday Night Fever | Blu Ray | (11/05/2009) from £8.95   |  Saving you £11.04 (123.35%)   |  RRP £19.99

  John Travolta gives a sensual and intelligent performance as the troubled Tony Manero - Brooklyn paint store clerk by day and undisputed king of the dance floor by night. Every Saturday Tony puts on his wide collared shirt flared trousers and platform shoes and heads out to the only place where he's seen as a god rather than some young punk. But in the darkness away from from the strobe lights and glitter ball is a tragic story of disillusionment violence and heartbreak. Without a doubt Travolta's performance made him a Hollywood legend but 'Saturday Night Fever' is more than just a movie that defined the music and fashion of a generation. It's a powerful and provocative urban tragedy that carries as much significance today as it did in 1977.

• Wargames | DVD | (24/07/2000) from £11.86   |  Saving you £1.13 (9.53%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Cute but silly, this 1983 cautionary fantasy stars Matthew Broderick as a teenage computer genius who hacks into the Pentagon's defence system and sets World War III into motion. All the fun is in the film's set-up, as Broderick befriends Ally Sheedy and starts the international crisis by pretending while online to be the Soviet Union. After that, it's not hard to predict what's going to happen: government agents swoop in, but the story ends up in the "hands" of machines talking to one another. Thus we're stuck with flashing lights, etc. John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) directs in strict potboiler mode. Children still like this movie, though. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Another Stakeout | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £7.97   |  Saving you £7.02 (88.08%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The sequel to the 1987 FBI action comedy, Another Stakeout sees the unlikely crime-fighting duo, again played by Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez, getting involved in, well, another stakeout. This time they are joined by Rosie O'Donnell (one of the comedienne's first film roles) as assistant DA and have to masquerade as the perfect nuclear family to flush out a star witness in their case against the mob. Pretty much the entire cast and crew from Stakeout are reunited by director John Badham for the sequel and, luckily, there is enough new material, slapstick comedy moments and solid performances from the trio of stars to ensure that this isn't just a rehash of the original. The film has a few laugh-out-loud moments, such as the dinner party the bogus family throw so that they can get the couple next door out of the house to enable Estevez to bug it, and there is a brilliant cameo performance from Dennis Farina (Get Shorty, Snatch) as the clueless next-door neighbour. This is not a classic by any means but is entertaining nonetheless. --Kristen Bowditch