"Director: John Badham"

• Bird on a Wire | DVD | (10/04/2003) from £7.02   |  Saving you £-1.03 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  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.

• Grease / Saturday Night Fever | DVD | (02/12/2002) from £12.07   |  Saving you £12.92 (107.04%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Grease John Travolta solidified his position as the most versatile and magnetic screen presence of the decade in this film version of the smash hit play Grease. Recording star Olivia Newton-John made her American film debut as Sandy Travolta's naive love interest. The impressive supporting cast reads like a who's who in this quintessential musical about the fabulous '50's. Grease is not just a nostalgic look at a simpler decade - it's an energetic and exciting musical homage to the age of rock n'roll! 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.

• Dracula | Blu Ray | (06/10/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Chalk this one up as something that seemed like a good idea at the time. Frank Langella had just taken Broadway by storm in a revival of the play based on Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel. He was tall, elegant, and almost painfully romantic--all qualities that failed to translate to this garish, tarted-up film version. The story remains the same, if told in greater length than in Bela Lugosi's version. The film even offered Laurence Olivier as vampire-hunter Van Helsing (in one of several roles he played during the period that required a middle-European accent) and a young Kate Nelligan as the woman whose love (and blood) Dracula most wants. But director John Badham, working from W.D. Richter's clunky script, makes a hash of most of it, relying on special effects to do the heavy lifting. --Marshall Fine

• Saturday Night Fever / Staying Alive | DVD | (02/12/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  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

• Short Circuit | Blu Ray | (19/11/2012) from £15.85   |  Saving you £2.14 (13.50%)   |  RRP £17.99

  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

• Dracula | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This stylish production of the classic gothic horror tale stars Frank Langella repeating his electrifying award-winning stage performance as the bloodthirsty Count with Laurence Olivier as the devout vampire hunter Van Helsing Dracula's nemesis.

• Wargames/Wargames 2 - The Dead Code | DVD | (03/11/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  War Games: Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy 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 - a fast-paced cyber-thriller. Computer hacker David Lightman 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 Defense Department's war computer he initiates a confrontation of global proportions - World War III. Together with his girlfriend and a wizardly computer genius David must race against time to outwit his opponent...and prevent a nuclear Armageddon. War Games 2: Dead Code: A sequel to 1983's 'War Games'. A computer hacker engages a goverment super-computer named Ripley in an online terrorist-attack simulation game. Little does Farmer know that Ripley has been designed to appeal to potential terrorists and certain glitches have turned made him become paranoid.

• Saturday Night Fever | Blu Ray | (17/07/2017) from £20.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  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

• The Shield : Series 2 | DVD | (09/08/2004) from £8.07   |  Saving you £29.91 (588.78%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Everything good about the first season of The Shield is intensified in the second. For detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his amoral strike team, these 13 episodes follow "the money train," a stockpile of Armenian mob money ripe for the taking. Mackey's team plots to steal this criminal fortune while under pressure from Capt. Aceveda (Benito Martinez), whose political campaign is threatened by a civilian auditor (Lucinda Jenney) assigned to uncover corruption in "the Barn." The uneasy alliance between Aceveda and Mackey provokes the suspicion of Wyms (CCH Pounder), whose by-the-book vigilance is rewarded while Dutch (Jay Karnes) endures a slump that worsens the Barn's sullied reputation. After being horribly disfigured by Mackey, a vile Mexican druglord (Daniel Pino) plots a territorial coup, prompting the strike team's finest police work while Mackey struggles to save his failing marriage. Post-9/11 tensions erupt when beat cop Danny (Catherine Dent) justifiably shoots an armed Arab civilian, and newlywed Julien (Michael Jace) copes with (literal) gay-bashing following his church-sponsored sexual reorientation. As always, The Shield supports these plotlines with gritty casework, including a brutal kidnapping, homicide, and gangland warfare. Every episode (shot in grainy 16mm) meets the series' high standard of excellence, but "Greenlit," "Homewrecker" (featuring the death of a recurring character), and "Dominoes Falling" are standouts, while the controversial "Co-Pilot" offers a retrospective look at the Barn's volatile origins. Writing and direction are consistently superb, and Pounder deserves honorable mention among the brilliant cast, striking a stoical balance of world-weary wisdom, procedural diligence, and righteous indignation. Bonus features comprise a virtual film school for anyone seeking a career in television. While the commentaries explore the nuts and bolts of series development, the "Directors' Roundtable" (with creator Shawn Ryan, Scott Brazil, Peter Horton, and Paris Barclay) is a revealing, frequently hilarious study of the rigors of fast-paced production; "Sound Surgery" presents a track-by-track analysis of sound, music, and dialogue; and "Wrap Day" is a celebratory tribute to the series' hard-working cast and crew. It's all good, and guaranteed to stoke anyone's appetite for Season Three. --Jeff Shannon

• Grease / Saturday Night Fever / Staying Alive | DVD | (10/10/2005) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Grease (Dir. Randal Kleiser 1978): John Travolta solidified his position as the most versatile and magnetic screen presence of the decade in this film version of the smash hit play Grease. Recording star Olivia Newton-John made her American film debut as Sandy Travolta's naive love interest. The impressive supporting cast reads like a who's who in this quintessential musical about the fabulous '50's. Grease /b%3E is not just a nostalgic look at a simpler decade - it's an energetic and exciting musical homage to the age of rock n'roll! Saturday Night Fever (Dir. John Badham 1977): 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 (Dir. Sylvester Stallone 1983): Sequel to Saturday Night Fever /b%3E where Tony Manero older but not much wiser pursues his search for stardom on the Broadway stage...

• Drop Zone | DVD | (05/06/2000) from £19.95   |  Saving you £-6.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  U.S. Marshal Pete Nessip is on the trail of a crack team of stunt skydivers whose fearlessness and skills have taken them to the top echelons of high tech crime in ""Drop Zone "" the adrenaline fueled thriller directed by John Badham (Blue Thunder).

• Housesitter/Bird On A Wire | DVD | (26/02/2007) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-7.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Housesitter (Dir. Frank Oz 1992): 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. Bird On A Wire (Dir. John Badham 1990): 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.

• Short Circuit / Flight Of The Navigator | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Short Circuit Delivering an abundance of android adventures when a military robot is spirited to life by a freak bolt of lightening. Number 5 is alive! Flight Of The Navigator Telling the story of a 12 year old boy who is mysteriously abducted by an alien space craft and returns to Earth eight years later still only 12. He now has great navigational powers which enable him to fly his spaceship anywhere he desires.

• Saturday Night Fever (30th Anniversary Special Edition) | DVD | (01/10/2007) from £5.00   |  Saving you £7.99 (159.80%)   |  RRP £12.99

  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. Withou

• Blue Thunder | DVD | (05/09/2005) from £12.77   |  Saving you £-6.78 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The early 1980s experienced a wave of technology fever, and it seemed like every machine wanted to be bionic. There was K.I.T.T. the car, Street Hawk the motorbike, Airwolf the helicopter, and Blue Thunder--which looked like the Mechano version of Airwolf. In what seems a moment of Austin Powers humour, it's explained that this super chopper cost "five million dollars"! Its supposed reason for being is aerial crowd control, but as Murphy (Roy Scheider) discovers--when not suffering 'Nam flashbacks--there's a government plot to silence a Senator who's disgruntled with urban pacification standards. Director John Badham obviously loved fiddling about with technology--he directed Wargames after all--and here there are lingering shots of buttons and switches, multiple takes of turns in the air, and any excuse used for a bit of primitive computer imagery. The secondary characters quickly begin to seem like wallpaper: Daniel Stern's spunky co-pilot has but one plot device to execute, and Malcolm McDowell plays the same tired old Brit baddie he's played for years. Ultimately it's the protracted aerial battle finale (which played havoc with LA air traffic control) that stays with you. Oh, and a gratuitous cameo from a nude contortionist! On the DVD: There are no special features here, except a trailer and filmographies. --Paul Tonks

• The Assassin | Blu Ray | (11/05/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Hollywood remake of Luc Besson's French thriller 'Nikita'. Young punk Maggie (Bridget Fonda) kills a cop in a bodged robbery but instead of being sent to the chair is reinvented as a ruthless assassin tutored by her government agent mentor Bob (Gabriel Byrne). Released into the community she finds love with her Californian apartment's caretaker (Dermot Mulroney) but her professional obligations increasingly threaten to destroy her happiness. Harvey Keitel makes a cameo appearance as a ruthlessly efficient 'cleaner' not dissimilar to the one he plays in 'Pulp Fiction'.

• Saturday Night Fever / Save The Last Dance / Footloose / Flashdance | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The Definitive Dance Collection! 4 Discs of pure dancing magic... Footloose: Teenager Ren MacCormack sends ripples through Bomont a small Midwestern town that could stand some shaking up when he arrives from Chicago with his mother Ethel to settle with her relatives. The adults tend to view him with suspicion as a possible contaminant from the outer world. Some of his male peers eye him as a threat and most of the girls just plain eye him. It's a tough time for Ren

• Heroes Series 1 Part 2 | DVD | (10/12/2007) from £4.99   |  Saving you £30.00 (601.20%)   |  RRP £34.99

  It’s hard to remember a science fiction series that has hit so big so quickly. Yet by the end of the first series of Heroes, it feels--for all the right reasons--that the show’s been around for longer than it has, such is the huge amount of success it’s enjoyed.

• Saturday Night Fever / Grease - Karaoke | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £5.99   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Includes the tracks: 1. Grease 2. Summer Nights 3. Hopelessly Devoted To You 4. You're The One That I Want 5. Beauty School Drop Out 6. Stayin' Alive 7. How Deep Is Your Love 8. More Than A Woman 9. Jive Talkin' 10. Boogie Shoes

• The Jack Bull | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £49.99   |  Saving you £-44.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The Jack Bull was produced for and premiered on American television network HBO, but it's easily the most respectable job that feature director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever, WarGames) has done in the past two decades. The title refers to a metaphorical Jack Russell terrier that, once it's annoyed enough to close its jaws on something, will hang on to the point of death. This terrier is Myrl Redding (John Cusack), a horse breeder of limited means who has a deeply entrenched sense of justice. His independence galls Henry Ballard (L Q Jones), the crusty land baron out to set his brand on most of the countryside. Ballard insults and cheats Redding several times over and his men beat Redding's Indian horse trainer and friend (Rodney A Grant). When Redding seeks redress from the law, its agents can't be bothered as the local magistrate is in Ballard's pocket. So Redding musters a vigilante army to enforce his own law. Scratch this handsome but rigorously unromanticised Western—a full hour passes without a shot being fired--and you find the classic Heinrich von Kleist book Michael Kohlhaas transposed to Wyoming Territory on the eve of statehood. The script--by the star/producer's dad, Dick Cusack--is sturdy and uncompromising and willing to engage the knotty ambiguities of embracing vigilantism even in a just cause. Badham's decision to treat the authorities (Scott Wilson, Jay O Sanders, John Goodman) as period caricatures is regrettable but John Cusack is solid as a figure of utterly matter-of-fact integrity. --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com