"Director: Thomas"

• Carry On Again Doctor | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The title of Carry On Again Doctor (1969) says it all; almost the same cast playing similar characters to their previous year's outing in Carry On Doctor. This one rejoices in the alternative title "Bowels are Ringing". But the enduring popularity of these films owes almost everything to their basic formula and if this one occasionally seems a bit cobbled together, all the old favourites are still there, working away. This time, the setting moves from the National Health Service to the private sector and even stretches as far as the "Beatific Islands" when Jim Dale is exiled to a missionary clinic for his overzealous attention to the female patients, who include Barbara Windsor of course. There, orderly Sid James rules the roost of the clinic with his harem of local women. Trivia addicts can spot Mrs Michael Caine in a brief role as a token dusky maiden. The second half of the Talbot Rothwell script picks up nicely as the characters converge on the private hospital back in England where Dale rakes in the money with a bogus weight loss treatment. Hattie Jacques is in fine form as Matron, Kenneth Williams fascinates with his usual mass of mannerisms and Joan Sims is stately as the Lady Bountiful figure financing most of the shenanigans. It's a tribute to their professionalism that we can still lose ourselves in some of the creakiest old jokes around. On the DVD: Bog standard 4:3 picture format and mono soundtrack provide an adequate viewing experience, especially as today most people will be more familiar with these films from television transmissions than from their cinema release. However, the lack of extras is a shame. Apart from the scene index, there is nothing to distinguish the DVD from its video equivalent. At the very least, a cast list or star biographies would add a little value. --Piers Ford

• A Tribute To Alvin Ailey | DVD | (18/12/2000) from £23.44   |  Saving you £1.55 (6.61%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The legendary American choreographer Alvin Ailey is the subject of this well-balanced Tribute. Three of the four dances--"For Bird with Love", "Witness" and "Memoria"--are Ailey's, and the programme concludes with Ulysses Dove's "Episodes". Each is eloquently introduced by Judith Jamison, and each demonstrates the joyous, affectionate atmosphere which Ailey's work always seemed to generate. "For Bird with Love", a dance interpretation of the life of the seminal jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, is probably the best known and best loved of the items presented here. Ailey always relied on an element of rather camp Broadway glitz to carry his ideas beyond the hardcore audience for modern dance, and much of the work presented here is closer to Cats than to Cunningham. Overall, though, these dances are superbly structured, graceful edifices which transcend their showbiz influences, and there are few examples of the craft that are so extrovertly welcoming to the viewer. --Roger Thomas

• Mean Machine/Coach Carter/Bad News Bears | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Titles Comprise: 1. Mean Machine 2. Coach Carter 3. Bad News Bears

• Cecilia Bartoli - A Portrait | DVD | (11/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  A documentary looking at the life and career of Cecilia Bartoli.

• Carry On Vol.3 | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This Carry On collection includes the following films: Carry On Loving: Sid James and Hattie Jacques run The Wedding Bliss computer dating agency and guess what? Chaos follows! Carry On At Your Convenience: Kenneth Williams is WC Boggs the troubled owner of a small company trying to manufacture fine toiletware. Incompetent management and a bolshy union are just about the least of Bogg's problems as you'll soon discover in this hysterical comedy that tells you everything you always wanted to know about your home's most vital convenience. Carry On Matron: Carry On Matron finds the team in top form in Finisham Maternity Hospital. Sid James leads a team of less than professional crooks intent on stealing a huge hoard of birth control pills. If your funny bone is in need of tickling this is the prescription you need! Carry On Abroad: The Carry On team take a package holiday that starts disastrously and rapidly goes downhill. The paradise island of Elsbels is not all it's cracked up to be.... The hotel isn't finished the staff are abit thin on the ground - in fact Pepe (Peter Butterworth) is the staff - and the locals are far from friendly! It's the holiday of a laughtime as Sid James Barbara Windsor Charles Hawtrey Joan Sims and the gang go on the razzle in the Med!

• Carry On - The Ultimate Carry On | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £109.99

  Twelve classic titles in one box set

• Il Turco In Italia - Rossini | DVD | (21/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A performance of Rossini's opera performed by the Zurich Opera House Chorus and Orchestra and the Supernumerary Association; conducted by Franz Welser-Most.

• Carry On Henry | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £13.97   |  Saving you £-3.98 (-39.80%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Shot in the bright postal colours of a seaside postcard, Carry on Henry applies the usual Carry On sniggering to the married life of Henry VIII. Talbot Rothwell's script is standard bedroom farce and full of jokes about choppers, while the threat of beheading and the actuality of torture are constantly present but only as the terrible things that happen to cartoon characters who will be back next time. Sid James turns in one of his better performances as the endlessly lecherous and fickle Henry, married to Joan Sims and lusting after Barbara Windsor. There is a genuine sexual chemistry between James and Windsor which at times almost breaks open the farce formula. The usual regulars--Kenneth Williams as Thomas Cromwell, Terry Scott as Cardinal Wolsey, Charles Hawtrey as Sir Roger--do their usual turns; Williams is more subdued than usual, while Hawtrey hugely enjoys playing the Queen's secret lover. This was not one of the high points of the series, but it has its own curious charm. On the DVD: The DVD has no extras whatever, but is a good clean print in 1.77:1 ratio with crisp mono sound. --Roz Kaveney

• Coldplay - Live 2003 (Special Edition) + Live CD | DVD | (10/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £25.99

  Coldplay are on peak form in Live 2003, riding high on the phenomenal success of A Rush of Blood to the Head. This CD/DVD two-pack was filmed (on Super-16mm film) and recorded in Sydney's Horden Pavilion on July 21 and 22, 2003, during a year-long world tour and the medium-sized arena provides a fitting stage for the London-based rock quartet; not so grand as to overwhelm the music, but large enough to indicate their large and loyal following, which includes enthusiastic fans of both genders. Especially when played in DTS 5.1 surround, this 90-minute concert is richer, thicker and (of course) louder than Coldplay's studio recordings, lending a wall-of-sound expansiveness to the band's signature sound, which draws from such diverse influences as Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Verve, U2 and their own unique sonic landscape. "Politik" gets the gig off to a rousing start, and other impressive highlights include "Daylight", "Yellow", the as-yet-unreleased new song "Moses", and the popular hits "In My Place", "Clocks", and "The Scientist". And while the concert visuals are slick and professional (perhaps placing a bit too much emphasis on singer/frontman Chris Martin), this DVD and CD--the latter containing a truncated 70-minute version of the same performance--are best appreciated for their pristine audio quality. Culled from 400 hours of home video, the 40-minute "concert diary" represents a wasted opportunity, enjoyable for hardcore fans but offering no insight into the band or its individual members. Much better, then, to play the concert at healthy high volume, and appreciate Coldplay in the prime of their young career. --Jeff Shannon

• Alvin And The Chipmunks 2 - The Squeakquel | Blu Ray | (08/04/2013) from £9.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (150.15%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Sequel to the live-action/CGI-animated story of the world-famous singing pre-teen chipmunk trio. When Alvin (voice of Justin Long) Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) are forced to put aside their music superstardom and go back to school they are given the challenge of saving the school's music department by winning the $25 000 prize in a battle of the bands. But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing female chipmunks known as The Chipettes: Brittany (Anna Faris) Eleanor (Amy Poehler) and Jeanette (Christina Applegate). Romantic and musical sparks fly in the face off that ensues between The Chipmunks and The Chipettes.

• Rameau: In Convertendo | DVD | (03/07/2006) from £2.49   |  Saving you £12.50 (502.01%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Jean-Philippe Rameau was still a young musician when he moved to Lyon where he probably composed his few surviving motets including the Grand Motet In Convertendo here performed by Les Arts Florissants under William Christie which anticipates Rameau's orchestration in his later operatic works. This wonderful fugue on Psalm 126 (verse 6) Euntes ibant et flebant (They went forth and wept) bears comparison with similar works by his contemporary J.S. Bach. In addition to a full performance of In Convertendo this DVD presents some of Rameau's key chamber music pieces and an insightful music documentary The Real Rameau which sheds light on the life of a composer who thought only of music dreaming of a universal harmony and regarding music as an example to all arts and indeed to all the sciences as well. Pictured by his contemporaries as a gaunt and taciturn man ill-suited to courtly surroundings his work was described by Berlioz as 'one of the most sublime conceptions of dramatic music'.

• Alvin And The Chipmunks 2 - The Squeakquel | Blu Ray | (12/04/2010) from £6.24   |  Saving you £18.75 (300.48%)   |  RRP £24.99

  "Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel" brings back our favorite furry brothers, Alvin, Simon and Theodore for more music and mayhem!

• The David Niven Show | DVD | (28/04/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The debonair actor presents 12 short dramas in this popular anthology series originally broadcast in the US, in 1959. British screen icon David Niven is best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days; as Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death; and as 'The Phantom' in The Pink Panther! In this popular anthology series, made in 1959 for a US audience, Niven introduces a new short dramatic film in each of 12 episodes, featuring thrillers and mysteri.

• Scarce | DVD | (08/03/2010) from £12.49   |  Saving you £0.50 (4.00%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Three snowboarders get trapped in an isolated cabin owned by cannibals.

• Carry On Don't Lose Your Head | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £6.66   |  Saving you £3.33 (50.00%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Carry On Don't Lose Your Head parodies the adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, with crinkly, cackling Sid James as master of disguise the Black Fingernail and Jim Dale as his assistant Lord Darcy. He must rescue preposterously effete aristo Charles Hawtrey from the clutches of Kenneth Williams' fiendish Citizen Camembert and his sidekick Citizen Bidet (Peter Butterworth). The Black Fingernail is assisted in his efforts to thwart the birth of the burgeoning republic by the almost supernatural stupidity of his opponents, who fail to recognise the frankly undisguisable Sid James even when dressed as a flirty young woman. What with an executioner who is tricked into beheading himself in order to prove the efficacy of his own guillotine, it's all a little too easy. As usual, no groan-worthy pun is left unturned, nor unheralded by the soundtrack strains of a long whistle or wah-wah trumpet. This is pretty silly stuff even by Carry On standards, with most of the cast barely required to come out of first gear and an overlong climactic swordfight sequence hardly raising the dramatic stakes. Most of the humour here resides neither in the script nor the characterisation but in the endlessly watchable Williams' whooping, nasal delivery (occasionally lapsing into broad Cockney) and the jowl movements of the always-underrated Butterworth. On the DVD: There are no extra features except scene selection. The picture is 4:3 full screen ratio.--David Stubbs

• Point Of Origin | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  Based on a true story this psychological thriller follows a fire investigator as he undauntedly pursues a serial arsonist who is setting fire to California. The story takes an unexpected turn when the investigator is implicated in the case leaving his co-workers and family to ascertain his guilt or innocence...

• Friends - Series 2 - Episodes 9-16 | DVD | (27/10/2003) from £15.96   |  Saving you £-5.98 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Season 2: Unfortunately, Rachel's brave intention to announce her feelings is scuppered in the season opener "The One With Ross' New Girlfriend". It doesn't matter how great her hair looks (a real-life accident when a friend cut it with a razor), or how many sneaky tricks she tries to separate them. Ultimately it takes a peculiar doppelganger to lure the new girl away in "TOW Russ" (Schwimmer credited as "Snaro"). The Friends couldn't be happier to have the angst and tension relieved, and "TOW Ross and Rachel... You Know" is unsurprisingly an all-time fan favourite. This was straightforward compared to the other side of Ross' love life in "TOW the Lesbian Wedding" though. Initiating another "will they, won't they?" subplot was the introduction of Richard (Tom Selleck) as a new flame for Monica. Highlights for the other characters all centred on the Emmy-winning two-part "The One After the Super Bowl" with a stunning cameo list including Brooke Shields, Chris Isaak, Dan Castellaneta (Homer from The Simpsons), Jean-Claude Van Damme and Julia Roberts (whom Perry subsequently dated for a short while). Another great highlight was Chandler and Joey's ineptitude in "TOW the Baby on the Bus", which also featured Chrissie Hynde giving Phoebe's "Smelly Cat" its best ever rendition on guitar. To leave viewers hanging, the year ended with Rachel in understandable uncertainty over "TOW Barry And Mindy's Wedding" (her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend). --Paul Tonks

• Carry On Emmannuelle | DVD | (18/03/2002) from £9.66   |  Saving you £0.33 (3.42%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Made in 1978, Carry On Emmannuelle was really the last gasp of the most fondly regarded series of British comedy films. In most respects, it hardly does justice to the many truly funny and brilliantly played previous scripts. But it does feature a curiously vulnerable, even touching, performance from Kenneth Williams as a French diplomat with a wife of insatiable physical appetites. In theory, of course, it aims to be a pastiche of the hugely popular Emmanuelle, which had marked the transition of soft-core erotic cinema into the art house. But it's too crudely scripted and lacking in the belly laugh inducing innuendo of the best Carry On films to succeed on that level. "Are you hungry, Loins?" Emmannuelle asks the chauffeur. "I think I could manage a little nibble," he replies. You get the idea. In the title role, Suzanne Danielle, who would go on to be the best of the Princess Diana impersonators, isn't a good enough comic actress to raise such lines above the ordinary. And the few stalwarts who returned for this outing--Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor and Peter Butterworth--just about emerge with their dignity intact. This was a Carry On too far. But fans will want it for their collection because it shows Kenneth Williams at his most professionally committed--his diaries reveal his real thoughts on the matter--and to remind themselves of the high quality of so much of the work which had gone before.On the DVD: presented in 4:3 format and with a standard mono soundtrack, this release of Carry On Emmannuelle starts off with a print of such ropey quality that you seem to be watching through a dust storm. The sound quality is little better, although on both counts things improve as the film progresses. The lack of extras is disappointing, adding to the rather sad, low-budget feel of the film itself. --Piers Ford

• The Snowman - The Stage Show | DVD | (21/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A performance of the West End stage show which follows the adventures of a young boy and his friend the Snowman. Featuring an extended score composed by Howard Blake (Flash Gordon). This DVD includes twenty-five additional minutes not seen on television.

• Alvin and the Chipmunks/Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 | DVD | (04/06/2012) from £6.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Struggling songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) opens his home to a talented trio of chipmunks named Alvin Simon and Theodore they become overnight music sensations. But when a greedy record producer (David Cross) tries to exploit the boys Dave must use a little human ingenuity and a lot of 'munk mischief to get his furry family back before it's too late!