Drama

• They Came to a City (DVD + Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (23/04/2018) from £18.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Nine disparate Britons are transported to a mysterious city where, according to their class and disposition, they find themselves either in an earthly paradise of peace and equality or a hell starved of ambition and riches. From the pen of J B Priestley, this fantastical allegory is a striking expression of post-war utopian impulses and among Ealing's most unusual features. Presented here in a new 2K transfer from the best surviving 35mm element, this rarely seen British classic is available for home viewing for the very first time. Directed by Basil Dearden (The Captive Heart, Victim) and starring John Clements, Googie Withers and Raymond Huntley. Features: Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition Michael Balcon NFT Lecture (audio only, 59 mins): recorded in 1969, the producer discusses the different stages of his career We Live in Two Worlds (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1937, 13 mins): a GPO film about communications technology, narrated by J B Priestley Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940, 7 mins): a wartime propaganda film intended to boost morale, narrated by J B Priestley A City Reborn (1945, 21 mins): a propaganda film written by Dylan Thomas highlighting plans for post-war reconstruction Charley in New Town (Halas & Batchelor, 1948, 8 mins): a short animation on post-war new towns built to address housing shortages Your Very Good Health (Halas & Batchelor, 1948, 9 mins): a short animation on the new National Health Service

• Flatliners | DVD | (19/07/2010) from £8.68   |  Saving you £-2.69 (-44.90%)   |  RRP £5.99

  What if you could stop your heart to simulate a temporary death, and then be revived so you could describe your near-death experience to others? The mysteries of life--and the afterlife--compel five medical students (Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt) to experiment with their own mortality, and what they discover has unsettling psychological implications. That's the intriguing premise of this neo-Gothic horror thriller, directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin) with his typical indulgence of vibrant colours and hyperactive, hallucinogenic style. The movie borders on silliness at times, and the near-death recollection of memories results in some repetitious scenes, but the dynamic young cast takes it all quite seriously, which is what keeps this gaudy thriller on the edge. The fascinating premise could have been made into a better film, but Schumacher's mainstream excess doesn't stop Flatliners from being slick, occasionally even provocative entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

• All That Money Can Buy a.k.a The Devil and Daniel Webster (Criterion Collection) - UK Only | Blu Ray | (08/04/2024) from £22.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Jabez Stone is a hardworking farmer trying to make an honest living, but a streak of bad luck tempts him to do the unthinkable: bargain with the devil himself. In exchange for seven years of good fortune, Stone promises Mr. Scratch his soul. But when the troubled farmer begins to realize the error of his choice, he enlists the aid of the one man who might save him: the legendary orator and politician Daniel Webster. Directed with stylish flair by William Dieterle, All That Money Can Buy brings the classic short story by Stephen Vincent Benét to life with inspired visuals, an unforgettable, Oscar-winning score by Bernard Herrmann, and a truly diabolical performance from Walter Huston as the devil.Product Features New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder and Steven C. Smith, biographer of composer Bernard Herrmann New restoration demonstration Reading by actor Alec Baldwin of the short story by Stephen Vincent Benét on which the film is based Episode of the Criterion Channel series Observations on Film Art about the film's editing Comparison of the differences between the July 1941 preview version of the film, Here Is a Man, and the film's 1943 rerelease as The Devil and Daniel Webster The Columbia Workshop's radio adaptations of Benét's short stories The Devil and Daniel Webster and Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent, both featuring music by Herrmann Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by author Tom Piazza and a 1941 article by Benét Illustration by Thomas Ott

• Revolution: The Director's Cut (DVD & Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (18/06/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Al Pacino heads a stellar British/American cast (Nastassja Kinski, Donald Sutherland, Joan Plowright, Annie Lennox) in Revolution: The Director’s Cut. The definitive version of Hugh Hudson’s (Chariots of Fire, Greystoke) powerfully unsentimental film set during the American War of Independence is a tour-de-force of epic filmmaking. Single father Tom Dobb (played with dogged resilience by Al Pacino) struggles hopelessly against the violent course of history to protect his only son, meeting many obstacles and hardships along the way.Accompanied by John Corigliano’s poignant score, Hudson’s 1985 film is an uncompromising evocation of the chaos, squalor and upheaval of war which he has re-cut and updated with a new voice over by Al Pacino. Also included on Blu-ray is the original theatrical release of the film. Extra features: Standard Definition and High Definition presentation of The Director’s Cut (DVD & Blu-ray) Optional High Definition presentation of Original Theatrical Cut (Blu-ray only) Revisiting Revolution (2008, 23 mins): Al Pacino and Hugh Hudson in conversation (DVD only) Original theatrical trailer (DVD only) Revisiting Revolution (2012, 13 mins TBC): Hugh Hudson talks about the making of Revolution accompanied by production stills by celebrated photographers David Bailey and Don McCullum Deleted scenes: Re-cutting Revolution (21 mins TBC): a look at the differences between the different versions of the film

• Antwone Fisher/Men Of Honour | DVD | (21/05/2007) from £4.98   |  Saving you £4.01 (80.52%)   |  RRP £8.99

  Men Of Honour (Dir. George Tillman Jr. 2000): One of those rare films that grabs you by the gut and never lets go Men Of Honour was inspired by the life of Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding Jr.) an African American who dared to dream of becoming a U.S. Navy Master Diver. Despite a bigoted training officer (Robert De Niro) and a tragic shipboard accident Carl never gives up and achieves the impossible in an incredible finish that will leave you cheering. Antwone Fisher (Dir. Denzel Washington 2003): Inspired by the true life experiences of its title character Antwone Fisher tells the dramatic story of a troubled sailor who is ordered to see a naval psychiatrist about his volatile temper. Little does he know that his first step into the doctor's office will lead him on a remarkable emotional journey to confront his painful past - and connect with the family he never knew...

• Bad Guy | DVD | (26/07/2004) from £11.30   |  Saving you £3.69 (32.65%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Hard-hitting portrayal of a young girl forced to work in South Korea's neon-lit sex industry until she finds love with the last person she expected.

• Boys Don't Cry | DVD | (18/02/2002) from £6.75   |  Saving you £6.24 (92.44%)   |  RRP £12.99

  When Brandon Teena, a young man with an infectious, aw-shucks grin and an angelic face that's all angles, wanders into Falls City, Nebraska, he takes to the town as if it's a second skin. In little time he's fallen in with a gang of goofy if temperamental redneck boys, found himself a girlfriend, and befriended enough people to form something of a small family. In fact, it's the best time Brandon's ever had. However, there are shadows looming over Brandon's life: a court date for grand theft auto, a chequered criminal record, and a seemingly innocuous speeding ticket that could prove to be his undoing. Why? Because as it turns out, Brandon Teena is actually Teena Brandon, a woman masquerading as a man. This fascinating story was based on real-life events (as documented in The Brandon Teena Story) that occurred in 1993 and ended in tragedy: Brandon's rape and murder by two of his supposed friends. Despite this horrible outcome, however, in the hands of director Kimberly Peirce (who co-wrote the unfettered screenplay with Andy Bienen), Brandon's story becomes not oppressive or preachy, but rather oddly and touchingly transcendent, anchored by Hilary Swank's phenomenal, unsentimental (and Oscar-winning) performance. Swank inhabits Brandon's contradictions and passions with a natural vitality most actresses would refuse to give themselves over to. Brandon's deception is doomed from the start, but Swank's enthusiasm is infectious, and when Brandon starts romancing the sloe-eyed Lana (a pitch-perfect Chloë Sevigny), he finds a soulmate who wants to transcend boundaries and fated identities as much as he does. The last part of the film, when Brandon's true identity is discovered, is truly painful to watch, but in between the agony there are touching moments of sweetness between Brandon and Lana, who wrestles with the truth of who Brandon actually is. You'll come away from Boys Don't Cry with affection and respect for Brandon, not pity. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com

• Black Swan - Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) | Blu Ray | (16/05/2011) from £7.60   |  Saving you £17.39 (228.82%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Feverish worlds such as espionage and warfare have nothing on the hothouse realm of ballet, as director Darren Aronofsky makes clear in Black Swan, his over-the-top delve into a particularly fraught production of Swan Lake. At the very moment hard-working ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman) lands the plum role of the White Swan, her company director (Vincent Cassel) informs her that she'll also play the Black Swan--and while Nina's precise, almost virginal technique will serve her well in the former role, the latter will require a looser, lustier attack. The strain of reaching within herself for these feelings, along with nattering comments from her mother (Barbara Hershey) and the perceived rivalry from a new dancer (Mila Kunis), are enough to make anybody crack… and tracing out the fault lines of Nina's breakdown is right in Aronofsky's wheelhouse. Those cracks are broad indeed, as Nina's psychological instability is telegraphed with blunt-force emphasis in this neurotic roller-coaster ride. The characters are stick figures--literally, in the case of the dancers, but also as single-note stereotypes in the horror show: witchy bad mummy, sexually intimidating male boss, wacko diva (Winona Ryder, as the prima ballerina Nina is replacing). Yet the film does work up some crazed momentum (and undeniably earned its share of critical raves), and the final sequence is one juicy curtain-dropper. A good part of the reason for this is the superbly all-or-nothing performance by Natalie Portman, who packs an enormous amount of ferocity into her small body. Kudos, too, to Tchaikovsky's incredibly durable music, which has meshed well with psychological horror at least since being excerpted for the memorably moody opening credits of the 1931 Dracula, another pirouette through the dark side. --Robert Horton

• Of Gods And Men | DVD | (11/04/2011) from £6.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (128.76%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A monastery perched in the mountains of North Africa in the 1990s. Eight French Christian monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers. When a crew of foreign workers is massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist group fear sweeps though the region. The army offers them protection but the monks refuse. Should they leave? Despite the growing menace in their midst they slowly realize that they have no choice but to stay... come what may. This film is loosely based on the life of the Cistercian monks of Tibhirine in Algeria from 1993 until their kidnapping in 1996.

• The Time Traveler's Wife | DVD | (10/10/2022) from £14.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Traveler's Wife follows the spellbinding and intricately out-of-order love story between Clare Abshire (Rose Leslie) and Henry DeTamble (Theo James). At six years old, Clare meets Henry, the future love of her life - and who, as a time traveler, is actually visiting from the future. Fourteen years later, when a beautiful redhead wanders into the library where Henry works claiming not only to have known him all her life but to be his future wife, a magical romance ensues that is as sprawling and complicated as Henry's attempts to explain his condition. Over six hourlong episodes, the genre-bending drama series expertly weaves themes of love, loss, marriage, and survival - in a story that defies the laws and logic of time.

• Gridiron Gang | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £5.52   |  Saving you £10.47 (189.67%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A detention camp probation officer tries to build a winning team from a ragtag group of dangerous teenage inmates.

• Danielle Steel's Secrets | DVD | (17/04/2006) from £4.90   |  Saving you £1.09 (22.24%)   |  RRP £5.99

  While the couple keep the affair under wraps other stars struggle to conceal their own ghosts. Former Queen of Soap Jane Adams is the victim of a violent and jealous husband but can she resist throwing herself into the arms of her co-star Zack Taylor? Sex-symbol Bill Warwick lands his first major role but then his success is marred by a police investigation into the suspicious death of his wife? Amidst all the scandal and the cover up the show must go on.... but can it?

• Roman Holiday 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (14/08/2023) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  For the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD™, ROMAN HOLIDAY features a legendary, Oscar®-winning* performance from Audrey Hepburn (in her first starring role). It's the story of a modern-day princess who, rebelling against her royal obligations, explores Rome on her own. She soon meets an American newspaperman (Gregory Peck), who pretends ignorance of her true identity in the hopes of obtaining an exclusive story. Naturally, his plan falters as they inevitably fall in love. Featuring Eddie Albert as a carefree cameraman pal, an Oscar®- winning** Dalton Trumbo screenplay, expert direction from William Wyler, and featuring Edith Head's Oscar®-winning*** costumes, it's a timeless romantic comedy considered to be one of the greatest films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Product Features FILMMAKER FOCUS: Leonard Maltin on Roman Holiday Behind the Gates: Costumes Rome with a Princess Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist Paramount in the '50s Remembering Audrey Theatrical Trailers Galleries

• Room at The Top (Vintage Classics) | Blu Ray | (11/03/2024) from £14.39   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Jack Clayton's 1959 feature length debut ROOM AT THE TOP paved the way for the British New Wave, considered one of the first Kitchen Sink Dramas. Starring Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret, ROOM AT THE TOP was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two: Best Actress (Signoret) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Paterson). In post-war industrial Yorkshire, Joe Lampton (Lawrence Harvey) aims to seduce the boss's daughter as he attempts to climb the corporate ladder at work. But when his background holds him back, Joe seeks comfort with the unhappily married Alice (Simone Signoret) beginning an affair that will have unspeakable consequences.Product FeaturesNEW Delena Kidd on Room at the Top ¢ Extract from BEHP Audio interview with Sir John Woolf ¢ Audio Commentary with Jo Botting ¢ Audio Commentary with Neil Sinyard ¢ Behind the Scenes ¢ Stills Gallery ¢ Trailer

• Dallas - Series 3 | DVD | (26/09/2005) from £24.99   |  Saving you £16.00 (64.03%)   |  RRP £40.99

  Relive the drama intrigue and deception of TV's most watched event of the 1980s features all 25 episodes from season three. Episodes comprise: 1. What Ever Happened To Baby John (Part 1) 2. What Ever Happened To Baby John (Part 2) 3. The Silent Killer 4. Secrets 5. The Kristin Affair 6. The Dove Hunt 7. The Lost Child 8. Rodeo 9. Mastectomy (Part 1) 10. Mastectomy (Part2) 11. The Heiress 12. Ella Saves The Day 13. Mother Of The Year 14. Return Engagements 15. Love And Marria

• The Shipping News | DVD | (02/05/2011) from £9.90   |  Saving you £10.09 (101.92%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Kevin Spacey stars as a man who moves to his family's ancestral home in Newfoundland after a tragedy. Slowly, he starts to put his life back together.

• Brat Pack Collection - Breakfast Club / About Last Night / St Elmo's Fire | DVD | (27/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Breakfast Club (Dir. John Hughes 1985): 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

• Le Bonheur | DVD | (26/09/2011) from £6.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (128.76%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In one of Agnes Varda's more provocative films she presents us with the dilemma faced by husband and father Francois (Jean -Claude Crouot) who finds himself falling in love with an attractive postal worker. What follows is a detailed study of adult fidelity and happiness which will ultimately end with major repercussions for all parties involved.

• Five Feet Apart (DVD) | DVD | (15/07/2019) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is every bit a seventeen-year-old she's attached to her laptop and loves her best friends. But unlike most teenagers, she spends much of her time living in a hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control all of which is put to the test when she meets an impossibly charming fellow patient named Will Newman (Cole Sprouse). There's an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction. Further complicating matters is Will's potentially dangerous rebellion against his ongoing medical treatment. Stella gradually inspires Will to live life to the fullest, but can she ultimately save the person she loves when even a single touch is off limits?

• Boys in Brown | DVD | (04/02/2013) from £4.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (160.32%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A slice of life in a British Borstal reform institution for young criminals.