Drama

• Little Dorrit | DVD | (27/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £25.99

  The original 1987 BBC feature film adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale Little Dorrit starring Alec Guinness and Derek Jacobi. A story told in two films the life of Arthur Clennam and the life of Amy Dorrit in the London of the 1850's.

• APOLLO 13 - The Film Vault Range Steelbook | Blu Ray | (19/08/2024) from £31.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Ron Howard directs Academy Award® Winner Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris in this riveting suspense-thriller from Imagine Entertainment about a routine space flight. Apollo 13 is a breathtaking adventure that tells the true and remarkable story of courage, faith and ingenuity in a race to bring a group of heroic astronauts home when their spacecraft is damaged thousands of miles from Earth.

• The Bible - Moses | DVD | (29/11/2010) from £7.72   |  Saving you £7.03 (117.95%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Sir Ben Kingsley enthralls in the central role of Moses as he embarks on his momentous undertaking to lead the Israelites out of bondage into the promised land...

• Ruben Östlund | A Curzon Collection | Limited Edition (1000 Numbered Copies) + Exclusive Card Game | Blu Ray | (14/08/2023) from £99.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  For the first time ever, this comprehensive collection of the works of the acclaimed, maverick filmmaker Ruben Östlund boasts his complete feature filmography to date. Along with his two Palme d'Or-winning films The Square and Triangle of Sadness, the collection also includes three of his earlier short films, six bespoke invitation cards and an exclusive, specially-created card game endorsed by the filmmaker himself. 6 films 3 short films exclusive card game: Östlund's Ordinary Disasters 6 collectable luxury invitation cards. Product Features Hard cover box set in a canvas slipcase 6 Feature Films: The Guitar Mongoloid, Involuntary, Play, Force Majeure, The Square, Triangle of Sadness 3 Short Films: Family Again, Autobiographical No. 6882, Incident by a Bank New masterclass and interviews with Ruben Östlund. Interviews, making of videos, featurettes, casting tapes and theatrical trailers.

• Star Trek III: The Search For Spock | Blu Ray | (06/09/2021) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Admiral Kirk's defeat of Khan and the creation of the Genesis planet are empty victories Spock is dead and McCoy is inexplicably being driven insane. Then a surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence. Kirk attempts to steal the U.S.S. Enterprise and defy Starfleet's Genesis planet quarantine to search for his friend, but the Klingons are planning a deadly rendezvous. Looking better than ever on Blu-ray, this essential third installment of the original motion picture saga is boldly remastered from a 4K scan of the original film elements.

• Sunday | DVD | (16/04/2007) from £13.98   |  Saving you £8.00 (66.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Emmy nominated Sunday tells the story of the events of January 30th 1972 when British Paratroopers shot dead 14 unarmed civilians and wounded a further 15 during an illegal civil rights march in Derry Northern Ireland. The programme made with the full consultation and co-operation of the families affected by the tragedy has been carefully researched over several years by am experienced factual production team. More than a hundred first hand interviews have been conducted with British soldiers and officers priests politicians medical experts and eyewitnesses as well as relatives.

• My Feral Heart | DVD | (27/11/2017) from £6.10   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A sudden bereavement throws Luke, a fiercely independent young man with Down syndrome, into a daunting new environment where he finds unexpected support from his feisty streetwise carer and a local heir dealing with his own demons. As friendships bloom and long-buried secrets are revealed, Luke verges dangerously close to disaster. My Feral Heart is a beautifully realised, understated character study bolstered by strong performances, distinctive cinematography and a deeply evocative score.

• Le Week-End | DVD | (10/02/2014) from £9.98   |  Saving you £9.00 (128.76%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Le Week-End is a beautifully observed and poignant story of a long-married British couple (Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan) who return to Paris for the first time since their honeymoon to revitalize their marriage. While there they run into an old friend (Goldblum) who transforms their thoughts on life and their love for one another. Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill).

• Carnivale - Series 1 | DVD | (03/07/2005) from £9.95   |  Saving you £40.04 (402.41%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Into each generation is born a creature of light and a creature of darkness. 1934. The Dustbowl. The last great age of magic. In a time of titanic sandstorms vile plagues drought and pestilence - signs of God's fury and harbingers of the Apocalypse - the final conflict between good and evil is about to begin. The battle will take place in the Heartland of an empire called America. And when it is over man will forever trade away wonder for reason. A sweeping epic that is both chal

• What's Love Got To Do With It? | Blu Ray | (15/05/2023) from £5.89   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  For documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath's (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe's childhood friend and neighbour Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents' example and opt for an arranged (or assisted ) marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films his hopeful journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love. Extras: Meet The Cast, Making Of, Love & Marriage

• High-Kick Girl | DVD | (09/05/2011) from £16.45   |  Saving you £1.54 (9.36%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Two rival pickpocket gangs face off on the streets to vie for the possession of a beautiful and mysterious woman who is kept, like a bird in a cage, by the boss of one of the gangs. Comedy caper with comparisons to French New Wave work such as 'Umbrellas.

• The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby | DVD | (13/05/2002) from £39.99   |  Saving you £-20.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This 2000 television adaptation confirms Nicholas Nickleby's place among television dramatists' favourite Dickens novels. It has all the vital ingredients: a sensitive, intelligent young hero cast by circumstances in the role of everyman whose fortitude is tested at every turn; romance; danger; one of Dickens' richest braces of characters; and a sense of humanity that is, at times, overwhelming. Condensing all this into three hours is no mean achievement. Martyn Edward Hesford's screenplay maintains an impressive balance between dramatic tension and allowing the characters the space they need to reveal their essential qualities. Only in the last 30 minutes does it become something of a gallop to the finishing post. True, the horrors of the boarding school could be more horrific; the grime of Victorian London and its toothless inhabitants could be grimier and less cosmetic. But as always with a superior production of a Dickens novel, the richness and depth of the drama outweigh such minor quibbles. As for the cast, James D'Arcy's Nicholas is pitch-perfect: part cipher for the injustices and despair he encounters, part emblem for the triumph of goodness, an innocent whose eyes are quickly forced open to the darker realities of life. These darker realities are congealed in Charles Dance's relentlessly chilling, heartless Ralph Nickleby. This is a deceptively complex performance; even as we cheer the gathering forces which finally extinguish his increasingly desperate power, the awful tragedy of his end still elicits a discomforting ounce of sympathy. Gregor Fisher as the one-eyed Squeers and Pam Ferris as his fearsomely lascivious wife are outstanding in an ensemble of fine character actors. And Lee Ingleby's Smike gives our tear ducts a good workout while steering just the right side of sentimentality. On the DVD: Nicholas Nickleby is presented in widescreen format with Dolby Digital soundtrack, and has all the technical qualities you might expect from the DVD release of a modern television production. Extras include cast filmographies, a Dickens biography and a list of his work, all of which add to the disc's merits as a literary educational tool. --Piers Ford

• Charles Dickens Collection | DVD | (19/03/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.91

  Great ExpectationsThe key ingredient in this modern-day version of Charles Dickens's classic is director Alfonso Cuarón, who made the glowing, estimable A Little Princess. If you saw that (and you should), understand that Expectations has those ingredients (great sense of time, place, and timing) but adds modern music and sex appeal; the latter personified by the long-legged Gwyneth Paltrow. Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke as an adult, Jeremy James Kissner at age 10) is the new version of Dickens's Pip. He's a child wise beyond his years, befriending an escaped convict (Robert De Niro) in the warm waters of Florida's Gulf Coast. Finn is also the plaything for Estella (Paltrow as an adult, Raquel Beaudene at age 10), the niece of the coast's richest and most eccentric lady, Ms. Dinsmoor (a fun and flamboyant Anne Bancroft). The prudish Estella likes Finn (catch the best first kiss scene in many a moon) but has been brought up to disdain men; she'll break hearts. As the object of Finn's desires, Estella unfortunately is a one-dimensional character, yet what a dimension! Clad in Donna Karan dresses and her long, sun-kissed hair, Paltrow is luminous. She and Hawke make a very sexy couple. Mitch Glazer's script does better by Finn. He's a blue-collar worker with a gift for drawing (artwork by Francesco Clemente). Following his Uncle Joe's (Chris Cooper) honest ways, Finn grows up as a fisherman, thoughts of Estella and art drifting away in the hard work. When a mysterious benefactor allows him to follow his dream, Finn finds himself in New York, preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime art exhibit--and in the arms of the engaged Estella. Filled with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki's golden-drenched light, the film has an irresistible, wildly romantic look. Dinsmoor's place is certainly gothic, Estella and Finn's longing encounters glamorous. Cuarón uses an MTV-friendly soundtrack with a confident touch. Songs by Tori Amos and the band Pulp--along with Patrick Doyle's silky score--create passionate scenes. It all ends far too swiftly with a seemingly tacked-on ending (reflecting the book, as it happens) but the film is splendid storytelling. It's a stylish, sweet valentine. --Doug Thomas Oliver TwistIf Charles Dickens were alive to see Roman Polanski's faithful adaptation of Oliver Twist, he'd probably give it his stamp of approval. David Lean's celebrated 1948 version of the Dickens classic and Carol Reed's Oscar-winning 1968 musical are more entertaining in some ways, but Polanski's rendition is both painstakingly authentic (with superb cinematography and production design) and deeply rooted in the emotional context of the story. Both Polanski and Dickens had personal experiences similar to those of young Oliver (played here by Barney Clark)--Polanski in the Nazi-occupied ghettos of Poland during World War II, and Dickens during his hard-scrabble youth in Victorian London--and this spiritual kinship lends a certain gravitas to the tale of a tenacious orphan who escaped from indentured servitude in London society and is taken in by Fagin (Ben Kingsley) and his streetwise gang of pickpockets. As the evil Bill Sykes, who exploits Oliver for his own nefarious needs, Jamie Foreman is no match for Oliver Reed (in the '68 musical) in terms of frightening menace, but even here, Polanski's direction hews closer to Dickens, while the screenplay by Ronald Harwood (who also wrote Polanski's The Pianist) necessarily trims away subplots and characters for the sake of narrative economy. All in all, this Oliver Twist rises above most previous versions, and with the benefit of Kingsley's nuanced performance, Polanski arrives at a compassionate conclusion that captures the essence of Dickens' novel in a way that viewers of all ages will appreciate for many years to come.-- Jeff Shannon Nicholas NicklebyWhile it necessarily streamlines the Charles Dickens classic, this delightful adaptation of Nicholas Nickelby captures the essence of Dickens in all of its Victorian splendor and squalor. With Charlie Hunnam (the U.K. Queer as Folk) doing noble work in the title role, this quintessentially Dickensian tale begins with the death of Nicholas's father, and the subsequent scheme by his cruel uncle (Christopher Plummer, perfectly cast) to separate Nicholas from his now penniless sister and mother. Stuck in a squalid school run by the evil Mr. and Mrs. Squeers (Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson), Nicholas escapes with his loyal friend Smike (Billy Elliott's Jamie Bell), whose lineage will determine the greedy uncle's fate. As he did with Jane Austen's Emma, writer-director Douglas McGrath has crafted a prestigious production that shifts effortlessly between comedy and tragedy without compromising its warm, inviting tone. His dialogue rings true throughout, inspiring a stellar cast including Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, Edward Fox, and Timothy Spall. Dickens himself would almost certainly have approved. --Jeff Shannon

• The Five Devils | Blu Ray | (26/06/2023) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Eight-year-old Vicky (newcomer Sally Dramé) has a mysterious gift: she can recreate any scent she comes across, even that of her beloved mother Joanne (Palme d'Or winner Adèle Exarchopoulos).When Vicky's estranged aunt suddenly returns to their mountain town, the invocation of her fragrance plunges the young girl back in time to unravel the mystery of Joanne's fiery past with her now sister-in-law.The acclaimed breakout from filmmaker Léa Mysius (screenwriter for Claire Denis and Jacques Audiard), THE FIVE DEVILS forges a witchy and wildly imaginative fable out of family secrets and queer romance.

• It's a Wonderful Life - 65th Anniversary Edition | DVD | (02/11/2009) from £24.28   |  Saving you £-6.29 (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton

• Michael | DVD | (28/05/2012) from £7.05   |  Saving you £8.94 (55.90%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This acclaimed Austrian drama focuses on five months in the life of paedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement.A protg of Michael Haneke, Markus Schleinzer's Michael is a triumph of uneasy cinema. With an unorthodox level of restraint, the director tells the story of a dull office drone who keeps a kidnapped young boy locked in his house.Despite its subversive edge, Michael successfully drains the shock out of a frightening premise and instead delivers a keen observational thriller. From its opening minutes, Michael reveals its alarming plot with a patient, naturalistic atmosphere.

• Lawrence Of Arabia | DVD | (08/09/2003) from £16.80   |  Saving you £-2.55 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  ""A Miracle of a Film"" - Steven Spielberg This remarkable film follows the struggles of T.E. Lawrence (played by Peter O'Toole - My Favourite Year The Last Emperor) in uniting the hostile Arab factions during the First World War and leading them to victory over the ruling Turkish Empire. The film was released originally in 1962 to huge critical acclaim winning 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for David Lean.

• Sumotherhood | Blu Ray | (26/02/2024) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

   In this parody of the UK urban genre Riko and Kane have got it all big dreams, no respect and a fifteen grand debt. Could things get any worse? Yes! So, it's time to man up and finally be taken serious as Roadmen. In this hilarious action comedy, Riko and Kane quickly learn that crime doesn't always pay. Owing money to dangerous drug lords, they try to pull off a daring bank robbery and stumble into business with one of East London's most notorious gangs.Product Features 

• 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

• Paradise Alley (Dual Format) | Blu Ray | (04/09/2017) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  For the first time ever on Blu-Ray comes Sylvester Stallone's directorial debut from 1978, his first project after his Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor Oscar nominations for Rocky in 1976. Stallone actually wrote this first but it was the success of Rocky that made this film possible Stallone recalls: I was very broke and I optioned the screenplay of PARADISE ALLEY to a real how should I say this maggot, who put his hooks in so deep I could never get it away from him. So the first time I went in to meet Chartoff and Winkler, I was there on an acting job. I didn't get it, but on the way out I said, I have this screenplay called PARADISE ALLEY. They said to bring it over and I did. They wanted to make it, but the other cretin that I had optioned it to was so obnoxious, so overbearing, that the producers wanted nothing to do with me or the screenplay. So on the way out, they said, If you have any ideas, we'd be happy to look at them. That night I went home - even a fire extinguisher couldn't cool the burning in my brain. The door of opportunity was wide open and I had nothing to carry over its threshold. That's when I started to write ROCKY. So thank God for the maggot; otherwise I never would've written the story of Mr. Balboa.