Drama

• The Human Condition | Blu Ray | (23/07/2018) from £16.39   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  One of the towering masterpieces of Japanese and world cinema, this three-part war epic has rarely been seen in the UK, at least partly because of its dauntingly gargantuan nine hour length. Director Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri) was attracted to Junpei Gomikawa s source novel because he recognised himself in the character of the protagonist Kaji, an ardent pacifist who came of age during the aggressively militaristic 1930s and 40s. In part one, No Greater Love, Kaji is relocated to a mine-supervising job in Manchuria, where he is horrified by the use of forced labour. Part two, Road to Eternity, sees him conscripted into the Japanese army and forced to fight in the name of an aggressively imperialist cause. Part three, A Soldier s Prayer, deals with the consequences of Japan s defeat, not least for Kaji himself. Throughout, Kobayashi unflinchingly examines the psychological toll of appallingly complex decisions, where being morally right risks outcomes ranging from ostracism to savage beating to death. As Kaji, Tatsuya Nakadai (Sanjuro) is in virtually every scene, providing a rock-solid emotional anchor and a necessary one in Japan, where the film was hugely controversial for being openly critical of the nation s conduct during WWII. But it s this willingness to confront national taboos head-on that makes it such a lastingly powerful experience. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original Japanese mono soundtrack Optional English subtitles Introduction to the film by critic Philip Kemp Selected-scene commentary by Philip Kemp Theatrical trailers Reversible sleeve featuring two choices of artwork by maarko phntm

• Union City | DVD | (20/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A modern film noir tale of murder and paranoia about a neurotic business man who beats a vagrant to death. Based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich (Rear Window). Dennis Lipscomb plays Harlan an accountant who lives a repressed life with his sexually unfulfilled wife Lillian (Deborah Harry) who has her eye on the building's superintendent Larry (Everett McGill). Harlan's obsession with catching the thief who steals sips of milk from his morning delivery ends in an a

• The Man In The Moon | DVD | (23/06/2003) from £9.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (37.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  14-year-old Dani is filled with curiosity and anticipation awaiting her first love and she wistfully compares herself to her old sister Maureen who is pursued by every male in town. One day Dani meets 17-year-old Court Foster and falls head over heels in love. Then Court meets Maureen... Suddenly the sisters' very special bond is threatened and a chain of events set in motion that will change their young lives forever...

• The Face Of Another | DVD | (21/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Facially scarred in a fire a businessman (Nakadai) receives psychotherapy and an amazingly lifelike mask. However he finds it difficult to re-integrate into society and discovers that his personal habits are changing. Is the mask controlling him or did he create the new personality of the mask? Director Hiroshi Teshigahara teamed up once more with screenwriter and novelist Kobo Abe and experimental composer Toru Takemitsu following their collaboration on the seminal 'Sunna No Onna'

• New Amsterdam: Season 2 | DVD | (26/10/2020) from £27.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Artist | Blu Ray | (28/05/2012) from £10.75   |  Saving you £19.24 (178.98%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Hollywood 1927. George Valentin is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career. For extra Peppy Miller, major movie stardom awaits. THE ARTIST tells the story of their interlinked destinies.

• Grand Hotel | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Oscar-winning drama with an all-star cast exploring the interwoven relationships of the residents of a plush Berlin hotel...

• La Ronde | Blu Ray | (17/06/2019) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Max Ophuls' wonderful film won a BAFTA and two Oscar nominations. Starring Simone Signoret, Simone Simon and Anton Walbrook as the enigmatic master of ceremonies who guides us through a series of amorous encounters in 1900 s Vienna. A soldier (Serge Reggiani) meets an eager young lady of the night and later has an affair with a young lady, who becomes a maid who then has an affair with the young master of the house. The young man then seduces a married woman and so spins on the carousel of romantic life...

• Reign Over Me | DVD | (20/08/2007) from £4.96   |  Saving you £12.05 (242.94%)   |  RRP £17.01

  Adam Sandler takes on a rare straight role which him trying to cope as a man who lost his family in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

• When Tomorrow Comes (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (23/09/2024) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Following the runaway success of Love Affair, Irene Dunne (The Awful Truth) and Charles Boyer (A Woman's Vengeance) were reunited for When Tomorrow Comes, a heartbreaking romantic melodrama. Despite differences of class and politics, concert pianist Philip (Boyer) falls in love with waitress Helen (Dunne), and they embark on a torrid romance. However, Helen soon finds that Philip is hiding something from her... Directed by John M Stahl (Leave Her to Heaven) and based on a story by James M Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice), When Tomorrow Comes was later remade by Douglas Sirk as Interlude, and stands as a classic of the so-called ˜Women's Picture' genre. INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES 2K restorationOriginal mono audioAudio commentary with academic and curator Eloise Ross (2024)Geoff Andrew on ˜When Tomorrow Comes' (2024): the writer and critic assesses the film and places it within the career of director John M StahlThe Mark of Cain (2024): video essay comparing When Tomorrow Comes to Douglas Sirk's 1957 adaptation of the same James M Cain short storyImage gallery: promotional and publicity materialNew and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingLimited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, an archival interview with John M Stahl, a look at author James M Cain's reaction to the film, archival pieces in which actors Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer each profile their co-star, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film creditsUK premiere on Blu-rayLimited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK All extras subject to change

• The Crying Game | DVD | (16/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  An IRA film with a difference, Neil Jordan's The Crying Game takes the Anglo-Irish conflict as the starting point for a thoughtful, often poignant and sometimes humorous examination of gender and identity. Stephen Rea is the IRA volunteer who befriends a kidnapped British soldier (the gauche but likeable Forest Whitaker), then takes the questions of loyalty and instinct (the "frog and scorpion" fable) with him to London, where he falls for the dead man's girlfriend (the appealing Jaye Davidson). Love and terrorism are fused in a violent and suspenseful denouement, where truth manifests itself in an unexpected yet meaningful way. Miranda Richardson and Adrian Dunbar are persuasive as the IRA agents, and there are excellent cameos from Jim Broadbent as an East End barman and Tony Slattery as a property shark, all making the most of Jordan's stylish, Academy Award-winning script. Anne (Art of Noise) Dudley contributes a moodily atmospheric score, with three versions of "When a Man Loves a Woman" to point up the gender issue. On the DVD: The Crying Game comes to disc with a widescreen picture that reproduces adequately for an early 90s film. The soundtrack, though, has real presence. There are subtitles in English and Russian(!), though the theatrical trailer is hardly a major bonus. An interview or a commentary with Jordan, discussing the motivation behind the project, would really have benefited a film which cuts across genres so successfully as this. --Richard Whitehouse

• The Island | DVD | (21/06/2010) from £10.78   |  Saving you £5.21 (32.60%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Ewan McGregor goes on the run after he discovers an awful truth in this dark-edged sci-fi tale.

• The Hundred Year Old Man | Blu Ray | (27/10/2014) from £10.98   |  Saving you £12.01 (109.38%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Based on the internationally best-selling novel by Jonas Jonasson the unlikely story of a 100-year-old man who decides it's not too late to start over. After a long and eventful life Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health and in one day he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works but Allan really isn't interested and decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey.

• Maze | Blu Ray | (22/01/2018) from £3.73   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Based on the true story of the 1983 mass breakout of 38 IRA prisoners from HMP Maze high-security prison in Northern Ireland. As Larry Marley (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), the chief architect of the escape, schemes his way towards pulling off this feat, he comes into contact with prison warder, Gordon Close (Barry Ward). Initially Larry and Gordon are confirmed enemies, born on opposite sides of Northern Ireland's political divide, but when Larry realises that Gordon may be unwittingly useful for his escape plan, a slow seduction begins. Larry intends to use and manipulate Gordon in order to get closer to his goal but what follows is a tense, and intriguing drama in which an unlikely relationship is forged between two enemies that will have far reaching consequences for both of them.

• Michael Caine Collection | DVD | (11/08/2008) from £44.50   |  Saving you £-19.51 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  This Box Set includes: Educating Rita (Dir. Lewis Gilbert) (1983): Rita a hairdresser with a sharp wit is married to Danny and at 26 doesn't want a baby. She wants to discover herself - so she joins the Open University. Dr Frank Bryant is a disillusioned university professor of literature. His marriage has failed his girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend and he can't get through the day without downing a bottle or two of whiskey. He refers to himself as an appalling teacher of appalling students. What Frank needs is a challenge - and along comes Rita. In this hilarious and often moving drama the story tells how two people find a new lease of life through each other. The Fourth Protocol (Dir. John Mackenzie) (1987): On July 1 1968 America Britain and Russia signed a treaty to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. The powers then added four extra clauses. The most secret of them was and remains the final. One winter the Chairman of the KGB hatches a plan to breach this Fourth Protocol and destroy NATO. He sends an agent Major Petrofsky to assemble the operation. It is now up to MI6 agent John Preston who now must race against an unknown deadline to stop him and his devasting mission. The Eagle Has Landed (Dir. John Sturges) (1977): A Nazi Strike Force plots to assassinate Winston Churchill while he is resting in a desolate Norfolk Village. Colonel Radl masterminds the plot which if successful would change the outcome of the war. He enlists the help of Colonel Steiner and Liam Devlin. Disguised as Polish airmen German paratroopers land in England. Radl's plan appear to be going smoothly until an unforeseeable incident exposed the Germans. But the kidnap continues and Steiner Luger in hand approaches the unmistakable figure of Churchill... The Ipcress File (Dir. Sidney J. Furie) (1965): The tense spy thriller by Len Deighton that turned Michael Caine into a superstar. Cynical and rebellious ex-army sergeant Harry Palmer has been blackmailed into working for Britain's security service. Hot on the trail of a kidnapped scientist Palmer finds himself enmeshed in a sinister conspiracy involving horrifying brainwashing techniques murder and treachery that reaches up to the highest levels of the security service itself... Without A Clue (Dir. Thom Eberhardt) (1988): A madcap comedy which takes a fresh look at the classic Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson escapades. Holmes is actually a figment of Dr. Watson's own success in crime detection a character who Watson uses when he writes in `The Strand' magazine. But when the printing plates for five pound notes are stolen Queen Victoria calls for the country's greatest detective.

• A Zed And Two Noughts | DVD | (23/02/2004) from £11.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Identical male twins both lose their wives in a traffic accident. Whilst conducting bizarre photographic experiments in an attempt to understand the process of death they seek solace with the only survivor of the crash...

• The Sandbaggers - Series 1 | DVD | (15/04/2013) from £9.98   |  Saving you £12.00 (150.19%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Both a critical and ratings success on its original ITV transmission The Sandbaggers was lauded in 2003 by the New York Times as being ""The best spy series in TV history"". 'The Sandbaggers' is a nickname for the Special Section of the British Secret Service - a team of special agents who were deployed during the Cold War. Run by the dour single-minded Neil Burnside (Roy Marsden) the 'Sandbaggers' are headed by the brash but conscientious Willie Caine (Ray Lonnen). In

• Traces - Series 2 | DVD | (28/03/2022) from £11.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Based on an original idea by bestselling crime writer Val McDermid. From the producers of Happy Valley Series 1 & 2.Passions run high in an explosive return of this critically acclaimed crime series. Lab assistant Emma Hedges is now training to be a forensic chemist, and on the cusp of seeing her mother's murder case finally resolved. Daniel is to give evidence against his father. Will Emma and Daniel's relationship withstand the pressure? Will justice be served?Meanwhile, professors Sarah Gordon and Kathy Torrance need all the scientific skill they can muster. Human remains wash up at a loch. Professional and personal allegiances become entangled. Homemade devices are going off around Dundee, with critical clues hidden inside the bombs. Will the team track down the bomber before their identity goes up in smoke?Starring: Molly Windsor, Laura Fraser, Jennifer Spence, Michael Nardone and Martin Compston.

• Big Eyes | Blu Ray | (20/04/2015) from £10.75   |  Saving you £14.24 (132.47%)   |  RRP £24.99

  From director Tim Burton, Big Eyes tells the outrageous true story of one of the most epic frauds in history. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, painter Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) had reached success beyond belief, revolutionising the commercialisation of popular art with his enigmatic paintings of waifs with big eyes. The bizarre and shocking truth would eventually be discovered though: Walter's works were actually not created by him at all, but by his wife Margaret (Amy Adams). Big Eyes centres on Margaret's awakening as an artist, the phenomenal success of her paintings, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband, who was catapulted to international fame while taking credit for her work.

• Freefall: Flight 174 | DVD | (23/01/2012) from £6.27   |  Saving you £-1.28 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  23 July 1983. It should have been a routine flight for the brand-new, state-of-the-art Canadian Airways Boeing 767, outward bound from Montreal to Edmonton. Experienced pilot Captain Bob Pearson (William Devane) has misgivings about some malfunctioning computer equipment, but it's the airline that now decides if a plane is airworthy, not the pilot. Pearson has no option - he needs his job - so he takes the plane up, together with co-pilot Maurice Quintal (Scott Hylands), chief engineer Rick Dion (Winston Rekert) and air-hostess Lynn Brown (Shelley Hack).But Pearson's fears are not misplaced. At 41,000 feet, the warning lights start to flash. Only then does Pearson realise to his horror that his plane is virtually out of fuel. So starts a full-scale emergency with the lives of Pearson's passengers and crew hanging in the balance. With no engine power and nowhere to land, and with a storm threatening, the Boeing fast becomes a 300,000-pound glider plummeting towards earth. Air traffic controller Al Williams (Nicholas Turturro) does what he can to help the plane to safety, but passengers and crew must now look to one man to challenge the odds against survival and turn an almost certain disaster into the unlikeliest of triumphs: Bob Pearson. With time running out, all they can do is pray he can come up with some pretty fancy flying and achieve the impossible.