Drama

• Sissi Trilogie - Purpurrot-Edition | DVD | (13/10/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Daliland | DVD | (13/11/2023) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  From the Director of 'American Psycho', Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley stars as the great surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. In 1970s New York, Dali enjoys the latter stage of his career with a lifestyle filled with luxury and extravagant parties. Surrounded by his own decadence, and his band of eccentric followers (Rupert Graves, Suki Waterhouse, Andreja Pejic) who worship his charismatic persona, he is content with avoiding a fast-approaching art show and the demands of his formidable wife, Gala (Barbara Sukowa). The story is told through the eyes of James Linton (Christopher Briney), a young gallery assistant, keen to make his name in the art world. After quickly becoming enraptured by the provocative world of Dali, the façade begins to fade when he uncovers that behind the glitz and glamour lies a fragile genius, haunted by the past and unprepared for the changing tide of the world around him.

• Breaking Bad - Season 2 | DVD | (26/07/2010) from £5.97   |  Saving you £19.02 (318.59%)   |  RRP £24.99

  As Breaking Bad's first year concluded, chemistry teacher Walt (two-time Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston) and his meth-making partner, Jesse (Emmy-nominee Aaron Paul), hooked up with drug kingpin Tuco (Raymond Cruz), and the money started to roll in. They expected some degree of danger--but not a homicidal maniac. When DEA agent Hank (Dean Norris) starts to close in on Tuco, he kidnaps the duo, who eventually escape, but the experience creates a host of new complications, leaving Jesse temporarily homeless and driving a wedge between Walt and his pregnant wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn), and their 15-year-old son, Walt Jr. (R. J. Mitte). In his commentary, creator Vince Gilligan explains that the "chickens come home to roost" in season 2 as Walt's criminal activity catches up with him. In effect, he lives out the psychological version of The Fly, with his double life merging into one, such that he starts to become as ruthless as Tuco. Hank, meanwhile, gets a promotion that expands his jurisdiction to El Paso, while Skyler takes an accounting job that could cause her to "break bad" in season 3. If this AMC hit lacked a sense of humor, it just might be too hard to take. Aside from Walt's incurable illness and Hank's post-traumatic stress disorder, there's a head crushing, a shooting, an explosion, and an overdose. Though Walt and Skyler get few humorous moments, Jesse, Hank, and ambulance-chasing attorney Saul (Mr. Show's Bob Odenkirk, an inspired addition) make the most of theirs. Jesse even gets a girlfriend (Krysten Ritter), who comes with a wary father (John de Lancie)--but there's still more shadow than light (not counting those panoramic desert shots). Strong stuff, but it's impossible to look away. Extensive extras include commentaries, deleted scenes, and featurettes on every episode. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

• E.R. - Series 11 - Complete | DVD | (21/04/2008) from £7.90   |  Saving you £37.09 (469.49%)   |  RRP £44.99

  Every episode from the eleventh season of the classic medical drama.

• The End Of The Affair | DVD | (21/08/2000) from £7.98   |  Saving you £-1.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  THE END OF THE AFFAIR is a brilliant and powerful story of love, betrayal and sexual jealousy.

• The Nostril Picker - Uncut Version! | DVD | (18/09/2000) from £6.98   |  Saving you £-0.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  He chose his weapons. He selected his victims. He picked his nose. He changed into a girl. All in one absolutely disgusting movie! Ugly Joe's frustration at not being able to pick up girls attracts the curiosity of an old crackpot who teaches him a chant which changes him into a girl and back at will. But Joe plans to use the ritual to satisfy his lust for killing women...

• The Beach | DVD | (04/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Not quite ready to surrender himself to responsibility or mainstream society, a young American travels to Asia and discovers he is not alone in his feelings

• Diary of a Teenage Girl | DVD | (11/01/2016) from £6.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (185.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Recording all her secrets in 'The Diary Of A Teenage Girl', Minnie is an aspiring cartoonist living with her mother, and nursing a crush on her mum's boyfriend. Growing up in San Francisco in 1976, Minnie's sexual awakening begins as the hippie movement fades and punk rock is on the rise. Yearning to be loved and treated like a grown-up, her rebellious teenage nature clashes with the newfound demands and responsibilities of adulthood. The winner of the Best International Feature award at the Edinburgh Film Festival, 'The Diary Of A Teenage Girl' stars Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgard.

• Grave Of The Fireflies | DVD | (23/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In the aftermath of World War II bombing two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year old sister the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation hunger and grief these children's lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring. 'Grave Of The Fireflies' is a tale of the true tragedy of war and innocence lost not only of the abandoned young but of an entire nation. Isao Takahata's rightly revered and thought-provoking anime was winner of a special award at the 1989 Blue Ribbon awards and the Adult's Jury award at the 1994 Chicago International Children's Film Festival.

• His Butler's Sister | DVD | (03/05/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A girl visits New York to try and make it as a dancer.

• True Crime | DVD | (28/01/2002) from £8.18   |  Saving you £1.81 (22.13%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Once in a while, studio heads actually make sensible decisions. Kudos to whoever at Trimark screened the embarrassing True Crime, an overwrought, under thought, "mystery" and decided, "You know, we really don't need to let the American public see this," and immediately sent it straight to video. Probably the one most pleased by the decision was Alicia Silverstone, who didn't need this type of thing getting a theatrical distribution and hurting her blossoming career. As for Kevin Dillon? Well, he was probably happy just to get paid. Silverstone plays the teen Nancy-Drew-meets-Encyclopedia-Brown protagonist who teams up with fresh-faced police cadet Dillon to try to bag a serial killer who's been butchering teenage girls at travelling carnivals in various cities. Writer-director Pat Verducci packs his thriller with implausible detective work and numerous plot twists, all visible 20 minutes away. The "shock" ending can pretty much be worked out within the first act, leaving viewers another hour to watch Verducci concoct several amateur dream sequences, and explore a disgusting sexual relationship between Silverstone and Dillon. By the end, the question isn't so much "Whodunit?" as "Who cares?" --Dave McCoy, Amazon.com

• Out of The Ashes | DVD | (14/02/2011) from £6.25   |  Saving you £9.74 (60.90%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Against a backdrop of war and poverty Out Of The Ashes traces the extraordinary journey of a team of young Afghan men as they chase a seemingly impossible dream shedding new light on a nation beyond that of burqas bombs drugs and devastation.

• The Cider House Rules | DVD | (02/05/2011) from £6.31   |  Saving you £13.68 (216.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Honored with two Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine and Best Adapted Screenplay for John Irving - The Cider House Rules tells a compelling and heartwarming story about how far a young man must travel to find the place where he truly belongs. Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) has lived nearly his entire life within the walls of St. Cloud's Orphanage in rural Maine. Though groomed by its proprietor Dr. Larch (Caine) to be his successor Homer nonetheless feels the need to strike out on his own and experience the world outside. Then while working at an apple orchard Homer falls for the beautiful Candy (Charlize Theron) and learns some powerfully indelible lessons about life love and home! Based on John Irving's best-selling American classic and featuring a sensational all-star cast including Delroy Lindo and newcomer Erykah Badu this entertaining motion picture earned raves from critics and moviegoers everywhere!

• Agatha Christie DVD Collection | DVD | (24/06/2002) from £24.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (60.02%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The four films in this Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Collection demonstrate exactly why Christie's reassuringly formulaic whodunits have been extraordinarily resilient source material. In each we find a corpse (or several), an assorted group of suspects gathered in a self-contained location, all with a motive to commit murder, and the coincidental presence of the totem detective (Poirot or Miss Marple). Between 1974 and 1981, producers John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin mined the Christie seam for some of its ripest riches. Murder on the Orient Express (1974), directed by Sidney Lumet, features a cavalcade of stars including Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud and Sean Connery; while Christie herself gave Albert Finney's Poirot her blessing. The Art Deco setting exudes glamour; the plot is preposterously diverting; the lighting, silvery and washed-out, giving the suspects an appropriately grim and ghoulish air. With a superior Anthony Shaffer screenplay Death on the Nile (1978) saw Peter Ustinov taking over as Poirot. The backdrop of ancient Egyptian monuments helps bring this adaptation a touch of class, complemented by composer Nino Rota's epic theme tune. The Mirror Crack'd (1980) features Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak as rival Hollywood legends descending on a quaint English village to make a film, with Rock Hudson as Taylor's husband and Angela Lansbury as a rather unconvincingly robust Miss Marple. Shaffer returned to the fray, adapting Evil Under the Sun (1981) and moving Poirot from the Cornish Riviera to an island off the coast of Albania. Ustinov reprises his role and Maggie Smith returns, camper than ever, as the hotel owner inconvenienced by murder. On the DVD: It's a pity that the sound quality hasn't been sharpened up, though: Murder on the Orient Express sometimes evokes memories of the muffled incoherence of an old fleapit. Apart from trailers, extras are few and far between. There are no cast lists or filmographies. But Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun both feature interesting short promotional "'making of"' documentaries in 4:3 format. --Piers Ford

• Scarface/Carlito's Way/Sea of Love/Scent of a Woman | DVD | (28/07/2008) from £12.97   |  Saving you £27.02 (67.60%)   |  RRP £39.99

  This Al Pacino Box Set features the following films: Scarface: Al Pacino gives an unforgettable performance as Tony Montana one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film in this gripping crime epic inspired by the 1932 classic of the same title. Scarface follows the violent career of a small-time Cuban refugee hoodlum who guns his way to the top of Miami's cocaine empire... Carlito's Way: Al Pacino is an ex-druglord fighting to escape his violent treacherous past in his crime-action tour de force from acclaimed director Brian DePalma. Sprung from prison on a legal technicality by his cocaine-addled attorney (Sean Penn) former drug kingpin Carlito Brigante (Pacino) stuns the local underworld when he vows to go straight. Taking a job managing a glitzy low-life nightclub he tracks down his onetime girlfriend (Penelope Ann Miller) and rekindles their romance promising he's changed for good. But Carlito's dream of going legitimate is undermined at every turn by murderous former cronies and even deadlier young thugs out to make a name for themselves. Ultimately however his most dangerous enemy is himself. Despite good intentions Carlito's misguided loyalties and an outmoded code of honour will plunge him into a savage life-or-death battle against the relentless forces that refuse to let him go. Sea of Love: Two detectives one from New York the other from Long Island join forces to track down a bizarre serial killer. Convinced of a beautiful suspect's innocence the New York detective starts an affair with her despite hard evidence linking her to the murders. Scent of a Woman: Al Pacino won his first Best Actor Oscar for his brilliant portrayal of an overbearing blind retired Lieutenant Colonel who hires a young guardian (Chris O'Donnell) to assist him. It's a heart-wrenching and heartwarming tale of opposites attracting when they embark on a wild weekend trip that will change the lives of both men forever. Two for the Money: Academy Award winner Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey star in this adrenaline-charged thriller about the sexy high-stakes world of sports betting where fortunes can be made and lost with a flip of a coin. When Brandon Lang (McConaughey) becomes the prot''g'' of sports gambling's power player Walter Abrams (Pacino) he swiftly becomes the golden boy of the high-rolling world for consistently picking football winners. Now with millions on the line he finds himself in a deadly game of con-versus-con with his new mentor. And Justice for All: In a criminal justice system where criminals go free lawyers and judges make deals as a matter of routine and the innocent sometimes go unprotected young lawyer Arthur Kirkland begins to wonder where the justice has gone. Arthur (Al Pacino in a brilliant Oscar-nominated role is an honest idealistic lawyer who is suddenly under pressure to defend a distinguished judge (John Forsythe) accused of raping and battering a young girl - and whom Arthur knows is guilty. Jack Warden co-stars as an eccentric cheerfully suicidal judge who thinks Arthur should play the game. When it comes down to the trial Arthur must choose between the security of his career and his personal integrity. The final explosive courtroom scene is unforgettable!

• The Karate Kid - 1, 2 & 3 - 4K UHD Collection | Blu Ray | (06/12/2021) from £29.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Karate Kid There is more to karate than fighting. This is the lesson that Daniel (Macchio), a San Fernando Valley teenager, is about to learn from a most unexpected teacher: Mr. Miyagi (Morita), an elderly handman who also happens to be a master of martial arts. When he rescues Daniel from the Cobra Kai, a vicious gang of karate school bullies, Miyagi instils in his young friend the importance of honour and confidence as well as skills in self-defense, vital lessons that will be called into play when a hopelessly outclassed Daniel faces Johnny, the sadistic leader of the Cobra Kai, in a no-holds-barred karate tournament for the championship of the valley. Karate Kid II Returning with Daniel (Ralph Macchio) to his Okinawa home for the first time in 45 years, Miyagi (Noriyuki Pat Morita) encounters Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), the woman he left behind when he immigrated to America. And just as Daniel falls in love with her teenage niece, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), two enemies arise to challenge both couples' happiness: Sato (Danny Kamekona), the man whom Yukie was once supposed to marry, and Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), his vicious nephew who's taken an instant dislike to Daniel. And now, to satisfy their family honour, they've challenged Miyagi and Daniel each to a duel, karate matches so brutal, that only the winners shall survive. Karate Kid III Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki Pat Morita return with more invaluable lessons about life, honour and friendship in THE KARATE KID PART III, directed by Oscar®-winner John G. Avildsen (Best Directing, Rocky 1976). John Kreese (Martin Kove) is back and more dangerous than ever! Blaming Daniel (Macchio) and Miyagi (Morita) for the loss of his karate school, the revenge-obsessed sensei asks evil martial arts master Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) to help him win back the All Valley Championship and avenge his honour. So when Miyagi wisely refuses to help him defend a plastic trophy, Daniel unwisely decides to train with Terry instead, unaware he's being set up for a terrible fall.

• In The Valley Of Elah | DVD | (26/05/2008) from £4.90   |  Saving you £15.09 (307.96%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A war veteran searches for his son when he mysteriously vanishes after returning from Iraq and uncovers a truth that shakes his beliefs to the core.

• Footloose (1984) | Blu Ray | (03/10/2011) from £8.95   |  Saving you £11.04 (123.35%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Director Herbert Ross (The Turning Point) pulled a winning movie out of this almost self-consciously archetypal tale of teenage rock rebellion. Kevin Bacon stars as a hip city kid who ends up in a Bible-belt town after his parents divorce. An ill fit for a conservative community where rock is frowned upon and dancing is forbidden, Bacon's character rallies the kids and takes on the establishment. Between a good cast really embracing the drama of Dean Pitchford's screenplay, and Ross's imaginative, highly charged way of shooting the dance numbers, you can get lost in this all-ages confection, and you won't even mind Kenny Loggins's bubbly pop. Bonuses include one of John Lithgow's best performances (a bit reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart) and Christopher Penn (who sure doesn't look the same anymore) as a good-natured hick who learns to boogie. --Tom Keogh

• The Pornographer | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £11.69   |  Saving you £8.30 (71.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An art house movie that asks questions about the morality of art both on and off screen, The Pornographer is a hard-hitting yet strangely unmoving film. Very much a product of the French school of intellectual cinema, the filmmaker of the title is Jacques Laurent (played by Jean Pierre Leaud), a one-time director of adult films who, finding himself down on his luck, is forced to return to his old medium. Far from being a gaudy Boogie Nights style exposé of an unknown world, the film focuses on Laurent's inner turmoil and his rapidly disintegrating relationship with his wife, as well as his restored one with his son Joseph (Jeremie Renier). Director Betrend Bonello handles this material well, if overdoing the art house clichés a little, but the problem with the film (or for some its strong point) comes with the fairly hardcore sex scenes, presented as part of Laurent's movie. While intended to reflect the emptiness of the character's soul, it is hard to see past them as just an attention-grabbing device. Then again, can a film about pornography legitimately not feature sex? One suspects that this debate will run and run and, in its way, The Pornographer has much to say on the subject. On the DVD: The Pornographer's intended release fell foul of the BBFC, who objected to one particularly explicit scene, a continuing argument that provides much of the material for the DVD's extra features. There is a reproduction of the BFFC ruling, a statement in reply from Bonello (which demonstrate the similarities he shares with his fictional counterpart, certainly when it comes to a vision of erotica) and an excellent essay from critic Pierre Perrene. In addition there are biographies, the cinematic trailer and an option to view the film with or without English subtitles. Whatever the moral questions involved, Bonello's film is a visual treat and his stylish eye is well represented by this format. --Phil Udell

• The Belstone Fox | DVD | (28/08/2017) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Combining exquisite imagery of both landscape and wildlife and with fine performances from a top-line cast including Eric Porter, Jeremy Kemp, Oscar nominee Rachel Roberts and Bill Travers The Belstone Fox is a captivating film for the whole family. Written and directed by Born Free's James Hill and with original music from the legendary Laurie Johnson it is featured in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Based on David Rook's acclaimed novel The Ballad of the Belstone Fox (which went on to inspire Disney's The Fox and the Hound) it tells the story of Tag, an orphaned fox cub reared with a litter of foxhound puppies and who forms a close friendship with a pup named Merlin. Years pass and Tag's wily ways keep him safe but when he is eventually cornered he embarks on a course of action which could end in tragedy... SPECIAL FEATURES: Original theatrical trailer Textless material Image gallery