War

• Trail Of The Lonesome Pine | DVD | (30/03/2009) from £8.08   |  Saving you £7.91 (49.50%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The surging drama of love in the Kentucky hills springs to thrilling life as the first outdoor action romance filmed in colour!' Set in the mountains of Kentucky at the turn of the twentieth century this enthralling drama based on the classic novel of the same name by John Fox Jr. stars the Oscar winning Henry Fonda (Once Upon A Time In The West The Grapes Of Wrath) alongside Sylvia Sidney (Sabotage Fury) and Fred MacMurray (Double Indemnity The Apartment). A feud the origins of which can barely be remembered has been boiling for decades between two sheltered mountain families; the Tollivers and the Falins. With plans to build a railroad through both families' land and mine the coal deposits beneath it enterprising outsider Jack Hale (MacMurray) inadvertently becomes entangled in the region's politics. He soon captures the attention of the beautiful June Tolliver (Sidney) and quickly becomes involved in a love triangle with her and her cousin Dave (Fonda). Nominated for an Oscar in 1937 and winner of a special recommendation at the 1936 Venice Film Festival The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine directed by Henry Hathaway (The Sons Of Katie Elder Souls At Sea) was the first feature film shot outside of a studio in three-strip Technicolor and is available for the first time in the UK in this digitally re-mastered form.

• Law & Order - The First Seasons (L&O, L&O SVU, L&O CI) | DVD | (13/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £44.99

  Law & OrderFrom its gritty documentary look to its signature note-knocking "tching-tching" that signals scene changes, Law & Order was a groundbreaking cop show when it debuted in 1990. It has since earned Emmys for Best Dramatic Series and spun off satellite franchises, and reruns of the original series are as omnipresent in syndication as those of I Love Lucy. Law & Order is television's most resilient series. It has survived wholesale changes to its ensemble. One of the secrets of the show's durability: its compelling structure. The first half of each hour-long episode is classic police procedural in which "Law," personified in the first season by partners Greevey (George Dzundza--and be sure to catch the interview segment with series creator Dick Wolfe to learn how to pronounce his name) and Mike Logan (Christopher Noth, the future "Mr. Big" on Sex and the City) investigate a crime and make an arrest. The second half chronicles the ensuing trial, as prosecuted by assistant district attorneys Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks) under the supervision of Steven Hill's Adam Schiff (more feisty and animated here than in later seasons). Law & Order is also distinguished by its superb writing. Several episodes take their inspiration from the headlines, including "By Hooker, By Crook" about a socialite-run call-girl ring, and "Indifference," which recalls the tragic Lisa Steinberg child abuse case. Others deal with such hot-button issues as abortion ("Life Choice") and AIDS ("The Reaper's Helper"). Another plus is the talent pool of character actors who lend their verisimilitude. Guest stars include Samuel L. Jackson and Philip Seymour Hoffman ("The Violence of Summer"), The West Wing's John Spencer ("Prescription for Death"), Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon ("Subterranean Homeboy Blues"), and The Sopranos' Dominic Chianese ("Sonata for Stolen Organ"). --Donald LiebensonLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit Originally called Sex Crimes, executive producer Dick Wolf wisely opted for something less lurid when the second in the inexhaustible Law & Order franchise hit the air in 1999. Still, as the opening voiceover makes clear, the "sexually based offenses" investigated by New York's Special Victims Unit can be "especially heinous." Wolf penned series premier "Payback," which sets the scene, but not the tone. It's a lively, if uneasy mix between horror (rape) and comedy (risqué banter). As the show progressed, humour would be written out altogether (leaving Richard Belzer's Homicide-derived John Munch with increasingly less to do). Less emphasis would also be placed on the home lives of this "elite squad of dedicated detectives." Mostly, "Payback" introduces us to the unit, centering around partners Olivia Benton (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). For two people with so little in common, they make a terrific team--arguably one of TV's best. Stabler is married with four children; Benton is single and her closest relationship is with her mother (Elizabeth Ashley). While Stabler can get a little rough with suspects, Benton tends to over-empathize with the victims. They report to the no-nonsense Captain Cragen (Law & Order vet Dann Florek). Like the parent program's Lenny Briscoe, he's a recovering alcoholic. Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd round out the rock-solid cast. As it would continue to do in successive years, SVU's first season proved that network TV could explore sex crimes without being salacious or exploitative. "Uncivilised," for instance, concerns a child murder that is automatically pinned on a local sex offender, when the actual perpetrator isn't quite so obvious. "Disrobed," in which Brian Cassidy (Winters) leaves the department and Benson (with whom he had a brief affair) shoots a suspect is another standout in a strong year. SVU features several guest appearances from Jerry Orbach (Briscoe) and Angie Harmon (Abbie Carmichael) from the original Law & Order. --Kathleen C. FennessyLaw & Order: Criminal Intent Dick Wolf (Law & Order) has claimed that Arthur Conan Doyle inspired him to create Criminal Intent. Indeed, the brilliant--if socially awkward--Robert "Bobby" Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and cool-headed partner Alexandra "Alex" Eames (Kathryn Erbe) do come across like a modern day Holmes and Watson. Rather than England, however, they're members of New York's major case squad. (Trivia buffs may find it of interest that D'Onofrio played Holmes's arch-nemesis Moriarty in the 2002 made-for-cable movie Case of Evil.) The show, which premiered in 2001, added "criminal" to the successful "law" and "order" equation. Each episode moves back and forth between the efforts of Goren and Eames to track down "the worst criminal offenders" and the efforts of the offenders to evade capture. The detectives report to plainspoken Captain Deakins (Jamey Sheridan) and work closely with urbane ADA Carter (Courtney B. Vance). Criminal Intent could hardly be mistaken for a comedy, but it can be lighter on its feet than Law & Order and Special Victims Unit--even if the crimes are just as grim. The fun comes from watching Goren and Eames do whatever it takes to catch the perps. As long as it's legal--they'll do it. Highlights of the first season include "Jones" with Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London) as a philandering lawyer, "Badge" with Viola Davis (Solaris) as a corrupt ex-cop, and "Phantom" with Michael Emerson (The Practice) as a desperate family man. The last is based on the same real-life case that inspired the critically acclaimed French film Time Out (in the movie and teleplay, the protagonist pretends to work for the UN; in reality, Jean-Claude Romand pretended to be a doctor). Other cases, also often suggested by actual events, concern burglary, forgery, and money laundering--although murder is always mixed up in there somewhere. Featuring guest appearance from Law & Order detectives Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) in "Poison" and Lieutenant Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) in "Badge." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

• Wuthering Heights/Romeo And Juliet | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £8.08   |  Saving you £-0.09 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Wuthering Heights: Emily Bronte's timeless tale of love and passion comes alive in this stirring film version starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes. Show on location in Yorkshire this is the first screen adaptation to present Bronte's complete story of two generations of the Earnshaw and Linton families as their lives and fortunes intertwine in a complex web dominated by the passionate relationship between doomed lovers Heathcliff and Cathy. Fiennes gives a dynamic performance as Heathcliff and Binoche dazzles in the dual roles of Cathy Earnshaw and Catherine Linton in a movie that captures all the powers of the classic novel. Romeo And Juliet: Italian director Franco Zaffirelli stunned the screen world when he cast two young unknowns to portray the star-crossed lovers in Romeo and Juliet but it was a gamble that resulted in one of the most popular motion pictures of all time winning international acclaim and four Academy Award nominations. Shakespeare's classic romance comes to stunning visual life in a refreshingly modern interpretation bringing new vitality and insight to the most enduring love story ever written.

• The Night They Raided Minsky's | DVD | (20/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Sometimes Being A Nice Girl Is Too Much To Bare! Britt Ekland portrays Rachel a beautiful young Amish woman who leaves her Pennsylvania home and comes to New York City in hopes of becoming a dancer and ends up doing something quite different: inventing the striptease! Jason Robards gives a wonderful performance as Raymond Paine the somewhat sleazy star of Minsky's burlesque show who takes on interest in Rachel's many charms. But his admiration is challenged by Chick Williams (Norman Wisdom) Raymond's comedy partner for the past ten years. And when Rachel's dress is torn accidentally she plays it up and finds herself the object of even more affection - from the very appreciative audience! The leader of an anti-vice group has everyone arrested but not before Rachel becomes the toast of the town in this hilarious - and scandalous - hit!

• Attack Force Z | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £12.45   |  Saving you £-2.46 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Mel Gibson co-stars with Sam Neill in this action-packed World War II adventure story. An elite Australian military team is dispatched to rescue survivors of a shot-down plane stranded on a South Pacific island occupied by the Japanese. One of the castaways may hold the secret to ending the war and must be saved at all costs...

• Jack Nicholson Collection | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  ChinaTown: A landmark movie in the film noir tradition Roman Polanski's Chinatown stands as a true screen classic. Jack Nicholson is private eye Jake Gittes living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one unforgettable night in ... Chinatown. The Two Jakes: Jack Nicholson returns as private eye Jake Gittes in this atmospheric 'Chinatown' follow-up that's hit upon the elusive sequel formula for somehow enhancing a great original. Much has changed since we last saw Jake. The war has come and gone 1948 Los Angeles teems with optimism and fast bucks. But there's one thing Jake knows hasn't changed: Nine times out of ten if you follow the money you will get to the truth. And that's the trail he follows when a routine case of marital hanky panky explodes into a murder that's tied to a grab for oil - and to Jake's own past. Terms of Endearment: This Oscar-winning film is both eccentrically funny and an old-fashioned tearjerker. The story centers around the volatile relationship between a mother and daughter spanning 30 years. The various permutations of their lives are examined including the daughter's bout with terminal cancer. Heartburn: Heartburn is an autobiographical tale based on the marriage of high-flying journalists Carl Bernstein (who helped uncover the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post) and Nora Ephron. When the two meet at a friends wedding they fall in love and subsequently marry. Living in different cities the relationship begins to unravel as the pair slowly drift apart and infidelities eventually wreck the marriage. Focusing on social events like weddings parties and birthdays the film expertly brings to life the cynical and often destructive world of a group of thirty something's living out their lives through their relationships with their families and each other. Intriguing performances from Nicholson and Streep depict a relationship that neither has any real control over. These interactions between the two central characters and their circle of friends are brilliantly real allowing the audience to establish an affinity with the lives of the protagonists. Further enhanced by a script that casts a wickedly sharp and witty observation on life the film offers a snapshot of reality that is totally absorbing.

• The Next Avengers | DVD | (13/10/2008) from £11.64   |  Saving you £2.35 (20.19%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Whenever the forces of evil threatened mankind the Avengers were always earth's unstoppable heroes - until they fell to the malevolent robot Ultron and all hope seemed lost. But kept secret by Tony Stark (Iron Man) the world's future lay in the hands of four amazing teenagers. James (Son of Captain America and Black Widow) Torunn (Daughter of Thor) Azari (Son of the Black Panther) and Pym (Son of Wasp and Giant Man) must now fight a battle that even their super parents could not win. The odds are stacked against them but joined by the arrow-slinging son of Hawkeye they just might have a chance if they can find the missing Hulk and come together as the heroes of tomorrow to defeat Ultron and become...the Next Avengers!

• Love And Honor | DVD | (22/06/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  An award winning masterpiece of sacrifice and devotion Love and Honour weaves a timeless tale set in the waning days of feudal Japan. Directed by Academy Award'' nominee Yoji Yamada (The Twilight Samurai) and starring Takuya Kimura (2046) Love and Honour depicts the emotional intensity of an age when respect was more valuable than riches and love cut more truly than any sword. Shinnojo Mimura is a samurai sharing a hand to mouth existence with his beautiful wife Kayo. Frustrated by his lowly status within the castle ranks Shinnojo dreams of better days instructing children in the way of the sword. But destiny it would seem has other plans... A freak accident takes the warrior's sight leaving Shinnojo cursed. Losing his status and pride his hopes and dreams and even himself to this life of eternal darkness only one path lies open for Shinnojo: That of the true and noble samurai. Love and Honour - Tale of the fallen samurai..

• The Day Will Dawn | DVD | (08/02/2010) from £7.58   |  Saving you £5.41 (71.37%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This exciting British wartime film celebrates the heroism of the Norwegian resistance movement in fighting the Nazi invaders. With a distinguished cast including Ralph Richardson, Hugh Williams and Deborah Kerr, and a script by Terence Rattigan, this is the story of a British foreign correspondent sent to report on U-Boat attacks against Norwegian shipping.

• The Horses Mouth | DVD | (20/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In Ronald Neame's film of Joyce Cary's classic novel Alec Guinness transforms himself into one of cinema's most indelible comic figures: the somewhat vulgar but dedicated painter in search of his artistic vision Gulley Jimson. As the ill-behaved Jimson searches for a perfect canvas he determines to let nothing come between himself and the realization of his exalted vision. A perceptive examination of the struggle of artistic creation The Horse's Mouth is also Neame's comic masterpiece.

• All Quiet on the Western Front (Limited Edition Blu-ray Digibook) | Blu Ray | (13/02/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  This 1930 film, No 54 on the AFI's Top 100 list, still holds up as a surprisingly forceful and honest antiwar drama. Indeed, the modern sensibility is almost as startling as the sometime stagy acting of Lew Ayres, which can be excused by the fact that, three years after the introduction of sound, actors were still applying stage techniques to talking pictures. Ayres plays a German college student during World War I, who is brainwashed into enlisting in the Army (along with the rest of his class) by a zealously inspirational college professor. Once in uniform and on the front lines, however, he quickly discovers that the glory of the Fatherland is of little concern to a soldier dodging bullets and explosions, whose comrades are dying in his arms. As powerful in its way as Platoon almost 60 years later, All Quiet on the Western Front remains a classic tale of young soldiers' confrontations with the possibility of imminent and arbitrary death. Director Lewis Milestone shows a surprising range of techniques in this film from the formative years of moviemaking with sound. --Marshall Fine

• Excessive Force (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk) | DVD | (23/07/2007) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-0.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Excessive Force

• Things Happen At Night | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £5.98   |  Saving you £9.00 (225.56%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Adapted from a classic West End farce Things Happen at Night features a classic cast of British comedy stars trying to banish a mischievous poltergeist spirit from a stately home. Wilfred Prescott (Alfred Drayton) enlists the help of an eccentric psychic researcher (Garry Marsh) to purge the spirit from his possessed daughter so that she can marry the son of wealthy businessman Vincent Ebury (Robertson Hare). When a shifty cockney insurance salesman (Gordon Harker) visits the house the spirit erupts into a frenzy of poltergeist activity leaving a trail of comic encounters in its wake.

• The Memory Keeper's Daughter | DVD | (01/12/2008) from £4.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (300.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The birth of a child should be the happiest moment in a couple's life. But when a doctor's wife has twins one of whom has Down syndrome this physician makes the difficult decision to send one of his babies away. An attending nurse discovers his plan and intervenes putting into motion events that will haunt the doc his wife and his son for the next 20 years. This Emmy-nominated movie an all-star cast including Dermot Mulroney (The Wedding Date) Gretchen Mol (3:10 to Yuma) and two-time Oscar nominee Emily Watson (Angela's Ashes). Based on The New York Times best-selling novel Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

• Rent | Blu Ray | (11/02/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Award winning musical about Bohemian life, love and AIDS in New York comes to the screen.

• Battle for Afghanistan | DVD | (07/02/2022) from £5.32   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  1988-1989. The end of the Soviet-Afghan war. The USSR begins its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Soviet General Vasiliev's son - a pilot named Alexander gets kidnapped by the Mujahideen after his airplane crashes. As a result the 108th motorized infantry division's long awaited return home gets put on hold for one last mission: bring the General's son back.Based on true events the previously untold story of the courageous and tragic withdrawal campaign (through the Salang pass) reveals the danger, the horror and the complexity of human nature during wartime.

• The Shawshank Redemption | UMD | (05/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

• World War II Classics 2 - We Dive At Dawn / Reach For The Sky | DVD | (12/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Two examples of British Second World War films, We Dive at Dawn (1943) and Reach for the Sky (1956), are here stylishly packaged as a World War II Classics pack. We Dive at Dawn tells of the encounter between a British submarine and a German warship in the Baltic Sea. John Mills gives a dependable performance as the submarine commander, with Eric Portman the pick of a strong supporting cast. Director Anthony Asquith finds the balance between action sequences and "in situ" dialogue, and there's an evocative score from Louis Levy. The movie was an underrated film that deserves reappraisal, whereas Reach for the Sky (1956) was a box-office hit and remains a fondly regarded classic. Kenneth More is ideally cast as Douglas Bader, the gifted pilot who loses both legs in a pre-war air crash, only to play a major role in the Battle of Britain, rise to the rank of Group Captain and become a war hero. Based on Paul Brickhill's biography, this is an "official" history maybe, but Lewis Gilbert's screenplay and direction are historically accurate and informed by that very British humour of which More was a natural. The film is graced by a decent supporting cast, and a typically "widescreen" score from John Addison. On the DVD: The black and white prints look and sound excellent. Whereas We Dive at Dawn has 4:3 video aspect ratio, 15 chapter points and no subtitles, the later Reach for the Sky has vivid 16:9 anamorphic reproduction, 20 chapter points, subtitles and detailed biographies of More, Gilbert and Barder. The original theatrical trailer is included, but it would also have made sense to include an interview or documentary footage of Bader himself. Even so, this is an excellent starting-point for investigating a key area of British cinema.--Richard Whitehouse

• Thief | DVD | (29/06/2009) from £5.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (166.95%)   |  RRP £15.99

  James Caan stars as Frank a professional thief specialising in high profile jewel jobs. Desperate for one last glorious high paying job so that he can settle down for good with his girlfriend Frank gets involved with vicious gangland bosses. But his final job turns into a nightmare when he finds that getting away from the mob is harder than he thought...

• Gray Lady Down | DVD | (27/10/2008) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-12.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  After the sinking of the USS Neptune a nuclear submarine off the coast of Connecticut the US Navy must attempt a dangerous mission to save the lives of the crew onboard.