"Actor: Alun Armstrong"

• Possum | DVD | (04/03/2019) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  NOTICE: Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk DOES NOT have English audio and subtitles.

• New Tricks: Complete BBC Series 10 | DVD | (14/10/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  New Tricks returns for its tenth series and it’s all change at UCOS. The Met’s finest retired cops go further than ever before to ensure there is no such thing as a case too cold! The team travel to Gibraltar for a two-part story that takes them back to the Falkland’s Conflict of the eighties. Brian Lane’s past catches up with him and Sandra Pullman considers her next move after running the team for ten years. As well as starring Amanda Redman and Alun Armstrong series ten sees Nicholas Lyndhurst join the team as Dan Griffin to work alongside Dennis Waterman and Denis Lawson. Tamzin Outhwaite joins as DCI Sasha Miller – only the second boss the team has ever known. Will things run smoothly with a new hand on the helm or will the boys ensure that things get done their way? The Unsolved Crime and Open Case squad is as busy as ever with its remit to re-investigate crimes that were never conclusively closed – and to put them to rest. The team may have changed but some things never do – a real hunger for the job and for justice as well as a lack of respect for authority. Solving cases has never been such fun.

• New Tricks - Series 2 | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Amanda Redman Dennis Waterman James Bolam and Alun Armstrong star as an unlikely team of crack detectives in this the complete second series of New Tricks.

• New Tricks : Complete BBC Series 6 | DVD | (11/10/2010) from £9.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (150.15%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The sixth series of the hit detective crime show.

• The Duellists | DVD | (24/03/2003) from £12.87   |  Saving you £3.12 (24.24%)   |  RRP £15.99

  One of the great directorial debuts, Ridley Scott's The Duellists is an extraordinary achievement which weaves an epic-in-miniature set around the edges of the Napoleonic Wars. Based on a story by Joseph Conrad, in turn inspired by real events and filmed in part where those events took place, this is the tale of a 15-year conflict between two French army officers: the level-headed Armand D'Hubert (Keith Carradine) and the obsessive Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel). Each time they meet they duel, until the original purpose of the conflict is all but lost. Beyond the two American stars, who fill their roles with rare commitment--accents not withstanding--Scott assembled a stellar cast: Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Pete Postlethwaite, Diana Quick, Cristina Raines, Robert Stephens, Tom Conti, John McEnery, Maurice Colbourne and Jenny Runacre. The production values are astonishing and the film revels in the exquisite painterly visuals which have become a Scott trademark. Howard Blake's elegiac theme adds immeasurably to the impact of a film influenced by Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1974), and anticipating Scott's own Best Picture Oscar-winning Gladiator (2000). A haunting work of spectral beauty, it is also a worthy companion to Scott's shamefully neglected 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992). On the DVD: The Duellists is transferred at 1.77:1 with full sound atmospherically remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1. A new 29-minute documentary finds Scott discussing The Duellists with Kevin (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) Reynolds, which is particularly enlightening given the relative merits of the two swashbucklers. Scott's absorbing commentary track provides an in-depth look into the film-making process. Equally, film music aficionados will be delighted to find not just an isolated music track, but an informative commentary by composer Howard Blake, though he does sometimes talk over the beginning or end of cues. Most unusual but very welcome is the inclusion of Scott's first short film, Boy and Bicycle (1965), a 25-minute b/w mood piece starring Tony Scott, with music by John Barry. Other extras are a storyboard-to-screen comparison, the American trailer and four galleries of posters, stills and production photos. --Gary S Dalkin

• The Mummy Trilogy | Blu Ray | (12/06/2017) from £39.97   |  Saving you £-5.59 (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.38

  The MummyIf you're expecting bandaged-wrapped corpses and a lurching Boris Karloff-type villain, then you've come to the wrong movie. But if outrageous effects, a hunky hero, and some hearty laughs are what you're looking for, the 1999 version of The Mummy is spectacularly good fun. Yes, the critics called it "hokey," "cheesy," and "pallid." Well, the critics are unjust. Granted, the plot tends to stray, the acting is a bit of a stretch, and the characters occasionally slip into cliché, but who cares? When that action gets going, hold tight--those two hours just fly by. The premise of the movie isn't that far off from the original. Egyptologist and general mess Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) discovers a map to the lost city of Hamunaptra, and so she hires rogue Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) to lead her there. Once there, Evelyn accidentally unlocks the tomb of Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), a man who had been buried alive a couple of millennia ago with flesh-eating bugs as punishment for sleeping with the pharaoh's girlfriend. The ancient mummy is revived, and he is determined to bring his old love back to life, which of course means much mayhem (including the unleashing of the 10 plagues) and human sacrifice. Despite the rather gory premise, this movie is fairly tame in terms of violence; most of the magic and surprise come from the special effects, which are glorious to watch, although Imhotep, before being fully reconstituted, is, as one explorer puts it, rather "juicy." Keep in mind this film is as much comedy as it is adventure--those looking for a straightforward horror pic will be disappointed. But for those who want good old-fashioned eye-candy kind of fun, The Mummy ranks as one of choicest flicks of 1999. --Jenny BrownThe Mummy Returns Proving that bigger is rarely better, The Mummy Returns serves up so much action and so many computer-generated effects that it quickly grows exhausting. In his zeal to establish a lucrative franchise, writer-director Stephen Sommers dispenses with such trivial matters as character development and plot logic, and charges headlong into an almost random buffet of minimum story and maximum mayhem, beginning with a prologue establishing the ominous fate of the Scorpion King (played by World Wrestling Federation star the Rock, in a cameo teaser for his later starring role in--you guessed it--The Scorpion King). Dormant for 5,000 years, under control of the Egyptian god Anubis, the Scorpion King will rise again in 1933, which is where we find The Mummy's returning heroes Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, now married and scouring Egyptian ruins with their 8-year-old son, Alex (Freddie Boath). John Hannah (as Weisz's brother) and Oded Fehr (as mystical warrior Ardeth Bay) also return from The Mummy, and trouble begins when Alex dons the Scorpion King's ancient bracelet, coveted by the evil mummy Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), who's been revived by... oh, but does any of this matter? With a plot so disposable that it's impossible to care about anything that happens, The Mummy Returns is best enjoyed as an intermittently amusing and physically impressive monument of Hollywood machinery, with gorgeous sets that scream for a better showcase, and digital trickery that tops its predecessor in ambition, if not in payoff. By the time our heroes encounter a hoard of ravenous pygmy mummies, you'll probably enjoy this movie in spite of itself. --Jeff ShannonThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor The third film in the The Mummy series freshens the franchise up by setting the action in China. There, the discovery of an ancient emperor's elaborate tomb proves a feather in the cap of Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford), a young archaeologist and son of Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking over the role from Rachel Weisz). Unfortunately, a curse that turned the emperor (Jet Li) and his army into terra cotta warriors buried for centuries is lifted, and the old guy prepares for world domination by seeking immortality at Shangri La. The O'Connells barely stay a step ahead of him (climbing through the Himalaya mountains with apparent ease), but the action inevitably leads to a showdown between two armies of mummies in a Chinese desert. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has a lot to offer: a supporting cast that includes the elegant Michelle Yeoh, Russell Wong, and Liam Cunningham, the unexpected appearance of several Yeti, and a climactic battle sequence that is nightmarishly weird but compelling. On the downside, the charm so desperately sought in romantic relationships, as well as comic turns by John Hannah (as Evelyn's rascal brother), is not only absent but often annoying. Rarely have witty asides in the thick of battle been more unwelcome in a movie. Rob Cohen's direction is largely crisp if sometimes curious (a fight between Fraser and Jet Li keeps varying in speed for some reason), but his vision of Shangri La, in the Hollywood tradition, is certainly attractive. --Tom Keogh

• Krull | DVD | (05/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  There's something inescapably appealing about Krull, a camp Star Wars-meets-The Lord of the Rings knock-off, that encourages the viewer to overlook it's very many silly shortcomings and simply enjoy the fun. James Horner's rollicking music score--written soon after his similarly memorable contribution to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan--certainly helps, as does the epic-scale CinemaScope photography of the breathtaking Italian landscapes. The costumes and extravagant production design are also great to look at, and much of Derek Meddings' visual effects work still looks striking if not exactly state-of-the-art. Of the cast, Freddie Jones stands head and shoulders above all others as the Obi Wan Kenobi-meets-Gandalf character Ynyr: his trip to the centre of the spider's web is both genuinely scary and genuinely touching. The two romantic leads, Ken Marshall as the Luke Skywalker-meets-King Arthur clone Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony (with an overdubbed American voice) as his Leia-Guinevere Princess Lyssa, are mere formalities on which to hang the plot. Ironic fun can be had with the all-British supporting cast, which includes Todd Carty of Eastenders fame and Carry On's Bernard Bresslaw, as well as Robbie Coltrane, Liam Neeson and the gorgeous Francesca Annis. On the DVD: Krull comes to DVD in an anamorphic widescreen print, preserving the luscious CinemaScope look of the theatrical release. The Dolby 5.1 sound lives up to the picture. There are two commentary tracks: on the first, director Peter Yates talks through the movie, with contributions from other crew members and leads Ken Marshall and Lysette Anthony. Oddly, the second audio track is just a reading of an article that originally appeared in the November 1982 issue of Cinefantastique magazine. There's also a half-hour "making-of" featurette originally produced to promote the movie at the time, the usual trailer, stills gallery and three talent profiles. --Mark Walker

• Proof Of Life | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Russell Crowe stars as Terry Thorne, a K&R (kidnap and rescue) expert called in by the wife of an American engineer (played by Meg Ryan) when her husband is kidnapped in South America.

• New Tricks Series 7 | DVD | (01/08/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman heads The Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) cracking previously unsolved crimes from the past. Her team are three ex policemen; Gerry Standing Jack Halford and Brian Lane who have all opted for early retirement. In series 7 they reopen a case when the victim's daughter provides new evidence - from a psychic. A fashion designer's retrospective reignites the mystery of his stabbing during a party eight years ago. When the team are approached by a known paedophile who confesses to murder they find themselves trying to prove his innocence. A woman on remand brings information to UCOS about an apparently accidental fire 14 years ago and an old adversary brings them fresh information on a 30 year old bank job that threatens to finish the unit forever.

• The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | DVD | (24/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  This Nicholas Nickleby is not one of Hollywood's condensed versions, it's the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic eight-and-a-half-hour adaptation of the life and times of the eponymous school-teacher. The 1982 production (originally staged in two parts) won worldwide acclaim and was such a success that Britain's then-newest TV station, Channel 4, launched a joint venture with independent production company Primetime to bring Nicholas Nickleby to a television audience. The result is this wonderfully theatrical version, filmed at the Old Vic and starring much of the original stage cast. It manages to stay true to Trevor Nunn's original artistic vision of Dickens's damning incitement of England's educational system. The ensemble cast are superb: Roger Rees as Nicholas is a bright-eyed idealist, every inch the young romantic hero whose principles are often his downfall, but ultimately his salvation; Fulton Mackay's twisted, embittered Squeers is every inch the Dickensian villain; and David Threlfall is transformed as Smike, Squeers' piteously subjugated, crippled servant and gives the most moving performances of his career. This enthralling TV adaptation recreates the magic of the stage version for all those who were unable to catch it on its pitifully short run. It doesn't pull any punches as the humour and inspiring storyline are tempered with real dark and tragic episodes. Forget the Hollywood fluff, this is the version you should watch if you want a faithful retelling of Dickens's story. --Kristen Bowditch

• Van Helsing | Blu Ray | (18/11/2024) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Legendary Monster Hunter Van Helsing is sent by the Vatican to distant Transylvania, a land terrorised by the powerful Count Dracula. Joining forces with a valiant Gypsy Princess who is determined to end an ancient curse on her family by defeating the infamous vampire, Van Helsing continues his quest to rid the world of evil.

• A Sharp Intake of Breath: The Complete Series | DVD | (04/05/2015) from £18.55   |  Saving you £11.44 (61.67%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Starring sitcom legends David Jason and Richard Wilson, this sharply scripted series details the multifarious difficulties involved in 'Getting Things Done' as experienced by young married couple Peter and Sheila Barnes.From trying to book a holiday to being a best man, life seems to hand Peter Barnes more than his fair share of frustration. The only certainty is that whatever it is he's trying to arrange, it will entail an encounter with a jobsworth whose regulation response is a perfectly timed 'sharp intake of breath'...David Jason is 'everyman' Peter, and Jacqueline Clarke his beleaguered spouse; Richard Wilson and Alun Armstrong play a variety of infuriatingly petty officials and disobliging professionals. Running for four hugely popular series, this set contains every episode along with the pilot episode, transmitted as part of the Sound of Laughter series.

• Prime Suspect 1973 | DVD | (10/04/2017) from £13.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The wait is over for the much-anticipated prequel to multi-award-winning global hit Prime Suspect. This visually-stunning, cinematic-style drama rewinds to 1970s London to portray the early career of the formidable DCI Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini), the role that established Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren as a household name. We meet Jane as an ambitious, single-minded 22-year-old probationary officer, starting out as a WPC in a world where chauvinism and rule-bending are the norm. Jane's dedicated, instinctive approach is evident from the start as she is thrown into a brutal murder enquiry, witnessing first-hand the devastating effects of violent crime, as well as experiencing tragic ramifications herself. Immersed in the music, fashion and politics that defined a generation, we follow Jane Tennison as she establishes herself in a man's world, revealing the complexities of her ambition and personal life that shaped one of television's most iconic female characters.

• It's All About Love | DVD | (12/05/2008) from £4.49   |  Saving you £11.50 (71.90%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Joaquin Phoenix and Claire Danes star as two lovers attempting to save their relationship in a near-future world on the brink of cosmic collapse.

• Split Second | Blu Ray | (20/07/2015) from £12.09   |  Saving you £3.90 (32.26%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In the year 2008 heavy rainfall has flooded large areas of London. Rookie police officer Dick Durkin (Alastair Duncan) is assigned to partner wisecracking maverick Harley Stone (Rutger Hauer) a burnt-out and highly cynical homicide detective who was unable to prevent the murder of his partner by a serial killer several years previously. Now however the murders have begun again and Stone and Durkin are assigned the case. After investigating the scenes of several killings they appear no closer to identifying the killer with their only clues being that the murders seem to be linked to the lunar cycle and that the killer has multiple DNA strands having absorbed the DNA of the victims. Finally after Stone's girlfriend Michelle (Kim Cattrall) is kidnapped the detectives track the killer deep into the flooded and disused London Underground system and discover the truth: the killer is not human. It's a horrific and possibly demonic form of life that is fast savage bloodthirsty and fixated upon killing Stone just as it previously killed his partner. As each killing and appearance of the monster is an attempt to lure them closer and closer can Stone and Durkin rescue Michelle and save London and themselves from true evil!?

• Split Second | DVD | (20/07/2015) from £7.79   |  Saving you £5.20 (66.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In the year 2008 heavy rainfall has flooded large areas of London. Rookie police officer Dick Durkin (Alastair Duncan) is assigned to partner wisecracking maverick Harley Stone (Rutger Hauer) a burnt-out and highly cynical homicide detective who was unable to prevent the murder of his partner by a serial killer several years previously. Now however the murders have begun again and Stone and Durkin are assigned the case. After investigating the scenes of several killings they appear no closer to identifying the killer with their only clues being that the murders seem to be linked to the lunar cycle and that the killer has multiple DNA strands having absorbed the DNA of the victims. Finally after Stone's girlfriend Michelle (Kim Cattrall) is kidnapped the detectives track the killer deep into the flooded and disused London Underground system and discover the truth: the killer is not human. It's a horrific and possibly demonic form of life that is fast savage bloodthirsty and fixated upon killing Stone just as it previously killed his partner. As each killing and appearance of the monster is an attempt to lure them closer and closer can Stone and Durkin rescue Michelle and save London and themselves from true evil!?

• The Mummy Returns - Superbit | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  We don't have time for subtle," says Brendan Fraser, the star of The Mummy Returns, neatly encapsulating the relentless pace and hammerheaded tone of the film. As is the way of sequels here we have more, more, more of the same formula: more explosions, more action and more mind-numbingly endless CGI effects. Once again borrowing shamelessly from the Indiana Jones series, The Mummy Returns, like its predecessor, has boundless energy but lacks the stylish verve and charm of Spielberg's trilogy. All the original cast are reunited, this time joined by WWF star the Rock in a cameo role designed to plug his spin-off vehicle, The Scorpion King, and young actor Freddie Boath who plays an English eight-year-old in the 1930s whose dialogue borrows from Bart Simpson ("Get a room" and "My dad's gonna kick your arse" are two of his choice phrases). Other cinematic thefts include a Jurassic Park-style creatures-in-the-long-grass sequence and a lengthy triple-threat finale along the lines of Return of the Jedi. Still, despite the wearying relentlessness of its computer-generated effects, endless chases and fights, this is undeniably fun popcorn fodder and provides some memorable scenes along the way, notably Rachel Weisz and Patricia Velasquez battling it out for the affections of nasty old Imhotep.On the DVD: This two-disc "Special Edition" is a treat for fans of the franchise. The first disc has an anamorphic widescreen print of the movie in its 2.35:1 CinemaScope ratio, and a choice of Dolby 5.1 or DTS for the headache-inducing soundtrack. There's a decent commentary from the director and producer, plus a couple of DVD-ROM features. Disc 2 has all the usual stuff, including a 20-minute "making-of" documentary, a five-minute interview with the Rock about The Scorpion King, plus an exclusive trailer for it that is unsurprisingly reminiscent of Conan the Barbarian. There are also some detailed special effects breakdowns of key sequences, a blooper reel of outtakes and a virtual tour of the Universal theme park attraction "The Mummy Returns Chamber of Doom". Sundry trailers, production notes, a music video and an "Egyptology 201" text feature round out a well-loaded second disc. --Mark Walker

• Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World / Braveheart / Dances With Wolves | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Master & Commander: In Peter Weir's Master And Commander Russell Crowe stars as Captain ""Lucky"" Jack Aubrey renowned as a fighting captain in the British Navy. After a French ship almost sinks them in a battle the ship's surgeon and Aubrey's closest friend Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) cautions him about letting revenge cloud his judgement. With the HMS Surprise badly damaged and much of his crew injured Aubrey is torn between duty and friendship as he pursues a high-stake

• New Tricks Series 3-8 Boxed Set | DVD | (18/06/2012) from £137.68   |  Saving you £12.31 (8.94%)   |  RRP £149.99

• Bleak House | Blu Ray | (11/02/2008) from £17.53   |  Saving you £17.46 (99.60%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Acclaimed writer Andrew Davies turns his talents to one of Charles Dicken's most brilliant novels - arguably the greatest ever depiction of Victorian London from its glittering heights to its very lowest depths - adapting it into a series of half-hour episodes. At the court of Chancery the interminable suit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce becomes the centre of a web of relationships at all levels - from aristocrat Sir Leicester Dedlock to Little Jo the lowly crossing sweeper - and a metaphor for the decay and corruption at the heart of English society. A skillfully crafted thriller; an epic feast of characters and storylines; and a passionate indictment of the legal system Bleak House is as searingly relevant today as it was in the mid-19th Century.