"Actor: Anna Louise Plowman"

• Cambridge Spies | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Cambridge Spies, the BBC's moody 2003 dramatisation of the most notorious debacle in the history of the British Secret Service, raises the spectre of the treachery of Philby, Burgess, MacLean and Blunt for a generation of viewers who can only imagine the shockwaves generated by their duplicity. Inevitably the story suffers from the basically repellent quality of its raw material. Determinedly non-judgemental, it frequently stumbles along a precarious path between romantic eulogy and fact-based fable of the perils of idealism. For all the handsome casting, the characters have little charm to compensate for their deeds. Their motivations are sketched only vaguely. Even in moments of personal vulnerability, however poignant the performances, sympathy is at a premium. But it has its high points as an atmospheric soap opera: the recreation of a period that stretches from the radical aspects of 1930s university life at Cambridge to Cold War London, dipping into the Spanish Civil War and the Washington diplomatic circle en route, is vivid. The acting, too, is fine. Tom Hollander's rampantly dissolute Burgess verges constantly on parody. But Toby Stephens (Philby), Samuel West (a frosty Blunt) and Rupert Penry-Jones (an emotionally wrung-out MacLean) work wonders with Peter Moffat's insubstantial script. On the DVD: Cambridge Spies is a handsome production with a cinematic quality enhanced by an appropriately edgy soundtrack and widescreen presentation. The main extra is the commentary shared by director Tim Fywell, producer Mark Shivas and writer Peter Moffat. It's a rather self-congratulatory affair, but includes some interesting insights: attempts to film some events in their real location met with refusal, suggesting that in some quarters, the outrage and embarrassment that Burgess, Philby and MacLean left in their wake is still very close to the surface. --Piers Ford

• Agatha Christie's Marple - The Sleeping Murder | DVD | (17/07/2006) from £7.96   |  Saving you £2.03 (25.50%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Agatha Christie's classic sleuth Miss Marple (here essayed by Geraldine McEwan) takes on another case of murder most foul... Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernise the house she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs. In fear Gwenda turns to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them they attempt to solve a 'perfect' crime

• The Foreigner | DVD | (23/01/2006) from £4.99   |  Saving you £1.00 (20.04%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Jon Cold is a freelance secret agent who's as cunning as he is deadly. When Cold is hired to deliver a mysterious package from France to Germany some very dangerous people will stop at nothing to stop him. But getting in his way is a decision they might not live to regret... With exotic locations and blistering action The Foreigner is heart-pounding entertainment that'll keep you on the edge of your seat!

• Stargate S.G - 1: Season 5 (Vol. 23) | DVD | (22/07/2002) from £5.92   |  Saving you £14.07 (70.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Stargate SG-1 is the TV spin-off from the 1994 big-screen movie. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Episodes on this DVD: "Summit", "Last Stand", "48 Hours" and "Proving Ground". In a daring Tok'ra mission, Daniel Jackson is sent to infiltrate and attend a Goa'uld "Summit" disguised as a manservant. With a lot of sneaking around and a little technobabble thrown in to explain how he isn't recognised, things come to a head with the unveiling of who the secret new baddies are and how they affect Daniel personally. In a direct continuation from "Summit", SG-1 make what they hope is a "Last Stand" against the System Lords. Similarly, the Tok'ra stand together on planet Revanna where O'Neill and Teal'c have a crash course in alien technology as they learn how to grow different types of tunnel from crystal. It's been a while since someone made the analogy of the Stargates operating like a telephone exchange. "48 Hours" traps Teal'c within the system, and the team have only two days to find a way to reconnect him. Unfortunately, this requires the aid of the Russians who are more than a little reluctant about giving up their private dialling device. This episode also features terrific cameos from the slithery Maybourne and Simmons (John de Lancie). Inevitably there needs to be a next generation of SG teams, so Jack and co take time out from their missions to train up some newbies. "Proving Ground" is all about who can make the grade, and in particular they have their eyes on the brilliant Jennifer and headstrong Elliot. The tension is really piled on in this show as layers of reality build to confuse the kids and the audience as to what's really happening to them. --Paul Tonks

• The Foreigner | DVD | (09/06/2003) from £3.76   |  Saving you £2.23 (59.31%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Jon Cold is a freelance secret agent who's as cunning as he is deadly. When Cold is hired to deliver a mysterious package from France to Germany some very dangerous people will stop at nothing to stop him. But getting in his way is a decision they might not live to regret... With exotic locations and blistering action The Foreigner is heart-pounding entertainment that'll keep you on the edge of your seat!

• Belly of the Beast/Half Past Dead/the Foreigner/the Patriot | DVD | (12/11/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Belly Of The Beast (2003): Steve Seagal is Jake Hopper once an operative on the inside on his way to retirement when he receives some startling news. While vacationing in Thailand his daughter has been kidnapped by a notorious terrorist group Abu Karaf. The C.I.A. launches an attack mission to save her but that's not good enough for Hopper. He has never been one to play by the rules and this time - there are no rules. Half Past Dead (2002): When Alcatraz re-opens the first inmate scheduled for the electric chair has vital information on the whereabouts of the proceeds of his last crime. Unwilling to let this fotune go up in smoke a criminal commando (Chestnut) infiltrates the prison to find out where the 0 million stash of gold is hidden. However an undercover FBI agent (Seagal) becomes the fly-in-the-ointment of this would-be raid... The Foreigner (2002): Jon Cold is a freelance secret agent who's as cunning as he is deadly. When Cold is hired to deliver a mysterious package from France to Germany some very dangerous people will stop at nothing to stop him. But getting in his way is a decision they might not live to regret... With exotic locations and blistering action The Foreigner is heart-pounding entertainment that'll keep you on the edge of your seat! The Patriot (1998): Dr. Wesley McClaren (Seagal) was the government's top immunologist before giving it all up for a quiet practice in a small Montana community. But the peace is abruptly shattered when a violent extremist group unleashes a rapidly spreading lethal biological agent and takes over the town! As more and more people die from a baffling illness the edge-of-your-seat suspense only intensifies as McClaren races to outsmart the militiamen and find a cure before the insidious disease spreads world-wide!