"Actor: Barry Jones"

• The Thirty Nine Steps | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £4.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (100.20%)   |  RRP £9.99

  While it's true that this 1959 screen adaptation of The 39 Steps pales in comparison to Alfred Hitchcock's seminal 1935 version, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable romp that compensates for a lack of any tension whatsoever with a generous dose of genial good humour. Affable Kenneth More's Richard Hannay more closely resembles the kind of roles Cary Grant was playing for Hitch in the late 1950s; Finnish blonde Taina Elg, in the somewhat unlikely role of a prim Scottish schoolmistress, is his love interest. Although handcuffed together, More and Elg fail to radiate any sexual chemistry, even when scandalously forced to share a room and a bed. Much better are the delightful cameos: Sid James as a roguish lorry driver; Brenda De Banzie as voluptuous psychic Nellie; and Joan Hickson as a simpering teacher. As a thriller it's hardly in the same league as North by Northwest, but as a window on life in England and Scotland in the 1950s, this 39 Steps has much to recommend it. --Mark Walker

• Bible / The Robe / Demetrius And The Gladiators | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Bible - In The Beginning The greatest stories of the Old Testament are brought to the screen with astounding scope and power in this international film which depicts the first 22 chapters of Genesis. This is the spectacular story of man's creation his fall his survival and his indomitable faith in the future. Matching the epic scale of the production are performances by George C. Scott as Abraham Ava Gardner as Sarah and Peter O'Toole as the haunting presence of the Angel of God. The legendary John Huston directs and delivers a commanding performance as Noah. From the film's opening amidst cosmic chaos to its lingering message of hope and salvation The Bible stands as a monumental motion picture achievement. The Robe The first movie ever filmed in CinemaScope The Robe was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1953 including Best Picture for Richard Burton. Burton stars as Marcellus Gallio the Roman centurion charged with overseeing the crucifixion of Christ. But when he wins Christ's robe in a gambling game at the foot of the cross his life is forever changed. Its inspired story set to a spectacular score and featuring an all-star cast including Victor Mature and Jean Simmons The Robe remains one of the screen's greatest biblical epics. Demetrius And The Gladiators This enormously successful sequel to The Robe continues the story of Demetrius (Victor Mature) the Greek slave who after the death of his master is sentenced to train as a gladiator in the Roman arena. There his newfound Christian faith is put to the test when he has to contend not only with the swordsmen and wild beasts of the arena but also the evil and sensuous Messalina (Susan Hayward) and the mad emperor Caligula (Jay Robinson). Crammed with astonishing action and fight sequences this heroic epic is not to be missed!

• The Girl Can't Help It | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The classic `rock and roll' film of the 50's and the Jayne Mansfield movie featuring her legendary strut down the street to Little Richard's title song while holding a pair of strategically placed milk bottles melting ice and shattering glasses. Around a simple comic plot - gangster hires alcoholic press agent to make a singing star out of his incredibly voluptuous but tone-deaf girlfriend - director Frank Tashlin creates a feast for eyes and ears in `the grandeur of CinemaScope' a

• Fall Of Eagles | DVD | (02/09/2013) from £39.99   |  Saving you £-4.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £35.99

  Stunning BBC dramatisation of the decline and fall of three European dynasties featuring an amazing cast of British actors. In the latter half of the 19th Century, three ruling houses dominated Europe: the Hapsburgs of Austria-Hungary, the Romanovs of Russia and Hohenzollerns of Germany. Centuries of despotism, a continued lack of social reform and the advent of the devastating First World War caused the vultures of revolution to star t circling. This 13-part epic drama features a who's who ...

• The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada | DVD | (07/08/2006) from £6.21   |  Saving you £11.78 (189.69%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Ranch hand Pete Perkins vows to keep his promise and bury a friend in his hometown in Mexico.

• Collateral - Single Disc Edition | DVD | (17/01/2005) from £3.98   |  Saving you £12.01 (301.76%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Tom Cruise uncovers his dark side to play a contract killer who hijacks a taxi - and its driver - to take him from job to job.

• Love Me Tender | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £5.82   |  Saving you £7.17 (123.20%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In his film debut singing idol Elvis Presley stars in this action-filled romance set in the aftermath of the Civil War. After hearing his older brother (Richard Egan) has been killed in combat a young Texas farmer (Presley) marries the man's sweetheart (Debra Paget). But his brother returns sparking a bitter sibling rivalry and tragic confrontations with Union soldiers... Featuring four Presley hits on the film's soundtrack including the title track.

• Everyone Says I Love You | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £17.97   |  Saving you £-2.98 (-19.90%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Writer-director Woody Allen has produced yet another challenging and funny film with Everyone Says I Love You, this time taking on the musical genre and bending it to his own unique vision. The result is one of his most charming films in recent years, as Allen assembles a typically sterling ensemble cast to evoke the romanticism of years past. This time, the large cast (including Alan Alda, Drew Barrymore, Goldie Hawn, Edward Norton and Tim Roth) not only turn in funny and touching performances, but they sing the classic songs of the 1930s and 1940s themselves, and sing them very well. The plot centres on an extended family in New York and their various romantic entanglements, including Allen's pursuit of Julia Roberts through the streets of Paris and the canals of Venice. The musical numbers are the film's high points, displaying wonderful choreography ranging from a room full of dancing Groucho Marxes to a dancing couple in flight at the banks of the Seine. Everyone Says I Love You is a witty and entertaining fantasy, and truly romantic escapism.--Robert Lane, Amazon.com

• Alexander The Great | DVD | (03/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great, a middling entry in the 1950s CinemaScope epic cycle. The film boasts excellent production values and a fine cast--including Frederic March, Claire Bloom, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing and Michael Hordern--but it rarely comes to life other than as a big fat ancient Greek wedding of the talents of Burton and Bloom. They strike real dramatic sparks together, so much so they would be reunited in Look Back in Anger (1958) and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965). The film's failures must be laid at the feet of writer, director and producer Robert Rossen, who never before or after helmed anything remotely on this scale; his best work would follow with the intimate The Hustler (1961). Rossen simply shows little sensibility for the epic, staging lavish but brief and rather pedestrian battles and somehow drawing from the usually mesmerising Burton a performance lacking the charisma essential to a great military commander. Burton fans can enjoy him at his epic best as Marc Anthony in Cleopatra (1963). On the DVD: Alexander the Great is presented anamorphically enhanced at 2.35:1, although the picture is still obviously cropped at either side of the screen throughout. The print is very variable, in places quite grainy and soft with some serious flickering blotchiness, but otherwise it has strong colours, detail and contrast. The sound is primitive stereo. The only extra is the theatrical trailer, effectively presented in anamorphic 2.35:1. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Beyond The Mat | DVD | (18/09/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  At first, this behind-the-scenes documentary about professional wrestling seems as if it will be an unabashed fan's whitewash of the increasingly bizarre and popular world of "sports entertainment", as it is known. But director Barry Blaustein (a Saturday Night Live veteran who has co-written many of Eddie Murphy's films) goes much deeper than you'd expect in a film that is at once entertaining and disturbing. By focusing on a trio of wrestlers who give him surprising access, Blaustein uncovers human stories that can be wrenching in their stark honesty. That's particularly true of one-time superstar Jake "the Snake" Roberts, whose career has fallen on hard times because of a crack habit; Roberts brings Blaustein along for his first encounter in several years with his grown, estranged daughter. Blaustein also goes into the lives of Terry Funk and Mick "Mankind" Foley in ways that are both revealing and, at times, upsetting. More than just a fan's appreciation, this is that rare documentary that shows you sides of a familiar subject you never knew existed. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com

• Brigadoon | DVD | (16/05/2005) from £9.69   |  Saving you £4.30 (44.38%)   |  RRP £13.99

  The highland village of Brigadoon normally remains invisible sleeping in the Scottish mists. But one day in every one hundred years the town magically materializes. And when that day of joyful celebration ends Brigadoon vanishes from the countryside and returns to its slumber. There's only one catch: no native can leave the village or it will disappear forever. A pair of American hunters stumble upon Brigadoon on the single day it's come to life and when one of them falls for a

• Firestarter | DVD | (17/06/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Stephen King wasn't exactly in peak form when he wrote Firestarter, so this 1984 movie adaptation was at a disadvantage even before the cameras rolled. There were so many King movies being made at the time the weaknesses of this one became even more apparent. In her first film role after her memorable appearance in E.T., Drew Barrymore stars as a little girl whose parents acquired strange mental powers after participating in a secret government experiment. From this genetic background she has developed the mysterious ability to set anything on fire at will, especially when she's angry. That makes her very interesting to government officials seeking to exploit her skill as a secret weapon. Her father tries to protect her by using his powers of mind-control, while George C. Scott plays an Indian who believes the girl must be destroyed. There is a routine climax involving a lot of impressive pyrotechnics, but none of this is grounded in a dramatically solid foundation, and none of the characters are developed enough for us to care about them. Director Mark L. Lester, who the following year made Commando with Schwarzenegger, keeps the pace cracking along, but nevertheless the movie gradually turns into a laughable thriller with no suspense whatsoever. It's a movie only a pyromaniac could love. --Jeff ShannonOn the DVD: This is a largely no-frills presentation, albeit with a decent anamorphic print. The only extras are the original theatrical trailer and a nicely presented menu. A fold-out booklet has informative liner notes and a reproduction of the film poster.

• Herbie Collection | DVD | (28/11/2005) from £29.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (16.67%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Herbie - The Love Bug (1969): The tale of a struggling race car driver named Jim Douglas who only begins winning races once he starts driving Herbie. Elated at his new found success Jim does not realise that it is the Volkswagen who is responsible for the first-place finishes! Herbie Rides Again (1974): Herbie the lovable VW protects Grandma against an evil property tycoon! Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo (1977): The lovable VW Beetle is entered for a road race from Paris to Monte Carlo. He falls in love and gets mistakenly involved in a robbery; will he manage to make it to the finishing line in time? Herbie Goes Bananas (1980): There's disorder south of the border when Herbie the almost human Volkswagen meets Paco the pickpocket and has to dismantle a counterfeiting ring down in Mexico! Herbie - Fully Loaded (2005): Herbie the most beloved movie-car of them all is back and Lindsay Lohan's behind the wheel in Disney's latest revved-up comedy hit! Maggie Peyton the new owner of 'Number 53' puts the free-wheelin' Volkswagen bug through its paces on the road to becoming a NASCAR competitor. Being a third generation member of a NASCAR family racing is in Maggie's blood but she if forbidden from competing by her overprotective father Ray Sr. (Michael Keaton). When Maggie's offered a car as a graduation present she surprisingly ends up with a battered old '63 VW Beetle; but this is no ordinary 'Bug'. As she prepares to leave town for a career at ESPN News Maggie discovers that 'Herbie' has a mind of his own... and an alternate route for her future.

• Seven Days To Noon | DVD | (22/02/2010) from £8.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (44.49%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Professor Willingdon (Barry Jones) is a scientist engaged on highly secret Government research. When he sends a letter to 10 Downing St threatening to blow up the Houses of Parliament within 7 days unless the Prime Minister agrees to his demands it is first dismissed as a hoax. When Willingdon disappears however alarm bells ring and soon the whole of London has joined in the manhunt for this modern day Guy Fawkes. Also starring Joan Hickson the film won the Oscar for Best Screenplay that year.

• Space: 1999 - Vol. 1 | DVD | (30/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  For the time, there had never been a more lavishly produced science-fiction TV series than Space: 1999, which was British-made on a first-season budget of 3.25 million pounds--an astounding amount--and ran for two seasons from 1975 to 77. What keeps fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to do with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV SF predecessors such as Star Trek in which the mood is more generally convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances are: the moon and the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from its orbit and travel endlessly through space, making our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this. Of course the show is not without its detractors, having been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticised the show for its premise in the opening episode "Breakaway", which had nuclear explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propel it out of orbit and sent it flying through space without regard for any physical laws. In "Earthbound", aliens travelling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena they encounter on their journey through the galaxy. --Jim Gay, Amazon.comOn this DVD: Presented in production order (not the sequence they were transmitted in), this first volume from Space: 1999's first year nonetheless begins with the all-important "Breakaway". Commander Koenig arrives at Moonbase Alpha as planet Meta is passing Earth. He's there to investigate why people are dying of what seems to be radiation poisoning and ensure the Meta Probe is launched in time. Everything is tied into what's wrong with their nuclear waste disposal. Then on September 13, 1999, the unthinkable happens, and the Moon with its 311 inhabitants is catapulted out of Earth's orbit. Some time later they pass planet Terra Nova which seems too good to be true. When Dr Russell's supposed dead husband (Richard Johnson) re-appears from the long-lost Astro 7 mission, it becomes a "Matter of Life and Death" in determining whether to settle on a Paradise populated by parrots! Another passing stellar body accidentally drags them towards a "Black Sun" in the next episode. Given three days to live, there's a graceful acceptance of fate by the team that is paid off by what seems to be some sort of guiding hand watching over them all. Finally an orange eye appears and emits a "Ring Around the Moon", a mysterious enveloping beam that exerts mind-control over various crew members. After a warning from the mythic planet Triton, Dr Russell is taken as their "conduit" (much like Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture). Three publicity stills, 15 production drawings and eight character biographies may seem a little stingy as extra features. The neat CGI-animated menus make up for that a little though: an Eagle has never looked so agile. --Paul Tonks

• Seven Days To Noon | DVD | (14/07/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  An English scientist steals atomic bomb from a research centre. In a letter sent to the British Prime Minister he threatens to blow up the center of London if the Government refuses to end research into atomic weapons.

• Elvis Presley : Films that Rock - Love Me Tender, Wild In The Country, Flaming Star | DVD | (04/11/2002) from £25.63   |  Saving you £-0.64 (-2.60%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Elvis: Films That Rock contains three of the King's early screen efforts: Love Me Tender (1956), Flaming Star (1960) and Wild in the Country (1961). It's pointless to suggest that they aren't among Elvis's best movies (you'll have to look elsewhere for King Creole and Jailhouse Rock, which probably are), partly because any fan's going to want them all anyway, but also because all three are interesting in their different ways. Love Me Tender, made in black and white in 1956, was Presley's first stab at acting, and this story of a family split by the American Civil War--one brother goes off to fight, the other doesn't--sees him short on screentime and being upstaged by pretty much everyone else. That said, it was a reasonably brave move for Presley to begin his movie career by dealing with this kind of subject matter, however sentimentalised. Four years later, Flaming Star took the steer by the horns with Presley portraying a young man of mixed parentage caught up in the ethnic conflict between Native Americans and the white race. Again, a brave choice of subject; this was a landmark movie insofar as it showed Presley certainly had enough acting ability to create a credible parallel career along the lines of, say, Sinatra. It wasn't to be, though, as even then his talents were being manipulated by others, which is why all his later movies--even the best ones--were little more than advertisements for his records. Wild in the Country, from the following year, saw Presley as a young tearaway who finds redemption in his talent for writing. It's pure melodrama, but the moralising is kept under control. This is a nice little collection, all in all, and an essential for any fan. On the DVD: Elvis: Films That Rock presents the three pictures in positively radiant transfers, which are absolutely gunge-free and make the very best of the beautifully stylised lighting and cinematography of the period, while the classic Cinemascope presentations translate perfectly into widescreen. Special features include trailers for all three movies. --Roger Thomas

• Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada | Blu Ray | (22/05/2023) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The directorial debut from Academy-Award@ winning actor Tommy Lee Jones. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is an epic tale of revenge and redemption, friendship and loyalty, set against the majestic border country of the United States. When Melquiades Estrada (Julio César Cedillo, All The Pretty Horses) is found murdered and buried in a shallow grave in the desert, the local police force makes no attempt to solve the crime, rapidly transferring the corpse to a pauper's grave. Driven by a promise he made to Melquiades before his death, ranch foreman Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) takes it upon himself to track down the murderer and give his friend the burial he deserves. With stunning cinematography by two-time Academy Award@ winning cinematographer Chris Menges. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada also stars Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile). January Jones (Anger Management, Full Frontal) and Dwight Yoakam (Sling Blade, Panic Room). Awarded Best Actor for Tommy Lee Jones and Best Screenplay for writer Guillermo Arriaga (Amores Perros, 21Grams) at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, this remarkable debut revitalizes the Western genre, combining the best of classic Eastwood and Peckinpah. Product Features Commentaries: Tommy Lee Jones, Dwight Yoakam and January Jones Director & Writer Interviews Extended / Deleted Scenes Making Of Featurette Making Of The Music

• The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada | Blu Ray | (06/04/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Ranch hand Pete Perkins vows to keep his promise and bury a friend in his hometown in Mexico.

• War of the Worlds: Special Edition (1954) | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Producer George Pal and director Byron Haskins' landmark adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic novel that focuses on the invasion of the earth by Martian war machines. It's a work of frightening imagination with its manta-ray spaceships armed with cobra-like probes that shoot a white-hot disintegration ray. As formations of alien ships continue to wreak destruction around the globe the military is helpless to stop this enemy while scientists race to find an effective weapon. It fi