"Actor: Belinda Bauer"

• Flashdance | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £5.23   |  Saving you £12.02 (302.77%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Flashdance was the aspirational feel-good movie of 1983, with its thudding Giorgio Moroder soundtrack, Fame-meets-An Officer and a Gentleman storyline and a doe-eyed but iron-willed heroine played by the promising Jennifer Beals. By day Alex (Beals) is a Pittsburgh welder. By night she dances self-choreographed pieces for beer swillers in a seedy nightclub. Then she goes home and dreams of entering the city's ballet school and a professional career. Adrian Lyne's film is full of compromises. It never really gets to grips with Alex's misfit status in a male-dominated world. And in the end, she is given the leg-up she needs by her boss (Michael Nouri) who won't take "no" for an answer. That's called stalking these days. But Flashdance also has some fascinating surreal moments. The infernal qualities of life on an industrial site are well described by good lighting and the dances take on a bizarre life of their own within the film. Beals is often in shadowy long shot for these scenes and, in fact, most of the actual dancing was done by a more qualified stand-in. On the DVD: Flashdance is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. On disc the film still pulsates with that 1980s anything-is-possible energy. Apart from standard subtitle options and scene selections, there are no extras. --Piers Ford

• Flashdance (Special Collectors Edition) | DVD | (10/09/2007) from £3.88   |  Saving you £6.11 (157.47%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In Adrian Lyne's Flashdance a young woman Alex (Jennifer Beals) strives to achieve success as a classical dancer but economic forces require her to work as a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. Standing in her way is an abundance of profound social obstacles not the least of which is her boss at the welding factory Nick (Michael Nouri) who is also her boyfriend. Alex strives to be accepted into a prestigious ballet academy and she is furious when she realizes t

• Robocop Trilogy | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £39.99   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £32.99

  Paul Verhoeven was almost unknown in Hollywood prior to the release of RoboCop in 1987. But after this ultra-violent yet strangely subversive and satirical sci-fi picture became a huge hit his reputation for extravagant and excessive, yet superbly well-crafted filmmaking was assured. Controversial as ever, Verhoeven saw the blue-collar cop (Peter Weller) who is transformed into an invincible cyborg as "an American Jesus with a gun", and so the film dabbles with death and resurrection imagery as well as mercilessly satirising Reagan-era America. No targets escape Verhoeven's unflinching camera eye, from yuppie excess and corporate backstabbing to rampant consumerism and vacuous media personalities. As with his later sci-fi satire Starship Troopers the extremely bloody violence resolutely remains on the same level as a Tom and Jerry cartoon. The inevitable sequel, competently directed by Irvin Kershner, thankfully continues to mine the dark vein of anti-consumerist satire while being reflexively aware that it is itself a shining example of that which it is lampooning. Sadly the third instalment in the series, now without Peter Weller in the title role, is exactly the kind of dumbed-down production-line flick that the corporate suits of OCP might have dreamed up at a marketing meeting. Its only virtue is a decent music score from regular Verhoeven collaborator Basil Poledouris, whose splendid march theme returned from the original score. On the DVD: Packaged in a fold-out slipcase these three discs make a very collectable set. All are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic prints, although only the first movie has any extra material worth mentioning. Here the Director's Cut option allows the viewer to see Paul Verhoeven's more explicitly violent versions of Murphy's "assassination", ED-209's bloody malfunction and the shootout finale. These extended sequences are handily signposted in the scene selection menu, and the filming of them can be seen in a sequence of Director's Cut footage. Deleted scenes include "Topless Pizza" ("I'll buy that for a dollar!") and there are two contemporary "making of" featurettes plus a good, new half-hour retrospective. Both the latter and the director's commentary make abundantly clear the Reagan-era satire and are chock full of quotable lines from Verhoeven--"I wanted to show Satan killing Jesus"--and his producer--"Fascism for liberals". Stop-motion animator Phil Tippett gives a commentary on the storyboard-to-film comparisons, and there are the usual trailers and photos. Showing just how much the sequels are rated in comparison, the second and third discs have nothing but theatrical trailers and their sound is just Dolby 2.0 whereas the original movie has been remastered into Dolby 5.1.--Mark Walker

• Poison Ivy 2 | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Passion. Seduction. Betrayal. Lily wanted to be just like Ivy... Sheltered Michigan art student Lily arrives in Los Angeles and finds herself with four strange roommates. When she discovers Ivy's diary her entire life changes as she becomes aroused by the erotic words and sexual experiences contained within. However when a dangerous affair with her married professor (Berkeley) spirals out of control Lily becomes involved in a chilling series of events...

• Rosary Murders | DVD | (12/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A serial-killer begins a one man vendetta against the Catholic Church brutally slaying several priests and nuns. The police are baffled and the community frustrated. But someone may know who the murderer is... A man came to Father Koesler's confessional booth and said some things that made him suspect the stranger could be guilty of committing the heinous crimes. As a Catholic clergyman Koesler is forbidden to reveal anything said during the holy sacrament of Confession. But his co

• Winter Kills | DVD | (07/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  19 years after President Timothy Keegan was assassinated his brother Nick discovers a dying man claiming to have been the gunman. While trying to avoid his wealthy and domineering father's attempts to control his actions Nick follows the clues that have been handed to him. As he progresses it becomes increasingly difficult to discern the real trails from the dead ends and increasing dangerous as unknown parties try to stop Nick from uncovering the truth...

• Servants Of Twilight | DVD | (09/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Based on the well known thriller written by the horror author Dean R. Koontz. A group of religious fanatics claim that a six year old boy called Joey is an agent of the devil and set out to destroy him.....

• Act of Piracy | DVD | (12/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A large motor yacht becomes the focal point in this action tale when a group of mercenaries decide to capture the vessel. The original owner who was delivering it to Sydney Australia is believed dead but is in fact very much alive and determined to recover the yacht...

• Samson And Delilah | DVD | (18/12/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Samson is the Israelites only defence against their Philistine oppressors. Delilah beautiful and treacherous plans his destruction forcing him to fight for his life and the future of his people.