"Actor: Ben Jones"

• Purple Rain | Blu Ray | (13/02/2017) from £10.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  While "rock musical" remains a phrase used by sadistic parents to give their offspring nightmares the genre does occasionally throw up the odd gem, Purple Rain being perhaps the shiniest example. Given the theatricality of Prince's stage shows, it was only a matter of time before the diminutive pop potentate found himself a big-screen vehicle but few could have predicted that Purple Rain would become nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. The story, co-written by one-time Starsky & Hutch scripter William Blinn, may be a somewhat hackneyed tale with His Purpleness overcoming a troubled background and musical rival Morris Day to achieve his dreams of rock stardom. However, the cast, which also includes Prince protegée Appollonia, rises above the clichés to hand in a set of performances which, while never likely to trouble the Oscars, prove that all concerned can at least play a rough approximation of themselves with minimal difficulty. What really helped push the film's box-office receipts through the roof, however, was its soundtrack featuring a clutch of hit singles--notably "When Doves Cry"--and which cemented our pint-sized hero's position as one of the globe's premiere performing artists. Sadly, subsequent attempts to re-bottle this particular brand of lightning with Under a Cherry Moon and Graffiti Moon would prove substantially less successful but Purple Rain still looks--and, more importantly sounds--rarely less than funktastic. --Clark Collis

• Ratter | DVD | (04/04/2016) from £3.10   |  Saving you £16.15 (877.72%)   |  RRP £17.99

  We're constantly connected through our phones, laptops and the Web every moment of every day. But while we look at our screens, who's looking at us? Meet Emma, a beautiful young student who has just moved from the Midwest to New York, excited to be on her own in the big city. But when a stalker hacks into her devices, he destroys Emma's illusions of privacy and she discovers just how fragile our sense of security can be. Ashley Benson stars in the ground-breaking psychological thriller that explores a world where the cameras are always on and someone's always watching.

• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | Blu Ray | (21/03/2022) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever. Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the electrical mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson (Claire Foy). Narrated by Olivia Colman with an all-star ensemble supporting cast including Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, Sharon Rooney, Taika Waititi, Adeel Akhtar, Sophia di Martino, Richard Ayoade, Nick Cave and many more. Directed by Will Sharpe. Story by Simon Stephenson. Screenplay by Simon Stephenson and Will Sharpe Special Features The Making Of The Electrical Life of Louis Wain The Man Behind the Cats

• Dukes Of Hazzard - Vol. 1 | DVD | (09/06/2003) from £7.11   |  Saving you £6.88 (96.77%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Based around a battle between good old-fashioned family values and comically corrupt authority, and always finding time for an action-packed car chase or two, the Dukes of Hazzard was perfect fun-filled family entertainment for its teatime viewing audience. Light on plotting, each episode featured the ongoing feud between the Duke family--loveable rogues Bo and Luke, their sexy cousin Daisy and Uncle Jesse--and the weasly duo of Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane. But the plot was arbitrary really; what audiences really waited for were the scenes involving General Lee--a souped-up Dodge Charger--racing, jumping, skidding and even flying around in hot pursuit of the baddies. That and Daisy Duke's fetching collection of hot pants. The Duke's theme tune became another series hallmark, performed by country music star Waylon Jennings, who also provided the cheesy voice-over narration. The original series ran from 1979-1985 and the three episodes featured here are taken from the second series: "Treasure of Hazzard", "Officer Daisy Duke" and "Mason Dixon's Girls". Taking the same premise for most episodes, this wasn't groundbreaking television but comfortable viewing that gratified its viewers with harmless action, humour and an idyllic view of life in the southern US of A. On the DVD: The Dukes of Hazzard's DVD special features are all text and photo-based, with "The General Lee: Star Car" offering a breakdown of the car's exact specifications. "Moonshine Merchandise" shows an array of tie-in products. Naturally enough there's a Daisy Duke photo gallery. --Laura Bushell

• Dukes Of Hazzard - Vol. 2 | DVD | (18/08/2003) from £11.65   |  Saving you £2.34 (16.70%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Based around a battle between good old-fashioned family values and comically corrupt authority and always finding time for an action-packed car chase or two, The Dukes of Hazzard was perfect fun-filled family entertainment for its teatime viewing audience. Light on plotting, each episode featured the ongoing feud between the Duke family--lovable rogues Bo and Luke, their sexy cousin Daisy and Uncle Jesse--and the weasly duo of Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane. But the plot was arbitrary really; what audiences really waited for were the scenes involving General Lee--a souped-up Dodge Charger--racing, jumping, skidding and even flying around in hot pursuit of the baddies. That and Daisy Duke's fetching collection of hot pants. The Dukes' theme tune, performed by country music star Waylon Jennings, became another series hallmark. Jennings also provided the cheesy voice-over narration. Taking the same premise for most episodes, this wasn't groundbreaking television but comfortable viewing that gratified its viewers with harmless action, humour and an idyllic view of life in the southern US of A. --Laura Bushell

• Rio Grande (John Wayne) | DVD | (05/06/2006) from £13.48   |  Saving you £-3.49 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara are embroiled in an epic battle with the Apaches and each other in this John Ford classic. Lt Col. Yorke (Wayne) heads to the Rio Grande to fight a warring tribe. But Yorke faces his toughest battle when his unorthodox plan to outwit the elusive Apaches leads to possible court-martial. Locked in a bloody war he must fight to redeem his honour and save his family.

• X-Men: First Class (DVD + Digital Copy) | DVD | (31/10/2011) from £3.38   |  Saving you £16.61 (491.42%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When Bryan Singer brought Marvel's X-Men to the big screen, Magneto and Professor X were elder statesmen, but Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) travels back in time to present an origin story--and an alternate version of history. While Charles Xavier (Laurence Belcher) grows up privileged in New York, Erik Lehnsherr (Bill Milner) grows up underprivileged in Poland. As children, the mind-reading Charles finds a friend in the shape-shifting Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and Erik finds an enemy in Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), an energy-absorbing Nazi scientist who treats the metal-bending lad like a lab rat. By 1962, Charles (James McAvoy) has become a swaggering genetics professor and Erik (Michael Fassbender, McAvoy's Band of Brothers costar) has become a brooding agent of revenge. CIA agent Moira (Rose Byrne) brings the two together to work for Division X. With the help of MIB (Oliver Platt) and Hank (A Single Man's Nicholas Hoult), they seek out other mutants, while fending off Shaw and Emma Frost (Mad Men's January Jones), who try to recruit them for more nefarious ends, leading to a showdown in Cuba between the United States and the Soviet Union, the good and bad mutants, and Charles and Erik, whose goals have begun to diverge. Throughout, Vaughn crisscrosses the globe, piles on the visual effects, and juices the action with a rousing score, but it's the actors who make the biggest impression as McAvoy and Fassbender prove themselves worthy successors to Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. The movie comes alive whenever they take centre stage, and dies a little when they don't. For the most part, though, Vaughn does right by playing up the James Bond parallels and acknowledging the debt to producer Bryan Singer through a couple of clever cameos. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

• Vera: Series 6 | DVD | (07/03/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

• Roots - Original Series - 25th Anniversary Edition | DVD | (23/12/2002) from £13.66   |  Saving you £7.33 (53.66%)   |  RRP £20.99

  Based on Alex Haley's bestseller, the 1977 TV mini-series Roots told the harrowing story of one man's ancestors, commencing with African warrior Kunta Kinte, captured, transported to America, stripped of his dignity, his rights, and even his name. He tries but fails to escape before accepting he can never return to Africa. He marries and bears a daughter, Kizzy, who is callously sold, then raped by her new "master". However, her son, Chicken George, a resourceful dab hand with gamecocks, lives long enough to see his own children attain a liberty of sorts following the Civil War. Roots is told in the same, accessible televisual language as The Waltons or Bonanza, yet it is never bland or evasive. It leaves no doubt as to the torment and abuse suffered by blacks, and although the series' conclusion is fictionally satisfying, for many of the black characters their only hope lies in generations yet unborn. It is sturdy enough drama but its greatest, most revolutionary effects were social. It persuaded American audiences to regard their history from a black perspective, and to see how--against odds far more desperate than those the pilgrims faced--Africans laid claim to their status as free African-Americans. Roots was massively popular, triggering a craze for genealogy and paving the way for series like 1979's Holocaust, which similarly raised the public's awareness of the slaughter of the Jews under Hitler. Most importantly, Roots changed forever the way black people were depicted on American TV. On the DVD: Roots is presented in 1:33:1 format and is visually extremely well-preserved. Extra features include a "Roots Family Tree", a copious, informative audio commentary featuring members of cast and crew, and a documentary, "Remembering Roots". Although this consists only of interviews, these convey the extraordinary emotional grip this project had on those who took part in it.--David Stubbs

• Hex - Season 1 | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £12.98   |  Saving you £17.01 (131.05%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Bloody. Hell. Set in a remote English school Hex is the chilling story of one girl's exploration of the supernatural and her own sexual awakening. Cassie is a shy student who discovers she is cursed by terrifying links to the past. Longing to be popular but only truly loved by her best friend Cassie will come to realise she possesses dangerous powers. Stalked by Azazeal the leader of the Nephelim it will fall to Cassie to fight against the powerful forces th

• Paperhouse | DVD | (24/09/2007) from £6.19   |  Saving you £9.80 (158.32%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A drawing that became a dream. A dream that became reality. A highly imaginative 11-year-old girl who misses her constantly absent father discovers that somehow the images she draws on paper can become frighteningly real. At first she finds them comforting but gradually the pictures become more and more threatening until they capture her in a nightmarish world from which she doesn't know how to escape.

• Hex - Season 2 | DVD | (06/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  More horror... More angst... More SFX... and new intriguing characters at Medenham Hall all set to make your pulse race. Sky One's popular supernatural teen drama returns to DVD with the release of the entire second season. The series stars Christina Cole (What A Girl Wants) Colin Salmon (Alien vs. Predator) Jamie Davis (Footballers' Wives) and Jemima Roper (As If). In this latest series the demon Azazeal (Michael Fassbender Band of Brothers

• The History Of Tom Jones A Foundling | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £19.98   |  Saving you £-3.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The classic tale of Tom Jones a boy who is adopted in childhood by the kindly Squire Allworthy adapted from the novel written by Henry Fielding. As a result he becomes a privileged gentleman but one with a roving eye. Soon an amorous indiscretion results in him being exiled from his home...

• Purple Rain (Two Disc Special Edition) | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £14.20   |  Saving you £-0.21 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  While "rock musical" remains a phrase used by sadistic parents to give their offspring nightmares the genre does occasionally throw up the odd gem, Purple Rain being perhaps the shiniest example. Given the theatricality of Prince's stage shows, it was only a matter of time before the diminutive pop potentate found himself a big-screen vehicle but few could have predicted that Purple Rain would become nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. The story, co-written by one-time Starsky & Hutch scripter William Blinn, may be a somewhat hackneyed tale with His Purpleness overcoming a troubled background and musical rival Morris Day to achieve his dreams of rock stardom. However, the cast, which also includes Prince protegée Appollonia, rises above the clichés to hand in a set of performances which, while never likely to trouble the Oscars, prove that all concerned can at least play a rough approximation of themselves with minimal difficulty. What really helped push the film's box-office receipts through the roof, however, was its soundtrack featuring a clutch of hit singles--notably "When Doves Cry"--and which cemented our pint-sized hero's position as one of the globe's premiere performing artists. Sadly, subsequent attempts to re-bottle this particular brand of lightning with Under a Cherry Moon and Graffiti Moon would prove substantially less successful but Purple Rain still looks--and, more importantly sounds--rarely less than funktastic. --Clark Collis

• Flame Trees Of Thika | DVD | (07/11/2016) from £14.93   |  Saving you £5.06 (33.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When a young Edwardian family leaves the shores of England to build a home in the wilderness of East Africa what they encounter is beyond their imagination but forever remembered through the eyes of their 11-year-old daughter. Based on the beloved memoir by Elspeth Huxley The Flame Trees of Thika brings to life the color and adventure of turn-of-the-century Kenya. In 1913 Robin (David Robb) and Tilly Grant (Hayley Mills) arrive in Kenya with the dream of transforming a barren plot

• 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

• Inspector Morse - Disc 19 And 20 - Greeks Bearing Gifts / Promised Land | DVD | (12/08/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and story lines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep-down sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford

• The Grinch (DVD + Digital Download) | Blu Ray | (11/03/2019) from £26.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Illumination and Universal Pictures present The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss' beloved classic. The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl's generous spirit. Funny, heartwarming and visually stunning, The Grinch is fun for the whole family More than an hour of bonus features, including: 3 MINI-MOVIES The Making of the Mini-Movies From Green to Screen Who's Who in Who-ville My Earliest Grinch Memories You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Lyric Video Songs from His Little Heart Grinchy Gadgets Any Who Can Draw: The Grinch, Max, Fred And More!

• Handgun | DVD | (20/05/2013) from £6.79   |  Saving you £3.20 (47.13%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Shortly after moving to Dallas, a young woman is raped at gunpoint. Her intense anger drives her to seek revenge, and she becomes a hunter on a vengeance mission.

• Brideshead Revisited | Blu Ray | (09/03/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  One of the most important novels of the 20th Century is brought back to life in this lush period drama.