"Actor: Ben"

• Roots - Original Series - 25th Anniversary Edition | DVD | (23/12/2002) from £15.68   |  Saving you £5.31 (33.86%)   |  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

• Cutting It: Complete Series 1 | DVD | (19/05/2003) from £15.98   |  Saving you £9.01 (56.38%)   |  RRP £24.99

  One of a growing number of female-centred dramas, the first series of Cutting It was a sleeper hit for the BBC. Though its rival hairdresser premise seems fluffy, its classy gloss, off-beat scripting and strong cast make it as addictive as many of the outstanding TV series coming from the US. The drama unfolds when ambitious hairdresser Allie Henshall (Sarah Parish) wants to open a second salon. But her husband and business partner would prefer to start a family. Even when she puts in a bid for a property opposite her salon, Allie is beaten by rival hairdresser Mia Bevan (Amanda Holden). As a business war begins between Allie's Henshall Ferraday salon and Mia's Blade Runner, Allie has to overcome the reappearance of an old flame, Mia's husband, who is happy to rekindle his relationship with her. As the relationship histories among the characters become absurdly intertwined, it is to the cast's credit that the human dynamics of the story surpass its plot. Though there are certainly moments of parody (take Mia's yogic warm-ups with her staff each morning) and questionable twists, Cutting It gives its leading ladies some sharp and funny lines to work with and the space to do so. Both Parish and Holden run the gamut of emotions despite the seemingly clear-cut good woman / bitch divide between their characters initially. Their actions may strain the limits of credibility, but these women hold attention effortlessly. --Laura Bushell

• The Hollow Crown: Series 1 | DVD | (13/06/2016) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Collection of four BBC adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays comprising 'Richard II', 'Henry IV: Part One', 'Henry IV: Part Two' and 'Henry V'. Beginning in the year 1399, the plays deal with events affecting the monarchy during a 16-year period, where the ruling orders of Richard II (Ben Whishaw), Henry IV (Jeremy Irons) and Henry V (Tom Hiddleston) find themselves beset by rebellion, greed and war. The cast also includes Rory Kinnear, Simon Russell Beale, Julie Walters and Lindsay Duncan.

• Gulliver's Travels/ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader/ Night at the Museum Triple Pack | DVD | (04/06/2012) from £6.97   |  Saving you £8.02 (53.50%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Gulliver's TravelsGulliver's Travels is about as marginal as the trailers suggest; it's a tepidly entertaining, irreverent, and sometimes crass comedy starring Jack Black that takes some gigantic liberties with Jonathan Swift's classic story about the land of Lilliput and its tiny inhabitants. Mailroom loser Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) is stuck in a dead-end job and living a dead-end life until the promotion of a fellow employee spurs him to speak up and take action. While a trip to the Bermuda Triangle may not be the date with crush Darcy Silverman (Amanda Peet) that Gulliver had envisioned, the voyage promises to take his career in a new direction, and it eventually delivers him to a kingdom known as Lilliput, which is populated by miniature people. After initially being captured and locked away in a dungeon, Gulliver wins the hearts of the Lilliputian people by saving their princess (Emily Blunt) from being kidnapped and rescuing their king (Billy Connolly) from a fire in a most unorthodox and unsavoury way, and he quickly finds himself in a position of gigantic influence. Problem is, Gulliver is completely unprepared and unqualified for his new leadership roles, both on the personal and professional levels, and his ineptitude puts himself and all of Lilliput in extreme danger. Grade-school humour abounds in this fairly mindless film, something Jack Black always excels at, but viewers will find that the chuckles and the message about the power of believing in oneself fade equally as fast as the credits roll. (Ages 9 and older) --Tami Horiuchi The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn TreaderThe third film based on C.S. Lewis's fantasy books, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader opens three years after the Pevensie children return from battling to restore peace to Narnia in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are still staying with Eustace (Will Poulter), while Peter and Susan have gotten older and moved on to school and America, respectively. Still as surly and unbelieving as ever, Eustace continues to mock his cousins for their Narnian fantasies. But when water begins spilling into their room from a painting hanging on the wall, all three young people are swept onto the decks of the sailing ship known as the Dawn Treader, which is afloat in the waters of Narnia. This time, there are no wars to be fought in Narnia. But it soon becomes evident that the trio is destined to help King Caspian (Ben Barnes) solve the mystery of the disappearance of the seven lords of Telmar, and prevent the ongoing sacrifices of large groups of Narnian people to the evil green mist. So begins a quest through uncharted waters that will require each of the children to resist temptations like beauty and power, and to conquer the darkness within themselves in order to defeat the threat to Narnia's people. The battle promises to yield unexpected heroes, and through their journey, Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, and even King Caspian and Reepicheep (voiced by Simon Pegg) each grow and mature. Eventually, Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) will ask each adventurer to make an important choice that will forever influence his or her future. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader features plenty of high adventure, sword-fighting action, and personal peril, and while it fails to fully capitalise on the characters' motivations or to earn viewers' full emotional investment, it is still a solid addition to the Narnia film series. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi Night at the MuseumAn irresistible concept meets computer-generated wonders in Night at the Museum, inspired by a 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc. Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley, an underachieving inventor waiting for his ship to come in while getting evicted from one apartment after another for lack of funds. Larry's son needs some stability, so the well-meaning ne'er-do-well takes a job as night watchman at New York City's Museum of Natural History. What the soon-to-retire guards (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs) don't tell him is that an ancient pharaoh's tablet in the museum causes everything on display to come to life at night. Thus, Larry meets representations of Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, fire-worshipping cavemen, and Roman Empire soldiers, and learns to cope with an excitable T-Rex and man-eating, ancient animals. The film might have left things at that, but an added story element gives Night at the Museum some extra urgency and excitement, especially for kids: Larry becomes responsible for keeping this nightly miracle going and preventing anything in the museum from dying due to exposure to sunrise. Computer effects, as well as wildly imaginative costumes and makeup, help make the film appeal to the 8-year-old in everyone. Director Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther) works with a hugely talented cast, including Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Carla Gugino, and Steve Coogan. --Tom Keogh

• Thomas & Friends: Trouble On The Tracks | DVD | (20/04/2015) from £6.96   |  Saving you £6.03 (86.64%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Cinders and ashes... there's trouble on the tracks for Thomas and his friends! The Troublesome Trucks delight in causing chaos for Thomas as Annie Clarabel and Toad encounter unexpected high-speed adventures. Oily Diesel gives Paxton a fright while Salty's spooky story has the engines running scared. James runs into trouble with some slip coaches and Percy ends up frightened and alone in an old mine. All Aboard for fun and exciting escapades with Thomas & Friends!

• TT 2010 Review | DVD | (26/07/2010) from £14.35   |  Saving you £10.64 (74.15%)   |  RRP £24.99

  TT 2010 Review

• All This Mayhem | DVD | (27/10/2014) from £12.45   |  Saving you £3.54 (28.43%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Produced by VICE Films, ALL THIS MAYHEM is a searing account of what happens when raw talent and extreme personalities collide, taking two brothers from the top of the world to unimaginable depths in just a few short years. This unflinching, never-before-seen tale uncovers a world of drugs and unfettered hedonism during the glory days of professional vert skateboarding. Legendary skaters and charismatic brothers Tas and Ben Pappas share an intense bond that not only propels them to the pinnacle of their sport, but also proves their undoing in this tragic story of Shakespearian proportions. Utilising hours of footage taken throughout the brothers lives through the present day, paired with interviews with other legendary skateboarding stars, the film chronicles the brothers meteoric rise to number one and two in the world and the heartbreaking personal and professional story that ensued. Touching upon their revolutionary styles, feuds with Tony Hawk, the darker side of fame, and immeasurable passion for their sport and each other, ALL THIS MAYHEM is an epic story of having and losing it all.

• Razzle Dazzle / the Producers | DVD | (26/09/2011) from £3.31   |  Saving you £12.94 (631.22%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Titles Comprise: Razzle Dazzle: A journey into dance lifts the curtain on the eager members of Mr Jonathon's Dance Academy (The Jazzketeers) as they prepare for Australia's most prestigious dance competition. Amidst parental politics, dance school rivalry, creative controversy and the hysterics of pushy stage mothers Mr Jonathan stands true to his vision - not only does he want to entertain, he wants to educate. With his unique routines, like the Kyoto Protocol Shuffle, Mr Jonathan aspires to reflect the oppression and injustices in the world.The Producers: New York, 1959. Max Bialystock was once the king of Broadway, but now all his shows close on opening night. Things turn around when he's visited by the neurotic accountant Leo Bloom, who proposes a scheme tailor-made for producers who can only make flops: raise far more money than you need, then make sure the show is despised. No one will be interested in it, so you can pocket the surplus.To this end, they produce a musical called Springtime for Hitler written by escaped Nazi Franz Liebken. Then they get the insanely flamboyant Roger De Bris to direct. Finally, they hire as a lead actress the loopy Swedish bombshell Ulla (whose last name has over 15 syllables). As opening night draws near, what can go wrong? Well, there's no accounting for taste...Centre Stage: A group of 12 teenagers from various backgrounds enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York to make it as ballet dancers and each one deals with the problems and stress of training and getting ahead in the world of dance.

• Harriet's Army (BBC) | DVD | (11/07/2016) from £6.29   |  Saving you £2.78 (44.20%)   |  RRP £9.07

  Hunting spies on the home front Fourteen year old Harriet is a girl who doesn't quite fit in, and when she's kicked out of the Girl Guides for fighting, her father doesn't know what to do with her. As war breaks out and the Scouts and Guides are volunteered to support the war effort at home, Harriet decides to form her own army of misfits, mounting their own patrols to track down German spies. Soon, she and her army become embroiled in a daring adventure on the hunt for an enemy who is much closer to home than they realise. Harriet's Army is a thrilling BBC World War One family drama, following the adventures of a group of brave and determined children as they hold the front line at home, revealing the astonishing real roles played by children as their fathers and brothers went to fight in the trenches.

• Thomas & Friends: Muddy Matters | DVD | (27/05/2013) from £5.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (116.86%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Through mud rubbish and muck Thomas and his engine friends show that being Really Useful can be a dirty job! See James turn into the Really Muddy Engine and Thomas get showered with rubbish. Watch Peter Sam make a big mess trying to keep things on track as Thomas creates chaos with the crows and much much more. Join Thomas and the Steam Team as they make the best of the mess in these exciting muddy and mucky adventures!

• Lynda La Plante - Trial And Retribution - 5 To 8 | DVD | (14/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Drawing TV audiences of up to 11 million viewers 'Trial And Retribution' is a gritty urban drama that deals with graphic topics from abduction to serial murders and internal police corruption to psychological illness. Breaking new ground in terms of content and style each episode traces the entire trajectory of a serious crime from the act being committed to a detailed investigation and arrest before arriving at the law courts for a dramatic finale.

• Wall-E (Disney Pixar) | DVD | (24/11/2008) from £3.75   |  Saving you £18.50 (742.97%)   |  RRP £20.99

  The year is 2700. WALL*E, the last remaining robot on Earth, spends every day doing what he was built for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for.

• So Little Time - Vol. 1 | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £12.98   |  Saving you £1.01 (7.78%)   |  RRP £13.99

  School's cool for 14 year olds Chloe and Riley Carlson. High school is a lot of work besides dating partying and shopping at the mall. 'So Little Time' episodes find Chloe and Riley taking on weird biology partners dumb after-school jobs and disastrous class projects. Episodes: Breakfast Club / Colour Of Money / Girls Just Want To Have Fun / True Lies / Trading Places / Teachers Pet

• Thomas & Friends: Really Useful Collection (Thomas In Charge/Up, Up & Away/Rescue On The Rails) | DVD | (26/05/2014) from £7.69   |  Saving you £5.30 (68.92%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Thomas In ChargeThomas and his friends are preparing for the Railway Inspector's visit to Knapford Station. But when the coal trucks crash covering Gordon in soot can Thomas take charge and help straighten out the mess? Find out as Thomas charges full steam ahead into fun! Up Up and AwayThomas and Percy have a special Special - to bring balloons to Mr. Bubbles' Big Balloon Show. At the Children's Steam Fair Emily learns there are great rewards - and laughs - in helping others Kevin tries his hook at 'Hide and Peep' and Thomas has a wonky whistle! Rescue On The RailsThe Sodor Search and Rescue Team brave the rails to rescue their friends as Bertie is stuck on Shake Shake Bridge Gordon has derailed and Thomas' firebox is on fire! Discover that being heroic is more than having speed and strength; it's about teamwork and friendship.

• The Flash Steelbook | Blu Ray | (18/12/2023) from £21.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• A Hologram For The King | Blu Ray | (19/09/2016) from £5.98   |  Saving you £12.01 (200.84%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Light-hearted comedy drama starring Tom Hanks as struggling American businessman Alan Clay. Desperate to recoup lost earnings and pay for his daughter's tuition fees, Clay travels to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to secure a lucrative IT contract with a wealthy Saudi king. After discovering on arrival that the king hasn't visited the development in 18 months and, facing the sack, Clay must find the money and willpower to make his project a success and turn his fortunes around. The cast also includes Ben Whishaw, Sarita Choudhury, Tom Skerritt and Sidse Babett Knudsen.

• The Bee Gees - One Night Only (DTS Version) | DVD | (29/05/2000) from £11.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (25.02%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Taped as a lavish cable television special in 1997, One Night Only trades on the Bee Gees' shape-shifting career as pop survivors. Over the course of 111 minutes, this straightforward concert, produced at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and groomed for both video and CD posterity, sprints through 31 songs from their past three decades. Even after the inevitable disco jokes are expended, and the jaundiced viewer contemplates the role hats, hairspray, and comb-overs now play in dressing the once stylishly long-haired troika, the Gibb brothers' signature vocal harmonies and hook-laden song craft beg respect.Casual listeners can't be blamed for equating the Bee Gees with the dance floor bonanza they reaped through 1978's Saturday Night Fever, yet that commercial zenith was actually the culmination of a comeback for a group that had seemed washed up by the early 1970s. One Night Only thankfully takes an even-handed view of both their original late 1960s hits ("Massachusetts", "To Love Somebody", "Lonely Days"), building from a cannily Beatle-browed vocal sound, and the 1970s blue-eyed soul ("Jive Talkin'", "Nights on Broadway") that led them naturally into disco. The Fever hits are here, as are Gibb originals that clicked for other acts; the family circle also widens for a posthumous duet with their late brother, Andy Gibb, while Celine Dion gets star billing in the collaborative "Immortality". --Sam Sutherland

• Once Upon A Forest | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A magical animated world based on the story by Rae Lambert which follows the antics of Abigail the Woodmouse Edgar the Mole and Russell the Hedgehog.

• Nicholas Cage 4 Film Pack | Blu Ray | (06/07/2015) from £9.99   |  Saving you £32.99 (471.29%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Nicolas Cage - 4 Movie Set contains: Trespass Drive Angry Stolen Bad Lieutenant

• Cold Skin | DVD | (30/04/2018) from £17.48   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A young man who arrives at a remote island finds himself trapped in a battle for his life.