"Actor: Carl"

• The Blue Angel | DVD | (17/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Two things make it impossible to consign Josef von Sternberg's seedily atmospheric 1930 masterpiece The Blue Angel to the archives of museum land: it was the first film to put Marlene Dietrich in front of an international audience; and it features a towering performance from Emil Jannings as the professor whose fall from grace is precipitated by his obsession with Dietrich's archly vampish showgirl Lola-Lola. On both counts The Blue Angel remains a potent, vibrant work which still has moments of real relevance. Dietrich's performance is indeed hypnotic: von Sternberg lights her face and exposed flesh--shoulders and thighs--in a way that clearly indicates the erotic charge she generates among the men in the Blue Angel night club, and in Jennings in particular. Before our eyes his repressed, puritanical self-will disintegrates and his fate is sealed. The pivotal moment is, of course, when Dietrich teases her audience with "Falling in Love Again", her stockinged and suspendered legs astride a beer barrel, a top hat rakishly on her head. It would become the signature tune of her cabaret act in later years but here she delivers it with a far less studied, throwaway cheeriness; how, indeed, can it be her fault if men cluster around her like moths around a flame? This is the raw material on which an icon was built, but there is much else to fascinate in the film itself: you can still smell the pungent grim reality of a trouper's life on the road; and the professor's pathetic efforts to control his class of unruly boys still resonates today... this is an essential piece of film history. On the DVD: The Blue Angel is presented in its German and English-language versions, both restored and digitally remastered. As far as the sound quality is concerned this is of limited benefit since there is a great deal of distortion on both versions. But thanks to the picture restoration we can see how von Sternberg treats Dietrich: her face becomes a radiant, mocking pool of light always in contrast with the dark, grainy characters around her. The English version (in truth, only the Dietrich/Jannings scenes were shot in each language) is slightly pruned, missing a key scene in which the professor's repressed sensitivity is established at the very beginning. So despite some erratic sub-titling, the German version remains definitive. And it also reveals the worldliness of the original lyrics to Friedrich Hollander's classic songs: "I Was Made for Love from Head to Toe" suggests a rather more robust attitude than the vague whimsy of "Falling in Love Again." A final thought: releasing films of this importance on DVD surely creates an opportunity to put them in context by including documentary and factual resources, but this release has no extras of any kind. At the very least it cries out for an authoritative commentary. --Piers Ford

• Bruce Lee - The Man - The Myth | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £8.99   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Bruce Lee's entire life was dedicated to the martial arts and he lived under the constant threat of challenges from those who wanted to defeat the master. Packed with the magnificent Kung-Fu action that brought him to fame this is Bruce Lee's story as and where it happened the story of a legend.

• Feast 3 | DVD | (05/04/2010) from £10.82   |  Saving you £8.16 (104.21%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Following the monster onslaughts of Feast 1 and 2 the survivors are saved by the mysterious prophet Shot Bus Gus who seemingly has the ability to control the beasts. He leads them into the sewers as they travel to the big city. Along the way they get help from karate expert Jean-Claude Segal and learn that the beasts originate from a place called The Hive. Armed with this knowledge they decide to fight back and destroy them once and for all!

• Soul Survivors | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The story tells of Cassie, a college student plagued by hallucinations that her boyfriend has come back to life after he is killed in a car crash.

• Predator | Blu Ray | (12/05/2008) from £14.80   |  Saving you £5.18 (35.00%)   |  RRP £19.98

  It sees the heat of their bodies. It smells their fears. It hunts for sport. It kills for pleasure. In a place without rules - the hunter has become the hunted. Deep inside the jungles of Latin America Schwarzenegger's team of elite commandos are being slaughtered by a mysterious predator. No longer are they hunters - they are the prey... of an alien whose only instinct is to kill. One by one it strikes with inhuman ferocity. Now to survive with the jungle as their only ally they face their greatest challenge: to stay alive.

• Sophia Loren | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A bumper box set of classic films featuring the voluptuous sex-siren Sophia Loren! Pride And The Passion (Dir. Stanley Kramer 1957): Napoleonic forces are sweeping across Europe and Spain is on the brink of falling to the mighty invasion. Standing alone against the onslaught is one brave fighter and his ragtag band of guerillas. Seizing a gigantic cannon Spanish fighter Miguel (Sinatra) plans to attack Napoleon's army by battering the walls of French-occupied Avila. But because he's untrained in complex weaponry he must rely on the expertise of Captain Trumbell (Grant) a British naval officer. Allies on the battlefield Trumbell and Miguel soon find themselves in a bitter struggle over Miguel's mistress (Loren) a sultry beauty drawn to the captain's refined ways even as they race toward the most harrowing battle of their lives... El Cid (Dir. Anthony Mann 1961): El Cid is an epic movie masterpiece a tribute to one of history's greatest legends. This dazzling spectacle with a cast of thousands fills the screen with action and romance - from knights in armour jousting on horseback to massive battles on sea and land where columns of warriors stretch across the horizon. At the centre of this powerful motion picture is Charlton Heston in the role he was born to play... the immortal El Cid. Heston is the Spanish warrior battling to drive the Moors from Spain with the vision to be just and the courage to be merciful whose love and devotion to the radiant Chimene (Sophia Loren) knows no bounds... Anthony Mann's epic was nominated for three Oscar's but surprisingly returned home empty-handed. The Fall Of The Roman Empire (Dir. Anthony Mann 1964): This classic film re-enacts the spectacular collapse of perhaps the greatest dominion the world has ever known. Pestilence greed and corruption bring a once-proud empire to its knees. Now restored with stunning scenes and a cast of thousands - in battles gladiatorial and otherwise; martyrs burning at the stake; chariot races in the midst of which is the romance between two people.... White Sister (Dir. Alberto Lattuada 1972) The Key (Dir. Carol Reed 1958): In wartime England circa 1941 poorly-armed tugs are sent into U-Boat Alley to rescue damaged Allied ships. An American named David Ross arrives to captain one of these tugs. He's given a key by a fellow tugboat-man -- a key to an apartment and its pretty female resident. Should something happen to the friend Ross can use the key. Countess From Hong Kong (Dir. Charlie Chaplin 1966): Charlie Chaplin's final film is a delightful romantic comedy filled with the clever touches for which he's famous. Written directed and composed by Chaplin it revolves around Russian ''migr'' countess Natascha (Sophia Loren) forced into prostitution in Hong Kong who stows away in wealthy American Ogden's (Marlon Brando's) stateroom to blackmail her way to the States. Since Ogden has a mind of his own and can even resist Natascha's charms what follows is one of the funniest tugs of war ever devised! A wealth of talent supports these stars. There's Chaplin's son Sydney as Brando's cruise companion Tippi Hedren as his icy wife Patrick Cargill as the ultimate gentleman's gentleman and Margaret Rutherford as a dotty old dame. Chaplin himself tops it off with a cameo as the ship's steward! The gags are pure Charlie and his actors make the most of them sailing in and out of slamming doors and outrageous situations with ease!

• My Bloody Valentine | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The sole survivor of a mining accident who was confined in a mental institution after the ordeal returns to get revenge...

• The Gate | DVD | (05/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In 1987 The Gate was at the forefront of what came and went as a purely 80s genre: Kiddie Horror. Just like The Lost Boys or The Monster Squad of the same year, the idea was to let a couple of younger-than-teenage kids loose in a well-worn horror scenario and play it for as many laughs as scares. Its 15 certificate (PG-13 in the States) meant The Gate had an enormous opening weekend, and a considerable shelf life. The kids in question here are a very young Stephen (Blade) Dorff as Glen and his best friend Terry. After some tree felling in Glen's seemingly miles-square back yard they discover a hole full of precious rock. This is of course the Gate to a demonic dimension. As things start levitating, Glen's dog dies and moths get into the most awkward of places, it becomes obvious that the Gate is open! A teenage sister does little to help early on, but naturally the story develops into one about banding together under extreme circumstances. The make-up and stop-motion animation effects remain impressive in scope and there are a couple of frights still just on the right side of cliché. Since it was so successful, the writer and director went on to make an inferior sequel some years later. On the DVD: Viewers should note this is a very murky transfer that's in an unspecified widescreen ratio. There's also an unspectacular (equally unspecified) sound mix. But a gallery of 10 photos and the theatrical trailer makes up for that, right? --Paul Tonks

• Justice League - Secret Origins | DVD | (10/02/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  When global catastrophe strikes sometimes the job is too big for a single hero. At these moments the world's greatest super heroes answer the call of the Justice League. Justice League works together as a team to overcome a dangerous array of intersteller invaders and world conquering megalomaniacs - it is the ultimate power against the forces of evil.

• Anacondas 1 And 2 | DVD | (14/03/2005) from £29.93   |  Saving you £-4.94 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Anaconda Deep in the mighty Amazon jungle a documentary crew headed by Dr Steven Kale and Terri Flores rescue a charismatic loner Paul Sarone. But Sarone is a man obsessed and his secret motive wraps them all in a deadly coil of danger as he sets out to capture the vicious master of all predators - a lethal Anaconda! Anacondas - Hunt For The Blood Orchid When a corporate pharmaceutical sponsor is about to pull the plug on research part-time adventurer Dr. Jack Byro

• Hollow Point | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  An anti-drug enforcer a hitman and a female FBI agent meet in a triangle of treachery. They must work together to combat a murderous gangster.

• Rocky | Blu Ray | (21/05/2007) from £31.03   |  Saving you £-11.04 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This is the film that catapulted Sylvester Stallone into the international spotlight and launched one of the most successful series of films in movie history. Rocky won the 1976 Academy Award for Best Picture and two nominations for Stallone for leading actor and writer. This is the story of a loser a two-bit boxer from Philadelphia who gets a second chance in life by being offered an impossible shot at the heavyweight title. Stallone's performance is as powerful as his character's punches in the ring. This is one of the most exciting action movies you will ever see.

• Bob The Builder - Bob's Winning Team | DVD | (22/03/2004) from £6.94   |  Saving you £6.05 (87.18%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Bob's Winning Team is an action packed sporting themed video featuring Bob The Builder and friends. Episode titles: Eskimo Bob Clumsy Roley One Shot Wendy Bob On The Run Bob's Barnraising Pilchard Goes Fishing Wendy's Big Match Wendy's Tennis Court.

• Kite | Blu Ray | (13/10/2014) from £9.43   |  Saving you £10.56 (111.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Orphaned in her early teens when an unknown assailant brutally murdered her police detective father and mother the beautiful but emotionally detached Sawa soon begins living a secret life as a covert assassin. With the apparent help of her father’s former partner Sawa embarks a mission to eliminate the members of the human trafficking cartel she presumes murdered her family.

• TT 100 Greatest Moments | DVD | (14/05/2007) from £5.97   |  Saving you £14.02 (234.84%)   |  RRP £19.99

  100 Greatest TT Moments counts down the events that created a legend as chosen by the fans. This fascinating film charts the highs and lows and the triumphs and tragedies that have shaped the Isle of Man TT. Featuring the best the worst the fastest the closest the controversial and numerous 'firsts' from this unique racing event - vintage and modern racing footage archive interviews and exclusive contributions from many TT icons make this an extraordinary trip through al

• Life And Death of Colonel Blimp, The / A Matter Of Life And Death | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Two masterpieces of British cinema are paired here--Powell and Pressburger's first Technicolor triumph, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) and their even more ambitious A Matter of Life and Death (1946). Both pictures are transcendent examples of the filmmakers' craft, and remain models of great cinema long after their original wartime propaganda brief has expired. Based on a famously satirical cartoon strip that mocked outmoded attitudes of fair play at a time of "total war", Blimp subsequently became notorious as the film Churchill tried to have banned. Because the War Office objected to the screenplay, they refused to allow P&P's first choice for the role, Laurence Olivier, and the duo cast unknown stage actor Roger Livesey in his place. It is Livesey's sympathetic performance that transforms Clive "Sugar" Candy from an object of satire to one of warm affection, effectively reversing the film's intended message about old-fashioned decency versus wartime pragmatism. Anton Walbrook is a profound presence in a role that mirrored the actor's own plight as a German in Britain, while Deborah Kerr is a living leitmotif in the film, playing no fewer than three distinct but deliberately related roles. Briefed by the Ministry of Information to make a film that would foster Anglo-American relations in the post-war period, the duo, known as "the Archers", came up with A Matter of Life and Death, an extravagant and extraordinary fantasy in which David Niven's downed pilot must justify his continuing existence to a heavenly panel because he has made the mistake of falling in love with an American girl (Kim Hunter) when he really should have been dead. National stereotypes are lampooned as the angelic judges squabble over his fate. In a neat reversal of expectations, the heaven sequences are black and white, while earth is seen in Technicolor. Daring cinematography mixes monochrome and colour, incorporates time-lapse images, and even toys with background "time freezes" 50 years before The Matrix. Roger Livesey and Raymond Massey lead the fine supporting cast. On the DVD: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and A Matter of Life and Death are presented in reasonably sharp 4:3 ratio with good mono sound. Blimp comes with a 25-minute documentary feature that tells us nothing revelatory about making the film, but has good new interviews with cinematographer Jack Cardiff (then an apprentice) and eloquent admirer Stephen Fry. Text biographies and stills are also included. Life and Death has no extras. --Mark Walker

• The Ultimate Predator Collection - Predator 1 and 2 | DVD | (18/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  In the original Predator, Rambo meets Alien in a terrific science fiction thriller directed by John McTiernan just a year before Die Hard made him Hollywood's most sought-after director of action-packed blockbusters. Arnold Schwarzenegger leads an elite squad of US Army commandos to a remote region of South American jungle, where they've been assigned to search for South American officials who've been kidnapped by terrorists. Instead they find a load of skinned corpses hanging from the trees and realise that they're now facing a mysterious and much deadlier threat. As the squad is picked off one by one, Arnold finds himself pitted against a hideous alien creature that's heavily armed and wearing a spacesuit enabling the creature to render itself invisible. The title says it all in describing the relentless, escalating action that follows, maintained by McTiernan with an abundance of visual flair. The film's special effects are still impressive, and stunning locations in the Mexican jungles create a combined atmosphere of verdant beauty and imminent danger. The sequel, Predator 2, suffers from the lack of both original star Schwarzenegger and director McTiernan. Danny Glover does serviceable work as the hard-bitten city cop tracking the near-invisible Predator, who this time has chosen to do a bit of hunting on the streets of LA instead of the jungle. Look out for an Alien skull in the creature's trophy room --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• The Thrill Of It All / Lover Come Back / It Happened To Jane | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £14.90   |  Saving you £5.09 (34.16%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Thrill Of It All (Dir. Norman Jewison 1963): This romantic comedy takes a satirical aim at the frenetic world of television. Happily married Beverly Boyer is the ultimate housewife but her life is about to change dramatically. It seems that the president of a soap company who she has just met sees the clean-cut Beverly as the perfect TV pitchwoman for his product. After the ads air Beverly becomes famous from coast to coast and an even better breadwinner than her husband - who isn't coping with either of these occurrences very well. Can the Boyers patch up their crumbling marriage before it's too late? Lover Come Back (Dir. Delbert Mann 1961): Jerry Webster (Hudson) and Carol Templeton (Day) are rival Madison Avenue advertising executives who each dislike each other's methods. After he steals a client out from under her cute little nose revenge prompts her to infiltrate his secret VIP campaign in order to persuade the mystery product's scientist to switch to her firm. Trouble is the product is phony and the scientist is Jerry who uses all his intelligence and charm to steal her heart! It Happened To Jane (Dir. Richard Quine 1959): A little-known gem from 1959 this romantic comedy stars Doris Day Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs in a classic tale of a small-town underdog triumph over corrupt big-business interests. Jane Osgood (Day) is a widowed mother who runs a struggling lobster business in coastal Maine while Harry Malone (Kovacs) is a wealthy businessman who has bought out the local railroad. He harbors big plans for it aiming to transform it into a luxury passenger train replacing the freight train the residents of the area depend upon. When a large lobster shipment of Jane's is rerouted and returned to her dead she decides to fight back and sues Malone with the help of her longtime friend and lawyer George Denham. This instigates a battle of increasingly epic proportions as Malone uses every trick in the book--as well as his massive bank account--to quell the resolve of the spitfire businesswoman; Jane for her part has public sympathy on her side. A reporter for the national news doing a story on Jane (Steve Forrest) begins to fall in love with her and she is forced to decide between the romantic journalist and her childhood friend George. The magical pairing of Lemmon and Day is augmented by the beautiful location photography in Maine and a stellar supporting cast including Mary Wickes Russ Brown and a rare film appearance from Kovacs.

• Day After Tomorrow, The / Flight Of The Phoenix / Volcano | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  20th Century Fox brings you three action blockbusters on this fantastic boxed set. The Day After Tomorrow: Where will you be? From the Director of 'Independence Day' comes a spectacular roller-coaster ride that boasts pulse-pounding action and sensational mindblowing special effects. When global warming triggers the onset of a new Ice Age tornadoes flatten Los Angeles a tidal wave engulfs New York City and the entire Northern Hemisphere begins to freeze solid. No

• Johnny Cash - The Man, His World, His Music | DVD | (05/01/2009) from £12.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.08%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This has the unmistakeable whiff of opportunism about it­-there is no structure, no narration, nothing by way of accompanying information, and much of the concert footage looks like it was filmed by someone whose other eye was engaged reading the instruction manual for the camera. Despite--or, just maybe, because of--these limitations, it offers some genuine revelations of its subject. And, in fairness, the concert footage that is filmed properly is marvellous. The material collected here was apparently filmed in America in the late 60s, and offers a series of snapshots of Cash on one of his famously interminable tours. He is shown playing to audiences of fans, maximum security prisoners and feather-clad Native American dignitaries, and he is shown away from the stage, playing cards on the tour bus, jamming with friends and further reinforcing his then-unfashionable interest in Native American issues with a visit to the site of the Wounded Knee massacre. Also of interest are the other performers that wander through this random travelogue: Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, duetting with him on "Jackson"; Cash's lead guitarist, Carl Perkins, taking the spotlight to sing his creation "Blue Suede Shoes"; and, best of all, Cash, grinning from ear to ear and quite unabashedly overawed, recording a glorious duet of Billy Edd Wheeler's "Blistered" with an insouciant, gum-chewing Bob Dylan. --Andrew Mueller