"Actor: Chris McKenna"

• Doctor Zhivago | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £3.92   |  Saving you £10.07 (256.89%)   |  RRP £13.99

  David Lean's wintry adaptation of Boris Pasternak's melodramatic Russian Revolution romance, Doctor Zhivago, is a masterpiece of epic filmmaking, but one that risks leaving the viewer cold. Though none of the film was shot in the then USSR, Lean's assured technique nevertheless illuminates the breathtaking backgrounds magnificently: from the snowy wastes of the Urals to the strife-torn streets of Moscow, Lean stages a series of wonderful set-pieces showing war, revolution and its terrible aftermath. The problem lies in the foreground. Omar Sharif's entirely passive Zhivago is, we are told, a romantic poet of great sensitivity who internalises all his emotions and expresses them in verse. The trouble is the audience never gets to see a line of his poems, not even the centrally important "Lara" cycle. Thus Zhivago at the end of the picture is as much an emotional blank to us as he was at the beginning. His affair with the idealised beauty that is Julie Christie's Lara is also taken for granted by the filmmakers rather than set up in any convincing way, their mutual attraction remaining a mystery that creates a vacuum at the core of the picture. Given that none of the central characters with the exception of Rod Steiger's fire-breathing lecher Komarovsky ever give way to strong emotions, the romantic heart of the film remains oddly frigid. Matters are not helped by composer Maurice Jarre's incessant "Lara's Theme", which many will find teeth-grindingly irritating. Still, any David Lean epic, even a flawed one, is always going to be a first-class cinematic experience, and Zhivago is assuredly that. On the DVD: A stunning anamorphic widescreen print is the ideal way to appreciate David Lean's craftsmanship and this movie's glorious, wintry cinematography. Maurice Jarre's "Lara's Theme" and the rest of his patchwork score can be heard in a music-only track, while Omar Sharif is joined by Lean's widow Sandra and Rod Steiger for an intermittent commentary. The second bonus disc contains a good hour-long making-of documentary plus 10 shorter contemporary documentaries giving various insights into the location shooting and the cast and crew. But it's the sheer beauty of the picture that will astonish and make this disc forever treasurable. --Mark Walker

• Gifted | DVD | (23/10/2017) from £8.25   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Octavia Spencer joins a celebrated cast in this wonderfully moving film. Frank Adler, a single man (Chris Evans), is dedicated to raising his spirited young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace), a child prodigy. But Frank and Mary's happy life together is threatened when Mary's mathematical abilities come to the attention of her grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) who has other plans for her granddaughter.

• Waterloo | DVD | (13/10/2014) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sergei Bondarchuk directs this 1970s drama starring Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer. After his abdication Napoleon Bonaparte (Steiger) is exiled to the island of Elba. However, he escapes to be reunited with his generals and troops and mounts a last desperate bid for power at the Battle of Waterloo. He has, however, reckoned without the British forces led by Arthur Welsley the Duke of Wellington (Plummer), who has just returned from a successful campaign in Spain.

• The Scarlet And The Black | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.49   |  Saving you £5.50 (122.49%)   |  RRP £9.99

  During the German occupation of Rome in 1943 an athletic Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck) devotes all the time he can spare from his work at the Vatican to hiding Allied POWs from the Nazis. Col. Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer) Rome's chief Gestapo Officer suspects O'Flaherty of hiding escapees but can do little about it because of the priest's Vatican diplomatic immunity. But when he unearths proof of O'Flaherty's complicity he orders that the priest be

• Waterloo | DVD | (06/06/2005) from £7.74   |  Saving you £-1.75 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A film that will never be equalled for its spectacle and dramatic power" says the stirring trailer on this otherwise sparsely featured DVD. Taking the story of the Napoleonic Wars to Bonapartes final defeat, Waterloo is an unofficial continuation to director Sergei Bondarchuks own 70mm super-epic War and Peace (1968). The climactic battle of Waterloo is shown in the second half of the film and re-enacted with such stunning realism by a cast of around 20,000 extras that it looks like documentary footage from history itself (some 20 years later, Gettysburg, 1993, did the same for the American Civil War). Those who hailed the groundbreaking impact of Saving Private Ryan should see Bondarchuks films, as for sheer scale and intensity--if not bloodiness--they make Spielbergs hit look like an amateur video. Without ever attempting a French accent, Rod Steiger makes a commanding Napoleon, Christopher Plummer a worthy adversary as Wellington, while the supporting cast led by Orson Welles, Jack Hawkins and Virginia McKenna is excellent. The DVD transfer is richly detailed and clear, though the print itself could have done with just a little restoration. Though dated, Abel Glances Napoleon (1928) remains definitive for many, perhaps explaining why Stanley Kubrick eventually abandoned his planned Napoleon film, instead making the 18th Century period epic Barry Lyndon (1974). --Gary S.Dalkin

• King of The Ants (LE) | Blu Ray | (26/05/2025) from £18.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sean, a young housepainter, has no direction or attachments in his life. When Duke (George Wendt), an acquaintance, hires him to spy on and then kill a man who threatens the shady business dealings that Duke and his employer Matthews (Daniel Baldwin) are engaged in, Sean agrees for a price. After haphazardly carrying out the gruesome task, Duke and Matthews renege on paying Sean his blood money, and so begins a game of cat-and-mouse between killers and hit-man. Who will go further to be king the immoral or the amoral?

• Waterloo (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (25/10/2021) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Waterloo is the 1970 epic period war film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk and produced by legendary producer Dino De Laurentis. It depicts the story of the preliminary events and the Battle of Waterloo and is famous for its lavish battle scenes. Starring Rod Steiger as Napoleon Bonaparte and Christopher Plummer as the Duke of Wellington with a cameo by Orson Welles as Louis XVIII of France, and Jack Hawkins all contribute fine portraits of great men against a magnificent backdrop of battle and bloodshed.

• Flambards: The Complete Series (Repackaged) | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £27.98   |  Saving you £4.00 (15.39%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Flambards is a delightful tale about a young orphan called Christina (Christine McKenna). Set in the years surrounding the first World War Flambards is a deeply moving story of growing and loving in a world that is continually changing. Christina has been moved from home to home for most of her life until one day she is sent to live at Flambards the once grand country home of her domineering disabled Uncle Russell and his two sons Mark and William. However much as Christina is hoping to find a loving new family she soon discovers the inhabitants at Flambards are an unhappy group torn apart by bitterness and jealousy. Episodes Comprise: 1. Christina 2. The Blooding 3. Entry To A New World 4. Lady Bountiful 5. Point To Point 6. The Cold Light Of Day 7. Edge Of The Cloud 8. Flying High 9. Sing No Sad Songs 10. New Blood 11. Prisoners Of War 12. What Are Servants For? 13. Inheritance

• Waterloo - Special Edition (LIMITED TO 5,000 COPIES) | Blu Ray | (14/06/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  First time on Blu-Ray in the UK. Waterloo is the 1970 epic period war film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk and produced by legendary producer Dino De Laurentis. It depicts the story of the preliminary events and the Battle of Waterloo and is famous for its lavish battle scenes. Starring Rod Steiger as Napoleon Bonaparte and Christopher Plummer as the Duke of Wellington with a cameo by Orson Welles as Louis XVIII of France, and Jack Hawkins all contribute fine portraits of great men against a magnificent backdrop of battle and bloodshed.

• Malignant | Blu Ray | (23/05/2022) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Malignant marks director James Wan's return to his roots with this new original horror thriller. In the film, a woman is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.

• The Kids from 47A - The Complete Series 1 | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £12.98   |  Saving you £9.00 (81.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Leave a family of children aged between eight and 16 to run a flat on their own, and what happens? Can they cope without adult assistance? Should they be left to muddle through alone, or would they be happier and safer in the care of the local authority? Just how the Gathercole family - Jess (at 16 the matriarch), Binny (14), Willy (12) and George (9) - manages to survive in such circumstances is the premise of this major children's series broadcast in the early 1970s. Starting from the time...

• Waterloo | Blu Ray | (05/09/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Monty Python's Life Of Brian (Special Edition) | DVD | (05/11/2007) from £17.87   |  Saving you £-0.88 (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  You could say this is one of the greatest comedies ever but the Monty Python team said it first! 'Life Of Brian' is all about (and here's the big surprise) the life of Brian who was born in a Bethlehem manger next door to Jesus. Three wise men believe he is the messiah but it becomes apparent that he is only Brian. It's written and performed by the Monty Python lads so you know what you're in for; if you don't put this disc down and go out while it's safe!

• Monty Python Movies Box Set | DVD | (10/04/2017) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-14.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Monty Python goes to the movies in this DVD boxset packed with three of their classic cinematic adventures. Enjoy ˜And Now For Something Completely Different', ˜Monty Python and the Holy Grail' and ˜Life of Brian'. And Now For Something Completely Different Monty Python's Flying Circus is regarded as a milestone In British Comedy, This, their first feature film, is an anthology of the funniest sketches from the legendary BBC television series. Pick one of your favourites from among many, including the famous Say No More, Nudge, Nudge sequence, the Hell's Grannies and The Dead Parrot. Monty Python and the Holy Grail After a chance meeting with a rather irate God, King Arthur and his Knights of The Round Table are set the sacred task of retrieving the all powerful Holy Grail. On their long quest they encounter a number of terrifying hazards the taunts of the abusive French Knight, disgruntled peasants, the Knights who say ˜Ni' and the deadly rabbit with the big pointy teeth. (Double Disc Set) Life of Brian The Pythons deliver a scathing, anarchic satire of both religion and Hollywood's depiction of all things biblical with their third film. The setting is Judea 33 A.D., a time of poverty and chaos, with no shortage of messiahs, followers willing to believe in them, and exasperated Romans trying to impose some order. (Double Disc Set)

• Flambards | DVD | (31/07/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Flambards is a delightful tale about a young orphan called Christina (Christine McKenna). Set in the years surrounding the first World War Flambards is a deeply moving story of growing and loving in a world that is continually changing. Christina has been moved from home to home for most of her life until one day she is sent to live at Flambards the once grand country home of her domineering disabled Uncle Russell and his two sons Mark and William. However much as Christina is hoping to find a loving new family she soon discovers the inhabitants at Flambards are an unhappy group torn apart by bitterness and jealousy. Episodes Comprise: 1. Christina 2. The Blooding 3. Entry To A New World 4. Lady Bountiful 5. Point To Point 6. The Cold Light Of Day 7. Edge Of The Cloud 8. Flying High 9. Sing No Sad Songs 10. New Blood 11. Prisoners Of War 12. What Are Servants For? 13. Inheritance

• Flambards - The Complete Collection | DVD | (05/01/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  All thirteen episodes: 'Christina' 'The Blooding' 'Entry To A New World' 'Lady Bountiful' 'Point To Point' 'The Cold Light Of Day' 'Edge Of The Cloud' 'Flying High' 'Sing No Sad Songs' 'New Blood' 'Prisoners Of War' 'What Are Servants For?' and 'Inheritance'.

• Freakshow | DVD | (15/02/2010) from £8.08   |  Saving you £6.91 (85.52%)   |  RRP £14.99

  When a gang of thieves hiding out in a circus sideshow decides to steal from the wealthy owner there are horrific consequences!

• Stargate SG-1: Season 7 (Vol. 34) | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Avenger 2.0 Dr.Felger creates a computer virus meant to disable Goa'uld controlled worlds but the programme malfunctions and spreads through the Stargate network. All the team are in grave danger and its up to the bumbling Dr Felger to stop the virus before SG-1 is wiped out! Birthright The team encounter a race of women warriors whose survival depends on symbiotes harvested from Jaf'fa. Teal'c and SG-1 must convince the warriors' high priestess to put aside her fear of reliance on the drug before the Goa'uld track the warriors down and destroy them. Evolution (Part 1) The SG-1 team encounters an advanced bio-engineered warrior with incredible strength created by Anubis. O'Neill Carter and Teal'c set out to locate the origin of the new foe as Daniel travels to South America in search of a device that may be key to defeating this super warrior. Evolution (Part 2) Having found the secret location of the warrior base O'Neill is assigned a recon mission to South America to rescue Daniel who having found a mysterious artefact is kidnapped by Honduran rebels demanding a ransom or his life!

• Tales Of The Macabre - Love Object / King Of The Ants / May | DVD | (09/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £20.99

  Love Object: Kenneth is socially insecure. But when he buys 'Nikki' a silicone sex doll over the internet. Because of his experience with his new toy Kenneth's life takes a turn for the better when he attracts the attention of a real girl Lisa. But when the doll's jealous personality invades his consciousness Kenneth becomes trapped in a perverse triangle torn between the silicone Nikki and the flesh and blood Lisa. King Of The Ants: Sean is a painter with no direct

• King Of The Ants | DVD | (05/07/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Sean is a painter with no direction in his life. When his boss asks him to kill a man he does so albeit clumsy. But when the bad guy refuses to pay up the blood money a deadly cat and mouse game begins between killers and hitman. What they wanted was a fall guy but what they created was a monster.