"Actor: Christ Hurt"

• The Lord of the Rings (Animated Version) | DVD | (26/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is a bold, colourful, ambitious failure. Severely truncated, this two-hour version tackles only about half the story, climaxing with the battle of Helm's Deep and leaving poor Frodo and Sam still stuck on the borders of Mordor with Gollum. Allegedly, the director ran out of money and was unable to complete the project. As far as the film does go, however, it is a generally successful attempt at rendering Tolkien's landscapes of the imagination. Bakshi's animation uses a blend of conventional drawing and rotoscoped (traced) animated movements from live-action footage. The latter is at least in part a money-saving device, but it does succeed in lending some depth and a sense of otherworldly menace to the Black Riders and hordes of Orcs: Frodo's encounter at the ford of Rivendell, for example, is one of the movie's best scenes thanks to this mixture of animation techniques. Backdrops are detailed and well-conceived, and all the main characters are strongly drawn. Among a good cast, John Hurt (Aragorn) and C3PO himself, Anthony Daniels (Legolas), provide sterling voice characterisation, while Peter Woodthorpe gives what is surely the definitive Gollum (he revived his portrayal a couple of years later for BBC Radio's exhaustive 13-hour dramatisation). The film's other outstanding virtue is avant-garde composer Leonard Rosenman's magnificent score in which chaotic musical fragments gradually coalesce to produce the triumphant march theme that closes the picture. None of which makes up for the incompleteness of the movie, nor the severe abridging of the story actually filmed. Add to that some oddities--such as intermittently referring to Saruman as "Aruman"--and the final verdict must be that this is a brave yet ultimately unsatisfying work, noteworthy as the first attempt at transferring Tolkien to the big screen but one whose virtues are overshadowed by incompleteness. --Mark Walker

• The Last Full Measure | DVD | (13/07/2020) from £7.06   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  American war drama written and directed by Todd Robinson and featuring an ensemble cast that includes Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Wood, William Hurt and Peter Fonda. US Department of Defense employee Scott Huffman (Sebastian Scott) is tasked with investigating a posthumous Medal of Honor application for William H. Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine), known as Pits to his comrades, for his efforts during the Vietnam War. Huffman's research involves interviewing veterans Mott (Harris), Takoda (Jackson) and Burr (Fonda), who were all saved by Pits during one of the bloodiest battles of the war. As Huffman learns more about the battle he realises that he will have to put his career on the line in order to expose the decades long cover-up behind denying Pits with a Medal of Honor.

• Heaven's Gate | DVD | (25/11/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Based on the Johnson County War of 1892 Michael Cimino's epic western is now hailed as a masterpiece of American Cinema and is presented here in its newly and definitive director's cut. Harvard graduate James Averill has returned to Wyoming as a Marshall and is facing growing divisions and escalating tensions in the local community. The powerful government-backed cattle barons are waging war on the immigrant settlers they brand 'thieves and anarchists' and are drawing up a 'death list' for their hired mercenaries to act upon. As hostilities mount the inevitability of a full-scale and blood war edges even closer. Special Features: New Interview with Jeff Bridges New Interview with Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond Extracts from 'Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate' - Michael Epstein's Acclaimed Documentary Based on Steven's Bach book

• Heaven's Gate | Blu Ray | (25/11/2013) from £17.98   |  Saving you £4.00 (25.02%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Based on the Johnson County War of 1892 Michael Cimino's epic western is now hailed as a masterpiece of American Cinema and is presented here in its newly and definitive director's cut. Harvard graduate James Averill has returned to Wyoming as a Marshall and is facing growing divisions and escalating tensions in the local community. The powerful government-backed cattle barons are waging war on the immigrant settlers they brand 'thieves and anarchists' and are drawing up a 'death list' for their hired mercenaries to act upon. As hostilities mount the inevitability of a full-scale and blood war edges even closer. Special Features: New Interview with Jeff Bridges New Interview with Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond Extracts from 'Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate' - Michael Epstein's Acclaimed Documentary Based on Steven's Bach book

• Orson Welles - Screen Legends | DVD | (05/06/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  What more is there to say about Orson Welles? One of the most talented and enigmatic artists that Hollywood has ever seen this box set gathers several films in his oeuvre for your viewing pleasure. Citizen Kane (Dir. Orson Welles 1941): In May of 1941 RKO Radio Pictures released a controversial film by a 25-year-old first-time director. That premier of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane was to have a profound and lasting effect of the art of motion pictures. It has been hai

• Miracle Maker | DVD | (30/10/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This animated feature-length life of Jesus boasts a stellar pedigree. Originally a BBC Wales production, it showcases the voices of some of Britain's finest actors in any medium: Ralph Fiennes as a brooding and humble Jesus, Miranda Richardson as Mary Magdalene, Richard E. Grant as John the Baptist and David Thewlis as Judas. The lovely, flute-heavy score is by Oscar-winner Anne Dudley (The Full Monty). And clearly a lot of expense has gone into the Claymation-like animation. But while it's hard to find fault with the rendering of this familiar story--it is respectful and definitely done, you might say, by the Book--it would have been nice if there had been a tad more joy, if it walked a bit lighter in its sandals. As it is, all the characters seem consistently subdued, whether they are expressing angst, rage, terror or bliss--none of which is helped by the figures' blank-eyed stares (if animators are becoming ever more sophisticated, why can't they get rid of those creepy blank gazes once and for all?). Still, the weight of having such formidable actors play these familiar roles lends the production a certain credibility, and parents looking for good religious videos that won't insult their kids' intelligence will be thrilled. --Anne Hurley

• Jake Speed | Blu Ray | (04/06/2018) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When her sister is taken by a gang of white slavers, Margaret (Karen Kopins, Troop Beverly Hills) knows she needs a hero with a difference to bring her home. Enter Jake Speed (Wayne Crawford, Barracuda), leaping from the pages of pulp thriller novels and into the real world. With Margaret in tow and his trusty sidekick Desmond Floyd (Dennis Christopher, Chariots of Fire) in tow, Jake arrives hot on the heels of the kidnappers in a southern African country gripped by civil war. But it soon turns out Jake got more than he bargained for when he discovers that the ringleader of the slavers is none other than his own arch-nemesis: the wicked, criminally insane Sid (John Hurt, Alien, The Osterman Weekend) A ripe slice of '80s action cheese in the tradition of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone, Jake Speed has it all: romance, death-defying stunts, spellbinding scenery shot on location in Zimbabwe and best of all, a wickedly off-the-wall performance by the late John Hurt, proving the old adage that a hero is nothing without a worthy foe. Features: High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original lossless 2.0 stereo audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Paperback Wishes, Cinematic Dreams, a new interview with co-writer/producer/director Andrew Lane The Hard Way Reads Better, a new interview with producer William Fay Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by Mark Cunliffe

• The Lord of the Rings (1978) | Blu Ray | (10/12/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Made in 1978, the original 'The Lord Of The Rings' was directed by cutting edge animator Ralph Bakshi using an innovative technique that allowed the animator to paint over live action footage, bringing the book to life with stunning success. Featuring an exceptional voice cast including William Squire as Gandalf the Grey, Christopher Guard as the Hobbit Frodo and guardian of the master ring, John Hurt as the heroic Strider, One Foot in the Grave's Annette Crosby as Galadriel and Star Wars' A...

• Miranda | DVD | (27/07/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A librarian begins a passionate affair with a mysterious woman who walks into his library. But then she disappears and he discover that she has three identities - dancer, dominatrix and con-woman. But which one is the real Miranda?

• Jake Speed | DVD | (05/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  When white slavers kidnap a young woman's sister only Grandpa knows what to do. He puts in a call to a fictional hero Jake Speed. She is amazed to find that he actually exists and that in flesh and blood he is much less formidable than his reputation.

• Programming Of Life | DVD | (23/12/2013) from £12.91   |  Saving you £0.08 (0.60%)   |  RRP £12.99

  From the producers of God of Wonders comes this visually rich documentary that takes the viewer on a journey of discovery through stunning graphics and mind blowing statistics. It explores the information that is an essential part of our lives. The code that's in every cell every piece of DNA and all living things. You will learn how the most common view of life's origin chemical evolution conflicts with our knowledge of information science. You will witness the breakthrough discoveries in research and how information science is changing the way we think about all living systems and how much more there is still yet to be revealed.

• The Lord of the Rings -- Limited Edition Box Set | DVD | (26/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is a bold, colourful, ambitious failure. Severely truncated, this two-hour version tackles only about half the story, climaxing with the battle of Helm's Deep and leaving poor Frodo and Sam still stuck on the borders of Mordor with Gollum. Allegedly, the director ran out of money and was unable to complete the project. As far as the film does go, however, it is a generally successful attempt at rendering Tolkien's landscapes of the imagination. Bakshi's animation uses a blend of conventional drawing and rotoscoped (traced) animated movements from live-action footage. The latter is at least in part a money-saving device, but it does succeed in lending some depth and a sense of otherworldly menace to the Black Riders and hordes of Orcs: Frodo's encounter at the ford of Rivendell, for example, is one of the film's best scenes thanks to this mixture of animation techniques. Backdrops are detailed and well conceived, and all the main characters are strongly drawn. Among a good cast, John Hurt (Aragorn) and C3PO himself, Anthony Daniels (Legolas), provide sterling voice characterisation, while Peter Woodthorpe gives what is surely the definitive Gollum (he revived his portrayal a couple of years later for BBC Radio's exhaustive 13-hour dramatisation). The film's other outstanding virtue is avant-garde composer Leonard Rosenman's magnificent score in which chaotic musical fragments gradually coalesce to produce the triumphant march theme that closes the picture. None of which makes up for the incompleteness of the movie, nor the severe abridging of the story actually filmed. Add to that some oddities--such as intermittently referring to Saruman as "Aruman"--and the final verdict must be that this is a brave yet ultimately unsatisfying work, noteworthy as the first attempt at transferring Tolkien to the big screen but one whose virtues are overshadowed by incompleteness. --Mark Walker

• Miranda | DVD | (26/12/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A librarian begins a passionate affair with a mysterious woman who walks into his library. But then she disappears and he discover that she has three identities - dancer, dominatrix and con-woman. But which one is the real Miranda?