"Actor: Claudia"

• Handel: Alcina | DVD | (21/01/2002) from £14.98   |  Saving you £10.01 (66.82%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Produced with the cast of a year-2000 Stuttgart stage version, this performance of Handel's 1735 opera Alcina has been specially shot for home viewing without the audience present (though applause is heard during the closing credits). Director Janos Darvas enhances the usual low theatre illumination with stronger television-friendly lighting to provide more detail, and he also takes his cameras much closer to the artists than live performance permits, offering film-style close-ups that greatly enhance the drama. With just eight performers and an essentially static set--though some intriguing interesting things are done with a large "mirror"--this intimate approach proves an enormous advantage. Handel's complex tale of intense romantic entanglement on the island of the enchantress Alcina focuses as much on high-voltage acting as powerful music-making. The 20th-century costumes are initially disconcerting, but soon become part of a psychologically intense world where time seems out of joint and charged with otherwise-unimaginable emotional possibilities. As Alcina, Catherine Naglestad gives an extraordinary performance, both strikingly passionate and deeply sensual, her revealing costuming being just the most obvious sign of a production intent on the erotic. Though Naglestad dominates, each performer offers memorable characterisation and fine singing. On the DVD: Alcina comes to disc with an anamorphically enhanced 16:9 picture that is clear and detailed, while the PCM stereo audio is natural and is recorded with good presence. Other than various optional subtitles, including English, extras are entirely absent. Within the booklet is a brief biography of Handel, background notes on Alcina and a synopsis, but nothing on the artists or performance. --Gary S Dalkin

• Sueno | DVD | (17/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sing. Dream. Believe. His whole life Antonio (John Leguizamo) has dreamed of one thing - to become a famous musician. Leaving his Mexican border town behind he hops on a bus to Los Angeles where his life is transformed when he falls for Nina (Ana Claudia Talancn) a beautiful aspiring doctor. As his attraction to Nina grows so does his admiration for his neighbour Mirabella (Elizabeth Pea) a divorced mother of two and gifted former singer. At Antonio's passionate urgin

• Chicken Ranch | DVD | (07/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Chronicles the action in a legalised brothel 50 miles outside of Las Vegas. It's fifteen girls live in large trailers and the majority of the customers fly in on the brothels own plane. Broomfield records the lives of the colourful characters working and 'visiting' the Chicken Ranch.

• Farscape 2.2 | DVD | (07/05/2001) from £19.27   |  Saving you £5.72 (22.90%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The second season of Farscape expands upon and develops the characters introduced in the ambitious first season. John Crichton's new nemesis is the deadly Scorpius, replacing Crais who has taken the living ship Moya's offspring on a voyage into the unknown. Moya's regular crew--Aeryn, Zhaan, Chiana, D'Argo and Rygel--remain as divided and suspicious of each other as ever, yet somehow manage to pull together at times of crisis. After revelations about Pilot's introduction to Moya in "The Way We Weren't", the writers continue to exploit the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development. The CGI effects, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, continue to make Farscape the most original looking sci-fi show on TV. The witty scripts, peppered with post-modern pop culture references and movie in-jokes, are also a breath of fresh air. The result is episodic TV sci-fi that continually pushes at the accepted boundaries of the genre. On the DVD: the four episodes included here are all distinguished by ambitious storytelling, somewhat let down in the execution. In "Picture if You Will", an old enemy returns with a truly bizarre and barely comprehensible scheme to imprison Moya's crew inside a picture (shades of Dorian Gray maybe?). "Home on the Remains" has a contrived plot that harks right back to classic Star Trek, with Crichton even quoting Jim Kirk (the highlight, though, is Zhaan's transformation, which gives a whole new meaning to hay fever). Both "Dream a Little Dream" and "Out of Their Minds" play around with the crew's perceptions of reality--the former is a curious flashback episode set in between the first and second season, as Zhaan is put on trial for murder on a dystopian planet run by lawyers; the second plays body-swap with the crew, with everyone obviously having fun pretending to be everyone else (the aliens, however, look like leftovers from The Dark Crystal). DVD extras include a handful of deleted scenes, a DVD-ROM screensaver and yet another photo gallery. --Mark Walker

• Farscape 2.4 | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £25.00   |  Saving you £-0.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The second season of Farscape expands upon and develops the characters introduced in the ambitious first season. John Crichton's new nemesis is the deadly Scorpius, replacing Crais who has taken the living ship Moya's offspring on a voyage into the unknown. Moya's regular crew--Aeryn, Zhaan, Chiana, D'Argo and Rygel--remain as divided and suspicious of each other as ever, yet somehow manage to pull together at times of crisis. The writers continue to exploit the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development, while the CGI effects, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, continue to make Farscape the most original looking sci-fi show on TV. The witty scripts, peppered with post-modern pop culture references and movie in-jokes, are also a breath of fresh air. The result is episodic TV sci-fi that continually pushes at the accepted boundaries of the genre. --Mark Walker

• Starship Rising - Eine Rebellion startet mit einem Schiff: Blu-ray 3D + 2D | Blu Ray | (28/05/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Farscape 2.1 | DVD | (12/03/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Farscape is genre television at its most ambitious, inspired both by the cult appeal of Babylon 5 and the continuing success of the Star Trek franchise, but taking a visual and conceptual leap beyond those shows. Making extensive use of CGI, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the Farscape concept has a freshness that makes it look and feel completely original. The production design is all bio-mechanical curves and the script, which is peppered with post-modern pop culture references and movie in-jokes, never takes itself too seriously. It may be expensive to make, but it certainly looks (and sounds--in Dolby Digital 5.1) like every penny made it to the screen. Ben Browder plays leading man John Crichton as a latter-day Buck Rogers but with an entirely believable sense of bewilderment, not to mention loss; the rest of the living ship Moya's crew also has plenty of difficult issues to deal with, allowing Farscape's writers licence to develop their characters in often unexpected ways. The result is episodic TV sci-fi that continually pushes at the accepted boundaries of the format. Box Set 6: after the nail-biting cliffhanger at the end of the first, the second series gets off to a shaky start in "Mind the Baby", as all the loose plot ends have to be gathered and resolved. Crais apparently has a change of heart, and Scorpius takes his place as Crichton's new nemesis. In "Vitas Mortis" D'Argo falls for a lonely Luxan, with catastrophic and barely plausible results for Moya. "Taking the Stone" showcases Chiana's grief in an episode that manages to be even more confusing. Fortunately by the fourth episode, "Crackers Don't Matter", the show has really hit its stride once again: the crew slowly succumbs to a state of paranoia-fuelled madness, fighting and trying to kill one another thanks to the presence of an odd light-seeking alien. Crichton has a string of great lines ("I hate it when villains quote Shakespeare") and much fun doing an impersonation of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. In "The Way We Weren't" there are shocking revelations about both Aeryn and Pilot's past lives and the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development is once more brought to the fore. Extra features on the DVD include a handful of deleted scenes, cast biographies, a picture gallery and TV trailer. --Mark Walker

• Backstreet Boys - All Access | DVD | (16/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  This candid, behind-the-scenes footage captures the late-90's pop sensation as they woo girls with their smooth vocals. ALL ACCESS VIDEO includes a special look into the making of the first video which catapulted them to the status of international phenomenon, 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back).' Also, the viewer gets a bonus live performance of 'Get Down' and a sneak preview of the video 'All I Have to Give.'; ; TrackList:; 1. Everybody (Backstreet's Back); 2. As Long as You Love Me; 3. Quit Pla...

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 2 (Vol.7) | DVD | (28/08/2000) from £5.71   |  Saving you £2.27 (83.46%)   |  RRP £4.99

  The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Since neither Kurt Russell nor James Spader would be able to commit, it gave the producers licence to tinker with the cast and the universe they'd explore. Replacing the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" pharaohnic Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father literally joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. The first two episodes here (nos. 9 & 13) do not follow the previous Volume 6 chronologically. "Thor's Hammer" ought to be seen before Vol. 3, since this visit to Cimmeria presents an earlier chapter in Teal'c's problems at home and is the introduction to the Gate-building Asgard race. "Hathor" is likewise an essential early instalment by introducing the siren-like goddess who will continue to put Earth's men under her spell. Episodes 21 and 22 jump forward to finish Season Two: there's great fun to be had in "1969" and a time-travel plot that loops many aspects of the show's storylines together. The cliff-hanger finale, "Out of Mind", has O'Neill experience an Aliens-style awakening 79 years into his future. What the Hell happened? And why is he being asked so many questions about Earth's defences? --Paul Tonks

• Nightmare Boulevard | DVD | (18/04/2005) from £6.98   |  Saving you £16.00 (401.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  While a serial killer keeps the city in the grip of fear Detective Perry (Ron Perlman) sets out to find the perpetrator. Meanwhile housewife Amy Martin (Claudia Christian) becomes an aid the investigation when she reports that she is being stalked by her tennis instructor. Her husband (Corbin Bernsen) also becomes a suspect when she reveals that he's been spending a decreasing amount of time at home. Will Amy prove to be the key to the city's return to safety or is she just another

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 5 (Vol. 25) | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £5.97   |  Saving you £-0.98 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Stargate SG-1 is the TV spin-off from the 1994 big-screen movie. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They are joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Episodes on this disc: "Meridian", "Revelations".It's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan all over again as Daniel Jackson decides the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, sacrificing himself for the greater good in "Meridian". The departure of Michael Shanks is both sudden and suspicious. His Season 6 replacement--Corin Nemec as Jonas Quinn--is quickly established too. So much intrigue will leave regular viewers puzzled, especially since this is only the penultimate cliffhanger to the year. "Revelations" are aplenty at the end of year five. Earth's seemingly all-powerful allies the Asgard show yet more chinks in their armour. The SG-1 teams' grief over Daniel is remarkably short-lived. And behind the scenes a change of US broadcast channels could mean anything might happen between now and next year. Is this the beginning of the end? --Paul Tonks

• Risk | DVD | (16/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The world of insurance hasn't exactly inspired a wealth of memorable cinema, but Australian film Risk is a feisty, funny, clever and, yes, insurance-related movie. Drawing on a range of cinematic themes (good cop/bad cop, the young newcomer and his guiding light, a love triangle) the film offers a fresh insight by virtue of its unusual setting. Ben Madigen (Tom Long) finds himself working in the business by default and is soon taken under the wing of the charismatic John Kreisky (Brown). While trying to undertake his job without compromising his principles, Madigen is unwittingly lured into a scam by Kreisky and his girlfriend, lawyer Louise Roncaldi (Claudia Karvan). The burgeoning and later unravelling relationship between the three is the film's key story, as Long finds himself torn between the other two. Brown is excellent as the scheming Kreisky, once again proving that his failure to move into a more major acting league is little short of baffling--but then, this type of imaginative film offers him more scope than Cocktail or FX ever could and serves as a welcome advertisement for the growing Australian movie industry. This is a highly intelligent film that keeps its plot-cards closely to its chest, keeping the viewer guessing throughout. On the DVD: the usual scene selection is coupled with the trailer, which presents the film (slightly misleadingly) in pulsating, high-action tones. The "making of" featurette offers the viewer an insight into not very much happening (look, there's a man pushing something) and gives the cast an opportunity to take themselves a little too seriously. --Phil Udell

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 5 (Vol. 24) | DVD | (26/08/2002) from £6.54   |  Saving you £-1.55 (-31.10%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Stargate SG-1 is the TV spin-off from the 1994 big-screen movie. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Episodes on this DVD: "Fail Safe", "The Warrior", "Menace" and "Sentinel". Before now, this show has managed to skirt around the edges of the technological implausibility that plagued the latter Star Trek incarnations. But in "Fail Safe", Sam's surreal solution to the problem of an asteroid on collision course with Earth has to be seen to be disbelieved. Teal'c and his old master Bra'tac have always wanted an inspiring leader to assist in making the other Jaffa realise their mistaken allegiances. Kytano (Rick Worthy) sure looks like "The Warrior" for whom they've been waiting. But everyone's patience and beliefs are put to the test when Jack questions what he sees as a situation that's too good to be true. The discovery of a Data-like android poses all sorts of questions for the SGC, especially as the dormant machine is the only thing left of a desolated world. Dr Jackson persuades everyone to turn it on, and boy do they regret it! Reese (Danielle Nicolet) turns out to have the mental maturity of a child, and a stroppy one at that. Worse, she's responsible for the greatest "Menace" the galaxy has ever known. Former crimes by the sinister NID have to be rectified on a doomed world. Led by the timid Marul (a fantastic turn by Henry Gibson), the planet believes in the mystical protection of "The Sentinel". Regrettably two turncoat agents destroyed that protection and it's up to the team to put something in its place. --Paul Tonks

• Farscape 2.3 | DVD | (02/07/2001) from £17.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (-63.60%)   |  RRP £10.99

  The second season of Farscape expands upon and develops the characters introduced in the ambitious first season. John Crichton's new nemesis is the deadly Scorpius, replacing Crais who has taken the living ship Moya's offspring on a voyage into the unknown. Moya's regular crew--Aeryn, Zhaan, Chiana, D'Argo and Rygel--remain as divided and suspicious of each other as ever, yet somehow manage to pull together at times of crisis. After revelations about Pilot's introduction to Moya in "The Way We Weren't", the writers continue to exploit the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development. The CGI effects, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, continue to make Farscape the most original looking sci-fi show on TV. The witty scripts, peppered with post-modern pop culture references and movie in-jokes, are also a breath of fresh air. The result is episodic TV sci-fi that continually pushes at the accepted boundaries of the genre. --Mark Walker

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 2 (Vol. 5) | DVD | (26/06/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Since neither Kurt Russell nor James Spader would be able to commit, it gave the producers licence to tinker with the cast and the universe they'd explore. Replacing the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" pharaohnic Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father literally joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. A satisfying conclusion to the previous episode's cliff-hanger is reached in "The Tok'ra (Part II)". There may only be preliminary goodwill established between Earth and the rebels, but the dangling thread bodes well. On planet Madrona, the team are accused of stealing a "Touchstone" that controls its climate. The revelation of who really stole it causes ripples in the pond back on Earth. Prepare for a science lesson (one of the series' strengths) in "A Matter of Time" as the gang ponders how to resist a black hole's pull. The last episode in the volume carries a voice from the past through O'Neill's lips as the "Fifth Race" demands to be heard. --Paul Tonks

• Alien Abduction | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £18.99

  While camping Jean and her three friends are abducted by extra terrestrials. She returns to consciousness in a US Military Hospital especially designed to rehabilitate alien abductees. Her army interrogators soon resort to torture lobotomy and even the execution of uncooperative and mutated patients. Jean escapes only to discover the awful truth about the bloody conflict between humanity and the conquering forces of extraterrestrial evil.

• Dead Bolt Dead | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Dead Bolt Dead' takes a twisted look at the dark world of organised crime at its assasins its bosses its drivers and its sharply suited paid thugs. It adds a dose of country and western a couple of spliffs and a Mexican cook with a meat cleaver. It's a dark thriller with a wry sense of humour that focuses on the need to keep talking when staring down the barrel of a gun. Set in 2 locations in and outside London it charts the night after a bold attempt to take out a rival gang fails. Two hostage situations emerge - one with a wounded thug desperate to secure his safety the other with a hired gun and his crime lord target. The claustrophobic confines of the 2 situations sporadically burst into violence - these characters simply too big for the corner they've got themselves into and they will do ANYTHING to get themselves out of it!

• Action Films (Box Set) | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This box set contains the following four titles: The Peacekeeper: The President's briefcase containing the code for a nuclear arsenal is stolen by terrorist threatening to launch a missile... unless the President kills himself live on TV. Danger Zone: Thousands die horrific deaths when barrels of nuclear waste are dumped in a disused mine. Time is now running out to track down the missing barrels. In Pursuit: The wife of a rich businessman has long enjoyed an affair with lawyer Rick. The affair backfires when her husband is murdered and the evidence points to Rick. Yesterday's Target: 3 agents from the future travel back in time to correct some disastrous mistakes. But the head of a sinister government agency wants to terminate them.

• Dead Awake | DVD | (15/04/2002) from £4.99   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Evil Never Sleeps. He's a sleepwalker in a deadly dreamland a murder witness turned suspect a man without an alibi. Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects) is brilliant marketing executive Desmond Caine a tortured soul stricken with bizarre insomnia that keeps him walking the city's dangerous streets at all hours of the night. During one of his hallucinogenic journeys he witnesses a brutal murder. Upon finding the victim's watch he goes to the police and quickly becomes the main suspect in a twisted tale of cruel corruption big money and cold-blooded killing. How can you stop the nightmare when you're already awake?

• JESUS VON NAZARETH - VARIOUS | DVD | (09/03/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A