"Actor: Dan"

• L'Elisir D'Amore - Donizetti | DVD | (13/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  It's hard to think of a couple better suited to play the romantic leads in Donizetti's comedy L'Elisir d'amore than husband-and-wife team Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. Both are charming on stage, and both have voices to die for: Gheorghiu's dark liquid tones are particularly spine-tingling, and her coloratura abilities awe-inspiring, and though Alagna has mainly concentrated on the more spinto (powerful) roles of the tenor repertoire, in 1996 when this live production was recorded his voice was just a little fresher and lighter and thus perfect for the bel canto gracefulness of Donizetti's writing. His performance of "Una furtiva lagrima", for example, is meltingly sung and free from all temptation to overplay the high notes. Frank Dunlop's 1920s-set production doesn't quite produce the belly laughs some stagings manage (in Dulcamara's patter song, for example), but has a certain small-town wistful charm nonetheless. The orchestral accompaniment under Donizetti expert Evelino Pidò is spot on, and never falls into the banal "oom-pah" trap that such simple writing can often lead to. Overall, it's a production of great charm. On the DVD: L'Elisir d'amore comes to disc with a 52-minute film on the history of the opera and its recording, with contributions from Alagna and Gheorghiu, and subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. The Lyon opera house is particularly well set up for video recording, and Brian Large does a sophisticated job of capturing a live performance: it's hard to believe at some points that the cameras aren't actually on stage in the middle of the action. Just occasionally this leads to the singers not knowing where to look and seeming a trifle lost, but generally the performances work superbly well on the small screen. --Warwick Thomson

• Winchester 73 | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £14.56   |  Saving you £-4.57 (-45.70%)   |  RRP £9.99

  It's the legendary James Stewart at his leading-man finest in this timeless western that set the standard for all that followed. Frontiersman Lin McAdam (Stewart) is attempting to track down both his father's murderer and his one-of-a-kind rifle the Winchester '73 as it passes among a diverse group of desperate characters including a crazed highwayman (Dan Duryea) an immoral gunrunner (John McIntire) a savage young Indian chief (Rock Hudson) and McAdam's own murderous brother (Stephen McNally). Featuring Shelley Winters as the rifle's only rival for McAdam's interest and Tony Curtis in one of his first screen performances the gripping tale of the men (and gun) who won the West is one of Stewart's most memorable films and one of the genre's most enduring classics.

• Hitch/Jerry Maguire/ 50 First Dates | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Hitch: In Andy Tennant's delightful romantic comedy Hitch Will Smith stars as Alex Hitchens an urban ""date doctor"" who helps the common man woo the woman of his dreams. Hitch will use any means necessary--dance lessons back waxing--to instill romantic confidence in his clientele. Why? He was once a lonely wallflower himself who learned about love and heartbreak the hard way. His latest project Albert Brennaman (Kevin James) may be his most difficult. Brennaman a junior accountant prone to clumsiness has fallen head-over-heels for one of his clients Allegra Cole (Amber Valleta) a well-known celebrity. To complicate things further Hitch's dating dogma is shaken when he meets and falls for a beautiful gossip columnist Sara Melas (Eva Mendes) whose sharp wit easily pierces his cool faade. Conflict arises when Melas uncovers Hitch's true profession and blames him for her best friend being dumped. (Dir. Andy Tennant 2005) Jerry Maguire: Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is a man who knows the score. As a top agent at Sports Management International Jerry is unquestionably master of his universe - until that is he gets a sudden attack of morals and is unceremoniously fired! Hanging on by a thread Jerry is forced to start from scratch supported only be three very unlikely allies- single mother Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger ) her cheeky young son Ray and Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) a second rank player for the Arizona Cardinals - and Jerry's sole remaining client. (Dir. Cameron Crowe 1996) 50 First Dates: Henry Roth (Sandler) the local marina veterinarian only dates tourists because he's afraid of commitment - that is until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). Unfortunately Lucy lost her short-term memory months ago in a car accident and for her each day is October the 13th. She follows the same routine every day - breakfast at the same restaurant pineapple-picking with her dad and eventually bed time where sleep wipes away her short-term memory. Henry however refuses to be forgotten and as his puppy love matures he embarks on a quest to restore her memory or at least be a part of her everyday routine. But vying for Lucy's attention isn't always easy. Henry explores various approaches before making a video for Lucy to watch every morning reminding her of who she is and what she's doing... (Dir. Peter Segal 2004)

• The Addams Family | Blu Ray | (09/11/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Dragnet | DVD | (01/07/2002) from £13.37   |  Saving you £-0.38 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In 1987 moviegoers had yet to be crushed under the weight of the 1990s TV remake mania, and Dragnet comes off as fresh and funny. The line between parody and tribute can be hard to draw, but any marginally hip baby boomer who has ever watched Jack Webb's straight-laced Detective Joe Friday caught a glimmer of the comedic vein waiting to be mined beneath Dragnet's gritty Los Angeles streets. Dan Aykroyd plays Joe Friday, the straight-arrow nephew of Webb's iconic cop. This part was made for him (in fact, he's given top writing credit), and under his steely exterior you can tell he's having a ball delivering those rapid-fire recitations of regulations and deadpan expressions of moral outrage. Tom Hanks plays Pep Streebek, the laissez-faire narco agent who is Friday's new partner. Their assignment: bust the Pagans, a wild-and-woolly gang of dope fiends, deadbeats, and beatniks behind a bewildering array of bizarre robberies. Hilarity ensues. Friday and Streebek outfox a corrupt televangelist (Christopher Plummer), bicker over chili dogs and cigarettes, alternately revile and fawn over a porn millionaire (Dabney Coleman), wrestle a 30-foot-long anaconda, and rescue the virgin Connie Swail--the only girl capable of stealing Friday's heart. --Grant Balfour, Amazon.com

• Pritchard Vs Dainton | DVD | (07/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Before Dirty Sanchez something sinister came from the valleys: Pritchard Vs Dainton!

• Christmas With The Kranks | UMD | (14/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Slapstick humor gets a full-body workout in Christmas with the Kranks. Critics were unanimous in their derision, and John Grisham must have gnashed his teeth over what studio-boss-turned-director Joe Roth did to his bestselling novel Skipping Christmas, to which this broad-stroked comedy bears little or no resemblance. The title characters are played by Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, who decide to skip Christmas because their daughter's in Peru with the Peace Corps. Thus begins a rabid program of enforced conformity when their neighbors (led by Dan Aykroyd) coerce the Kranks into changing their holiday attitude--a change that comes easily when the daughter announces she'll be home for Christmas after all. Imagine if a suburban lynch mob said "Have a Merry Christmas or we'll kill you," and you'll get some idea of what spending Christmas with the Kranks is really like. And if you laughed at the frozen cat, you're probably on Santa's "naughty" list. --Jeff Shannon

• 50 First Dates / Spanglish / Mr Deeds | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  50 First Dates (Dir. Peter Segal 2004): Henry Roth (Sandler) the local marina veterinarian only dates tourists because he's afraid of commitment - that is until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). Unfortunately Lucy lost her short-term memory months ago in a car accident and for her each day is October the 13th. She follows the same routine every day - breakfast at the same restaurant pineapple-picking with her dad and eventually bed time where sleep wipes away her short-term memory. Henry however refuses to be forgotten and as his puppy love matures he embarks on a quest to restore her memory or at least be a part of her everyday routine. But vying for Lucy's attention isn't always easy. Henry explores various approaches before making a video for Lucy to watch every morning reminding her of who she is and what she's doing... Spanglish (Dir. James L. Brooks 2004): A woman and her daughter emigrate from Mexico for a new life in America; they end up working for John Clasky (Sandler) who's trying to come to terms with sudden success as a celebrity chef an overly sensitive wife (Tea Leoni) emotional children and an increasing attraction to his new nanny... Mr. Deeds (Dir. Steven Brill 2002): Small town guy Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler) inherits a billion fortune from his deceased uncle. He promptly moves to the big city where he meets Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder) a tabloid reporter who poses as a small town girl to uncover an expos'' on Mr Deeds. Conniving opportunists attempt to get their hands on his money while Deeds' sincere naivet'' has Babe falling in love with him. Ultimately Deeds comes to find that money truly has the power to change things but it doesn't necessarily need to change him...

• Hard And Brutal - Scum / Romper Stomper / Chopper | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Scum: Alan Clarke's Scum shows a vicious system and doesn't pull any of the punches - or kicks - so relentlessly deployed in the battles between rivals in the power stakes that incarceration promotes. It's the brutal story of life in a modern-day Borstal. Run by the violence and cruelty of both inmates and officers the system is a jungle which brutalizes all within its walls. Carlin who has been transferred from another Borstal for retaliation against violent officers is thrown into this human quagmire - and what follows is a harsh and bitter battle for survival. He realises that the only way is by beating the system at its own game and eventually erupts as leader of a bloody climatic riot. Romper Stomper: Violent but never gratuitous emotionally powerful and never afraid to portray the ugly destructive face of prejudice Romper Stomper excites disturbs and boldly challenges the viewer. Its angry raw story about a brutal lawless group of skinheads is a savage kick in the guts. This is no simplistic street-gang film but a rivetting portrayal of the hopelessness and blind hatred of youth that is both controversial and profound. Chopper: An extraordinary movie about an extraordinary man the highly acclaimed and award winning Chopper is the boldest and grittiest Australian film in decades. Brimming with dangerous excitement and stunning innovation the sensational debut of rock director Andrew Dominik is an exhilarating sharp shock to the system revealing the no-holds-barred story of the notorious Oz criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read. Told in flashback as Read serves one of his many prisons sentences this extreme biography charts the brutal carnage and wicked sense of humour of a man who supposedly committed nineteen vicious murders and got away with it. Mixing startling facts from his nine best-selling books including 'How To Shoot Friends and Influence People ' with stylish pulp fiction to paint an astonishing portrait of a larger-than-life legend Chopper is funny fascinating and frightening and features a show-stopping central performance from Eric Bana Australia's top stand-up comedian.

• James Stewart - Western Box | Blu Ray | (09/12/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Bonanza - The Mill / The Hopefuls | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-5.24 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The Mill: Wheelchair bound farmer Tom Edwards seeks solace in the bottle. The Cartwright's help him straighten his life out by building a mill on his land. The Hopefuls: After being accosted by local toughs a group of Quakers are offered safe passage across Ponderosa.

• The Marx Bros. - Eine Nacht in Casablanca - Limited Mediabook-Edition (Blu-ray+DVD plus Booklet/digital remastered) | Blu Ray | (20/12/2024) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• White Coats | DVD | (28/05/2007) from £5.38   |  Saving you £14.61 (271.56%)   |  RRP £19.99

  She paid five bucks for it. Now she's asking fifty million. Teri Horton is a 73-year-old former long-haul truck driver with an eighth grade education. When she bought a painting in a thrift shop for five dollars she didn't know that it would pit her against the highest and mightiest people in the art world and perhaps change forever the way art is authenticated. Harry Moses' intriguing and humorous documentary about art authentication introduces everyday citizens who have stumbled upon paintings by one of the 20th century's most respected abstract artists Jackson Pollock.

• Cinderella Man / Hurricane | DVD | (15/05/2006) from £34.99   |  Saving you £-19.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Cinderella Man (2005): James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) dubbed 'Cinderella Man' was a once-promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses in the ring and a broken right hand became synonymous with the Great Crash. With one good hand Braddock was forced to labour on the docks of Hoboken while only his manager (Paul Giamatti) still believed in him finding fights for Braddock to help support his wife (Renee Zellweger)and children. One of the sport's oddest couples

• In Living Memory | DVD | (13/07/2009) from £13.35   |  Saving you £-0.36 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Discover some of the stories behind the names on the Armed Forces memorial a monument to service personnel who have died in the line of duty since World War Two. The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire was chosen as the site for a National Memorial on a truly monumental scale. This film shows researchers sifting through extensive the records of over 6 million service personnel. The resulting list of nearly 16000 names reflects the many ways in which servicemen & women have lost their lives in the course of duty in the last 60 years.

• Transformers: The Rebirth, Parts 1-3 | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £12.98   |  Saving you £3.01 (23.19%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Decepticons steal the key to the plasma chamber but when they try to open the chamber the energy released blasts them and several Autobots to the distant planet of Nebulos where another civil war rages. The Autobots decide they need an extra edge to defeat the Decepticons and they link with Daniel and four good Nebulons to become Headmasters. Unfortunately the Decepticons use the same idea and also combine their weapons with evil Nebulons to create Targetmasters. The Autobots and Decepticons clash in their most earth shattering battle to date with their fates and the future of Earth and Cybertron hanging in the balance!

• Serial Experiments Lain - Vol. 4 | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £12.96   |  Saving you £7.03 (35.20%)   |  RRP £19.99

  ""Who am I?"" The question is asked over and over again throughout the noise. Lain destroys her own creator and loses her best friend now she must decide what to do - should she delete herself from everyone's memory? If she does will she have ever really existed? Includes the final episodes 11-13: Infornography Landscape Ego.

• The Simpsons: Christmas 2 / On Your Marks, Get Set, D'Oh | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Simpsons Christmas 2: More yuletide fun with Springfield's first family! On Your Marks Get Set D'oh!: Four episodes of animated Springfield fun comprising: 'Dancin' Homer' 'Faith Off' 'Lisa On Ice' and 'The Homer They Fall'. In 'Faith Off' Homer crashes the car into a revival meeting and whilst there Bart finds himself converted. 'Homer They Fall' sees Homer dealing with the fathers of Bart's bullies. In 'Lisa On Ice' Lisa makes the hockey team and finds h

• The Best Of The Blues Brothers | DVD | (26/06/2006) from £12.98   |  Saving you £-0.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Tom Davis and Dan Ackroyd host a Blues Brothers retrospective that tells the whole truth about the legendary bands early and righteous ways. The Blues Brothers were an unforgettable part of Saturday Night Lives golden era making their musical debut in bees costumes singing ""Im a King Bee"" and becoming an overnight sensation. Tracklisting 1.I'm A King Bee 2.I've Got Everything I Need 3.Can't Turn You Loose 4.B-Movie Boxcar Blues 5.Soul Man 6.Messin' With The Kid 7.Groove Me

• Butterbox Babies | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £149.00   |  Saving you £-141.01 (-1,764.80%)   |  RRP £7.99

  The shocking true story of Lila and William Young owners of the Ideal Maternity home for unwed mothers. The home falls under public scrutiny when a routine delivery results in two mysterious deaths. As a result the Youngs find themselves burying dead babies in butterboxes and selling healthy babies to childless couples.