"Actor: David Silva"

• Rocky | DVD | (01/02/2000) from £5.46   |  Saving you £12.53 (229.49%)   |  RRP £17.99

  The 1976 Oscar winner for Best Picture, John G Avildsen's Rocky is the story of a down-and-out club fighter who gets his million-to-one shot at a world championship title. In the title role, Sylvester Stallone (who also penned the screenplay) draws a carefully etched portrait of a loser who, in Brando-esque fashion, "coulda been a contender". Rocky then becomes one thanks to a publicity stunt engineered by current champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), while finding love courtesy of timid wallflower Adrienne (Talia Shire) along the way. Burgess Meredith revives the spirit of 1940's genre pictures through his scenery-chewing performance as Rocky's trainer. An enormous entertainment, Rocky is irresistible in its depiction of an underachiever who has the courage to start all over again--a description that could have been applied to Stallone's own life at the time. --Kevin Mulhall

• Rocky Anthology | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £18.86   |  Saving you £31.13 (165.06%)   |  RRP £49.99

  This box set contains the Special Edition of all 5 Rocky films! Rocky (Dir. John G. Avildsen 1976): Nominated for 10 Academy Awards and winner for Best Picture audiences and critics alike cheered this American success story of an ""everyman"" triumphing over all odds. Featuring a dynamic musical score a thrilling fight scene and four Oscar-nominated performances this rousing crowd-pleaser will send spirits soaring. Fighting for love glory and self-respect

• Amistad | DVD | (29/01/2001) from £6.77   |  Saving you £13.22 (195.27%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Steven Spielberg's most simplistic, sanitised history lesson, Amistad, explores the symbolic 1840s trials of 53 West Africans following their bloody rebellion aboard a slave ship. For most of Schindler's List (and, later, Saving Private Ryan) Spielberg restrains himself from the sweeping narrative and technical flourishes that make him one of our most entertaining and manipulative directors. Here, he doesn't even bother trying, succumbing to his driving need to entertain with beautiful images and contrived emotion. He cheapens his grandiose motives and simplifies slavery, treating it as cut- and-dry genre piece. Characters are easy Hollywood stereotypes--"villains" like the Spanish sailors or zealous abolitionists are drawn one-dimensionally and sneered upon. And Spielberg can't suppress his gifted eye, undercutting normally ugly sequences, such as the terrifying slave passage, which is shot as a gorgeous, well-lit composition. At its core, Amistad is a traditional courtroom drama, centred by a tired, clichéd narrative: a struggling, idealistic young lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) fighting the crooked political system and saving helpless victims. Worse yet, Spielberg actually takes the underlying premise of his childhood fantasy, E.T. and repackages it for slavery. Cinque (Djimon Hounsou), the leader of the West African rebellion, is presented much like the adorable alien: lost, lacking a common language, and trying to find his way home. McConaughey is a grown-up Elliot who tries communicating complicated ideas such as geography by drawing pictures in the sand or language by having Cinque mimic his facial expressions. Such stuff was effective for a sci-fi fantasy about the communication barriers between a boy and a lost alien; here, it seems like a naive view of real, complex history. --Dave McCoy, Amazon.com

• The Bat Woman (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (25/03/2024) from £19.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Wrestlers, mad doctors, and human-fish hybrids abound in The Bat Woman (La mujer murciélago), a colourful showcase for the talents of Italian Mexican sex symbol Maura Monti. When Acapulco's wrestlers start being murdered and their pineal glands mysteriously extracted, the wealthy luchadora Gloria (Monti) adopts her crime-fighting persona of the Bat Woman. Donning her disguise of shiny blue mask, cape, and micro-bikini, she teams up with agent Mario (Héctor Godoy) to foil the evil Dr Williams (Roberto Cañedo) in his dastardly plan to create an army of amphibious 'fish-men'. Produced by Guillermo Calderón (Santo vs. the Riders of Terror) and directed by René Cardona (The Panther Women), The Bat Woman is an eye-popping, high-camp blend of lucha libre and superhero action. Product Features 4K restoration from the original negative Original Spanish mono audio Audio commentary with film historian and Mexican cinema specialist David Wilt (2024) Adventures in Mexicolour (2024): journalist, writer and indie editor of Belcebú, and formerly DC Comics, Mauricio Matamoros Durán examines the position of The Bat Woman within the Mexican and international pop and comic-book culture of the time Fantastique Creatures (2024): José Luis Ortega Torres, film critic, teacher, and author of the book Mostrología del cine mexicano, explores the representation of monsters in early Mexican genre cinema Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity material New and improved English translation subtitles Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Dolores Tierney, archival essays by Doyle Greene and Andrew Coe, archival interviews with Maura Monti, and full film credits UK premiere on Blu-ray Limited edition of 8,000 individually numbered units for the UK and US All extras subject to change

• Krakatoa The Last Days | DVD | (14/08/2006) from £34.99   |  Saving you £-19.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In 1883 the volcanic island of Krakatoa situated in the Sundra strait in Indonesia erupted killing 36 000 people and unleashing a series of terrifying tsunamis. According to records it generated the loudest sound ever historically reported - the cataclysmic explosion was distinctly heard as far away as Perth in Australia (1900 miles). This spectacular docu-drama starring Olivia Williams uses eye witness accounts to tell the true story of one of the most destructive natural disasters in history

• Manchester City FC - City Of Champions | DVD | (04/11/2013) from £6.81   |  Saving you £8.18 (120.12%)   |  RRP £14.99

  This exclusive documentary follows the historic events as they unfold; leading up to the nail-biting finale that turned the streets of Manchester blue. Watch as thousands of fans salute their heroes in an open-top bus parade through the city and witness as dreams come true.

• Rocky Anthology (Box Set) | DVD | (28/05/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The story of Rocky Balboa, as presented in this five-movie Rocky anthology, looks suspiciously like a barely fictional parallel to Sylvester Stallone's own career. Such a strong vein of autobiography is hardly surprising, really, since Stallone wrote all five movies and directed II, III and IV. The original was a feel-good patriotic update on the American Dream, mirroring Stallone's own journey as a lucky break drags a man from the gutter into stardom; Rocky II was the story of a man who is subsequently plagued by the need to prove that his first success wasn't a fluke, and represented Stallone's attempt to keep his career afloat amidst a sudden explosion of blockbuster movies and superstar actors; the third featured a rival to his position echoing the friendly battle kept up with Schwarzenegger for box-office dominance; Rocky IV appeared at the same time as Rambo: First Blood Part II and was a veritable shower of self-glorification; and the fifth entered old age as gracefully as it could with younger blood ready to pounce from all directions. Balboa may have been "a little punchy", but Stallone was clearly the brains behind the Rockymovies' success.On the DVD: For picture and sound, it's to the first disc connoisseurs should turn. Transfer and 5.1 soundtrack are a notch above instalments III and IV. Inexplicably, II and V are only in three-channel surround. Disc 1 is also the place for the extras. Although the others feature their own trailer and a half-heartedly animated menu, the first has a montage menu that matches the excellent packaging and links rather easily to a hidden feature ("Rocky Meets Stallone"). There's a fascinating 12-minute "behind the scenes" short with director John Avildsen showing fight test footage and two short tributes to the late Burgess Meredith and cinematographer James Crabe. The commentary might seem a little crowded, featuring Avildsen, producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, Talia Shire, Burt Young and Carl Weathers. The best feature is a 30-minute interview with Stallone, who remembers writing from an 8x9 room in Philadelphia and being inspired by an Ali fight. There are confessions about injuries, casting and his dog Butkus! As a 25th Anniversary special edition, the first disc alone is excellent value. --Paul Tonks

• Rocky - Special Edition | DVD | (28/05/2001) from £9.35   |  Saving you £13.63 (214.31%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1976 Best Picture Award-winner Rocky has the look of a contemporary on-the-streets movie like Taxi Driver, but the heart of a fairytale. For the Bicentennial Year, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), a Muhammad Ali-like stars-and-stripes blowhard, cynically offers a title shot to an unknown over-the-hill Philadelphia club fighter, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Unlike the sequels, Rocky is a rare American sports movie to realise there's more drama and emotional resonance in losing than winning. The unique finale suggests that going the distance against the odds is more of a triumph than a conventional victory. Stallone, then an unknown as actor and writer, crafts the script to his own strengths--mumbling, Brando-like sincerity combined with explosive physicality expressed in his use of a side of beef as a punch-bag or wintery jogs around Philly. Surprisingly little of the film is taken up with ring action, as we follow Rocky's awkward courtship of pet-store minion Adrian (Talia Shire) and uneasy relationship with her slobbish brother (Burt Young), while Burgess Meredith provides the old pro licks as the curmudgeonly trainer. Though it led to a slick, steroid-fuelled franchise, it has a pleasing roughness, exemplified by the memorable funk/brass band score and the array of fidgety, credible method acting tics. On the DVD: 1.85:1 16x9 print, which represents the sometimes-slick, sometimes rough look of the cinematography; feature commentary with supporting cast and crew (Burt Young admits to rubbing vermouth into his neck to make himself repulsive), video interview with Stallone, a retrospective featurette (which includes news footage of the Ali fight that inspired the story), 8mm test fight footage with a flabbier Stallone, tributes to Burgess Meredith and cameraman James Crabe, trailers for Rocky and all the sequels (which makes a solid précis of the whole series). All this and a "special hidden feature" (a comic sketch with Sly meeting Rocky).--Kim Newman

• Manchester City Season Review 2011/2012 | DVD | (11/06/2012) from £13.58   |  Saving you £6.41 (47.20%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Enjoy all the best action from Manchester City's title winning 2011/2012 season, which went right down to the wire as the Premiership crown was ruthlessly snatched from their local rivals Manchester United with practically the last kick of the season.

• El Topo | DVD | (14/05/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The gunfighter El Topo ('The Mole') and his young son ride through a desert to a village whose inhabitants have been massacred. Bandits are nearby torturing and killing the survivors. El Topo rescues a woman (Mara) who leads him on a mission to find and defeat the four master gunmen of the desert. Leaving his son with a group of monks El Topo and Mara complete the mission accompanied by a mysterious woman in black. The women leave El Topo wounded in the desert where he is found by a clan of deformed people who take him to the remote cavern where they live. Awakening years later he goes with a dwarf woman to a nearby town promising to dig a tunnel through which the cave-dwellers can escape. They find the town run by a vicious sheriff and home to a bizarre religious cult. El Topo's son now a man is a monk in the town. The completion of the tunnel leads El Topo the townspeople and the cave-dwellers to a bloody and tragic end.

• U.H.F. | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £9.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (27.40%)   |  RRP £12.99

  ""Weird"" Al Yankovic the man responsible for ""Eat it"" the famous 80's parody of Michael Jackson's ""Beat it"" co-wrote and stars in MGM Home Entertainment's cult comedy U.H.F. Aside from Yankovic playing most of the characters in the film David Bowe Michael Richards Fran Drescher and Kevin McCarthy also appear in this inspired comedy which is packed full of gags film parodies music satire and tons of laughs. Opening with an hilarious parody of the starting sequence

• El Topo | DVD | (28/01/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Cult western fantasy. Gunslinger El Topo (Alexandro Jodorowsky who also directs and provides the script) travels the desert with his seven-year-old son. When they come across the scene of a massacre one of the dying victims tells them that the gang responsible is led by a man known as the Colonel. El Topo sets out to exact vengeance liberating the Colonel's wife in the process. She then challenges El Topo to prove his mettle by taking on the four masters of the desert.

• El Topo (Nuova Versione) | DVD | (04/12/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Thirst | DVD | (18/05/2009) from £17.53   |  Saving you £-4.54 (-34.90%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A vampire story with an unquenchable thirst. Global networks of Vampires who call themselves the Hyma Cult are running out of the precious blood they need to survive. To ensure that they can feed they create farms where they keep kidnapped teenagers alive for the purpose of feasting on their blood. Kate Davis (Chantal Contouri) is abducted by the cult they believe that Kate is a descendant of Elizabeth Bathroy the Hungarian Countess who was rumoured to have bathed in the blood of virgins to preserve her youth and beauty. The cult believes that by holding her prisoner and feeding her blood that they can convince Kate to join them and marry their leader Dr. Fraser (David Hemmings) thus making them a powerful and unstoppable breed with ambitions for world domination. Thirst was one of the first vampire films to add in a realistic explanation to the vampire myth pre dating the classic Near Dark by eight years. With a mesmerising performance from the late David Hemmings Thirst is a vampire cult classic that deserves a place on any horror fans film shelf.

• Alucarda | DVD | (01/01/1980) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Convent nuns choose Satan over their righteous Lord in the mistaken belief that the Devil will let their convent survive...

• Thirst | DVD | (11/06/2007) from £9.43   |  Saving you £-2.44 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  An intelligent modern day vampire tale.... eerily creepy! A woman is captured by a secret cult and told she is to be their leader. She soon finds out they're all vampires and they intend to use her blood for ceremonies....