"Actor: Dean Butler"

• Stargate SG-1: Season 3 | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  With a well-established framework of back-story and an increasing list of adversaries, the third series of Stargate SG-1 was the place where casual viewers began to fall away. Unless you were taking notes it was becoming ever harder to stay on top of the Goa'uld history and their constant scheming. Fortunately by now a solid fanbase had appeared worldwide--with clubs, conventions and Web sites galore--so the ratings didn't slip even while ancient gods kept appearing and reappearing. Daniel Jackson could always be trusted to illuminate any relevant myth or legend (or find them in five minutes on the internet), while Carter's memory download from last year supplied the necessary ties with the rebellious Tok'ra. Away from the story arc the show's all-important stand-alone tales gave some thorny old subjects a new SF spin, including organised religion, the use of children in the passing on of knowledge, and leading an alternative life. O'Neill's sarcastic wit went into overdrive this year and Teal'c could be relied upon for a sneer or fish-out-of-water joke. Further comic relief came from Sam "Flash Gordon" Jones and Dom DeLuise, but perhaps the funniest thing of all was the wig Carter would apparently be wearing in an alternate universe. --Paul Tonks

• Desert Hearts | Blu Ray | (20/11/2017) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Donna Deitch's tender, ground-breaking debut, a landmark in queer cinema and a triumph of independent filmmaking The swooning and sensual first narrative feature by DONNA DEITCH, Desert Hearts was ground breaking upon its 1985 release: a love story about two women, made entirely independently, on a self-financed shoestring budget, by a woman. In the 1959-set film, an adaptation of a beloved novel by Jane Rule, straitlaced East Coast professor Vivian Bell (The Colour of Money's HELEN SHAVER) arrives in Reno to file for divorce but winds up catching the eye of someone new, the younger free spirit Cay (Manhunter's PATRICIA CHARBONNEAU), touching off a slow seduction that unfolds against a breath-taking desert landscape. With undeniable chemistry between its two leads, an evocative jukebox soundtrack, and vivid cinematography by ROBERT ELSWIT (Punch-Drunk Love), Desert Hearts beautifully exudes a sense of tender yearning and emotional candour. BONUS FEATURES DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Robert Elswit, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Audio commentary from 2007 featuring director Donna Deitch New conversation between Deitch and actor Jane Lynch New conversation between Deitch, Elswit, and production designer Jeannine Oppewall about the film's visual style New interviews with actors Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau Excerpt from Fiction and Other Truths: A Film About Jane Rule, a 1995 documentary about the author of Desert of the Heart, the 1964 novel on which the film is based PLUS: An essay by critic B. Ruby Rich

• Little House on the Prairie: Season 9 | DVD | (09/01/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.49

  Best known for its life-affirming lessons and heartwarming adventures. Little House On The Prairie made its TV debut in 1974 and significantly altered the landscape of television. Loyal fans will relive these exciting and touching adventures while new viewers will discover the Ingalls' unconquerable courage to build a new way of life. The series nominated for 17 Emmy Awards and 3 Golden Globes has become a TV milestone

• Dolly Parton - Blue Valley Songbird | DVD | (25/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In a totally unexpected piece of casting, Blue Valley Songbird stars Dolly Parton as a country singer/songwriter with big hair, large breasts and lots of lippy. The comparison ends there, though, because here she plays Leana Taylor, a talented performer hampered by her provincial background (and unpleasant manager/boyfriend) who realises she must escape her small-town roots in order to achieve her true potential. This isn't the most taxing of narratives, but it's the music that counts here. This movie is of the "musical drama" genre--take a star musical performer, give them the lead role in a movie, then furnish them with every excuse to perform therein so long as it can be done as a realistic element within the overall story--and as such it's highly agreeable. Parton not only has buckets of musical talent but also has plausible acting skills, even if the viewer is bound to think that these are mainly to do with being Dolly Parton. In any event, the songs are excellent, so this is well worth watching even if you find yourself fast-forwarding until you see someone picking a guitar up.--Roger Thomas

• Militia | DVD | (11/09/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In order to save the United States from mass destruction ATF agent Ethan Carter (Dean Cain) must go undercover and join the 'Brotherhood of Liberty' a subversive militia group who are determined to implement a 'new world order' headed by passionate radical right-wing talk show host George Montgomery (Stacey Keach). The militia has stolen three missiles whose warheads each contain enough anthrax to wipe out a city the size of Los Angeles. Agent Carter must team with his old nemesis and former militia member William Fain (Frederic Forrest) who Carter put behind bars three years ago. Having just completed her ATF agent training programme Julia Sanders (Jennifer Beals) is assigned to protect Carter. The Militia takes Carter and Fain hostage after they are caught breaking into Montgomery's headquarters. With the countdown already begun Carter and Fain must rely on each other and Agent Sanders to destroy Montgomery and save the millions of lives in jeopardy.