"Actor: Derek"

• The Blu-ray Horror Collection (5 titles - Hostel/Hostel 2/Vacancy/Dracula/The Covenant) | Blu Ray | (10/12/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  Hostel The hallowed tradition of the post-college European backpacking trip turns into an unimaginable nightmare for two unsuspecting American 20-somethings in Eli Roth's (Cabin Fever) sensational second outing. Paxton (Jay Hernandez) and Josh (Derek Richardson) have embarked upon a hedonistic tour of the continent, and somewhere along the way pick up travelling companion Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson). In Amsterdam the trio partakes of the pastimes most dear to frat boys everywhere: weed, prostitutes, and nightclubs. But when a fellow traveller tells these thrill-seekers about the decadent scene that awaits them in Bratislava, they find themselves unable to resist its lures. Enticed by the promise of a hostel full of beautiful girls who love Americans, they set out for the remote areas of Eastern Europe. There, the sex farce to which the film's first half is devoted slowly turns ominous, as the boys hook up immediately with the gorgeous Natalya (Barbara Nedeljakova) and Svetlana (Jana Kaderabkova), whose eagerness masks more sinister intentions. Soon, the disagreeable backpackers find themselves on the other side of the flesh trade, sold by the girls into an exclusive human trafficking operation that gives its customers the opportunity to torture and kill a helpless victim. Much of what follows consists of the squirm-inducing surgical horrors that characterise precursors such as Saw, with the implications regarding the capitalist system and the human soul becoming ever darker. Produced by Quentin Tarantino, the film amps up the gore factor as much as it can get away with, and, in the tradition of the best horror films, offers a satirical socially conscious commentary. Hostel Part II The inevitable sequel to one of the decade's most intriguing and well-made horror films, Hostel Part II, as the title implies, picks up pretty much where the last film left off. And it doesn't take too long for the sequel to find the same groove that earned its predecessor so much attention. The setting is once again an underground club, where people bid for the right to torture residents at the hostel of the title. Hostel Part II, however, lets us see events from the other perspective too, as we meet the wealthy businessmen who are availing themselves of the club's services. It's a logical dynamic for the movie, and it does bring a fresh perspective to a film that does eventually settle down to a cavalcade of gore and shock. As a director, Eli Roth has clearly improved since last time around, even if this time he too often succumbs to the temptation to show rather than imply, and Hostel Part II as a result feels a little less fresh and more uncomfortable than its predecessor. Yet it's most certainly an unsettling piece of cinema, and one likely to find favour with Roth's increasing fanbase. A word of warning, though: Hostel Part II isn't shy about pulling its punches, and it very much justifies its 18 certificate. It's also a cut above many of its modern day contemporaries in the genre, even though it fails to measure up to part one. --Jon Foster Vacancy A confined setting is a useful tool for thriller-makers, and Vacancy is definitely boxed in: a run-down motel way, way off the Interstate, the kind of place where unsuspecting movie characters go to get stabbed to death in the shower. If Vacancy doesn't quite live up to its Hitchcockian forebears, at least it provides 80 minutes of well-designed mayhem. You know somebody's paying attention just from the opening credits, a clever vortex with pounding music by Paul Haslinger. Then we meet unhappy couple Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, driving along in the dark and forced to stay at the Pinewood Motel after a car breakdown. There's a night man (Frank Whaley, World Trade Center) in the tradition of Dennis Weaver's Touch of Evil gargoyle, but the real mess of trouble is waiting in room number four. Director Nimrod Antal, who scored a stylish international hit with the Hungarian thriller Kontroll, squeezes maximum juice out of the Route 66 atmosphere of the motel, although the movie doesn't get under your skin the way Kontroll did. Wilson and Beckinsale are a little too marquee-namish for this kind of heavy-breathing work, and the script doesn't give them much to play with. But hey, it's not that kind of movie. Where it really belongs is on the top half of a drive-in double bill, or maybe as a nightmare-scenario TV movie from the Seventies. Either way, it works. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com Bram Stoker's Dracula Francis Ford Coppola's take on the Dracula myth is visually stunning and overflows with passionate seduction and Gothic romance. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Coppola draws from the original source of the Dracula story to create a modern masterpiece. Gary Oldman's metamorphosis as Dracula, who grows from old to young, from man to beast, is breathtaking. Winona Ryder brings as much intensity to the character of the beautiful young woman who becomes the object of Dracula's devastating desire. Anthony Hopkins co-stars as the famed doctor who dares to believe in Dracula and then dares to confront him. Opulent and irresistible, Bram Stoker's Dracula is an unforgettable film. The Covenant Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Deep Blue Sea) directs this supernatural thriller about descendants of powerful New England families. The sons of Ipswich are legendary at Spenser Academy, the local boarding school. Handsome and popular, these four teenage friends can trace their roots to the founding families of the Ipswich Colony, settled in the late 1600s. For years these Massachusetts families have harboured the secret that they possess supernatural powers. Their descendants--Caleb (Steven Strait), Reid (Toby Hemingway), Tyler (Chace Crawford), and Pogue (Taylor Kitsch)--have inherited magical powers that first manifested themselves when the boys turned 13 years old. In a nutshell, they can do anything. As they approach their 18th birthdays, they are preparing to 'ascend', which means their powers will grow stronger. The downside? The magic is seductive and addictive, and causes premature aging with each use. Ringleader Caleb tries to keep his friends from using magic recklessly, but as the school year begins, strange events and a strong gut instinct convince Caleb that someone is using very powerful magic. Meanwhile, Caleb is exploring his newfound affection for transfer student Sarah (Laura Ramsey). To Caleb''s dismay, Sarah becomes a pawn in a power struggle with a descendant of the fifth founding family of Ipswich, a line thought to be lost during Salem''s witch trials. Is Caleb strong enough to maintain his power and keep his family and friends safe, or will he yield to this new threat and sacrifice himself? The film draws interesting parallels between the luring, addictive power of magic and the addictions real teenagers face. The sufficiently creepy setting echoes New England and sets the stage for supernatural phenomena. The Covenant also stars Sebastian Stan as Chase Collins, a wealthy newcomer to Spenser, and Jessica Lucas as Kate, Sarah's roommate and Pogue's girlfriend.

• Revolver | Blu Ray | (03/08/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Guy Ritchie returns with another tale of criminals, con men and card sharks.

• Prefaces to Shakespeare | DVD | (29/10/2012) from £40.48   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The documentary will uncover the ways in which we, his audiences, are still influenced and affected by Shakespeare, everyday of our lives, even when we don't know it. Starring: David Tennant, Ethan Hawkes, Derek Jacobi, Joley Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave and Jeremy Irons.

• Klassische Monumentalfilme | DVD | (02/07/2014) from £23.74   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Die Wolgaschiffer (1958) Monumentalfilm mit John Derek, Elsa Martinelli, Dawan Addams u.v.m. Rasputin, der D�mon von Petersburg (1959) Monumentalfilm mit Edmund Purdom, Gianna Maria Canale, Giulia Rubini u.v.m. Judith, das Schwert der Rache (1958) Monumentalfilm mit Massimo Girotti, Isabelle Corey, Renato Baldini u.v.m. Aufstand der Legionen (1959) Monumentalfilm mit Jeanne Valerie, Jacques Sernas, Arnoldo Fo� u.v.m. Soraya, Sklavin des Orients (1964) Mo...

• Bloodsport | DVD | (28/05/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A powerful three-in-one special for all Martial arts enthusiasts consisting of the sequels to Bloodsport starring Jean Claude Van Damme. Bloodsport 2: This film tells the story of Alex (Bernhardt) a known street fighter and petty villain who has been imprisoned following the theft of an ancient sword. Prison however proves to be his making as he is taught the deadly fight discipline known as 'The Iron Hand' by his mentor Sun (James Hong). Bloodsport 3: In this frantic movie alex learns of his mentor's death murdered by the evil Duvalier at the hands of his warrior 'The Kumite Beast.' To avenge Sun's death Alex finds himself drawn into the dangerous world of the Kumite. It's a contest where a fight to the death is often the outcome and 'The Beast' could well prove his equal. Bloodsport 4: Bernhardt is John Keller a police officer. A local prison discovers that inmates have disappeared under strange circumstances and it's Keller who is asked to go undercover to unearth the reason why.

• Beethoven: Fidelio | DVD | (06/02/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Beethoven's lone opera Fidelio had a troubled gestation, as its no fewer than four overtures suggest. The finished product, while obviously a work of genius, exposes its patchwork qualities even in the best of productions. Luckily, the 1991 staging by the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, is so lucid and intelligent that the opera--a forceful plea for freedom, even in the most severely dictatorial regimes--comes across as both a forceful drama and a thought-provoking "message".Stage director Adolf Dresen, together with set designer Margit Bardy and lighting designer Erich Falk, presents the characters (which on paper have a tendency to remain "types") as fully human, their interactions made understandable and plausible not only by Beethoven's humanising music but also the realistic period settings. Video director Derek Bailey has succeeded admirably at getting this across for the home viewer as well. Musically, this Fidelio is a whirlwind, with conductor Christoph von Dohnányi leading the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus in an energetic but never too-fast performance (by the way, they perform the fourth overture); and the singers are top-notch vocally and dramatically. Soprano Gabriela Benacková makes an arresting, emotionally complex Leonore, and Josef Protschka as her imprisoned husband, Florestan, brings down the house with his impassioned aria at the beginning of Act II. --Kevin Filipski, Amazon.com

• Callan - Third Series | DVD | (03/02/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Doctor Who: The Space Museum/The Chase | DVD | (26/11/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Baseball: The Golden Age of America's Game | DVD | (09/08/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A