"Actor: Don Allen"

• Is Harry On The Boat? | DVD | (06/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A bawdy, ultimately moral tale of hedonism's complications, Is Harry on the Boat? is probably the most memorable film to come out of the culture of young singles' holidays on Ibiza. Tour rep Brad (Danny Dyer) is determined to win the informal competition among the male reps to sleep with as many female clients as possible, while his friend Mikey (Des Coleman) is looking for true love. Brad gradually learns responsibility and human concern from the awful examples set by corrupt manageress Alison and self-serving treacherous super-stud Mario. Along the way we get some memorably gross-jokes and one or two moments of rather touching tenderness, as well as a convincing portrait of what people go to Ibiza for--loud, large times of music and drunken excess. Dyer is convincing as a young man who learns better from experience and Des Coleman makes Mikey a three-dimensional, soulful romantic with a wicked sense of humour rather than merely Good personified. --Roz Kaveney

• The Rat Pack | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £17.66   |  Saving you £-7.67 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  An irresistible melange of showbiz and politics, The Rat Pack is a sprawling HBO TV movie about the late-50s axis between Frank Sinatra's cool-talking cronies and the White House-bound Kennedy clan. Ray Liotta, William L Petersen and Joe Mantegna manage to give real performances as opposed to impersonations as Frankie, JFK and Dean Martin, and there's a stand-out turn from Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr, who fantasises a blazing, gunslinging rendition of "I've Got You Under My Skin" as delivered to the cross-burning Nazi pickets outside his hotel campaigning against his marriage to a white Swedish starlet. Naturally the story goes over a lot of familiar ground (Marilyn Monroe, and so on,) but the Hollywood-Vegas angle, with the obvious criminal tie-ins, lends it a freshness. Angus McFadyen remains typecast as real-life actors, following up his Orson Welles (Cradle Will Rock) and Richard Burton (Liz, the Elizabeth Taylor biopic) by doing a squirming, but funny take on Peter Lawford, caught between the White House and Sinatra's vast, demanding ego. Its general style is somewhere between a Scorsese gangland epic and made-for-TV muckraking biopic and a lot of material from Shawn Levy's fine book Rat Pack Confidential is worked into the weave. On the DVD: The Rat Pack is a no-frills disc presented in a good-looking 16:9 anamorphic transfer, though as it's a TV movie this means trimming the top and the bottom of the image. --Kim Newman

• Marlene Dietrich - Small Goddess | DVD | (28/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  The Lady Is Willing (Dir. Mitchell Leisen 1942): Bold eccentric Broadway performer Lisa Madden befuddles her handlers by coming home with a baby she picked up on the street. She wants to keep the baby but has to find a husband to make adoption viable. Why not her new obstetrician Dr. McBain? She offers him help with his research on rabbits in exchange for marriage - and he accepts. The marriage of convenience turns into a marriage of real love but when Dr. McBain's ex-wife comes looking for money matters get complicated... Shanghai Express (Dir. Josef von Sternberg 1932): Many passengers on the Shanghai Express are more concerned that the notorious Shanghai Lil is on board than the fact that a civil war is going on that may make the trip take more than three days. The British Army doctor Donald Harvey knew Lil before she became a famous ""coaster."" A fellow passenger defines a coaster as ""a woman who lives by her wits along the China coast."" When Chinese guerillas stop the train Dr. Harvey is selected as the hostage. Lil saves him but can she make him believe that she really hasn't changed from the woman he loved five years before? Destry Rides Again (Dir. George Marshall 1939): Kent the unscrupulous boss of Bottleneck has Sheriff Keogh killed when he asks one too many questions about a rigged poker game that gives Kent a stranglehold over the local cattle rangers. The mayor who is in cahoots with Kent appoints the town drunk Washington Dimsdale as the new sheriff assuming that he'll be easy to control. But what the mayor doesn't know is that Dimsdale was a deputy under famous lawman Tom Destry and is able to call upon the equally formidable Tom Destry Jr to be his deputy. Foreign Affair (Dir. Billy Wilder 1948): In occupied Berlin an army captain is torn between an ex-Nazi cafe singer and the U.S. congresswoman investigating her. Blonde Venus (Dir. Josef von Sternberg): American chemist Ned Faraday marries a German entertainer and starts a family. However he becomes poisoned with Radium and needs an expensive treatment in Germany to have any chance of being cured. Wife Helen returns to night club work to attempt to raise the money and becomes popular as the Blonde Venus. In an effort to get enough money sooner she prostitutes herself to millionaire Nick Townsend. While Ned is away in Europe she continues with Nick but when Ned returns cured he discovers her infidelity. Now Ned despises Helen but she grabs son Johnny and lives on the run just one step ahead of the Missing Persons Bureau. When they do finally catch her she loses her son to Ned. Once again she returns to entertaining this time in Paris and her fame once again brings her and Townsend together. Helen and Nick return to America engaged but she is irresistibly drawn back to her son and Ned. In which life does she truly belong? Devil Is A Woman (Dir. Josef von Sternberg 1935): Told in flashbacks Devil Is A Woman is a tale of an older man's obsession for a woman who can belong to no-one but can frustrate everyone. The backdrop is Sternbergs surreal and fantastic Carnaval in Spain. In a cafe the older man details his encounters with the heartbreaker that his younger friend has only just met at the parade. Forewarned the young man swears he will avoid the fate of his friend but rushes all the same to his evening rendevous. A dreamlike story of frustrated lost romance spoken in the past tense never really resolved.

• United 93 | Blu Ray | (19/09/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Director Paul Greengrass recounts the final moments of the ill-fated flight in this 9/11 drama.

• The John Cassavetes Collection | DVD | (12/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A collection of films from famed actor and independent director John Cassavetes comprising: Shadows (1959): A depiction of the struggle of three black siblings to survive the mean streets of Manhattan 'Shadows' was Cassavetes' jazz-scored improvisational film exploring interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City made from a script entirely improvised by the talented cast heralding a vital new era in independent filmmaking. Faces (1968):

• When Will I Be Loved | DVD | (26/05/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Feeling undervalued by her boyfriend, a young woman begins to explore her sexuality with other people.

• Mad Love | DVD | (12/04/2004) from £12.93   |  Saving you £5.05 (50.80%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Soon after their first meeting Matt and Casey's relationship turns into a love affair. Under pressure from their parents to break up they decide to hit the road in a desperate attempt to stay together....

• Jack Frost II | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Sequel to the horror 'Jack Frost'. The evil snowman is resurrected but now he's resistant to fire bullets and even chemical anti-freeze! With revenge on his mind Jack sets out on a chilling killing spree that threatens to ice everyone around him...

• Mission Impossible - Season 1 | DVD | (20/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £44.99

  An elite covert operations unit known as the Impossible Mission Taskforce (IMF) carries out highly sensitive missions subject to official denial in the event of failure capture or death. Their mission should they choose to accept it is given by the unseen figure known only as the 'Secretary' who instructions are relaid on a tape guaranteed to self-destruct in five seconds... Episodes Comprise: 1. Pilot episode 2. Memory 3. Operation Rogosh 4. Old Man Out (Part 1) 5. Old Man Out (Part 2) 6. Odds On Evil 7. Wheels 8. The Ransom 9. A Spool There Was 10. The Carriers 11. Zubrovnik's Ghost 12. Fakeout 13. Elena 14. The Short Tail Spy 15. The Legacy 16. The Reluctant Dragon 17. The Frame 18. The Trial 19. The Diamond 20. The Legend 21. Snowball In Hell 22. The Confession 23. Action! 24. The Train 25. Shock 26. A Cube Of Sugar 27. The Traitor 28. The Psychic

• The Big Tease | DVD | (12/03/2001) from £21.25   |  Saving you £-7.26 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Anyone who's suffered the misfortune of stumbling upon Kevin Allen's nauseous debut Twin Town--a ramshackle Trainspotting transposed to the cinematic slag heap of Swansea--will be pleasantly surprised by this gentle sophomore effort. The Big Tease follows gay Glaswegian hairdresser Crawford Mackenzie (Craig Ferguson), a flamboyant character who stays just the right side of caricature, as he heads to LA to represent bonny Scotland in the World Freestyle Hairdressing Championship. Only there's a hitch: once in Hollywood, Crawford discovers he's only been invited to be a spectator at the event, which means the huge hotel bill he's racked up will have to come out of his own pocket. Undeterred, the stubborn stylist sets about gaining a union card and, ultimately, entry to the competition, frantically trying to establish Beverly Hills contacts with a mind to pulling a few much-needed strings. Allen's movie is an interesting hybrid, half Hollywood satire (the greed, the self-importance, the insincerity) and half sports-movie with a twist (events inevitably lead to a climactic showdown, as Crawford goes blade-to-blade with the wonderfully pompous Norwegian champ). And yet, by and large, it works, the loquacious Ferguson giving us someone to hold onto in a slippery world populated by disdainful creeps, his probity alone ensuring our heartfelt support come competition night. The filmmakers' decision to opt for a "mockumentary" format à la The Blair Witch Project and Drop Dead Gorgeous also pays dividends, for it is Crawford's candid confessions to camera that allow us to navigate beyond his carefully constructed plumage and discover the person beneath.--Jamie Graham

• Babar - Three Episodes | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £22.96   |  Saving you £-13.98 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A Charmed Life: Burdoned with the heavy demands of running his kingdom and looking after his family Babar wishes that he was not king. To surprise and dismay he is granted his wish. Celesteville has become Rataxesville! Boys Will Be Boys: When Babar sets off with Uncle Arthur and Zephir to renew a childhood treasure hunt Rataxes seizes the opportunity to try and beat him to it! Alexander The Great: Alexander's flying skills get him into hot water when he crash lands his plane in the jungle and makes friends with a tribe who invite him for dinner!

• Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 6 | DVD | (18/09/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The sixth series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed the logic of plot and character development into some gloomy places. The year begins with Buffy being raised from the dead by the friends who miss her, but who fail to understand that a sacrifice taken back is a sacrifice negated. Dragged out of what she believes to have been heavenly bliss, she finds herself "going through the motions" and entering into a relationship with the evil, besotted vampire Spike just to force her emotions. Willow becomes ever more caught up in the temptations of magic; Xander and Anya move towards marriage without ever discussing their reservations; Giles feels he is standing in the way of Buffy's adult independence; Dawn feels neglected. What none of them need is a menace that is, at this point, simply annoying--three high school contemporaries who have turned their hand to magical and high-tech villainy. Added to this is a hungry ghost, an invisibility ray, an amnesia spell and a song-and-dance demon (who acts as rationale for the incomparable musical episode "Once More With Feeling"). This is a year in which chickens come home to roost: everything from the villainy of the three geeks to Xander's doubts about marriage come to a head, often--as in the case of the impressive wedding episode--through wildly dark humour. The estrangement of the characters from each other--a well-observed portrait of what happens to college pals in their early 20s--comes to a shocking head with the death of a major character and that death's apocalyptic consequences. The series ends on a consoling note which it has, by that point and in spite of imperfections, entirely earned. --Roz Kaveney

• Olivia Newton-John - Video Gold 1 And 2 | DVD | (24/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Available for the first time the complete collection of Olivia Newton-John videos Video Gold volumes 1 and 2. Track Listing Disc 1: 1.Deeper Than The Night 2.A Little More Love - Version 1 3.Totally Hot 4.Landslide 5.Magic 6.Physical 7.Carried Away 8.A Little More Love - Version 2 9.Recovery 10.The Promise (The Dolphin Song) 11.Love Make Me Strong 12.Stranger's Touch 13.Make A Move On Me 14.Falling 15.Silvery Rain 16.Hopelessly Devoted To You 17.Let Me Be There - Live 18.Please Mr. Please - Live 19.If You Love Me (Let Me Know) Track Listing Disc 2: 1.Twist Of Fate 2.Take A Chance 3.Livin' In Desperate Times 4.Shaking You 5.Heart Attack 6.Tied Up 7.Soul Kiss 8.Culture Shock 9.Emotional Tangle 10.Toughen Up 11.The Right Moment 12.The Rumour 13.Can't We Talk It Over In Bed 14.Reach Out For Me 15.I Need Love 16.I Honestly Love You 17.Sam - Live 18.Suddenly - Live 19.You're The One That I Want - Live 20.Xanadu - Live

• The Last Sentinel | DVD | (01/06/2009) from £8.95   |  Saving you £7.04 (44.00%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Future Is Riding On One Woman No emotion. No fear. No pain. They were the perfect soldiers to protect civilization - until the drone police became the perfect enemy. With little hope left for mankind Tallis (Don Wilson; Stealing Harvard Batman Forever) an electronically enhanced soldier rescues a rebel beauty (Katee Sackhoff TV's Battlestar Galactica) from a failed resistance mission. A force to be reckoned with she will learn to fight and think like a machine for the final battle to save the human race.

• The Stan And Ollie Collection - Lucky Dog / The Stolen Jools | DVD | (19/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Lucky Dog: Stan befriends a stray dog and Oliver Hardy takes a liking to Stan's wallet. After causing so much chaos Stan's only option is to get rid of the dog. Just in time the dog comes up trumps saves the day and teaches the villain Hardy a lesson too. The Stolen Jools: A famous actress has her jewels stolen. Everyone from the police to the mob want to know the identity of the theif and almost everyone is under suspicion. A star studded cast of the most promi

• The Crossroads Collection | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  In its day Crossroads was one of television's most popular and enduring soap operas. The sets may have wobbled at times but many of its characters went on to become icons of popular culture. This eight-disc set includes some of the earliest surviving episodes as well as examples from many memorable storylines including Sandy's accident Meg's wedding and the shooting of David Hunter...

• Next Friday | UMD | (17/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

• Crossroads - Part 3 | DVD | (26/02/2007) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-8.74 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Settle down for another volume of episodes from the Crossroads serial. Disc One: Episode 498 (from November 1966): Bill is dissuaded from marrying Marilyn which is what she wants. Sandy worries about his best man speech. A race to save Angela's sight is on. Episode 1192 (from November 1969): Archie comes to an arrangement with Diane. Meg is confined to bed after being taken ill at Tessa's wedding. Is her illness all it seems to be? Episode 1304 (fro

• Singin' In The Rain / Seven Brides For Seven Brothers | DVD | (23/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  SINGIN'IN THE RAIN:; With fame, fortune and fans galore, silent screen idol Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) thought he had it all. But one look at aspiring actress Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds), and he knew exactly what he was missing. Now he's swinging from lampposts, singing in the raindrops and ready for love. With talking pictures on the rise, Don sets out to make musicals with the woman of his dreams...but one thing stands in his way: his jealous co-star (Jean Hagen), who wants Don--and the l...

• Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice? | DVD | (02/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? sees a change of direction for Robert Aldrich's unofficial trilogy which all involve "ageing actresses" in macabre thrillers (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte). The busy Aldrich only produced What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?, calling in TV director Lee H Katzin (a Mission: Impossible regular) to handle the megaphone. Aldrich also opted to shoot the film in pastel colours appropriate to the unusual Arizona desert setting rather than the gothic black and white of the earlier films. The film cast the less iconic Geraldine Page as the genteelly unpleasant Mrs Clare Marrable. Left apparently penniless by her departed husband, Mrs M opts to keep up appearances by hiring a succession of timid elderly housekeepers, bossing them around with well-spoken nastiness, duping them out of their life savings and, on the pretence of getting help with a midnight tree-planting program, lures them into their own graves, batters them to death and plants lovely pines over them. Page gets her own way with the meek likes of Mildred Dunnock, until the feistier, red-wigged R!uth Gordon applies for the job and gets down to amateur sleuthing. While Bette Davis and her partners went wildly over the top in previous films, Page and Gordon play more subtly, finding odd pathetic moments in between the monstrous, irony-laced horror stuff. The supporting cast of pretty or handsome young things, mostly putty in the hands of the manipulative Page, contribute striking little cameos (Rosemary Forsyth sports a pleasing 1969 hairdo as the kindly but intimidated neighbour), but the film belongs to its leading ladies, delivering a fine line in twist-packed cat-and-mouse theatrics. The video is handsomely letterboxed, as befits a film made before widescreen films were shot with all the action in the middle of the frame to facilitate television sales. --Kim Newman