"Actor: Don S Davis"

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 3 (Vol. 10) | DVD | (26/03/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. --Paul TonksOn this DVD: This volume begins in confusion when the S.G.1 team discover a military camp training for "Rules of Engagement". All is not what it seems however. The same is true of "Forever in a Day", when Daniel's wife Sha're is killed by Teal'c. This episode begins an important storyline about her stolen child who is a "Harcesis", an illegal breeding between Goa'uld hosts. Then an earlier thread is picked up in "Past and Present" on planet Vyus whose people all suffer amnesia. Their leader Ke'ra (played by Megan Leitch who's portrayed Mulder's missing sister in The X-Files) is a link to the earlier "Prisoners" episode and the dangerous "destroyer of worlds". Closing the volume is a cliffhanger in which Sam must attempt to rescue her father, face Satan himself on a prison moon, and resurrect "Jolinar's Memories" from the Goa'uld she was briefly possessed by. Trapped in Hell, the team's escape seems impossible. As well as trailers for the next volume, the disc includes a 10-minute interview with Christopher Judge on his 97-year-old character Teal'c. He spends much of the time recalling plot points, but his philosophy of the show as a social allegory is refreshing. --Paul Tonks END

• Message In A Bottle / Tin Cup | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £16.22   |  Saving you £-2.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Message In A Bottle: Grieving widower Garret Blake builds boats for a living. Rebuilding his life - that's another matter. But that's before Theresa Osborne comes to his North Carolina village. Theresa a lonely divorcee and researcher for the Chicago Tribune knows Garret is the author of the message she found inside a bottle on Cape Cod beach. And she knows the message spoke to her in a way that profoundly touched her heart. Kevin Costner as Garret and Robin Wright Penn as T

• Janacek: Kat'a Kabanova -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (26/01/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Kát'a Kabanová, Janácek's 1921 tragedy, is proof if any were needed that tales of personal oppression and turmoil will always make fine raw material for opera composers. Janácek took Ostrovsky's tumultuous drama of infidelity , The Storm, and created a compelling piece in which his music heightens the relationship between the troubled landscape of Kát'a's inner mind and the elements doing battle outside. In 1988, this Glyndebourne Festival production successfully distilled the heroine's wretched journey from put-upon wife and daughter-in-law to suicide via the ecstasy of a forbidden love affair into 100 minutes of intensely emotional operatic drama. At its heart, Janácek's unique tonal score underlines a powerful, almost naturalistic dialogue and exposes the impact of Kát'a's experiences on her escalating self-destruction. Felicity Palmer's Kabanicha--the mother-in-law from hell and the real instrument of Kát'a's downfall--is curiously remote and muted rather than the domineering figure of fear that we might expect. But the singing, particularly by Nancy Gustafson (tremendously affecting and emotionally convincing in the title role) and Ryland Davies as Kát'a's weak husband Tichon, is outstanding. Gustafson's performance alone makes this essential viewing for anybody with a passion for the great modern soprano roles. On the DVD: Sadly the only additional features are trailers for Seven Gates of Jersualem and The Damnation of Faust. The sound quality (PCM stereo) is more than fair, but inevitably the film of the production is constrained by the design: the stylised set is either very light or very dark and we don't get as close as we'd like to the characters in what is, after all, a disturbingly intimate piece. Arthaus Musik's booklet meets the expected high standards of information and background. --Piers Ford

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 4 (Vol. 18) | DVD | (26/12/2001) from £6.54   |  Saving you £13.45 (67.30%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. On the DVD: Episodes: Absolute Power, The Light, Prodigy, Entity. The Harcesis child Shifu (an excellent young Lane Gates) decides Earth needs a lesson in what would happen if it acquired the "Absolute Power" its powers-that-be are greedily after. Daniel is the unwitting test subject, and by the time we see him unflinchingly destroy Moscow it's apparent just what this lesson is. Seeing "The Light" in another way, SG-1 find themselves like moths to a flame on a seemingly abandoned planet. After the shocking suicide of another team member, it takes everyone's individual talents (including the under-used Dr. Fraser) to crack the mystery of the pillar of energy from which all the trouble clearly emanates. In a rare glimpse of ordinary military life, Sam is presented with a "Prodigy" of sorts. The brilliant young Cadet Jennifer Hailey (Elisabeth Rosen) is precocious about her talents to the point of being obnoxious in the eyes of her tutors and peers. She naturally experiences quite a humbling come down when taken through the Stargate to assist on a science mission dealing with a pesky new life form. This episode is all about identifying personal flaws and what it takes to acknowledge them. In another strong show for Carter, a particularly elusive "Entity" imprints itself upon her consciousness as well as the base's computer systems. While every conceivable method of extraction is undertaken, the situation is made more complicated by the possibility that it's all been an enormous misunderstanding. Definitely the most heart-warming presentation of the life of a computer virus you'll ever see!

• Look Who's Talking 1, 2 and 3 | DVD | (28/08/2006) from £11.97   |  Saving you £3.02 (25.23%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Look Who's Talking: Starring Kirstie Alley John Travolta and the wise-cracking voice of Bruce Willis Look Who's Talking is the box-office smash which takes an hilarious off-beat look at motherhood and romance from baby Mikey's point of view. Led on and let down by boyfriend Albert (George Segal) 32 year old Mollie (Kirstie Alley) is looking for a proper father for her son. Little Mikey favours cab driver-turned-baby-sitter James (John Travolta). It's a case of baby knows be

• Stargate SG-1 - The Best of Series 1 | DVD | (20/03/2000) from £9.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 film Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Since neither Kurt Russell nor James Spader would be able to commit, it gave the producers licence to tinker with the cast and the universe they'd explore. Replacing the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG 1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" pharaoh-like Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are not too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot-thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi.This peculiar chronological cut and paste from the opening year at least starts sensibly with the pilot "Children of the Gods". A year on from Stargate the motion picture, Earth's military have assembled crack units to protect against whatever might follow from planet Abydos. So naturally they make things worse discovering a new enemy on Chulak. In "There But for the Grace of God" Daniel plays out Star Trek's "Mirror Mirror" scenario in an alternate dimension. Then in "Politics" no one believes his warnings of an impending attack, instead rationalising the Gate's closure. The season's stunning cliffhanger--"Within the Serpent's Grasp"--lands the team aboard the Goa'uld flag attack ship headed to destroy Earth. This episode features some truly inspired one-liners: "We can't just upload a virus to the Mothership!" --Paul Tonks

• Stargate S.G - 1: Season 5 (Vol. 23) | DVD | (22/07/2002) from £5.92   |  Saving you £14.07 (70.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Stargate SG-1 is the TV spin-off from the 1994 big-screen movie. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Episodes on this DVD: "Summit", "Last Stand", "48 Hours" and "Proving Ground". In a daring Tok'ra mission, Daniel Jackson is sent to infiltrate and attend a Goa'uld "Summit" disguised as a manservant. With a lot of sneaking around and a little technobabble thrown in to explain how he isn't recognised, things come to a head with the unveiling of who the secret new baddies are and how they affect Daniel personally. In a direct continuation from "Summit", SG-1 make what they hope is a "Last Stand" against the System Lords. Similarly, the Tok'ra stand together on planet Revanna where O'Neill and Teal'c have a crash course in alien technology as they learn how to grow different types of tunnel from crystal. It's been a while since someone made the analogy of the Stargates operating like a telephone exchange. "48 Hours" traps Teal'c within the system, and the team have only two days to find a way to reconnect him. Unfortunately, this requires the aid of the Russians who are more than a little reluctant about giving up their private dialling device. This episode also features terrific cameos from the slithery Maybourne and Simmons (John de Lancie). Inevitably there needs to be a next generation of SG teams, so Jack and co take time out from their missions to train up some newbies. "Proving Ground" is all about who can make the grade, and in particular they have their eyes on the brilliant Jennifer and headstrong Elliot. The tension is really piled on in this show as layers of reality build to confuse the kids and the audience as to what's really happening to them. --Paul Tonks

• The X-Files - Essentials | DVD | (14/07/2008) from £5.82   |  Saving you £14.17 (243.47%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The X-Files Essentials is an exclusive insider's pass to the science-fiction television phenomenon! Selected by eight-time Emmy Award nominated series creator Chris Carter himself this DVD features eight essential episodes which include special on-camera introductions by Carter and producer Frank Spotnitz revealing why each were chosen. These eight essential episodes span seasons 1-6 and cover a variety of paranormal and unexplained cases centering on alien abductions psychic phenomenon and life forms not quite human that set the stage for the eagerly anticipated sequel. Also featured on the collection is the February 2008 WonderCon panel session with Carter and Spotnitz as well as series stars David Duchovny (Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (Scully) making their first fan convention appearance together in several years and taking questions from fans in an interview spanning over 38 minutes. Episodes Comprise: 1. Pilot 2. Beyond the Sea 3. The Host 4. Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose 5. Memento Mori 6. The Post-Modern Prometheus 7. Bad Blood 8. Milagro

• Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades) | DVD | (21/01/2002) from £19.24   |  Saving you £7.01 (38.99%)   |  RRP £24.99

  This Glyndebourne production of Pique Dame ("The Queen of Spades") received rave reviews when it appeared in 1992 due to its claustrophobic intensity and powerful acting, and these qualities help it to transfer to DVD with great success. Graham Vick's direction ensures that the story is told clearly and simply but includes a wealth of telling details: the pastoral scene from Act 2, for example, uses the boys from the opening chorus as comical sheep and the effect is enchanting. But there are much darker undertones too: Richard Hudson's slanting, angular designs produce a disorientating atmosphere which mirrors Herman's increasing mental deterioration with uncanny precision. There is a brilliant stroke of visual assonance when the Countess returns to haunt Herman and all the furniture from her death scene appears on the roof. The singing is generally good, though Yuri Marusin's voice may not be to everyone's taste; sometimes he sounds like he's shouting, and his frequent lack of vibrato produces a piercing, uncomfortable effect. Nancy Gustafson is a fine Lisa, however, and Dimitri Kharitonov (Yeletsky) is heartbreaking in the famous "Ya vas lyublyu" ("I love you") aria. For overall better singing but a more plodding production, try the 1992 Kirov recording, but for spine-tingling drama this is the one to go for. On the DVD: Pique Dame on disc has subtitles in English, German, French and Spanish. The camerawork captures the odd angularity of the designs and gives an excellent account of a fast-paced, powerful production.--Warwick Thomson

• Stargate SG-1: Season 6 (Vol. 31) | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £7.93   |  Saving you £0.05 (1.01%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Prophecy: On a routine mission SG-1 encounters a civilisation desperate to be freed from the clutches of a Goa'uld. While on the planet Jonas falls ill and is suspended from active duty. His mysterious illness is diagnosed as a brain tumor but gives him the unbelieveable ability to glimpse the future... a future where O'Neill and SG-1 are walking into a trap! Full Circle: Daniel Jackson appears to O'Neill and alerts him that Anubis has located the Eye of Ra a fabled object of power hidden somewhere on Abydos. With Daniel's help O'Neill and SG-1 find the Eye first. But determined to have it Anubis threatens to destroy the entire planet unless Daniel and SG-1 hand it over.

• Omen IV: The Awakening | DVD | (06/06/2006) from £61.99   |  Saving you £-49.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  They said it was over. They were wrong. Gene and Karen York are the living embodiment of The American Dream. Rich influential attorneys they have everything a couple could want: except a child. When the Yorks learn of a beautiful baby girl waiting to adopted they instantly fall in love with baby Delia and adopt her. But terror and destruction seem to follow Delia wherever she goes. The priest who baptised her mysteriously dies the psychic fair she attends burns in a fiery holocaust and her nanny falls from a second story window impaling herself on a merry-go-round. Soon Delia's mother begins to questions the coincidence of these catastrophes. Her thoughts can't help but turn toward the biblical prophesy of Armageddon the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil beginning with the birth of Satan in human form!

• Vertical Limit --Superbit | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-7.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Vertical Limit is the film for all those mountain-climbing aficionados who devoured Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and similar books. It attempts to translate man-against-the-mountain adventure into compelling, albeit fictional, drama. But while the climbing action is pretty darn breathtaking, somebody forgot to put the brakes on the cliché machine while penning the screenplay. Two siblings (Chris O'Donnell and Robin Tunney) are mentally scarred by a climbing accident in which their father died to save them. She becomes a famous mountain climber; he never climbs again. On one of her climbs an avalanche leaves her stranded and only her determined brother can bring her back, along with a ragtag team of rescuers. It's easy to pick out the rest of the story from here, but Vertical Limit is less about the hackneyed plot than it is about putting its characters into increasingly dangerous situations and hanging them precariously over various mountainsides. It's a credit to director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye) that the impressive action keeps the film moving along past the bordering-on-absurd plot twists. O'Donnell tosses his mane of fluffy hair admirably, but it's still disheartening to see this once-promising actor turning into a pretty-boy stand-in; only Glenn manages to overcome his character's predictability. Mountaineering enthusiasts will recognise a cameo by world-renowned climber Ed Viesturs, who as an actor proves that he's... a very good mountain climber. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com

• 60s Britpop | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £12.85   |  Saving you £-6.86 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Some of the biggest British pop names of the 60s are brought together for this DVD compilation of classic hits. Featuring Eric Burdon & The Animals Cilla Black Billy Fury Lulu The Searchers Gerry & The Pacemakers Four Pennies Manfred Mann Herman's Hermits Spencer Davis Group Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Titch The Tremeloes Dave Berry Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas Peter & Gordon Herman's Hermits and Alan Price. Tracklist: 1. Introduction 2. Baby Let Me Take You Home 3. You're My World 4. I Will 5. Shout 6. What Have They Done To The Rain 7. Ferry 'Cross The Mersey 8. Juliet 9. 5-4-3-2-1 10. Something Is Happening 11. Midnight Special 12. Bend It! 13. Blue Suede Tie 14. Now 15. Little Children 16. A World Without Love 17. Just A Little Bit Better 18. Hold Tight! 19. Come Tomorrow 20. Don't Stop The Carnival

• Avalanche | DVD | (05/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A father and his two children struggle to escape certain death after an avalanche entombs their remote mountain cabin. A suspicious plane crash higher up in the mountains has caused the avalanche and swept the lone survivor a dangerous smuggler up against one of the buried cabin's windows. The unsuspecting family pull the stranger into the cabin and revive him. While the cabin slowly and dangerously buckles under the tremendous weight of the avalanche the smuggler forces his rescuers to abandon their escape plans and assist him in finding his stolen cache of diamonds. Time is running out all will surely die in this icy tomb if not from the collapsing cabin then from a bullet fired from the pistol of the cold-hearted stranger.

• A Family Divided | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £12.22   |  Saving you £-6.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  When Karen Billingsly's (Faye Dunaway) college-aged son Chad participates in a fraternity gang rape of a high school girl his attorney father Roger (Stephen Collins) advises Chad and his frat brothers to say nothing. But when Karen finds out she is devastated. The cover-up of the crime takes a toll on both her marriage and family as Roger plays on her motherly instincts and insists that she conceal the truth to protect their son and his future. Torn between doing what's right and safeguarding everything she holds dear Karen pleads with Chad to have the courage to face the truth accept the consequences and not be swayed by the lack of ethics in others.

• Stargate SG-1: Season 7 (Vol. 36) | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £11.66   |  Saving you £8.33 (71.44%)   |  RRP £19.99

  More adventures with the SG1 crew. Featuring the four thrilling episodes: Heroes (Part 1): The Air Force sends a documentary crew to capture the historical importance of the Stargate programme. Members of the Stargate Command greet the crew with resistance. Tensions rise when an off world emergency forces General Hammond to restrict the crews access to SGC. Heroes (part 2): The documentary crew is given a true look at the heroic nature and bond between the soldiers of SGC when a key member of the Stargate Crew is killed in action. Resurrection: The team are sent to investigate the murder of a group of rogue NID scientists. Whilst piecing together the events of the crime SG-1 discover the scientists may have experimented and combined DNA to create the ultimate evil: a human being that possesses the conscience of a Goa'uld. Inauguration: On his first day in office the newly elected President of the United States is told about the Stargate programme and must be brought up to speed on the past seven years of it's existence.

• Beyond The Stars | DVD | (12/04/2005) from £4.98   |  Saving you £1.01 (20.28%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Eric Mason's only ambition is to become an astronaut. When he meets a young waitress he discovers to his delight that her father was the thirteenth man on the moon...

• Stargate SG-1: Season 6 (Vol. 27) | DVD | (28/04/2003) from £6.50   |  Saving you £-1.51 (-30.30%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Nightwalkers: Carter Teal'c and Jonas investigate the death of a scientist named Fleming who was working with Immunotech and find a small town whose inhabitants are part of a secret experiment. Abyss: Jack is blended with a Tok'Ra who gets him captured by the Gou'ald. The Tok'Ra commits suicide to prevent its knowledge from falling into enemy hands and Jack is tortured for the information by the System Lord Ba'al. Shadow Play: A diplomatic party from Kelowna (Quinn's home nation) come to SG Command and want to negotiate. The two other nations on the planet have united against them and they want military support in return for n'quadria... The Other Guys: While escorting physicists off-world SG-1 is taken captive by Jaffa working for the Gou'ald Kon'su an ally of Anubis. Two of the meek physicists who revere SG-1 Felger and Coombs must rescue them!

• Atomic Train | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £18.10   |  Saving you £-12.11 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  With good production values and a load of suspense, the direct-to-video thriller Atomic Train delivers the goods--ahead of schedule. A rich bureaucrat with a Porsche, a goatee and a defective sense of morality places a defective Russian nuclear warhead aboard a defective American train for cheap disposal but the engine loses its brakes and hurls out of control toward Denver. Will it explode? Will it wipe out half the city? Will the thoughts and prayers of the President--played by Edward Herrmann, in his best Chrysler-salesman mode--do any good? Will Rob Lowe, the major hero of this epic, ever be able to save his career? Atomic Train hauls along every disaster-flick formula you can think of: an estranged couple bonding again during a time of crisis; urban rioting and mayhem; government officials wearing headsets and breathlessly watching video monitors; trigger-happy military men; high-speed stunts; escapes by helicopter; clean-up crews in white spacesuits; many scenes of families being reunited after sub-plot cliffhangers, to major-key crescendos on the soundtrack. The only stereotypical element missing is a dog saved from a fire at the last minute. But, you have to admit, what Atomic Train does it does with pizzazz, a post-Armageddon tone of overly heroic but ultimately disposable machismo and explosions... lots of explosions. --Robert Burns Neveldine, Amazon.com

• Wacko | DVD | (11/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Voluptuous nymphets young studs the last virgin in school a bald nutcase and an obsessed detective are all plagued by the return of the infamous 'Lawnmower Killer' in this comedy that satirises scenes from such films as 'Alien' 'Saturday Night Fever' 'Grease' and 'The Exorcist'!