"Actor: Francesca Neri"

• The Hannibal Lecter Trilogy -- The Silence of the Lambs / Hannibal / Red Dragon | DVD | (19/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Based on Thomas Harris's novel, Jonathan Demme's terrifying adaptation of Silence of the Lambs contains only a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter; Jodie Foster is equally memorable as the vulnerable FBI agent-in-training Clarice Starling. --Tom Keogh Hannibal is set 10 years after Silence of the Lambs, as Dr Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster), on the other hand, hasn't had it so good. The film is so stylistically different from its predecessor that it forces you to take it on its own terms. Director Ridley Scott gives the film a sleek, almost European look that lets you know that, unlike the first film (which was about the quintessentially American Clarice), this movie is all Hannibal. Hopkins and Moore are both first-rate, but the film contrives to keep them as far apart as possible. When they do connect it's quite thrilling but it's unfortunately too little too late. --Mark Englehart Anthony Hopkins returns as Hannibal Lecter in Red Dragon, a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs and a remake of 1986's Manhunter, Michael Mann's fine film of Thomas Harris's terrific book, in which Brian Cox carved the ham thinner as a more menacing, less hokey cannibal. This film beefs up Lecter's role, as FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) consults Lecter on the Tooth Fairy case, which means some pointed and familiar conversations, and the film then shifts focus from the investigation to the life and troubles of the mad and murderous but also abused and sympathetic Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes, with a major tattoo and a harelip). It's hard not to compare the current cast with Mann's excellent players. Still, Red Dragon is a solid film of great material, with all the sudden shocks and disturbing whispers in places. --Kim Newman

• Hannibal | DVD | (20/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Anthony Hopkins Oscar winning pyschopath Hannibal Lector comes back into the life of FBI Agent Clarice Starling in this long awaited sequel to The Silence Of The Lambs.

• Hannibal | DVD | (03/10/2011) from £6.39   |  Saving you £3.60 (56.34%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Anthony Hopkins Oscar winning pyschopath Hannibal Lector comes back into the life of FBI Agent Clarice Starling in this long awaited sequel to The Silence Of The Lambs.

• The Ages Of Lulu | DVD | (28/01/2013) from £7.79   |  Saving you £5.20 (66.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Submerged in the fears of a childhood devoid of affection fifteen-year old Lulu succumbs to the attraction of a young friend of the family Pablo. One night he takes her to a rock concert and after the show in the back of his car introduces Lulu to her first sexual experience. Years later when Pablo returns from teaching in the U.S. the two meet again and get married. He creates for her a world apart a private universe in which time has no meaning. But Lulu tires of living in an unreal world and leaves home. She begins to hang out in shady bars where she plunges helplessly but feverishly into the hell of dangerous apparently forbidden desires

• Collateral Damage | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £7.61   |  Saving you £6.38 (83.84%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a man who takes the law into his own hands and sets out to track down the international terrorists who killed his family.

• Live Flesh | DVD | (28/02/2000) from £6.85   |  Saving you £13.14 (191.82%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Victor Plaza (Liberto Rabal) is a child of Franco's Spain born on a bus that was taking his mother a prostitute to the hospital. In spite of this Victor is young and life has not destroyed his trust in people particularly Elena (Francesca Neri) the daughter of a diplomat and the woman with whom he shares his first sexual experience. Victor believing the experience was not a casual one soon discovers things are not usually as straightforward as one would hope. Nerves a gun an

• All About My Mother / Live Flesh / Talk To Her | DVD | (15/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  All About My Mother: A birthday treat turns into heart-rending tragedy for single mother Manuela (Cecilia Roth) when her teenage son is killed in a car accident after a performance of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' starring his favourite actress Huma Roja (Marisa Paredes). Determined to exorcise her overwhelming guilt Manuela goes to Barcelona to finally tell his father about the son he never knew he had. There the reason why she has kept the identity of her forbidden lover a secret for so long is revealed. He is a transvestite named Lola who is dying from an AIDS related illness. However in confronting her own past Manuela forges a new future with Lola's transsexual best friend Agrado (Antonia San Juan) church social worker Sister Rosa (Penelope Cruz) and Huma when her play comes to town. But even as the women from different fringes of society form a bond further heartbreak misfortune and ultimate joy lies in store for each. Live Flesh: Victor Plaza (Liberto Rabal) is a child of Franco's Spain born on a bus that was taking his mother a prostitute to the hospital. In spite of this Victor is young and life has not destroyed his trust in people particularly Elena (Francesca Neri) the daughter of a diplomat and the woman with whom he shares his first sexual experience. Victor believing the experience was not a casual one soon discovers things are not usually as straightforward as one would hope. Nerves a gun and two policeman are involved when Victor tries to see Elena again and a violent encounter changes all their lives. A policeman Sancho (Jose Sancho) precipitates a violent incident into which Victor is dragged. David (Javier Barden) is hit by a stray bullet that leaves him paralyzed and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Victor is blamed and sent to prison where he watches helplessly as David becomes a paralympics star with Elena - now his wife. Fate however intervenes again. When Victor is released from prison he visits his mother's grave only to find Elena and David at the cemetery. Now Victor has the chance to settle old scores - but from his moment on they are all locked in a game which has only just begun. Talk To Her (Hable Con Ella): After a chance encounter at a theater two men Benigno and Marco meet at a private clinic where Benigno works. Lydia Marco's girlfriend and a bullfighter by profession has been gored and is in a coma. It so happens that Benigno is looking after another woman in a coma Alicia a young ballet student...

• Swordfish / Basic / Collateral Damage | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £20.99

  Swordfish Log on. Hack in. Go anywhere. Steal everything. John Travolta stars as Gabriel Shear a sinister mastermind with an elite criminal crew who are desperately trying to access information locked inside a complicated computer system that contains government secrets and if they can hack it a billion payday... Basic Legendary drill instructor Sgt. Nathan West (Samuel Jackson) takes six Ranger cadets on a training mission to Fort Clayton in the Panamanian jungle but only two remain alive. The two survivors are uncooperative and give wildly differing accounts of what actually happened. Former Ranger and DEA agent Tom Hardy (John Travolta) currently on suspension for allegedly accepting a bribe is called in to try and separate the truth from the lies and find out what really happened. Collateral Damage: A firefighter (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing. Frustrated by the government's stalled investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice he takes matters into his own hands and tracks the bomber to Columbia...

• Collateral Damage / Swordfish / Driven | DVD | (29/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Collateral Damage: A firefighter (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing. Frustrated by the government's stalled investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice he takes matters into his own hands and tracks the bomber to Columbia... Swordfish: John Travolta stars as Gabriel Shear a sinister mastermind with an elite criminal crew who are desperately trying to access information locked inside a complicated computer system that contains government secrets and if they can hack it a billion payday... Driven: Sylvester Stallone plays a talented veteran driver who confronts the lost potential of his past when called out of retirement to mentor a talented but unfocused rookie contender (Kip Pardue) whose destructive behavior pursuing the girlfriend (Estella Warren) of his primary racing rival (Til Schweiger). Start your engines!

• Bigas Luna Collection | DVD | (26/03/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Golden Balls (1993): Ruthless stud Benito Gonzalez (Javier Bardem wants wealth women and to erect a skyscraper in his own honour. In order to achieve this he marries a sophisticated daughter of a rich banker Marta (Maria De Medeiros) but keeps mistress Claudia (Maribel Verdu) on the side. When Marta and Claudia realise they are both victims of Benito's greed things for Benito begin to crumble. Has Benito's luck finally left him? Jamon Jamon (1992): Headstrong senorita Silvia (Penelope Cruz) becomes pregnant to village Mummy's-boy Jose (Jordi Mulla). Silvia's father has left town and her mother Carmen (Anna Galiena) is forced to become the town prostitute. Jose's overbearing mother Conchita (Stefania Sandrelli) fears her son will marry the daughter of a scarlet woman and takes action...she hires sexy young Raul (Javier Bardem) who works in the ham factory and enjoys nude bullfighting to seduce Silvia. What ensues is a series of chaotic and frantic couplings testosterone overload breasts that taste of ham and a duel to the death with a side of bacon. Tit & The Moon (1994): Completing Bigas Luna's saucy Spanish trilogy that began with Jamon Jamon and Golden Balls The Tit and the Moon tells of a young boy's search for the perfect breast. Set in a colourful Catalan resort this exhuberant tale of lust and love is a coming of age story with a differnce. Tete is a nine year old boy who is consumed with jealousy at his baby brother's monopoly of his mum's nipples. After asking the moon for a breast of his own his prayers are answered with the arrival of Estrellita (Mathilda May) a beautiful French dancer. But the course of true love doesn't run smooth and Tete finds stiff competition for her affection. She is deeply in love with her cabaret partner Maurice the flatulent motorbike rider and is also being pursued by Miguel the hunky flamenco-singing teenager. Ages of Lulu (1990): The story of a young woman's descent into the kinky and dangerous sexual underground in Madrid.

• Hannibal - Superbit | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Yes, he's back ... and he's still hungry. Hannibal is set 10 years after The Silence of the Lambs, as Dr Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, replacing Jodie Foster), on the other hand, hasn't had it so good--an outsider from the start, she's now a quiet, moody loner who doesn't play bureaucratic games and suffers for it. A botched drug raid results in her demotion--and a request from Lecter's only living victim, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman, uncredited), for a little Q and A. Little does Clarice realise that the hideously deformed Verger--who, upon suggestion from Dr Lecter, peeled off his own face--is using her as bait to lure Dr Lecter out of hiding, quite certain he'll capture the good doctor. Taking the basic plot contraptions from Thomas Harris's baroque novel, Hannibal is so stylistically different from its predecessor that it forces you to take it on its own terms. Director Ridley Scott gives the film a sleek, almost European look that lets you know that, unlike the first film (which was about the quintessentially American Clarice), this movie is all Hannibal. Does it work? Yes--but only up to a point. Scott adeptly sets up an atmosphere of foreboding, but it's all a build-up to the anticlimax, as Verger's plot for abducting Hannibal (and feeding him to man-eating wild boars) doesn't really deliver the requisite visceral thrills, and the much-ballyhooed climatic dinner sequence between Clarice, Dr Lecter and a third, unlucky guest wobbles between parody and horror. Hopkins and Moore are both first-rate, but the film contrives to keep them as far apart as possible, when what made Silence of the Lambs so amazing was their interaction. When they do connect it's quite thrilling but it's unfortunately too little too late. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com On the DVD: The good-looking widescreen (1.85:1) anamorphic print is accompanied by a directorial commentary on the first disc. Ridley Scott is no stranger to DVD commentaries by now, and keeps up a pretty constant flow of enjoyable story exposition, although provides few specifics about the actual filmmaking process. He's obviously more than happy to talk about this movie, since on the second disc there are also "Ridleygram" interviews with Scott about the process of storyboarding and a huge chunk of deleted or alternate scenes (including the alternate ending) with optional directorial commentary. There's a wealth of other extras to dip into, including five "making-of" featurettes (73 minutes in all), plus two multi-angle "vignettes" of the film's opening sequences (the fish-market shoot-out and opening titles), and a marketing gallery of trailers, stills and artwork. Surround-sound enthusiasts can select either Dolby 5.1 or DTS soundtracks for the main feature. --Mark Walker

• The Ages Of Lulu | DVD | (16/12/2002) from £9.32   |  Saving you £10.67 (114.48%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Ages of Lulu is a gruelling sexual odyssey from Spanish director Bigas Luna, made immediately prior to his popular trilogy Jamón, jamón (1992), Golden Balls (1993) and The Tit and the Moon (1994). Starting as the somewhat queasy story of the young Lulu's affair with the manipulative Pablo (Oscar Ladoire), the movie takes a much darker turn once they are wed. It is conventional cinematic wisdom that there's no such thing as sex after marriage, but here Lulu's husband incomprehensibly leads her into blindfolded incest, then is heartbroken when she reacts with disgust. Soon Lulu (superbly played by Francesca Neri from ingénue to hardened 30-something), is paying gay men for group sex, eventually becoming an unwilling attraction in a commercial sado-machochistic orgy. The closest most UK audiences will have come to this before is in Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) and Crimes of Passion (1984), and it is surely one of the most gut-churningly nightmarish scenes ever passed for home viewing. While Ages of Lulu may function as a reactionary warning against the wilder shores of sex, Luna's intention remains unsatisfyingly enigmatic, since the script is under-written and psychologically unconvincing. The end result is pretentious, repellent pornography which degrades human beings of any sexual persuasion. On the DVD: The Ages of Lulu is transferred at an anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 and image quality is very good, though in some scenes very slightly soft. The film can be watched with or without English subtitles, and the sound is unremarkable stereo. The main extras are a seven-page essay on Bigas Luna and five pages detailing the now restored 110 seconds of cuts made to the 1998 video release. The main title still contains 65 seconds of alternate footage to the cinema original for legal reasons. Also included are filmographies of Lunas and Oscar Ladoire, two trailers plus trailers for six other films. --Gary S Dalkin