"Actor: Hank Ma"

• The Simpsons: Complete Season 1 | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £11.99   |  Saving you £30.00 (300.30%)   |  RRP £39.99

  From practically the first episode, broadcast in 1989, The Simpsons impacted on planet TV like a giant multi-coloured meteor. With a claim to being the defining pop cultural phenomenon of the 1990s--hip, fast, sharp and primary--there was nothing even in rock & roll to match this. The Simpsons is possibly the greatest sitcom ever made. Although the animation was initially primitive, never before had cartoon characters been so well drawn. There had been loveable middle-aged layabouts on TV before, but Homer Simpson successfully stole their crown and out-slobbed them all in every department ("The guys at the plant are gonna have a field day with this," he grumbles in "Call of The Simpsons" as he watches scientists on a TV news item who can't decide whether he is incredibly dense or a brilliant beast). However, in this first series he isn't quite yet the bloated man-child he would become in later series; instead he's a growling patriarch with a Walter Matthau-type voice. His sensible half Marge's croak, meanwhile, has yet to settle down, while the vast cast of minor Springfield characters have yet to find their place. Bart, however, was a smash from the start: dumb as Homer but spiky-haired and resourceful, he sets out his manifesto in "Bart the Genius"; while "Moaning Lisa" spotlights his over-achieving sister and is a good early example of the series' clever handling of melancholy bass notes. Throughout its life there's always been confusion as to whether The Simpsons is a show for kids or adults, but with allusions in these first 13 episodes to Kubrick, Diane Arbus, Citizen Kane and (in a very satisfyingly anti-French episode) Manon des Sources, it should already have been clear that this was a programme for all ages and all IQs from 0 to 200. Dysfunctional they may have been, but the Simpsons stuck together, and audiences stuck with them into the 21st century. --David Stubbs On the DVD: The packaging is good but the 13 episodes are spread very thinly here, with just five each on discs one and two . The commentary track is intermittently interesting though a tad repetitive, as creator David Groening is joined by various other members of the team. The third disc has some neat extra stuff, including outtakes, the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts and a five-minute BBC documentary, but is again fairly brief. The menu interfaces are pretty clunky, annoyingly forcing you to watch endless copyright warnings after each episode and with no facility to "play all". The content is wonderful, of course, but three discs looks like overkill. --Mark Walker

• Anastasia | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £2.83   |  Saving you £3.16 (111.66%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Stomping out their usual cuteness and carbon copying Disney's grand animation style to a tee, directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (An American Tail) create a successful musical comedy from the story of the lost Russian princess. Adapting the story of imperialism and revolution is tricky, and subsequently the film's opening is weak. Once Anya (voiced by Meg Ryan, sung by Liz Callaway) is a teenager and on her own (suffering from some degree of amnesia), Anastasia is quite pleasing though never refreshingly new. 20th Century Fox's big-money gamble to horn in on Disney's realm is worthy. The songs, especially the recurrent "Once Upon a December" by Broadway team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, are better than Disney's recent efforts. It's worth picking up the soundtrack. The mix of cell animation and computer work is vivid. The collection of vocal talent is also strong, from John Cusack (as Dimitri, who wants to earn the reward by bringing Anya to Paris) to Hank Azaria as an amusing albino bat. Kelsey Grammer helps turn a roly-poly sidekick into a warm and strong supporting character. The biggest drawback is Bluth/Goldman's insistence on having a typical villain. Surprisingly, the story would be strong enough without one and the undead corpse of Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) is unneeded and unoriginal. --Doug Thomas

• Simpsons - Series 11 - Complete | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £32.48   |  Saving you £7.51 (23.12%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The Simpsons are back... Join the residents of Springfield for the eleventh season of the classic animated series.

• Grosse Pointe Blank | DVD | (22/01/2001) from £6.97   |  Saving you £9.02 (129.41%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Hit man Martin Q Blank (John Cusack) is in an awkward situation. Several of them, actually. He's attending his high school reunion on an assignment; he's got a rival hit man (Dan Aykroyd) on his tail; and he's going to have to explain to his old girlfriend (Minnie Driver) why he stood her up on prom night. Grosse Pointe Blank is an amiable black comedy, cowritten by Cusack and directed by Jonathan Demme protégé George Armitage (Miami Blues), has the feel of Demme's Something Wild and Married to the Mob--which is to say its humour is dark and brightly coloured at the same time. Cusack and Driver are utterly charming--as is the leading man's sister, Joan, who plays his secretary. (Cusack received an Oscar nomination for her next role, in In & Out.) Alan Arkin is also very funny as Martin's psychiatrist. --Jim Emerson

• The Simpsons: Complete Season 3 | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  First broadcast in 1991 the third series of The Simpsons contains a clutch of candidates for "Best Simpsons Episode Ever". Homer is on such appallingly good form throughout this series that a reasonable case can be made for asserting that he has superseded the importance of his Greek namesake in the annals of culture and civilisation. The opening "Stark Raving Dad", for instance, features a guest appearance by an un-credited Michael Jackson, who plays an obese white inmate whom Homer meets while confined to a mental institution. Other standout episodes include "Like Father, Like Clown", in which Krusty reveals he is estranged from his Rabbi father; this is The Simpsons at the height of its powers, mature, ironic, erudite and touching while bristling with slapstick and Bart-inspired cheek. "Flaming Moe's" features Aerosmith and sees Homer invent a cocktail which desperate, sleazy bartender Moe steals from him. "Radio Bart" is another demonstration of the series' knack for cultural references, parodying the Billy Wilder movie Ace in the Hole. Finally, there's "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes", in which Danny DeVito reprises his role as Homer's brother, regaining the fortune Homer lost him by inventing a Baby Translator. Immensely enjoyable at anything from a primary to a doctoral thesis level, this third year of the show demonstrates conclusively that The Simpsons is quite simply, and by a large margin, the greatest television programme ever made. --David Stubbs

• Great Expectations | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £7.56   |  Saving you £5.43 (71.83%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The moment young Finn sets eyes on Estella she becomes his inspiration--and his obsession. Despite being warned ""she'll only break your heart "" he vows to win her love. Years later thanks to a mysterious benefactor aspiring artist Finn is off to New York where he is reunited with the icy and beautiful Estella. When she agrees to model for him Finn's dearest hopes may at last be realized--along with his darkest fears.

• Godzilla (1998) | DVD | (16/08/2004) from £8.80   |  Saving you £-2.81 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In the steamy jungles of the South Pacific an enormous creature is created by nuclear fallout. Lost for decades the power and the fury of the world's largest monster are about to be unleashed. He's the most spectacular creature in cinematic history with a foot the size of a bus a body as tall as London's Big Ben and strength and agility the likes of which the world has never seen.

• Arthur Christmas / Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs / Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 / Hotel Transylvania / Hotel Transylvania 2 / Open Season (2006) / Pirates! Band of Misfits, the / Smurfs 2, | DVD | (21/11/2016) from £21.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Christmas Big Face Lunchbox - Includes: (Arthur Christmas/Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs/Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2/Hotel Transylvania/Hotel Transylvania 2/Open Season (2006)/Pirates! Band Of Misfits, The Smurfs 2, The Smurfs/Surf's Up)

• The Simpsons: Complete Season 5 | DVD | (21/03/2005) from £28.98   |  Saving you £11.01 (37.99%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Sixteen seasons (and counting) of pop culture-rocking brilliance, the first four of which have already been gloriously archived on DVD. But in the words of Krusty the Clown: "What has The Simpsons done for me lately?" Well, how about all 22 episodes of season 5, each accompanied by commentary, deleted scenes, and other encyclopedic extras that hopelessly devoted Simpsons fans crave, no, demand? Season 5 is perhaps not as classics-packed as the third or fourth seasons, but no self-respecting Simpsons fan should be without the episodes "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", featuring George Harrison, "Cape Feare", one of Sideshow Bob's (and guest voice Kelsey Grammer's) finest half-hours, "Rosebud", "Springfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)" and "Bart Gets Famous", with the Springfield-sweeping catchphrase "I didn't do it". Plus, the star power this season is impressive: Michelle Pfeiffer as Homer's comely, donut-loving co-worker in "The Last Temptation of Homer", Albert Brooks as a self-help guru who unleashes "Bart's Inner Child", Kathleen Turner as the creator of Malibu Stacy in "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy", and, as themselves, the Ramones ("Rosebud"), James Woods ("Homer and Apu"), Buzz Aldren ("Deep Space Homer"), and even Robert Goulet ("Springfield"). But it is the writers and the core ensemble cast who exhibit, to quote "Deep Space Homer", "the right... What's that stuff?" Series milestones include the first appearance of yokel Cletus in "Bart Gets an Elephant" and Maggie's infant nemesis, The Baby with One Eyebrow in "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badasssss Song" which also happens to be The Simpsons' 100th episode. Add in a very good "Treehouse of Horror" episode, (which outs Ned Flanders as the Devil and Marge as the head vampire), and one Emmy-nominated musical extravaganza ("Who Needs the Quick-E-Mart" from "Homer and Apu"), and you have a Simpsons season that's not just great, it's DVD-box-set great. --Donald Liebenson

• The Simpsons: Complete Season 2 | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £30.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (29.04%)   |  RRP £39.99

  First aired in 1990-91, the second series of The Simpsons proved that, far from being a one-joke sitcom about the all-American dysfunctional family, it had the potential to become a whole hilarious universe. The animation had settled down (in the first series, the characters look eerily distorted when viewed years later), while Dan Castellaneta, who voiced Homer, decided to switch from a grumpy Walter Matthau impression to a more full-on, bulbous wail. The series' population of minor characters began to grow with the inclusion of Dr Hibbert, McBain and attorney Lionel Hutz, while the writers became more seamless in their ability to weave pastiche of classic movies into the plot lines. While relatively "straight" by later standards (the surreal forays of future seasons are kept in check here), Season Two contains some of the most memorable episodes ever made, indeed some of the finest American comedy ever made. These include "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", in which Homer is reunited with, and ruins the business of, his long-lost brother ("He was an unbridled success--until he discovered he was a Simpson"), "Dead Putting Society", in which Homer lives out his rivalry with neighbour Ned Flanders through a crazy-golf competition between the sons ("If you lose, you're out of the family!") and one of the greatest ever episodes, "Lisa's Substitute", which not only features poor little Lisa's crush on a supply teacher voiced by Dustin Hoffman but also Bart's campaign to become class president. "A vote for Bart is a vote for anarchy!", warns Martin, the rival candidate. By way of a retort, Bart promises faithfully, "A vote for Bart is a vote for anarchy!". --David Stubbs On the DVD: The Simpsons, Season 2, like its DVD predecessor, has neat animated menus on all four discs as well as apparently endless copyright warnings, but nothing as useful as a "play all" facility. The discs are more generously filled than Season 1, however, and each episode has an optional group commentary from Matt Groening and various members of his team. The fourth disc has sundry snippets including the Springfield family at the Emmy Awards ceremony, Julie Kavner dressed up as Bart at the American Music Awards and videos for both "Do the Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble" (all with optional commentary). There are two short features dating from 1991: director David Silverman on the creation of an episode and an interview with Matt Groening. TV commercials for butterfinger bars, foreign language clips and picture galleries round out the selection. Picture is standard 4:3 and the sound is good Dolby 5.1. --Mark Walker

• Godzilla | DVD | (29/03/2010) from £12.94   |  Saving you £-6.95 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  As "gigantic monster reptile attacks New York" movies go, you've got to admit that Godzilla delivers the goods, although its critical drubbing and box-office disappointment were arguably deserved. It's a shameless, uninspired crowd-pleaser that's content to serve up familiar action with the advantage of really fantastic special effects, and if you expect nothing more you'll be one among millions of satisfied customers. There's really no other way to approach it--you just have to accept the fact that Independence Day creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are unapologetic plagiarists, incapable of anything more than mindless spectacle that can play in any cinema in the world without dubbing or subtitles. The whole movie plays out like a series of highlights stolen from previous blockbusters of the 1990s; it's little more than a rehash of the Jurassic Park movies. The derivative script is so trivial that it's unworthy of comment, apart from a few choice laughs and the casting of Michael Lerner as New York's mayor, whose name is Ebert and who closely resembles a certain well-known movie critic. Perhaps that's a clever hint that this movie's essentially critic-proof. It's stupid but it's fun, and for most audiences that's a fitting definition of mainstream Hollywood entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

• Hellbent | DVD | (22/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Possibly the first gay horror/slasher movie of our time HellBent is a scary sexy funny thrill-ride through a wild Halloween night where chiseled gay chaps become the target of a sickle-wielding serial killer. Taking place at the famed West Hollywood Halloween Carnival there is a serial killer on the loose. A group of four gay friends will have to fight for their lives to make it through a night where flamboyant costumes beautiful people drugs music dancing and sex are

• Cliff Richard DVD Collection - The Young Ones / Summer Holiday / Wonderful Life | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  The three nostalgic British musicals in the Cliff Richard DVD Collection are a good reminder that, thanks to a few short years in the 1960s, Sir Cliff can legitimately include "film star" on his already exceptional show business CV. The Young Ones (1961), Summer Holiday (1963) and Wonderful Life (1964) would make tame fare for a teen audience today, but they retain a polished and honest charm which might surprise the sharpest of cynics. First and foremost, of course, they were Cliff Richard vehicles: designed to showcase his all-round talents and capitalise on his first, heady wave of pop chart success. They are also unashamed homages to the heyday of the MGM B-musical with familiar themes: let's put on a show/save the youth club/make a film. But with up-and-coming directors Sidney Furie and Peter Yates making imaginative and sophisticated use of wide-angle camera work and fresh, snappy choreography by Herbert Ross and Gillian Lynne, they also have plenty of assets other than Cliff's wholesome appeal. There are some fine set pieces and surreal flashes, notably the history of cinema in Wonderful Life and the extraordinary mime sequence in Summer Holiday. They also tap into the very British energy of a group of young actors and dancers including Una Stubbs, Susan Hampshire, Melvyn Hayes and Richard O'Sullivan, as well as Cliff's band at the time, The Shadows. For sheer verve, they deserve to be seen on their own merits. On the DVD: The Cliff Richard DVD Collection has been pristinely restored; the colours and clarity, not to mention the use of Cinemascope, leap off the screen (aspect ratio 2.35:1). The mono soundtrack recreates the authentic bandbox sound of the 1960s. Aside from theatrical trailers, the most notable extras are directors' commentaries: actually Furie and Yates in occasionally long-winded conversation with film and music writers. Both men give fascinating insight into the film-making climate in Britain in the early 1960s.--Piers Ford

• The Ladykillers | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £4.79   |  Saving you £13.20 (275.57%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Tom Hanks teams up with the Coen brothers for a remake of the classic 1955 Ealing comedy about a group of thieves trying to bump off their landlady.

• Star Is Born, A / Meet Me In St. Louis | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A Star Is Born: This film marked Judy Garland's return to movies after a four year absence director George Cukor's first musical and first colour film and a showcase for the great Harold Arlen/Ira Gershwin songs in state-of-the-art stereo. One of the most beloved show business stories of all time A Star Is Born: represents a career peak for many involved. Garland is singer Esther Blodgett an undeniable talent on the rise. She catches the eye of Norman Maine (James M

• Love and Other Drugs | DVD | (23/05/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Love and other Drugs is a funny, sexy tale of a playboy pharmaceutical rep enjoying huge success with the ladies, and his career, as his company launches the little blue miracle pill. But one girl soon turns his whole life upside down.

• The Strat Pack - The 50th Anniversary Of The Fender Stratocaster - Live | DVD | (01/12/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In autumn 2004 an all star line up of some of the world's greatest guitarists and thousands of fans gathered at London's Wembley Arena to celebrate the 50th birthday of a music legend the Fender Stratocaster guitar. Members of Queen Genesis Thin Lizzy The Crickets The Shadows Free The Eagles Roxy Music Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones... plus solo stars Albert Lee Jamie Cullum and Theresa Andersson. Tracklist: 1. Peggy Sue - The Crickets Albert Lee and Brian May

• The Smurfs | DVD | (05/12/2011) from £3.12   |  Saving you £16.87 (540.71%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Audiences everywhere are in for a Smurfy good time as the Smurfs make their first 3D trip to the big screen in Sony Pictures Animation's hybrid live-action and animated family comedy, The Smurfs.

• The Simpsons: Christmas 2 | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £3.19   |  Saving you £9.80 (307.21%)   |  RRP £12.99

  More yuletide fun with Springfield's first family! Homer VS. Dignity: With Smithers away Burns hires a cash-hungry Homer as his 'prank monkey' to peform stunts that ultimately damage Homer's dignity. Skinner's Sense Of Snow: A blizzard traps Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie with an assortment of students at Springfield Elementary. Dude Where's My Ranch?: While out Christmas carolling the famliy finds out from a lawyer that the carol they are singing is copyr

• The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror | DVD | (28/10/2002) from £8.08   |  Saving you £4.91 (60.77%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror collection proves that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, 2001, Harry Potter, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Tron get the inimitable Simpsons skewering in this shockingly funny collection of four mostly classic episodes. Best is "V" in which no TV and no beer make Homer go crazy in "The Shinning" ("You mean The Shining", Bart corrects. "Shh, you want to get sued?" Homer reprimands him). "VI" contains the ambitious, computer-animated "Homer3". "VII" features aliens Kang and Hados's finest quarter half-hour as they assume the identities of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. "XII" boasts the star power of Pierce Brosnan as the voice of a mechanised house that falls in love with Marge and lures Homer to his apparent death with "unexplained bacon". For Halloween and beyond, this crypt-kicking collection is full of screamingly funny treats. --Donald Liebenson