"Actor: Hannah Wood"

• The Osbournes - The First Series | DVD | (07/04/2003) from £16.75   |  Saving you £1.24 (7.40%)   |  RRP £17.99

  The first series of The Osbournes is a hilarious fly-on-the-wall documentary concerning the day-to-day domestic misadventures of Ozzy Osbourne (former frontman of Black Sabbath), his relatively sensible wife Sharon and their kids Jack and Kelly. Having made his millions and been to rock & roll hell and back, Ozzy seems content nowadays to put his feet up in the sofa of the kitchen of his palatial Beverly Hills abode. However, a host of problems--including poorly toilet-trained domestic pets, noisy neighbours, his continuing obligations as an ageing metal superstar, his inability to operate the state-of-the-art telly and his ever-quarrelsome kids flapping fractiously about the place--forbid him a moment of peace. This real-life sitcom fodder has led many to describe the Osbourne family as "dysfunctional"--however, despite the generous helpings of expletives with which the series is garnished, like The Simpsons, they're actually a loving and stable family unit underneath it all. The series isn't perfect--the stylised MTV treatment is occasionally obtrusive and more Ozzy and less of the career-hungry teen brats would be welcome. Still, it's a gloriously refreshing change from the usual bland evasiveness of celebrity profiles. On the DVD: The Osbournes boasts a welter of wittily packaged special features. These include a commentary track ("Aww, look at Kelly, being nice! Can't we have that Kelly back?"), an "Ozzy translator" (English subtitles) for the benefit of those bamboozled by his Brummy accent and "Ozzy's Ten Commandments" delivered impromptu by the great man, tidied up into biblical-speak in the subtitles ("Thou shall cling tight to the moneybelt of thy father"). Although Sharon declares that she's "worried about the oranges" on the DVD, she needn't be. Given that this is a transfer from video, it looks clean and pristine, necessarily so in that it enhances the colourful, almost cartoon air of the series. Sound wise, there are no problems either, despite the competing setbacks of thick accents, background music, "voices off" and barking. Everything is picked up, from offhand grunted remarks to ear-splitting tantrums. --David Stubbs

• The Osbournes - The Second Series | DVD | (28/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £35.99

  The modern-day Addams Family returns for a second season of their landmark reality sitcom in The Osbournes. Overexposure quickly wore out the Osbournes' welcome, but the season opener, "What Goes Up", is a reminder of the surreal circus that was their lightning-in-a-bottle 15 minutes of fame. Ozzy and Sharon attend the White House Correspondents' dinner, where Ozzy rates a mention by the president and receives a thundering ovation. Daughter Kelly performs "Papa Don't Preach" at the MTV Music Awards. And son Jack is thrilled that McDonald's has brought back the McRib. The next episode, "Must Come Down", is the reality check, in which Sharon is diagnosed with colon cancer. But the family quickly gets back "to what they usually do", which is drive each other (and anyone who crosses them) crazy. Jack takes special delight in tormenting trespassing tourists by turning the sprinklers on them. When Kelly brings home her first serious boyfriend, a rock singer, it's to her mortified horror that Sharon questions him about his obscene nickname. The season does comes to a poignant end with a lavish New Year's party during which Ozzy and Sharon renew their vows, and ends with Ozzy passed out on the couch (just like their first honeymoon, Sharon sardonically observes). Of course, there is reality and there is reality. Though not dealt with onscreen, it has since been reported that Jack has undergone rehab for a substance abuse problem, a tragic family legacy. This puts something of a damper on watching the "wacky" antics. But as with the first season, The Osbournes is fun to visit, with cameos by, among others, Natalie Portman, Mandy Moore, P Diddy, and Marilyn Manson adding to the cachet. But thank god you don't live there. As with the first year, this two-disc package contains such inspired extras as a translator that provides subtitles for the addled Ozzy's profanity-laced dialogue. --Donald Liebenson

• Hide And Seek | DVD | (31/12/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Ann (Daryl Hannah) and Jack White are an attractive and successful couple. Soon however their idyllic existence is turned into a living nightmare after a deranged couple (Jennifer Tilly and Vincent Gallo) kidnap Ann as part of a secret evil plan. With time running out for his wife a desperate Jack triggers the most thrilling and dangerous round of 'Hide And Seek' anyone has ever played.

• Hard Cash | DVD | (17/01/2003) from £6.98   |  Saving you £-2.99 (-74.90%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Thomas Taylor (Christian Slater) is finally out on parole. He returns to his girlfriend and daughter and gets a legit job at a betting parlor... or so it seems. When the parlor gets held up by a band of masked robbers Taylor turns out not to be just an innocent bystander but the ringleader. Then to further complicate matters while in the process of negotiating the laundering of the stolen money someone pulls a con and the money disappears! Now his life and those of the ones he loves are at stake as the cops and the guys who are looking for their cut close in on his trail. Taylor must figure out what happened to the missing millions as well as figure out who in his ring of criminal associates has double crossed him... including a corrupt FBI agent (Val Kilmer). High-speed chases heavy duty danger great gunplay and a superstar cast make this cool caper a hot one to watch.