"Actor: Ilia Volok"

• U-Turn | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £8.42   |  Saving you £-2.43 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Oliver Stone used such words as "liberating" and "fun" to talk about U-Turn's relatively quick production schedule of 42 days. Stone's ideas of film fun, however, are something older generations would call sick. This film is a Southwestern noir tale about Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn), a hotshot who is stuck in the tight confines of Superior, Arizona, when his car breaks down. His subsequent adventure is a meatball comedy--loud, obnoxious and violent, and stuffed with diffused light, a hot cast and a no-fat Ennio Morricone score. This film has plenty of odd characters but you never really find out much about them. Bobby's first encounters include a repulsive mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton under the grease) and a blind Indian (Jon Voight under the makeup). Then there's Grace McKenna (a sizzling Jennifer Lopez), who is as dangerous as the curves of her red sundress. Bobby's got time to kill and Grace seems more than willing. Unfortunately, it seems that Bobby has never seen a movie such as A Touch of Evil; if he had, he would know it can only get worse. About the time Grace's husband, Jake (Nick Nolte), shows up, Bobby is knee-deep in murder plots and double-crosses. The first 40 minutes or so are "fun" to a point. Penn is the perfect near-creep to root for and as he wanders back into town after meeting Grace, the eclectic characters pile up. But soon it gets monotonous, tiring and just plain ugly. And when incest and bloody fights begin, the fun is gone. If Penn wasn't so solid an actor and able to be empathetic in the most morose situations, the movie would be unwatchable in stretches. Lopez makes another good impression but this is not a performance that stands out. Nolte, raspy and ill-looking, is the Lee Marvin of the 90s. Before U-Turn is over, you are already wondering if Oliver Stone will do something else, something more important, soon. --Doug Thomas

• Kolobos | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £16.87   |  Saving you £-7.89 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Sometimes nightmares do come true.... Night time and rain falls over the city. A young couple are out for a drive and take a shortcut through a deserted alley..... they make a gruesome discovery: A girl who has been savagely battered and slashed lies in a pool of her own blood. As the girl loses conciousness she utters one word - Kolobos.

• Plan B | DVD | (10/12/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Five friends help each other negotiate the maddening and hilarious pursuit of love sex parenthood and career success. Life doesn't turn out like they planned but maybe 'Plan B' will be even better!

• Whore House | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-5.59 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Cosmo, a pimp running a whorehouse in LA, is in trouble with the local Russian mob. When his seductive niece suddenly shows up looking for her missing father, Cosmo's life starts spiraling out of control.