"Actor: J R Jones"

• Poirot - Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Veiled Lady / The Lost Mine | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In The Veiled Lady / The Lost Mine David Suchet once again brings the great detective Hercule Poirot to rich life. The Veiled Lady is a comic caper, as Poirot and the ever-ready Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) resort to burglary to stop a blackmailing cad. The Lost Mine is cleverly set in a Chinatown reminiscent of the 1930s concept of the Mysterious East. Suchet is a perfect Poirot, capturing both his dignity and his humour, and Fraser does a beautiful job of underplaying Hastings enough to keep him the perfect sidekick without ever making him boring. --Ali Davis

• George Washington | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £32.37   |  Saving you £-12.38 (-61.90%)   |  RRP £19.99

  For a first feature from a 24-year-old director, George Washington is an amazingly assured piece of work. The title’s misleading: this is no biopic of America’s first President, but a poetic, richly atmospheric rhapsody set in a rundown industrial town in the American South. Given this backdrop, and a predominantly black cast, you might expect an angry study of social deprivation and racial tension, but Green has no such agenda. Instead, he derives a shimmering, heat-hazed beauty from his images of rusting machinery, junkyards and derelict buildings, and if the overall tone is tinged with sadness, it’s mainly from a sense of universal human loss. The action, such as it is, moves at its own slow Southern pace, following a group of youngsters, black and white, over a few high-summer days. Things do happen--a couple decide to elope, one boy’s saved from drowning, another gets killed--but they’re presented in an oblique, understated fashion that owes nothing to conventional Hollywood notions of narrative. With one exception, the cast are all non-professionals, mainly youngsters who director-writer David Gordon Green found in and around the town where the film was made, Winston-Salem in North Carolina. Shooting in a semi-improvised fashion, Green draws from his young cast remarkably spontaneous performances and dialogue (often their own) full of unselfconscious poetry. Drawing on a wide range of influences--among other things he cites Sesame Street, documentaries and such 70s classics as Deliverance, Walkabout and especially Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven--Green has fashioned a film that’s fresh, tender and utterly individual. And it looks just gorgeous: belying the tiny budget, Tim Orr’s widescreen photography lavishes mellow softness on images of dereliction and small-town decay. Never has dead-end poverty been made to look so attractive. On the DVD: George Washington comes on a disc generously loaded with extras. Besides the obvious theatrical trailer we get two of Green’s early short films, Physical Pinball and Pleasant Grove (both clearly dry runs for the main feature), an 18-minute featurette about the film’s reception at the Berlin Film Fest and a deleted scene of a community meeting. This scene, the short Pleasant Grove and the movie itself also offer a director’s commentary--or rather a director’s dialogue, as Green shares the honours with one of his lead actors, Paul Schneider. Their laconic, unpretentious comments enhance the whole experience enormously. The film has been transferred in its full scope ratio (2.35:1) and looks great. --Philip Kemp

• Hell Town / Frontier Horizon | DVD | (15/09/2003) from £4.99   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  In 'Hell Town' a carefree cowhand gets involved with rustlers. Based on a story by Zane Grey. In 'Frontier Horizons' some ranchers are cheated out of their land by three men who in turn have also been misled by others.

• The Small Back Room | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Adapted from Nigel Balchin's famous novel about a military bomb disposal expert 'The Small Back Room' traces the struggles of Sammy Rice a crippled neurotic scientist. Sammy plagued by feelings of inferiority because of his lameness labours to solve the problem of a new type enemy bomb that is causing many casualties. When a close friend and collegue is killed attempting to dismantle one of the bombs Sammy is forced to face his demons take his life in his hands and prove his worth; to the military and himself...

• Fellini | DVD | (14/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Orchestra Rehearsal (1978): In this sly social and political allegory an orchestra assembles for a rehearsal under the inquisitive lenses of a TV crew. With their bullish union officials lingering on the sidelines the musicians introduce themselves one by one expounding with wit passion and rancour about the characteristics of their instruments. The rehearsal begins under the baton of an autocratic conductor and soon the musicians' bawdy humour turns to anarchy as he tries to impose his will on this diverse group of players... Featuring a superlative score from Nina Rota (The Godfather 1 & 2 expert cinematography from Guiseppe Rotunno (The Leopard) and ingenious production design from Dante Ferretti (Gangs of New York). And The Ship Sails On (1983): Italian cinematic maestro Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita 8 1/2) shows that even in his mid-sixties he had lost none of his power to shock entertain and amaze with And The Ship Sails On his haunting and majestic 'comedy of arias'. Made in 1983 the film is set on the eve of the first world war but this matters little to the peacock parade of opera celebrities who cast off on a luxury liner to scatter the ashes of the world's greatest diva near her native adriatic island. yet their gilded world is about to receive a chill blast of reality. The captain has rescued a group of serbian refugees and an enemy battleship looms on the horizon demanding their surrender. Unbeknown to the passengers their old order is about to be eradicated on a global scale and the ship sails on to a fate as inevitable as that of the Titanic. Ginger And Fred (1986: In this wonderfully affectionate and satirical 1986 film italian cinematic maestro Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita 8 1/2) celebrates the legacy of Rogers and Astaire - and sends up tacky television - with this touching tale of two elderly dancers who model themselves on cinem's greatest dance duo and who reunite after 30 years for one final TV dance spectacular. starring two of Italy's greatest acting talents: Cannes `best actress' winner Giulietta Masina (Nights Of Cabiria Juliet Of The Spirits La Strada) and oscar nominee Marcello Mastroianni (La Dolce Vita Divorce Italian Style).

• Stargate SG-1: Season 6 (Vol. 26) | DVD | (31/03/2003) from £6.54   |  Saving you £13.45 (67.30%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Redemption - Part 1: The SGC has come under attack from Anubis who has a device that can use one Stargate to destroy another. With a wormhole dialed in to Earth's stargate the SGC can not contact its off-world allies for help. Carter works furiously to find a solution... Redemption - Part 2: Teal'c is off world attending his wife's funeral; his son believes she would not have been killed if Teal'c had not joined the fight against the Goa'uld. Wanting proof that the Goa'uld are not gods and can be stopped he insists that Teal'c allow him to join in battle so he can see for himself what the war is all about. Together they search for Anubis... Descent: SG-1 heads for the now abandoned Goa'uld mothership that once belonged to Anubis and now houses a downloaded version of Thor's mind. Frozen: The SGC's study of the Antarctic Gate site reveals a woman buried in the ice who is revived. Unwittingly carrying a deadly disease she poses a deadly threat to the team.

• Let's Ruin Dad's Day! | DVD | (29/07/2003) from £4.99   |  Saving you £-2.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  With two workaholics for parents 12 year-old Jason can't remember the last time all the family had dinner together. To make matters worse Jason constantly hears how his friends' parents are divorcing. It's no wonder he mistakenly suspects his parents are splitting up when his dad announces he's leaving for a job interview in Chicago. In a hilariously misguided attempt to save his family Jason and his 14 year-old sister Celina follow dad to Chicago convinced that if Dad gets the job the family will split up. Their mission is clear: ruin Dad's day! Before the kids are finished their Dad finds himself in handcuffs! Now Jason and Celina must use even more creative means to undo their mischief. Some quick thinking and family teamwork are required to save the day in this hilarious comedy in the tradition of 'Home Alone'.

• Double: Salt/Wanted | DVD | (10/10/2011) from £9.98   |  Saving you £3.01 (30.16%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Wanted Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, Wanted, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, follows anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) as he is inducted into the Fraternity, a clan of powerful killers that counted his father as a member. Pursued by rogue agent Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), Wesley is trained by the sleek, sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the charismatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman), among others, to be just as proficient and deadly as his father. Once Wesley becomes a master assassin, he must confront Cross, and contend with the stunning ramifications of that encounter. Straying rather far from the Wanted comic's supervillain-centric premise, Wanted runs with the edgy Eastern European aesthetic of Russian helmer Bekmambetov, who garnered international recognition with the stylish vampire epic Night Watch. While Jolie is a gleefully destructive presence in her action-heavy scenes, the film belongs to McAvoy, who transforms from milquetoast to manhunter with verve and charm. And like the similarly themed The Matrix before it, Wanted also showcases some eye-catching special effects, most notably in the loopy concept of 'curving bullets'. Though devotees of the Wanted comic may be dismayed with the many liberties taken with the story, the movie is undeniably energetic and entertaining, making it fun summer blockbuster fare. Salt As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: Who is Salt?

• Stuart Little | UMD | (26/12/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

• Criterion Collection: Slacker | Blu Ray | (17/09/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 4 (Vol. 14) | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £3.00   |  Saving you £18.25 (1,048.85%)   |  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. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson 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 literally 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 lookalikes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. On this DVD: Picking up a week after the Season Three cliff-hanger "Nemesis", the Fourth Season finds the SG team split apart to win a few "Small Victories". Providing a nice change of scenery for the show, O'Neill and Teal'c are trapped aboard a Russian submarine fending off the remaining Replicator threat. Carter meanwhile is whisked away by Thor to come up with her best "stupid idea" to save the Asgard homeworld. Then the show respectfully broaches the subject of racial tolerance found on a planet at war on "The Other Side". The material is handled superbly by guest star Rene Auberjonois (formerly Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Odo). A little comic relief is provided in "Upgrades". When Tok'ra scientist Anise/Freya (Vanessa Angel) shows off some fabled technology the team are initially cautious. But the armbands give the wearer increased strength and speed, and in no time at all Jack, Sam and Daniel are abusing them. The fun of seeing them at a local restaurant ordering multiple rare steaks gives way to practical use when it's revealed that arch-enemy Apophis is constructing a new battleship. If the Tok'ra's duplicity is off-putting to the SGC this time, it's nothing compared to seeing Anise/Freya again in "Crossroads". O'Neill notices the "sparkage" between Teal 'c and visiting Jaffa-babe Sho'nac. When she states she has a way for the Tok'ra to obtain information about the Goa'uld from her placid symbiote, it's just bound to go bad. --Paul Tonks

• Stargate S.G. 1 - Series 9 - Vol. 3 | DVD | (22/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Step through the stargate with SG-1 a team of soldiers and scientists as they travel instantaneously to other planets to explore forge alliances defuse crises establish trade investigate ancient mysteries and defend Earth from such hostile forces as the Goa'uld and the Replicators. Prototype: The team finds an underground laboratory and a man frozen in a stasis pod - Khalek a prisoner of a Goa'uld. But Khalek was not his prisoner - Khalek was his creation. Daniel's in

• Anastasia / Fern Gully - The Last Rainforest | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £12.65   |  Saving you £2.34 (18.50%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Anastasia The lost Russian Princess Anastasia and her incredible quest to find her true identity. When the shadow of revolution falls across Russia Anastasia the royal family's youngest daughter barely escapes with her life. Years later joined by a band of heroic companions Anastasia must battle the evil Rasputin his sidekick Bartok the bat and a host of ghostly minions in a headlong race to reach Paris reclaim her rightful destiny and solve the greatest mystery of the 20th century! Fern Gully - The Last Rainforest An animated musical fantasy that takes a journey deep into the Australian rainforest where humans exist only in fairy tales...

• Mad Men - Season 1-3 | Blu Ray | (26/04/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £79.99

  Mad Men is a compelling insight into the harsh reality of life in the 60s perfectly portrayed through the dealings of a prestigious ad agency in New York's Madison Avenue. This was the era of astonishing sexism homophobia and the last golden years of the guilt free cigarette as mass consumerism took hold and helped form the American dream. Includes all three seasons of the modern television classic.

• Indiscretion Of An American Wife | DVD | (31/03/2008) from £4.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.20%)   |  RRP £4.99

  A collaboration between producer David O. Selznick and Italian director Vittorio De Sica (The Bicycle Thief) could only end up an interesting movie. And that's just what happened with Indiscretion Of An American Wife (1954). Jennifer Jones married to Selznick at the time is the American wife on holiday in Rome; Montgomery Clift is her Italian lover. She bids him farewell at the train station he begs her to stay. That's form the basis of a very well-acted character study. While the plot's simplicity itself production was not. A trainload of writers toiled on the script some with no credit: Truman Capote Carson McCullers Paul Gallico and Alberto Moravia among others. De Sica spoke no English. Selznick hated the original title Terminal Station and had it changed. And it's rumored that Jones had an interest in Clift that he didn't return. It's a wonder the movie was finished at all. And it is quite a testament to Jones and Clift that they give such strong performances. Stars and subject matter produced a money-maker. And the picture's costume design by Chrisitian Dior was nominated for an Oscar.

• Conan The Barbarian (Special Edition) | DVD | (08/02/2006) from £6.73   |  Saving you £3.26 (32.60%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they learn why they fear the night. - Thulsa Doom Through the history of mankind the times that are most recorded in mythology and song are those of the great deeds and fantastic adventures. Such a time was the Hyborean Age. Such a tale is the story of Conan The Barbarian. Cimmeran Conan witnesses his parents' savage murder at the hands of the raiding Vanir and their master Thulsa Doom also leader of the snake-cult of Set. Fifteen years of agony first chained to the Wheel Of Pain grinding grain and then enslaved as a pit fighter forge a magnificent body and indominitable spirit. Freed miraculously one day by his owner Conan with his companions Subotai the Mongol and Valeria the Queen of Thieves sets forth upon his quest to learn the riddle of steel which his father has prophesied will confer ultimate power; and to kill the arch-villian Thulsa Doom.

• Next Friday | UMD | (17/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

• The Hunt for Red October | Blu Ray | (05/10/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Vol. 8 - Episodes 1-4 | DVD | (29/01/2001) from £4.94   |  Saving you £15.05 (304.66%)   |  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. 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" Pharaonic 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 literally 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. On the DVD: To resolve the Season Two cliffhanger "Out Of Mind", General Hammond rounds up every conceivable ally to rescue the SG-1 team from Hathor's clutches and gets a much-needed field trip in the process. "Into the Fire " is actually a weak opening for the new year, but does boast some impressive visuals as Hammond and Brat'ac pilot a shuttle through an open Stargate (euphemistically called "threading the needle"). In the next episode, the team are troublingly advised that the ancient God of Evil--"Seth"--has been hiding on Earth for thousands of years. Daniel miraculously tracks him down in about five minutes through a quick surf on the Web! In "Fair Game" O'Neill is "beamed up" to his chum the Asgard Thor in the middle of Carter's promotion to Major. Thor warns him that the Goa'uld System Lords are miffed about his team thwarting Hathor in "Out of Mind". All manner of underhand trickery and subterfuge then follows at a treaty meeting between three representatives and the hapless Jack. "Legacy" on the other hand is a strange connection back to Season Two's "Holiday" when Daniel suffers a mental breakdown courtesy of scientist Ma'chello. Some unnerving imagery (slugs in the ear akin to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) makes this one of the series' darker instalments. --Paul Tonks

• One For The Road | DVD | (31/07/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Jimmy (Chisholm) is young ambitious and desperate to sell his late father's business. However his alcohol problems have prompted him to attend a rehabilitation course for drink drivers. Here he meets salesman Paul (Procter) taxi driver Mark (Devenport) and retired property tycoon Richard (Bennett). Bonds are unexpectedly formed through the workshops but equally Richard's millions become a lure to the others who plot to sell him Jimmy's ailing business and to relieve him of his wealth!