"Actor: James R"

• The Jazz Singer | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Back in 1927, The Jazz Singer entered the history books as the first true, sound-on-film talking picture, with Al Jolson uttering the immortal words, "You ain't heard nothing yet!" But even then it was a creakingly sentimental old yarn. By the time this second remake showed up in 1980 (there was a previous one in 1953) it looked as ludicrously dated as a chaperone in a strip club. Our young hero, played by pop singer Neil Diamond in a doomed bid for movie stardom, is the latest in a long line of Jewish cantors, but secretly moonlights with a Harlem soul group. When his strictly Orthodox father (Laurence Olivier, complete with painfully hammy "oya-veh" accent) finds out, the expected ructions follow. Though the lad makes it big in showbiz, it all means nothing while he's cut off from family and roots. But in the end--well, you can guess, can't you? Diamond comes across as likeable enough in a bland way, but unencumbered by acting talent, and the music business has never looked so squeaky clean--nary a trace of drugs, and precious little sex or rock 'n' roll. As for anything sounding remotely like jazz, forget it. This is one story that should have been left to slumber in the archives. --Philip Kemp

• Spider-Man 2 | Blu Ray | (08/07/2019) from £18.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Two years have passed, and the mildmannered Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) faces new challenges as he struggles to balance his life as the elusive superhero Spider Man. Tormented by his secrets, Peter is in danger of losing all those that he holds dear. His love for MJ (Kirsten Dunst) becomes stronger and his friendship with Harry Osborn (James Franco) is complicated by the young Osborn's bitterness over his father's death. These relationships are now in danger of unravelling when he confronts a new nemesis, the brilliant Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who has been reincarnated as the multitentacled 'Doc Ock'. Features: Cast & Crew Commentaries Villains of SpiderMan featurette Inside 2.1 featurette Blooper Reel Visual Effects Breakdown featurette Music Video Easter Eggs Trailers And more!

• Wayne's World 2 | DVD | (11/12/2001) from £3.75   |  Saving you £12.24 (326.40%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Wayne's World 2 was a successful follow-up for Wayne and Garth's Adventures, full of the same madcap humour from their TV characters and previous film. Somewhere in the world, there are probably people who don't understand why Mike Myers' eponymous Wayne's World character is funny--feel sorry for them. Granted, the laughs are often cheap and silly, but there's no one who can embody a comic character and riff within that character the way Myers does. Wayne and his pal Garth (Dana Carvey) were fixtures on Saturday Night Live before the unexpected success of Wayne' s World, a movie about what happened when they tried to take their local cable-access citywide. This time, they want to stage Waynestock, a mammoth rock festival in their little Chicago suburb, even as Wayne copes with girlfriend Tia Carrere's interest in record-company exec Christopher Walken. For extra fun, Garth gets involved with the babelicious Kim Basinger. Yes, the humour is scattershot and the plot is lame--but you'll find yourself laughing none the less. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com

• Big Little Lies | Blu Ray | (31/07/2017) from £8.79   |  Saving you £6.20 (70.53%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley star in an HBO limited drama series that tells the darkly comedic story of three northern-California mothers whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to the point of murder. In addition to Witherspoon (Oscar®-winner for Walk the Line, Oscar®-nominated for Wild) as Madeline, Kidman (Oscar®-winner for The Hours, HBO's Hemingway & Gellhorn) and Woodley (Divergent series, Golden Globe-nominated for The Descendants), the cast includes Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood, The Legend of Tarzan) as Perry, Celeste's handsome yet volatile husband; Laura Dern (Oscar®-nominated for Wild, Emmy®-nominated for HBO's Enlightened) as Renata Klein, a high-powered career mom; Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) as Ed, Madeline's current husband; James Tupper (Revenge) as Nathan, Madeline's ex; Zoe Kravitz (the Divergent films) as Bonnie, Nathan's new wife; and Kathryn Newton (Supernatural) as Abigail, Madeline's teenaged daughter. Big Little Lies is based on the bestselling 2014 novel by Australian author Liane Moriarty. Big Little Lies is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Oscar®-nominated for Dallas Buyers Club) and written by Emmy®-winner David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal). EPs include Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Bruna Papandrea, Per Saari, David E. Kelley, Jean-Marc Vallée and Gregg Fienberg. Episodes: Episode 1: Somebody's Dead Episode 2: Serious Mothering Episode 3: Living the Dream Episode 4: Push Comes to Shove Episode 5: Once Bitten Episode 6: Burning Love Episode 7: You Get What You Need Extra Content: Inside the Episodes About Big Little Lies

• Spider-Man 3 | Blu Ray | (27/08/2018) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to M.J. (Kirsten Dunst) and his duties as a superhero. But when his suit suddenly changes, turning jetblack and enhancing his powers, it transforms Peter, bringing out a dark vengeful side that he struggles to control. He must now battle his inner demons as two of the mostfeared villains yet, Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Venom (Topher Grace), gather unparalleled power and a thirst for revenge which threatens Peter and everyone he loves. Features: Cast and Filmmaker Commentaries with Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and more Blooper Reels

• The Barbra Streisand Collection -- What's Up Doc / Up The Sandbox / Nuts / The Main Event | DVD | (25/08/2003) from £15.69   |  Saving you £20.30 (129.38%)   |  RRP £35.99

  The Barbra Streisand Collection consists of four movies: What's Up, Doc? (1972), Up the Sandbox (1972), The Main Event (1979) and Nuts (1987) In What's Up, Doc?, director Peter Bogdanovich tipped his hat to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s, and especially the most glorious of them all, Howard Hawks' Bringing Up Baby. Barbra Streisand plays a charming flake who distracts a self-absorbed musicologist (Ryan O'Neal). He's engaged to be married, but soon Streisand's character has him chasing after stolen jewellery and getting into one madcap fix after another. --Tom Keogh Up the Sandbox springs from the early 1970s, when Streisand's career was in full stride. She stars as Margaret, a stay-at-home mum in the middle of New York who's feeling the strain of her narrow life. Frustrated by her self-involved husband and the mentally unstimulating tasks of motherhood, she escapes into fantasies--such as being chatted up by a cross-gendered Fidel Castro, bombing the Statue of Liberty with black militants and having a furious catfight with her overbearing mother. The movie's strength lies in these fantasies' slippery nature; some are over the top, but others are so subtle you're not always sure where they start and stop, making the portrait of Margaret's psyche intriguingly complex. --Bret Fetzer The Main Event is a comedic misfire from the mid-1970s, a futile attempt to bottle the same lightning that struck when Streisand teamed with Ryan O'Neal in What's Up, Doc? Here, Streisand plays a spoiled rich girl, the head of a bankrupt cosmetics company, who discovers she's lost everything--except her ownership of the contract of a washed-up boxer (O'Neal). So she tries to rally this dispirited pug into a comeback that will earn the kinds of purses that will put her back on her feet. Naturally, in the process, romantic sparks are kindled. But despite a loud and energetic performance by Streisand, the comedy doesn't add up to much. --Marshall Fine In Nuts Streisand is a mad high-priced "escort" accused of murder, but whether she's mad as hell or mad as a hatter is the question in this courtroom drama, adapted from the play by Tom Topor. While her doting, wilfully uncomprehending mother (Maureen Stapleton) and stepdad with a secret (Karl Malden) try to have her judged incompetent and sent to an asylum, she fights for her day in court with the help of a hapless legal aid attorney (a refreshingly understated Richard Dreyfuss). James Whitmore presides over the hearing with a compassion and sense of justice that gives one faith in the system, and la Streisand (who developed and produced the project) sinks her teeth into the tempestuous role like a starving actress. The plot holds few surprises, but the drama lies in the characters; veteran director Martin Ritt brings out the best in a top-flight cast. --Sean Axmaker

• The Last Kingdom season 4 (DVD) | DVD | (12/10/2020) from £12.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Ambitions threaten the Saxon kingdoms Alfred had once dreamed of uniting. In the wake of his father's death, the new King, Edward (Timothy Innes), is intent on isolating Wessex and strengthening his reinforcements against possible Dane incursions. Alliances are beginning to fracture as Lord Aethelred (Toby Regbo) of Mercia makes ambitious plans to establish himself as a rival to Wessex. When Northumbria also faces hostility, Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) believes the timing is right to take back his ancestral home. Fate shifts in a different direction; news comes that Mercia is in turmoil, and Uhtred's affection for Aethelflaed (Millie Brady) drives him back into the politics that threaten to break out into war. Just as it seems as if peace can be found between the Saxons, a new and unprecedented Dane enemy takes them by surprise. Uhtred begins to realise that his destiny is tied to Alfred's dream and he becomes determined to resolve Saxon struggles before the possibility of a united England slips from their grasp forever.

• Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2 Disc Special Edition) | DVD | (08/12/2008) from £5.27   |  Saving you £17.72 (336.24%)   |  RRP £22.99

  The mythical world starts a rebellion against the human realm in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the myriad creatures.

• Endeavour Series 4 | DVD | (30/01/2017) from £12.35   |  Saving you £0.64 (5.18%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Oxford's brilliant young detective opens the casebook on a brand new set of perilous murder mysteries as Endeavour returns. Barely a fortnight has passed since the dramatic finale of series three, and we find Oxford's finest picking up the pieces of their lives. Endeavour waits to hear the results of his Sergeant's exam, self-medicating to numb his heartache but whisky will only get a man so far. With the summer of 1967 fading into autumn, and the Cold War on the rise, Endeavour and senior officer DI Thursday soon find themselves plunged into their most baffling and darkly terrifying investigations to date.

• Four Weddings And A Funeral | DVD | (29/07/2005) from £5.97   |  Saving you £10.02 (167.84%)   |  RRP £15.99

  When it was released in 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral quickly became a huge international success, pulling in the kind of audiences most British films only dream of. It's proof that sometimes the simplest ideas are the best: in terms of plot, the title pretty much says it all. Revolving around, well, four weddings and a funeral (though not in that order), the film follows Hugh Grant's confirmed bachelor Charles as he falls for visiting American Carrie (Andy McDowell), whom he keeps bumping into at the various functions. But with this most basic of premises, screenwriter Richard Curtis has crafted a moving and thoughtful comedy about the perils of singledom and that ever-elusive search for true love. In the wrong hands, it could have been a horribly schmaltzy affair, but Curtis' script--crammed with great one-liners and beautifully judged characterisations--keeps things sharp and snappy, harking back to the sparkling Hollywood romantic comedies of the 30s and 40s. The supporting cast, including Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow and Rowan Atkinson (who starred in the Curtis-scripted television show Blackadder) is first rate, at times almost too good: John Hannah's rendition of WH Auden's poem "Funeral Blues" over the coffin of his lover is so moving you think the film will struggle to re-establish its ineffably buoyant mood. But it does, thanks in no small part to Hugh Grant as the bumbling Charles (whose star-making performance compensates for a less-than-dazzling Andie MacDowell). Though it's hardly the fault of Curtis and his team, the success of the Four Weddings did have its downside, triggering a rash of far inferior British romantic comedies. In fact, we had to wait until 1999's Notting Hill for another UK film to match its winning charm--scripted, yet again, by Curtis and starring Grant. --Edward Lawrenson

• Snatch - Two Disc Set | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Brad Pitt and Vinnie Jones star in this tale of a London jewel heist, the new film from the director of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

• East Is East | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £7.53   |  Saving you £2.46 (32.67%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In early 1970's England, a traditional Pakistani father (Om Puri) finds his family spinning in decidedly non-traditional directions.

• Another 48 Hours | DVD | (04/12/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The boys are back in town! Conman Reggie Hammond and cop Jack Cates team up once again and turn San Francisco inside out to nail an elusive druglord. Sequel to the smash hit ""48 Hours"".

• A Knight's Tale | DVD | (17/04/2006) from £5.56   |  Saving you £7.43 (133.63%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A lowly squire impersonates his deceased master at jousting tournaments, increasing in skill and stature in order to find and ultimately defeat his arch foe.

• Dog Day Afternoon | DVD | (13/02/2006) from £7.19   |  Saving you £9.80 (136.30%)   |  RRP £16.99

  The robbery should have taken ten minutes. Eight hours later it was the hottest thing on live TV. And it's all true. On a hot Brooklyn afternoon two optimistic losers set out to rob a bank. Sonny (Al Pacino) is the mastermind Sal (John Cazale) is the follower and disaster is the result. Because the cops crowds TV cameras and even the pizza man have arrived. The ""well-planned"" heist is now a circus. Based on a true incident this thriller earned six Academy Award nomina

• West Side Story 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (07/03/2022) from £19.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  From producer and director Steven Spielberg, with a script by screenwriter and playwright Tony Kushner, comes West Side Story. An adaptation of the 1957 musical, the film tells the tale of forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. Product Features Over 90 minutes of behind-the scenes bonus extras including the stories of west side story & the songs.

• Elf | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £3.28   |  Saving you £7.97 (394.55%)   |  RRP £9.99

  After growing too big for his elf community, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to New York in search of his true identity.

• Children of Dune | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Frank Herbert's Dune was just the beginning. Now, Frank Herbert s monumental saga of a young man's rise to universal power on an embattled desert planet, continues in this extraordinary miniseries based on Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Where it takes you is an epic of the human imagination. It s been twelve years since Paul Maud dib Atreides's (Alec Newman, Frank Herbert's Dune) desert-dwelling Freman Jihad spread out across the universe to exterminate all that remained of the Old Imperi.

• Desert Fox, The / The Desert Rats | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £14.35   |  Saving you £0.64 (4.46%)   |  RRP £14.99

  James Mason plays Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in both The Desert Fox (1951) and The Desert Rats (1953), a WWII double-bill on DVD. The Desert Fox, released six years after the end of the War, is a solemnly respectful tribute to Erwin Rommel, Germany's most celebrated military genius. James Mason's portrayal of this gallant warrior became a highlight of his career iconography. The film itself is oddly disjointed, though: a pre-credit commando raid to liquidate Rommel is followed by a flashback to the field-marshal's lightning successes commanding the Afrika Korps--a compressed account via documentary footage and copious narration (spoken by Michael Rennie, who also dubs Desmond Young, the Rommel biographer and one-time British POW appearing briefly as himself). The dramatic core is Rommel's growing disenchantment with Hitler (Luther Adler), his involvement in the plot to assassinate the Fuhrer, and his subsequent martyrdom. The Desert Rats stars Richard Burton in only his second Hollywood role (between Oscar-nominated turns in My Cousin Rachel and The Robe), as a Scottish commando put in charge of a battalion of the 9th Australian Division defending Tobruk. The Aussies don't like him, and with a year of grim North African duty already under his belt, he's not too crazy about his new responsibilities either. The outfit is charged with staving off the battering assaults of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel for two months, to give the British Army time to regroup in Cairo and prepare for a counterattack. In the end, the "desert rats" play hell with the Desert Fox for 242 days, during which time they and their commander develop some mutual respect. This is a solid, workmanlike World War II picture that, having been made in 1953 rather than 1943, can acknowledge a degree of eccentric humanity and soldierly professionalism in the enemy. Featured guest star James Mason reprises his Rommel from The Desert Fox, playing all his scenes in German except for a scene of ironical repartee with Burton. Another distinguished Brit, Robert Newton, gets costar billing as a boozy, self-confessed coward who used to be Burton's schoolmaster. However, a goodly number of Australians--including Chips Rafferty and Charles "Bud" Tingwell rate at least as much screen time. Robert Wise directed, with a trimness that reminds us he started out as an editor, and the pungent black-and-white cinematography is by Lucien Ballard. --Richard T. Jameson

• Jumanji | DVD | (18/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  When young Alan Parrish and his friend Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) begin to play a mysterious board game they don't realise its unimaginable powers until Alan is magically transported into the untamed jungles of Jumanji. Twenty-six years later Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) discover the dusty board and reawaken the game as they begin to play. Instantly the forces of Jumanji release a fully-grown bewildered Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) into their world. With each roll of