"Actor: James Roy"

• The Basketball Diaries | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £18.13   |  Saving you £-5.14 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The pre-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jim Carroll, the poet and musician who spent much of his adolescence addicted to heroin and shooting hoops with fellow Catholic high-school kids. As a biography, the film doesn't amount to more than the sum of its gritty scenes of smack use, violence, perversions (poor Bruno Kirby plays a lecherous coach who comes on to young Jim), and the usual scream-and-puke dramas that go along with a cold-turkey session. Director Scott Kalvert doesn't seem to realise that most people don't know who Carroll is and therefore can't possibly understand why they should care about his gutterball youth. DiCaprio, having nowhere to go with his performance but maintain Carroll's tailspin, is boring and redundant. Some kind of allusion to the literary and rock & roll life that follows the mess we're watching might have been helpful. The DVD release offers the choice of a full or widescreen (letterbox) picture, plus interviews. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• King Kong | DVD | (01/10/2012) from £10.35   |  Saving you £-0.36 (-3.60%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A daring expedition happens across a giant ape in this classic 1933 creature feature.

• Victoria Wood - All The Trimmings | DVD | (25/11/2001) from £8.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (77.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings contains exactly what it says on the box. Harking back to the classic BBC Christmas comedy specials of yesteryear, the show features a star-studded cast: Alan Rickman, Richard E Grant, Michael Parkinson, Bob Monkhouse, Hugh Laurie, Angela Rippon, Roger Moore, Caroline Aherne, the list goes on. The show takes a typically idiosyncratic canter through a dream set of telly programmes for Christmas Day. Thus we get expertly played skits of A Christmas Carol (with Delia Smith as the cook); Brassed Off (in which Tony Blair solves the North/South divide by declaring everything The South); Brief Encounter (Parky as the station master, with a side order of drugs and lesbianism); a regency romantic drama (with the line "could you not stick your hand in your muff?") and lots more. What makes the production a true cut above, however, is the linking theme that takes a blatant pot shot at the modern BBC--or as Wood sees it--BBC Upmarket, BBC Downmarket, BBC Newmarket (for racing), BBC Makeover, BBC Takeover, etc. This is funny, cutting and achingly on the ball about the state of modern television.--Ian Watson

• Vampires | Blu Ray | (30/01/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The first few minutes of John Carpenter's Vampires--in which James Woods' vampire killer leads a dawn raid on a New Mexico "goon nest" of bloodsuckers--not only suggests a horror movie that refuses to pull its punches, but even evokes some of the more disturbing dream-memories of American Westerns. Muscular and uncompromising, the sequence suggests a new Carpenter classic unravelling before one's eyes. Things don't quite work out that way, but this is still a film to reckon with. There are a few serious (and surprising) misjudgements on the director's part, particularly a mishandling of Sheryl Lee's role as a prostitute poisoned by the bite of a "master vampire" (who pretty much wiped out Woods' team of goon terminators). But aside from some weaknesses, the action is jolting, the suggested complicity of the Catholic Church in destroying monsters is provocative, and the traces of Howard Hawks' continuing influence on Carpenter's storytelling are in evidence. -- Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• King Kong | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  "Now you see it. You're amazed. You can't believe it. Your eyes open wider. It's horrible, but you can't look away. There's no chance for you. No escape. You're helpless, helpless. There's just one chance, if you can scream. Throw your arms across your eyes and scream, scream for your life!" And scream Fay Wray does most famously in this monster classic, one of the greatest adventure films of all time, which even in an era of computer-generated wizardry remains a marvel of stop-motion animation. Robert Armstrong stars as famed adventurer Carl Denham, who is leading a "crazy voyage" to a mysterious, uncharted island to photograph "something monstrous ... neither beast nor man." Also aboard is waif Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and Bruce Cabot as big lug John Driscoll, the ship's first mate. King Kong's first half-hour is steady going, with engagingly corny dialogue ("Some big, hard-boiled egg gets a look at a pretty face and bang, he cracks up and goes sappy") and ominous portent that sets the stage for the horror to come. Once our heroes reach Skull Island, the movie comes to roaring, chest-thumping, T. rex-slamming, snake-throttling, pterodactyl-tearing, native-stomping life. King Kong was ranked by the American Film Institute as among the 50 best films of the 20th century. Kong making his last stand atop the Empire State Building is one of the movies' most indelible and iconic images. --Donald Liebenson

• Juggernaut | DVD | (23/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A terrorist threat. A captain in panic. And only one man who can end the danger.... Some unknown maniac is threatening a navigation company to blow up one of its luxury transatlantics the 'Britannic' now in high sea with 1200 passengers. He is asking for a 500 000 ransom otherwise 7 bombs aboard will explode. An experienced anti-bomb squad is sent to the 'Britannic' but although all the bombs are located a very high skill level will be necessary to dismantle them. perhap

• Mountains Of The Moon | DVD | (08/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Bob Rafelson's Mountains Of The Moon based on William Harrison's biographical novel 'Burton and Speke' tells the story of 19th century explorers Captain R.F. Burton (Patrick Bergin) and Lt. John Hanning Speke's (Iain Glen) 1854 expedition to Africa to find the source of the river Nile. Shot in the actual locations where the events unfolded the protagonists sustain injuries and illness and encounter animosity from tribes as they struggle with the uncompromising African wilderness. T

• The Car | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (50.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

  There's nowhere to turn nowhere to hide no way to stop... A monstrous black sedan roars out of the desert without warning and mercilessly begins to terrorize the residents of a small New Mexico town. Is it a phantom a demon...or even the Devil himself?

• Angel Season 5 Box Set | DVD | (08/05/2006) from £26.25   |  Saving you £10.00 (40.02%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Enter season 5 of Angel featuring all 22 episodes of the final series. Episodes comprise: 1. Conviction 2. Just Rewards 3. Unleashed 4. Hell Bound 5. Life of the Party 6. The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco 7. Lineage 8. Destiny 9. Harm's Way 10. Soul Purpose 11. Damage 12. You're Welcome 13. Why We Fight 14. Smile Time 15. A Hole in the World 16. Shells 17. Underneath 18. Origin 19. Time Bomb 20. The Girl in Question 21. Power Play 22. Not Fade Away

• Hells Angels | DVD | (13/06/2005) from £15.77   |  Saving you £-9.78 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The eccentric Hollywood Billionaire Howard Hughes produced and directed Hell's Angels the most expensive film made at the time. Hughes spared no expense in capturing an exciting dogfight between R.A.F. and German fighter planes using 137 pilots in all. Hell's Angels is perhaps more notable for introducing Jean Harlow to the screen in her first major film role. Set during World War I Hell's Angels is the story of three Oxford buddies: two brothers (Ben Lyon and Jam

• French Dressing | DVD | (13/04/2015) from £6.91   |  Saving you £3.08 (44.57%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Cinema's enfant terrible Ken Russell's debut feature is an exuberant farce that has become a cult classic since its theatrical release fifty years ago. Featuring early lead roles for James Booth and Roy Kinnear and with script input from Johnny Speight this much sought-after comedy gem is made available here for the first time in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements. Gormleigh-on-Sea is the sort of typical boring English seaside resort where the landladies lock away the jam at 5 o'clock and there's little do except carve your initials on the bus shelters. Then deck-chair attendant Jim has a brain-wave – persuading the Mayor to host a film festival and import a French movie siren. It's not long before the mayors of Gormleigh's rival towns look on with jealous eyes and scheming minds… Special Features: Original theatrical trailer Image gallery Promotional material PDFs

• The Phantom | DVD | (07/05/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This pleasant enough comic-strip adaptation features Billy Zane in purple tights and a Lone Ranger mask as a 1930s daredevil who lives in a cave, has a pet dog called Devil, and devotes himself to goodness and justice and that sort of thing. Treat Williams is a nasty millionaire out to collect the evil-plot coupons (a set of jewelled skulls) so he can send off for ultimate, world-ruling power. Zane, plus peppy heroine Kristy Swanson, is out to stop Williams by jumping from aeroplanes onto horses, grinning as he biffs scurvy minions and resisting the wiles of ludicrous lady pirate Catherine Zeta Jones. Unlike most recent comic book films, The Phantom makes no attempt at bringing its 30s-created superhero up to date: there is a lot of charming period detail and a refreshingly unneurotic, healthy hero and heroine team, but it seems a bit embalmed by its resurrection of serial-style thrills. --Kim Newman

• Funny Girl / Funny Lady | DVD | (04/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Like giant monuments to good old-fashioned star quality, Funny Girl (1968) and Funny Lady (1975) hark back to the golden days of American vaudeville, while essentially celebrating one of the great, egotistical show-business talents of all time. Viewed end to end, these two films, which tell the story of Ziegfeld comedienne Fanny Brice, run for almost five hours. That's a lot of biopic. But with the greatest of respect to Brice, undoubtedly a formidable star of her time, the talent really in the spotlight here belongs to Barbra Streisand. Streisand created the role of Fanny Brice in the 1964 Broadway stage musical and her performance for the big screen is a tour de force, fully deserving the Best Actress Oscar which she received. As a biopic, Funny Girl is superior fare, full of sumptuous production numbers. Brice's glory days are explored against the background of her turbulent private life with her flawed playboy husband Nicky Arnstein (a sympathetic performance from Omar Sharif) with considerable attention to the details of her inner turmoil. More rambling and less cohesive, Funny Lady finds Fanny divorced but still in love with Arnstein (Sharif also revisiting his role), drifting into marriage number two with uncouth songwriter and impresario Billy Rose (the excellent James Caan), her successful career again juxtaposed with a less than happy personal life. Combined, both films measure Streisand's rise to greatness. In Funny Girl, the bravura of the performance as a whole masks occasional gaucheness, while if Funny Lady is the less impressive picture overall, it still marks how far she has developed as a screen actress. The rough edges are gone, replaced by a sophisticated poise and the sense of a talent that has come to terms with itself. And of course throughout she is superb in the musical numbers, which include her theme song "People" and the classic belter "Don't Rain on my Parade", as well as Brice's classic torch song, "My Man". On the DVD: this package of tremendous, old-fashioned entertainment takes the viewer back to pre-multiplex days when going to the cinema was an event you might dress up for. Funny Lady's soundtrack includes a pre-picture "Overture" to give you time to unwrap the chocolates. You really need some plush velvet curtains to swing back across the television screen. Then, guaranteeing a twinge of nostalgia, there's an intermission break. Both films are presented in their original widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Dolby Digital 5.0 (Funny Girl) and LCR (Funny Lady) soundtracks do justice to Streisand's lung power. The first disc offers the most interesting extras, including a couple of featurettes about Streisand. Both discs provide standard filmographies and song highlights so Streisand addicts can skip between numbers to their hearts' content.--Piers Ford

• Waterhole 3 | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £10.30   |  Saving you £5.69 (55.24%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Restless gambler and wayward rascal James Coburn can't resist a pretty lady or the chance at gold. This is a rootin' tootin' tongue-in- cheek comedy western that packs a passel of laughs. There's brothel action waterhole skirmishes and sheriff's shootouts!

• Biggles - Adventures in Time | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £18.99   |  Saving you £-13.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Young advertising executive Jim Ferguson suddenly finds himself tossed back and forward in time between present-day New York and the battlefields of World War I. In London he learns that he is the time twin of flying ace Captain James Bigglesworth - `Biggles' to his friends. Unpredictably flung back and forward between eras he comes to the aid of Biggles and his friends as they try to combat a deadly new German sonic weapon...

• Carry On Up The Khyber | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Filmed in 1968 and set in British India in 1895, Carry On Up the Khyber is one of the team's most memorable efforts. Sid James plays Sid James as ever, though nominally his role is that of Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond, the unflappable British Governor who must deal with the snakelike, scheming Khasi of Khalabar, played by Kenneth Williams. A crisis occurs when the mystique of the "devils in skirts" of the 3rd Foot and Mouth regiment is exploded when one of their numbers, the sensitive-to-draughts Charles Hawtrey, is discovered by the natives to be wearing underpants. Revolt is in the offing, with Bernard Bresslaw once again playing a seething native warrior. Roy Castle neatly plays the sort of role normally assigned to Jim Dale, as the ineffectual young officer, Peter Butterworth is a splendid compromised evangelist, while Terry Scott puts his comedic all into the role of the gruff Sergeant. Most enduring, however, is the final dinner party sequence in which the British contingent, with the Burpas at the gates of the compound, plaster falling all about them, demonstrates typical insouciance in the face of imminent peril. The "I'm Backing Britain" Union Jack hoist at the end, however, over-excitedly reveals the streak of reactionary patriotism that lurked beneath the bumbling double entendres of most Carry On films. On the DVD: Sadly, no extra features except scene selection. The picture is 4:3 full screen. --David Stubbs

• Angel - Complete DVD Collection | DVD | (30/10/2006) from £109.90   |  Saving you £30.09 (27.38%)   |  RRP £139.99

  Every episode from all 5 seasons of the action-packed adventures of Angel Investigations in a single supremely collectible box set! The vampire Angel leaves Sunnydale for Los Angeles where he uses his powers to help people. Meanwhile spoiled Cordelia is trying to make her way in the City of Angels - and her path is destined to cross with Buffy's true love!

• Will Penny | Blu Ray | (27/06/2023) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Poodle Springs | DVD | (24/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  It's the early 60's and hard-boiled private eye Philip Marlowe played by James Caan is as cynical as ever but also a newlywed. Moving to the small desert town of Poodle Springs after marrying the daughter (Dina Meyer) of a billionaire Marlowe becomes immersed in deadly intrigue surrounding the murder of another investigator. Uncovering a sinister scheme to relocate the state border of Nevada that might involve his wealthy father-in-law the world-weary Marlowe encounters a web of greed lust and murder as dark and as deadly as he has ever seen. With a talent for attracting trouble Marlowe finds it in Poodle Springs in the form of bigamy gambling pornography and double identity

• Will Penny | DVD | (03/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  He's out of work out of money and staked out to die in the desert by a gang of ruthless outlaws. Moments before death Will Penny (Charlton Heston) is taken in by a beautiful young woman named Catherine (Joan Hackett) who is heading west with her young son to join her husband. As Catherine nurses Will back to health he catches a glimpse of a lifestyle he's never known. Suddenly Will has two more problems to deal with: he's madly in love with another man's wife and the outlaw gan