"Actor: James Va"

  • Battlestar Galactica - Complete SeriesBattlestar Galactica - Complete Series | DVD | (18/02/2008) from £10.95   |  Saving you £5.04 (46.03%)   |  RRP £15.99

    When the Battlestar Galactica finally arrives at the planet Earth they find they must subtly raise its tech level & protect it from the Cylons. Episodes Comprise: 1. Galactica Discovers Earth: Part 1 2. Galactica Discovers Earth: Part 2 3. Galactica Discovers Earth: Part 3 4. The Super Scouts: Part 1 5. The Super Scouts: Part 2 6. Spaceball 7. The Night the Cylons Landed: Part 1 8. The Night the Cylons Landed: Part 2 9. Space Croppers 10. The Return of Starbuck

  • The Sopranos: Complete Series 1 [1999]The Sopranos: Complete Series 1 | DVD | (24/11/2003) from £13.89   |  Saving you £48.10 (346.29%)   |  RRP £61.99

    Writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television seriesThe Sopranos is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home. This ambitious TV series chronicles a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegiate mob clan and his own nouveau-riche brood. The brilliant first series is built around what Tony learns when, whipsawed between those two worlds, he finds himself plunged into depression and seeks psychotherapy--a gesture at odds with his midlevel capo's machismo, yet instantly recognisable as a modern emotional test. With analysis built into the very spine of the show's elaborate episodic structure, creator Chase and his formidable corps of directors, writers and actors weave an unpredictable series of parallel and intersecting plot arcs that twist from tragedy to farce to social realism. While creating for a smaller screen, they enjoy a far larger canvas than a single movie would afford and the results, like the very best episodic television, attain a richness and scope far closer to a novel than movies normally get. Unlike Francis Coppola's operatic dramatisation of Mario Puzo's Godfather epic, The Sopranos sustains a poignant, even mundane intimacy in its focus on Tony, brought to vivid life by James Gandolfini's mercurial performance. Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful and murderous, Gandolfini is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. Both he and the superb team of Italian-American actors recruited as his loyal (and, sometimes, not-so-loyal) henchman and their various "associates" make this mob as credible as the evocative Bronx and New Jersey locations where the episodes were filmed. The first year's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional", perceptive and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what's not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings. --Sam Sutherland

  • X-Men Collection [DVD] [2000]X-Men Collection | DVD | (07/11/2016) from £11.95   |  Saving you £3.04 (25.44%)   |  RRP £14.99

    With all-star casts including HUGH JACKMAN, MICHAEL FASSBENDER, JAMES MCAVOY, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, HALLE BERRY, PATRICK STEWART and IAN MCKELLEN THE X-MEN COLLECTION CONTAINS 8 FILMS! Follow the epic story of the X-MEN, a group of humans with genetic mutations that give them extraordinary abilities. Engaged in a constant battle for acceptance in society, the X-MEN must learn to use their powers to fight those intent on world domination. Join Professor X, Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops and Wolverine as they try to save themselves and the world from Magneto, Sentinels, and Apocalypse, a powerful mutant whose vengeful wrath threatens the planet. Includes hours of special features X-Men Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary powers - the result of unique genetic mutations. Under the tutelage of Professor X (Patrick Stewart), the outcasts learn to harness their powers and must now protect mankind from the evil Magneto (Ian McKellen). This first chapter of the X-Men saga features an all-star cast, including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin and Rebecca Romijn. X-Men 2 Hatred and distrust brew between human and mutantkind. An unprovoked mutant attack on the President gives General William Stryker (Brian Cox) his long-awaited opportunity to wage all-out war against the mutants. A war that would leave only one race victorious. Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry) and the other X-Men must unite with their old adversary Magneto (Ian McKellen) to prevent a devastating confrontation that could destroy everyone on the planet. In X-Men 2, acclaimed director Bryan Singer delivers state-of-the-art special effects, explosive action and one twist after another. X-Men 2 takes excitement to the Xtreme! X-Men: The Last Stand The third installment in the X-Men films: The divide between humans and mutants has gotten to a crucial point when a cure to irradiate mutations is found. Pushing patience to the limit in the mutant community, the line has been drawn and Professor X needs to decide which path to follow. X-Men: First Class See how it all began in this thrilling first chapter of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr became Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were enemies, they were the closest of friends and gathered an elite team of mutants to form the X-Men in an attempt to prevent World War 3! X-Men: Days of Future Past The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The beloved characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class, in an epic battle that must change the past to save our future. X-Men Apocalypse Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-Men: Apocalypse. Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction. The Wolverine This stand-alone epic-action adventure set in modern day Japan reveals the untold story of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the most iconic character from the X-Men universe, and evolves the character saga to new levels of depth, intensity and visceral action. Out of his depth in an unknown world he will face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle than will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than ever before. X-Men Origins: Wolverine Beastly badass Wolverine (Jackman) is a member of elite military squadron Team X. But when he tries to leave violence behind to become a family man, he finds his past catching up with him in brutal fashion - not least his carnage-loving half-brother Sabretooth (Schreiber). Special Features: X-MEN Deleted Scenes Charlie Rose/Bryan Singer Interview Clips TV Spots, Trailers, 2 Featurettes Hugh Jackman Screen Test Storyboard Animatics, Still Galleries X-MEN 2 2 Audio Commentaries including a Director's Commentary from Bryan Singer X-MEN: THE LAST STAND Audio Commentary by Bret Ratner, Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg Audio Commentary by Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary 3 Alternate Endings with Optional Commentary X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Wolverine Unleashed: Documentary Deleted & Alternate Scenes with optional Commentary THE WOLVERINE The Path of A Ronin - Inspiration: A Ronin's Journey X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Gag Reel Stills Gallery: Trask Industries X-MEN APOCALYPSE Deleted/Extended Scenes with Optional Introductions by BRYAN SINGER Gag Reel Stills Gallery Easter Egg

  • Four Sided Triangle Limited Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]Four Sided Triangle Limited Collector's Edition | Blu Ray | (31/03/2025) from £34.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Hard-living Hollywood starlet Barbara Payton stars as a woman duplicated through technology in this cautionary tale that mixes Home Counties horror with prescient science fiction (Hammer's first). Co-starring Stephen Murray as the unbalanced scientist and directed by Hammer legend Terence Fisher, Four Sided Triangle is featured here as a brand-new 4K restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Lena returns to her home after many years to discover that her two childhood friends Bill and Robin are now scientists and have created a machine that can perfectly duplicate objects. Bill's heart is broken when he realises that Lena loves Robin until he hits on the mad idea to duplicate Lena in his machine.

  • Untamed Heart [1992]Untamed Heart | DVD | (20/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

    Marisa Tomei and Christian Slater deliver brilliant performances in this touchingly honest and beautifully crafted modern-day romance. Co-starring Rosie Perez (White Men Can't Jump) who leads with her own unique brand of energy and talent. Tomei portrays Caroline a diner waitress who is consistently (and miserably) unlucky in love. Slater is Adam the diner's reclusive busboy who harbors a secret crush on Caroline yet is too shy to speak to her. But all that changes one cold night

  • X-Men Collection [Blu-ray] [2000]X-Men Collection | Blu Ray | (07/11/2016) from £23.49   |  Saving you £-3.50 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

    With all-star casts including HUGH JACKMAN, MICHAEL FASSBENDER, JAMES MCAVOY, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, HALLE BERRY, PATRICK STEWART and IAN MCKELLEN THE X-MEN COLLECTION CONTAINS 8 FILMS! Follow the epic story of the X-MEN, a group of humans with genetic mutations that give them extraordinary abilities. Engaged in a constant battle for acceptance in society, the X-MEN must learn to use their powers to fight those intent on world domination. Join Professor X, Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops and Wolverine as they try to save themselves and the world from Magneto, Sentinels, and Apocalypse, a powerful mutant whose vengeful wrath threatens the planet. Includes hours of special features X-Men Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary powers - the result of unique genetic mutations. Under the tutelage of Professor X (Patrick Stewart), the outcasts learn to harness their powers and must now protect mankind from the evil Magneto (Ian McKellen). This first chapter of the X-Men saga features an all-star cast, including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin and Rebecca Romijn. X-Men 2 Hatred and distrust brew between human and mutantkind. An unprovoked mutant attack on the President gives General William Stryker (Brian Cox) his long-awaited opportunity to wage all-out war against the mutants. A war that would leave only one race victorious. Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry) and the other X-Men must unite with their old adversary Magneto (Ian McKellen) to prevent a devastating confrontation that could destroy everyone on the planet. In X-Men 2, acclaimed director Bryan Singer delivers state-of-the-art special effects, explosive action and one twist after another. X-Men 2 takes excitement to the Xtreme! X-Men: The Last Stand The third installment in the X-Men films: The divide between humans and mutants has gotten to a crucial point when a cure to irradiate mutations is found. Pushing patience to the limit in the mutant community, the line has been drawn and Professor X needs to decide which path to follow. X-Men: First Class See how it all began in this thrilling first chapter of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr became Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were enemies, they were the closest of friends and gathered an elite team of mutants to form the X-Men in an attempt to prevent World War 3! X-Men: Days of Future Past The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The beloved characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class, in an epic battle that must change the past to save our future. X-Men Apocalypse Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-Men: Apocalypse. Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction. The Wolverine This stand-alone epic-action adventure set in modern day Japan reveals the untold story of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the most iconic character from the X-Men universe, and evolves the character saga to new levels of depth, intensity and visceral action. Out of his depth in an unknown world he will face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle than will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than ever before. X-Men Origins: Wolverine Beastly badass Wolverine (Jackman) is a member of elite military squadron Team X. But when he tries to leave violence behind to become a family man, he finds his past catching up with him in brutal fashion - not least his carnage-loving half-brother Sabretooth (Schreiber). Special Features: Includes Apocalypse 2D & 3D discs X-MEN Audio Commentary by X-MEN BRYAN SINGER & BRIAN PECK Deleted/Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by BRYAN SINGER & BRIAN PECK Easter Eggs FOX SPECIAL: The Mutant Watch BRYAN SINGER Interview Animatics ArtGallery X-MEN 2 Audio Commentary by BRYAN SINGER & TOM SIGEL Audio Commentary by LAUREN SHULER DONNER, RALPH WINTER, MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, DAN HARRIS and DAVID HAYTER Marvel Universe Trailers X-MEN: THE LAST STAND Director & Writer Commentary by BRETT RATNER, SIMON KINBERG & ZAK PENN Producer Commentary by AVI ARAD, LAUREN SHULER DONNER & RALPH WINTER Deleted Scenes Easter Eggs X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE The Roots of Wolverine: A Conversation with STAN LEE and LEN WEIN Filmmaker Commentaries The Thrill of the Chase: The Helicopter Sequence Weapon X Mutant Files: 10 featurettes providing background on new mutants, such as Sabretooth, The Blob, Deadpool, Wraith and Gambit Deleted Scenes WOLVERINE UNLEASHED in-depth WOLVERINE documentary X-MEN: FIRST CLASS Children of the Atom Multi-Part Documentary Deleted Scenes Cerebro: Mutant Tracker Composer's Isolated Scor X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Set Tour THE WOLVERINE Alternate Ending The Path of a Ronin - A comprehensive look at the flmmaking journey from comic to the big screen X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by BRYAN SINGER Kitchen Sequence Gag Reel Double Take: Xavier and Magneto X-MEN: REUNITED Classifcation M Sentinels: For a Secure Future Stills Gallery: Trask Industries X-MEN APOCALYPSE Deleted/Extended Scenes with Optional Introductions by BRYAN SINGER Gag Reel Wrap Party Video X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Unearthed - Documentary Audio Commentary by BRYAN SINGER & SIMON KINBERG Stills Gallery

  • The Hunt For Red October [1990]The Hunt For Red October | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £7.30   |  Saving you £8.69 (119.04%)   |  RRP £15.99

    Before Harrison Ford assumed the mantle of playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan hero in Patriot Games, Alec Baldwin took a swing at the character in this John McTiernan film and hit one to the fence. If less instantly sympathetic than Ford, Baldwin is in some respects more interesting and nuanced as Ryan, and drawing comparisons between both actors' performances can make for some interesting post-movie discussion. That aside, The Hunt for Red October stands alone as a uniquely exciting adventure with a fantastic co-star: Sean Connery as a Russian nuclear submarine captain attempting to defect to the West on his ship. Ryan must figure out his true motives for approaching the US. McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard) made an exceptionally handsome movie here with action sequences that really do take one's breath away. --Tom Keogh

  • Hamish MacBeth - Complete Box SetHamish MacBeth - Complete Box Set | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £21.99   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

    Lochdubh: a frontier town in the wild west of Scotland. One hotel one general store one doctor and one lawman - PC Hamish Macbeth (Robert Carlyle). He's the sherrif along with canine sidekick Wee Jock with his own singular methods of dealing with crime and misdemeanours. If only his love life were so easily solved. But then that's another story... The complete collection of the popular BBC1 series Hamish MacBeth. Episode Listing - Series 1: 1. The Great Lochdubh Salt Robbery 2. A Pillar Of The Community 3. The Big Freeze 4. Wee Jock's Lament 5. A Bit Of An Epic Series 2: 1. A Perfectly Simple Explanation 2. In Search of a Rose 3. Isobel Pulls It Off 4. Radio Lochdubh 5. No Man Is an Island 6. The Lochdubh Deluxe Series 3:

  • The Ealing Studios Rarities Collection - Volume 5 [DVD]The Ealing Studios Rarities Collection - Volume 5 | DVD | (05/08/2013) from £6.39   |  Saving you £8.60 (134.59%)   |  RRP £14.99

    A global byword for cinematic quality of a quintessentially British nature, Ealing Studios made more than 150 films over a three-decade period. A cherished and significant part of British film history, only selected films from both the Ealing and Associated Talking Pictures strands have previously been made available on home-video format - with some remaining unseen since their original theatrical release. The Ealing Studios Rarities Collection redresses this imbalance. Featuring new transfe...

  • Donnie Brasco [1997]Donnie Brasco | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £5.94   |  Saving you £6.05 (101.85%)   |  RRP £11.99

    Based on a memoir by former undercover cop Joe Pistone (whose daring and unprecedented infiltration of the New York Mob scene earned him a place in the federal witness protection program), Donnie Brasco is like a de-romanticised, de-mythologised version of The Godfather. It offers an uncommonly detailed, privileged glimpse inside the world of organised crime from the perspective of the little guys at the bottom of Mafia hierarchy rather than from the kingpins at the top. Donnie Brasco is not only one of the great modern-day gangster movies to put in the company of The Godfather films and GoodFellas, but it is also one of the great undercover police movies--arguably surpassing Serpico and Prince of the City in richness of character, detail and moral complexity. Donnie (Johnny Depp, a splendid actor) is practically adopted by Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a gregarious, low-level "made" man who grows to love his young protégé like a son. (Pacino really sinks into this guy's skin and polyester slacks and creates his freshest, most fully realised character since his 1970s heyday.) As Donnie acclimates himself to Lefty's world, he distances himself from his wife (a terrific Anne Heche) and family for their own protection. Almost imperceptibly his sense of identity slips away from him. Questioning his own confused loyalties, unable to trust anybody else because he himself is an imposter, Donnie loses his way in a murky and treacherous no-man's land. The film is directed by Mike Newell, who also headed up Four Weddings and a Funeral and the gritty, true crime melodrama Dance with a Stranger. --Jim Emerson

  • Westworld: Season 4 [Blu-ray] [2022] [Region Free]Westworld: Season 4 | Blu Ray | (28/11/2022) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    A dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on earth, the Emmy® winning series WESTWORLD returns for its eight-episode fourth season with new worlds, conflicts, and complex characters fans will love. Evan Rachel Wood, Emmy® winner Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, and Angela Sarafyan return to the cast.

  • Our House [2003]Our House | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

    A young couple has a chance to move into a gorgeous apartment in the perfect New York neighborhood. All they have to do is bump off the current tenant, an apparently harmless little old lady.

  • The Sopranos - Season 5The Sopranos - Season 5 | DVD | (20/06/2005) from £17.99   |  Saving you £44.00 (244.58%)   |  RRP £61.99

    Facing an indeterminate sentence of weeks/months/years until new episodes, Sopranos fans are advised to take the fifth; season, that is. At this point, superlatives don't do The Sopranos justice, but justice was at last served to this benchmark series. For the first time, The Sopranos rubbed out The West Wing to take home its first Emmy for Outstanding Dramatic Series. Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo also earned Best Supporting Actor and Actress honors for some of their finest hours as Christopher and Adriana. From the moment a wayward bear lumbers into the Sopranos' yard in the season opener, it is clear that The Sopranos is in anything but a "stagmire." The series benefits from an infusion of new blood, the so-called "Class of 2004," imprisoned "family" members freshly released from jail. Most notable among these is Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi, who directed the pivotal season 3 episode "Pine Barrens"), who initially wants to go straight, but proves himself to be something of a "free agent," setting up a climactic stand-off between Tony and New York boss Johnny Sack. These 13 mostly riveting episodes unfold with a page-turning intensity with many rich subplots. Estranged couple Tony and Carmela (the incomparable James Gandolfini and Edie Falco) work toward a reconciliation (greased by Tony's purchase of a $600,000 piece of property for Carmela to develop). The Feds lean harder on an increasingly stressed-out and distraught Adriana to "snitch" with inevitable results. This season's hot-button episode is "The Test Dream," in which Tony is visited by some of the series' dear, and not-so-dearly, departed in a harrowing nightmare. With this set, fans can enjoy marathon viewings of an especially satisfying season, but considering the long wait ahead for season 6, best to take Tony's advice to his son, who, at one point, gulps down a champagne toast. "Slow down," Tony says. "You're supposed to savor it." --Donald Liebenson, Amazon.com

  • The Small Voice [DVD]The Small Voice | DVD | (13/07/2015) from £5.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (66.78%)   |  RRP £9.99

    James Donald and Valerie Hobson star as a couple whose act of kindness has devastating consequences while a young Howard Keel (billed as "Harold Keel") makes his film debut as the desperate fugitive who terrorises them in this brilliantly claustrophobic post-war thriller. Keel's astonishing performance brought him to the attention of MGM and paved the way to Hollywood success and the film earned a BAFTA nomination for Best British Film. Released in the U.S. as The Hideout The Small Voice is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.  Whilst driving to their house in the Welsh hills Murray Byrne and his wife Eleanor come across a crashed car and take the occupants home with them for medical care. Then they discover that the men are armed. No one is allowed to leave the house and the Byrnes' movements are now closely watched by their captors... Features: Image Gallery Press Material PDF

  • Archive [Blu-ray] [2020]Archive | Blu Ray | (12/07/2021) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready, an android version of his wife who died in a car crash. Is this romantic or something much more sinister? George is playing God, creating a woman not from a rib but from electrical components, This sensitive phase is also the riskiest. Especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs. The plot certainly has elements of Bride of Frankenstein as Theo James's George seeks to bring his wife back from the dead. Transferring her consciousness from an Archive unit to a A.I. humanoid.

  • Conan the Barbarian [1981]Conan the Barbarian | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £8.09   |  Saving you £-2.10 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

    The film that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger's international career, Conan the Barbarian is still regarded by many as his finest hour. Limited to a mere handful of lines and expertly directed to play up the Nietzschean strength of the character by John Milius, the Austrian Oak has never looked more suited to a role, his muscle flexing and sword twirling apparently effortless. The extraordinarily finely detailed production design ensures that the barren Spanish countryside perfectly suits the Hyborean-era backdrop envisioned by author Robert E Howard. Whether dressed in rags or riches, Schwarzenegger and companions Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) look believably born to their surroundings. Backing their own very fine performances are brilliant supporting roles from James Earl Jones as serpentine baddie Thulsa Doom and Max Von Sydow as doomed King Osric. Plot-wise the film is simply the transformation of a wild barbarian into a worldly-wise king who, via a quest for revenge, finally learns the riddle of steel. The script is highly regarded for its dazzling set-pieces (the opening village raid, the orgy of body parts) and quotable dialogue ("They shall all drown in lakes of blood"), and it comes complete with an anti-peace movement reactionary subtext for anyone who cares to look close enough. One other element deserving mention is the extraordinary score by Basil Poledouris, which inspires the film with a sense of operatic grandeur. On the DVD: Conan the Barbarian appears as a suitably mythic special edition DVD. Sadly the magnificent score can only be heard in a mono mix, but the very fine picture is presented in 2.35:1. The extras package is phenomenal, too. Several deleted scenes have been re-edited into the film, but are available to view independently as well. There's a quick split-screen special effects feature showing how the ghostly spirits were added to Conan's resurrection. "The Conan Archives" is an 11-minute slide show of drawings, costumes and advertising. Best of all is the fantastic 53-minute "Conan Unchained" documentary interviewing every conceivable contributor who all reminisce with great fondness. It's slightly better seeing Schwarzenegger and Milius than hearing them talk in their commentary, which inevitably re-tells many of the same anecdotes in between puffs of Arnie's stogies. --Paul Tonks

  • Stargate (Director's Cut)Stargate (Director's Cut) | DVD | (15/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

    A self-consciously epic sci-fi adventure of Cecil B DeMille-sized proportions, Stargate refreshes and combines several well-worn sci-fi and sword 'n' sandal genre conventions with some Erich von Daniken-style Biblical Egyptology. The directing-writing-producing team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin had previously collaborated on B-movies Moon 44 (1990) and Universal Soldier (1992), but handed a significantly bigger budget they were able to give their Steven Spielberg pretensions free reign here ("Indiana Jones and his Close Encounters with the Chariots of the Gods" might be a suitable subtitle). James Spader is endearingly dithery as the fish-out-of-water academic who finds himself teamed with taciturn tough guy Kurt Russell: the two excellent leads are largely responsible for imparting what depth there is to otherwise two-dimensional characters. British composer David Arnold makes his major studio debut in the grandest fashion with an outstanding score that pays suitable homage to epic film music (John Williams' CE3K and Maurice Jarre's Lawrence of Arabia in particular). It's all done with such unabashed enthusiasm that viewers will happily forgive the film's derivative elements and even overlook the high-camp theatricality of Jaye Davidson's bizarre bad guy. Despite subsequent huge box-office hits (Independence Day, Godzilla, The Patriot), Stargate remains Emmerich and Devlin's freshest, most satisfying film. On the DVD: This special edition version adds approximately seven minutes of additional footage, much of which is in the form of slightly extended scenes, but does also include an opening sequence in Ancient Egypt, a scene with Kurt Russell and the fossilised Horus guards, and Ra's bath scene. These are also collected in a bonus "Promo Reel". The anamorphic widescreen presentation of the 2.35:1 Panavision picture looks sharp and clear, although some of the additional footage is degraded; the sound is suitably spectacular 5.1 or DTS. Devlin and Emmerich provide a relaxed, chatty commentary ("We have nothing to do with the TV series"!), although you have to access this from the Set Up menu not the Special Features menu. There's a photo gallery and trailer, but sadly no "making-of" documentary. --Mark Walker

  • Battle Of The Bulge [1965]Battle Of The Bulge | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (434.78%)   |  RRP £15.99

    The last desperate fight that changed the course of history. Five months after D-Day most American soldiers think the German army is broken. The Germans think otherwise. In an attempt to buy time to fill the skies with their invincible new jets they launch one fast furious offensive: the Battle of the Bulge. For this epic recreation of one of World War II's most crucial confrontations director Ken Annakin (The Longest Day) captures the explosive action of massive f

  • The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Series [DVD]The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Series | DVD | (26/03/2018) from £32.92   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Based on the best-selling anthologies of Victorian and Edwardian detective fi ction, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes features the world-famous consulting detective's fictional rivals in the fog-shrouded crime capital of London. Set in the three decades before the Great War, each story dealt with an individual and perplexing case (and a different detective). This top-flight, BAFTA-winning series attracted an incredible array of talent, including John Neville, Robert Stephens, Peter Vaughan, Roy Dotrice, Donald Pleasence, Ronald Hines, Peter Barkworth and Donald Sinden. This set contains the 13 high quality episodes that made up the complete first series

  • Autobiography of a Princess (Merchant Ivory Collection)Autobiography of a Princess (Merchant Ivory Collection) | DVD | (12/02/2007) from £12.45   |  Saving you £-2.46 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

    A thoughtful character study and fascinating look at a nearly obselete Indian lifestyle.

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