"Actor: John Cronin"

• Splash | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £9.75   |  Saving you £6.24 (64.00%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Splash was big news in 1984. It was the sole reason for a renewed Disney Studios forming its Touchstone Pictures subsidiary. This was so they could get away with displaying Daryl Hannah's nude bottom! It was also big news for launching the film career of Tom Hanks, who immediately became a massive box-office comedy draw in the 80s. For Ron Howard, it was the breakaway success that guaranteed he'd be able to pursue as diverse a directorial career path as he wanted to. It's a simple romance tale, spiced up by making the female lead a mermaid. The stroke of brilliance in the script was in making the comedy happen around the two leads, while letting them believably convey they are hopelessly lost in love. The comedy comes from the ever-reliable John Candy as a larger-than-life womanising older brother, and Eugene Levy as a scatty scientist. Although New York looks a little different today, the movie has hardly aged at all. Which is just as well since it boldly begins "This morning." On the DVD: Splash offers a transfer that has some defects, but colours and dark areas seem just about right. We're spoiled for extras, with a warmly nostalgic Howard joining a key production crew commentary in reminiscing on how much fun they had making the movie. There's a half-hour documentary ("Making a Splash") interviewing everyone involved, including some archival footage of the late Candy. Best of all are the original Audition Tapes for Hanks and Hannah, which reveal the consummate professionals these once-hungry stars really are. --Paul Tonks

• Annabelle's Wish | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Annabelle's Wish is a magical animated feature based on the legend that on Christmas Eve Santa Claus gives all animals a speaking voice just for one night. A loveable calf named Annabelle born on Christmas Eve has a very special wish: to fly like on of Santa's reindeers. A special friendship forms between Annabelle and Billy a young boy who cannot talk. Along with a friendly bunch of barnyard animals they contend with Billy's mean Aunt and the bullies in the neighbourhood. Annabelle shows the true meaning of Christmas by making one very special wish come true.

• The Boys | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Based on the Australian writer Gordon Graham's highly acclaimed award-winning play The Boys is set in the suburbs of Sydney and follows the life of Brett Sprague as he returns to his family after twelve months in prison. Brett finds life is slightly different after a year inside. His brother Glenn has moved out with his girlfriend his younger brother Stevie's pregnant girlfriend now lives with the family and his mother has taken a shine to a Maori drifter. Having lost the hold he once had over his family Brett can no longer keep his anger and frustration at bay. Intent on restoring order and dominance Brett soon wields his power in a most terrifying way. This unforgettable drama features an outstanding cast including the talented Toni Collette David Wenham and John Polson.

• The Last Bus Home | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £99.99   |  Saving you £-94.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The Pope visits Dublin in 1979 and Reena and Jessop meet. Three years later they have become a famous band in the town in which they live. But pressures within the band threaten its stability and a record deal and a move to London add to the strain...

• Splash | DVD | (26/03/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Tom Hanks was a relatively unknown TV actor with a sitcom as his biggest credit when relatively unknown director Ron Howard (best known for his own sitcom acting) cast him in this surprise hit. It made stars of Hanks, Daryl Hannah and John Candy and an A-list director out of Howard. Hannah is a mermaid who comes to Manhattan in search of Hanks, the guy she has twice saved from drowning. Hanks runs a business with his loveable, blowhard brother (Candy), whose goal in life is to have a letter published in Penthouse. When this perfect woman shows up, Hanks can't believe his luck and plunges into a dizzyingly romantic relationship, unaware of her sea-water secret. But the mermaid needs to soak and unfurl her tail from time to time, which leads to complications, including her capture by the government for scientific study (what else?). Hanks is winningly charming and Hannah is a perfect match in this enjoyably high-spirited comedy, though the biggest laughs belong to Candy. --Marshall Fine