"Actor: John Ley"

• World War II Classics 2 - We Dive At Dawn / Reach For The Sky | DVD | (12/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Two examples of British Second World War films, We Dive at Dawn (1943) and Reach for the Sky (1956), are here stylishly packaged as a World War II Classics pack. We Dive at Dawn tells of the encounter between a British submarine and a German warship in the Baltic Sea. John Mills gives a dependable performance as the submarine commander, with Eric Portman the pick of a strong supporting cast. Director Anthony Asquith finds the balance between action sequences and "in situ" dialogue, and there's an evocative score from Louis Levy. The movie was an underrated film that deserves reappraisal, whereas Reach for the Sky (1956) was a box-office hit and remains a fondly regarded classic. Kenneth More is ideally cast as Douglas Bader, the gifted pilot who loses both legs in a pre-war air crash, only to play a major role in the Battle of Britain, rise to the rank of Group Captain and become a war hero. Based on Paul Brickhill's biography, this is an "official" history maybe, but Lewis Gilbert's screenplay and direction are historically accurate and informed by that very British humour of which More was a natural. The film is graced by a decent supporting cast, and a typically "widescreen" score from John Addison. On the DVD: The black and white prints look and sound excellent. Whereas We Dive at Dawn has 4:3 video aspect ratio, 15 chapter points and no subtitles, the later Reach for the Sky has vivid 16:9 anamorphic reproduction, 20 chapter points, subtitles and detailed biographies of More, Gilbert and Barder. The original theatrical trailer is included, but it would also have made sense to include an interview or documentary footage of Bader himself. Even so, this is an excellent starting-point for investigating a key area of British cinema.--Richard Whitehouse

• A Sense Of Freedom | DVD | (23/02/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Based on the autobiography of former criminal Jimmy Boyle 1979's A SENSE OF FREEDOM was one of the most controversial and influential dramas of its time. Directed by John Mackenzie (The Long Good Friday) and featuring the camerawork of Oscar-winning cinematographer Chris Menges (The Mission; The Killing Fields) it was justifiably hailed by critics and the public alike for its unflinching depiction of prison life and criminal rehabilitation. A SENSE OF FREEDOM tells the moving and ultimately uplifting story of Jimmy Boyle. Born and bred on the tough streets of Glasgow's notorious Gorbals area Boyle followed in his criminal father's footsteps to become one of the city's most well-known and most violent racketeering hardmen. His life of crime came to a sudden end in the late 1960s when he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a rival gangster. Incarcerated in the controversial special rehabilitation unit of Glasgow's infamous Barlinnie Prison Boyle discovers the meaning of rough justice when full of rage and hostility he attempts to take on the prison system and the authority of the wardens in the only way he knows how. Slowly and painfully he comes to realise there is more to life than violence and crime as he begins the long process of turning his life around. An extremely powerful film A SENSE OF FREEDOM perfectly illustrates the futility and severe brutality of life behind bars. It is also a deeply moving testament to the strength of the human spirit and a reminder that in life it is never too late to change for the better. Starring David Hayman (Trial And Retribution) and Fulton Mackay (Porridge) the film features original music by legendary blues artists Frankie Miller and Rory Gallagher.

• Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe | DVD | (10/03/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  All 12 episodes of the Flash Gordon series Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe are featured on this three DVD box set. Starring Buster Crabbe as Flash with Carol Hughes as Dale and Charles Middleton as the Evil Mind the Merciless.

• Charlie's Angels - Series 1 | DVD | (23/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Back in the late 1970s Charlie's Angels was wildly popular television at its most self-consciously banal. The jiggly, joggly jolly first series' three (and best-remembered) belles--lioness Farrah Fawcett (then Farrah Fawcett-Majors), pin-up babe Jaclyn Smith and thinking man's beauty Kate Jackson--were something like primetime Spice Girls, gracing countless magazine covers and bestselling posters. The idea (even if a fan of the show didn't happen to be a straight male) was that one was compelled to choose a favourite angel as a kind of ink-blot window into one's subconscious life. While the 2000 Angels feature film kept faith with the original show's self-mockingly sloppy storytelling, there's nothing like seeing the old episodes for a lesson in narrative hubris. Basically, the three leading characters were bored policewomen wooed away to a private firm owned and operated by the unseen sybarite, Charlie (voiced--over speakerphone--by an uncredited John Forsythe). After a long set-up each week, the girls' investigations typically saw them going undercover as fashion models--no great stretch--in "Night of the Strangler", nurses in "Terror on Ward One", roller-derby stars in "Angels on Wheels" and vulnerable convicts (of course) in "Angels in Chains". The exploitation factor is not as bad as it might have been. The cast was so glamorous, their chemistry so perfect, that Charlie's Angels never became a mere meat market. Despite such nods to modernity as Fawcett's no-bra look, the episodes were old-fashioned in their heroine-in-peril appeal, yet there was a difference: the Angels looked out for themselves and each other. --Tom Keogh

• Elevator | DVD | (03/09/2012) from £3.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (225.56%)   |  RRP £12.99

  9 people stuck on an elevator - one has a ticking bomb - the other 8 will do absolutely anything to survive. The bomb cannot be defused. There is no escape and no promise of rescue. The unthinkable becomes the only reasonable solution.In a suspense thriller, both classic and contemporary, the passengers on Elevator are squeezed so tightly by fear and panic, the only possible result is horror. With minutes to live, there is no time for civilised morals. Nine sophisticated, Wall Street party-goers reveal the real people behind the facade.Crafted by the award-winning team of Norwegian director, Stig Svendsen and writer-producer Marc Rosenberg, they create a story as chilling as Hitchcock's Psycho and as demented as Polanski's The Tenant. An amazing ensemble cast creates a pressure cooker drama you won't soon forget.

• The Commissioner | DVD | (17/02/2003) from £4.98   |  Saving you £2.27 (61.02%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A member of the British government is sent to Brussels to become British Commissioner to the European Community where he uncovers political and industrial corruption...

• Teletubbies - Look | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  This special DVD combines original Teletubbies programmes with the new 10 minute treat-sized Teletubbies Everywhere. Teletubbies Everywhere is a comedy of first concepts - numbers colours shapes - bringing togther for the first time children from around the world speaking their own language. The teletubbies enjoy looking at their reflections in a mirror. Watch children take photographs of each other. Bright and colourful playful and affectionate the Teletubbies trusted format means that the youngest child can watch with understanding and laughter. Where's Laa Laa? Is that her bouncing ball? ... Later the Teletubbies have great fun when Dipsy makes some adjustments. Don't pull the lever again Dipsy!

• Are We There Yet?/Are We Done Yet? | DVD | (17/09/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Are We There Yet? Smooth operator Nick (Ice Cube) is interested in young attractive divorcee Suzanne (Nia Long) mother of a 7-year-old-boy and an 11-year-old-girl. Trying to get together with Suzanne Nick volunteers to bring her children to meet her out of town. Missing the plane they must make the long journey by car. What Nick doesn't know is that Suzanne's children think that no man is good enough for their mom and will do everything they can to make the trip a nightmare for him.... Are We Done Yet? Newlyweds Nick (Ice Cube) and Suzanne (Nia Long) decide to move to the suburbs to provide a better life for their two kids. But their idea of a dream home is disturbed by a contractor (John C. McGinley) with a bizarre approach to business.

• Teletubbies - Again Again! | DVD | (15/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  More fun with the Teletubbies. Laa Laa is the only Teletubby that wants to play indoors and the custard machine isn't working.

• Ben 10: Ultimate Alien - Volume 4 | DVD | (20/08/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In this animated series follows 16-year-old Ben Tennyson, once again ready to take on enemies both human and alien. A few things have changed for the super-powered kid (now a super-powered teen) - his secret identity has been revealed! He's now an international megastar superhero, loved by kids the world over but distrusted by almost as many adults. Armed with a mysterious new Omnitrix, the full powers of which are not yet known, Ben will see action in places he's never been.

• D-Day The 6th Of June | DVD | (09/05/2005) from £6.86   |  Saving you £6.13 (89.36%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The great love story of the Great War. Hollywood once again looks back at the undeniably compelling story of D-Day this time through the device of two officers facing the coming battle one American and one British recalling their love for the same woman.

• World War II Classics - Above Us The Waves / In Which We Serve | DVD | (29/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Even if all written and documentary evidence were to disappear, you could still get a real insight into Britain's involvement in the Second World War through feature films such as Above Us the Waves (1955) and In Which We Serve (1942). Directed by Ralph Thomas, Above Us the Waves tells of a Royal Navy mission to sink the "invincible" German battleship Tirpitz off the Norwegian coast. John Mills is calm and confident as the mission commander, with strong support from John Gregson and Donald Sinden--all treated by the German personnel as fellow gentlemen when captured. Despite stirring music from Arthur Benjamin, the action sequences are visually no more than adequate, and the film is only a partial success compared with the naval and domestic drama of the earlier In Which We Serve. Noël Coward wrote the screenplay and musical score, co-directed (with David Lean) and gave possibly his finest screen performance as the commander of HMS Torrin. His speech to the survivors of the sunken ship, as they prepare for reassignment, is just the highlight of a film packed with memorable visuals and perceptive dialogue. On the DVD: Though there are no additional features the black-and-white prints have come up excellently in the 4:3 video aspect ratio. There are 15 access points for each film, though the lack of subtitles is an unfortunate omission. These are period pieces that capture the mood of an era.--Richard Whitehouse

• Final Appointment / Murder On The Campus | DVD | (14/10/2013) from £13.05   |  Saving you £-0.06 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Final Appointment: A newspaper journalist and his wisecracking assistant team up with the police to solve a perplexing murder case involving war veterans, each killed on the same date each year. Murder On The Campus: A reporter learns that his brother, a student, has committed suicide. Unconvinced, he begins his own investigation when the police dismiss his suspicions. Could a killer be on the loose in Cambridge?

• Deliver Us From Evil | DVD | (10/03/2008) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-0.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The story of the most notorious paedophile priest in the modern history is told in this Oscar-nominated documentary.

• Taggart - Taste of Money | DVD | (25/10/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Caustic restaurant critic Barry Secord is found murdered in his kitchen. It seems a burglar spotted fleeing from the writer's apartment with a flat-screen TV has been disturbed and has panicked. But as the team uncover the journalist's last big story an expos'' of hellish kitchens and vaporising investment funds his death begins to look like part of a conspiracy that reaches beyond the world of petty thieves and fine dining. It seems there is no shortage of candidates who would be delighted to see the demise of a troublesome food critic and when Secord is revealed to have a double life the list of suspects lengthens. When the robber is caught it quickly becomes difficult to believe that he is capable of such a killing. A local chef and ex-con becomes a suspect but when another chef Rob Cade is reported missing having beaten up his wife suspicions fall on him. Before he ran off he left a damning review of his establishment by Barry Secord pinned to the office wall with a lethal looking knife. However the team are thrown when Cade turns up dead in a cottage out of town. He appears to have been murdered by the same killer. Eventually inquiries lead the team to a corrupt investment finance house in Edinburgh. Secord's big story was to expose the company for preying on talented success stories like chefs footballers and local celebs and unburdening them of their new found wealth. The company is about to secure a contract to front a bid from a huge American gambling concern to build a mega casino next to the Clyde. It turns out they have taken drastic steps to silence anyone who might make trouble for them.

• White Oleander | DVD | (23/02/2004) from £13.40   |  Saving you £0.59 (4.40%)   |  RRP £13.99

  A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.

• 44 Inch Chest | Blu Ray | (10/05/2010) from £3.59   |  Saving you £14.40 (401.11%)   |  RRP £17.99

  "44 Inch Chest", a powerful and explosive drama of retribution, is the feature film debut of renowned photographer and commercials director Malcolm Venville.

• Look Who's Talking 1, 2 and 3 | DVD | (28/08/2006) from £11.97   |  Saving you £3.02 (25.23%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Look Who's Talking: Starring Kirstie Alley John Travolta and the wise-cracking voice of Bruce Willis Look Who's Talking is the box-office smash which takes an hilarious off-beat look at motherhood and romance from baby Mikey's point of view. Led on and let down by boyfriend Albert (George Segal) 32 year old Mollie (Kirstie Alley) is looking for a proper father for her son. Little Mikey favours cab driver-turned-baby-sitter James (John Travolta). It's a case of baby knows be

• Kavanagh Q.C. - The Complete Series 4 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £12.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (53.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  John Thaw is Kavanagh Q.C. one of the most respected criminal advocates in London. From a northern working-class background James Kavanagh has climbed to the top of an elite profession through hard work and a love of the law. But his dedication to work the long hours and difficult cases have taken their toll on life at home with his wife and two teenage children. This double DVD release features Series Four of Kavanagh Q.C.. Episode titles: 1. Memento Mori 2. Care In The Com

• Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £6.59   |  Saving you £12.66 (237.52%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Funny fast and furious Rossini's masterpiece Il Barbiere di Siviglia is one of the most popular of comic operas with its sparkling and stylish score. John Cox's innovative production for Glyndebourne Festival Opera with good looking authentic designs by William Dudley put plenty of fizz into this old favourite and was a real hit with the critics. The usual Glyndebourne hallmarks of team work and extended rehersal paid handsome dividends in this production filmed in 1982.