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• Monty Python's Life Of Brian | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £5.32   |  Saving you £7.67 (144.17%)   |  RRP £12.99

  There is not a single joke, sight-gag or one-liner in Monty Python's Life of Brian that will not forever burn itself into the viewer's memory as being just as funny as it is possible to be, but--extraordinarily--almost every indestructibly hilarious scene also serves a dual purpose, making this one of the most consistently sustained film satires ever made. Like all great satire, the Pythons not only attack and vilify their targets (the bigotry and hypocrisy of organised religion and politics) supremely well, they also propose an alternative: be an individual, think for yourself, don't be led by others. "You've all got to work it out for yourselves", cries Brian in a key moment. "Yes, we've all got to work it our for ourselves", the crowd reply en masse. Two thousand years later, in a world still blighted by religious zealots, Brian's is still a lone voice crying in the wilderness. Aside from being a neat spoof on the Hollywood epic, it's also almost incidentally one of the most realistic on-screen depictions of the ancient world--instead of treating their characters as posturing historical stereotypes, the Pythons realised what no sword 'n' sandal epic ever has: that people are all the same, no matter what period of history they live in. People always have and always will bicker, lie, cheat, swear, conceal cowardice with bravado (like Reg, leader of the People's Front of Judea), abuse power (like Pontius Pilate), blindly follow the latest fads and giggle at silly things ("Biggus Dickus"). In the end, Life of Brian teaches us that the only way for a despairing individual to cope in a world of idiocy and hypocrisy is to always look on the bright side of life. On the DVD: Life of Brian returns to Region 2 DVD in a decent widescreen anamorphic print with Dolby 5.1 sound--neither are exactly revelatory, but at least it's an improvement on the previous release, which was, shockingly, pan & scan. The 50-minute BBC documentary, "The Pythons", was filmed mainly on location in 1979 and isn't especially remarkable or insightful (a new retrospective would have been appreciated). There are trailers for this movie, as well as Holy Grail plus three other non-Python movies. There's no commentary track, sadly. --Mark Walker

• Hairspray (2007) | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.95   |  Saving you £15.04 (303.84%)   |  RRP £19.99

  John Waters' 1988 cult classic gets a 21st century makeover in this update of the musical.

• Alien 1-6 Boxset | Blu Ray | (18/09/2017) from £28.55   |  Saving you £-12.88 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.67

  All six films in the 'Alien' franchise. In Ridley Scott's 'Alien' (1979) the crew of the Nostromo starship are on their way back to Earth after completing a mission when they are diverted to a planetoid to investigate a cryptic message. While exploring an abandoned spacecraft on the planet, they come across a store of unhatched eggs. When one of the eggs releases a mysterious creature that leeches on to a crew member's face, the others bring him back on board to recover from the ordeal. Little do they know that they have also brought on board an alien lifeform that will kill anyone or anything that gets in its way. In James Cameron's sequel, 'Aliens' (1986), sole survivor from the Nostromo Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) awakens after 57 years in stasis, and with a team of Space Marines in tow she returns to the planetoid now named LV-426 to investigate the loss of contact with the terraforming colony in residence. In David Fincher's dark 'Alien 3' (1992), Ripley crash lands on an old prison planet used to house convicted murderers - but she's not alone. When Ripley discovers her body is being used to carry an alien queen she faces a difficult decision to save humanity and sacrifice herself. In Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 'Alien Resurrection' (1997), 200 years after Ripley died bearing the alien queen, a group of scientists successfully produce clones of both her and the alien. The United States Military, hoping to use the queen to breed aliens to study, fail to keep the clones locked up and they escape. It is not long before the new Ripley is forced to team up with a gang of smugglers to repel the alien clones that are set on destroying life on Earth. In 'Prometheus' (2012) Scott returns to direct a new cast of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce. After finding fragments of alien DNA, a team of scientists known as The Company travel into space aboard the state-of-the-art Prometheus spacecraft to investigate the origins of human life on Earth. Their journey takes them into the darkest corners of the universe - but, to their horror, their inquisitive nature ends up posing a threat to the future existence of humankind. The scientists now find themselves tested to their mental and physical limits as they fight a desperate battle to preserve the future of the human race. Finally, in 'Alien: Covenant' (2017), set as a sequel to 'Prometheus' (2012), the crew of the Covenant discover a planet they believe to be paradise, but when they actually start to investigate they find a dark and dangerous world inhabited by a colony of creatures who are less than pleased to see the.

• Midnight (Criterion Collection) - UK Only | Blu Ray | (14/07/2025) from £22.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Screwball comedy doesn't get any more effortlessly elegant and gleefully irreverent than this roulette wheel of romantic deception, gleaming with cunning wit and Continental élan. A couture-clad Claudette Colbert is divine as a penniless American chorus girl who crashes Parisian high society by posing as a wealthy Hungarian baronessbut both a scheming nobleman (John Barrymore) and a smitten taxi driver (Don Ameche) are soon on to her game. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett's sophisticated scripta typically subversive blend of fairy-tale escapism and caustic social observationand the pitch-perfect direction of master craftsman Mitchell Leisen yield a topsy-turvy Cinderella story with a cynical bite. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack New audio commentary featuring author and film critic Michael Koresky New program featuring audio excerpts of a 1969 interview with director Mitchell Leisen Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the film from 1940 Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by film critic David Cairns New cover by Abigail Giuseppe

• A Quiet Place (Blu-Ray) | Blu Ray | (13/08/2018) from £8.95   |  Saving you £4.05 (45.25%)   |  RRP £13.00

  In the modern horror thriller A Quiet Place, a family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their survival. If they hear you, they hunt you.

• Of Mice and Men | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £8.44   |  Saving you £1.55 (18.36%)   |  RRP £9.99

  John Malkovich Gary Sinise and Sherilyn Fenn shine in this contemporary remake of the beloved classic about a nomadic farmworker who looks after his dimwitted gentle-giant friend.

• Ready Player One | 4K UHD | (06/08/2018) from £18.72   |  Saving you £6.16 (32.91%)   |  RRP £24.88

  Stephen Spielberg directs the worldwide phenomenon Ready Player One. When an unlikely young hero, Wade Watts decides to join the ultimate contest to find the digital Easter eggs to win the Oasis, an expansive virtual reality universe where anything is possible, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery, and danger.

• Planet of the Apes Triple | DVD | (27/11/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Billed as a "re-imagining" of the original film, Tim Burton's extraordinary Planet of the Apes constantly borders on greatness, adhering to the spirit of Pierre Boulle's original novel while exploring fresh and inventive ideas and paying honourable tribute to the '68 sci-fi classic. Burton's gifts for eccentric inspiration and visual ingenuity make this a movie that's as entertaining as it is provocative, beginning with Rick Baker's best-ever ape make-up (hand that man an Oscar®!), and continuing through the surprisingly nuanced performances and breathtaking production design. Add to all this an intelligent screenplay that turns Boulle's speculative reversal--the dominance of apes over humans--into a provocative study of civil rights and civil war. The film finally goes too far with a woefully misguided ending that pays weak homage to the original, but everything preceding that misfire is astonishingly right. While attempting the space-pod retrieval of a chimpanzee test pilot, Major Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) enters a magnetic storm that propels him into the distant future, where he crash-lands on the ape-ruled planet. Among the primitively civilized apes, treatment of enslaved humans is a divisive issue: senator's daughter Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) advocates equality while the ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) promotes extermination. While Davidson ignites a human rebellion, this conflict is explored with admirable depth and emotion, and sharp dialogue allows Burton's exceptional cast to bring remarkable expressiveness to their embattled ape characters, most notably in the comic relief of orangutan slave trader Limbo (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti). Classic lines from the original film are cleverly reversed (including an unbilled cameo for Charlton Heston, in ape regalia as Thade's dying father), and while this tale of interspecies warfare leads to an ironic conclusion that's not altogether satisfying, it still bears the ripe fruit of a timeless what-if idea. --Jeff Shannon

• Gandhi | DVD | (04/07/2011) from £5.25   |  Saving you £0.74 (14.10%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Gandhi is a great subject, but is Gandhi a great film? Undoubtedly it is, not least because it is one of the last old-school epics ever made, a glorious visual treat featuring tens of thousands of extras (real people, not digital effects) and sumptuous Panavision cinematography. But a true epic is about more than just widescreen photography, it concerns itself with noble subjects too, and the life story of Mahatma Gandhi is one of the noblest of all. Both the man and the film have profound things to say about the meaning of freedom and racial harmony, as well as how to achieve them. Ben Kingsley, in his first major screen role, bears the heavy responsibility of the central performance and carries it off magnificently; without his magnetic and utterly convincing portrayal the film would founder in the very first scene. Sir Richard Attenborough surrounds his main character with a cast of distinguished thespians (Trevor Howard, John Mills, John Gielgud and Martin Sheen, to name but four), none of whom do anything but provide the most sympathetic support. John Briley's literate screenplay achieves the almost impossible task of distilling the bewildering complexities of Anglo-Indian politics. Attenborough's treatment is openly reverential, but, given the saint-like character of his subject, it's hard to see how it could have been anything else. He doesn't flinch from the implication that the Mahatma was naïve to expect a unified India, for example, but instead lets Gandhi's actions speak for themselves. The outstanding achievement of this labour of love is that it tells the story of an avowed pacifist who never raised a hand in anger, of a man who never held high office, of a man who shied away from publicity, and turns it into three hours of utterly mesmerising cinema.On the DVD: The anamorphic (16:9) picture of the original 2.35:1 image has a certain softness to it that may reflect the age of the print, but somehow seems entirely in keeping with the subject . Sound is Dolby 5.1. The extras are fairly brief, but worthwhile: original newsreel footage of Gandhi includes an astonishingly patronising British news account of his visit to England; in a recent interview, Ben Kinglsey chats enthusiastically about the film and the difficulties he experienced bringing the character to life. The dull "making-of" feature is simply a montage of stills. --Mark Walker

• Wreck-It Ralph | DVD | (03/06/2013) from £9.15   |  Saving you £-2.16 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Prepare for adventure with one of the very best from Disney Animation Studios (Jonathan Ross). A hilarious arcade-game-hopping journey in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. For decades Ralph has played the bad guy in his popular video game. In a bold move he embarks on an action-packed adventure and sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart. As he explores exciting new worlds he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope Von Schweetz. Then when an evil enemy threatens their world Ralph realises he holds the fate of the entire arcade in his massive hands. Featuring an all-star voice cast and breakthrough bonus features that take you even deeper into the world of video games Disney's Wreck-It Ralph has something for every player. Special Features: Paperman

• Moulin Rouge - Single Disc Edition | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £5.40   |  Saving you £12.59 (233.15%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Set in 1899, this musical drama from director Baz Luhrmann ("Romeo + Juliet") stars Ewan McGregor as a young poet who begins a passionate but doomed affair with the most famous courtesan in Paris (Nicole Kidman).

• Adventure Time - Complete Seasons 1-5 Collection | Blu Ray | (25/11/2019) from £59.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Finn, the human boy with the awesome hat, and Jake, the wise dog with magical powers, are close friends and partners in the strange land of Ooo. It's one quirky and off-beat adventure as they fly all over the land of Ooo, saving princesses, dueling evil-doers, and having the most fun possible!

• Monsters, Inc. (Disney Pixar) Fullscreen (4:3) Single-Disc Edition | DVD | (07/09/2002) from £3.99   |  Saving you £2.00 (50.13%)   |  RRP £5.99

  From the team that brought you "Toy Story" comes this CGI tale about the monsters that every child knows live in the cupboard! However these monsters are far less fierce that they'd have us believe.

• 1917 (DVD Format) | DVD | (18/05/2020) from £7.55   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sam Mendes, the Oscar®-winning director of Skyfall, Spectre and American Beauty, brings his singular vision to his World War I epic, 1917. At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiersBlake's own brother among them. Bonus Features The Weight Of The World: Sam Mendes Allied Forces: Making 1917 The Score Of 1917 Feature Commentaries

• The Suicide Squad | Blu Ray | (08/11/2021) from £7.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Assemble a collection of cons, arm them heavily and drop them on the enemyinfused island of Corto Maltese. If anyone's laying down bets, the smart money is against themall of them.

• Father Brown Series 9 | DVD | (14/02/2022) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  It's 1953, and the charming Father Brown (Mark Williams) returns to solve more mysteries in the sleepy Cotswold village of Kembleford. Based on the character created by G.K. Chesterton, the charismatic priest is joined again by Mrs McCarthy (Sorcha Cusack), Inspector Mallory (Jack Deam),Sergeant Goodfellow (John Burton), Sid Carter (Alex Price), and Bunty Windermere (Emer Kenny). In the ninth series the sleuthing priest finds himself in a race against time to unmask a mystery attacker before pernicious newcomer Lord Hawthorne has him hounded out of the parish for good. Elsewhere Sergeant Goodfellow needs Father Brown's ingenuity to solve a fiendish kidnapping. And in the thrilling 100th episode, Lady Felicia's illustrious New Year Masked Ball is marred by a killer in its midst. Could this be the last waltz for Father Brown?

• Grease 40th Anniversary (DVD) | DVD | (23/04/2018) from £6.53   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Grease Is The Word! The classic tale of good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and bad boy Danny (John Travolta) gets tuned up with new special features in this Grease: Exclusive 40th Anniversary Edition. Your favorite movie musical just gets better with time! Features: Commentary by Director Randal Kleiser and Choreographer Patricia Birch Introduction by Randal Kleiser Rydell Sing-Along The Time, The Place, The Motion: Remembering Grease Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes with Introduction by Randal Kleiser Grease Reunion 2002 - DVD Launch Party The Moves Behind the Music Olivia Newton-John and Robert Stigwood Grease Day Interview Photo Galleries

• Alien 1-6 Boxset | DVD | (18/09/2017) from £24.99   |  Saving you £-10.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  By transplanting the classic haunted house scenario into space, Ridley Scott, together with screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, produced a work of genuinely original cinematic sci-fi with Alien that, despite the passage of years and countless inferior imitations, remains shockingly fresh even after repeated viewing. Scott's legendary obsession with detail ensures that the setting is thoroughly conceived, while the Gothic production design and Jerry Goldsmith's wonderfully unsettling score produce a sense of disquiet from the outset: everything about the spaceship Nostromo--from Tupperware to toolboxes-seems oddly familiar yet disconcertingly ... well, alien.Nothing much to speak of happens for at least the first 30 minutes, and that in a way is the secret of the film's success: the audience has been nervously peering round every corner for so long that by the time the eponymous beast claims its first victim, the release of pent-up anxiety is all the more effective. Although Sigourney Weaver ultimately takes centre-stage, the ensemble cast is uniformly excellent. The remarkably low-tech effects still look good (better in many places than the CGI of the sequels), while the nightmarish quality of H.R. Giger's bio-mechanical creature and set design is enhanced by camerawork that tantalises by what it doesn't reveal.On the DVD: The director, audibly pausing to puff on his cigar at regular intervals, provides an insightful commentary which, in tandem with superior sound and picture, sheds light into some previously unexplored dark recesses of this much-analysed, much-discussed movie (why the crew eat muesli, for example, or where the "rain" in the engine room is coming from). Deleted scenes include the famous "cocoon" sequence, the completion of the creature's insect-like life-cycle for which cinema audiences had to wait until 1986 and James Cameron's Aliens. Isolated audio tracks, a picture gallery of production artwork and a "making of" documentary complete a highly attractive DVD package. --Mark Walker

• Dumbo | Blu Ray | (31/10/2011) from £4.78   |  Saving you £18.21 (380.96%)   |  RRP £22.99

  A Disney "classic" that actually is a classic, Dumbo should be part of your movie collection whether or not you have children. The storytelling was never as lean as in Dumbo, the songs rarely as haunting (or just plain weird), the characters rarely so well defined. The film pits the "cold, cruel, heartless" world that can't accept abnormality against a plucky, and mute, hero. Jumbo Jr. (Dumbo is a mean-spirited nickname) is ostracised from the circus pack shortly after his delivery by the stork because of his big ears. His mother sticks up for him and is shackled. He's jeered by children (an insightful scene has one boy poking fun at Dumbo's ears, even though the youngster's ears are also ungainly), used by the circus folk, and demoted to appearing with the clowns. Only the decent Timothy Q. Mouse looks out for the little guy. Concerns about the un-PC "Jim Crow" crows, who mock Dumbo with the wonderful "When I See an Elephant Fly", should be moderated by remembering that the crows are the only social group in the film who act kindly to the little outcast. If you don't mist up during the "Baby Mine" scene, you may be legally pronounced dead. --Keith Simanton

• The Rock -- Two-Disc Special Edition | DVD | (24/06/2002) from £22.35   |  Saving you £-4.36 (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Bodybuilders Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) and Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) concoct a plan to kidnap rich spoiled business man Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), a regular at the gym where they work, and extort him by means of torture.