"Actor: John Sumner"

• King Kong | Blu Ray | (20/02/2017) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Movies don't come any bigger than Peter Jackson's King Kong, a three-hour remake of the 1933 classic that marries breathtaking visual prowess with a surprising emotional depth. Expanding on the original story of the blonde beauty and the beast who falls for her, Jackson creates a movie spectacle that matches his Lord of the Rings films and even at times evokes their fantasy world while celebrating the glory of '30s Hollywood. Naomi Watts stars as Ann Darrow, a vaudeville actress down on her luck in Depression-era New York until manic filmmaker Carl Denham (a game but miscast Jack Black) entices her with a lead role. Dazzled by the genius of screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), Ann boards the tramp steamer S.S. Venture, which she--and most of the wary crew--believes is headed for Singapore. Denham, however, is in search of the mythic Skull Island, hoping to capture its wonders on film and make a fortune. What he didn't count on were some scary natives who find that the comely Darrow looks like prime sacrifice material for a mysterious giant creature.... There's no point in rehashing the entire plot, as every movie aficionado is more than familiar with the trajectory of King Kong; the challenge facing Jackson, his screenwriters, and the phenomenal visual-effects team was to breathe new life into an old, familiar story. To that degree, they achieve what could be best called a qualified success. Though they've assembled a crackerjack supporting cast, including Thomas Kretschmann as the Venture's hard-bitten captain and young Jamie Bell as a plucky crewman, the first third of the movie is rather labored, with too much minute detail given over to sumptuous re-creations of '30s New York and the unexciting initial leg of the Venture's sea voyage. However, once the film finds its way to Skull Island (which bears more than a passing resemblance to LOTR's Mordor), Kong turns into a dazzling movie triumph, by turns terrifying and awe-inspiring. The choreography and execution of the action set pieces--including one involving Kong and a trio of Tyrannosaurus Rexes, as well as another that could be charitably described as a bug-phobic's nightmare--is nothing short of landmark filmmaking, and a certain Mr. Spielberg should watch his back, as Kong trumps most anything that has come before it. Despite the visual challenges of King Kong, the movie's most difficult hurdle is the budding romance between Ann and her simian soulmate. Happily, this is where Jackson unqualifiedly triumphs, as this unorthodox love story is tenderly and humorously drawn, by turns sympathetic and wondrous. Watts, whose accessibility balances out her almost otherworldly loveliness, works wonders with mere glances, and Andy Serkis, who digitally embodies Kong here much as he did Gollum in the LOTR films, breathes vibrant life into the giant star of the film without ever overplaying any emotions. The final, tragic act of the film, set mostly atop the Empire State Building, is where Kong earns its place in movie history as a work that celebrates both the technical and emotional heights that film can reach. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com

• Elvis Presley - Aloha From Hawaii | DVD | (12/07/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £27.99

  Elvis Presley's performing career, punctuated by its extra-musical achievement as the first global satellite broadcast devoted to a single entertainer. Both the broadcast and its companion album captured the King in his most grandiose persona, fuelled by Hollywood scale and Vegas glitz, as a caped pop superhero.He may have looked trim, but posthumous accounts (especially Peter Guralnick's Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, the second volume in his definitive biography) confirm what a second look suggests--on this evening, Elvis was alternately overwhelmed and distracted, bravura renditions of signature songs (most triumphantly, the "American Trilogy" medley originated by Mickey Newbury) offset by less-focused readings. Fans may still savour a generous and diverse song list, but viewed beside Presley's earlier, more consistent performances (including a rehearsal the previous night, since released as The Alternate Aloha Concert), this legendary concert anticipates Presley's imminent decline.In this remastered version, three songs have been deleted due to music clearance issues, while four songs taped after the actual show have been inserted. A fifth bonus track, "No More," makes its first appearance on video. --Sam Sutherland

• Beau Geste | DVD | (08/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Based on the book by Percival Christopher Wren Beau Geste tells the tale of three inseparable Geste brothers Beau Digby and John who have been adopted into the wealthy household of Lady Brandon. When money grows tight in the household Lady Brandon is forced to sell her most treasured possession the mighty 'Blue Water' sapphire. When this goes missing each of the young men confesses to being the thief in order to protect the other. One-by-one they head off to join the Fr

• Elvis Presley - Elvis - Aloha From Hawaii | DVD | (14/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Elvis Presley: Aloha From Hawaii

• The Terror Within | DVD | (27/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It Wants to Get Out! In the grueling aftermath of a chemically induced plague that wipes out most of the world the only survivors are a small group of scientists trapped in a laboratory 500 feet below the ground in the Mojave Desert. But they are not alone... Academy Award-winner George Kennedy (The Naked Gun Cool Hand Luke) stars as Hal the leader of the group. Andrew Stevens (The Fury Ten To Midnight) plays David the young hotshot who rescues a lone fem

• King Kong Extended Edition (2006) | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £17.93   |  Saving you £7.06 (39.38%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The eighth wonder of the world! Thirteen additional minutes of epic adventure exotic creatures and awesome special effects make the King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition the definitive version of Peter Jackson's must-see must-have action adventure epic. Exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses of Jackson and his crew give fans an unprecedented window into the sweeping cinematic vision that makes the King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition a spectacular film experience that movie lovers will not want to miss! It is 1933 and vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (Oscar nominee Naomi Watts) has found herself - like so many other New Yorkers during the Great Depression - without the means to earn a living. Unwilling to compromise and allow herself to sink into a career in burlesque she considers her limited options while aimlessly wandering the streets of Manhattan. When her hunger drives her to unsuccessfully try to steal an apple from a fruit vendor's stall she is rescued - literally - by filmmaker and multiple hyphenate Carl Denham (Jack Black). It seems that the entrepreneur-raconteur-adventurer is no stranger to theft having that day lifted the only existing print of his most recent and unfinished film from under his studio executives' noses when they threatened to pull his completion funds. Carl has until the end of the day to get his crew onboard the Singapore-bound tramp steamer the S.S. Venture in hopes of completing his travelogue/action film. With that the showman is certain he will finally achieve the personal greatness he knows awaits him around the corner - and although the crew believe that corner to be Singapore Denham actually hopes to find and capture on film the mysterious place of legend: Skull Island. Unfortunately for Carl his headlining actress has pulled out of his project but his search for a size-four leading lady (the costumes have all been made) has fatefully led him to Ann. The struggling actress is reluctant to sign on with Denham until she learns that the up-and-coming socially relevant playwright Jack Driscoll (Oscar winner Adrien Brody) is penning the screenplay - the fees his friend Carl pays for potboiling adventure are a welcome supplement to Driscoll's nominal income from his stage plays. With his newly discovered star and coerced screenwriter reluctantly onboard Denham's 'moving picture ship' heads out of New York Harbor... and toward a destiny that none aboard could possibly foresee...

• King Kong | UMD | (10/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

• UFO - Vol. 5 - Episodes 14-16 | DVD | (10/06/2002) from £14.23   |  Saving you £4.75 (42.26%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Gerry Anderson's classic sci-fi series. The operatives of the secret Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation (S.H.A.D.O.) defend the earth from extra-terrestrials who are abducting humans to obtain their organs which can be transplanted into their own bodies... Episodes include: Confetti Check A-O-K E.S.P Kill Straker

• Latin Boys Go to Hell | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Cute Latino Justin is about to loose his innocence. By day he indulges his passion for Mexican telenovelas and works part time for Monica a photographer compiling an erotic portfolio of young Latinos. By night he's steeped in the intoxicating nightlife of his working class Brooklyn neighbourhood. Plus he's nurturing a crush on his savvy cousin Angel and is being pursued by macho demi-god Carlos. Carlos' possessive lover Braulio isn't too happy about his lover's lustful promiscuity and Justin is green with envy that Angel has found himself a chick! Fuelled by jealously and a desire for revenge the Latin boys are driven to a violent and terrible end.