"Actor: Keiko Yumi"

• Laputa - Castle In The Sky | Blu Ray | (09/05/2011) from £21.54   |  Saving you £3.45 (16.02%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Available for the first time in high definition on Blu-ray Double Play courtesy of Studio Ghibli and master animator Hayao Miyazaki 'Laputa: Castle In the Sky' is an imaginative tale full of mystery and adventure. The high-flying journey begins when Pazu, an engineer's apprentice, finds a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky, wearing a glowing pendant.Together, they discover both are searching for the legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around her neck. Their quest won't be easy, however. There are sky pirates, secret agents and monumental obstacles stopping them from discovering the truth - and each other. However, Laputa is more than it appears, and some seek to use it for evil.'Laputa: Castle In the Sky' continues Hayao Miyazaki's obsession with air travel, featuring some truly remarkable designs, especially for the floating fortress Laputa itself. It is said that he based a lot of the environments on rural Wales, following his time spent there during the miner's strikes. Special Features: Storyboards Promotional Video Behind the Microphone Behind the Studio The World of Laputa Creating Castle in the Sky Character Sketches Producer's Perspective: Meeting Miyazaki Textless Opening and Ending Credits TV Spots Original Japanese Theatrical Trailers Studio Ghibli Collection Trailers

• Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (26/08/2024) from £17.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Weary of the rigid codes of the underworld, gambler Tokijiro (Kinnosuke Nakamura, Goyokin) wanders Japan in search of freedom. But escape proves to be impossible when an obligation to a gang boss leaves him with no choice but to kill a man. To atone for his crime, he vows to take care of his victim's widow and young son. But the gang won't rest until they've killed the entire family - including the man who stands in their way. With this breathtakingly stylised film, Tai Kato broke all the conventions of the yakuza genre, fusing blood-spurting action with melodrama worthy of Japanese cinema's greatest masters.

• The Triple Cross | DVD | (27/05/2002) from £7.76   |  Saving you £12.23 (157.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Triple Cross is a Japanese crime thriller that follows the bloody aftermath of a heist. Three robbers are double-crossed by new accomplice, Kazuya Kimura, and Kenichi Hagiwara takes the Lee Marvin Point Blank road, tracking him down amid escalating carnage and spectacular car chases. The film is littered with homages to crime classics, from the outlaw lovers of A Bout de Souffle to Hagiwara sporting a nose plaster in recognition of Jack Nicholson's Chinatown. Sonny Chiba is wasted in a supporting role but, given that the movie is being promoted as Reservoir Dogs-meets-John Woo, it's worth noting that Chiba is among Quentin Tarantino's favourite actors and stars in his forthcoming Kill Bill (2003). The Triple Cross (the American title Double Cross is far more accurate) is a well-crafted collection of gangster clichés, but suffers from a very uncertain tone, being pitched uneasily between serious crime drama and tongue-in-cheek comic-book action. Released following the success of director Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale (2000) this film from 1992 nonetheless anticipates many of the themes and attitudes of post-Tarantino crime cinema with remarkable prescience. Those who prefer their cinema to recognise civilised values or any sense of morality best look elsewhere. On the DVD: The Triple Cross disc has a 1.78:1 anamorphically enhanced transfer that is slightly soft in many shots, while the night-time scenes, filmed with very high contrast, are overly dark and lack detail in the shadows. The film was released theatrically in Dolby Stereo and though the packaging states 2.0 Dolby Digital the reality is very flat and dull Dolby Prologic mono. Explosions are squibs and gunshots lifeless. For a 1992 action movie the result is lamentable, but at least the subtitles are clear and free of the howlers that plague many comparable Hong Kong films. The DVD also features the original Japanese trailer and eight additional trailers for films on the Tokyo Bullet label. There is a gallery reproducing the original promotional stills, and well-written and reasonably extensive biographies and/or filmographies for five of the cast. --Gary S Dalkin