"Actor: Kenneth"

• Verdi: Il Trovatore -- Opera Australia | DVD | (05/06/2002) from £22.89   |  Saving you £2.10 (9.17%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Il Trovatore, Verdi's 1853 maelstrom of passion, infanticide, double-crossing and revenge, would be a mightily gamy affair if it didn't contain some of his finest arias, a cracker of a tenor's role and one of opera's most powerfully-written characters in the old gypsy woman, Azucena. Although Joan Sutherland, who plays the self-sacrificing lady-in-waiting Leonora in this 1983 Australia Opera production at Sydney Opera House, is the headline star, in truth the supreme assets of this recording are mezzo-soprano Lauris Elms' Azucena, a beautifully sung performance of haunted, wild-eyed sadness; and Sydney Nolan's wonderfully infernal sets, all purple and burnt ochre with suggestions of distorted faces. Sutherland came late to a part which allowed her to sing up a storm without taxing her rather stolid acting style. Her husband and musical director Richard Bonynge gives her the space to unleash some of Verdi's most fluidly opulent melodies--"D'amor sull'ali rosee" is a case in point--whose beauty is often at odds with the underlying horrors of the tale, based on a rather dodgy Spanish melodrama by Gutierrez. Sutherland has strong support from tenor Kenneth Collins as the doomed Manrico and Jonathan Summers as the vengeful Count. On the DVD: Il Trovatore on disc offers the inevitable shortcomings of a filmed for television performance: to the detriment of Nolan's designs (and the hard-pressed make-up team), the lighting doesn't translate well to video. Presented in 4:3 picture format, the quality is frequently murky. The PCM Stereo soundtrack also has its flat and fuzzy moments, particularly during chorus scenes ("Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie") when the orchestra drowns out the singing. But on the whole Sutherland et al sound great.--Piers Ford

• Reilly - Ace Of Spies - The Complete Series | DVD | (10/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £79.99

  All six volumes of adventures starring Sam Neill as the British master spy.

• Wallander - Series 4: The Final Chapter | Blu Ray | (04/07/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  All three feature-length episodes from the third series of the BBC crime drama starring Kenneth Branagh as the Swedish detective. Inspector Kurt Wallander (Branagh) and his team at Ystad police station investigate a number of violent and terrifying murders in the beautiful setting of Skane County, Southern Sweden. In this instalment, Wallander must investigate the disappearance of a Swedish citizen while attending a conference in South Africa. After returning home, the detective struggles with the onset of Alzheimer's whilst trying to solve his final cases. The episodes are: 'The White Lioness', 'A Lesson in Love' and 'The Troubled Man'.

• The Thing From Another World | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Artic researchers discover a huge frozen spaceling inside a crash-landed UFO then fight for their lives after the murderous being (a pre-Gunsmoke James Arness) emerges from icy captivity. Will other creatures soon follow? The famed final words of this film are both warning and answer: ""Keep watching the skies!""

• Dune -- Two-disc Special Edition | DVD | (04/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This two-disc special edition release of David Lynch's 1984 film Dune presents the same cut as originally shown theatrically, but with an improved transfer compared to the previous DVD edition and with the addition of new and archive documentary material. In case of confusion, it should be noted that this is not any of the following versions: the re-edited TV movie adaptation of Lynch's film, the long-sought-after extended version Lynch screened for cast and crew in January 1984, a new Director's Cut, or the Sci-Fi Channel mini series. The first disc contains a new anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 transfer taken from a High Definition archive copy of the 1984 film, further restored to remove dirt and scratches, and a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix as well as the original stereo soundtrack. The film looks superb and sounds almost as good, though a DTS soundtrack would have been welcome. The main extras are a well illustrated 32-page booklet written by Paul Sammon, author of the excellent Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner and The Making of Starship Troopers and a new 38-minute anamorphic widescreen documentary, Impressions of Dune. This is much superior to the average making-of, featuring significant new contributions from Kyle MacLachlan, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis, cinematographer Freddie Francis and others--though David Lynch is conspicuous by his absence. Destination Dune is a six-minute promotional featurette made by Sammon at the time of the film's release and the 4:3 image is fairly poor quality. An 83-second BBC interview with Frank Herbert is too short to be of more than passing interest, though the original trailer is a fine example of the 1980's way of selling movies. The set is completed with routine cast and crew profiles. Even with no involvement from Lynch and no commentaries, this is still the best Dune on DVD. --Gary S. Dalkin

• The January Man | DVD | (12/08/2002) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-7.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The January Man is an odd comedy-thriller about the hunt for a serial killer that could just be a case of too many stars spoil the movie. The screenplay is by John Patrick Shanley, who won an Oscar for Moonstruck. The plot goes like this: a serial killer is terrorising Manhattan, targeting one woman a month, much to the horror of the mayor (a rabid Rod Steiger, more foam than substance) and the police commissioner Frank Starkey (Harvey Keitel). There's only one man to save their bacon: enter Nick Starkey (Kevin Kline), brother of Frank, who had been a cop but was kicked out of the force for his unorthodox ways. Being a heroic kind of guy, his next career move was as a firefighter and we first see him leaping out of a burning building, carrying a child under his arm. Kline agrees to go back on one condition: that he cooks dinner for his brother's wife (the fantastically haughty Susan Sarandon), a former girlfriend for whom he still holds a candle. The pace hots up, Nick finds himself a new girlfriend, the mayor's daughter Bernadette (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), whose main claim to fame is that her best friend was murdered by the serial killer. Oh, and of course he gets the guy, in the nick of time (literally). Confused? You won't be. The plot is an improbable potion of coincidences and divine inspiration but it's not complicated. Kline overcomes the shortcomings of the script with a charmer of a performance, but the real star is the funny, sly Alan Rickman. The January Man is worth seeing for some very fine individual turns (Sarandon is terrific), but in all honesty, it doesn't add up to a great movie, mainly because it can't quite decide what it wants to be, genre-wise, settling on an uneasy compromise of comedy and thriller. On the DVD: The January Man disc has absolutely no-frills. Picture and sound are perfectly adequate without being anything to write home about. And if you're looking for extra goodies, you'll be disappointed: there's the original theatrical trailer and a wide array of subtitle languages, but that's it. --Harriet Smith

• It Came From Beneath The Sea | DVD | (16/06/2003) from £24.51   |  Saving you £-11.52 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  It Came from Beneath the Sea appeared two years after Ray Harryhausen unleashed The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms upon New York City. This time the master special-effects creator turned loose a giant (albeit six-armed) octopus on San Francisco, and the result is another enjoyable atom-age adventure that should please fans of vintage science fiction. Kenneth Tobey, who battled The Thing (From Another World) in 1951, stars as a Navy captain pursuing a monstrous octopoid (sextapoid?) after it attacks his atomic sub. After it wreaks havoc with shipping lanes, he tracks the creature to San Francisco for a final showdown. Scripting by George Worthing Yates (Them) and Hal Smith and direction by Robert Gordon are perfunctory at best, which gives the always-reliable Tobey and costar Faith Domergue little to do, but this is Harryhausen's show, and his monster, though the budget was restrained, is still impressive. Younger audiences weaned on digital FX may find this creaky, but nostalgic viewers will enjoy its simple thrills. --Paul Gaita

• Gonks Go Beat | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Pop music fantasy in which a representative from outer space is sent to earth to settle a dispute between the disciples of beat and ballad.

• Flame | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

• Watch Your Stern | DVD | (24/05/2004) from £14.86   |  Saving you £-0.87 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  All hands on deck for Titanic seaside laughs with the saucy Carry On crew! When an accident-prone sailor damages a secret blueprint his only hope is to get another from London. But then the Admiral arrives and he's forced to pose as a scientist - a female scientist!

• Carry On At Your Convenience | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In 1971 when Carry On at Your Convenience hit the screen, the series had long since become part of the fabric of British popular entertainment. Never mind the situation, the characters were essentially the same, film after film. The jokes were all as old as the hills, but nobody cared, they were still funny. But it's just too easy to treat them as a job lot of postcard humour and music hall innuendo. This tale of revolt at a sanitary ware factory--Boggs and Son, what else?--certainly chimed in with the state of the nation in the early 1970s when strikes were called at the drop of a hat. Here, tea urns, demarcation and the company's decision to branch out into bidets all wreak havoc. Kenneth Williams as the company's besieged managing director, Sidney James and Joan Sims give their all as usual, but it's the lesser roles that really add some lustre. Hattie Jacques as Sid's budgerigar-obsessed, sluggish put-upon wife and Renee Houston as a superbly domineering battleaxe with a penchant for strip poker remind us that in the hands of fine actors, even the laziest of caricatures becomes a real human being. On the DVD: Presented in 4:3 format with a good clean print and standard mono soundtrack, Carry On at Your Convenience feels as comfortable as an old pair of shoes. But where's the context? The lack of extras leaves the viewer wanting biographies and some documentary sense of the film's position in the series. The scene index is often arbitrary and the budget packaging means that we don't even get a full cast list. --Piers Ford

• Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (20/02/2023) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  An action hero is reborn! in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, the origin story of Tom Clancy's most iconic character. The thrills are non-stop as CIA recruit Ryan(Chris Pine) is caught in a dangerous web of intrigue spun between his unsuspecting fiancée (Keira Knightley), a shadowy government agent (Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner*), and a ruthless Russian criminal (Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Branagh**). Ryan must quickly evolve from analyst to full-fledged operative to stop a devastating terrorist plot against the United States. The stakes have never been higher in this taut, tense and terrific thrill ride. Product Features DISC 1: 4K UHD 4K Feature Film UHD Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Lorenzo di Bonaventura DISC 2: Blu-ray Blu-ray Feature Film Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Lorenzo di Bonaventura Jack Ryan: The Smartest Guy in the Room Sir Kenneth Branagh: The Tsar of Shadow Recruit Jack Ryan: A Thinking Man of Action Old Enemies Return Deleted & Extended Scenes (with optional commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Lorenzo di Bonaventura)

• Carry On Regardless | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £6.66   |  Saving you £-0.67 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It's non stop romps as the Carry On team deliver the goods in one of the rudest and funniest of the Carry On films. The cast are all on top form as a bunch of no-hoppers who join an agency in the search for a job. The anarchy mounts as they do a series of odd jobs including a chimps tea party trying to stay sober at a wine tasting and demolishing a house.

• Rotten to the Core | DVD | (19/05/2014) from £12.98   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A riotously funny crime caper in the classic tradition of Two-Way Stretch and The Lavender Hill Mob Rotten to the Core boasts a top-notch cast with early roles for Anton Rodgers and Charlotte Rampling; produced directed and co-scripted by the legendary Boulting brothers this rare comedy gem earned a BAFTA Award nomination in 1966 for art director Alex Vetchinsky. Rotten to the Core is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Lenny Jelly and Scapa are the three loyal henchmen of The Duke. After 18 months in jail they are eager to rejoin their leader... and even more eager to receive a share of the stash that sent them there. Having been told that the Duke has died and all the money was spent on hospital bills the they eventually meet up with their boss again; however they find that his methods have become far more sophisticated and before long they're involved in an elaborate plan to carry out a daringly audacious heist. Special Features: Image Gallery Original Pressbook PDF

• The Shield - Season 5 | DVD | (01/10/2012) from £7.01   |  Saving you £12.98 (185.16%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The story of in inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.

• The Day After Tomorrow | UMD | (07/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  A big-budget, mega-event epic motion picture that revolves around an abrupt climate change that has cataclysmic consequences for the planet.

• Mansfield 66/67 | DVD | (25/06/2018) from £8.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Hollywood screen legend Jayne Mansfield's final two years and her untimely death are shrouded in mystery, rumours persist that she was cursed after an alleged affair with Anton LaVey, Head of the Satanic Church. Here documentary filmmakers P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes (Hit So Hard) explore the myths, featuring interviews with Kenneth Anger, Tippi Hedren, Cheryl Dunne and more alongside archive footage of Anton la Vey and Jayne Mansfield herself. An audience favourite at FrightFest, this is a fitting celebration of a cinematic icon.

• 10,000 Days | DVD | (27/04/2015) from £2.29   |  Saving you £13.70 (85.70%)   |  RRP £15.99

  10 000 days ago Comet 23 struck the Pacific Ocean with the magnitude of all the nuclear weapons in the world. The Beck family was among the lucky few who survived the heat blast and firestorms. And then the freezing began. The comet knocked the Earth away from the sun encasing the planet in snow and ice. For those who survived life is violent and dangerous.

• Shattered Trust | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £4.94   |  Saving you £1.05 (21.26%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A terrific cast headed by Melissa Gilbert Kate Nelligan (BAFTA-winner for Frankie and Johnny and Oscar nominee for The Prince of Tides) and Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore The Exorcist) come together for a compelling true story that tells how one young woman faced up to her nightmares to force a change in the law for the benefit of others. Gilbert plays Shari Karney a promising young attorney with a bright career ahead. But one da

• That's Carry On | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-7.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Celebrating twenty years of classic Carry On films two of the film's best loved stars Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor return to Pinewood Film Studios to unwrap some rib-tickling moments to the series. From the original military mayhem of 'Carry On Sergeant' through to the really ancient archaeological gags of 'Carry On Behind' our saucy hosts get their titters out for this laugh-a-second gallop through the most successful series of British comedy films ever made. With a cast