"Actor: M"

• The Man Without A Past | DVD | (25/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A delirious mixture of black comedy film noir and love sory Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's rapturously received The Man Without A Past triumphed at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival carrying off the Best Actress and Grand Jury Prize. Markku Peltola plays 'M' who arrives in Helsinki only to be viciously set upon by thugs and pronounced dead by medics. By some miracle he revives but with no memory of his past or his identity. Rebuilding his life from scratch 'M' acquires a melanchol

• The Cooler | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £10.35   |  Saving you £9.64 (93.14%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The unluckiest man in Vegas (William H. Macy) is used by the last of the old time mob run casinos to kill high rollers' action. That is, until he falls in love which throws the situation into reverse.

• Anatomy | DVD | (23/04/2001) from £7.10   |  Saving you £12.89 (181.55%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A medical horror movie from Germany, Anatomy is every bit as slick as its Hollywood equivalents (most notably Coma) but cuts a lot deeper thanks to its connections with a Gothic past. Brilliant medical student Paula Haller (Franka Potente) is accepted into a prestigious summer anatomy course at Heidelberg University and gradually learns that many of her teachers and classmates are members of the Antihippocratic League. This secret society carries out unethical vivisection experiments on live human specimens and has been active in the medical profession since the 16th century with a special peak during the Third Reich. Director-writer Stefan Ruzowitsky plays some distinctive and personal games as the heroine uncovers the conspiracy, then learns that her own family is intimately connected with the League. In gruesome but delicate horror scenes, kidnapped human specimens awake anaesthetised to the sound of easy-listening music as masked students dissect them alive to create the impressive, grotesque and beautifully preserved cutaway specimens used in the anatomy classes. Potente, the star of Run, Lola Run, has a very different role as the serious but passionate heroine and her character is affected by the revelations of the plot in a way that deepens the movie beyond the terrific suspense mechanisms of its lady-in-peril climax, in which Paula's medical knowledge and personal grit enable her to fight back. A great moment has the heroine forced to instruct her non-medical student boyfriend (Sebastian Blomberg) how to administer a simple but crucial intravenous injection to save her life, while the plausible villain turns out to be a renegade even by the standards of his secret society. On the DVD: An extremely high-quality DVD, this offers a pristine widescreen transfer (1:2.35) of the film (enhanced for 16:9 TVs); soundtracks in German, Spanish and English with optional subtitles in English, German and a dozen other languages; a full-length commentary in German by Ruzovitsky, with English subtitles; a couple of deleted scenes, with director commentary; on-set interviews with the cast and crew and a snippets of behind-the-scenes footage; a music video by co-star Anna Loos, shot on the set of the film; trailers; filmographies; and a neat animated menu. --Kim Newman

• XXX (Wide Screen) (Superbit) | DVD | (08/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This amped action drama stars Vin Diesel as Xander (aka Triple X) a rebellious extreme sports star with a mission to defy authority and create anarchy. In the dramatic opening scene of the movie Xander pulls an outrageous series of stunts with the help of a band of similar-minded jocks broadcasts the whole event live onto the Internet with a network of strategically placed digital cameras and then avoids being captured by the squadron of police who pursue him. When Triple X is later taken into custody Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) a representative from a government agency hires the chiseled athlete and turns him into a secret agent with a mission to travel to Prague and collapse a dangerous terrorist cell operated by Yorgi (Martin Csokas) and the seductive Yelena (Asia Argento). Triple X is quickly drawn into Yorgi's lair a stunning chateau situated in the mountains that is equipped with every high-tech modern amenity imaginable along with a sizeable team of extra-large Slav bodyguards a laboratory staffed by top scientists and an always-ready gaggle of gorgeous concubines. Non-stop stunts pounding hard-core music elaborate sets and inventive costumes make this Rob Cohen-directed adrenaline overload a visually exciting aurally engaging highly entertaining success.

• A Screaming Man | DVD | (05/09/2011) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-4.24 (-26.50%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A Screaming Man (Cannes 2010 Jury Prize winner) is a meditative feature about paternal pride against the backdrop of a war from award-winning director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Abouna; Daratt). When Adam is forced to give up his job as a pool attendant to his son he is left hurt resentful and humiliated. With the country in the throes of civil war the authorities are demanding that citizens give money or volunteer for the war effort. Adam is penniless and under pressure to contribute he commits a terrible act of betrayal.

• TC 2000 | DVD | (11/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  TC 2000 is the action packed tale of a chaotic society where the guardians of the rich and powerful are set in action against the brutal tribe-like criminal gangs of the underclass.

• The Joe Louis Story | DVD | (26/01/2004) from £12.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.10%)   |  RRP £12.99

  There has never been a more complete fighter than Joe Louis having all the attributes in one compact explosive package that made him the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He was world heavyweight champion from June 1937 to March 1949; his reign of 11 years & 8 months remains the longest in division history successfully defending his title 25 times before retiring in 1949 only to return because of his dire financial situation to lose title shot against Ezzard Charles in 1950 a

• Love In Thoughts | DVD | (10/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  In the volatile era betweens wars two young men share a romantic view of life and its possibilities. They differ greatly: Paul a shy poet comes from a working-class family while daredevil Guenther hails from the wealthy upper class. Rebellious and passionate both boys reject their parents' empty world. They create a pact: At the point when love fails them they will end their lives. One weekend at a bohemian party this reckless agreement is put to the ultimate test... Based on

• Adelphi Collection: You Lucky People | DVD | (22/08/2011) from £5.35   |  Saving you £7.64 (142.80%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Tribulations of inept reservists who find a fortnight's training an unwelcome interruption.

• Flamenco | DVD | (21/04/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Featuring Joaquin Cortes Flamenco is a synopsis of the best and most artistic aspects of flamenco song dance and guitar playing. Carlos Saura's film is a faithful reflection of the flamenco art. The artists of today join with performers from the past to recreate the magic that is brought about by flamenco.

• Regular Guys | DVD | (24/10/2005) from £9.97   |  Saving you £5.02 (33.50%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Not your typical buddy movie Regular Guys is a refreshingly witty German comedy that takes a tongue-in-cheek peek at the complexities of relationships - gay straight and somewhere in-between. Christoph a macho cop goes on a bender after his fiance throws him out of the house. After waking in the arms of the very cute (and very naked!) Edgar a gay auto-mechanic Christoph's world is immediately changed. Did he - in a drunken haze - get it on with a man? If he did i

• R.E.M. - Parallel | DVD | (21/08/2000) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-5.24 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Parallel is a compilation of video clips plus excerpts from a series of short films as well as material from the U.S. TV show Saturday Night Live. Includes the hits: 'Drive' 'Man On The Moon' 'The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite' 'Everybody Hurts' 'Nightswimming' 'Find the River' 'What's The Frequency Kenneth?' 'Bang And Blame' 'Star 69' 'Strange Currencies' and 'Crush With Eyeliner'.

• Funny Games | DVD | (26/06/2006) from £9.19   |  Saving you £-1.20 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  A family settles into their new vacation home, which just so happens to be the next stop for a pair of young, articulate, white-gloved serial killers on an excursion through the neighborhood.

• Ulterior Motives | DVD | (17/09/2001) from £6.55   |  Saving you £-0.56 (-9.30%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Ambitious and beautiful New York journalist Erica (Keller) has the scoop of her career: a Japanese businessman suspected of selling American secrets to Japan. When private investigator Jack Blaylock (Griffith) is hired to help her he finds himself entangled in a web of violence and corruption with a deadline whose fatal consequences leave no margin for error...

• Dirty Dancing / Love Actually / My Best Friend's Wedding | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Dirty Dancing (Dir. Emile Ardolino 1987): Summer 1963: during her family's annual summer vacation in the Catskills teenage girl Baby (Jennifer Grey) meets dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) who sweeps her off her feet. Baby becomes Johnny's dance partner despite her parents' disapproval and now she must decide whether to obey them - or her own heart... Love Actually (Dir. Richard Curtis 2003): From the new bachelor Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) instantly falling in love with a refreshingly real member of the staff (Martine McCutcheon) moments after entering 10 Downing Street... To a writer (Colin Firth) escaping to the south of France to nurse his re-broken heart who finds love in a lake... From a comfortably married woman (Emma Thompson) suspecting that her husband (Alan Rickman) is slipping away... To a new bride (Keira Knightly) mistaking the distance of her husband's best friend for something it's not... From a schoolboy seeking to win the attention of the most unattainable girl in school... To a widowed stepfather (Liam Nesson) trying to connect with a son he suddenly barely knows... From a lovelorn junior manager (Laura Linney) seizing a chance with her long-tended unspoken office crush... To an ageing seen it all remember very little of it rock star (Bill Nighy) jonesing for an end-of-career comeback in his own uncompromising way... Love the equal-opportunity mischief-maker is causing chaos for all. These London lives and loves collide mingle and climax on Christmas Eve-again and again and again-with romantic hilarious and bittersweet consequences for anyone lucky (or unlucky) enough to be under love's spell. My Best Friend's Wedding (Dir. P.J. Hogan 1997): Julia Roberts Cameron Diaz Rupert Everett and Dermot Mulroney star in My Best Friend's Wedding a high-spirited romantic comedy that serves up something wild something new sometimes touching and sometimes truly hilarious! Roberts's dazzles as commitment-shy Julianne Potter who suddenly realises she is in love with her best friend Michael (Mulroney). There's just one catch... he's about to marry someone else. Now she has to win him back and with just four days the help of her resourceful boss (Everett) and the benefits of an extremely devious mind Jules will do anything to steal him back - except tell him the honest truth!

• Presque Rien | DVD | (25/03/2002) from £16.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (21.67%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Mathieu (Jeremie Elkaim) a confused introspective 18-year-old boy is on vacation in Brittany with his troubled family. He discovers his sexual orientation when he meets Cdric (Stephane Rideau of ""Wild Reeds"") someone who’s more experienced and assertive. Mathieu questions where his life is going. Instead of going to college in Paris as expected he decides to stay in northern France with his new lover and enroll in school there. Unfortunately troubles lie ahead for the you

• Airspeed | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  A 13-year old girl finds herself in deep trouble when the jet on which she is travelling to meet the father she has never known suffers a freak mid-air accident. With a radio failure adding to the complications life just keeps on getting worse. What will be her fate?

• Fort Apache | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  John Ford's 1948 classic stars John Wayne as a cavalry officer used to doing things a certain way out West at Fort Apache. Along comes a rigid, new commanding officer (Henry Fonda) who insists that everything on his watch be done by the book, including dealings with local Indians. The results are mixed: greater discipline at the fort, but increased hostilities with the natives. Ford deliberately leaves judgements about the wisdom of these changes ambiguous, but he also allows plenty of room in this wonderful film for the fullness of life among the soldiers and their families--community rituals, new romances--to blossom. Fonda, in an unusual role for him, is stern and formal as the new man in charge; Wayne is heroic as the rebellious second; Victor McLaglen provides comic relief; and Ward Bond is a paragon of sturdy and sentimental masculinity. All of this is set against the magnificent, poetic topography of Monument Valley. This is easily one of the greatest of American films. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• From The Life Of The Marionettes | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £10.35   |  Saving you £9.64 (93.14%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Made in Munich while Bergman was in self-imposed exile from Sweden, From the Life of the Marionettes is not so much a "whodunit" as a "whydunnit". The film opens with the shockingly violent and senseless murder of a prostitute by Peter, a young, successful businessman. Through a series of non-chronological flashbacks to a time before the crime, we attempt to fathom just what impelled Peter to perpetrate this terrible murder. Along with wife Katarina, the character Peter also featured in Bergman's 1973 film Scenes from a Marriage. Here, as there, we see that they are wedded in the sense of being emotionally chained to each other, yet hating each other for their mutual dependency. There is also a perturbing scene in which they both appear to "get off" when he takes a knife to her throat. His cold and duplicitous psychiatrist glibly ascribes the murder to a repressed homosexuality resulting in a violent outburst, while Katarina's business partner, who is gay, appears to harbour a desire to sabotage the pair's marriage. This film has an airless, fake-lit quality about it, which reflects the conditions of the characters' lives but by the end, leaves you mesmerised and still uncertain as to why what happened has happened. A late but great Bergman work. On the DVD: This edition adequately enhances the stark monochrome in which most of the film is set. Bergman's notes reveal that his depictions of Peter in his psychiatric ward were based on his own behaviour during a recent spell in a similar institution following his arrest for tax evasion. Philip Strick's critical notes observe that the sparing use of colour at the beginning and end of the film signify what may have been the only times in Peter's life when he "experienced reality". --David Stubbs

• Red Scorpion / Frankenhooker | DVD | (24/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Frankenhooker: When his gorgeous fiancee 'goes to pieces' in a lawnmower accident mad scientist Jeffrey is determined to put her back together again. With the aid of a superdrug he sets about re-assembling his girlfriend using the choicest body parts from a bevy of raunchy prostitutes. But his bizarre plan goes wrong....