"Actor: Ma"

• Meltdown | DVD | (10/05/2004) from £3.80   |  Saving you £2.19 (57.63%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Jet Li can always be relied upon when it comes to action movies, and Meltdown is no exception. No surprises with the story line: Kit Li witnesses his wife blown up in a gangster attack masterminded by the nefarious Doctor, only to be confronted by the same "no risk, no reward" gangster two years later, now aiming to steal the Russian crown jewels from a hotel complex. The shadow of Die Hard falls heavily across the action, with its skyscraper stunts and marauding helicopter, given an appropriate twist by the high-velocity martial-arts sequences and director Wong Jing's stylish take on the high-tech metropolis that is Hong Kong. Jackie Cheung adds a comic element as Frankie Lane, the action-movie star seemingly past his sell-by date, and Kwan Sau Mei's Doctor is the epitome of suave nastiness. On the DVD: Meltdown on disc has a 1.85:1 widescreen picture that reproduces the plethora of monochrome conference rooms and exploding glass panels with dizzying clarity. This release comes ready dubbed into English--don't check the synchronisation too often and you'll hardly notice--with subtitles in 12 languages. The photo gallery is enlivened with Jet Li trivia, while the filmographies are unusually frank about the commercial nature of the Hong Kong film industry in general and Wong Jing's contribution in particular. But done with this degree of panache, films such as Meltdown are never less than 110# entertainment. --Richard Whitehouse

• A Chinese Ghost Story 2 | DVD | (24/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Four young people are caught in a tug-o-war of evil between an Imperial Wizard and a corrupt General. With the help of the kind Wizard Ning escapes from jail where he was unjustly put. On the run he meets a young scholar and two sisters who are trying to rescue their father from the ruthless General... A second all-action instalment of the saga of the supernatural from Ching Siu-Tung the action director of such classics as Hero House Of Flying Daggers

• LE BEAU SERGE | Blu Ray | (08/04/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Grard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy star in the first of their collaborations with the great Claude Chabrol. The director's masterful feature debut - ironic, funny, unsparing - is a revelation: another of that rare breed of film where the dusty formula might be used in full sincerity: Le Beau Serge marks the beginning of the Chabrol touch. In this first feature film of the French New Wave, one year before Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows, the dandyish Franois (Brialy, of Godard's A Woman Is a Woman, Rohmer's Claire's Knee, and countless other cornerstones of 20th-century French cinema) takes a holiday from the city to his home village of Sardent, where he reconnects with his old chum Serge (Blain), now a besotted and hopeless alcoholic, and sly duplicitous carnal Marie (Bernadette Lafont). A grave triangle forms, and a tragic slide ensues. From Le Beau Serge onward up to his final film Bellamy in 2009, the revered Chabrol would come to leave a significant and lasting impression upon the French cinema - frequently with great commercial success. It is with great pride that we present Le Beau Serge, the kickstart of the Nouvelle Vague and of Chabrol's enormous body of work, on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK for the first time. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p on the Blu-ray New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 56-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Avarice [Avarice], Chabrol's 1962 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more

• Kings Row | DVD | (12/11/2014) from £16.97   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Melies - A Trip to the Moon (Restored) | DVD | (26/11/2012) from £29.95   |  Saving you £-13.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Originally released in 1902, this legendary 16-minute film is widely considered to be one of the most important works in film history. Created just six years after the invention of cinema this is where narrative cinema truly began. George Melies masterpiece features six members of the Astronomers' Club, fired into space by a giant cannon, on a strange and wonderful journey to the moon to meet its inhabitants. The colour version of A Trip to the Moon, hand-painted frame by frame, was considered lost for many years, until a print, in a desperate condition, was found in Spain in 1993. It is this version which has been meticulously restored - one of the most sophisticated and expensive restorations in the history of cinema. The luminous resulting film is accompanied by a new original soundtrack by French duo AIR. Accompanying the film is a 60 minute documentary, The Extraordinary Voyage, detailing the restoration process and featuring words from esteemed directors such as Michel Gondry, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Michel Hazanavicius.

• Invitation Only | DVD | (05/04/2010) from £8.45   |  Saving you £10.53 (192.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A party to remember for the rest of their of lives... Ordinary young men and women often dream of the unreachable life of the world's idle rich. Wade Richard Hitomi Holly and Lin certainly do. They have all received an invitation to an exclusive party held by a group of rich & famous people obviously addressed to them by mistake. But all the same they attend. It is the best party ever a wishing game takes place where their deepest desires materialize. But when they find Richard's body brutally killed the wishing game turns into a killing game in which they are the tortured victims and a rich audience the sadistic spectators. To escape from the party and survive is now their only dream.

• Not One Less | DVD | (17/09/2001) from £12.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (53.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In a remote mountain village, the teacher must leave for a month, and the mayor can find only a 13-year old girl, Wei Minzhi, to substitute.

• Of Cooks And Kung Fu | DVD | (24/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  'Of Cooks And Kung Fu' is a zany martial arts flick in the tradition of Jackie Chan's classic action comedies. The film opens as the family and crew of the empress' head chef are suddenly and mysteriously murdered leaving only an infant nephew as the massacre's sole survivor. As the child grows up he is schooled by his uncle in the fine arts of cooking and kung fu all the while preparing for the day when he will wreak vengeance upon the killer of his family - which seems imminent w

• Deadly Strike | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £9.72   |  Saving you £3.27 (33.64%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Chang a Kung Fu expert becomes the sheriff of a town ruled by bandits.His prime target is to wipe these bandits out. With the help of seven serving prisoners picked from his jail he begins his mission. Will they succeed or will the price of victory be too high?An action packed film filled with drama suspense and humanity. It's certainly one of Bruce Li's greatest starring roles.

• The Jia Zhang-Ke Collection - 3 disc set | DVD | (26/11/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  A stunning collection of the first three groundbreaking, breathtaking feature films - Pickpocket, Platform and Unknown Pleasures - by acclaimed international auteur Jia Zhang-Ke (Still Life, 24 City), one of the world’s most important, influential and visionary filmmaking talents. A must for any cinephile.

• Beijing Bicycle | DVD | (18/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Beijing Bicycle kicks off like an updated Chinese reworking of the 1948 Italian neo-realist classic Bicycle Thieves: a worker, dependent on his bike for his job, has it stolen and doggedly sets out to get it back. But pretty soon Wang Xiaoshuai's film mutates into something more elemental: a battle of wills between peasant lad Guei, original owner of the bike, and Jian, a surly urban schoolkid who claims to have bought it second-hand. For both the bike is status: for Guei it secures him his job as a courier, while for Jian it lets him keep up with his peers and chat up the girl he fancies. Each sees himself as the rightful owner and neither will give way, so the bike swaps hands back and forth, stolen and re-stolen, as the duel waxes increasingly personal. There's a diverting subplot about a beautiful, stylishly dressed girl glimpsed by Guei who turns out be something other than she seems, but essentially the battle over the bike is the meat of the film. The fascination of Beijing Bicycle--perhaps especially for non-Chinese viewers--is its portrait of present-day Beijing as a buzzing, high-pressure, neo-capitalist boomtown, impersonal and seemingly as lawless as any Wild West frontier burg. At no point, in all the thefts and counter-thefts and mounting violence, does anyone think to call the police--everyone is left to fight his own battles. Wang, one can't help suspecting, is slipping in a hint of social criticism in this vision of an uncaring society where possessions are all that matter. On the DVD: Beijing Bicycle on disc has the original theatrical trailer (the French version, oddly enough), filmographies for the director and four of his lead actors, notes on the film by Nick Bradshaw and trailers for other Metro Tartan foreign-language DVD releases. The transfer's in the full anamorphic widescreen of the original, with good Dolby Digital sound. --Philip Kemp

• Rush Hour | UMD | (01/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  The plot line may sound familiar: Two mismatched cops are assigned as reluctant partners to solve a crime. Culturally they are complete opposites, and they quickly realize they can't stand each other. One (Jackie Chan) believes in doing things by the book. He is a man with integrity and nerves of steel. The other (Chris Tucker) is an amiable rebel who can't stand authority figures. He's a man who has to do everything on his own, much to the displeasure of his superior officer, who in turn thinks this cop is a loose cannon but tolerates him because he gets the job done. Directed by Brett Ratner, Rush Hour doesn't break any new ground in terms of story, stunts, or direction. It rehashes just about every "buddy" movie ever made--in fact, it makes films such as Tango and Cash seem utterly original and clever by comparison. So, why did this uninspired movie make over $120 million at the box office? Was the whole world suffering from temporary insanity? Hardly. The explanation for the success of Rush Hour is quite simple: chemistry. The casting of veteran action maestro Jackie Chan with the charming and often hilarious Chris Tucker was a serendipitous stroke of genius. Fans of Jackie Chan may be slightly disappointed by the lack of action set pieces that emphasize his kung-fu craft. On the other hand, those who know the history of this seasoned Hong Kong actor will be able to appreciate that Rush Hour was the mainstream breakthrough that Chan had deserved for years. Coupled with the charismatic scene-stealer Tucker, Chan gets to flex his comic muscles to great effect. From their first scenes together to the trademark Chan outtakes during the end credits, their ability to play off of one another is a joy to behold, and this mischievous interaction is what saves the film from slipping into the depths of pitiful mediocrity. --Jeremy Storey

• Tanguy | DVD | (28/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  What do you do when your 28 year old son won't leave home? He leaves his washing on the floor brings girls home all the time and treats the place like a hotel. Every time you see him you feel sick. Still you love him. You can't ask him to leave so what to do? Drive him out! Hoover at 4am. Put smelly fish behind his radiator. Have sex in the lounge. Cut off the electricity while he is working. Make him want to move! A riotous French comedic farce from Etienne Chatiliez.

• Mélo | Blu Ray | (08/04/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Master director Alain Resnais (Last Year At Marienbad) blurs the line between cinematic technique and theatrical artifice in his acclaimed Mélo, adapted from Henri Bernstein s classic play about a doomed love triangle in 1920s Paris. Pierre (Pierre Arditi, Love Unto Death) and Marcel (André Dussollier, A Good Marriage) are both celebrated concert violinists and lifelong friends, in spite of their differing temperaments. Pierre is modest, sensitive and content with his lot; Marcel is hungry, driven, and pursues a solo career that takes him to the four corners of the world. After years apart, the two friends reunite when Pierre invites Marcel to his home for dinner. It is then that Marcel first meets Pierre s wife Romaine (Sabine Azéma, Cosmos), sparking a passionate affair that can only end in tragedy before the curtain falls. As thrillingly intimate on film as it was on the stage, Mélo s César award-winning cast and inventive direction are highlighted in a stunning new restoration, revealing a hidden gem in Resnais celebrated body of work waiting to be rediscovered. Special Features: Brand new 2K restoration of the film High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentation Original 2.0 Stereo soundtrack Optional English subtitles Newly-filmed introduction by critic Jonathan Romney Archive interview with director Alain Resnais Archive interview with producer Marin Karmitz Archive interviews with actors Pierre Arditi and André Dussolier Archive interview with script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot Archive interview with set designer Jacques Saulnier Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bilge Ebiri

• Fascination | DVD | (24/01/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A pair of society women dressed in all their finery stand in the middle of an abattoir, animal carcasses hanging behind them and blood splashed across the floor. Giggling and fidgeting, they drink their prescribed glass of ox blood. The startling, unreal image of high-society manners in the midst of gore and death pitches Jean Rollin's 1979 feature Fascination into a turn-of-the-century culture come unhinged. When a well-dressed rogue, fleeing from angry partners he double-crossed, takes refuge in a lavish, moat-protected mansion, servant girls Franca Mai and Brigitte Lahaie cajole, tease and seduce him into staying for their night-time soiree. "You have stumbled into Elizabeth and Eva's life, the universe of madness and death", mutters one of them as they await the cabal where he is the guest of honour. Shot on a starvation budget and populated with stiff performers, Rollin's direction is arch and at times sloppy and his story never more than an outline. It's the mix of dreamy and nightmarish imagery that gives Fascination its fascination: blonde Lahaie stalking victims with a scythe, the bourgeois blood cult swarming over a fresh victim like wild animals, alabaster faces streaked in blood. While it lacks the delirious spontaneity of his earlier vampire films Shiver of the Vampires and Requiem for a Vampire, the languid pace and austere beauty creates an often-mesmerising fantasy. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

• Franz Lehar - Das Land Des Lachelns (Ebert) | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £15.04   |  Saving you £4.95 (24.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  1974 film version of Franz Lehar's operetta Das Land Des Lachelns famous for the song 'Dein ist mein ganzes Herz'.

• Officer's Ward | DVD | (26/08/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Adapted from the hugely acclaimed best-selling novel by Marc Dugain writer-director Francois Duperyon's The Officer's Ward is an insightful honest and profoundly moving meditation on love loss and the physical and mental scars inflicted by the horror of war. Screened in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film festival The Officer's Ward atmospherically creates the world of Adrien Fournier (Eric Caravaca) a handsome young French officer who returns from the front with hideous facial

• Fantasy Swordplay Collection | DVD | (14/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Moon Warriors (1993): Beautifully shot by renowned cinematographer Arthur Wong 'Moon Warriors' is an emotive impassioned tale of a deposed Prince and his heroic quest to rescue his people from an empire soaked in the blood of tyranny. Showcasing some of the best dramatic swordplay sequences to emerge from three decades of action cinema 'Moon Warriors' also features an all-star cast including Andy Lau Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui. The Swordsman (1990): Resplendent ima

• Body Weapon | DVD | (23/10/2000) from £12.73   |  Saving you £7.26 (57.03%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Beginning with a savage murder and gang rape, Body Weapon (1999) seeks to combine psycho-thriller, romantic drama and martial arts action into a provocative 90 minutes. Chiu Man Chuk follows up The Black Sheep Affair (1998) as one of two Hong Kong detectives in love with the same woman, Ling (Angie Cheung). The urgent need to solve the introductory crime is soon forgotten while the romance is settled and Ling marries the lead's best friend. That said friend predictably ends up dead; less obviously the "heroine" deals with being raped by taking some very strange lessons in revenge from an unhinged transvestite. Both the psychology and plot mechanics of what follows are unbelievable at any level, the outrageous finale even translating Ripley's disrobing at the end of Alien in the most misogynistic of situations. The identity and motivation of the chief rapist/killer make no sense in relation to what has gone before and for a Hong Kong crime film there is very little action. The best that can be said is the stars give as good a performance as they can from very poorly conceived and exploitative material. The following year Chiu Man Chuk reunited with director Aman Chang for the action comedy Fist Power which was much better received. On the DVD: The anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 image is good, coping with the many night and low-light scenes very well. Disappointingly, the sound is functional two-channel mono for both the Cantonese English subtitled soundtrack and the laughably clumsy English dubbed alternative. The "music promo" is one of Hong Kong Legends' own specially-made trailers, and is accompanied by more trailers for a further seven films. Also included are the original theatrical trailer and a photo gallery. Two minutes of poor-quality video show Chiu Man Chuk demonstrating some wu shu moves, while a four-minute interview conducted at the same time via a translator for French television does little more than reveal the star to be a pleasant chap. The text biographies of the two stars are good, though all the features relating to Chiu Man Chuck are also available on the DVD of the far superior The Black Sheep Affair(1998). --Gary S Dalkin

• Oh My Goddess! - Vol. 2 - Evergreen Holy Night / For The Love Of Goddess | DVD | (22/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Evergreen Holy Night: Keiichi's life seems to be getting back to normal. Or at least as normal as life can be when you live in a temple with 3 goddesses! Yes he does get strange dreams and yes Urd and Skuld are a pain but what the heck - his girlfriend is truly divine! Alas System Bugs are escaping from the Heavens upsetting the balance of the Earthly Plane. Skuld is on the case and soon discovers that whenever Keiichi and Belldandy get close a Bug exhaust port is formed. Thi