"Actor: Michael Bruce"

• Basic Instinct - Special Edition | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £9.21   |  Saving you £10.78 (117.05%)   |  RRP £19.99

  With more than a decade of cinema in Basic Instinct's wake it's fascinating to look back at just how influential Paul Verhoeven's "erotic thriller" has been. The director's endless fight with censorship and unwillingness to kowtow to social mores meant his movies became notorious for graphically depicting sex and violence while pushing contemporary boundaries of taste. This whodunit about a bisexual femme fatale (Sharon Stone in a career-best performance) caused an enormous furore on its release; but after years of generally inferior imitations there's not much in it that seems quite so shocking now. It's perhaps best appreciated in retrospect more for its Hitchcockian style than the steamy sex. On the DVD: one of the most welcome elements of the disc is an acknowledgement of the film's own influences--from Hitchcock's Vertigo to Verhoeven's own The Fourth Man. The print is far superior to the previous release, looking magnificent in 1:78.1. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-nominated score sounds terrific in either 5.1 or DTS, as does Verhoeven's thick accent on the first commentary track alongside then Director of Photography Jan De Bont (Speed), who together reminisce on locations and manipulating their actors' performances. A second commentary from feminist critic Camille Paglia is a brave way of putting paid to the gay/feminist community uproar. There are some standard inclusions (trailer, production notes, photo gallery etc) but far more interesting are two mini-documentaries; "Cleaning Up Basic Instinct" shows how and why the TV version was so dull, while "Blonde Poison" focuses on the film's making and marketing. Finally, there are three storyboard comparisons and nine minutes of screen tests for Stone and Tripplehorn. This is the definitive release of an oft-cited modern classic. --Paul Tonks

• Path To War | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £15.17   |  Saving you £-9.18 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  As the successor to a martyred president Lyndon B. Johnson sought to transform America into a 'Great Society' of equal opportunity. Instead he became the symbol for the most unpopular war in U.S. history. Michael Gambon (as President Johnson) Donald Sutherland (as Clark Gifford) and Alec Baldwin (as Robert McNamara) star in a compelling drama of soaring ambition and shattered dreams set inside the LBJ White House in the volatile years leading up to and during Vietnam. This HBO production was decorated director John Frankenheimer's final film.

• Jilly Cooper's Riders | DVD | (14/06/2004) from £79.99   |  Saving you £-70.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Set within the steamy world of international show jumping Rupert Campbell-Black ad Jake Lovell are top riders and sworn enemies both in and out of the ring. Their bitter rivalry has been escalating until it ultimately erupts at the Los Angeles Olympics with devastating conclusions. The first of the Rutshire chronicles Riders is an explosive mix of romance sex and adventure.

• TT 2011 Review DVD | DVD | (25/07/2011) from £13.25   |  Saving you £11.74 (88.60%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The Official Review of the 2011 Isle of Man will be packed with jaw-dropping action from around the legendary 37.73-mile road course, plus all the usual interviews, behind-the-scenes access and bonus features.The 2011 TT promises to be one of the most competitive ever, with top riders and leading teams lining up to take on the challenge.Ian Hutchinson, who made history in 2010 by winning all five solo races, is back, but this year he isn’t riding for Honda. Instead, he is leading the Yamaha charge as the Japanese manufacturer celebrates 50 years of racing at the TT.The great John McGuinness also returns and will be looking to get back on the top step of the podium after last year’s disappointment, adding yet more victories to his 15-win tally.Former TAS Suzuki teammates Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald, both TT winners, have new challenged for 2011 – Anstey is with Padgetts and Donald has moved to with Wilson Craig.Back in the TAS squad, Guy Martin is the new recruit – he’ll be looking to put the 170mph crash of last year behind him and finally land that elusive first TT win.Plus, Keith Amor, Michael and William Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar and Michael Rutter will be among the stars hoping to battle for victories in 2011.There’s also a wealth of talented newcomers due to line up for the 2011 TT, including short circuit ace Simon Andrews.The three-wheel racing will also be scintillating, with Austrian Klaus Klaffenbock back with Dan Sayle and determined to defend the double sidecar TT wins he scored last year.Stunning trackside and aerial camera work will be skilfully combined with the very best on-board footage to give you the ultimate view of the TT course and let you share every moment of excitement from every race.The Official Review will also include interviews with the stars, plenty of bonus material and a look at some of the off-track excitement. There’ll also be plenty of coverage of the star-studded events organised to mark the 100th anniversary of racing on the Mountain course and Yamaha’s 50th anniversary.

• The Souler Opposite | DVD | (14/01/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Barry is a single stand-up comedian looking for Ms. Right. When he meets Thea a political activist romance blooms. But the relationship runs into trouble during the political season when Thea must go on the campaign trail. Barry decides to follow the woman he loves no matter what happens. All Barry Singer wants is a woman to like him for who he pretends to be...

• For Queen And Country | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £17.99   |  Saving you £-12.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Denzel Washington adopts a British accent for the grim if compelling, 1989 social drama, For Queen and Country. Akin in mood and story to several American films (notably Rolling Thunder) about Vietnam veterans who return home to face indifference or hostility, For Queen and Country stars Washington as paratrooper Reuben James, a decorated veteran of the Falklands war and Britain's occupation of Northern Ireland. Returning to civilian life in the early '80s, Reuben discovers Thatcher's England (specifically London's East End) to be an intensely racist, violent ground for class warfare, crime, and drugs. Unable to find work, hassled by white cops, pressured by old mates to run afoul of the law, and rejected by a woman (Amanda Redman) who sees him as another product of a cruel and bloody era, Reuben's hope diminishes despite efforts to do the right thing. The downbeat, predictable drama is elevated by Washington's charismatic performance. --Tom Keogh

• Alice Cooper - Prime Cuts | DVD | (07/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Featuring ultra-rare concert performances television appearances and interviews including never before seen footage - this DVD is a must have for everyone from the most devoted fan to anyone who has ever had the slightest curiosity about one of rock's most electrifying and entertaining performers.

• Planes, Trains and Automobiles | Blu Ray | (23/11/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Endless Summer | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The definitive surf movie, this 1966 documentary by Bruce Brown is beautifully shot and thrilling to see in its portrait of youthful freedom on the world's shores. Brown followed two surfers around the globe in their quest for the perfect wave, finding it eventually on a remote beach far from home. The narration by "Big Kahuna Brown" cuts through the reverence a bit, being cheeky in tone. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Hard Times | DVD | (17/07/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Charles Bronson demonstrates exactly what tough is in this two-fisted action drama about a drifter suddenly caught up in the fight game during The Great Depression. Chaney (Bronson) a down-on-his-luck loner hops on a freight train to New Orleans where on the seedier side of town he tries to make some quick money the only way he knows how - with his fists. Chaney approaches a hustler named Speed (Coburn) and convinces him that he can win big money for them both. Chaney wins a f

• Abyss, The / Aliens / Planet Of The Apes / The Fifth Element / Minority Report | DVD | (16/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The Abyss A civilian oil-rig crew is recruited to conduct a search-and-rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver (Ed Harris) soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey over 25 000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it... Aliens In this action-packed sequel to Alien Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley the only survivor from mankind's first encounter with the

• Jacknife | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £4.98   |  Saving you £1.01 (20.28%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Based on the acclaimed book by neurologist Oliver Sacks, director Penny Marshall's hit 1990 drama Awakenings stars Robin Williams as Dr. Malcolm Sayer. Sayer is a neurologist who discovers that the drug L-Dopa can be used to "unlock" patients in a mental hospital from the mysterious sleeping sickness that has left them utterly immobilized. Leonard (Robert De Niro) is one such patient who awakens after being in a comatose state for 30 years, leaving Sayer to guide Leonard in adjusting to the world around him. Penelope Ann Miller costars as the daughter of another patient, with whom Leonard falls tenuously in love. Earning Oscar nominations for best picture, actor and screenplay, this moving fact-based drama was a hit with critics and audiences alike. --Jeff Shannon

• They Shoot Horses Don't They? | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  They Shoot Horses Don't They? is set in the dark years of the l930s, when dance marathons became popular as a way for desperate people to compete for prize money. Sometimes the events would drag on for weeks as contestants pushed themselves far beyond the point of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, the dancers shambling around the floor in a half-dead stupor. People would then pay to sit in the bleachers, watch the event and cheer on their favourites. Taken from hard-boiled pulp writer Horace McCoy's novel of the same name, Jane Fonda plays a bitter young woman paired up with Michael Sarrazin for the ordeal. Gig Young portrays the unctuous MC of the event, bringing equal parts compassion and sleaze to his role. Many of the film's images are unforgettable, such as "the derby", a heel-and-toe race around the dance floor with bouncy, light-hearted music to accompany the miserable spectacle. It's a powerful, tragic period piece that reminds us of the privations of the Great Depression. In the largest sense, the film has existential overtones that go far beyond the story of enervated dancers staying on their feet for a month or more. This film brought home a string of Academy Award nominations for the cast and director Sydney Pollack and a win for Young. --Jerry Renshaw, Amazon.com On the DVD: The disc offers film trivia and notes on the main cast and director, along with a short slide show and original publicity notes in an attempt to furnish valuable information about the film. However the layout is visually unimpressive and the information is merely standard film trivia offering little insight into the film itself--the quotes from Jane Fonda are surely aimed at hardcore fans of the actress only. It all feels like a selection put together in a bit of a rush. --Nikki Disney

• The Hateful 8 Steelbook | Blu Ray | (30/05/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Komodo | DVD | (27/01/2003) from £22.98   |  Saving you £-6.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  I think they're contesting our place in the food chain", quips an Imperilled teen at an especially low moment of Komodo, a regulation trapped-with-monsters straight-to-video quickie. There was a millennial blip of such nature-on-the-rampage horrors in the year 2000 and Komodo settles comfortably onto the shelf with King Cobra, Blood Surf, They Nest, Crocodile, Spiders and Octopus. If you've seen all of them, you'll probably want to see this too--but don't say we didn't warn you. Komodo familiarly packs a few no-name actors to an island supposedly off the shore of Carolina (actually somewhere in Australasia and has them menaced by CGI creatures, then fighting back and beating the beasts. Though the title gives away the nature of the menace, ex-effects technician-turned-director Michael Lantieri keeps the monsters off-screen and purportedly mysterious for half the running time. Teenage Patrick (Kevin Zegers) is traumatised by the deaths of parents (and his dog) and retreats into an amnesiac fugue, but his psychiatrist Victoria (Jill Hennessy) brings him back to the site of the tragedy to stir his memories. It turns out that the local evil oil company has always known that a bunch of giant, flesh-eating lizards were on the loose but kept quiet about it for nebulously nefarious purposes. Oates (Billy Burke), a rebellious company minion, hooks up with Patrick (who shows unexpected resourcefulness in whipping up lizard traps) and the shrink and they have a last-reel confrontation with the monsters that allow for some very distant echoes of Jurassic Park. The CGI and model work is seamless but the monsters have too little personality and, despite their voracious appetites, require all manner of contrivances to bring their victims within snapping distance. Nice bit at the end though with a gory if not dramatic finale. --Kim Newman

• The Price Of Vengeance - In The Line Of Duty | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Detective Tom Williams investigating the affairs of local gangster Johnnie Moore is gunned down. An L.A cop is called in to continue the case and see that Moore goes to the gas chamber... Based on a true story.

• Privates On Parade | DVD | (27/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  1947: the members of SADUSEA (Song And Dance Unit South East Asia) fall in and out of love while trying to dodge Malayan Communist bullets...

• Hider In The House | DVD | (07/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This gripping psychological thriller stars Gary Busey Mimi Rogers and Michael McKean. When the Dryers move into their new house in the suburbs it seems as if all their dreams have come true.... But dreams soon turn into nightmares as behind the strange noises and unexplained disappearances lurks the ultimate secret fear..... a psychopathic hider in the house.

• Here On Earth | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £4.95   |  Saving you £1.04 (21.01%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The lives of three young people unexpectedly intersect during one fateful summer.

• Live From Baghdad | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  A dramatised version of CNN's coverage of the Gulf War. In 1990 CNN was a 24 hour news network in search of a 24 hour story. They were about to find it in Baghdad. Veteran CNN produer Robert Wiener and his long time producing partner Ingrid Formanek find themselves in Iraq on the eve of war. Up against the big three networks Wierner and his team are rebels with a cause willing to take risks to get the biggest stories and unlike their rivals take them at a moment's notice...