"Actor: Paul McCole"

• My Name Is Joe | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Can we talk? Everybody is pretty well agreed that Great Britain's Ken Loach is one of our most important filmmakers. On the basis of his work with actors alone--often actors who are unknown until showcased in his films--he commands a place in the modern Pantheon. The problem is that he sounds terminally "worthy"; his films invariably reflect a commitment to framing harsh sociopolitical realities and steeping us in the fight for justice, a square deal or a square meal. They sound, in short, as if they're "good for you"--whereas the fact is that they are almost always damned good, period.My Name Is Joe makes for an excellent introduction to Loach country--partly because it's just a tad more immediate in its basic viewer appeal. Joe Kavanagh (Peter Mullan), out-of-work Glasgow housepainter, is a terrifically attractive fellow, and though he is also a recovering alcoholic, he seems eminently pulled-together and ready for yeoman service as a movie leading man. The main story line concerns his encounter with and growing attraction to a smart social worker (Louise Goodall). There is nothing star-crossed about their potential love, but each is tough enough to set limits till they've travelled over a distance of mutual ground. Meanwhile, Joe's status as role model among his more emotionally and economically precarious neighbours--an extended family of man--is good for a surprising number of lusty laughs and one fatal, criminal complication that could jeopardise his future. Peter Mullan won a well-deserved Best Actor award at Cannes in 1998, and subsequently directed a family comedy-drama of his own, Orphans. --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com

• Limmy's Show - Series 2 | DVD | (03/12/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A unique blend of comic characters, sketches, observation, animation, music and dancing. Starring Brian Limond AKA Limmy who writes, directs, performs and guides the viewer throughout the show. His character creations include Falconhoof the fearless TV adventure call phone-in host, Dee Dee - a zoned-out waster and occasional intergalactic space traveller and a vignette from a shirtless figure who tells the world, she turned the weans against me. Limmy's Show was hailed by the Guardian as simply the best British comedy made this year and won the Scottish BAFTA for Best Entertainment Programme in 2011.

• Ken Loach: My Name Is Joe, Raining Stones, Riff Raff | DVD | (01/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  My Name Is JoeKen Loach's My Name Is Joe is a slice of life so raw that you can see the blood dripping off it and as in real life it mixes humour passion tragedy and violence in equal measure. Joe (Peter Mullan) is a recovering alcoholic and has done a few things in his past which he'd rather forget. Like most people he knows he's out of work but he keeps sane by coaching the self-styled worst football team in Glasgow. When one of Joe's players Liam gets involved with some local gangsters a chain of events is set in motion which not only threatens the lives of those concerned but also comes between Joe's budding love affair with social worker Sarah (Louise Goodall). Raining StonesBob Williams is a survivor. He supplements his dole by becoming embroiled in whatever scam is on offer from rustling sheep to rotting drains. But now life has dealt him a bitter blow. His van has been stolen and his daughter Colleen is approaching her first communion. She needs the traditional white dress shoes veil and gloves. Where on earth is the money going to come from? Raining Stones is a funny and essentially human story of survival in the nineties and people's aspirations for a better way of life. Riff RaffStevie a young Glaswegian just out of Barlinnie prison comes down to London and gets a job on a building site - a melting pot of itinerant laborers from all over the country. Here he has to contend with Mick the bossy ganger trying - but usually failing to control his workers Shem Mo and Larry and the other lads as they duck and dive the rules and regulations of the building trade. Stevie has other problems to contend: the wages are low the site teems with rats he has nowhere to sleep and life in London isn't that easy. One day on his way to work Stevie finds a handbag in a skip. He takes it back to it owner and meets Susan. As Stevie and Susan learn to live with the ups and downs of life in London Riff-Raff builds a portrait - sometimes gritty often funny of life as it is lived in the margins.

• High Times | DVD | (06/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  High Times is a streetwise and affectionate look at the ups and downs of the characters who live in a high-rise in a fictional Glasgow scheme. Winner of the 2004 BAFTA Scotland Award for Television Drama the six part series introduces us to the residents of the Fairmyle housing scheme.RAB Streetwise 28 year old self-unemployed who lives on the topmost floor - the penthouse. Rab is a deep thinker whose philosophising has a tenuous logic to it. Unemployed since leaving school he has become such a fixture at his local DSS office he was once invited to their Christmas party.JAKE Rab's flatmate naive but in an endearing way. Jake is also unemployed but so thick that no employer will have him. And the DSS have given up on him altogether.JIMMY Shy and introverted musician. Has his eye on Claire O'Neill but the arrival of his embarrassing uncle Tex is cramping his style!THE O'NEILLS Menopausal Alice kind-hearted but intimidating and with one look can strike fear into the hearts of those on the receiving end. Husband Eddie former joiner turned professional house-breaker. Daughter Claire attractive 24 year old single mother and a centre of attention for both Rab and Jimmy.THE FARRELS Frank 38 year old security guard and couch potato whose lifestyle embraces every excess in the book. Wife Janet who has managed to retain her youthful appearance despite being married to Frank for 15 years. Daughter Tracy rebellious teenager who thinks of little other than boys and mobile phones.TEX Postman by day take-away delivery man by night. Country & Western fan who can often be seen on his rounds sporting a stetson and cowboy boots. A serial womaniser thrown out by his third wife Tex is now an unwelcome lodger in Jimmy's flat.High times is a gritty surreal unique and above all quality Scottish comedy drama.

• My Name Is Joe | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  My Name Is Joe: A former alcoholic who is currently out of work keeps himself busy by coaching a football team in Glasgow. When one of his players becomes involved with local gangsters their lives are changed forever... Bread And Roses: Maya and Rosa are Mexican sisters living and working in downtown Los Angeles working for a pittence and in very hostile conditions. When they happen upon a young activist there seems to be hope as he vows to help them both get the justice they deserve.

• High Times Series 2 | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £17.67   |  Saving you £-2.68 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The hit STV drama series based on life in a block of high rise flats returns for a much anticipated second series. All the old favourites are back; Jake and Rab Jimmy and Claire Eddie and Alice and of course - Tex the wannabe cowboy who finds himself stalked by new character Gwen.

• Stone of Destiny | DVD | (20/04/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A legendary tale about four Scotish friends who seek to reclaim the symbol of their heritage.