"Actor: Penn"

• The Tree of Life | DVD | (31/10/2011) from £4.59   |  Saving you £15.40 (335.51%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The long front lawns of summer afternoons, the flicker of sunlight as it sprays through tree branches, the volcanic surge of the Earth's interior as the planet heaves itself into being--you certainly can't say Terrence Malick lacks for visual expressiveness. The Tree of Life is Malick's long-cherished project, a film that centres on a family in 1950s Waco, Texas, yet also reaches for cosmic significance in the creation of the universe itself. The Texas memories belong to Jack (Sean Penn), a modern man seemingly ground down by the soulless glass-and-metal corporate world that surrounds him. We learn early in the film of a family loss that happened at a later time, but the flashbacks concern only the dark Eden of Jack's childhood: his games with his two younger brothers, his frustrated, bullying father (Brad Pitt), his one-dimensionally radiant mother (Jessica Chastain). None of which unfolds in anything like a conventional narrative, but in a series of disconnected scenes that conjure, with poetry and specificity, a particular childhood realm. The contributions of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and production designer Jack Fisk cannot be underestimated in that regard, and it should be noted that Brad Pitt contributes his best performance: strong yet haunted. And how does the Big Bang material (especially a long, trippy sequence in the film's first hour) tie into this material? Yes, well, the answer to that question will determine whether you find Malick's film a profound exploration of existence or crazy-ambitious failure full of beautiful things. Malick's sincerity is winning (and so is his exceptional touch with the child actors), yet many of the movie's touches are simultaneously gaseous (amongst the bits of whispered narration is the war between nature and grace, roles assigned to mother and father) and all-too-literal (a dinosaur retreats from nearly killing a fellow creature--the first moments of species kindness, or anthropomorphic poppycock?). The Tree of Life premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Palme d'Or there after receiving boos at its press screening. The debate continues, unabated, from that point. --Robert Horton

• Footloose / Flashdance | DVD | (02/12/2002) from £6.76   |  Saving you £13.23 (195.71%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Footloose Teenager Ren MacCormack sends ripples through Bomont a small Midwestern town that could stand some shaking up when he arrives from Chicago with his mother Ethel to settle with her relatives. The adults tend to view him with suspicion as a possible contaminant from the outer world. Some of his male peers eye him as a threat and most of the girls just plain eye him. It's a tough time for Ren whose father deserted him and his mother leaving them financially and

• The Game | Blu Ray | (25/10/2010) from £6.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (157.37%)   |  RRP £17.99

  It's not quite as clever as it tries to be, but The Game does a tremendous job of presenting the story of a rigid control freak trapped in circumstances that are increasingly beyond his control. Michael Douglas plays a rich, divorced, and dreadful investment banker whose 48th birthday reminds him of his father's suicide at the same age. He's locked in the cage of his own misery until his rebellious younger brother (Sean Penn) presents him with a birthday invitation to play "The Game" (described as "an experiential Book of the Month Club")--a mysterious offering from a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Before he knows the game has even begun, Douglas is caught up in a series of unexplained events designed to strip him of his tenuous security and cast him into a maelstrom of chaos. How do you play a game that hasn't any rules? That's what Douglas has to figure out, and he can't always rely on his intelligence to form logic out of what's happening to him. Seemingly cast as the fall guy in a conspiracy thriller, he encounters a waitress (Deborah Unger) who may or may not be trustworthy, and nothing can be taken at face value in a world turned upside down. Douglas is great at conveying the sheer panic of his character's dilemma, and despite some lapses in credibility and an anticlimactic ending, The Game remains a thinking person's thriller that grabs and holds your attention. Thematic resonance abounds between this and Seven and Fight Club, two of the other films by The Game 's director David Fincher. -- Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Pale Rider | DVD | (01/06/2006) from £5.91   |  Saving you £8.08 (136.72%)   |  RRP £13.99

  After a nine-year break from the genre that made him an international star (the Western just before this one was The Outlaw Josey Wales, from 1976), Clint Eastwood returned in this gritty Western, crafted in the tradition of Shane and High Noon. Eastwood directed and stars as the nameless stranger known only as "Preacher" because he rides into a beleaguered mining town wearing a clerical collar. He's either an agent of death or an angel of mercy, and the echoes of Shane ring loud and clear when he comes to the aid of independent miners who are being terrorized by a local tycoon (Richard Dysart) and his ruthless band of hired guns. Befriended by a miner (Michael Moriarty) and idolized by the miner's wife and daughter (played by Carrie Snodgress and Sydney Penny, respectively), the "Pale Rider" sparks the defiant spirit of the underdog miners and takes after the bad guys with single-minded purpose. --Jeff Shannon

• Smile | Blu Ray | (26/12/2022) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

• Easy A | DVD | (28/02/2011) from £6.66   |  Saving you £9.33 (140.09%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Emma Stone stars as the high-school girl who spins one little white lie and subsequently gets a rather big, and unwelcome reputation!

• Carlito's Way | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £2.99   |  Saving you £17.00 (568.56%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Al Pacino cuts a noble figure in this very enjoyable drama by director Brian De Palma (Scarface), based on a pair of books by Edwin Torres. Pacino plays a Puerto Rican ex-con trying hard to go straight, but his loyalty to his lowlife attorney (a virtually unrecognisable Sean Penn) and enemies on the street make that choice difficult. Penelope Ann Miller plays, somewhat unlikely, a stripper who has a romance with Pacino's character. The film finds De Palma tempering his more outlandish moves (think of Body Double or Snake Eyes) just as he did with the popular Untouchables and Mission: Impossible. But while Carlito's Way was not as commercially successful as those two movies, it is a genuinely compelling work graced with a fine performance by Pacino and a surprising one from Penn. --Tom Keogh

• Milk | Blu Ray | (08/06/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Gay Rights Activist. Friend. Lover. Unifier. Politician. Fighter. Icon. Inspiration. Hero. His life changed history, and his courage changed lives.

• Casualties Of War | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £8.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Hailed by critics as a masterpiece Casualties of War is based on the true story of a squad of soldiers caught in the moral quagmire of wartime Vietnam. Witness to a vile crime Private Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) is forced to stand alone against his fellow soldiers and commanding officer Sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn). A powerful and charismatic man pushed over the edge of barbarism by the terror and brutality of combat. With sweeping scope action and raw power master filmmaker Brian De Palma creates a devastating and unforgettable tale of one man's quest for sanity and justice amidst the chaos of war.

• Clint Eastwood Westerns Collection (3 Discs) | Blu Ray | (17/04/2019) from £16.15   |  Saving you £23.84 (147.62%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Classic westerns collection of 3 Blu-ray discs starring Clint Eastwood in 1080p High Definition.

• Van Wilder: Party Liaison | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £6.64   |  Saving you £9.35 (140.81%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) has managed to spend a decade loafing at college by deliberately failing his finals each year. When his dad wakes up and pulls his funding, Van turns to his party-organising skills and big-man-on-campus image to pay his way. Complications arise when an aspiring college-rag journo (Tara Reid--the girlfriend of the wimpy one in American Pie) shows an interest, and Van begins to question his bachelor-boy lifestyle. Though Van Wilder: Party Liaison contains the occasional clever line ("at least Ms Pacman swallows") and a nice self-referential appearance from Tim Matheson--the original college lothario from the archetypal (and still the best) frat-kids movie, Animal House--it's still fundamentally flawed. It's difficult, for one thing, to believe in the appalling central character's great popularity with his peers--the Fonze he ain't. It's also evident that Reynolds has watched one too many Jim Carrey performances, while Reid's role reduces her to being little more than insubstantial eye-candy. The film's makers have been so anxious to get in all the required references (pot-smoking, bodily functions and nudity) that they've forgotten to make it any good. Worse, along the way it takes cheap gratuitous pot shots at the disabled, the ugly, the old and the obese. Though it purports to be a "party-on" parable, then, its predictably corny denouement and the conventional values it ultimately espouses reek of Republican morality. There are probably worse ways to spend an hour-and-a-half, but it would be hard to call them to mind when watching this execrable, formulaic drivel--do yourself a favour and enjoy American Pie again instead. --Paul Eisinger

• Fast Times At Ridgemont High | DVD | (27/03/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The script for Fast Times at Ridgemont High is based on filmmaker Cameron (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) Crowe's time as a reporter for Rolling Stone. He was so youthful looking that he was able to go undercover for a year at a California high school and write a book about it. The film launched the careers of several young actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates and, above all, Sean Penn. The story line is episodic, dealing with the lives of iconic teen types: one of the school's cool kids, a nerd, a teen queen and, most enjoyably, the class stoner (Penn), who finds himself at odds with a strict history teacher (a wonderfully spiky Ray Walston). This is not a great film but very entertaining and, for a certain age group, a seminal film experience.--Marshall Fine, Amazon.com On the DVD: Amy (Clueless) Heckerling and Cameron Crowe's commentary is revealing and indicative of a time where nudity on celluloid was shocking rather than the norm as they talk about the issues which contributed to the film's original X-rating, as well as all the actors who originally auditioned for the roles. The transfer quality is high with little grain, and although the soundtrack is in mono rather than Dolby 5.1 it is not detrimental to the film. There's a retrospective documentary called "Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High" featuring new interviews with most of the cast and crew, plus a highly original feature about the locations used in the film, how they looked in 1982 and how they look now. For fact buffs there's the usual mix of biographies, theatrical trailer and production notes.--Kristen Bowditch

• I Am Sam | DVD | (28/10/2002) from £8.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (122.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sean Penn stars as Sam, a mentally disabled single father fighting to regain custody of his daughter, with the help of Michelle Pfeiffer as a workaholic lawyer.

• Carlito's Way Limited Edition 4K UHD+Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (25/09/2023) from £24.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Academy Award winner Al Pacino reunites with his Scarface director Brian De Palma for this tough-minded thriller about a gangster looking for salvation down the mean streets of 1970s New York City. Gangster Carlito Brigante (Pacino) gets released early from prison thanks to the work of his lawyer, Kleinfeld (Sean Penn, Milk). Vowing to go straight, Carlito nonetheless finds dangers waiting for him in the outside world. As Carlito works toward redemption, Kleinfeld sinks into cocaine-fuelled corruption. When Kleinfeld crosses the mob, Carlito gets caught in the crossfire and has to face a hard choice: remain loyal to the friend who freed him or protect a new life with the woman he loves (Penelope Ann Miller, The Relic). With enemies closing in from all sides, Carlito must find his way before it's too late. Also starring John Leguizamo (Land of the Dead), Luis Guzmán (Magnolia), and Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings), Carlito's Way has come to be regarded as among De Palma's most accomplished films. A hard-hitting gangster noir laced with romance and melancholy, powerful performances and nail-biting suspense. Product Features 4K DUAL FORMAT LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly-commissioned artwork by Tom Ralston and Obviously Creative Seven double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and original production notes DISC ONE: FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY) 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) presentation in High Dynamic Range Original stereo, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-X audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz, author of The Wes Anderson Collection and The Soprano Sessions Brand new audio commentary by Dr. Douglas Keesey, author of Brian De Palma's Split-Screen: A Life in Film DISC TWO: FEATURE AND EXTRAS (BLU-RAY) High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz Brand new audio commentary by Dr Douglas Keesey Carlito and the Judge, a brand new interview with Judge Edwin Torres, author of the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours on which the screenplay for Carlito's Way is based Cutting Carlito's Way, a brand new interview with editors Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden De Palma's Way, a brand new appreciation by film critic David Edelstein All the Stitches in the World: The Locations of Carlito's Way, a brand new look at the New York locations of Carlito's Way and how they look today De Palma on Carlito's Way, an archival interview with director Brian De Palma The Making of Carlito's Way, an archival documentary on the making of the film, produced for the original DVD release Deleted Scenes Original promotional featurette Theatrical teaser and trailer Image gallery

• Footloose/Flashdance | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £8.08   |  Saving you £-0.09 (-1.10%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Footloose: Teenager Ren MacCormack sends ripples through Bomont a small Midwestern town that could stand some shaking up when he arrives from Chicago with his mother Ethel to settle with her relatives. The adults tend to view him with suspicion as a possible contaminant from the outer world. Some of his male peers eye him as a threat and most of the girls just plain eye him. It's a tough time for Ren whose father deserted him and his mother leaving them financially and emotionally strapped. But Bomont is a new setting a place for beginnings and Ren intends to give it every chance. He finds that the town is autocratically run by the local minister Rev. Shaw Moore who single-handedly manipulates the community sentiment and has had a hand in the banning of certain books all rock 'n' roll music public dancing and numerous other enjoyments that Ren had taken for granted in Chicago. From the moment he arrives in Bomont Ren is harassed and ostracized. He immediately finds himself in conflict with the community in a unique relationship with the minister's free-spirited daughter Ariel and involved in a feud with her bullying boyfriend Chuck. His greatest ally turns out to be Willard a good-natured schoolmate slow to wit but quick to fight. Eventually Ren galvanizes the youth of Bomont to confront the town's narrow-mindedness and in doing so he forces Rev. Moore to re-examine his own relationships with his daughter with his congregation and with his wife of 20 years. Flashdance:In Adrian Lyne's Flashdance a young woman Alex (Jennifer Beals) strives to achieve success as a classical dancer but economic forces require her to work as a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. Standing in her way is an abundance of profound social obstacles not the least of which is her boss at the welding factory Nick (Michael Nouri) who is also her boyfriend. Alex strives to be accepted into a prestigious ballet academy and she is furious when she realizes that her boyfriend might be pulling strings for her behind the scenes. Along the road to self-discovery and independence Alex also struggles to accept love come to terms with her own stubbornness and find the inner strength to turn her lofty dreams into reality. Edited for maximum rhythmic impact Flashdance is full of glistening bodies and metallic surfaces powered by Giorgio Moroder's throbbing music and one hit song after another: Michael Sembello's Maniac Karen Karmen's Manhunt and notably Irene Cara's Oscar-winning theme song Flashdance...What a Feeling. Flashdance marks the first co-production between Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson who geared the film toward the MTV generation...

• Dead Man Walking | DVD | (17/09/2001) from £7.73   |  Saving you £8.26 (106.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A serious film on a serious subject, Dead Man Walking (1995) is enriched by two excellent performances: Sean Penn as a murderer and rapist facing execution on Death Row, and Susan Sarandon as a nun who visits and befriends him. Tim Robbins, the writer and director of the film (and Sarandon's husband), based the film on a true story, and there's not much narrative tension since it's obvious Penn will not escape his fate. But the film is a clear-eyed look at the realities of capital punishment and its grisly rituals, which at the same time never sentimentalises the people or the issues. There is no shying away from the evil of the murderer's acts and their effects on the victims' families, but this is balanced against the heartlessness and cynicism of those in the prison system and their political masters. It's hard to say whether the film is ultimately against capital punishment; it certainly encourages you to think for yourself. On the DVD: The image and sound quality is excellent, in widescreen ratio 16:9. There's a theatrical trailer and a TV commercial for the film, which also has language tracks in English, French and Spanish and subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Hungarian. There's also an audio commentary on the film by director Tim Robbins which gives valuable insights into the political background of the film and the shooting process. --Ed Buscombe

• Gossip Girl - Season 1-6 | DVD | (18/02/2013) from £29.25   |  Saving you £10.70 (36.58%)   |  RRP £39.95

  Every episode from all six seasons of the teen drama based on the novels by Cecily Von Ziegesar. The series revolves around a group of teenagers growing up in Manhattan who discover the latest on relationships, friendships and jealousy through a weblog kept by the all-knowing, yet totally secretive, Gossip Girl (voice of Kristen Bell).

• Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas | DVD | (05/09/2005) from £4.67   |  Saving you £12.58 (368.92%)   |  RRP £15.99

  ""We were somewhere around Barstow when the drugs began to take hold."" It is 1971: journalist Raoul Duke barrels towards Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo. But what is ostensibly a cut-and-dry journalistic endeavor quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey and an excoriating dissection of the American way of life. Director Terry Gilliam and an all star cast (headed by

• The Princess Bride 30th Anniversary Edition | DVD | (23/10/2017) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Screenwriter William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride earned its own loyal audience on the strength of its narrative voice and its gently satirical, hyperbolic spin on swashbuckled adventure that seemed almost purely literary. For all its derring-do and vivid over-the-top characters, the book's joy was dictated as much by the deadpan tone of its narrator and a winking acknowledgement of the clichés being sent up. Miraculously, director Rob Reiner and Goldman himself managed to visualize this romantic fable while keeping that external voice largely intact: using a storytelling framework, avuncular Grandpa (Peter Falk) gradually seduces his sceptical grandson (Fred Savage) into the absurd, irresistible melodrama of the title story. And what a story: a lowly stable boy, Westley (Cary Elwes), pledges his love to the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright), only to be abducted and reportedly killed by pirates while Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck. Even as Buttercup herself is kidnapped by a giant, a scheming criminal mastermind, and a master Spanish swordsman, a mysterious masked pirate (could it be Westley?) follows in pursuit. As they sail toward the Cliffs of Insanity... The wild and woolly arcs of the story, the sudden twists of fate, and, above all, the cartoon-scaled characters all work because of Goldman's very funny script, Reiner's confident direction, and a terrific cast. Elwes and Wright, both sporting their best English accents, juggle romantic fervor and physical slapstick effortlessly, while supporting roles boast Mandy Patinkin (the swordsman Inigo Montoya), Wallace Shawn (the incredulous schemer Vizzini), and Christopher Guest (evil Count Rugen) with brief but funny cameos from Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Peter Cook. --Sam Sutherland

• When The Levees Broke - A Requiem In Four Acts | DVD | (27/08/2007) from £12.46   |  Saving you £12.53 (100.56%)   |  RRP £24.99

  An American Tragedy As the world watched in horror Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29 2005. Like many who watched the unfolding drama on television news director Spike Lee was shocked not only by the scale of the disaster but by the slow inept and disorganized response of the emergency and recovery effort. Lee was moved to document this modern American tragedy a morality play witnessed by people all around the world. The result is When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts. The film is structured in four acts each dealing with a different aspect of the events that preceded and followed Katrina's catastrophic passage through New Orleans.