"Actor: Penn"

• The Game | DVD | (09/11/2007) from £8.65   |  Saving you £7.34 (84.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  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

• Clint Eastwood: The Director's Collection | DVD | (03/05/2010) from £7.06   |  Saving you £27.93 (395.61%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Titles Comprise: Gran Torino: Clint Eastwood returns to the big screen as Walt Kowalski a cantankerous veteran of the Korean War who catches his young Hmong neighbour attempting to steal his cherished 1972 Gran Torino urging him to try and reform the boy of his burgeoning criminal ways. Flags of Our Fathers: February 1945. Even as victory in Europe was finally within reach the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. The inspiring photo capturing that moment became a symbol of victory to a nation that had grown weary of war and made instant heroes of the six American soldiers at the base of the flag some of whom would die soon after never knowing that they had been immortalized. But the surviving flag raisers had no interest in being held up as symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were fighting and dying without fanfare or glory. 'Flags of Our Fathers' is based on the bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers which chronicled the battle of Iwo Jima and the fates of the flag raisers and some of their brothers in Easy Company. Letters from Iwo Jima: The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi however does not favor the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates and resentment and resistance fester among his staff. In the lower echelons a young soldier Saigo a poor baker in civilian life strives with his friends to survive the harsh regime of the Japanese army itself all the while knowing that a fierce battle looms. When the American invasion begins both Kuribayashi and Saigo find strength honor courage and horrors beyond imagination. Mystic River: Three childhood friends - Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) and Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) - are thrust together as adults when Jimmy's 19 year old daughter is murdered. Clint Eastwood's powerhouse drama secured Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor Oscars for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins respectively at the 2004 Academy Awards. Unforgiven: an exciting modern classic that rode off with four 1992 Academy Awards. Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman play retired down-on-their-luck outlaws who pick up their guns one last time to collect a bounty offered by the vengeful prostitutes of the remote Wyoming town of Big Whiskey: Richard Harris is an ill-fated interloper a colourful killer-for-hire called English Bob. Gene Hackman is the sly and brutal local sheriff whose brand of Law enforcement ranges from unconventional to ruthless. Big trouble is coming to Big Whiskey...

• Mystic River | DVD | (01/06/2006) from £6.88   |  Saving you £7.11 (103.34%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Clint Eastwood's story of three men whose dark, interwoven history forces them to come to terms with a brutal murder on the mean streets of Boston.

• The Falcon And The Snowman | DVD | (08/01/2001) from £9.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (27.40%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Academy Award Winner Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn deliver 'superb performances' Variety in a true-story spy thriller that is 'scathing arresting' (The New York Times) and laced with white-knuckle excitement. From Oscar winning director John Schlesinger and writer Steven Zaillian the film blows the lid off the modern-day American dream with its riveting story of two young men of privilege money and ambition who end up selling out their country ruining their families and destroyi

• Mystic River | Blu Ray | (08/02/2010) from £8.49   |  Saving you £11.50 (177.20%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Clint Eastwood's story of three men whose dark, interwoven history forces them to come to terms with a brutal murder on the mean streets of Boston.

• Al Pacino | DVD | (05/06/2006) from £31.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A box set of Al Pacino films from Universal featuring: Scarface Carlito's Way Sea of Love and Scent of a Woman. Scarface (Dir. Brian De Palma 1983): In the spring of 1980 the port at Mariel Harbour was opened and thousands set sail for the United States. They came in search of the American Dream. One of them found it on the sun-washed avenues of Miami... wealth power and passion beyond his wildest dreams. He was Tony Montana. The world will remember him by another name - Scarface! Al Pacino gives an unforgettable performance as Tony Montana one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film in this gripping crime epic inspired by the 1932 classic of the same title. Carlito's Way (Dir. Brian De Palma 1993): Al Pacino is an ex-druglord fighting to escape his violent treacherous past in his crime-action tour de force from acclaimed director Brian DePalma. Sprung from prison on a legal technicality by his cocaine-addled attorney (Sean Penn) former drug kingpin Carlito Brigante (Pacino) stuns the local underworld when he vows to go straight. Taking a job managing a glitzy low-life nightclub he tracks down his onetime girlfriend (Penelope Ann Miller) and rekindles their romance promising he's changed for good. But Carlito's dream of going legitimate is undermined at every turn by murderous former cronies and even deadlier young thugs out to make a name for themselves. Ultimately however his most dangerous enemy is himself. Despite good intentions Carlito's misguided loyalties and an outmoded code of ""honour"" will plunge him into a savage life-or-death battle against the relentless forces that refuse to let him go. Sea of Love (Dir. Harold Becker 1989): Two detectives one from New York the other from Long Island join forces to track down a bizarre serial killer. Convinced of a beautiful suspect's innocence the New York detective starts an affair with her despite hard evidence linking her to the murders. Scent of a Woman (Dir. Martin Brest 1992):Al Pacino won his first Best Actor Oscar for his brilliant portrayal of an overbearing blind retired Lieutenant Colonel who hires a young guardian (Chris O'Donnell) to assist him. It's a heart-wrenching and heartwarming tale of opposites attracting when they embark on a wild weekend trip that will change the lives of both men forever.

• Reservoir Dogs | DVD | (09/03/2009) from £7.99   |  Saving you £17.00 (212.77%)   |  RRP £24.99

  They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Then their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush, and the ruthless killers realise one of them is a police informer. But which one? Critically acclaimed for its raw power and br

• Dead Man Walking | Blu Ray | (28/01/2013) from £7.29   |  Saving you £5.70 (78.19%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Inspired by a true story, this provocative tale of crime and redemption earned Susan Sarandon a 1995 Oscar for Best Actress and Sean Penn an Oscar Nomination for Best Actor. Sister Helen Prejean (Sarandon) becomes the spiritual advisor to Matthew Poncelet (Penn), a vicious and complex killer awaiting execution. As she attempts to save Matthew's dark soul, she uncovers shocking truths that will rock the very foundation of her faith.

• The Game | DVD | (08/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a shrewdly successful businessman who is accustomed to being in control of each facet of his investments and relationships. His well-ordered life undergoes a profound change however when his brother Conrad (Sean Penn) gives him an unexpected birthday gift that soon has devastating consequences. There are no rules in The Game...

• Licorice Pizza | Blu Ray | (06/06/2022) from £8.41   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  California's San Fernando Valley, 1973. Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is a precocious high schooler and child star who meets - and is immediately besotted with - Alana (Alana Haim), a twenty-something photographer's assistant trying desperately to find herself. The two of them form an unlikely bond, and soon begin running around the Valley together taking part in Gary's many haphazard schemes.

• The Fantasia Collection | DVD | (11/12/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000, originally made for the IMAX large-screen format, features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of the Ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story and animation style. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones and others. --Mark Englehart

• Harold And Kumar Get The Munchies | DVD | (20/06/2005) from £4.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (220.44%)   |  RRP £15.99

  From the makers of "Hey Dude Where's My Car?" comes the story of two twenty-something stoner room mates who set out on a quest for the perfect hamburger that turns into the trip of their lives.

• Gangster Squad | DVD | (27/05/2013) from £4.49   |  Saving you £11.50 (256.12%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The turf explored in Gangster Squad may not be entirely accurate to historical truth, but it sure looks like the world of the movie mobster: the basics are instantly recognizable if you've seen L.A. Confidential and The Untouchables. Take a post-World War II Los Angeles, plunge it in noir, drop a ruthless gangster into the mix, and let loose an extralegal squad of cops to break the mob's rule. The crime kingpin in question is Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), and his LAPD adversaries include a detective so square his fedora appears permanently affixed to his skull (Josh Brolin) and a ladies' man (Ryan Gosling) whose dalliance with Cohen's escort (Emma Stone) might not be the best idea for a smooth relationship. Their squad includes stalwart character actors such as Anthony Mackie, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi, and an especially droll Robert Patrick. With all this talent on display, the movie must surely have some bang in its Tommy gun--but alas, director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) has opted for a peculiarly lighthearted, bantering tone for much of the action, which sits oddly with the gun massacres and dismemberments on display. He's also got Sean Penn in full Actor mode, snorting and stamping and wearing his prosthetic nose like a badge of pride. All of which might make for a juicy piece of entertainment, if the film didn't keep tripping over its own clichés and periodically losing its momentum. (Gangster Squad was bumped from its original 2012 opening date after the mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater; a shootout scene set in a movie theater was cut and re-shot in a different location for the film's eventual January 2013 release.) --Robert Horton

• U-Turn | DVD | (06/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  He's a small-time gambler (Sean Penn) with a backpack full of cash an overdue debt in Vegas and a broken radiator hose. She's a hot-and-cold vixen (Jennifer Lopez) caught in the grips of a twisted relationship with her powerful husband. Both of them just want to get out of town. And after you meet the citizens of Superior Arizona you'll understand why...

• Malibu's Most Wanted | DVD | (19/01/2004) from £14.98   |  Saving you £-0.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  A senator arranges for his son a rich white kid who fancies himself black to be kidnapped by a couple of black actors pretending to be murderers to try and shock him out of his plans to become a rapper...

• Rumble Fish | Blu Ray | (27/08/2012) from £9.69   |  Saving you £5.30 (54.70%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The second of Francis Ford Coppola's films based on the popular juvenile novels of S.E. Hinton (the first being The Outsiders), Rumble Fish split critics into opposite camps: those who admired the film for its heavily stylised indulgence, and those who hated it for the very same reason. Whatever the response, it's clearly the work of a maverick director who isn't afraid to push the limits of his innovative talent. Filmed almost entirely in black and white with an occasional dash of color for symbolic effect, this tale of alienated youth centers on gang leader Rusty James (Matt Dillon) and his band of punk pals. Rusty's got a girlfriend (Diane Lane), an older brother named Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), and a drunken father (Dennis Hopper) who've all given up trying to straighten him out. He's best at making trouble, and he pursues that skill with an enthusiastic flair that eventually catches up with him. But it's not the whacked-out story here that matters--it's the uninhibited verve of Coppola's visual approach, which includes everything from time-lapse clouds to the kind of smoky streets and alleyways that could only exist in the movies. The supporting cast includes a host of fresh faces who went on to thriving careers, including Nicolas Cage, Christopher Penn, Vincent Spano, Laurence Fishburne, and musician Tom Waits. --Jeff Shannon

• Rush Hour | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan cause chaos in Paris in this, the third instalment of their comedy action franchise.

• Reservoir Dogs | DVD | (20/11/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Then their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush, and the ruthless killers realise one of them is a police informer. But which one? Critically acclaimed for its raw power and br

• Milk | DVD | (08/06/2009) from £7.55   |  Saving you £10.44 (138.28%)   |  RRP £17.99

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

• Fast Times at Ridgemont High | Blu Ray | (26/06/2017) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Before he became an overrated filmmaker, Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) was a reporter for Rolling Stone who was so youthful looking that he could go undercover for a year at a California high school and write a book about it. He wrote the script for this film, based on that book, and it 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 movie but very entertaining and, for a certain age group, a seminal movie experience. --Marshall Fine