"Actor: Peter Gabriel"

• Robocop Trilogy | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £39.99   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £32.99

  Paul Verhoeven was almost unknown in Hollywood prior to the release of RoboCop in 1987. But after this ultra-violent yet strangely subversive and satirical sci-fi picture became a huge hit his reputation for extravagant and excessive, yet superbly well-crafted filmmaking was assured. Controversial as ever, Verhoeven saw the blue-collar cop (Peter Weller) who is transformed into an invincible cyborg as "an American Jesus with a gun", and so the film dabbles with death and resurrection imagery as well as mercilessly satirising Reagan-era America. No targets escape Verhoeven's unflinching camera eye, from yuppie excess and corporate backstabbing to rampant consumerism and vacuous media personalities. As with his later sci-fi satire Starship Troopers the extremely bloody violence resolutely remains on the same level as a Tom and Jerry cartoon. The inevitable sequel, competently directed by Irvin Kershner, thankfully continues to mine the dark vein of anti-consumerist satire while being reflexively aware that it is itself a shining example of that which it is lampooning. Sadly the third instalment in the series, now without Peter Weller in the title role, is exactly the kind of dumbed-down production-line flick that the corporate suits of OCP might have dreamed up at a marketing meeting. Its only virtue is a decent music score from regular Verhoeven collaborator Basil Poledouris, whose splendid march theme returned from the original score. On the DVD: Packaged in a fold-out slipcase these three discs make a very collectable set. All are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic prints, although only the first movie has any extra material worth mentioning. Here the Director's Cut option allows the viewer to see Paul Verhoeven's more explicitly violent versions of Murphy's "assassination", ED-209's bloody malfunction and the shootout finale. These extended sequences are handily signposted in the scene selection menu, and the filming of them can be seen in a sequence of Director's Cut footage. Deleted scenes include "Topless Pizza" ("I'll buy that for a dollar!") and there are two contemporary "making of" featurettes plus a good, new half-hour retrospective. Both the latter and the director's commentary make abundantly clear the Reagan-era satire and are chock full of quotable lines from Verhoeven--"I wanted to show Satan killing Jesus"--and his producer--"Fascism for liberals". Stop-motion animator Phil Tippett gives a commentary on the storyboard-to-film comparisons, and there are the usual trailers and photos. Showing just how much the sequels are rated in comparison, the second and third discs have nothing but theatrical trailers and their sound is just Dolby 2.0 whereas the original movie has been remastered into Dolby 5.1.--Mark Walker

• Peter Gabriel - Growing Up | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £12.13   |  Saving you £7.86 (64.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Peter Gabriel: Growing Up Live presents the complete 2003 Milan concert from Peter Gabriel's tour based around the album Up, featuring 17 tracks across 133 minutes. Performing "in the round", literally central to a memorable show is a revolving stage which sees Gabriel going for a cycle ride in an exuberant "Solsbury Hill", "Growing Up" inside a Zorb ball and delivering a gravity-defying sky walk "Downside Up" with daughter Melanie. Accompanied by regular sidemen David Rhodes (guitar) and Tony Levin (bass), Gabriel is joined by the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama for the spine-tingling finale of "Blue Sky", throughout mixing recent tracks like the abrasive "Darkness" and "The Barry Williams Show" with established crowd pleasers such as "Red Rain", "In Your Eyes" and "Sledgehammer". Gabriel may be less wired than before, but he commands the arena with effortless charm and charismatic presence, his voice retaining all its paradoxically fragile power. Presented in the main with an understated blue light and shot in an unobtrusive, gimmick-free style, the concert begins and ends in virtual darkness with Gabriel alone at a keyboard; from the opening "Here Comes the Flood" to the final "Father and Son", Growing Up is rock theatre of rare intimacy, emotion and intelligence. On the DVD: Peter Gabriel: Growing Up Live is presented with a flawless 16:9 anamorphically enhanced picture and three soundtracks: rich and clear stereo, excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 and even more precise and detailed DTS. The Story of Growing Up is polished nine-minute documentary in which Gabriel talks about his ideas for the tour and the presentation of some of the songs. Tony Levin's View (five minutes) sets the song "More Than This" to photos taken by the bass player. Finally there are six sets of subtitles, including English. --Gary S Dalkin

• The Flight Of The Phoenix | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In a gripping tale of courage resourcefulness and determination the consequences of a plane crash strip bare the morals of the survivors. The pilot of the doomed aircraft Frank Towns (James Stewart) is an aviator of the old school used to seat-of-the-pants flying distrustful of new technology. With his navigator Lew Moran (Richard Attenborough) he is piloting a cargo-cum-passenger plane high above the Arabian desert when a powerful sandstorm rises from below. Trusting his instincts Frank decides to fly through and above the storm; a risky move which leads to the starboard engine overheating and catching fire shortly followed by the demise of the port engine. Without power the plane begins a long dive towards the ground a sequence memorably intercut with the opening credits before impacting messily. Staggering from the wreckage the living find themselves deep within the Arabian desert far off their original flight plan and with little hope of rescue. Two of their number were killed instantly while a third (a young oil-worker) has been gravely wounded - right from this beginning the crosses of the dead loom over those left alive. Frank blames himself bitterly for this tragedy (correctly so from an objective perspective) but still tries to exert some authority over the rabble and provide reassurance. Since they have enough water for about ten days according to Dr.Renaud (Christian Marquand) and plenty of dates as food Frank and Lew spin the yarn that they will surely be found by search aircraft. Meanwhile a pecking order emerges among the men (a mix of oil-workers soldiers technical personnel and the aircrew) with the more learned/respected exerting control over the manual workers. As time passes the situation becomes increasingly bleak and Captain Harris (Peter Finch) decides to march to the nearest oasis with Sgt.Watson (Ronald Fraser) who is less than keen on the idea. In fact Sgt.Watson manages to fake a sprained ankle just to get out of the desert trip (a move symptomatic of his hatred of the military) and his superior leaves with another passenger. Unfortunately another survivor Trucker Cobb (Ernest Borgnine) is so deranged that he staggers after the departed pair. Frank is still so wracked with guilt that he goes after Cobb risking his own life in the brutal midday heat and fails once again in his task. Just when the situation looks irretrievably lost Heinrich Dorfmann (Hardy Kruger) comes up with an audacious idea - why not build a smaller plane from the debris of the first? Initially he is ridiculed both for being German and for having such a crackpot scheme but attitudes change slightly when he reveals that he is actually an aircraft designer. Once again there is hope no matter how slim that they won't become vulture food - just as long as the struggle for control between Frank and Heinrich doesn't destroy the entire enterprise...

• The Bible | DVD | (09/05/2005) from £5.38   |  Saving you £7.61 (58.60%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The unforgettable adventure of Man from the Creation! The greatest stories of the Old Testament are brought to the screen with astounding scope and power in this international film which depicts the first 22 chapters of Genesis. This is the spectacular story of man's creation his fall his survival and his indomitable faith in the future. Matching the epic scale of the production are performances by George C. Scott as Abraham Ava Gardner as Sarah and Peter O'Toole as the ha

• Soft Beds, Hard Battles | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A genius he may have been, but Peter Sellers' film work often demonstrated appalling lapses of taste, as with the weak wartime farce Soft Beds, Hard Battles. Little more than a vehicle for a range of Sellers racial stereotypes and an excuse to feature a succession of scantily clad young women, the film centres on a Parisian brothel during the Second World War and its various clients from all the countries involved. Thus Sellers is given reign to trot out his comedy Frenchman, Englishman, German and Chinaman-—none of which come across as anything other than hugely dated. The plot is weak and the hopelessly erotic air gives a feel of Confessions of a Window Cleaner in uniform or "'Allo 'Allo: The Movie". With so many better examples of Sellers' work available, this must surely be close to the bottom of anyone's list. On the DVD: Soft Beds, Hard Battles's picture and sound are bright and bawdy, with some degree of digital remastering obviously having taken place. There is a 10-minute selection of material deleted from the original cinematic print but these are merely odds and sods that cannot save Soft Beds, Hard Battles from being little more than a woefully outdated curio. --Phil Udell

• Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) - Collector's Edition | Blu Ray | (07/08/2023) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Celebrated photographer, creative director and filmmaker Anton Corbijn's first feature documentary SQUARING THE CIRCLE (the story of hipgnosis) tells the story of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Po Powell, the creative geniuses behind the iconic album art design studio, Hipgnosis, responsible for some of the most recognizable album covers of all time. They formed Hipgnosis in Cambridge during the ferment of the sixties and became rock royalty during the boom time of the seventies. They conjured into existence sights that no one had previously thought possible, produced visuals which popularized music that had previously been considered fringe, and were at the white-hot center of the maddest, funniest and most creative era in the history of popular music. During this period, record companies didn't dictate to acts like Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney what their LP covers should look like - Storm and Po did. They made money; they lost money. They did great things; they did silly things. They fell out bitterly; they made up. They never played a note, but they changed music. The film features brand new interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour & Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Graham Gouldman of 10cc, Noel Gallagher, and many more. Product Features Collector's Edition Booklet Audio commentary with Anton Corbijn and Aubrey Po Powell Theatrical trailer Digital Album Artwork Gallery

• Assault On Precinct 13 | DVD | (27/06/2005) from £6.33   |  Saving you £13.66 (215.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A classic head-to-head showdown ignites in Assault On Precinct 13, an all-new update of the 1976 action thriller of the same name.

• Peter Gabriel: Live In Athens 1987 | Blu Ray | (16/09/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £20.99

  In October 1987 after many months on the road, it was in the elevated surroundings of the hillside open-air theatre at Lycabettus overlooking Athens, that the 'So' tour came to a climactic close. The three nights were filmed in what was the first-ever Peter Gabriel concert to be committed to film. As a concert film, it was brilliantly shot and has now been equally brilliantly remastered, a crystal-clear record of Gabriel and band in their mid-80s pomp. The viewer is placed right in the heart...

• Ever Decreasing Circles - Series 1 | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £6.26   |  Saving you £8.73 (139.46%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in this popular suburban-set comedy. Episode 1: Martin lives in a cul-de-sac and is a pillar of the community. He is chairman of just about every club committee. The equilibrium of the Close where he lives is disturbed when new neighbour Paul moves in next door... Episode 2: Paul masterminds a take-over at the general meeting of the Motor Club and Martin is relieved of his chairmanship. Ann is hopeful of a renewed social life but their new freedom is short lived... Episode 3: Martin is beginning to find his new neighbour's unconventional behaviour a potential danger to the harmony of the Close. 'Goings-on' of this kind have never happened before and something has to be done... Episode 4: Martin Ann Howard and Hilda spend their holidays together at the same resort at the same and even book it on the same day every year; a ritual that has remained for seven years but one that is unsettled when Paul offers them all the chance of a villa in Spain... Episode 5: In Martin's absence Paul is voted onto the committee to organise a Vicars and Tarts Dance for the RSPCA. When Martin's role is diminished he resorts to blackmail to take credit for the success of the event...

• Peter Gabriel - Play | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Peter Gabriel has long been revered for his great songwriting, cinematic soundscapes, riveting concerts, and groundbreaking videos. Is it any surprise, then, that Play: The Videos is a music DVD for the ages? Nope. But that doesn't make it any less thrilling to watch or to listen to. Gabriel has assembled and polished an evening-filling 26 clips, all of them collaborations with innovative visual artists and directors like Stephen Johnson, Matt Mahurin, Francois Vogel, and Sean Penn. From the 1977 promo for "Modern Love" to 2003's "Growing Up" and much between, it's all here, and most viewers will be pleasantly surprised to find more than a couple videos they missed along the way. The focus is explicitly on conceptual pieces, the lone visual exception being a 2004 live rendition of "Games Without Frontiers" among the extras. Gabriel says in an accompanying essay that "music can stand more repetition than video and music together." Play gives us something extra in light of that: fresh 5.1 surround mixes in both Dolby Digital and DTS 96/24 for every track, with Gabriel/U2 production vet Daniel Lanois at the helm for most songs. (You'll get standard DTS sound from DTS-capable DVD players and, even better, lossless high-resolution audio from a DTS 96/24-compatible player.) The surround mixes are nothing short of revelatory, using all available channels to amplify Gabriel's ambient side while breaking out the percussion in fascinating ways and driving home the music's subterranean bass. --Michael Mikesell

• Brian Pern: The Life of Rock/A Life In Rock/45 Years of Prog Rock (BBC) | DVD | (04/04/2016) from £6.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (185.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Brian Pern: A Life in Rock' is a British comedy documentary following ageing rock star Brian Pern, former front-man of the legendary 1970s progressive rock group Thotch. The Three series; The Life of Rock, A Life in Rock and 45 Years of Prog and Roll follow Brian as he develops as an artist through the ages. Brian claims to have invented world music, come up with the idea of Live Aid and to be the first musician to use Plasticine in videos . An affectionate parody of Peter Gabriel, Brian Pern features a whole host of recognisable faces from Rock and Pop.

• Peter Gabriel Secret World Live | Blu Ray | (16/07/2012) from £17.05   |  Saving you £-0.06 (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Peter Gabriel's Grammy Award winning film “Secret World Live” has now been newly restored and remastered from the original film to be seen and heard in the best possible quality on Blu-ray for the first time. Filmed in Modena, Italy across two nights in November 1993 as part of Peter Gabriel’s acclaimed Secret World Live tour in support of the “Us” album, the show is elaborately presented and choreographed with two stages joined by a narrow pier. Peter Gabriel has always been a charismatic live performer with the ability to draw his audience into the onstage world he has created and rarely has this been better captured than on Secret World Live. Track listing:1) Come Talk to Me2) Steam3) Across the River4) Slow Marimbas5) Shaking the Tree6) Blood of Eden7) San Jacinto8) Kiss That Frog9) Washing of the Water10) Solsbury Hill11) Digging In the Dirt12) Sledgehammer13) Secret World14) Don’t Give Up15) In Your Eyes Bonus Features: Red Rain – cut from the original film, this is now included for the first time Timelapse film of the complex stage set up The making of Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live film including interviews and behind the scenes footage Newly restored HD photo montage slideshow to the remixed Quiet version of Steam The Rhythm of the Heat orchestral version from the New Blood: Live in London show.

• Brian Pern: The Life of Rock/A Life in Rock/45 Years of Prog and Roll | Blu Ray | (04/04/2016) from £14.35   |  Saving you £10.64 (74.15%)   |  RRP £24.99

• Ever Decreasing Circles - Series 2 | DVD | (17/06/2002) from £9.49   |  Saving you £9.49 (146.00%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in the second series of the popular suburban-set comedy. Episode 1: When Martin goes to collect Mrs Beardsmore for afternoon tea at the Bryce household Ann is horrified when he returns with a minibus full of her friends. Episode 2: The cricket season begins and Martin finds it increasingly difficult to avoid picking Paul for the team. Episode 3: In an attempt to vary the guests at their dinner party Ann suggests inviting Paul and his girlfriend. During the course of the evening however Paul's wife turns up unexpectedly. Episode 4: Ann is in hospital and Martin decides to spring-clean the entire house stubbornly refusing help from anyone in the Close least of all Paul. Episode 5: Martin is desperate to win the local snooker tournament. When the tournament favourite moves away he thinks he is in with a chance until Paul decides to enter. Episode 6: Ann decides there is more to life than being a suburban housewife. Episode 7: Martin is captivated by a psychiatrist he meets at Paul's party but dumfounded when Ann suggests he goes to see him professionally. Christmas Special: Martin's Christmas is ruined when Ann volunteers use of the Bryce home to house Paul's guests.

• Ever Decreasing Circles - The Complete Series 4 | DVD | (15/03/2004) from £7.96   |  Saving you £12.03 (151.13%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in this popular suburban-set comedy. Episodes comprise: Relaxation Goodbye Paul? Stuck In A Loft Neighbourhood Watch The Footpath Jumping To Conclusions Half An Office.

• John Ford: Dreaming the Quiet Man | DVD | (09/07/2012) from £10.78   |  Saving you £4.21 (39.05%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A fascinating and revealing documentary that explores the making of the Oscar-winning film which took Ford twenty years to bring to the big screen. Featuring heartfelt discussions with star Maureen O'Hara and fellow directors Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich and Jim Sheridan, as well as original home-movie footage of the cast and crew's time in Ashford Castle during filming.

• Peter Gabriel New Blood Live In London | Blu Ray | (24/10/2011) from £8.55   |  Saving you £8.44 (98.71%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Tracklist: 1) Intruder2) Wallflower3) The Boy In The Bubble4) Aprs Moi5) The Drop6) Washing Of The Water7) The Book Of Love8) Darkness9) The Power Of The Heart10) Biko11) San Jacinto12) Digging In The Dirt13) Signal To Noise14) Downside Up15) Mercy Street16) The Rhythm Of The Heat17) Blood Of Eden18) Red Rain19) Solsbury Hill20) In Your Eyes21) Don’t Give Up22) The Nest That Sailed The Sky

• A Chance Of Snow | DVD | (22/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  A heartwarming story of love at Christmas time.The story of a special Christmas that offers an unforgettable lesson in love and trust. Maddie Parker (Jobeth Williams The Big Chill Poltergeist) and her daughters are going to visit her mother (Dina Merrill The Player) for the holidays Coincidentally they run into her soon-to-be-ex-husband Mitch (Michael Ontkean Postcards From The Edge) who is heading in the opposite direction. Thanks to a blanket of snow and a closed airport these two weary travellers discover that they have nothing to do... except fall in love again - and make their two heartbroken children very happy again. As the snow begins to melt outside so too do the hearts of two adults and two happy children! It's Christmas and they are together again.

• In The Name Of The Father | Blu Ray | (03/06/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  If it had been written as a piece of fiction no one would have believed it, but In the Name of the Father is the true story of one of the most shocking episodes in British legal history. Dealing with the events surrounding the Guildford pub bombing in 1974 and the subsequent 15-year fight for justice, the film portrays a nation in the grip of an anti-system, desperate to find culprits at any cost, however immoral, illegal or brutal. By playing out the drama in personal as well as political terms--the relationship between Gerry Conlon (Day-Lewis) and his father (Pete Postlethwaite) becomes the story's centrepiece--the film works on numerous levels, but the events are no less shameful for it. The court case that ultimately freed the three men and one woman only takes centre stage for the last 20 minutes but despite that--and the fact that the outcome is no secret--it is high drama and completely gripping. This is an unmissable example of genuinely courageous cinema. On the DVD: Where the real-life events behind the film might have offered huge scope for additional material, the DVD provides little beyond production and cast notes. The film's re-creation of both 1970s Belfast and London is very realistic, intensified by the anamorphic screen ratio, and the excellent soundtrack (including Bono, Sinead O'Connor and Thin Lizzy), which helps drive the action, is intensified by the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. --Phil Udell

• Ever Decreasing Circles - The Complete Series | DVD | (14/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in this popular suburban-set comedy. This box set contains every episode from all four series of the TV sitcom.