"Actor: Russell"

• Earth vs The Spider | DVD | (01/04/2002) from £9.21   |  Saving you £10.78 (117.05%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Earth vs. The Spider can't really make up its mind whether it's an homage to the B-movie horror genre (the title, but nothing else, has been lifted from the 1958 drive-in "classic"), a too-ironic-for-its-own-good spoof, or an uncomplicated but genuine monster flick. It passes as any of the above, so take your pick. The plot is hardly demanding: nerd's pal is murdered, nerd vows revenge, nerd injects himself with bug juice which turns him into a spider-like monstrosity, offs some bad guys then gets shot dead. Despite its lack of content, the movie's merciful brevity (one hour 26 minutes, roughly what all movies used to be) means that the pace is fast and that there's no room for padding (or real sub-plots, for that matter). The special effects are good and used surprisingly sparingly, which is a nice touch, and the brief coda is sarcastically witty. There's also what seems at first to be a nod in the direction of Toho's multi-monster epics, but those two giant furry caterpillars are in fact Theresa Russell's eyebrows. On the DVD: Earth vs. The Spider on disc is presented in 1.77:1 ratio. Extras include filmographies and a very brief "making of". The preliminary sketches of the creature in the photo gallery are well worth seeing. --Roger Thomas

• Used Cars | DVD | (11/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Used Cars, the 1980 film by director Robert Zemeckis, gives no indication of things to come in his career (Back to the Future, Contact, Forrest Gump), but it is representative of a certain cynical humour he shared early on with writer-partner Bob Gale. Kurt Russell and Jack Warden star in a sketchy comedy about competing used-car salesmen who resort to outrageous tactics to lure customers away from each other. The jokes, like the characters, are intentionally recycled, self-conscious comic fodder from a baby-boomer's lifetime (such as Gale's or Zemeckis') of immersion in pop culture. That makes Used Cars more pastiche than original (the film's title itself suggests that), but as such it has some good, if vaguely familiar, laughs in it. Russell, particularly, is very funny as a practiced con man. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Despicable Me | Blu Ray | (05/09/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Despicable Me is a compelling animated comedy about an aging supervillain's falling popularity at the hands of a younger supervillain and three young orphan girls. Gru is a true, bad-to-the-core evildoer who's earned the title of the world's No. 1 supervillain. But when young upstart Vector steals the Pyramid of Giza, Gru's status suddenly sinks to No. 2. Gru counters his fall by speeding up his plan to shrink and steal the moon, enlisting the help of his army of minions and the elderly Dr. Nefario, but a lack of funding and the difficulties involved in stealing the needed shrink-ray gun threaten to derail everything. Adopting three young orphan girls is an unlikely, but seemingly effective means to further Gru's evil mission, but Gru quickly discovers that caring for three young girls is more work, and distraction, than he could ever have anticipated. What unfolds is an unexpected shift in attitude that will forever change the lives of Gru, Vector, and all three young girls. A visually appealing film produced by Chris Meledandri (Ice Age, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, and Horton Hears a Who), Despicable Me is full of weirdly shaped characters and settings that are somehow a perfect fit for Sergio Pablos's story. What's especially refreshing is that in this film, 3-D effects are used skillfully and effectively: even when the effects are exploited for comic reasons, they don't become a distraction, as is all too common in many recent movies. The film is full of corny banter and silly antics that inspire plenty of spontaneous laughter, and the minions, while not the best-developed characters, sure are comical. Ultimately, there's also a wholesome message about following one's heart. Steve Carell is the perfect villain-gone-soft in his role as Gru, Jason Segal is quite funny as Vector, and Julie Andrews makes a surprising appearance as Gru's very un-motherly mom. The story isn't new, the humour is relatively juvenile and somewhat forgettable, and it's no Toy Story 3, but Despicable Me celebrates silliness in a way that's satisfying and highly entertaining. (Ages 6 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

• The Prophecy 2 | DVD | (15/07/2002) from £6.73   |  Saving you £8.26 (55.10%)   |  RRP £14.99

  An Evil Force Has Declared War.. Big-screen favorite Christopher Walken returns in a riveting performance as the menacing angel Gabriel! When the powers of good and evil again descend to Earth in a battle over mankind the only hope for survival is the unborn child of an innocent woman (Jennifer Beals). With the help of a mysterious stranger she races to protect her child and save all humanity; unless Gabriel catches her first! With edge-of-your-seat thrills and suspense this is

• Soft Top, Hard Shoulder | DVD | (10/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  All Gavin has to do is drive from London to Glasgow in time for his father's birthday. Easy. But nothing in Gavin's life is ever easy. First there is his car - it's slow temperamental and utterly infuriating. And then there is the hitch-hiker Yvonne - she's much the same. As they travel North they meet an extraordinary array of eccentric characters and find out a little about life... and each other.

• Gladiator | DVD | (20/02/2006) from £4.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (300.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Upon the sudden death of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, his trusted and successful general Narcissus Meridas is unlawfully imprisoned and condemned to the gladiator games by Marcus's twisted son Commodus.

• Les Misérables | Blu Ray | (18/07/2023) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• On The Up - Season 2 | DVD | (26/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  ""Just the one Mrs Wembley!"" The complete second series of the culture clash sitcom in which lower class boy done good Tony Carpenter (Dennis Waterman) rubs shoulders with the less than appreciative well-to-do... Episodes comprise: 1. After The Holiday 2. Ruth Makes An Effort 3. Maggie Gives Notice 4. Competition 5. Meeting Jane Webster 6. A Date With Jane Webster

• Bonanza - The Hopefuls / Denver McKee | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  The Hopefuls: A group of Quakers are riding through Virginia City when they are accosted by local toughs. Adam and his friend Sam Bord come to their rescue and offer to escort them across the Ponderosa although Bord's motives are not quite so honourable. Denver McKee: Former lawman McKee is celebrating the return of his daughter Connie when he is asked to assist in the apprehension of an outlaw gang. Since McKee is involved with them this causes him something of a prob

• Last Train From Gun Hill | Blu Ray | (07/01/2022) from £30.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn headline this suspenseful western which follows U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan (Douglas) on the trail of his wife's killer. Adding a dark twist to the tale-the suspect's father is Morgan's long-time friend, cattle baron Craig Beldon (Quinn). Morgan is determined to capture the killer and take him away by the 9:00 train, against all odds. Directed by John Sturges (Gunfight at the O.K. Corral), one of the greatest filmmakers of the Western genre.

• Eureka | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £17.53   |  Saving you £-4.54 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Arctic prospector Jack McCann (Hackman) after fifteen years of solitary searching becomes one of the world's wealthiest men when he literally falls into a mountain of gold in 1925. Twenty years later he lives in luxury on a Caribbean island that he owns. But his wealth brings him no peace of mind as he copes with Helen his bored alcoholic wife; Tracy his dear but headstrong daughter who has married a dissolute philandering social-climber; and Miami mobsters who want his island to build a casino...

• West Is West | Blu Ray | (20/06/2011) from £9.90   |  Saving you £8.09 (81.72%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Manchester 1975. The now much diminished but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid the youngest Khan the runt of the litter is deep in pubescent crisis under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. So in a last desperate attempt to 'sort him out' his father decides to pack him off to Mrs Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab the wife and daughters he had abandoned 35 years earlier. It is not long before Ella Khan (Mrs Khan No2) with a small entourage from Salford England swiftly follows to sort out the mess past and present.

• Backdraft | HD DVD | (16/04/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Ron Howard directs an all-star cast in this exciting action-thriller that shows you the mystery drama and devastation of fire as you've never seen before! Kurt Russel and William Baldwin star as two feuding siblings carrying on an heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters but when a puzzling series of arson attacks is reported they are forced to set aside their differences to solve the mystery surrounding these explosive crimes. Scott Glenn Jennifer Jason Leigh Rebecca De Mornay Donald Sutherland and Robert De Niro also star in this acclaimed suspense story filled with some of the most awe-inspiring fire sequences ever filmed!

• Airspeed | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  A 13-year old girl finds herself in deep trouble when the jet on which she is travelling to meet the father she has never known suffers a freak mid-air accident. With a radio failure adding to the complications life just keeps on getting worse. What will be her fate?

• Poulenc/Menotti - La Voix Humaine/the Telephone (Serebrier) | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £25.45   |  Saving you £2.54 (9.10%)   |  RRP £27.99

  Carole Farley in LA VOIX HUMAINE and THE TELEPHONE or L'amour a trois.

• Wagon Master | Blu Ray | (13/08/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Tall Men | DVD | (11/03/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Clark Gable and Robert Ryan battle outlaws, Indians, nature - and each other – in this sprawling western about a torturous cattle drive from Texas to Montana in the days following the Civil War. The Allison Brothers, Ben (Clark Gable) and Clint (Cameron Mitchel) are ex-Confederate soldiers now trying their hands at bank robbery. But one attempt to get rich quick leads them into the company of Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan), a Texas cattle baron with a huge herd to get to market, and the beautiful Nella (Jane Russell), for whose attentions Ben and Nathan compete. A rugged and rowdy adventure where both bullets and fists fly, The Tall Men is towering entertainment. Special Features: Digitally re-mastered Picture and Sound The Great American West Docu-Drama Behind the Scenes Gallery Production Stills Gallery Original Theatrical Trailer

• Margaret's Museum | DVD | (01/03/2004) from £9.99   |  Saving you £-2.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  In a poor Canadian mining village after the Second World War fragile dreamer Margaret McNeil finds a kindred spirit when a tall Celtic miner serenades her one night in a diner and follows her home. Her mother a viciously misanthropic widow who has lost both a son and husband to the mines views such displays of emotion as folly - futile and soul crushing. Against her mother's wishes Margaret marries the miner who tries to avoid the harsh mining life by getting fired and taking a

• Killing Oswald | DVD | (16/12/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  From the director of RFK Must Die Killing Oswald explores the mystery of how and why John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald were assassinated in 1963 tracing Oswald's strange transformation from US Marine radar operator in Japan monitoring U2 spy planes over Russia; to 20-year-old Marxist defector decamping to Moscow threatening to share military secrets with the KGB; to pro-Castro activist in New Orleans and self-proclaimed patsy in Dallas. The film features interviews with authors John Newman Dick Russell David Kaiser and Joan Mellen Cuban exile Antonio Veciana and Watergate burglar Eugenio Martinez; alongside rare archive film and audiotapes of Oswald and his alleged CIA handlers George De Mohrenschildt and David Atlee Phillips. Special Features: Extra features with Doug Horne on the Zapruder Film and the medical evidence Extended interview with Antonio Veciana President Kennedy's remastered American University address

• Funny People/Superbad/Forgetting Sarah Marshall | DVD | (06/09/2010) from £3.29   |  Saving you £16.70 (83.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Funny People: Adam Sandler Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann star in this seriously funny film from writer-director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up). When famous comedian George Simmons (Sandler) is given a second chance at a new beginning he and his assistant a struggling comedian Ira (Rogen) return to the places and people that matter most... including the stand-up spots that gave him his start and the girl that got away (Mann). Co-starring Jonah Hill Eric Bana and Jason Schwartzman it's the film that critics have hailed as uproariously funny. Superbad: Two socially inept teenage boys are about to graduate high school. Evan (Michael Cera) is sweet smart and generally terrified. Seth (Jonah Hill) is foul mouthed volatile and all-consumed with the topic of human sexuality. Seth and Evan want nothing more than to lose their virginity before they head off to college. To do that though they need to get liquor for the big party that night. With the help of their friend Fogell a.k.a. McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his fake I.D. the three of them go on a hilarious chase for that elusive booze dodging incompetent cops (Knocked Up's Seth Rogen and Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader) angry neighbors and jealous boyfriends! Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) has spent six years idolizing his girlfriend television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). He's the guy left holding her purse in paparazzi photos and accidentally omitted from acceptance award speeches. But his world is rocked when she dumps him and Peter finds himself alone. After an unsuccessful bout of womanizing and an on-the-job nervous breakdown he sees that not having Sarah may just ruin his life.