"Actor: Skerritt"

• Alien Quadrilogy | DVD | (08/12/2003) from £24.99   |  Saving you £35.00 (140.06%)   |  RRP £59.99

  The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc box set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here the films have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and vision. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "Special Edition" form. Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 Director's Cut is fiddling for the sake of it. Watch once then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely the Special Edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice finally to have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered and finished-off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to the story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien Resurrection (1997) was always a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the Special Edition just makes it eight minutes longer. On the DVD: Alien Quadrilogy offers all films except Alien3 with DTS soundtracks, the latter having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here--and there are subtitles for hard of hearing both for the films and the commentaries. Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented at 4:3 with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including a Channel 4 hour-long documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. Exhaustive hardly beings to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set which establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and which looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S Dalkin

• Alien | Blu Ray | (17/04/2019) from £13.08   |  Saving you £2.91 (22.25%)   |  RRP £15.99

  By transplanting the classic haunted house scenario into space, Ridley Scott, together with screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, produced a work of genuinely original cinematic sci-fi with Alien that, despite the passage of years and countless inferior imitations, remains shockingly fresh even after repeated viewing. Scott's legendary obsession with detail ensures that the setting is thoroughly conceived, while the Gothic production design and Jerry Goldsmith's wonderfully unsettling score produce a sense of disquiet from the outset: everything about the spaceship Nostromo--from Tupperware to toolboxes-seems oddly familiar yet disconcertingly ... well, alien.Nothing much to speak of happens for at least the first 30 minutes, and that in a way is the secret of the film's success: the audience has been nervously peering round every corner for so long that by the time the eponymous beast claims its first victim, the release of pent-up anxiety is all the more effective. Although Sigourney Weaver ultimately takes centre-stage, the ensemble cast is uniformly excellent. The remarkably low-tech effects still look good (better in many places than the CGI of the sequels), while the nightmarish quality of H.R. Giger's bio-mechanical creature and set design is enhanced by camerawork that tantalises by what it doesn't reveal.On the DVD: The director, audibly pausing to puff on his cigar at regular intervals, provides an insightful commentary which, in tandem with superior sound and picture, sheds light into some previously unexplored dark recesses of this much-analysed, much-discussed movie (why the crew eat muesli, for example, or where the "rain" in the engine room is coming from). Deleted scenes include the famous "cocoon" sequence, the completion of the creature's insect-like life-cycle for which cinema audiences had to wait until 1986 and James Cameron's Aliens. Isolated audio tracks, a picture gallery of production artwork and a "making of" documentary complete a highly attractive DVD package. --Mark Walker

• Velveteen Rabbit | DVD | (16/07/2012) from £4.49   |  Saving you £8.50 (189.31%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In this brand new feature film one of the most beloved family tales of all time comes to life in an enchanting combination of live-action drama and animated adventure. It s the story of a young boy named Toby who is sent by his busy father to spend the holiday season in the home of his stern grandmother. Toby s world instantly changes when he discovers the house s magic attic where three forgotten toys including a special stuffed rabbit unlock a world of imagination that will change all their lives forever. The voice talents of Golden Globe®Winner Jane Seymour Emmy® Award Winner Tom Skerritt and Oscar® winner Ellen Burstyn star in this heart-warming story about how we bring the things we love to life inspired by the classic children s book by Margery Williams and directed by Michael Landon Jr.

• A Hologram For The King | Blu Ray | (19/09/2016) from £5.98   |  Saving you £12.01 (200.84%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Light-hearted comedy drama starring Tom Hanks as struggling American businessman Alan Clay. Desperate to recoup lost earnings and pay for his daughter's tuition fees, Clay travels to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to secure a lucrative IT contract with a wealthy Saudi king. After discovering on arrival that the king hasn't visited the development in 18 months and, facing the sack, Clay must find the money and willpower to make his project a success and turn his fortunes around. The cast also includes Ben Whishaw, Sarita Choudhury, Tom Skerritt and Sidse Babett Knudsen.

• Big Bad Mama | DVD | (06/12/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  Men Money And Moonshine: When It Comes To Vice Mama Knows Best. Get ready to rumble as a beautiful young widow breaks up her teen daughter's wedding and hits the road on an outlaw voyage to Waco Texas. Making pit stops for armed robbery and a mother-daughter striptease Angie Dickinson's Big Bad Mama teaches her girls the real facts of life.

• Poison Ivy | DVD | (30/01/2013) from £18.04   |  Saving you £-12.05 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  One look and you can tell she's trouble. The bleached blonde hair the pouting lips the skirt just short enough to show off the tattoo on her thigh. But Cooper (Sara Gilbert) herself an outsider like's the newcomer's style. She befriends her and before long the loner she nicknames Ivy (Drew Barrymore) becomes part of Cooper's family. But for Ivy a handful of home comforts is not nearly enough. She becomes obsessed by desire for Cooper's father (Tom Skerritt) and vows that no-one

• Alien 40th Anniversary | DVD | (01/04/2019) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Alien is the first movie of one of the most popular sagas in science fiction history, and introduces Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, the iron-willed woman destined to battle the galaxy's ultimate creature. The terror begin when the crew of the spaceship Nostromo investigates a transmission from a desolate planet and makes a horrifying discovery - a life form that breeds within a human host. Now the crew must fight now only for its survival, but for the survival of all mankind.

• The Dead Zone | DVD | (04/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  One of the very best Stephen King film adaptations, The Dead Zone is imbued with an ever-present atmosphere of dread. Shot in a permanently wintry Canada (standing in for New England), the icy backdrops are subtly employed by director David Cronenberg to accentuate the story’s fatalistic tone. Cronenberg’s welcome emphasis for the most part on psychological terror over physical shocks (something of a change of direction for him after The Brood and Scanners) is further enhanced by composer Michael Kamen’s marvellously chilly music score and Christopher Walken’s understated yet dominating central performance as high school teacher Johnny Smith, who wakes from a coma following a car crash to learn that he has been cursed with the gift of second sight. That his uncanny ability is indeed a curse and definitely not a blessing is made abundantly clear: even when Johnny is able to save people’s lives, there is always a price to pay. The cosmic law of Karma is grimly unforgiving. Herbert Lom, as Johnny’s sympathetic doctor, sums up the character’s plight, "Some things just weren’t meant to be." And even when Johnny learns the terrible secret of future Presidential candidate Greg Stillson (a villainous Martin Sheen), he knows he cannot act without accepting the fatal consequences. Brooke Adams, as the love of Johnny’s life, and Tom Skerrit, as the quietly desperate sheriff on the trail of a serial killer, are excellent in support. On the DVD: this disc comes with a chunky accompanying booklet with background notes on the film, cast and director, as well as a script excerpt for the originally planned pre-credits sequence (in the finished film we assume Johnny’s second sight is a result of the car accident--this earlier screenplay follows the book more closely). The movie itself--which features the "scissor-suicide" scene uncut--is accompanied by a chatty and informative commentary from film critics Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (a regular Amazon.co.uk contributor). Both the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture and the Dolby 5.1 sound are adequate if unexceptional. --Mark Walker

• Alien Quadrilogy | DVD | (10/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Twilight Zone - Series 2 | DVD | (12/12/2005) from £18.15   |  Saving you £21.84 (120.33%)   |  RRP £39.99

  A collection of the colour episodes from season 2 of The Twilight Zone.

• Space Camp | DVD | (10/11/2008) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-24.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  While attending the United States Space Camp five teenagers and their instructor are accidentally launched into space on board a shuttle. They must figure out how to bring themselves safely back to Earth.

• Alien 40th (4K Ultra HD) (+ Blu-Ray 2D) | Blu Ray | (23/05/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Dead Zone (Imprint Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (23/07/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Alien/Aliens | DVD | (29/09/2008) from £4.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (160.32%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Set Comprises: Alien (1979): Alien is the first movie of one of the most popular sagas in science fiction history and introduces Sigourney Weaver as Ripley the iron-willed woman destined to battle the galaxy's ultimate creature. The terror begins when the crew of the spaceship Nostromo investigates a transmission from a desolate planet and makes a horrifying discovery a life form that breeds within a human host. Now the crew must fight not only for its own survival but for the survival of all mankind. Aliens (1986): In this action-packed sequel to Alien Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley the only survivor from mankind's first encounter with the monstrous Alien. Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew are received with skepticism until the mysterious disappearance of colonists on LV-426 lead her to join a team of high-tech colonial marines sent in to investigate. Personally supervised by director James Cameron this special edition includes scenes eliminated prior to the film's 1986 release which broaden the narrative scope and enrich the emotional impact of the film.

• Space Camp | DVD | (29/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  While attending the United States Space Camp five teenagers and their instructor are accidentally launched into space on board a shuttle. They must figure out how to bring themselves safely back to Earth.

• Cheech And Chong | DVD | (20/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Up In Smoke: There's nothing straight about this movie. But here's the dope anyway: Cheech and Chong make their film debut in this riotous rock 'n' roll comedy bringing with them the same madness lifestyles and sketches that sold over 10 million records in the early '70s. Cheech and Chong's marijuana-laced humor keeps their spirits high and leads them to an outrageous finale at L.A.'s Roxy Theater where Cheech performs in a pink tutu and Chong dresses as a large red quaalude

• Path To War | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £15.17   |  Saving you £-9.18 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  As the successor to a martyred president Lyndon B. Johnson sought to transform America into a 'Great Society' of equal opportunity. Instead he became the symbol for the most unpopular war in U.S. history. Michael Gambon (as President Johnson) Donald Sutherland (as Clark Gifford) and Alec Baldwin (as Robert McNamara) star in a compelling drama of soaring ambition and shattered dreams set inside the LBJ White House in the volatile years leading up to and during Vietnam. This HBO production was decorated director John Frankenheimer's final film.

• Whiteout | Blu Ray | (25/01/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Based on the award-winning graphic novel, "Whiteout" is a chilling thriller starring Kate Beckinsale that will have you on the edge of your seat and chilled to the bone.

• The Other Sister | DVD | (12/02/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Filming a love story centred on two mentally challenged people is a touching idea, one that's been attempted in, for example, Benny and Joon. The Other Sister is another addition to the genre, a well-acted comedy-drama centring on the romance of Carla (Juliette Lewis) and Daniel (Giovani Ribisi) and throwing in some general family angst as a secondary story line. The acting is tremendous--Lewis and Ribisi both give convincing performances without condescending to their characters. Diane Keaton plays yet another charming scatterbrain, this time as Elizabeth Tate, the uptight, rich mother who wants a picture-perfect life. But good acting isn't enough here. These fine actors drown in a sea of mediocre writing, and we are left with a film with no real conflict or tension. Will Carla and Daniel make it work? Well, of course. Will mother Elizabeth loosen up about her "gay workaholic" daughter and let Carla live her own life? Do you really need to ask? There are a few cringe-worthy moments that have a sense of truthfulness, such as when Daniel stands up at Carla's sister's wedding to announce his feelings. But otherwise, these characters live in a pampered, fairy-tale world where the worst thing that happens to them is that the meanies at school put chewing gum in Daniel's bike helmet. Ultimately, this is a sweet, albeit occasionally saccharine, tale that will move those who are looking for cheerful fare. --Jenny Brown

• Alien (20th Anniversary Edition Box Set) | DVD | (15/05/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £69.99

  Director Ridley Scott's new cut of his 1979 sci-fi classic about a lifeform that is perfectly evolved to annihilate mankind. In space no-one can hear you scream.