"Actor: William"

• A.I. Artificial Intelligence | DVD | (18/03/2002) from £10.35   |  Saving you £3.64 (35.17%)   |  RRP £13.99

  History will place an asterisk next to A.I. as the film Stanley Kubrick might have directed. But let the record also show that Kubrick--after developing this project for some 15 years--wanted Steven Spielberg to helm this astonishing sci-fi rendition of Pinocchio, claiming (with good reason) that it veered closer to Spielberg's kinder, gentler sensibilities. Spielberg inherited the project (based on the Brain Aldiss short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long") after Kubrick's death in 1999, and the result is an astounding directorial hybrid. A flawed masterpiece of sorts, in which Spielberg's gift for wondrous enchantment often clashes (and sometimes melds) with Kubrick's harsher vision of humanity, the film spans near and distant futures with the fairy-tale adventures of an artificial boy named David (Haley Joel Osment), a marvel of cybernetic progress who wants only to be a real boy, loved by his mother in that happy place called home. Echoes of Spielberg's Empire of the Sun are evident as young David, shunned by his trial parents and tossed into an unfriendly world, is joined by fellow "mecha" Gigolo Joe (played with a dancer's agility by Jude Law) in his quest for a mother-and-child reunion. Parallels to Pinocchio intensify as David reaches "the end of the world" (a Manhattan flooded by melted polar ice caps), and a far-future epilogue propels A.I. into even deeper realms of wonder, just as it pulls Spielberg back to his comfort zone of sweetness and soothing sentiment. Some may lament the diffusion of Kubrick's original vision, but this is Spielberg's A.I., a film of astonishing technical wizardry that spans the spectrum of human emotions and offers just enough Kubrick to suggest that humanity's future is anything but guaranteed. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com On the DVD: A perfect movie for the digital age, A.I. finds a natural home on DVD. The purity of the picture, its carefully composed colour schemes and the multifarious sound effects are accorded the pin-point sharpness they deserve with the anamorphic 1.85:1 picture and Dolby 5.1 sound, as is John Williams's thoughtful music score. On the first disc there's a short yet revealing documentary, "Creating A.I.", but the meat of the extras appears on disc two. Here there are good, well-made featurettes on acting, set design, costumes, lighting, sound design, music and various aspects of the special effects: Stan Winston's remarkable robots (including Teddy, of course) and ILM's flawless CGI work. In addition there are storyboards, photographs and trailers. Finally, Steven Spielberg provides some rather sententious closing remarks ("I think that we have to be very careful about how we as a species use our genius"), but no director's commentary. --Mark Walker

• The Preacher's Wife | DVD | (12/02/2001) from £4.75   |  Saving you £10.24 (215.58%)   |  RRP £14.99

  This tedious remake of the classic Christmas movie The Bishop's Wife falls on its face by significantly altering the careful design of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert E Sherwood's story for the original film. In Sherwood's version, a rather wooden, inept bishop and his lonely wife unknowingly take into their lives a heaven-sent angel who aids the former and ends up falling in love with the latter. In this unnecessary update, an inner-city preacher (Courtney B. Vance) and his estranged spouse (Whitney Houston) are visited by a celestial goof (Denzel Washington), whose unsolicited offer of help is enough to galvanise Vance's character to fix his own problems. What that means is this: by the second act, there's no reason to have Washington's angel in the story. Even his infatuation with the missus isn't enough to warrant his hanging around this movie; the change is a colossal blunder by director Penny Marshall. Vance ends up stealing the film from Washington, but it's a Pyrrhic victory; for the most part this movie just seems like a series of random scenes between opportunities for Houston to belt out songs. --Tom Keogh

• Zachariah | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Advertised in 1970 as "the first electric Western", Zachariah is an endearingly pretentious effort that prefigures such genre oddities as Jodorowsky's El Topo and Alex Cox's Straight to Hell. The story is the archetypal one about two friends who become gunslingers and must inevitably face off against each other in the finale, but it's treated here as if it Meant Something Deeper--which means that after enjoying 75 minutes of violence we can all agree that peace and love and harmony is on the whole better for children and other living things. Curly haired farmboy Zachariah (John Rubinstein) and eternally grinning apprentice blacksmith Matthew (Don Johnson) are the fast friends who run away from home to join up with a gang of outlaws known as the Crackers (played by hippie folk-rock collective Country Joe and the Fish). These apparent 19th-century Westerners tote electric guitars and are given to staging free festival freak-outs at one end of town to distract from the bank robbery at the other. The boys soon hook up with Job Cain (Elvin Jones), an all-in-black master gunfighter who is also an ace drummer (his solo is impressive), but then drift apart as Zachariah has a liaison with Old West madame Belle Starr (Pat Quinn) in a town that consists of fairground-style brightly painted wooden cut out buildings (a gag reused in Blazing Saddles), then gets rid of his outrageous all-white cowboy outfit to settle down on a homestead and grow his own dope and vegetables. Matthew, of course, goes for the black leather look after outdrawing Cain, and comes a gunning for the only man who might be faster than him, but the hippie-era message is once these kids have killed everyone else they can still make peace with each other and the desert or something, man. Aside from a Beatle-haired teenage Johnson making a fool of himself by over-emoting to contrast with Rubinstein's non-performance, the film offers a lot of beautiful "acid Western" scenery and excellent prog rock and bluegrass music from the James Gang, White Lightnin' and the New York Rock Ensemble. Comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre (huge on album in 1970) provided the script, which explains satirical touches like the horse-and-buggy salesman (Dick Van Patten) spieling like a used car dealer and the madame's claim to have had affairs with gunslingers from Billy the Kid to Marshal McLuhan. The DVD extras are skimpy, but the print quality is outstanding. --Kim Newman

• Network | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £17.11   |  Saving you £-1.12 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Media madness reigns supreme in screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky's scathing satire about the uses and abuses of network television. But while Chayefsky's and director Sidney Lumet's take on television may seem quaint in the age of "reality TV" and Jerry Springer's talk-show fisticuffs, Network is every bit as potent now as it was when the film was released in 1976. And because Chayefsky was one of the greatest of all dramatists, his Oscar-winning script about the ratings frenzy at the cost of cultural integrity is a showcase for powerhouse acting by Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight (who each won Oscars), and Oscar nominee William Holden in one of his finest roles. Finch plays a veteran network anchorman who's been fired because of low ratings. His character's response is to announce he'll kill himself on live television two weeks hence. What follows, along with skyrocketing ratings, is the anchorman's descent into insanity, during which he fervently rages against the medium that made him a celebrity. Dunaway plays the frigid, ratings-obsessed producer who pursues success with cold-blooded zeal; Holden is the married executive who tries to thaw her out during his own seething midlife crisis. Through it all, Chayefsky (via Finch) urges the viewer to repeat the now-famous mantra "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" to reclaim our humanity from the medium that threatens to steal it away. --Jeff Shannon

• Romeo Is Bleeding | DVD | (19/05/2003) from £7.89   |  Saving you £5.10 (64.64%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Romeo Is Bleeding is the flawed black comedy from director Peter Medak (The Krays) about a bad cop who slowly gets his due. Gary Oldman plays yet another quirky character, this time a New York detective on the take. His life goes haywire as he squares off with a Russian hit woman. Despite an intriguing cast and great dialogue, the movie becomes a bit too eccentric for its own good as several actors have nothing to do. The high point is Lena Olin, who finally has a role she can sink her teeth into: her zesty, monstrous assassin, Mona Demarkov, is one of the great movie villains. --Doug Thomas

• The Big Chill | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £14.98   |  Saving you £-1.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This seminal film about the reunion of thirtysomething friends works even better than when first released in 1983. The fine performances of the ensemble cast and a rockin' soundtrack always made this eminently enjoyable. However, the characters' often pompous blather occasionally stalled the action. Baby Boomer introspection has become so common that such navel gazing seems less problematic than it did in the early 1980s. Seven former classmates from the University of Michigan gather for the funeral of Alex, their idealistic and suicidal friend. They use their time together to become reacquainted, all the while discussing lost dreams and current hopes. (This should appeal to anyone who enjoyed that other famous reunion flick of the 1980s, John Sayles' Return of the Secaucus Seven.) Director-cowriter Lawrence Kasdan culled finely textured performances from his cast and filled the screen with memorable details. He may manipulate us with his writing but the actors do an impressive job of pulling at our heartstrings while Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye play in the background. --Rochelle O'Gorman

• Sergeant Cork: The Complete Series | DVD | (19/02/2018) from £84.74   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  John Barrie is Sergeant Cork, one of the early members of London's Metropolitan Police C.I.D. plain-clothes detectives tasked with maintaining law and order in the seething metropolis of Victorian London. Assisted by Bob Marriott (William Gaunt) from his attic office at Old Scotland Yard, Cork has to contend with the heavy crimewave created by the massive population boom, industrial expansion and an ever-widening gap between the rich and poor. Devised by Dixon of Dock Green creator Ted Willis and produced by Jack Williams best known for the classic series Within These Walls and New Scotland Yard Sergeant Cork features inventive scripts from Willis, Man in a Suitcase contributor Richard Harris, Police Surgeon co-creator Richard Bond, and Timeslip contributor Bruce Stewart, among others. This complete set features all six series, comprising 66 episodes.

• The Railway Children | Blu Ray | (06/04/2020) from £10.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Starring Jenny Agutter and Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries' adaptation of E. Nesbit's much-loved bestseller, The Railway Children is a timeless and enduring affair. After their father is mysteriously taken away, three Edwardian children move to the country where the local railway becomes a source of hope and adventure. Sensitive without being sentimental, the film perfectly captures a magical moment in childhood, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest children's films of all time. Extras: Now and Then; a retrospective documentary on The Railway Children Interview with acclaimed children's author Jacqueline Wilson Interview with Jenny Agutter Interview with Bernard Cribbins Interview with Sally Thomsett

• You're Human Like the Rest of Them (DVD + Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (15/04/2013) from £9.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Although best known as the ground-breaking author of Albert Angelo, The Unfortunates and Christy Malry's Own Double-Entry, B S Johnson was also the director of a number of extraordinary and daring films. This extensive collection brings his experimental shorts, humorous animation, provocative agitprop and uniquely personal documentary films together for the very first time. Episode Comprise: You're Human Like the Rest of Them (1967) Paradigm (1968) The Unfortunates (1969, DVD only) The Evacuees (1969, DVD only) Up Yours Too Guillaume Apollinaire! (1969) Unfair! (1970, black and white) March! (1970, colour) Poem (1971) B. S. Johnson on Dr. Samuel Johnson (1972) Not Counting the Savages (Mike Newell, 1972, DVD only) Fat Man on a Beach (Michael Bakewell, 1974) Special Features: The Johnson Papers (2013): a look at the B S Johnson Archive of the British Library; Extensive booklet with new contributions from Jonathan Coe, David Quantick, Bruce Beresford, Michael Bakewell, Dr Julia Jordan and Dan Fox (Frieze)

• State Fair | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £4.90   |  Saving you £3.09 (63.06%)   |  RRP £7.99

  In this rousing celebration of love and laughter in America's heartland each member of the Frake family is up for a different prize when they attend their state fair: Father wants a blue ribbon for his favorite pig first prize (and only first prize) will do for Mom's entry in the pie-baking contest and for their son and daughter the hunt is on for true love...

• Goodnight Mister Tom (Digitally Remastered) | DVD | (11/10/2010) from £12.38   |  Saving you £-0.39 (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  John Thaw (Inspector Morse) stars as the widowed and cantankerous Tom Oakley in this charming film adaptation of the prize-winning children's novel by Michelle Magorian. When the Second World War is declared Tom finds that his quiet life in the village of Little Weirwold is set to change when nine-year old Willie Beech (Nick Robinson) is evacuated from London and billeted on him. Willie is a quiet sad child with a deprived and disturbing past but he slowly begins to flourish under the care of 'Mister Tom' and enjoys an idyllic village life. Gradually a strong bond of friendship develops between the two. Then quite suddenly his mother (Annabelle Apsion) summons Willie back to the terrors of Blitz-torn London. Tom is left feeling lonely and wondering if he will ever see his dear friend again.

• 2001: A Space Odyssey | Blu Ray | (29/10/2018) from £34.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Stanley Kubrick's dazzling, Academy Award®-winning achievement is a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) fi rst visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted space, perhaps even into immortality. Open the pod bay doors, HAL. Let an awesome journey unlike any other begin.

• The Girl From Monday | DVD | (27/07/2009) from £15.40   |  Saving you £0.59 (3.83%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Girl From Monday

• Doctor Who - Galaxy 4 Steelbook (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (15/11/2021) from £31.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Doctor (William Hartnell) stars alongside his travel companions Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) and Steven (Peter Purves) which sees the TARDIS landing on a planet on the verge of total annihilation as it drifts too close to the three suns which its orbits. Trapped on the planet with them are the Drahvins, a race of warrior women, and the reptilian Rills. The Drahvins want to steal the Rill spaceship to escape the planet's death throes, and enlist the Doctor's help, which he is forced to give when Maaga, the cunning Drahvin leader, keeps first Vicki and then later Steven as her hostage. Even though the Doctor is determined to broker a peace deal between the two sides in this conflict and help everyone escape safely, Maaga doesn't trust him, or the Rills... The two disc release gives fans the opportunity to enjoy the four new animated episodes of Galaxy 4, in either colour or black and white. The release will also include: Remastered Surviving Original Episode 3 Remastered Surviving Clip from Episode 1 Telesnap Reconstructions of Episodes 1, 2 and 4. Audio Commentaries Making Of Documentary Finding Galaxy 4 Documentary Photo Gallery Production Subtitles

• Faccia A Faccia | DVD | (20/06/2011) from £6.65   |  Saving you £9.34 (58.40%)   |  RRP £15.99

  One of the best films from Italian genre master Sergio Sollima (The Big Gundown) Faccia a Faccia (Face to Face ) is a gangbusting western saga and a gripping parable of the rise of fascism. Upstanding history professor Brad Fletcher (played by the incomparable Gian Maria Volonte) is forced into retirement by his poor health and moves west for the warmer climate. Almost as soon as he arrives however he is taken hostage by famed bandit Solomon Bennett (the great Tomas Milian) in an accidental confrontation and by necessity is forced to take up with his cohorts. But the learned man's growing identification with the gang encourages him to stage a takeover from Bennett and a new crueller system of leadership is put into place. Produced by Sergio Leone's longtime partner Alberto Grimaldi featuring stunning Techniscope cinematography and a pounding score by il maestro Ennio Morricone.

• The X Files: Complete Seasons 1-9 | Blu Ray | (07/12/2015) from £80.99   |  Saving you £-4.48 (N/A%)   |  RRP £76.51

  Now for the first time on Blu-ray™, the original nine exhilarating, groundbreaking seasons of The X-Files, along with exclusive special features, can be yours to own. Although they begin as reluctant partners, FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (Golden Globe® Winners David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson* ) ultimately form a powerful bond as they struggle to unravel deadly conspiracies and solve paranormal mysteries. With over 23 hours of extras, including documentaries, and commentary by creator Chris Carter and the production team as well as special effects sequences and deleted scenes this collection, which includes space for the upcoming The X-Files Event Series in 2016, is a must-have for any fan of the truth!

• Into The Sun | DVD | (11/04/2005) from £4.75   |  Saving you £15.24 (320.84%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Only one man has the skills to stop the Yakuza... When a government official is killed American operative Travis Hunter (Seagal) with experience in the Yakuza culture is brought into investigate...

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Series 4 Part 2 | DVD | (11/07/2005) from £12.93   |  Saving you £27.06 (67.70%)   |  RRP £39.99

  C. S.I.is an acclaimed edgy fast-paced drama series about a passionate team of forensic investigators (among them William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger) who work the graveyard shift at the Las Vegas Criminalistics Bureau. Their job - to find the missing pieces at the scene that will help to solve the crime and vindicate those who often cannot speak for themselves - the victims. Between the hidden clues and the buried motives lies the trail to the truth because people lie... but the

• Blood Simple | DVD | (30/10/2017) from £7.55   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The debut film of director Joel Coen and his brother-producer Ethan Coen, 1983's Blood Simple is grisly comic noir that marries the feverish toughness of pulp thrillers with the ghoulishness of even pulpier horror. (Imagine the novels of Jim Thompson somehow fused with the comic tabloid Weird Tales and you get the idea.) The story concerns a Texas bar owner (Dan Hedaya) who hires a seedy private detective (M Emmett Walsh) to follow his cheating wife (Frances McDormand in her first film appearance) and then kill her and her lover (John Getz). The gumshoe turns the tables on his client and suddenly a bad situation gets much, much worse, with some violent goings-on that are as elemental as they are shocking. (A scene in which a character who has been buried alive suddenly emerges from his own grave instantly becomes an archetypal nightmare.) Shot by Barry Sonnenfeld before he became an A-list director in Hollywood, Blood Simple established the hyperreal look and feel of the Coens' productions (undoubtedly inspired a bit by filmmaker Sam Raimi, whose The Evil Dead had just been coedited by Joel). Sections of the film have proved to be an endurance test for art-house movie fans, particularly an extended climax that involves one shock after another but ends with a laugh at the absurdity of criminal ambition. This is definitely one of the triumphs of the 1980s and the American independent film scene in general. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• The Rising | DVD | (11/07/2022) from £12.73   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Rising is the story of Neve Kelly (Rugaard), who discovers that she is dead. She's scared and confused by this new existence. But, when she realizes she has been murdered, she's furious. She's determined to find her killer and get justice, believing that it was someone she knew. Impulsive and restless, Neve regrets never leaving her isolated community. And, as she comes to terms with her abilities, she begins to destabilize the lives of those she left behind. Particularly her estranged father, Tom (Matthew McNulty) and her beloved mother Maria (Emily Taaffe). Neve is a disruptive, unsettling hero who should not exist, and she needs to find her purpose. She takes us through the investigation into her death, going where the police can't. In the process she uncovers deeply buried secrets and is forced to re-examine everything about her life and the people she cared about. With nothing to lose but time, Neve will push for the truth even when it hurts. Her return forces everyone around her to change, confess, or start covering their tracks. But, it also reveals that there are others like her out there.