"Director: David Leland"

• Band Of Brothers | DVD | (31/01/2011) from £14.99   |  Saving you £-1.19 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.80

  A genuinely epic achievement, the 10-part World War II drama Band of Brothers is a television series that makes big-screen Hollywood war movies look small in comparison. Based on the book by historian Stephen Ambrose, the series follows the US 101st Airborne Division's "Easy" E-Company from initial training through D-Day and across Holland, Belgium, Germany and Austria until the end of the war. Coproduced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the series take its initial inspiration from Saving Private Ryan and borrows that film's visceral visual approach to combat scenes using hand-held camerawork and de-saturated photography. But where Band of Brothers excels is in its scrupulous attention to the realities of military life (retired US Marine Captain Dale Dye, who also co-stars, is the man to credit). After the high drama of the parachute drop on D-Day, Easy's greatest trial comes during the Battle of the Bulge, when they are besieged at Bastogne in the depths of winter. In one of the most harrowing and credible depictions of war ever committed to film we see the men enduring the repeated artillery attacks of the German forces and experience, if only vicariously, some of the sheer terror of the assault, while being humbled by the soldiers' courage and determination. Such feelings are enhanced by the series' masterstroke--bookend interviews with the surviving members of Easy Company, who talk with barely suppressed emotion of the experiences we see recreated. The endorsement of these veterans elevates Band of Brothers beyond any mere "war film"--its extraordinary achievement is that it shows the horror and savagery of war without gloss or jingoism, and yet celebrates the fraternal bonds and dogged heroism of the men who fought. On the DVD: Band of Brothers arrives handsomely packaged in a six-disc box set with two episodes on each of the first five discs. Sound (Dolby 5.1) and picture (1.78:1 widescreen) only enhance the series' epic credentials. Disc 6 contains all the extras, the meatiest of which is the marvellous 80-minute documentary "We Stand Alone Together" about the real men of Easy Company. There's also a first-rate, genuinely interesting 30-minute "making of" feature about actor boot camp, visual effects and blowing up fake trees among many other things. This is complemented by actor Ron Livingston's revealing Video Diaries of boot camp. Additionally there's a "Who's Who" section and footage of the HBO premiere at Utah Beach, plus a TV spot for car company Jeep. --Mark Walker

• Land Girls | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £18.46   |  Saving you £-8.47 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  During the Second World War, Britain's women were asked to help out the farming industry by joining The Women's Land Army (The Land Girls). Three city gals make their way to the Lawrence farm in Dorset, and find themselves taking to the work easily enough. The only problem between them is each want young Joe (Steven Mackintosh) for their own reasons. Ag (Anna Friel) is the fiery sort who'll take pleasure where she finds it; Prue (Rachel Wiesz) just wants a lesson in the ways of the world; while Stella (Catherine McCormack) is looking for a way out of the private trap she's set in motion back home, but her feelings are the most sincere of the bunch. The film is Stella's story really (as adapted from the novel by Angela Huth), and has her affecting the on-off decision by Joe to join the RAF, the fight with the government to keep the East Meadow as it is and the paths the two other girls end up taking. Everything is very sweet-natured, especially when played out against a backdrop of rolling green hills, chuffing steam engines and knee-high socks tucked into Wellington boots. There's no comment on the effects of war as such, instead this film is more about the reasons why we make choices in life. --Paul Tonks

• Wish You Were Here | DVD | (24/09/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Set in an austere post-war Britain Wish You Were Here tumbles through the hilarious and outrageous sexual adventures of 15 year old Linda. It is a story of an irrepressible human spirit that refuses to be crushed by her colourless surroundings. Showered with awards together with critical and public acclaim since its first triumphant showing at the Cannes Film Festival Wish You Were Here was honoured with 3 BAFTA nominations 2 Best Actress awards for Emily Lloyd and the Peter Sellers

• Band Of Brothers | Blu Ray | (31/01/2011) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  All ten episodes of the award-winning mini-series based on the real-life experiences of American paratroopers who fought in Europe during the Second World War. From their training in Camp Toccoa, Georgia, through their landing in Normandy as part of the D-Day offensive, their participation in the Battle of the Bulge, and all the way up to the final surrender of the German forces, the series follows the adventures of Easy Company, a unit noted for its skill and bravery, but which also suffered a high number of casualties in its journey across Europe. Each episode also features excerpts from actual interviews with surviving members of the company.

• Band of Brothers | DVD | (20/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose, the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear. They were an elite rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Recreated With Stunning Special Effects And The Second Collaboration Between Tom Hanks And Steven Spielberg, The SeriesIs Both A Profound And Captivating Look At The Reality Of War.

• The Big Man | DVD | (18/06/2007) from £3.19   |  Saving you £6.80 (68.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Liam Neeson plays an unemployed Scottish miner who trains for a one-off bare-knuckle fist fight to bring in some money for his family despite the disapproval of his wife (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer). As the fight date approaches The Big Man discovers that the fight is corrupt but the money keeps him in the running.

• Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Playback | DVD | (23/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  When MTV gave Tom Petty a special video award in 1994 it was a very public acknowledgment of the imagination and hard work that has gone into a series of videos that have pushed the limits of a medium struggling to grow from a promotional tool to a genuine art form. Here are the best videos of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers a powerful document of the early evolution of a new kind of art - and some rockin' tunes by a great band.

• Concert For George | DVD | (24/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Rock music's most celebrated musicians pay tribute to the legendary George Harrison with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

• Charlotte Gray / Land Girls | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Charlotte Gray Cate Blanchett stars as a young Scottish woman recruited by the Secret Service who ends up risking her life to find the man she loves. Based on Sebastian Faulks' best selling novel. The Land Girls The comical and heart-warming tale of three young women who encounter tragedy passion and love during wartime.

• The Land Girls | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £17.17   |  Saving you £-7.18 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  During the Second World War, Britain's women were asked to help out the farming industry by joining The Women's Land Army (The Land Girls). Three city gals make their way to the Lawrence farm in Dorset, and find themselves taking to the work easily enough. The only problem between them is each want young Joe (Steven Mackintosh) for their own reasons. Ag (Anna Friel) is the fiery sort who'll take pleasure where she finds it; Prue (Rachel Wiesz) just wants a lesson in the ways of the world; while Stella (Catherine McCormack) is looking for a way out of the private trap she's set in motion back home, but her feelings are the most sincere of the bunch. The film is Stella's story really (as adapted from the novel by Angela Huth), and has her affecting the on-off decision by Joe to join the RAF, the fight with the government to keep the East Meadow as it is and the paths the two other girls end up taking. Everything is very sweet-natured, especially when played out against a backdrop of rolling green hills, chuffing steam engines and knee-high socks tucked into Wellington boots. There's no comment on the effects of war as such, instead this film is more about the reasons why we make choices in life. --Paul Tonks

• Virgin Territory | DVD | (25/08/2008) from £5.38   |  Saving you £10.61 (197.21%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Virgin Territory is the story of the beautiful Pampinea (Barton) a lovelorn princess in search of a worthy man to unlock her sexual desires. Unfortunately she is betrothed to the brutal Count Della-Ratta and looks settled for a sexless fruitless future. However Lorenzo (Christiansen) is a gambler a winner but this time hes beaten Della Ratta and risks losing the person the woman he desires.

• Charlotte Gray / Land Girls / Emma's War | DVD | (29/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Land Girls: It's 1941. World War II continues to rage across Europe. The young men of England have been called to the front to fight. So back at home a new regiment is formed an army of England's young women who are dispatched across the countryside to pick up the slack known as 'The Land Girls'. Three beautiful women answer the call. Stella Ag and Prue arrive from their very different backgrounds at a remote farm in Dorset where they meet handsome and volatile Joe. An extraordinary story of tragedy and passion unfolds as the three girls form close friendships with each other and with Joe. The Land Girls is one of the most exhilarating films of recent years which is both hilarious and deeply moving. Charlotte Gray: Set in Nazi-occupied France at the height of World War II Charlotte Gray tells the compelling story of a young Scottish woman working with the French Resistance in the hope of rescuing her lover a missing RAF pilot. Emma's War: Australia 1942. The Japanese are bombing Sydney. Anne driven to the bottle by sheer terror of the war and the absence of her husband takes her two young children Emma and Laurel to begin a new and safe life in the mountains. The war that faces the family in the mountains is something else.....

• Wish You Were Here | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Set in Brighton in 1951, Wish You Were Here contrasts an England of post-war conformity with the free-spirited nature of a girl, Lynda, on the verge of womanhood, played by the then 17-year-old Emily Lloyd, giving one of the great screen debuts. Filled with youthful energy, good-natured yet delighting in shocking the prudish world around her, Lynda is innocently flirtatious and eager to discover sex. She can't quite understand why everyone disapproves so much, and the film expertly balances uproarious comedy with drama in what is essentially a complex character study. The second, darker half has shades of Lolita, with the excellent Tom Bell in the older man role, while Lynda herself in some ways anticipates Laura Dern's Rambling Rose (1991). Director David Leland also wrote the Brighton thriller, Mona Lisa (1986), and Personal Services (1987) based on the true story of the madam, Cynthia Payne. It is on Payne's own early memories, as told to Leland, that the fictional Wish You Were Here is partly based, while Leland went on to further explore female sexual awakening in The Land Girls (1997), again exploring female sexual awakening --Gary S. Dalkin

• Period Drama: The House Of Mirth, The Madness Of King George, Land Girls | DVD | (30/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  House Of MirthDirector Terence Davies' sumptuous adaptation of the Edith Wharton classic novel 'The House of Mirth' is a tragic love story set against a background of wealth and social hypocrisy in the turn of the century New York. The Madness Of King GeorgeIn 'The Madness of King George' George III (Nigel Hawthorne) begins to behave in an odd manner thirty years into his rule over England shouting obscenities at people spouting garbled rubbish and attacking his wife's young Mistress of the Robes Lady Pembroke (Amanda Donohoe). The Prince of Wales (Rupert Graves) is determined to see that his father is declared unfit to rule so he can become Regent and denies him access to those close to him. The Prime Minister is forced to intervene and sends his own doctor to help the King instead of the Prince's doctors and the King eventually begins to regain his sanity. Land GirlsIt's 1941. World War II continues to rage across Europe. The young men of England have been called to the front to fight. So back at home a new regiment is formed an army of England's young women who are dispatched across the countryside to pick up the slack known as 'The Land Girls'.

• Checking Out | DVD | (08/02/2010) from £8.98   |  Saving you £7.01 (78.06%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Checking Out