"Director: Mimi Leder"

• Pay It Forward | DVD | (30/07/2001) from £4.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (180.36%)   |  RRP £13.99

  A high school kid comes up with a simple idea that could change the world; instead of paying back an act of kindness he suggests everyone simply pay it forward by helping a stranger in return. Starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osmet.

• Deep Impact - Special Edition | DVD | (02/07/2006) from £6.08   |  Saving you £13.91 (228.78%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Fourteen-year-old Leo Beiderman (Elijah Wood) did not expect to make an earth-shattering discovery when he joined his high school astronomy club. He didn't expect to make any discoveries at all; he simply hoped that classmate Sarah Hotchner (Leelee Sobieski) would discover him. Yet a photograph he takes through his small telescope makes him co-discoverer of Comet Wolf-Beiderman...a comet that scientists determine is on a fatal collision course with the Earth. What would you do if you

• Deep Impact | DVD | (27/11/2000) from £9.17   |  Saving you £12.08 (152.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A great big rock hits the earth, and lots of people die. That's pretty much all there is to Deep Impact, and most of that was in the trailer. Can a major Hollywood movie really squeak by with such a slender excuse for a premise? The old disaster-movie king, cheese-meister Irwin Allen (The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake), would have made a kitsch classic out of this, with Charlton Heston, rather than a resigned and mumbly Robert Duvall, as the veteran astronaut who risks several lives trying to blow up the comet that's headed right this way! As stiffly directed by Mimi Leder, this thick slice of ham errs on the side of solemnity. It may be the most earnest end-of-the-world picture since Stanley Kramer's atomic-doom drama On the Beach. There are a couple of classic melodramatic flourishes: an estranged father and daughter who share a tearful reconciliation as a Godzilla-sized tidal wave looms on the horizon; and an astronaut, communicating on video with his loved ones back on Earth, who follows whispered instructions from a buddy lurking just off camera--so that his little girl won't realise that he's been struck blind. Deep Impact stars Morgan Freeman as the president of the United States. --David Chute

• Peacemaker, The | DVD | (02/07/2006) from £5.83   |  Saving you £14.16 (242.88%)   |  RRP £19.99

  It seems that thrillers these days--even good ones--are all about scene-chewing bad guys, cute retorts fit for the Dennis Miller show and one big special effect to end the movie. Well, something like The Peacemaker, the first feature film from DreamWorks, puts the record straight. Here is an expertly paced thriller with a sensible villain, smart instead of cute dialogue, and a focus on action instead of special effects. It's not original, just solid. It's the second of these energetic and effective thrillers that writer Michael Schiffer (Crimson Tide) has penned. The White House Nuclear Smuggling Group tracks down 10 stolen nuclear bombs after a suspicious train wreck in Russia. The acting head of the department (Nicole Kidman) and her military field officer (George Clooney) are off to Europe to track down the bombs. Instead of a Gary Oldman-Bruce Dern madman, The Peacemaker's heavy is an unknown Romanian actor (Marcul Iures) playing a Bosnian rebel who works passionately and quietly. This may be a popcorn movie, but it uses the ripe emotions of the Bosnian War to create tension. This is the best film vehicle yet for the overwhelming charisma of George Clooney as a quick-witted, generally warm Oliver North type who will seek deadly vengeance without pause. He's matched very well by the professional polish of Nicole Kidman who is showing great flexibility in dividing her roles between serious and fun fare. --Doug ThomasOn the DVD: Extras are pretty minimal, with just two very brief featurettes. The first has director Mimi Leder talking about her two stars in between blooper reel outtakes; the second has some behind-the-scenes footage of two stunt sequences, the Viennese car chase and the New York street chase (the latter of which shows George Clooney doing all his own running). Two theatrical trailers complete the package. The feature itself is well presented in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1.with the choice of English or German language options. --Mark Walker

• Deep Impact | Blu Ray | (01/02/2010) from £8.95   |  Saving you £11.04 (123.35%)   |  RRP £19.99

  What would you do if you knew that in a handful of days an enormous comet would collide with Earth and all humanity could be annihilated? Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker) directs guiding an all-star cast featuring Robert Duvall Tea Leoni Elijah Wood Vanessa Redgrave Maximilian Schell and Morgan Freeman. With the film's dynamic fusion of large-scale excitement and touching human-scale storylines Deep Impact makes its impact felt in a big and unforgettable way.

• The Core/Deep Impact | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £9.70   |  Saving you £-1.71 (-21.40%)   |  RRP £7.99

  The Core: After a geophysicist discovers that the Earth's inner core has stopped rotating an elite team of specialists has one last chance to save the world-by journeying into the centre of the Earth! Deep Impact: Fourteen-year-old Leo Beiderman (Elijah Wood) did not expect to make an earth-shattering discovery when he joined his high school astronomy club. He didn't expect to make any discoveries at all; he simply hoped that classmate Sarah Hotchner (Leelee Sobieski) would discover him. Yet a photograph he takes through his small telescope makes him co-discoverer of Comet Wolf-Beiderman...a comet that scientists determine is on a fatal collision course with the Earth. What would you do if you knew that in a handful of days an enormous comet would collide with Earth and all humanity could be annihilated?

• Thick As Thieves | DVD | (16/02/2009) from £10.30   |  Saving you £5.69 (55.24%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Thick As Thieves (aka The Code)

• Shooter/Peacemaker/Four Brothers | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £8.97   |  Saving you £7.02 (78.26%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Set Comprises: Shooter (2007): 'Shooter' is an action-packed thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as Bob Lee Swagger a former Army sniper who leaves the military after a mission goes bad. After he is reluctantly pressed back into service Swagger is double-crossed again. With two bullets in him and the subject of a nationwide manhunt Swagger begins his revenge which will take down the most powerful people in the country. The Peacemaker (1997): When a train carrying atomic warheads mysteriously crashes in the former Soviet Union brilliant US nuclear specialist Dr. Julia Kelly discovers the accident is really part of a diabolical plot to cover up the theft of these weapons. Assigned to help her recover the explosives is crack Special Forces Colonel Thomas Devoe whose brash take-no-prisoners style clashes with Kelly's more diplomatic approach. Putting aside their personal differences - and their budding romance - together they race against time and as they track the last remaining warhead to the steps of the United Nations in this taut apocalyptic thriller from director Mimi Leder. Four Brothers (2005): When their beloved foster mother is killed in a holdup four tough brothers reunite in their old Detroit neighbourhood with revenge on their minds. Mark Wahlberg plays the brawl-hungry leader Bobby. His brother Angel (Tyrese Gibson) is a rowdy sailor with a high-strung Latina girlfriend (Sofia Vergara). Garrett Hedlun plays the young rock and roller of the clan. And Outkast's Andre - 3000 - Benjamin is the family man whose tenuous mob connection may link him to the killers. Director John Singleton ably blends his action skills (Shaft 2 Fast 2 Furious) and his gift for capturing the warm heart at the centre of violent urban masculinity (Boyz In The Hood) to create a cooked-to-perfection gangster stew. A soundtrack jammed with 1970s Motown classics roots everything firmly in the gritty tradition of the best of that decade's blaxploitation and urban revenge thrillers. Action highlights include a skidding car chase through snowy streets some rough street hockey and a bullet-intensive neighbourhood shoot-out. With its talented likeable cast clever plotting and sharp dialogue this is a real crowd-pleaser that nonetheless doesn't shy away from depictions of street violence. There's not an ounce of fat on it no extraneous romance and no going straight at the end. Terrence Howard (Hustle And Flow) is the well-meaning but ineffectual detective who tries to put a lid on the boys' rebelliousness. The spirits of Dirty Harry and Charles Bronson would be proud and action fans will be well pleased.

• Thick As Thieves | Blu Ray | (16/02/2009) from £17.82   |  Saving you £10.16 (68.51%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Thick As Thieves (Aka.The Code)

• Dante's Peak / Twister / Deep Impact | DVD | (24/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Dante's Peak (Dir. Roger Donaldson 1997): Without warning day becomes night. Air turns to fire and solid ground gives way to white-hot molten terror. Brace yourself for action-packed earth shaking thrills and whatever you do... don't look back. Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton star in an epic adventure from Director Roger Doaldson that will blow you away! Erupting with spectacular special effects heart-pounding suspense romance and remarkable characters Dante's Peak is a blast! Twister (Dir. Jan De Bont 1996): The house rips apart piece by piece. A bellowing cow spins through the air. Tractors fall like rain. A 15 000-pound gasoline tanker becomes an airborne bomb. A mile-wide 300 mile-per-hour force of total devastation is coming at you: Twister is hitting home. In this adventure swirling with cliffhanging excitement and awesome special effects Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play scientists pursuing the most destructive weatherfront to seep through mid America's Tornado Alley in 50 years. By launching electronic sensors into the funnel the storm chasers hope to obtain enough data to create an improved warning system. In order to do so they must place themselves in the twisters' deadly path... Deep Impact (Dir. Mimi Leder 1998): What would you do if you knew that in a handful of days an enormous comet would collide with Earth and all humanity could be annihilated? Mimi Leder directs guiding an all-star cast featuring Robert Duvall Tea Leoni Elijah Wood Vanessa Redgrave Maximilian Schell and Morgan Freeman. With the film's dynamic fusion of large-scale excitement and touching human-scale storylines Deep Impact makes its impact felt in a big and unforgettable way.

• George Clooney | DVD | (13/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A collection of great movies featuring the ruggedly suave George Clooney! The Peacemaker: (Dir. Mimi Leder 1997) When a train carrying atomic warheads mysteriously crashes in the former Soviet Union brilliant US nuclear specialist Dr. Julia Kelly discovers the accident is really part of a diabolical plot to cover up the theft of these weapons. Assigned to help her recover the explosives is crack Special Forces Colonel Thomas Devoe whose brash take-no-prisoners style clashes with Kelly's more diplomatic approach. Putting aside their personal differences - and their budding romance - together they race against time and as they track the last remaining warhead to the steps of the United Nations in this taut apocalyptic thriller from director Mimi Leder. Out Of Sight: (Dir. Steven Soderbergh 1998) Meet Jack Foley (George Clooney) the most successful bank robber in the country. On the day he busts out of jail he finds himself stealing something far more precious than money: Karen Sisco's (Jennifer Lopez) heart. She's smart sexy and unfortunately for Jack she's a Federal Marshal. Now they're willing to risk it all to find out if there's more between them than just the law... Intolerable Cruelty: (Dir. Joel Coen 2003) From the Coen brothers comes this witty sharp comedy about a man who wins in court and courts to win! Divorce attorney Miles Massey has got it all. Serial gold-digger Marilyn Rexroth wants it all. A hilarious battle of deceit and cunning ensues when Miles falls for Marilyn with each one trying to outsmart the other. Underhand tactics deceptions and an undeniable attraction escalate as Marilyn and Miles square off in this classic battle of the sexes...

• Green Mile, The / Pay It Forward / Proof Of Life | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £40.99

  The book was better" has been the complaint of many a reader since the invention of movies. Frank Darabont's second adaptation of a Stephen King prison drama The Green Mile (The Shawshank Redemption was the first) is a very faithful adaptation of King's serial novel. In the middle of the Depression, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) runs death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Into this dreary world walks a mammoth prisoner, John Coffey (Michael Duncan) who, very slowly, reveals a special gift that will change the men working and dying on the mile. With Darabont's superior storytelling abilities, his touch for perfect casting, and a leisurely 188-minute running time, his movie brings to life nearly every character and scene from the novel. Darabont even improves the novel's two endings, creating a more emotionally satisfying experience. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.comPay It Forward is a multi-level marketing scheme of the heart. Beginning as a seventh-grade class assignment to put into action an idea that could change the world, young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people who then by way of payment each must do good turns for three other people. These nine people also must pay it forward and so on, ad infinitum. If successful, the resulting network of do-gooders ought to comprise the entire world. While this could have turned into unmitigated schmaltz, the acting elevates this film to mitigated schmaltz. By turns powerful and measured, the performances of Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment can't make up for the many missteps in a screenplay that sanitises the look of the lower-middle class and expects us to believe that homeless alcoholics and junkies speak in the elevated manner of grad students. One may wonder how it would have been handled by the likes of Frank Capra, who could balance sentiment with humour, clearly Capra would never have let the ending of his version to take the nosedive into cliché and pathos that director Mimi Leder has allowed in this film. --Jim Gay, Amazon.comWhen someone in Proof of Life says "Don't leave me hanging", you can bet they're going to be left hanging. There's little room for delicacy in Tony Gilroy's screenplay, adapted from an article by William Prochnau and the book Long March to Freedom by kidnapping survivor Thomas Hargrove. A hint of romance between Russell Crowe (the soldier-turned-"K&R") and Meg Ryan adds tension as the story shifts back and forth to David Morse's captivity. Avoiding that pitfall, director Taylor Hackford crafts the plot as a latter-day Casablanca that unfolds on a grander canvas (at stunning locations in Ecuador) while favouring an exciting rescue-mission climax over the tragedy of an ill-timed affair. It might have worked better as a straightforward macho action flick (with David Caruso doing lively work as Crowe's gung-ho K&R cohort), but Proof of Life effectively conveys the two-sided torment of a hostage crisis. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com