"Director: Rob Wilson"

• Spooks: Season 2 | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £13.24   |  Saving you £26.75 (202.04%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Revelling in its reputation for pulling no punches, the second series of the BBC's slick spy drama Spooks maintains the quality of its award-winning first year, serving up enough nail-biting moments of genuine tension to outweigh any concern that occasionally it courts controversy for no better reason than to cock a snook at the notoriously timid Auntie Beeb. The Islamic terrorist episode unsurprisingly received a great deal of negative publicity, but a show that prides itself on its contemporary edge could hardly ignore such an issue. Other episodes tackle computer hackers, Eastern European terrorists, Columbian drug cartels, inter-service territorial disputes with the CIA and even a mutiny in the army. One of the strongest episodes, set entirely within the sealed-off MI5 Section B department, tracks the team's individual reactions to what might be a drill, or a real and devastating VX gas attack. Throughout, this year focuses a great deal on the team's personal problems, notably Tom Quinn's chaotic love life, which ultimately brings his loyalty to the service into question. Cast changes introduce some new faces, while some old ones pop up in unwelcome places (Jenny Agutter relishing her new role as a villain). Pacy direction and snappy editing, generous use of slo-mo, split-screen and dramatic music all add to the tension inherent in scripts that bring a modern, youthful edge to the creaky old spy genre. Only the final episode resorts to some hackneyed plot contrivances in a rather strained bid to produce the now-obligatory cliffhanger. --Mark Walker

• Spooks: Season 1 | DVD | (16/06/2003) from £9.14   |  Saving you £20.85 (228.12%)   |  RRP £29.99

  John Le Carre for the internet generation, Spooks is a smart combination of TV cop show and George Smiley-esque espionage shenanigans that pulls no punches in its depiction of an MI5 team fighting a covert war on the streets of London. This is adult, post-watershed drama clearly inspired by the hard-hitting reality style of US shows such as 24 and The Sopranos. The strong ensemble cast is led by charismatic Matthew MacFadyen as Tom Quinn, star spy of "Section B", the counter-terrorism branch headed by Harry Pearce (Peter Firth). Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo and tough-cookie Jenny Agutter make up the team. And as with its British predecessors, Cracker and Prime Suspect, Spooks also delves fearlessly into the characters' turbulent personal lives, here given an added twist by their constant need to deceive even those they love. The six episodes of the BAFTA Award-winning Series 1 tackle a variety of tough issues, including religious fanaticism, racism, governmental cover-ups and, naturally enough, the lingering shadow of Irish terrorism. Throughout, the show strikes a fine balance between a James Bondian techno-obsession with spy gadgets and more character-based action, with crisp writing and pacey direction that ratchets up the tension a notch further with every episode. The final cliffhanger is an unforgettable TV moment, and one that leaves viewers agog for Series 2. On the DVD: Spooks, Series 1 is cleverly presented in a three-disc set with specially filmed "cut scenes" instead of a standard menu: interact with the mysterious office intruder to select the different options: interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, deleted scenes, character profiles, audio commentaries and more. It's a neat idea, though one that may outstay its welcome after repeated viewings; fortunately it's possible to skip the opening sequence using the chapter forward button and move directly to the main "desk menu". --Mark Walker

• Best Of The 80s Collection | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  This Box Set contains the following films: Karate Kid A fatherless teenager faces his moment of truth in The Karate Kid. Daniel (Ralph Macchio) arrives in Los Angeles from the East Coast and faces the difficult task of making new friends. However he becomes the object of bullying by the Cobras a menacing gang of karate students when he strikes up a relationship with Ali (Elisabeth Shue) the Cobra leader's ex-girlfriend. Eager to fight back and impress his new girlfriend but afraid to confront the dangerous gang Daniel asks his handyman Miyagi (Noriyuki ""Pat"" Morita) whom he learns is a master of the martial arts to teach him karate. Miyagi teaches Daniel that karate is a mastery over the self - mind and body - and that fighting is always the last answer to a problem. Under Miyagi's guidance Daniel develops not only physical skills but also the faith and self-confidence to compete despite tremendous odds as he encounters the fight of his life in the exciting finale to this entertaining film. Tootsie Michael Dorsey is fine actor but an irreproachable perfectionist who can hardly make ends meet; the best he can do for his wallet is take on a couple of jobs as a part-time drama coach and a part-time waiter. But when with the help of a few accessories (including rouge and a padded bra) he transforms himself into Dorothy Michaels everything changes. Dorothy lands a hot job on a soap opera monopolizes the covers of glossy magazines and wins thousands of adoring fans. But when he falls head-over-heels for his co-star Julie (Jessica Lange) he's got a real problem: How can he tell Julie he loves her when she thinks he's a she? Michael desperate to relinquish his disguise proceeds as a she and endures a battle with his agent played by Pollack who refuses to end his contract with the soap; a fight with his best friend who is a woman; unwanted sexual advances from a fellow soap actor; and sweet affections from Julie's father. St.Elmo's Fire Billy: life has changed since school but has Billy noticed? Wendy: respectable hardworking and a virgin. Daddy says ""marry a nice boy"" but she has other ideas! Alec: success wealth and a wife. He knows what he wants but can he have it? Kevin: what's his secret? Scared of Women? Gay? Or is it something that'll really shock his best friend? Jules: life is one high-powered party. Sex drugs and really pushing life to the limit. Leslie: she loves her work and she loves her boyfriend...but work's less trouble! Kirbo: a romantic wrestling with reality chasing the girl of his dreams. The Secret Of My Success Can a kid from Kansas come to New York to conquer the business world and maneuver his way from the mailroom to the boardroom in a matter of weeks? Michael J. Fox proves it can be done in this very funny lampoon of corporate business life. Fresh out of college he's determined to climb New York's corporate ladder in record time by masquerading as a

• Gluck - Alceste (Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir) | DVD | (24/11/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  When the historic Theatre du Chatelet in Paris re-opened after a period of extensive refurbishment the first two productions mounted in the theatre were Gluck''s Alceste and Orph''e et Eurydice. Both operas were sung in their French versions and were mounted and designed by Robert Wilson and conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. This was the first time Wilson and Gardiner had collaborated and their individual credentials combined to produce an exceptional result. American polymath Wilson was responsible for some of the most ambitious avant-garde performance projects of the 1970s and 80s.Since the mid-1980s he has increasingly brought his prodigious creativity to works fiom the standard dramatic and operatic repertoire transforming them into his own unmistakably minimalist yet grandiose visions. His styled classical interpretations of Alceste and Orph''e bear his trademarks of an uncluttered stage and the arresting use of colour and light. They are not so much timeless as in Robert Wilson''s words ''full of time''. With their minutely rehearsed gestures at once formal and poetic the singers have the grace and elegance of Balanchine or Martha Graham dancers. A key figure in the revival of Early Music John Eliot Gardiner has long been a champion of Gluck''s French operas and is a great Gluck conductor. He received enormous critical acclaim for his musical direction of both Orph''e and Alceste at the Chatelet as did his orchestras and chorus. He sought to rid the operas of any vestiges of remoteness or venerable respectability and to release the huge emotional charge that lies behind the beauty of Gluck''s classical sobriety. The stories are after all he says not only poignant and deeply moving they have an immediate and contemporary relevance: they portray two married couples striving to protect their union and their love plumbing the very depths of their emotional strength and summoning the courage to make huge personal sacrifices. ''If presented in a way that''s immediate and with tremendous intensity and truth of expression then all the dross and superficiality of the stage action falls away and you''re left with what''s actually a very visceral connection between two living people.'' Television''s top opera director Brian Large worked closely with Robert Wilson and John Eliot Gardiner to ensure that the translation of live performance to the small screen is of the highest artistic and techcal standard. John Eliot Gardiner chose Gluck''s 1776 French version of Alceste for Robert Wilson''s production conducting the piece for the first time with his period-instrument ensemble the English Baroque Soloists. The excellent Monteverdi Choir provides the chorus and unusually they sing fiom the pit with dancers taking their place on stage. They give magnificently persuasive expression to the horror and compassion demanded by the drama. The 'Greek geometric perfection of Robert Wilson''s various tableaux is beautifully realised with his eye for striking theatrical symbol creating an intriguing visual arena for one of Gluck''s most elevated and sublime works. Soprano Anne Sofie von Otter one of the finest singers of her generation takes the title role of Alceste Queen of Thessaly who offers to die at the hands of the gods in place of her husband Admete (Paul Groves) so that the people will not lose their king. To universal astonishment she is saved from the Underworld by Hercule (Dietrich Henschel) whose action is sanctioned by Apollon (Ludovic T''zier) in a dramatic deus ex machina.

• Gluck - Orphee Et Eurydice (Gardiner) | DVD | (24/11/2008) from £7.32   |  Saving you £2.93 (48.35%)   |  RRP £8.99

  When the historic Theatre du Chatelet in Paris re-opened after a period of extensive refurbishment the first two productions mounted in the theatre were Gluck''s Alceste and Orph''e et Eurydice. Both operas were sung in their French versions and were mounted and designed by Robert Wilson and conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. This was the first time Wilson and Gardiner had collaborated and their individual credentials combined to produce an exceptional result. American polymath Wilson was responsible for some of the most ambitious avant-garde performance projects of the 1970s and 80s.Since the mid-1980s he has increasingly brought his prodigious creativity to works fiom the standard dramatic and operatic repertoire transforming them into his own unmistakably minimalist yet grandiose visions. His styled classical interpretations of Alceste and Orph''e bear his trademarks of an uncluttered stage and the arresting use of colour and light. They are not so much timeless as in Robert Wilson''s words ''full of time''. With their minutely rehearsed gestures at once formal and poetic the singers have the grace and elegance of Balanchine or Martha Graham dancers. A key figure in the revival of Early Music John Eliot Gardiner has long been a champion of Gluck''s French operas and is a great Gluck conductor. He received enormous critical acclaim for his musical direction of both Orph''e and Alceste at the Chatelet as did his orchestras and chorus. He sought to rid the operas of any vestiges of remoteness or venerable respectability and to release the huge emotional charge that lies behind the beauty of Gluck''s classical sobriety. The stories are after all he says not only poignant and deeply moving they have an immediate and contemporary relevance: they portray two married couples striving to protect their union and their love plumbing the very depths of their emotional strength and summoning the courage to make huge personal sacrifices. ''If presented in a way that''s immediate and with tremendous intensity and truth of expression then all the dross and superficiality of the stage action falls away and you''re left with what''s actually a very visceral connection between two living people.'' Television''s top opera director Brian Large worked closely with Robert Wilson and John Eliot Gardiner to ensure that the translation of live performance to the small screen is of the highest artistic and techcal standard. John Eliot Gardiner chose to use Berlioz''s 1859 revision of Orphee which adapted the tenor role of Gluck''s 1774 score for the contralto voice of Pauline Viardot adjusting the register for a mezzo-soprano. Underlining his preference for this version he performed the opera with the nineteenth-century period instruments of his Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique. His regular chorus the Monteverdi Choir excelled vocally and dramatically in its elegant contribution to the drama. The Greek legend of Orpheus has captured the imaginations of many creative artists over the centuries. In this recording Magdalena Kozena brings to the role expressiveness exceptional virtuosity and a rare emotion. Madeline Bender as Eurydice is possessed of a touching grace and beauty while Patricia Petibon is deliciously mischievous as Amour. All three of these young singers are among the cream of a new generation of operatic talent.

• Dead Mary | DVD | (03/03/2008) from £4.49   |  Saving you £8.50 (65.40%)   |  RRP £12.99

  They were dying to meet her.... For Kim it was supposed to be the perfect reunion and weekend getaway. She and her best friends drive to a remote lakeside cabin to reminisce about their college days. When the group decides to play the goulish game 'Dead Mary' they mistakenly unleash a vengeful spirit that possesses them one by one. As the demon forces them to turn on one another each is faced with a choice : Would you hack your best friend to pieces to ensure you own survival?

• I Declare War | DVD | (30/06/2014) from £7.48   |  Saving you £8.51 (53.20%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Armed with nothing more than twigs, their imaginations and a simple set of rules, a group of 12-year-olds engaged in a lively game of Capture the Flag in the neighborhood woods start dangerously blurring the lines between make-believe and reality. Paint-filled balloons = Grenades. Trees = Control towers. Sticks = Sub-machine guns. The youthful innocence of the game gradually takes on a different tone as the quest for victory pushes the boundaries of friendship. The would-be warriors get a sea...

• Madama Butterfly - Puccini | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £25.65   |  Saving you £4.34 (16.92%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Robert Wilson's pure and highly stylized 2003 production enhances the timeless beauty of Puccini's moving Japanese tragedy. Cheryl Barker and Martin Thompson lead an inspired cast in a highly charged recording from the Amsterdam Muziektheater with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by a masterful and passionate Edo de Waart.

• Aida - Verdi | DVD | (29/05/2006) from £4.99   |  Saving you £25.00 (501.00%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Verdi: Aida (Ono De Munt La Monnaie)

• Birds Of Norfolk: A Bird Watch | DVD | (04/02/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  ‘Birds of Norfolk’ is one of the most beautiful films available from one of the world’s most diverse natural habitats. Norfolk has an amazing array of wildlife and in this wonderful film, nature photographers, Rob and Jill Wilson, show over 100 species of birds including the Bittern, Black-winged Stilt, Spoonbill, White-crowned Sparrow, Marsh Harrier and the Slender-billed Gull. Narrated by Kevan Brighting, we discover the relaxing scenes of rural Norfolk with the amazing diversity of habitats, harbours, grazing marshes, bluebell woods, rivers and saltwater lagoons. Other wildlife found within Norfolk are also presented such as the seals at Waxham Beach, adders on the heath and dragonflies in the reed beds. In short, this film is a stunning, visual delight for all bird watching and nature enthusiasts. Journey through one of the world's most beautiful natural habitats, featuring over 100 species of birds and an abundance of wildlife.