Drama

• It Came From Beneath The Sea | DVD | (16/06/2003) from £24.51   |  Saving you £-11.52 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  It Came from Beneath the Sea appeared two years after Ray Harryhausen unleashed The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms upon New York City. This time the master special-effects creator turned loose a giant (albeit six-armed) octopus on San Francisco, and the result is another enjoyable atom-age adventure that should please fans of vintage science fiction. Kenneth Tobey, who battled The Thing (From Another World) in 1951, stars as a Navy captain pursuing a monstrous octopoid (sextapoid?) after it attacks his atomic sub. After it wreaks havoc with shipping lanes, he tracks the creature to San Francisco for a final showdown. Scripting by George Worthing Yates (Them) and Hal Smith and direction by Robert Gordon are perfunctory at best, which gives the always-reliable Tobey and costar Faith Domergue little to do, but this is Harryhausen's show, and his monster, though the budget was restrained, is still impressive. Younger audiences weaned on digital FX may find this creaky, but nostalgic viewers will enjoy its simple thrills. --Paul Gaita

• Babel | Blu Ray | (03/11/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Four separate groups of strangers on three different continents collide in this multi-stranded drama.

• Prophet Of Evil | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £8.98   |  Saving you £-2.99 (-49.90%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The true story of Ervil LeBaron a fanatical cult leader who ordered the death of anyone who dared to challenge his beliefs. Investigator Dan Fields is determined to bring this figure of pure evil to justice even with a price on his own head...

• The Silent Partner (Special Edition) | Blu Ray | (18/06/2019) from £37.10   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Europeans | DVD | (17/03/2008) from £5.85   |  Saving you £10.14 (173.33%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In 1850 a few miles outside Boston the household of the dour Mr. Wentworth receives two unannounced visitors from Europe Eugenia and Felix the daughter and son of his half sister. Gertrude one of Wentworth's two daughters is instantly infatuated with her cousins and trouble brews...

• The Ark | DVD | (06/04/2015) from £14.48   |  Saving you £5.50 (44.04%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Written by Tony Jordan (Hustle The Nativity) this film is a unique retelling of the biblical story of Noah and the ark. Noah a farmer and family man is instructed by an angel to build an ark in the middle of a desert in order to save his family and the faithful from a devastating flood – a seemingly impossible task especially when his sons refuse to believe him and lend their help. Noah risks ridicule from his loving but exasperated family and humiliation from the degenerate townsfolk in his quest to carry out his God-given task. Boasting a stellar cast that includes David Threlfall (Shameless (UK)) Joanne Whalley (The Borgias) Nico Mirallegro (Common) and Ashley Walters (Get Rich or Die Tryin’) The Ark is a timeless tale a story of family one man’s faith and his fixation with building an ark that may ultimately save both his family and mankind.

• Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired | DVD | (18/10/2010) from £10.69   |  Saving you £4.30 (28.70%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Reopening a case that has inspired curiosity controversy and confusion for over three decades Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is an extensive exploration of the circumstances that led up to Polanski's conviction for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Unearthing a trove of telling footage from the past and combining it with insightful interviews from today she brings comprehension and clarity to events long clouded by myth and misconception. A thrilling examination of a case that became the prototype for innumerable Hollywood courtroom scandals to follow the film becomes a brilliant discourse on the attraction/ repulsion that defines celebrity culture in contemporary America.

• Fame Is The Spur | DVD | (14/07/2014) from £6.49   |  Saving you £6.50 (100.15%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Michael Redgrave and Rosamund John star in this passionate and bittersweet story of one couple's fight for social justice in Britain. Growing up in a deprived North of England mill town in the 1870's young Hamer Radshaw (Michael Redgrave) experiences the suffering of the working classes first hand. During these early years Hamer learns the story of the 1819 massacre at Peterloo and begins his involvement in the new wave of radicalism sweeping the North. Radshaw succeeds in becoming one of the first MP’s for the newly formed Labour party. His wife Ann (Rosamund John) stands by her man in the early stages of his fledgling political career - until a tragedy during a miner's strike begins to weaken Radshaw's political convictions. As he becomes part of the Establishment he once fought so hard against the issue of Women's Suffrage threatens to their relationship apart when Ann’s own campaigning threatens Radshaw's growing reputation amongst the political class. Allegedly based on the life of Ramsay MacDonald 'Fame is the Spur' remains one of the Boulting Brothers' finest dramatic works and a major achievement in British cinema.

• A Soldier's Story | DVD | (04/10/2010) from £6.73   |  Saving you £-0.74 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Charles Fuller adapted his Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play for the big screen in 1984. The film version, A Soldier's Story is essentially a murder mystery, played out against a background of inter and intra-racial conflict at a Second World War training camp. To the consternation of his white opposite number at the camp, a black captain (Howard W Rollins) arrives to investigate the death of a black sergeant (Adolph Caesar). Suspicion immediately falls on a pair of bigoted white officers but as the tale unfolds in a series of flashbacks, it soon becomes clear that a different kind of prejudice is also at work. Assisted by some excellent performances, director Norman Jewison opens the story out from its stage roots. There's a wonderful baseball scene (filmed on location at Little Rock) in which the double standards of Dennis Lipscomb's fidgety white captain are exposed with neat irony; he'll cheer his successful black team all the way home in the name of sport. His gradual, forced liberalisation provides the film with an important comic element. A Soldier's Story wears its heart on its sleeve without being superficial in any way. It's a compelling tale, well told and often highly entertaining, in which nobody gets off lightly, least of all the good guy. On the DVD: The widescreen presentation helps give an epic feel to what could, in other hands, have been a claustrophobic production. The picture quality is fine. But the monaural sound track is often rather muffled, leaving you straining to catch some of the dialogue. This is also a shame because the blues music--an inspired job by Herbie Hancock, assisted by Patti Labelle singing her lungs out as bar owner Big Mary--is an important element of the film's underlying theme and deserves to be better heard. The extras are valuable. Norman Jewison's commentary is detailed and sensitive. As he says, the film deals with "ideas in racism never seen on screen before", and he acknowledges the strength of his actors in getting those ideas across. "March to Freedom" is an excellent short documentary which features the moving testimonies of black servicemen on the insufferable prejudices they encountered while attempting to defend their country during the Second World War; A Soldier's Story is thus put sharply into context. --Piers Ford

• Larry Crowne | Blu Ray | (14/11/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  After losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.

• Starting Out in the Evening | DVD | (18/02/2013) from £13.79   |  Saving you £2.20 (15.95%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Battling illness and unable to finish a novel that has taken him ten years to write, aging novelist Leonard Schiller is slipping into literary obscurity. Formerly a famous author, Schiller has been all but forgotten by the readers, colleagues and critics who once praised him. But when Heather Wolfe, an ambitious graduate student, convinces Schiller that her thesis could reintroduce his writing to the world, the reclusive writer is forced to confront his past regrets. Frank Langella delivers a career-capping performance as a man who must redefine his work - and his perceptions - in the twilight of his life.

• Valentine's Day | Blu Ray | (12/07/2010) from £8.49   |  Saving you £16.50 (194.35%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A love story. More or less.Valentine's Day follows the intertwining storylines of a group of Los Angelinos as they find their way through romance over the course of one Valentine's Day.Directed by veteran film maker Garry Marshall, the film features a star studded ensemble cast.

• A Very British Gangster | DVD | (31/03/2008) from £6.11   |  Saving you £9.88 (61.80%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A documentary about one of Britain's most dangerous crime families that introduces us to its magnetic, larger-than-life leader, Dominic Noonan.

• Another Woman | DVD | (19/08/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  ""Two Thumbs Up! I Was Mesmerized From Beginning To End!"" -Roger Ebert ""Siskel and Ebert"" Writer/director Woody Allen delivers a powerful ""searing adult drama"" (Leonard Maltin) examining the life of an accomplished philosophy professor teetering on the brink of self-understanding. Boasting a superb cast led by Gena Rowlands Mia Farrow Ian Holm and Gene Hackman Another Woman is Allen's 17th triumphant film. Stylistically rich and technically expert the film layers past and pres

• Heat and Dust (the Merchant Ivory Collection) | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The passion violence mystery and beauty of India are rapturously evoked in Merchant Ivory Productions' acclaimed 'Heat And Dust' based on the novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala the Oscar winning screenwriter and novelist. Blending east with west and moving effortlessly between the vibrant world of modern-day India and the magnificent splendours of the Raj 'Heat And Dust' intertwines the contemporary story of Anne a young woman drawn to India by her desire to unravel the scandal surrounding her great-aunt Olivia's seduction in the 1920's by a glamorous Indian Prince. For Anne it proves as much a journey of self-discovery as the opportunity to solve an enigma as she too becomes seduced by the romantic and luxurious enchantments of India.

• L'Enfer | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Paul and Nelly have what appears to be the perfect life; happily married a wonderful son and a successful business in their idyllic lakeside hotel. For Paul it all seems too perfect and he begins to suspect his wife of having an affair. Tormented by nightmares and visions his paranoia soon threatens Nelly as his jealousy descends into madness...

• The Queen (Diamond Jubilee Edition) | Blu Ray | (28/05/2012) from £8.95   |  Saving you £4.04 (45.14%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Following the death of Diana the 'People's Princess', the Queen (Helen Mirren) and her family remain hidden behind tradition and the closed doors of Balmoral Castle. Whilst the heartbroken public becomes disillusioned with their Queen's absence, an increasingly popular Prime Minister, Tony Blair, must battle to convince the monarchy that its desire for privacy could lead to its ultimate downfall. With an outstanding performance from Helen Mirren, The Queen is Director Stephen Frears' engrossing, intimate and intelligently witty portrait of our monarchy's darkest days in the week following one of the nation's greatest tragedies. Special Features: Making of Documentary Feature commentary by Director Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan Production Photography Gallery Feature Audio Description

• Brotherhood | DVD | (26/06/2006) from £5.87   |  Saving you £4.12 (70.19%)   |  RRP £9.99

  One country. One family... divided by war. Seoul: 1950. Jin-seok (Won Bin) and his older brother Jin-tae (Jang Dong-kun) run through the streets of their hometown without a care in the world. They have clothes on their backs food on the table and a loving family. The brothers live with their mother their much younger siblings and Jin-tae's soon-to-be wife Young-shin (Lee Eun-joo). This tranquil existence is shattered when war breaks out. North Korea has invaded and the family is forced to abandon their home. While making the way to safer grounds soldiers arrive and take Jin-seok into custody. All men capable of carrying arms must report for duty; Jin-tae tries to free his brother but he too is captured and both siblings suddenly find themselves on an army train heading straight to the war's front line. With Southern forces failing to hold the Communist North's advance Jin-tae organises a tight-knit group of conscripts and orchestrates a daring isolated attack. Earning the respect of the men and his superiors with each increasingly suicidal mission Jin-tae is promised to be awarded the Medal Of Honour that will enable him to demand Jin-seok be sent home... Following his enormous breakout success with Shiri a film that allowed South Korean audiences to approach the subject of their northern neighbour Kang Je-gyu marshalled the biggest and most expensive project in Korean film history. By turns tragic hopfeul and yet still horrifying Brotherhood is a blistering treatment of the Korean War. Drawing comparisons to Saving Private Ryan due to its de-saturated colour palette step-printing editing during battle scenes and themes of duty-bound familial honour the film showcasing the penultimate performance of outstanding actress Lee Eun-joo who died shortly after production ended will resonate with viewers all over the world.

• Deep End | DVD | (22/06/2015) from £9.98   |  Saving you £11.00 (157.37%)   |  RRP £17.99

  15-year-old Mike takes a job at the local swimming baths, where he becomes obsessed with an attractive young woman, Susan, who works there as an attendant.

• Leslie, My Name Is Evil | DVD | (09/08/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A straight-laced chemist begins questioning society's standards and confronting his own darkest desires after falling for the all-American homecoming queen who joined a hippie death cult and made headlines for her murderous exploits. Perry (Gregory Smith) is your typical God-fearing American: a diligent academic who landed a good job at a chemical company before proposing to his Christian girlfriend Dorothy (Kristin Adams) he always did right by the Lord and his parents. But while Perry was always fortunate in life Leslie was irreparably damaged by her parents' divorce an abortion and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Following Timothy Leary's advice to 'tune in turn on and drop out' the former cheerleader joined up with charismatic cult leader Charles Manson and helped his gang slaughter an upstanding citizen in her own home. Now Perry has been chosen to serve on the jury that will decide Leslie's fate. The moment Perry and Leslie lock eyes in the courtroom the sheltered chemist is hopelessly smitten. Could their wildly divergent paths somehow converge? The more Perry learns about Leslie the stronger his infatuation grows and the more he begins to question the rules that society has imposed on them both.