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Review MGM Entertainment / The Spy Who Loved Me [1977]
Actors & Directors
  • Richard Kiel
  • Roger Moore
  • Caroline Munro
  • Curd Jürgens
  • Lewis Gilbert
  • Barbara Bach
Release date: 2003-11-03
Run time: 120 min.
Creator: Richard Maibaum
RRP: £9.99
Price: £3.99

Review The Spy Who Loved Me [1977] / MGM Entertainment:

The best of the James Bond adventures starring Roger Moore as tuxedoed Agent 007, this globe-trotting thriller introduced the steel-toothed Jaws (played by seven-foot-two-inch-tall actor Richard Kiel) as one of the most memorable and indestructible Bond villains. Jaws is so tenacious, in fact, that Moore looks genuinely frightened, and that adds to the abundant fun. This time Bond teams up with yet another lovely Russian agent (Barbara Bach) to track a pair of nuclear submarines that the nefarious Stromberg (Curt Jürgens) plans to use in his plot to start World War III. Featuring lavish sets designed by the great Ken Adam (Dr. Strangelove), The Spy Who Loved Me is a galaxy away from the suave Sean Connery exploits of the 1960s, but the film works perfectly as grandiose entertainment. From cavernous undersea lairs to the vast horizons of Egypt, this Bond thriller keeps its tongue firmly in cheek with a plot tailor-made for daredevil escapism. -Jeff Shannon On the DVD: The main extra feature here is another in the excellent series of new "making of" documentaries that adorn these Bond DVDs. Here, everything from the painful and protracted gestation of the movie to the building of the massive 007 Stage at Pinewood is chronicled. Also included is an appreciation of and interview with gifted production designer Ken Adam, the man responsible for the extravagantly grand look of all the Bond movies. The commentary track features Adam alongside director Lewis Gilbert and co-producer Michael Wilson, who is instrumental in encouraging Gilbert and Adam to explain and reminisce as the movie unfolds. [+]
Trailers and stills and a glossy booklet complete an attractive DVD presentation. -Mark Walker.

Review MGM Entertainment / Diamonds Are Forever [1971]
Actors & Directors
  • Jill St. John
  • Jimmy Dean
  • Guy Hamilton
  • Sean Connery
  • Charles Gray
  • Lana Wood
Release date: 2003-11-03
Run time: 115 min.
Creator: Tom Mankiewicz
RRP: £9.99
Price: £1.99

Review Diamonds Are Forever [1971] / MGM Entertainment:

After the poor reception given to George Lazenby in Her Majesty's Secret Service, Sean Connery was no doubt lured back to the series with a gadget-stuffed briefcase full of cash (most of which he allegedly gave to charity) for this wry, snappily made seventh instalment in the series. Some of its secret weapons include a smart script, a Las Vegas setting providing plenty of neon reflections on windscreens for a memorable car chase through the Strip, and the comely Jill St. John as Tiffany Case, a diamond cut-above most of the preceding Bond girls. (Apart from Diana Rigg in Her Majesty's Secret Service, that is). Blofeld and his fluffy white cat are on hand to menace 007-it's the Nehru jackets and steely surface-look of this one in particular that the Austin Powers spoofs are sending up. Blofeld's initial cover as a reclusive Howard Hughes-like millionaire points to how the series was catching up with more contemporary figures and issues. Other highlights include two truly ferocious, karate-kicking female assassins and a sizzling moon-buggy chase across the dunes. -Leslie FelperinOn the DVD: The mind boggling possibility of casting Adam West (TV's Batman) as Bond was seriously mooted because the suits at United Artists wanted to Americanise the franchise, th e documentary reveals. Sean Connery was eventually persuaded to return but demanded a record fee to reprise his role, and then donated all the cash to his charitable foundation, the Scottish International Education Trust. The rags to riches story of larger-than-life producer Albert R Broccoli is told in the second documentary. [+]
The commentary is another in the series of edited selections from interviews with cast and crew, which are exhaustive in the wealth of detail offered but a little exhausting to sit through. Sundry trailers, radio and TV spots plus a few deleted scenes complete the comprehensive selection. -Mark Walker.

Actors & Directors
  • David Foster
Release date: 1992-11-09
Run time: 96 min.
Creator: Peter Hammond
Price: £12.99

Review Sapphire And Steel - Adventure Four [1979] / Itc Home Video (UK):


Review MGM Entertainment / Octopussy [1983]
Actors & Directors
  • Kristina Wayborn
  • John Glen
  • Louis Jourdan
  • Roger Moore
  • Maud Adams
  • Kabir Bedi
Release date: 1996-05-28
Run time: 126 min.
Creator: Richard Maibaum
RRP: £9.99
Price: £2.94

Review Octopussy [1983] / MGM Entertainment:

Roger Moore was nearing the end of his reign as James Bond when he made Octopussy, and he looks a little worn out. But the movie itself infuses some new blood into the old franchise, with a frisky pace and a pair of sturdy villains. Maud Adams-who'd also been in The Man with the Golden Gun-plays the improbably named Octopussy, while old smoothie Louis Jourdan is her crafty partner in crime. There's an island populated only by women, as well as a fantastic sequence with a hand-to-hand fight on a plane-and on top of a plane. The film even has an extra emotional punch, since this time 007 is not only following the orders of Her Majesty's Secret Service, but he is also exacting a personal revenge: a fellow double-0 agent has been killed. Two Bond films were actually released in 1983 within a few months of each other, as Octopussy was followed by Sean Connery's comeback in Never Say Never Again. The success of both pictures proved that there was still plenty of mileage left in the old licence to kill, though Moore had one more workout-A View to a Kill-before hanging it up. And that title? The franchise had already used up the titles to Ian Fleming's novels, so Octopussy was taken from a lesser-known Fleming short story. -Robert Horton, Amazon. com On the DVD: The high standard of these 007 discs is maintained here, with another extra-packed selection. [+]
The "Inside Octopussy" documentary details the making of the movie, which faced competition from Sean Connery's Never Say Never Again, as well as being handicapped by a potentially risible title. The initial story was developed by George Macdonald Fraser, author of the "Flashman" books, whose knowledge of Indian history and locales proved invaluable. Roger Moore prevaricated about signing on as Bond, so American James Brolin was screen-tested instead. The movie also produced the worst accident of the series while filming the train sequence and the stuntman involved was hospitalised for six months. Director John Glen provides a solo commentary that reveals a wealth of technical detail and also that this is one of his favourite Bond movies. Rita Coolidge performs "All Time High", and there are also some storyboard sequences and trailers. -Mark Walker.

Actors & Directors
  • Tom Baker
  • David Maloney
Release date: 1995-02-13
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £10.99
Price: £13.99

Review Doctor Who - The Deadly Assassin [1976] / 2 Entertain Video:


Review 4 Front Video / The Mummy Returns [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • Oded Fehr
  • Rachel Weisz
  • Arnold Vosloo
  • Brendan Fraser
  • Stephen Sommers
  • John Hannah
Release date: 2003-08-04
Run time: 129 min.
Creator: Sean Daniel
RRP: £5.99
Price: £1.94

Review The Mummy Returns [2001] / 4 Front Video:

"We don't have time for subtle," says Brendan Fraser, the star of The Mummy Returns, neatly encapsulating the relentless pace and hammerheaded tone of the film. As is the way of sequels here we have more, more, more of the same formula: more explosions, more action and more mind-numbingly endless CGI effects. Once again borrowing shamelessly from the Indiana Jones series, The Mummy Returns, like its predecessor, has boundless energy but lacks the stylish verve and charm of Spielberg's trilogy. All the original cast are reunited, this time joined by WWF star the Rock in a cameo role designed to plug his spin-off vehicle, The Scorpion King, and young actor Freddie Boath who plays an English eight-year-old in the 1930s whose dialogue borrows from Bart Simpson ("Get a room" and "My dad's gonna kick your arse" are two of his choice phrases). Other cinematic thefts include a Jurassic Park-style creatures-in-the-long-grass sequence and a lengthy triple-threat finale along the lines of Return of the Jedi. Still, despite the wearying relentlessness of its computer-generated effects, endless chases and fights, this is undeniably fun popcorn fodder and provides some memorable scenes along the way, notably Rachel Weisz and Patricia Velasquez battling it out for the affections of nasty old Imhotep. On the DVD: This two-disc "Special Edition" is a treat for fans of the franchise. The first disc has an anamorphic widescreen print of the movie in its 2. 35:1 CinemaScope ratio, and a choice of Dolby 5. 1 or DTS for the headache-inducing soundtrack. [+]
There's a decent commentary from the director and producer, plus a couple of DVD-ROM features. Disc 2 has all the usual stuff, including a 20-minute "making-of" documentary, a five-minute interview with the Rock about The Scorpion King, plus an exclusive trailer for it that is unsurprisingly reminiscent of Conan the Barbarian. There are also some detailed special effects breakdowns of key sequences, a blooper reel of outtakes and a virtual tour of the Universal theme park attraction "The Mummy Returns Chamber of Doom". Sundry trailers, production notes, a music video and an "Egyptology 201" text feature round out a well-loaded second disc. -Mark Walker.

Review Itc Home Video (UK) / Sapphire And Steel - Adventure Six [1979]
Actors & Directors
  • David Foster
Release date: 1993-07-05
Run time: 97 min.
Creator: Peter Hammond
Price: £12.99

Review Sapphire And Steel - Adventure Six [1979] / Itc Home Video (UK):


Review 2 Entertain Video / Doctor Who - The Dominators [1968]
Actors & Directors
  • Morris Barry
  • Patrick Troughton
Run time: 120 min.
Price: £10.99

Review Doctor Who - The Dominators [1968] / 2 Entertain Video:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 6 Collection - Part 2 [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • Alyson Hannigan
  • James Marsters
  • Nicholas Brendon
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar
  • Anthony Head
Release date: 2002-08-19
Creator: Joss Whedon
RRP: £34.99
Price: £12.73

Review Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 6 Collection - Part 2 [1998] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

The sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the one a lot of people hated-the show's writers followed the logic of plot and character development into some gloomy places, especially in this, the season's second half. The way that Willow's interest in magic had grown into an excessive fascination with her own power was plausible enough, but to move the interest of this over to a crudely explicit analogy with addiction and rehab was a point where the show seemed to be underlining its usual deft, angst-ridden metaphors. The complicated relationship between Buffy and the bleached blond vampire Spike was far more successfully handled. Sarah Michelle Gellar offers sexual self-disgust as well as any other emotion she has had to perform and James Marsters is as elegantly ruthless and obsessive as ever. This is a season in which chickens come home to roost: everything from the villainy of the three geeks to Xander's doubts about marriage come to a head, often-as in the case of the impressive wedding episode-through wildly dark humour. The estrangement of the characters from each other-a well-observed portrait of what happens to college pals in their early 20s-comes to a shocking head with the death of a major character and that death's apocalyptic consequences. The season ends on a consoling note which it has, by that point and in spite of imperfections, entirely earned. -Roz Kaveney.

Review 2 Entertain Video / Doctor Who - The War Games
Actors & Directors
  • Patrick Troughton
Run time: 240 min.
Price: £19.99

Review Doctor Who - The War Games / 2 Entertain Video:


Actors & Directors
  • Jon Pertwee
  • Christopher Barry
Release date: 1995-02-13
Run time: 122 min.
Price: £10.99

Review Doctor Who - The Daemons [1971] / 2 Entertain Video:


Review MGM Entertainment / Dr. No (plus trailer) (1962)
Actors & Directors
  • Bernard Lee
  • Sean Connery
  • Terence Young
  • Jack Lord
  • Ursula Andress
  • Joseph Wiseman
Release date: 2003-11-03
Run time: 105 min.
Creator: Richard Maibaum
RRP: £9.99
Price: £0.98

Review Dr. No (plus trailer) (1962) / MGM Entertainment:

Released in 1962, this first James Bond movie remains one of the best and serves as an entertaining reminder that the Bond series began (in keeping with Ian Fleming's novels) with a surprising lack of gadgetry and big-budget fireworks. Sean Connery was just 32 years old when he won the role of Agent 007. In his first adventure James Bond is called to Jamaica where a colleague and secretary have been mysteriously killed. With an American CIA agent (Jack Lord, pre-Hawaii Five-O), they discover that the nefarious Dr No (Joseph Wiseman) is scheming to blackmail the US government with a device capable of deflecting and destroying US rockets launched from Cape Canaveral. Of course, Bond takes time off from his exploits to enjoy the company of a few gorgeous women, including the bikini-clad Ursula Andress. She gloriously kicks off the long-standing tradition of Bond women who know how to please their favourite secret agent. A sexist anachronism? Maybe, but this is Bond at his purest, kicking off a series of movies that shows no sign of slowing down. -Jeff Shannon.

Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 6 (Box Set 1) [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • James Marsters
  • Anthony Head
  • Alyson Hannigan
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar
  • Nicholas Brendon
Release date: 2002-06-17
Creator: Joss Whedon
RRP: £34.99
Price: £9.33

Review Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 6 (Box Set 1) [1998] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer-Season 6 begins with Buffy being raised from the dead by the friends who miss her, but who fail to understand that a sacrifice taken back is a sacrifice negated. Dragged out of what she believes to have been heavenly bliss, she finds herself "going through the motions" and entering into a relationship with the evil, besotted vampire Spike just to force her emotions. Willow becomes ever more caught up in the temptations of magic; Xander and Anya move towards marriage without ever discussing their reservations; Giles feels he is standing in the way of Buffy's adult independence; Dawn feels neglected. What none of them need is a menace that is, at this point, simply annoying-three high school contemporaries who have turned their hand to magical and high-tech villainy. Added to this is a hungry ghost, an invisibility ray, an amnesia spell and a song-and-dance demon (who acts as rationale for the incomparable musical episode "Once More With Feeling" presented here in its full extra-length version). The result is a Buffy season which fans may not entirely have loved, but could not ignore. -Roz Kaveney.

Review Fremantle Home Entertainment / Rebecca [1940]
Actors & Directors
  • Nigel Bruce
  • George Sanders
  • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Joan Fontaine
  • Laurence Olivier
  • Judith Anderson
Release date: 2000-10-30
Run time: 130 min.
Creator: Robert E. Sherwood
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.45

Review Rebecca [1940] / Fremantle Home Entertainment:

"Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again. " From the first classic line of this unforgettable film, Rebecca casts its spell. David O. Selznick brought Alfred Hitchcock to the United States in order to give this adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel the proper atmosphere. The resulting film is a stunning marriage of their sensibilities. It paid off critically and financially as well. Like Gone with the Wind, which Selznick released a year earlier, Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Laurence Olivier stars as Maxim de Winter, who, reeling from the recent and unexpected death of his glamorous wife Rebecca, impulsively marries a young and adoring governess (Joan Fontaine). [+]
The new Mrs de Winter tries to fit into her role as mistress of the great house Manderley, but every step she takes is haunted by Rebecca's spirit. The ghost's brooding presence is personified by the insanely meticulous Mrs Danvers, brilliantly portrayed by Judith Anderson. As Fontaine's character begins to uncover the dark secrets of the de Winter clan, the house seems to take on a life of its own. Passionate love and romance blend seamlessly with typically Hitchcockian emphases on guilt, sexuality and Gothic horror. The production values are stunning and the cast is excellent, down to the least of the supporting players. While Rebecca has enough surprises to captivate even the most jaded of moviegoers, it is also one of those rare films that improves with each viewing. -Raphael Shargel.

Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / French Connection [1971]
Actors & Directors
  • Fernando Rey
  • Gene Hackman
  • Roy Scheider
  • William Friedkin
  • Marcel Bozzuffi
  • Tony Lo Bianco
Release date: 1999-01-04
Run time: 99 min.
Creator: Robin Moore
RRP: £5.99
Price: £1.30

Review French Connection [1971] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

A milestone film from 1971 and winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, The French Connection transformed the crime thriller with its gritty, authentic story about New York City police detectives on the trail of a large shipment of heroin. Based on an actual police case and the illustrious career of New York cop Eddie Egan, the film stars Gene Hackman as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, whose unorthodox methods of crime fighting are anything but diplomatic. With his partner (Roy Scheider), Popeye investigates the international shipment of heroin masterminded by the suave Frenchman (Fernando Rey) who eludes Popeye throughout an escalating series of pursuits. The obsessive tension of Doyle's investigation reaches peak intensity during the film's breathtaking car chase, in which Doyle races under New York's elevated train tracks in a borrowed sedan-a sequence that earned an Oscar for editing and was instantly hailed as one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed. Produced on location, The French Connection had an immediate influence on dozens of movies and TV shows to follow, virtually redefining the crime thriller with its combination of brutal realism and high-octane craftsmanship. Boosted by the film's phenomenal success, director William Friedkin gained even more attention with his follow-up film, The Exorcist. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Curzon Video / The Hour Of The Pig [1994]
Actors & Directors
  • Ian Holm
  • Leslie Megahey
  • Jim Carter
  • Amina Annabi
  • Donald Pleasence
  • Colin Firth
Release date: 1995-02-06
Run time: 107 min.
Creator: Michael Wearing
RRP: £12.99
Price: £36.99

Review The Hour Of The Pig [1994] / Curzon Video:


Actors & Directors
  • Barry Letts
  • Jon Pertwee
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £10.99
Price: £18.95

Review Doctor Who - Terror Of The Autons - 30th Anniversary - 1963-93 - Full Reconstructed Colour Version [1971] / 2 Entertain Video:


Review Warner Home Video / The Witches [1989]
Actors & Directors
  • Jane Horrocks
  • Jasen Fisher
  • Mai Zetterling
  • Nicolas Roeg
  • Anjelica Huston
  • Anne Lambton
Release date: 1994-10-10
Run time: 87 min.
Creator: Roald Dahl
RRP: £9.99
Price: £7.65

Review The Witches [1989] / Warner Home Video:

This splendid adventure-fantasy from 1990 was adapted from Roald Dahl's book, The Witches, and directed by maverick British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who turned out to be a perfect (if seemingly unlikely) interpreter of Dahl's fiendishly clever tale of witchcraft in contemporary England. Scary, funny, and wildly entertaining, it's all about a young boy named Luke (Jasen Fisher) whose parents have died in a tragic accident, and whose grandmother (Mai Zetterling) takes him to a posh hotel in England, where a secret coven of witches is holding its annual convention. The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston, in a scene-stealing performance) has decreed that all children in England be turned into mice, and Luke and his pal Bruno (Charles Potter) are the first victims on the list. That's when the movie magicians from Jim Henson's creature shop have their work cut out for them, turning Luke and Bruno into clever little rodents and The Witches into a dazzling display of imaginative special effects, using a seamless combination of real mice and superb animatronic puppets. Director Roeg doesn't compromise the sinister edge of Dahl's story, but comedy gets equal time from the brilliant cast including Brenda Blethyn (from Secrets and Lies and Little Voice), Rowan Atkinson (of Black Adder and Mr. Bean fame), and Jane Horrocks (Little Voice) as the Grand High Witch's beleaguered assistant. Although it was largely neglected during its brief theatrical release, this wonderful movie has since enjoyed a thriving appreciation on video-see it and you'll understand why. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Polygram / Dracula-Dead & Loving It [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • Amy Yasbeck
  • Mel Brooks
  • Steven Weber
  • Mel Brooks
  • Leslie Nielsen
  • Peter MacNicol
Release date: 1999-08-16
Run time: 88 min.
Creator: Steve Haberman
RRP: £5.99
Price: £19.99

Review Dracula-Dead & Loving It [1996] / Polygram:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 2 (Box Set 2) [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar
Release date: 2000-04-24
Run time: 474 min.
Creator: Joss Whedon
RRP: £34.99
Price: £34.99

Review Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 2 (Box Set 2) [1998] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

If Season One hooked viewers by promising unpredictable story lines and a willingness to experiment outside the boundaries of genre formatting, nothing prepared us for the latter half of Season Two. Softening the blow-much like the way Box Set 1 ends-is the start here with the kooky Thing-like invasion of "Bad Eggs". Then with the extraordinary double act of "Surprise" and "Innocence", every aspect of the show grows up in a big hurry: the result of Buffy sleeping with Angel is a series of tragedies everyone is powerless to predict or prevent. These two episodes deservedly won an Emmy for make-up, but that says nothing of the powerful story-telling conveyed by pared-down dialogue and remarkable performances from the young cast. As Angel's character is inverted and explored, it's an acting slugfest between David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar through to their bitter end (she later won a Saturn Award in recognition). As the pair dance between seeking out and avoiding one another, each of the secondary characters undergoes a talent-stretching transformation. For Giles it's the end to his relationship with Jenny ("Passion"), an event poisoning the motivations of everyone it affects. Willow distances herself considerably from the timid teddy bear image, taking on teaching responsibilities, witchcraft, and her lycanthropic boyfriend Oz (coincidentally, Alyson Hannigan and Seth Green were also together in My Stepmother Is An Alien). All of these threads are tied together then torn apart by the two-part finale "Becoming". So much happens in these two hours of television, but thankfully nothing seems rushed. [+]
With a cliffhanger ending to rival The Empire Strikes Back the second chapter of Buffy The Vampire Slayer closes in tantalising style leaving everything at stake. -Paul Tonks.

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Models & Brands:
The Spy Who Loved Me [1977], Diamonds Are Forever [1971], Sapphire And Steel - Adventure Four [1979], Octopussy [1983], Doctor Who - The Deadly Assassin [1976], The Mummy Returns [2001], Sapphire And Steel - Adventure Six [1979], Doctor Who - The Dominators [1968], Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 6 Collection - Part 2 [1998], Doctor Who - The War Games, Doctor Who - The Daemons [1971], Dr. No (plus trailer) (1962), Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 6 (Box Set 1) [1998], Rebecca [1940], French Connection [1971], The Hour Of The Pig [1994], Doctor Who - Terror Of The Autons - 30th Anniversary - 1963-93 - Full Reconstructed Colour Version [1971], The Witches [1989], Dracula-Dead & Loving It [1996], Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 2 (Box Set 2) [1998]

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