May 29th :

May 29th :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

  • Gran Torino on DVD and Blu-ray
  • George Gently Series 1 on DVD
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 25th Anniversary Edition on DVD
  • Pumping Iron on DVD
  • Who’s Your Caddy? on DVD and Blu-ray
  • The Class on DVD
  • Valentine Warner’s What To Eat Now Autumn on DVD
  • Peter Moore, EA Sports, Confirmed as Keynote Speaker for Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009
  • Roland-Garros French Open enters Empire Of Sports
  • FC Barcelona Partners With Empire Of Sports
  • Forever Green Series 1 on DVD
  • Plastic Man: The Complete Series on DVD
  • Bless This House: The Movie on DVD
  • Father Dear Father Series 5 on DVD
  • The Comedians Series 4 on DVD
  • Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband on DVD
  • The Importance Of Being Earnest on DVD
  • Napoleon And Love: The Complete Series on DVD
  • The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes Series 1 on DVD
  • Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony on Xbox 360

The latest press releasesare online now.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Drag Me To Hell, Obsessed and 12 Rounds.

news page picMay 28th :CHARTS: Black Eyed Peas vs Dizzee Rascal – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until early July.

news page picMay 26th :Grand Theft Auto debuts on Nintendo DS with Chinatown Wars…

Normally, the GTA games have been the reserve of the main Playstation and Xbox consoles, but then a couple of the PS2titles came out on the PSP and now it’s the turn of Nintendo’s hand held to get a go, and it’s well worth a play asyou head into the murky world of Chinatown…

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Warsis online and out now on Nintendo DS.

news page picWill Michael finally get Scylla and put it in the right hands as Prison Break concludes…

The fourth season has concluded with this double episode. Can the brothers finally achieve their goal or will theGeneral stop them? And where the hell is Gretchen?

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review ofPrison Break Season 4: Episodes 21 & 22is online and “The Final Break” premieres tomorrow night on Sky 1 at 10pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picMay 25th :Looking after your Children can be murder on Blu-ray…

From the director of WAZ comes another highly entertaining movie that has some of the same elements of style, asa family festive fun time turns into bloody murder as adults and children are bumped off in gross ways one by one.Well worth a watch – find out why in this review!

The Childrenis online and out now on Blu-ray and DVD.

news page picMaria Taylor has the right amount of LadyLuck on CD…

“Classy pop from L.A.” is how DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsintroduces his review to this new CD from the former Azure Ray fronter, and there’s elements of their Americana folk and alternative country with intimate lyrics here too.

Maria Taylor: LadyLuckis online and out on CD now.

news page picCan Jack stop the bomb from going off as the 7th Season of 24 continues…

The last remaining cannister is still out there, but with Jibraan being forced to take it onto the subway, how on Earthwill Jack sort that one out?

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review of24 Season 7: Episode 22is online and the next episode is on tonight on Sky 1 at 9pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picTori Amos is botoxed to the hilt…

Appearing on yesterday’s Something for the Weekend, Tori Amos wasn’t quite looking right. That’s because she’s filledher face with Botox, and gone so overboard with it…

news page picNew DVD comps online…

Please enter the competitions listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

  • ER Season 14 on DVD
  • Lost and Found on DVD
  • Shuttle on DVD

The following competitions have now finished, with the answers as follows:
North Face: The Eiger is in Switzerland.
Fast & Furious and The Bourne Trilogies on Blu-Ray: The third film in the Fast & Furious series is set in Tokyo

news page picCHARTS: Black Eyed Peas vs Dizzee Rascal – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

  • 30 Rock Season 2 (24.99 DVD, Universal)
  • 1066 (19.99 DVD, 4DVD)
  • The Bed Sitting Room (17.99 DVD, 22.99 Blu-ray, BFI Video)
  • Beverly Hills Chihuahua (17.99 DVD, 23.99 Blu-ray, Walt Disney)
  • George Gently (24.99 DVD, BBC)
  • Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (21.99 DVD, 27.99 Blu-ray, EMI)
  • Pumping Iron (15.99 DVD, Lions Gate)
  • Pushing Daisies Season 2 (29.99 DVD, Warner)
  • The Reader (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, EIV)
  • Reggie Perrin (19.99 DVD, BBC)
  • Seven Pounds (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Sony)
  • The Spirit (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Lions Gate)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 25th Anniversary Edition Series 1-2 (29.99 DVD, Lions Gate)

The Reader:

Though THE READER may boast the typical pedigree of a Holocaust film–acclaimed actors, a literary source, and an Oscar-baiting end-of-the-year release date–this drama has a significant difference: it focuses on a perpetrator, rather than the victims. Kate Winslet takes on the hefty supporting role of Hanna Schmitz, a woman who has an affair with Michael Berg (German actor David Kross), a 15-year-old boy in 1950s Germany. They spend their brief romance alternately making love and focusing on literature, with Michael reading everything from Chekov to Homer to his lover. Soon, Hanna abruptly disappears, and Michael returns to his normal life. Almost a decade later, Michael is studying law, when he sees Hanna again; she is on trial for her crimes as an S.S. guard during the war. Michael is torn between a desire for justice and his knowledge of a secret that may save Hanna.

THE READER makes full use of hindsight and historical perspective. Based on the bestselling novel by Bernhard Schlink, the story is framed by an older Michael (Ralph Fiennes) who deals with both his personal history and the collective past–and guilt–of the German people. This is a complex film that doesn’t give the audience any easy answers; Hanna is undoubtedly guilty of horrific crimes, but she is a multilayered character who is always fascinating and always human, thanks to the terrific performance of Winslet, who plays Hanna over four decades. Director Stephen Daldry earned an Oscar nomination for his work on another literary adaptation, THE HOURS, and he deserves more praise for this polished film.

The Reader is out now onDVD (£10.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

Iron Maiden: Flight 666.

Tracks include: ‘Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’, ‘Moonchild’, ‘Revelations’, ‘The Number Of The Beast’, ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘Fear Of The Dark’, ‘For The Greater Good Of God’, ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’, ‘Can I Play With Madness’ and manay, many more.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is out now on DVD (£16.19) andBlu-ray (£17.59).

Seven Pounds.

Gabriele Muccino (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS) directs this tale of a man devastated by a tragedy in his past who is seeking redemption. To the outside world, Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is a cordial, atypically helpful agent for the Internal Revenue Service. But when he’s alone, Ben is tormented by a tragic incident in his past, sinking into grief. He’s even cut off communication with his beloved brother (Michael Ealy). Nevertheless, Ben is especially interested in strangers with challenging circumstances. He’s taken particular interest in Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a lovely young woman with congenital heart disease who is being audited by the IRS. Ben finds himself falling for Emily, and has to choose the best way to follow his heart.

Smith wears Ben’s heart on his sleeve, the pain of his past loss and his impending future apparent in his face both when he is alone and when he begins to feel happiness–which he doesn’t think he deserved–with Emily. He also nails Ben’s pleasant work persona, masking his pain as he charms strangers and earns their trust. Dawson is beguiling as Emily, whose only wish is to have more time to experience life, especially once she finds love with Ben. With flashbacks mixed into the story, SEVEN POUNDS takes a circuitous route, saving some surprises for its end. Woody Harrelson appears as a blind man, and Barry Pepper plays Ben’s best friend and confidante, Dan.

Seven Pounds is out now on DVD (£12.68) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

The Spirit.

Based on Will Eisner’s classic 1940s and ’50s comic series and written and directed by his acolyte Frank Miller, THE SPIRIT follows the adventures of the crimefighter of the title (Gabriel Macht), a former cop mysteriously brought back from the dead. Hiding his identity as Denny Colt behind a mask and a fedora, the Spirit, now seemingly indestructible, protects his beloved Central City from his mortal enemy, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), while contending with the many women in his life, including the doting Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson) and the dangerous Sand Seref (Eva Mendes).

Credited with co-helming the film adaptation of his renowned SIN CITY comics (with Robert Rodriguez), Miller turns to one of his primary influences for his solo directorial debut. Not surprisingly, he uses the hyper-stylized SIN CITY look as a template for THE SPIRIT, allowing Eisner’s pulpy vintage aesthetic to merge with SIN CITY’s gritty atmosphere. Macht is well cast as the brooding Spirit, who has a habit of talking to himself at length, while Jackson gleefully chews scenery and burns through costume changes as the quirky, egg-obsessed Octopus. Although Paulson, Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, and others are largely relegated to “Bond girl” status, they play their roles with declarative verve, making THE SPIRIT an enjoyably campy addition to the pantheon of comic-book movies.

The Spirit is out now on DVD (£12.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

news page picMay 22nd :The Cardigans’ Nina Persson releases a solo CD…

And while it’s only her second solo release, DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertscan’t wait for the next one. Find out why for this musical side project which came about during a break inthe band’s touring in 2001.

A Camp: Coloniais online and out now on CD.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Night at the Museum 2 and Tormented.

news page picMay 20th :The Best of Clive Gregson on CD…

I remember hearing songs by Clive Gregson and Christine Collister when I washeading for Uni at the age of 18 in 1990. They were played on KFM Radio inStockport, but sadly that station was taken over by the godawful Signal Radioand it was dumbed-down Kylie & Jason all the way.

Hence, what better reason than to revisit some great music with a best ofClive Gregson and this 18-track collection courtesy ofDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts.

The Best of Clive Gregsonis online and out now on CD.

news page picMay 19th :Michael and Linc are cornered in a hotel as Prison Break continues…

The fourth season is shortly to conclude, and now the two brothers (or are they brothers? who cares) are trappedin a hotel with no means of escape, so they try an old method used in ‘Leon’. Oh, after making a bomb out oftoilet rolls and aerosols, like you do.

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review ofPrison Break Season 4: Episode 20is online and the final episode is on tonight on Sky 1 at 10pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picCHARTS: N-Dubz vs Black Eyed Peas – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until early July.

news page picMay 18th :Should you agree to Yes Man on DVD…?

Adapted from the novel by Danny Wallace, Jim Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a man who gets by in life by shying awayfrom new things, until he’s taken to a seminar hosted by Terence Stamp about how he should say ‘Yes’, for a change,and improve his life.

Yes Manis online and out now on DVD and Blu-ray now.

news page picEngage in fresh battles in Pokemon Platinum on Nintendo DS…

Released on Friday:

If there’s one thing any Pokemon fan loves, it’s the release of a new game with new worlds and characters to exploreand this one features plenty of that with new items, buildings, Gym features and Pokemon, themselves.Find out whyDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Jamie Cockburnlikes this new release so much.

Pokemon Platinumis online and out on Nintendo DS from this Friday.

news page picCan Olivia go through with Jonas Hodges’ murder as the 7th Season of 24 continues…

With Jack still trying to stop Tony and the last remaining cannister, will Olivia finally take revenge on Jonas Hodgesfor being responsible for the death of her brother?

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review of24 Season 7: Episode 21is online and the next episode is on tonight on Sky 1 at 9pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picCarrie Gracie reveals her £92k BBC News salary…

Shown last Tuesday on BBC News, this is the moment when Carrie Gracie spilled the beans on how much she gets forreading from an autocue!

news page picNew DVD comps online…

Please enter the competitions listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

  • ER Season 14 on DVD
  • Fast & Furious and Jason Bourne Trilogies on Blu-ray
  • North Face on DVD
  • Lost and Found on DVD
  • Shuttle on DVD

The competition for American Dad Season 4 has now ended and the answer was thatPatrick Stewart plays Avery Bullock in the series.

news page picCHARTS: N-Dubz vs Black Eyed Peas – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

  • Best: His Mother’s Son (15.99 DVD, BBC)
  • Bride Wars (19.99 DVD, 28.99 Blu-ray, Fox)
  • Defiance (17.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Momentum)
  • ER Season 14 (44.99, Warner)
  • Frost/Nixon (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
  • The Grudge 3 (15.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Icon)
  • The Inbetweeners Series 1 & 2 Boxset (29.99 DVD, 4DVD)
  • Pulling Series 1 & 2 Box Set (25.99 DVD, BBC)
  • Shameless Series 6 (34.99 DVD, 4DVD)
  • Shameless Series 1-6 Boxset (89.99 DVD, 4DVD)
  • Tango And Cash (19.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
  • Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycans (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, 29.99 DVD Boxset, 40.99 Blu-ray Boxset)

The Inbetweeners Series 1 & 2 Boxset:

Combine the juvenile smut of SUPERBAD with the cringing embarrassment of PEEP SHOW, against the ‘stylish’ backdrop of GRANGE HILL, and what do you get? E4’s hilarious comedy THE INBETWEENERS. A super sharp, one-liner packed celebration of the highs and lows of being a teenager. Perfectly capturing the relentless disappointment of suburban adolescence, the show’s four main characters yearn for sex, booze and cheap thrills, without the emotional maturity, money or ID to get them.

Briefcase-carrying nerd Will (Simon Bird) has recently left the relative sophistication of private school to join Rudge Park Comprehensive, where he befriends Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison); a group precariously straddling the social gulf between the in-crowd and the outcasts. This release contains the complete first and second series.

The Inbetweeners Series 1 & 2 Boxset is out now onDVD (£12.68).

Pulling Series 1&2 Box Set.

Superbly written, directed and acted, the BAFTA nominated series takes a long, hard look at sex, love, friendshipand the loneliness of having too much fun, living in zone three but with zone one aspirations.

Includes all the episodes from series 1 and 2.

Pulling Series 1&2 Box Set is out now on DVD (£10.98).

Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycans.

The third film in the UNDERWORLD saga goes back hundreds of years to explain the origins of the feud between the vampire Death Dealers and the werewolf Lycans. Taking over directing duties from Len Wiseman is rookie Patrick Tatoupolos, known for his creature-designing duties in GODZILLA (1998), I AM LEGEND (2007), and the first two films in this series. Less an action-horror film than an old-fashioned “sword-and-sandal” film with monsters, RISE OF THE LYCANS finally gets to the root of why those vampires and werewolves really can’t stand each other.

Ruled by Viktor (Bill Nighy, VALKYRIE), the aristocratic, vampiric Death Dealers keep the wolf-like Lycans as slaves. When a captive Lycan woman births a human boy, Viktor resists the urge to kill it, instead naming him Lucian and keeping him as a pet. Lucian (Michael Sheen, FROST/NIXON) grows up to be a blacksmith with the ability to change between human and wolf and begins a clandestine romance with ViktorÂ’s daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra, DOOMSDAY). Viktor learns of this forbidden romance and takes drastic steps to ensure that Sonja will never be able to see Lucian again. Lucian, in retaliation, leads a Lycan slave revolt, resulting in an all-out assault on ViktorÂ’s kingdom.

Though viewers who have skipped the first two instalments of the saga may feel a little left out when it comes to the mythology of the series, LYCANS hits the ground running and doesnÂ’t allow much time for questions. While Sheen has been lauded for his work in more traditionally dramatic films, here he gives his all to every growl and battle cry. Mitra is an appealing presence as Sonja, and Nighy is visibly relishing the opportunity to glower in his blue contacts and chew the moonlight-bathed scenery.

Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycans is out now on DVD (£9.98),Blu-ray (£15.88),DVD Boxset (£16.68) andBlu-ray Boxset (£29.68).

Frost/Nixon.

ItÂ’s not always that a stage play translates particularly well to the medium of movies. But for anyone considering such a challenge in the future, Frost/Nixon is surely a fine template to follow. In the capable hands of director Ron Howard, the extraordinary story of how a then-fairly low profile television interviewer managed to bring the disgraced former President of the United States to account is, at best, absolutely riveting.

Much of the reason for this is the two leading performances, which are both absolutely exception. The awards attention for Frost/Nixon has been directed towards Frank Langella, and truly heÂ’s an actor long overdue some recognition. Here, as ex-President Nixon, heÂ’s flat-out brilliant: a complex, intriguing character portrayed with real measure and expertise. ItÂ’s unfair, though, that Michael Sheen has been overlooked by some. Fresh from portraying Tony Blair in The Queen, Sheen is once more brilliant here, injecting Frost with an erratic, on-the-edge fallibility that sets up the filmÂ’s final act extremely well.

Frost/Nixon is out now on DVD (£12.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

May 15th :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

  • Hannah Montana: The Movie on Nintendo Wii
  • The Myth on DVD and Blu-ray
  • Che Part 1 & 2 on DVD and Blu-ray
  • Max Manus: Man of War on DVD and Blu-ray

The latest press releasesare online now.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Angels & Demons and Fighting.

news page picMay 14th :Pink Mountaintops release a whopper of an album on CD…

With musical influences including Jim Steinman and Phil Spector,DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsconfirms the 10 songs of love and hate on this new album are a definite must-have.

Pink Mountaintops: Outside Loveis online and out now on CD.

news page picCHARTS: N-Dubz vs U2 – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until early July.

news page picMay 13th :Christopher Rees does a deal with the Devil’s Bridge on CD…

Christopher Rees’ latest album gets the beat moving early on with a 1950srockabilly romp before turning to more mellow tracks later on, andDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsclasses this Welsh wonder as “Britain’s leading Americana exponent”.

Christopher Rees: Devil’s Bridgeis online and out now on CD.

news page picMay 12th :Can Christine escape from Michael and Sara? Prison Break continues…

The fourth season is shortly to conclude, and after the Sandinsky thing cameto a, literally, dead end, will Christine be able to escape now that Michaeland Sara have her locked up in the bathroom? Erm… well, what do you think?

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review ofPrison Break Season 4: Episode 19is online and the next episode is on tonight on Sky 1 at 10pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picMay 11th :Join a treacherous expedition in North Face on Blu-ray…

It’s a true story that I hadn’t heard of prior to watching this, so it certainly made for an intriguing watch,and will they make it up the North Face of the Eiger even though a snowstorm is on its way?

North Faceis online and out now on Blu-ray and DVD now.

news page picFind out what lies behind The Baader-Meinhof Complex on DVD…

Following on from classic German films such as Downfall, Goodbye Lenin and The Lives of Others,DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Helen Jeromereckons that never has there been such a rich, vital, utterly exciting time in German film-making, when the rulesare constantly being rewritten and revised. Find out why this applies to this new movie.

The Baader-Meinhof Complexis online and out on DVD now.

news page picTony looks for a fall-guy as the 7th Season of 24 continues…

Tony, and the crew he’s now working with, have a plan to deal with the final canister, but can they find someoneto take the fall and be set up?

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review of24 Season 7: Episode 20is online and the next episode is on tonight on Sky 1 at 9pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picKeeley Hawes talks about Ashes to Ashes…

The second series of this show is now airing on BBC1 on Monday evenings at 9pm, and Keeley Hawes went on GMTV recentlyto talk about it.

news page picNew DVD comps online…

Please enter the competitions listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

  • ER Season 14 on DVD
  • Fast & Furious and Jason Bourne Trilogies on Blu-ray
  • North Face on DVD
  • Lost and Found on DVD
  • Shuttle on DVD

The competition for American Dad Season 4 has now ended and the answer was thatPatrick Stewart plays Avery Bullock in the series.

news page picCHARTS: N-Dubz vs U2 – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

  • Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin (19.99 DVD, BBC)
  • Boston Legal: Season 5 (34.99 DVD, Fox)
  • Boston Legal: Season 1-5 Boxset (119.99 DVD, Fox)
  • Role Models (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
  • CSI Miami Season 6.1 (34.99 DVD, Momentum)
  • Compulsion (2009) (19.99 DVD, 4DVD)
  • Grease (19.99 Blu-ray, Paramount)
  • Saturday Night Fever (19.99 Blu-ray, Paramount)
  • Frost Nixon: The Complete Interviews (24.99 DVD, Paradine)
  • Spitting Image Series 6 (15.99 DVD, Network)
  • Life Is A Long Quiet River (19.99 DVD, Artificial Eye)

Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin:

Gallifrey. Planet of the Time Lords. The Doctor has finally come home, but not by choice.

Summoned by a vision from The Matrix, he is drawn into web of political intrigue and assassination. Nothing is quite what it seems, and in the shadows lurks his oldest and deadliest enemy…

Special Features:

  • Commentary by Tom Baker [The Doctor], Bernard Horsfall [Goth] and Philip Hinchcliffe [Producer]
  • The Matrix Revisited Cast, crew and critics look back at the making of this story, featuring director David Maloney, designer Roger Murray-Leach and the founder of the National Viewers and Listeners Association, Mary Whitehouse
  • The Gallifreyan Candidate A look at Richard CondonÂ’s novel The Manchurian Candidate, a major influence on the plot of The Deadly Assassin
  • The Frighten Factor What exactly is Doctor WhoÂ’s ‘Frighten FactorÂ’? A diverse panel of experts try to answer the question
  • Radio Times Billings Listings for this story presented in a PDF file [DVD-ROM – PC/Mac]
  • Photo Gallery
  • Coming Soon Trailer
  • Production Information Subtitles
  • Easter Egg
  • Digitally remastered picture and sound quality

This story was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 30th October – 20th November 1976

Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin is out now onDVD (£12.68).

Role Models.

Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott star in Role Models as Danny and Wheeler, two salesmen who trash a company truck on an energy drink-fuelled bender. Upon their arrest, the court gives them a choice: do hard time or spend 150 service hours with a mentorship programme. After one day with the kids, however, jail doesn’t look half bad.Surrounded by annoying do-gooders, Danny struggles with his every neurotic impulse to guide Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) through the trials of becoming a man. Unfortunately, the guy just dumped by his girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) has only sarcasm to offer a bashful 16-year-old obsessed with medieval role play.

Meanwhile, charming Wheeler tries to trade in an addiction to partying and women to assist a fifth-grader named Ronnie (Bobb’e Thompson) to redirect his foul-mouthed ways. It would probably help if Ronnie’s new mentor wasn’t an overgrown adolescent whose idea of quality time includes keggers in Venice Beach.Once the centre’s ex-con director (Jane Lynch) gives them an ultimatum, Danny and Wheeler are forced to tailor their brand of immature wisdom to their charges. And if they can just make it through probation without getting thrown in jail, the world’s worst role models will prove that, sometimes, it takes a village idiot to raise a child.

Role Models is out now on DVD (£10.98) andBlu-ray (£15.88).

Compulsion.

Anjika Indrani (Parminder Nagra) is a young Cambridge graduate, happy and settled with her loving boyfriend. However, Anjika’s contented freedom is shattered when her strict father tries to force her into an arranged marriage of convenience. Feeling trapped and desperate she makes the life-altering decision to turn to her father’s shady employee Don Flowers (Ray Winstone) for help.

But Don doesn’t want money in return for his services, he wants Anjika, and he’s prepared to capitalise on her desperation to ensure he gets her. After their illicit encounter, Anjika feels compelled to go back for more, and soon their secret relationship becomes a full-blown passionate affair. COMPULSION is a gripping, seductive drama that will take you to the edge of obsession, with deadly consequences.

Compulsion is out now on DVD (£11.98).

May 7th :New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Star Trek (2009), Coraline and Observe and Report.

news page picNew DVD and Blu-ray comps online…

Please enter the competitions listed below by clicking on the packshoton the right.

  • Fast & Furious and Jason Bourne Trilogies on Blu-ray
  • North Face on DVD
  • American Dad Season 4 on DVD
  • Lost and Found on DVD
  • Shuttle on DVD

May 6th :Test your knowledge with Buzz! Brain of the UK on Sony PSP…

Out now :

Yes, there will be plenty to keep you on your toes with this new title whichtests at your knowledge on everything that’s great about the UK such as movies,sport, music and celebs.

Buzz! Brain of the UKis online and out now on Sony PSP.

news page picA double release from Rachael Yamagata on CD…

Well, with 14 tracks it’s more like an album-and-a-half, butDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsfinds plenty to enjoy across the two CDs, although one does turn out to bebetter than the other from this Virginia-born singer/songwriter.

Rachael Yamagata: Elephants/Teeth Sinking Into Heartis online and out on CD now.

news page picMay 5th :CHARTS: N-Dubz vs Elton John – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until early July.

news page picWho is the mysterious Sandinsky? Prison Break continues…

The fourth season is shortly to conclude, but just who is Sandinsky and willhe help Linc and Michael find Scylla, or is he working for the General?

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review ofPrison Break Season 4: Episode 18is online and the next episode is on tonight on Sky 1 at 10pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picMay 4th :Keanu Reeves is here to save the Earth… sort-of. The Day The Earth Stood Still on Blu-ray…

Keanu can give a very wooden performance at times, but here it rather manages to pay off as he takes the role of Klaatuin a remake of the classic sci-fi hit. Jennifer Connelly is pleased to hear that he’s there to help… until she learnsthat he wants to save the Earth… but not the humans on it!

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)is online and out now on Blu-ray now.

news page picWill you love the new Sara Lov CD…?

DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsclearly enjoys her dreamy reflective ballads and describes her output as a combination of bittersweet ditties that willappeal across all ages.

Sara Lov: Seasoned Eyes Were Beamingis online and out on CD now.

news page picIs it the end of the road for Jonas Hodges as the 7th Season of 24 continues…

Last time, he was arrested and held prisoner for his crimes but someone is offering him a ‘get out of jail free’ card,except with serious conditions attached. And Tony has to get that canister out of sight… somehow.

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review of24 Season 7: Episode 19is online and the next episode is on tonight on Sky 1 at 9pm, with several repeats throughout the week.

news page picWas that a foul or not? What’s Graeme Dott done?…

Some odd things at the World Snooker Championships this year, including this moment where both Mark Selby and Graeme Dottcause fouls, but were they fair?

news page picNew DVD comps online…

Please enter the competitions listed below by clicking on the packshoton the right.

  • North Face on DVD
  • American Dad Season 4 on DVD
  • Lost and Found on DVD
  • Shuttle on DVD

news page picCHARTS: N-Dubz vs Elton John – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

  • All The Small Things (19.99 DVD, BBC)
  • Beehive (19.99 DVD, 4 DVD)
  • Bergerac: Series 8 (25.99 DVD, BBC)
  • The Da Vinci Code (19.99 Blu-ray, Sony)
  • Fargo (22.99 Blu-ray, Fox)
  • Hannah Montana Season 1 (30.99 DVD, Walt Disney)
  • Henry: Mind of a Tyrant (19.99 DVD, 2 Entertain)
  • Horrid Henry’s Completely Horrid Complete Collection (19.99 DVD, Abbey)
  • Mirrors (19.99 DVD, Fox)
  • Morecambe and Wise: Series 5 (19.99 DVD, BBC)
  • The Myth (15.99 DVD, 19.99 Blu-ray, Showbox)
  • Shuttle (15.99 DVD, Metrodome)
  • Sin City: 2-Disc Edition (23.99 Blu-ray, Walt Disney)
  • Terry & June: Series 9 (15.99 DVD, BBC)

Sin City: 2-Disc Edition:

Adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novels, SIN CITY is Robert Rodriguez’s striking film noir infused with fantasy, taking place in a world where it is eternally night time and everything is drenched in rain and violence. Using a unique combination of silvery black and white digital photography with occasional flashes of bright colour for dazzling punctuation, Rodriguez employs green screen techniques and paints a backdrop around each scene, using Miller’s co-direction as his cue to match the original setting as closely as possible. Three stories weave together, occasionally overlapping.

With lines delivered flatly in the hard-boiled style of Raymond Chandler, these tales are about crime, love, loss, and being preternaturally tough. In the most caustically dramatic segment, Mickey Rourke plays the fearlessly love struck Marv, a trench coat-clad beast who falls in love with prostitute Goldie (Jaime King) only to find her murdered by a demonic cannibal (Elijah Wood). In another segment, Bruce Willis plays Hartigan, a rogue cop with a ‘bum ticker’ whose goal in life is to save Nancy (Jessica Alba), an innocent stripper, from a murderous rapist (Nick Stahl). The third segment stars Clive Owen as a detective caught between murdered cop Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro) and a slew of lethally dangerous vixens lead by Gail (Rosario Dawson).

With blood spurting white, yellow, and yes even red; a roster of hot actors that goes on and on; and sound editing that makes you feel like you’re the one being punched in the face, SIN CITY is a gift for fans of Miller’s art, loaded with style and grit.

Disc One – Restored Theatrical Version:

  • Cine-explore – Blu-ray Exclusive
  • Commentary With Robert Rodriguez And Frank Miller
  • Commentary With Robert Rodriguez And Quentin Tarantino
  • Audio Track Featuring A Recording Of The Austin Audience Reaction

Disc Two – Recut, Extended, Unrated Version

  • Kill ‘Em Good Interactive Comic Book – Blu-ray Exclusive
  • Rodriguez Special Features
  • 15-Minute Film School
  • All Green-Screen Version
  • The Long Take
  • Sin City : Live In Concert
  • 10-Minute Cooking School
  • How It Went Down: Convincing Frank Miller To Make The Film
  • Special Guest Director: Quentin Tarantino
  • A Hard Top With A Decent Engine: The Cars Of Sin City
  • Booze, Broads And Guns: The Props Of Sin City
  • Making The Monsters: Special Effects Make-Up
  • Trench Coats & Fishnets: The Costumes Of Sin City
  • Teaser And Theatrical Trailer

Sin City: 2-Disc Edition is out now onBlu-ray (£13.98).

All the Small Things.

In this all-singing BBC series, in a town in the north of England the sparky but self-effacing Esther (Sarah Lancashire) sings her heart out in the local choir – a disparate collective whose enthusiasm far outweighs its musical ability, and which is conducted by her husband, the charismatic and inspiring Michael (Neil Pearson).

All the Small Things is out now on DVD (£12.68).

Fargo.

Poor Jerry Lundegaard. He’s deep in debt. His wealthy father-in-law has no respect for him. He cheats customers at the car dealership where he works. And now he’s hired a bumbling duo to kidnap his wife–a plan that goes horribly awry, leading to homicide. Enter Marge Gunderson, one of the most fabulous movie cops in film history. The very-pregnant Marge–played marvellously by Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning and career-defining performance–just goes about her everyday business, eating (in nearly every scene), talking to the people in the community, and examining bloody corpses as if no day is different from the next. A multiple murder in the small town of Brainerd, Minnesota–home of Paul Bunyan, as the sign claims–seems to have little effect on her. Yet she has an innate cop sense–she is very, very good at her job and determined to solve the case in her offhanded manner.

FARGO is yet another offbeat, highly entertaining film from the Coen brothers (BARTON FINK, BLOOD SIMPLE). The film is nearly colourless; instead, director of photography Roger Deakins washes the screen in the blinding white of the snow, occasionally breaking for the drab grays and browns of police uniforms and winter jackets. Carter Burwell’s score further enhances the slow, steady pace of this oddly funny and compelling film. The Coens have once again populated their film with a slew of bizarre characters, with outstanding performances delivered by all, particularly the edgy William H. Macy, the quietly luminous McDormand, the nearly psychotic Steve Buscemi, and the oh-so-cold Peter Stormare.

Fargo is out now on Blu-ray (£14.88)

May 1st :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

  • Notorious on DVD and Blu-ray
  • Boston Legal: Season 5 on DVD
  • ER Season 14 on DVD
  • Stargate Atlantis Season 5 Vols 1-5 on DVD
  • Shuttle on DVD
  • UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 on DVD
  • UFC: The Best Of 2008 on DVD

The latest press releasesare online now.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: X-Men: Wolverine Origins, Hannah Montana, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Is Anyone There?.

news page picNew DVD comps online…

Please enter the competitions listed below by clicking on the packshoton the right.

  • North Face on DVD
  • American Dad Season 4 on DVD
  • Lost and Found on DVD
  • Shuttle on DVD


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