Archive of movie and tv reviews by Title (Alphabetical)
e.g. Dune will be under 'D', 'Star Wars' will be under 'S'.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | X | Z |

UP (Mark's take)
01/07/2009. Certainly UP is one of Pixar's best films to date, believes our ace film reviewer Mark. The reason is not that it has some of their best animation, though that arguably is true. But their story values are may be improving faster than their animation. UP is a story with genuine pathos on themes of loss and of unfulfilled dreams. All this mixes with an adventure story with a little bit of action. Kids will love this film, but some of the notes of this film will definitely resonate with adults. A bittersweet prologue really works to make this film a much better story.

Drag Me To Hell (Mark's take)
01/07/2009. A bank loan officer refuses a loan extension to a woman of Gypsy origin. In return, the officer is cursed. The effects of the curse are horrifying and frequently revolting. Were this a new story written by Sam Raimi and his elder brother Ivan it would have been a better piece of horror. The effects and the action are all Raimi, but the story is cobbled together from familiar pieces. Largely this is a high-octane version of M. R. James's Casting the Runes with equal parts of shock and humour.

Dead Snow (Mark's take)
01/07/2009. A week long Easter vacation visit to a remote cabin in the mountains turns into a horror for eight young medical students, finds our Mark. Following the inspiration of Sam Raimi films Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola does his own horror film of something nasty out in the woods. This is very much by-the-numbers horror film making. It is not at all bad, but it has little that is fresh and new.

Doppelgänger and Silliness
01/06/2009. There is, says Mark, an old (well now it's old: from 1969) British science fiction movie called Doppelgänger. At the time it was filmed the makers assumed that that name would mean nothing to most Yanks so for audiences on this side of the pond it was called Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun. A doppelgänger is a thing from German folklore. It is an identical double to its victim and it is or our plane to replace its original.

Fermat's Room (La Habitación De Fermat): Mark's take
01/06/2009. Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopeña write and direct a very different sort of suspense film in the Spanish language, discovers Mark. Four strangers, mathematicians, must solve mathematics puzzles against a time limit. Each time they fail to solve the puzzle in time the walls of their room close in on them like the jaws of a vice. Can they solve the individual puzzles and the mystery of the room before being crushed to death?

Star Trek: Mark's take
11/05/2009. The new film Star Trek (the title is just the two words), says our Mark, is J. J. Abrams's restart of the Star Trek series. While nobody is going to give it any awards for great new ideas, it does tell a good action-filled adventure story and makes a prequel and origin to the original TV series that is almost consistent. The viewer does see and hear the 1966 characters in their younger incarnations--no small feat for the filmmakers.

Star Trek reboot (Frank's take)
06/05/2009. The exuberant sci-fi space adventure Star Trek has entered a new frontier for the millennium audience as its refreshing and new approved package sparkles with zesty ambition. Armed with the notable anticipation that Trekkie enthusiasts were eagerly waiting to jump-start this film franchise once again, director J.J. Abrams’s sprawling and keenly energetic space opera aptly introduces us to the familiar yet modernized youthful faces of James T. Kirk and the crew with a flashy sense of vibrancy.

Battle for Terra (Frank's take)
06/05/2009. The innocuous kiddie 3-D sci-fi animation Battle for Terra is a quaint and sweet-hearted vehicle armed with a cautionary message. Unfortunately, there is nothing else redeeming about this tyke-oriented intergalactic fable that resonates with convincing gusto.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Frank's take)
02/05/2009. Talented Australian song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman scored big when signing on to assume the role of the clawed, hairy mutant breakout star of the X-Men film franchise, says Frank. Naturally, Jackman embodied the angst-ridden Wolverine with a distinctive fierceness that satisfied the most ardent fan of the Marvel comic book character.

Dragonball: Evolution (Frank's Take)
01/05/2009. So here we go again sighs our Frank... another woefully generic actioner borrowing its inspiration from a popular television series (Dragonball Z) and/or highly regarded video game of the same name. Still, how could the immensely flashy and kinetic Dragonball: Evolution go so wrong when it has also been translated into best-selling graphic novels? After all, it is derived from the desired Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama? Well gang, let us count the ways...shall we?

Watchmen (Frank's take)
01/05/2009. We have arrived at the challenging age in cinema where sardonically bleak and cynical overtones have somehow considerably shaped the way we appreciate sophisticated action-packed superhero sagas. Previously, notes Frank, the arrestingly visual The Dark Knight captured the pure essence of a fierce fantasy that bleeds layers of ferocious forethought in its captivating confection.

Alien Trespass (Frank's take)
01/05/2009. The tongue-in-cheek humour is thoroughly realised in the movie Alien Trespass, finds our Frank. It also has that bloke out of Will and Grace (Will, not Jack), and all the clichés of 1950's horror cinema are there - and, that is a good thing!

Race to Witch Mountain (Frank's take)
01/05/2009. Race to Witch Mountain is sadly a race to the bottom of Frank's popularity scale, discovers our ace reviewer, as he delves into a sci-fi movie which offers little but lacklustre special effects and clichéd situational dilemma. Will your kids like it? Not if they've got any taste, he suspects.

Super Capers (Frank's take)
01/05/2009. Now, our Frank knows that we're all meant to be doing our bit for the environment, but recycled gags? Come on! As you might be able to gather, the new superhero spoof movie Super Capers didn't exactly tickle our movie critic's entertainment-buds. Strap your cape on and get ready to fly at the speed of sound… into a cinematic brick wall.

17 Again (Frank's take)
01/05/2009. It must have taken the powers-that-be a brief 20-minute lunch session over a stale roast beef sandwich to conceive this woefully derivative teen comedy 17 Again, rages our Frank. For the sake of argument one cannot blame the handlers of this flaccid fable to see dollar signs dancing in their collective heads. First, why not milk the body swap gimmick for the ten millionth time?

Crank 2: High Voltage (Frank's take)
01/05/2009. Predictably, discovers Frank, Stratham is given permission to crank it up a few more notches and go totally ballistic in the outrageously fuel-injected follow-up High Voltage. Brash, outrageously inane and chaotically crafty, Crank 2: High Voltage is unapologetic in its sheer penchant for graphic-induced ribaldry as its charismatic calling card.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Frank's take)
01/05/2009. There is one amazing thing that you can say about the flaccid featherweight fantasy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past in that it managed to do a handful of cinematic crimes in one sweep. First, says our film reviewer Frank, it destroyed whatever credibility legendary scriber Charles Dickens had in his cherished A Christmas Carol gimmickry of revisiting spirits to keep one's soul grounded. Secondly, it reminds us how weak-kneed mainstream Hollywood romance comedies continue to be strained in imagination and conception. Thirdly, it reinforces how much that bland box office boy-toy Matthew McConaughey has overstayed his welcome in these aforementioned fluffy fantasies.

Monsters vs. Aliens (Frank's Take)
16/04/2009. Monsters versus Aliens may not be DreamWorks' very best work, says our Frank, but compared with the animated science fiction and fantasy flicks coming out from everyone else, it's still good enough. There are plenty of kicks for us adults, and you can expect your tots to be tickled too.

Repo: The Genetic Opera (Mark's take)
14/04/2009. This is a Grand Guignol science fiction rock opera starring Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino, and Anthony Head. Rotti Largo, the man who supplies the world with synthetic transplant organs, became the most powerful man in the world during a strange epidemic. As he nears death there is a struggle for who will inherit his empire after he dies. The plot, says Mark, is minimal and for a rock opera, there is too little real melody. Visually the film is a little nauseating but otherwise very inventive. Darren Lynn Bousman, director of three sequels to SAW, helms this film with what I would guess is the same sensitivity.

Knowing: Mark's take
05/04/2009. Knowing uses ideas seemingly borrowed from The Mothman Prophecies but as a springboard to tell a larger, more engaging, and far grimmer story, says our Mark. A page of digits written by a schoolgirl in 1959 seems to list every major disaster up to the present and even a little way into the future. Nicolas Cage plays an MIT professor who does not believe in determinism, but is forced to accept that a girl in 1959 knew specific data about the next fifty years. And the implications will have world-wide impact. Still, the script balances ideas, action, tension, and even horror.

Monsters vs. Aliens: Mark's take
05/04/2009. This film has a little something for the kids in the audience and a little something for the adults, says Mark, but not so much both can enjoy. The film builds a story of cute monsters defending Earth from ugly aliens. A disenchanted young woman finds herself first turned into a monster and then called upon to save the Earth. The story is largely built from pieces taken from old science fiction films as if they were Lego blocks. For me they were more fun where they got them.

Classic Sci-Fi
02/03/2009. region 2 DVD: pub: Universal 825 1373. 553 minutes 7 films on 7 DVDs. Price: £16.00 (UK) if you know where to look, otherwise twice as much.

The Oblong Box DVD
02/03/2009. DVD Region 2: Optimum Releasing B001NDT9XW. 92 minute film DVD. Price: £15.99 (UK). stars: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Rupert Davies.

Futureworld
02/03/2009. region 2 DVD. pub: Optimum Classic OPTD1442. 103 minute DVD with no extras. Price: £15.99 (UK). stars: Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, John Ryan, Stuart Margolin and Yul Brynner.

Coraline: Mark's take
02/03/2009. With charming images in 3-D animation, discovers Mark, we have the story of a girl who finds a tunnel to a parallel world where she has two other parents who just love her to death. Everything is wondrous in this world until she finds out that ... but that would be telling.

Peach Girl Volume 2
01/02/2009. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72602. 1 DVD 100 minute film plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Moon Phase Phase 2 Vol. 2 episodes 6-10
01/02/2009. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72802. 1 DVD 125 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Joe 90 - Collector's Edition Complete Series
01/02/2009. region 2 DVD. pub: Carlton Visual Entertainment 37115 03943. 5 DVDs 748 minutes 30 episodes with extras. Price: about £16.00 (UK) currently if you know where to look, around £75.00 if you don't) voices: Len Jones, Rupert Davies, David Healey, Keith Alexander and Sylvia Anderson.

The Dark Knight: Two-Disc Special Edition
01/02/2009. DVD Region 2. pub: Warner Bros Z1 Y17658. 2 DVDS 152 minute film with extras. Price: £ 9.99 (UK) if you look around) stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman.

Adam Resurrected (Mark's take)
01/01/2009. This, says Mark, is a bizarre surreal fantasy involving a man with psychic powers, a German Holocaust death camp, and people who are degraded to live and act like dogs. How does all that fit together? I vote for "not very well." Jeff Goldblum's performance is magnetic, but he has problems with the accent. Paul Schrader directs Noah Stollman's adaptation of Yoram Kaniuk's novel.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Mark's take)
01/01/2009. More than just a film, David Fincher's The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is a genuine accomplishment. It stylistically shows a span of history, carefully orchestrating an evolution of style and mood that tracks the passing years. This, finds Mark, is an intelligent fantasy with a beautifully sustained and intricate attention to tone. Almost certainly this haunting fantasy will be my best film of 2008.

Let the Right One In (Mark's take)
01/01/2009. With, believes Mark, marked similarities to Carrie this is a Swedish vampire film. Oskar, the most bullied boy in school, makes friends with a girl who appears to be his own age, but is somehow different. The somehow is that she is a vampire, living a life as isolated in her way as Oskar is in his. The two form a bond against a background of vampire-related killings. In spite of the fantasy motif this is a serious film about serious problems.

Quantum of Solace (Mark's take)
01/12/2008. Picking up just after where the Casino Royale movie left off, James Bond is involved in trying to find the people behind the death of his beloved Vesper. This is a decent spy thriller on an adult level, says our Mark. The tone is downbeat, but it is still one of the best in the series. Marc Forster's action scenes could be more coherent, but he is better with the dramatic material.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind 30th Anniversary Edition
01/12/2008. Region 2 DVD: pub: Sony Pictures CDR 26501UE. 3 DVDs 3 films (129m/127m/131m) plus extras. Price : £ 4.99 (UK) if you look around. stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Terri Garr, Melinda Dillon and Francois Truffaut.

The Invaders: The First Season
01/12/2008. region 2: pub: Paramount Pictures/CBS PHE 9376. 5 DVDs 17 episodes 835 minutes and no extras. Price: varies but I pulled my set for about £ 6.00 (UK). stars: Roy Thinnes and assorted guest-stars.

Ace Of Wands
01/12/2008. pub: Network 7952210. 4 DVDs 9 stories 500 minutes plus extras. Price: £10.00 (UK) if you know where to look. stars: Michael Mackenzie, Roy Holder, Petra Markham, Donald Layne-Smith and Fred Owl.

Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons DVD Boxset
01/12/2008. Region 2 DVD: pub: Carlton 37115 01613. 6 * 860 minute DVDs 32 * 25 minute episodes with extras. Price: £17.99 (UK) at HMV at the moment. Beats paying £75 for it).

Ghost Town: Mark's take
01/11/2008. A dentist who died for seven minutes on the operating table finds that he now can see dead people. Half of Manhattan has favours they want of him and making matters worse, it is the dead half. Ricky Gervais, popular star of BBC TV's The Office, plays the man who doesn't like living people and now has also to deal with the dead. He is asked by a dead husband to break up his wife's relationship with a new fiancée. The first half has some very good writing, says our Mark, but the film loses its centre and wanders in its second half.

We are Wizards: Mark's take
01/11/2008. The growing phenomenon of fandom of the Harry Potter books and films is examined in several of its manifestations in this documentary, says Mark. From four-year-old Wizard Rock punk rock stars to the Warner Brothers battle to close down the web sites of fans of their own films director Josh Koury looks at the multiple threads of the Potter fandom movement. He goes back and forth among the threads, but he could have used a few more threads and his camera was not always on the most interesting material.

Doctor Who: The Sontaran Experiment
01/11/2008. DVD Region2: pub: BBC BBCDVD 1811. 49 minutes 2 episodes with extras. Price: under £ 6.00 (UK) if you know where to look)) stars: Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter

Doctor Who: Robot
01/11/2008. DVD Region2: pub: BBC BBCDVD 2332. 98 minutes 4 episodes with extras. Price: under £ 6.00 (UK) if you know where to look) stars: Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney and Ian Marter

Mushi-Shi Vol. 5 episodes 19-22
01/11/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72905. 1 DVD 125 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Hell Girl Volume 1 episodes 1-5: Butterfly
01/11/2008. region 2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72601. 1 DVD 125 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

The Man From Earth: Mark's take
01/10/2008. Thoughtful and thought provoking, this is a science fiction film with plenty going for it but no special effects. It is really just people sitting and talking. Yet it is full of ideas that will with stick the viewer long after the film is over. The Man From Earth very probably will be one of the best science fiction films of this decade. A group of college professors and friends discuss the history of mankind and find out what they have right and what they have wrong from someone who knows.

The Hands Of Orlac (1924): Mark's take
01/10/2008. One of the nearly forgotten films of the German (actually in this case Austrian) Expressionist period is the Conrad Veidt version of The Hands Of Orlac. This is a seminal horror melodrama about a pianist whose hands are destroyed in a train crash and are replaced by hands taken from an executed murderer. The hands come to have a life of their own. This film was remade as the until- recently also rare Mad Love with Colin Clive as Orlac and with one of Peter Lorre's juiciest roles.

Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers
01/10/2008. region 2 DVD: pub: MGM 16184DVD. 1 hr 51 minute film with audio commentary. Price: under £ 4.00 (UK) if you know where to look). stars: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright.

The Time Tunnel Volume Two
01/10/2008. region 1 DVD: pub: 20th Century Fox B000BOH8Z0. 4 double-sided DVDs 768 minutes 15 episodes plus 2006 pilot, 'Time Travellers' film and extras. Price: $20.00 (US) if you know where to look). . stars: James Darren and Robert Colbert.

Negima Magic 301: Magical Enhancements Vol. 3 episodes 11-14
01/09/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72312. 1 DVD 100 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

The Time Tunnel Volume One
01/09/2008. region 1 DVD: pub: 20th Century Fox B000BOH8Z0. 4 double-sided DVDs 765 minutes 15 episodes plus original pilot and extras. Price: $20.00 (US) if you know where to look). . stars: James Darren and Robert Colbert .

Tsubasa 4: Between Death And Danger: Episodes 15 -18
01/09/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN73004. 1 DVD 105 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Negima 601: Magic and the Dark Arts Vol. 6 episodes 23-26
01/09/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72315. 1 DVD 125 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

The Man Who Fell To Earth
01/09/2008. Region 2 DVD: Studio Canal/Warner Bros VFCO3858. 143 minute film with extras. Price: £ 5.00 (UK) if you know where to look). . stars: David Bowie, Candy Clark, Rip Torn and Buck Henry.

Mushishi (live action) film
01/09/2008. Region 2 DVD. pub: Revolver Entertainment B000YDAJMW. 131 minute film. Price: £19.99 (UK) although can be gotten cheaper if you know where to look at £ 6.98 (UK)). . director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo.

Mushi-Shi Vol. 4 episodes 11-14
01/09/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72904. 1 DVD 165 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

WALL-E - Mark's take
02/08/2008. Pixar Animation is known for making good kids' films that even adults can enjoy. But now they really have crossed over the line to make an adult science fiction film that even kids can enjoy, says our Mark. WALL-E is a light fun scifi comedy set against a very grim background.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Mark's take
02/08/2008. Guillermo del Toro makes great horror films like Cronos and Pan's Labyrinth, says Mark. His graphic novel films are just not his best work. Hellboy II's visual images are spectacular and the film is full of fights and action, but there is only a bit of plot and that involves an epic fantasy premise that would have taken multiple films to do well. The characters are flat and the film has no centre. This is a film to watch, but there is not much to think about. The conclusion holds no surprises.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D: Mark's take
02/08/2008. Fun as a thrill ride, says Mark, but surprisingly poor as film, this is a story of three modern reluctant explorers who find out that the center of the Earth is just as Jules Verne described it with a lot of fast theme-park-like rides. It has even less logic than Verne gave it. Rent the 1959 version.

The Dark Knight (Mark's take)
02/08/2008. In a year in which one film after another is based on comic books this, says Mark, is a super-hero film whose depth is like no other. It plays with the whole philosophy of the superhero and the whole nature of superhero battles. It manages to bring together an action film and a thought piece.

Mushi-Shi Vol. 2 episodes 6-10
01/03/2008. Region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72902. 1 DVD 150 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Moon Phase - Phase 2 Vol. 1 episodes 1-5
01/03/2008. Region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72801. 1 DVD 130 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK) Also available in starter set which includes vol 2 and collectors box. £21.99 (UK).

Tsubasa 2: Seeds Of Revolution
01/03/2008. Region 2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN73002. 1 DVD 130 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World
02/02/2008. DVD region 2: pub: Network B00112GCEY. 2 DVDs 325 minutes 13 * 25 minutes episodes. Price: £14.99 (UK).

The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again
02/02/2008. region 1 DVD: pub: MGM 1009636. double-sided DVD: 95mins/89mins. Price: under $ 8.00 (US) if you know where to look). The Abominable Dr. Phibes: cast: Vincent Price, Joseph Cotton and Virginia North. Dr. Phibes Rises Again: cast: Vincent Price, Robert Quarry and Valli Kemp.

Mushi-Shi Vol. 1 episodes 1-5
02/02/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72901. 1 DVD 165 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK). Mushi-Shi Starter Pack 1 - this contains Vol. 1 and a box for all the volumes. (region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72901. 1 DVD 165 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £21.99 (UK).

Negima Magic 401: Magical Enhancements Vol. 4 episodes 15-18
02/02/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72313. 1 DVD 120 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK))

The X-Files: The Complete Third Season DVD Boxset
02/02/2008. region 2 DVD. pub: 20th Century Fox F1-0GB 21152MDVD. 7 DVDs 1100 minutes 24 episodes with extras. Price: about £13.00 (UK) if you know where to look). stars: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

The Hidden/The Hidden 2
02/02/2008. DVD Region 1. pub: Alliance Atlantic 20968. 2 films 98/91minutes plus extras. Price: $ 5.81 (US) if you know where to look). The Hidden stars: Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri. The Hidden 2 stars: Raphael Sbarge and Kate Hodge.

Cloverfield (Mark's take)
22/01/2008. There have been dozens of Japanese films depicting giant monsters attacking large cities, says Mark. Cloverfield tries to show what such an event would be like more realistically. The results are violent and frankly unpleasant to watch, but deliver on what they promise: a realistic depiction of what it would be like if a giant monster really did attack Manhattan. The photography is jarring, but not as jarring as the realism.

Beck Vol 1 Episodes 1-5
01/01/2008. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72501. 1 DVD 125 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Dead Like Me:The Complete Second Series
01/12/2007. DVD region 2. pub: MGM F1-ORG 3470601000. 4 DVDs 672 minutes 15 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.00 (UK - if you know where to look) stars: Ellen Muth, Laura Harris, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy and Mandy Patinkin.

Suzuka Vol. 1
01/12/2007. DVD Region 2. pub: Revelation Films B000OIOJDM. Price: £15.99 (UK) 125 mins.

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
01/12/2007. region 2 DVD. Revelation Films B000QEIQ5Q. 88 minutes 1 DVD. Price: £19.99 (UK).

The Monster aka I Don't Want To Be Born
01/12/2007. DVD Region 2. Pub: Network 795274. 90 minutes with audio commentary. Price: £12.99) stars: Joan Collins, Eileen Atrids, Ralph Bates and Donald Pleasence .

The Possession Of Joel Delaney
01/12/2007. DVD Region 2. Pub: Network B000V6AEOA. 105 minutes with extras. Price: £12.99) stars: Shirley MacLaine and Perry King.

Tales Of The Unexpected Series 5
01/12/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: Network Serial 7952753 3 DVDs 450 minutes. 18 * 25 minute episodes with no extras. Price: £24.95 (UK).

Tsubasa 1: Gathering Of Fates
01/12/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN73300. 1 DVD 130 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

The Shout
01/12/2007. DVD Region 2. Pub: Network 7952763. 85 minutes with audio commentary. Price: £ 9.99) stars: Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt.

The X-Files: The Complete Second Season DVD Boxset
01/12/2007. region 2 DVD. pub: 20th Century Fox F1-0GB 19778MDVD. 7 DVDs 1100 minutes 25 episodes with extras. Price: £ 9.90 (UK) if you know where to look) stars: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

Spider-Man 3: 2 Disc Special Edition
01/11/2007. region 2 DVD: pub: Sony Pictures CDR 44954. 133 minute movie packed with extras. Price: £ 9.95 (UK) if you know where to look) - stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and Thomas Haden Church.

Doctor Who: New Beginnings
01/11/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: BBC BBCDVD 1331. 3 DVDs 292 minutes plus loads of extras. Price: about £ 12.00 (UK) if you know where to look) - stars: Tom Baker, Peter Davidson, Sarah Sutton, Anthony Ainley and Matthew Waterhouse -

Dark Angel
01/11/2007. DVD Region 2. pub: MGM 10005001. 78 minutes with no extras. Price: £ 2.50 (UK) if you know where to look) - stars: Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben and Betsy Brantley.

Tales Of The Unexpected - The Complete Fourth Season
01/10/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: Network 7952679. 3 DVDs 425 minutes. 17 * 25 minute episodes and no extras. Price: £24.99 (UK).

Rumbling Hearts Vol. 3 episodes 11-14
01/10/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72403. 1 DVD 100 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Spiral 6: Notes Of Truth episodes 22-25
01/10/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72007. 1 DVD 120 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Rumbling Hearts Vol. 2 episodes 6-10
01/10/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72402. 1 DVD 120 minutes 5 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Rumbling Hearts: Betrayal Is A Bitch Vol. 1 episodes 1-5
01/09/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72401. 1 DVD 120 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK)

Spiral 5: The Melody Of Logic episodes 18-21
01/09/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72006. 1 DVD 110 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK)

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
01/09/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: BBC BBCDVD 1006. 1 DVD 102 minutes. Price: £ 7.20 (UK) if you know where to look) stars: Peter Davison, Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton, Richard Hurndall and Tom Baker.

Spiral 4: Sharpening Wit episodes 14-17
01/09/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72004. 1 DVD 125 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

The X-Files: The Complete First Season DVD boxset
01/09/2007. region 2. pub: 20th Century Fox F1-SGB 16555MDVD. 7 DVDs 1056 minutes 24 episodes with extras. Price: £ 10.25 (UK) if you know where to look) stars: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

M.R. James: Casting The Runes
01/09/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: Network 7952765. Price: £ 9.99 (UK). 1 DVD 50 minute episode plus a 50 minute documentary and 25 minute play) stars: Iain Cuthbertson, Jan Francis, Bernard Gallagher and Joann Durham.

Spiral 3: Shooting Falling Stars episodes 10-13
01/09/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72003. 1 DVD 95 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Spiral 2: Disarming Fate episodes 6-9
01/09/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72002. 1 DVD 100 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Forbidden Planet: 50th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition
01/09/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: MGM/Warner Bros Z1 66912. 2 DVDs 2 x 94 minute films with loads of extras. Price: £ 9.98 (UK) if you know where to look) stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielson and introducing Robby, the Robot.

Stargate SG-1 Season 8 DVD Boxset
01/08/2007. region 2 DVD: pub: 20th Century Fox/MGM MDRP 2846. 6 DVDs 20 hours 33 minutes 20 episodes with loads of extras. Price: £23.89 (UK) if you shop around a bit) stars: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge and many guest stars.

Laserblast
01/08/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: Cult Video CUV-DVD 8016. 120 minute film with minor extras. Price: £ 2.70(UK) simply if you look) stars: Kim Milford, Cheryl Smith, Gianni Russo, Roddy McDowall and Keenan Wynn.

Babylon 5: The Complete Fifth Season: The Wheel Of Fire DVD boxset
01/07/2007. Region 2 DVD. pub: Warners Home Video Z1 24275. 6 DVDs 924 minutes 22 episodes with extras. Price: £17.95 UK) if you know where to look) stars: Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, Richard Briggs, Bill Mumy, Tracy Scoggins, Stephen Furst, Jeff Conaway, Patricia Tallman, Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas.

Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) - The Complete Series Special Edition (PG)
01/07/2007. (Region 2 DVD. pub: Network 7952437. 7 DVDs 1300 minutes 26 episodes and loads of extras. Price £59.99 (UK) stars: Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre with a multitude of guest stars.

The Lone Gunmen: The Complete Series
01/06/2007. Region 2 DVD. 20th Century Fox F1-SGB 2924701012. 3 DVDs 554 minutes 14 episodes with extras. Price £17.97(UK) if you know where to look). stars: Tom Braidwood, Bruce Harwood, Dean Haglund, Stephen Snedden and Zuleikha Robinson.

The Invisible Man - Limited Edition (PG)
01/06/2007. Region 2 DVD: pub: Network 7952838. 4 DVDs 650 minutes 27 episodes (including unaired pilot) with extras. Price: £ 29.99(UK).

Starman (1984)
01/06/2007. region 2 DVD. pub: Columbia Tristar E-10682-UK-S. 110 minute film with extras. Price: £ 3.97(UK) if you know where to look. stars: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith and Richard Jaeckel.

Airwolf Season Two DVD boxset
01/06/2007. region 2 DVD. pub: Universal Playback DVD 824-715 3-11. 1015 minutes 22 episodes and no extras. Price: £ 23.98 (UK) if you know where to look). stars: Jan-Michael Vincent, Ernest Borgnine, Jean Scott Bruce and Alex Cord.

Full Metal Alchemist 9: Pain And Lust. Episodes 33-36
01/06/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72211. 1 DVD 95 minutes 4 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK).

Trancers (1985)
01/05/2007. Region 2 DVD: pub: Prism Leisure Corps/Empire Entertainment PPA1475. 75 minutes with no extras. Price: £ 2.99 (UK) which I got by looking around). stars: Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt and Michael Stefani.

The Complete Fruit Baskets Boxset (PG)
01/05/2007. Region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films/Funimation. FUN 72104. 4 DVDs 650 minutes 26 * 24 minute episodes plus extras. Price: £49.99 (UK). English/Japanese (English dolby Digital 5.1/2.0 Japanese Dolby digital 2.0).

Dead Of Night (The Ealing Studios Collection - 1946)
01/05/2007. region 2 DVD. pub: Canal Image/Optimum OPTD0610. 99 minute film with no extras. Price: £12.99 although it can be got for just under £ 5.00 if you know where to look (UK). stars: Michael Redgrave, Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, Basil Radford, Nouton Wayne, Sally Ann Howes, Rowland Culver and Frederick Valk.

The Bionic Woman: The Complete Season Two
01/05/2007. region 2 DVD. pub: Universal Playback 8243291. 1052 minutes. 22 episodes with no extras. Price: £26.49 (UK) if you shop around for a good price). stars: Lindsay Wagner, Richard Anderson and Martin E. Brooks (contrary to the box label) and many guest-stars.

Stargate SG-1 Season 7 DVD Boxset
01/05/2007. region 2 DVD: pub: MGM 10005026 M21. 6 DVDs 18 hours 21 episodes with loads of extras. Price: £24.97 (UK) if you shop around a bit). stars: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge and Don S. Davis and many guest stars.

Fu Manchu Double Bill DVD: Castle Of Fu Manchu And Blood Of Fu Manchu
01/05/2007. region 2 DVD. Optimum Home Entertainment OPTD0814 180 minutes 2 films 90 minutes each. Price: £12.99 (UK). stars Christopher Lee.

Spiral 1: episodes 1-5
01/04/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72001. 1 DVD 115 minutes 5 * 25 minutes episodes plus extras. Price: £16.99 (UK). Dual Language: English, Japanese, Japanese with English subtitles.

Saga Of A Crew
01/04/2007. Region 1 DVD. Daniel R. Christopher Productions, PO Box 1119, Lebanon ME 04022, USA. Time: 69 minutes. Price: $11.95 (US only cos of music use restrictions.

El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) DVD
01/04/2007. region 2 DVD. Optimum Releasing OPTD0756. time: 120 minutes plus extras in Spanish with English subtitles. Price: £17.99 (UK). Director/writer: Guillermo Del Toro. stars: Ariadna Gil; Ivana Baq; Sergi Lopez; Maribel Verdu; Doug Jones and Alex Angulo.

Doctor Who: Genesis Of The Daleks
01/04/2007. DVD Region 2. Pub: BBC DVD 1813. 2 DVD 6 episodes 142 minutes plus extras. Price: £19.99 although can be got for less than £ 8.00 if you know where to look (UK). stars: Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Ian Marter and assorted guests.

Negima Vol 1: Negima! Magister Negi Megi/Magic 101: The Basics Of Magic
01/03/2007. region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films Ltd. 1 DVD 130 minutes 6 episodes plus extras. Price: £15.99 (UK)

The Six Million Dollar Man: The Complete Season Two
01/03/2007. DVD Region 2. Pub: Universal Playback 824 3285-11. 6 DVDs 21 episodes 17 hours 2 minutes and no extras. Price: £34.99 (UK) but when you look around can be pulled for as little as £25.89 (UK). Stars: Lee Majors, Richard Anderson and introducing Lindsay Wagner.

Hawk The Slayer Special Edition DVD (PG)
01/03/2007. DVD Region 2. pub: Network 7952602. 90 minute film plus extras. Price: £14.99 (UK). Stars: Jack Palance and John Terry.

Near Dark Special Edition DVD
01/03/2007. region 2 DVD. Optimum Classic OPTD0648. 2 DVDs 95 minute film and extras. Price: £17.99. Stars: Adrian Pasader, Jenny Wright, Bill Paxton, Jeanette Goldstein and Lance Henrikson.

War of the Worlds (Spielberg version): Mark's Take
09/07/2005. It is easier to admire than to enjoy Steven Spielberg's adaptation of THE War of the Worlds. The film is dark and bleak with little real sense of wonder - the thing that should be Spielberg's forte. The alien technology is not allowed to steal attention away from the human story, but that may not be a good thing. This is a film that is dark in just about every meaning of the word.

H. G. Wells' The War Of The Worlds (Brit version): Mark's Take
08/07/2005. This is the first film to do the novel in the period in which it was intended. The acting is stylized; the photography is stylized; the special effects are stylized. All this effectively evokes a period feel on a dime-store budget. This exceptionally faithful adaptation of the Wells novel, but is a film that will appeal to only a very narrow audience.