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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Nativity
Release Date: 2004-09-06, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape 2.1 [1999]
<I>Farscape</I> is genre television at its most ambitious, inspired both by the cult appeal of <I>Babylon 5</I> and the continuing success of the <I>Star Trek</I> franchise, but taking a visual and conceptual leap beyond those shows. Making extensive use of CGI, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the <I>Farscape</I> concept has a freshness that makes it look and feel completely original. The production design is all bio-mechanical curves and the script, which is peppered with post-modern pop culture references and movie in-jokes, never takes itself too seriously. It may be expensive to make, but it certainly looks (and sounds--in Dolby Digital 5.1) like every penny made it to the screen. Ben Browder plays leading man John Crichton as a latter-day Buck Rogers but with an entirely believable sense of bewilderment, not to mention loss; the rest of the living ship Moya's crew also has plenty of difficult issues to deal with, allowing <I>Farscape</I>'s writers licence to develop their characters in often unexpected ways. The result is episodic TV sci-fi that continually pushes at the accepted boundaries of the format.<p> <B>Box Set 6</B>: after the nail-biting cliffhanger at the end of the first, the second series gets off to a shaky start in Mind the Baby, as all the loose plot ends have to be gathered and resolved. Crais apparently has a change of heart, and Scorpius takes his place as Crichton's new nemesis. In Vitas Mortis D'Argo falls for a lonely Luxan, with catastrophic and barely plausible results for Moya. Taking the Stone showcases Chiana's grief in an episode that manages to be even more confusing. Fortunately by the fourth episode, Crackers Don't Matter, the show has really hit its stride once again: the crew slowly succumbs to a state of paranoia-fuelled madness, fighting and trying to kill one another thanks to the presence of an odd light-seeking alien. Crichton has a string of great lines (I hate it when villains quote Shakespeare) and much fun doing an impersonation of Jack Nicholson in <I>The Shining</I>. In The Way We Weren't there are shocking revelations about both Aeryn and Pilot's past lives and the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development is once more brought to the fore. Extra features on the DVD include a handful of deleted scenes, cast biographies, a picture gallery and TV trailer. --<I>Mark Walker</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Out Of Town - Vol. 5
Release Date: 2006-01-09, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Out Of Town - Vol. 4
Release Date: 2006-01-09, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Relic Hunter - Vol. 2 [2000]
Release Date: 2002-09-02, Rating Suitable for 12 years and over,
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£11.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Care Bears - The Care Bears Family - Vol. 1 [1985]
Release Date: 2003-08-04, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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£14.99
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Michelle Yeoh - Magnificent Warriors Wing Chun Police Assassins
Release Date: 2006-01-09, Rating Suitable for 18 years and over,
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£14.99
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Yesterday's Britain - 50s
Release Date: 2004-10-11, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape 2.4 [1999]
The second season of <I>Farscape</I> expands upon and develops the characters introduced in the ambitious first season. John Crichton's new nemesis is the deadly Scorpius, replacing Crais who has taken the living ship Moya's offspring on a voyage into the unknown. Moya's regular crew--Aeryn, Zhaan, Chiana, D'Argo and Rygel--remain as divided and suspicious of each other as ever, yet somehow manage to pull together at times of crisis. The writers continue to exploit the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development, while the CGI effects, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, continue to make <I>Farscape</I> the most original looking sci-fi show on TV. The witty scripts, peppered with post-modern pop culture references and movie in-jokes, are also a breath of fresh air. The result is episodic TV sci-fi that continually pushes at the accepted boundaries of the genre. --<I>Mark Walker</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape 4.1 [1999]
In its fourth series <I>Farscape</I> is as much dramatic and romantic fun as it's ever been and it's even more stylish than ever before. A pity, then, that this series is also the show's last, following its abrupt cancellation by the Sci-Fi Channel. If at times the tone seems a little lighter here than in its gloriously doom-laden predecessor, that is because its story arc is the first half of what was intended to cover two series and some of the material is clearly here for the long run. It is, for example, probably no coincidence that the priests' chant in What Was Lost has been part of the show's signature tune from the beginning. <p> There are five episodes here. In Crichton Kicks, Crichton has been a castaway for months on a senile Leviathan which is waiting its time to die. He has worked out wormhole technology, trained an orchestra of DRDs to sing the <I>1812 Overture</I>, and is generally content, until his worldly resignation is shattered by the arrival of the beautiful, bossy and untrustworthy Sikozu, a bunch of aggressive butchers and a somewhat battered Chiana and Rygel. <p> What Was Lost Part 1: Sacrifice takes them to an archaeological dig where they join Jool, D'Argo and the mysterious, annoying old woman Noranti and start to uncover lost secrets that change everything. In What Was Lost Part 2: Resurrection Crichton, drugged into bed by the seductive evil Peacekeeper Grayza, regains his self-respect by helping save yet another world. <p> Lava's a Many-Splendored Thing is a puzzle episode: how to rescue an amber-encased Rygel from the bottom of a pool of lava without getting crisped or shot by renegades and how to use D'Argo's ship to rescue him when it is keyed to his DNA. Finally, Promises takes everyone back to Moya to find a dying Aeryn Sun and a Scorpius she has promised to protect--the issue here is how to outwit both a Peacekeeper torpedo and an extortionist with a big ship and a taste for hiding behind holograms. <p> <B>On the DVD:</B> <I>Farscape 4.1</I> has a very useful guide to the show's back-story as well as an interview with Anthony Simcoe ( D'Argo) and various character profiles and galleries. The deleted and extended scenes are unusually interesting--there is an exchange between Scorpius, Braca and Grayza which turns out later in the season to have been especially important. The DVD is presented in 4:3 visual aspect ratio and has Dolby Digital 5:1 sound. --<I>Roz Kaveney</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Bad Girls - Series 4 [1999]
Release Date: 2003-06-09, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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£10.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Care Bears - The Care Bears Family - Vol. 4
Release Date: 2006-09-25, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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Availability: Not yet released
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape 4.3 [1999]
In the episodes contained in this third volume, <I>Farscape</I>'s fourth series finally kicks into gear and does some of the most surprising things a television show has ever done. The first three episodes are all <I>Farscape</I> classics, which take our expectations and jump up and down on them. Unrealised Realities takes John Crichton (Ben Browder) through a wormhole to be interrogated by a creature who regards the Ancients who put the knowledge of wormhole technology in his brain as annoying bumblers and who tells him a lot about time and about alternate universes. This gives the cast a chance to play each other again--Claudia Black's performance as Chiana is particularly disorientating. In Kansas John finds himself finally back on Earth, during his own adolescence, with the task of ensuring that his father does not die in the Challenger explosion and alter his personal history. The visit to his long-missed home continues in Terra Firma where the crew of Moya have to cope with Bush's America and John discovers the hard way--politics, family, old girlfriends, alien assassins--that you cannot go home again. Lastly in the moderately weaker Twice Shy, Chiana (Gigi Edgeley) and the others learn that no good deed goes unpunished as a slave they rescue turns out to be one of the more deadly individual menaces they have ever faced. --<I>Roz Kaveney</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Beyblade - Vol. 1 [2002]
<I>Beyblade</I> is an animé tie-in to the high-tech spinning top toys. It has some of the standard faults of the cheaper Japanese animations--such as static backgrounds and overly perky facial design--but it makes inventive use of the idea that the competitions of the Beybladers are the outward manifestation of more occult conflicts in another realm. <p>Young Tyson is a keen and inventive Beyblader--in the first episode, he works out a way of quadrupling the speed and force of his top--but it helps that his Beyblade is inhabited by the spirit of an ancestral dragon. Thus equipped, he moves through one round after another of an international competition, sometimes in alliance with the haughty Kai and his gang and sometimes opposing them, and always helped by Kenny and Dizzi, the spirit beast that inhabits Kenny's laptop. How much of this you want to watch will ultimately depend on how many duels between spinning tops you are going to be interested in, but the byplay between physical and spirit realms, and the conflict of characters is moderately interesting as well. <p> <B>On the DVD:</B> <I>Beyblade, Volume 1</I> comes with stereo sound and a visual aspect ratio of 4:3. The special features are limited to promotional material for the Beyblade tops, including quizzes and guides to customising. --<I>Roz Kaveney</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape 4.5 [1999]
This last ever sequence of <I>Farscape</I> episodes is as effective and powerful a climax as those of earlier seasons. The three-parter We're So Screwed (a title censored by the BBC in the UK) starts with Fetal Attraction, in which the crew of Moya attempt to rescue the pregnant Aeryn Sun from her Scarren captors and end up starting a dangerous epidemic on a space station. They get Aeryn back and lose Scorpius; in Hot to Katratzi, the necessity of saving his worst enemy--who just knows too much to be left a captive--forces John Crichton to gate-crash the Sebacean-Scarren peace conference and bluff his way to success. Seemingly betrayed by Scorpius, John snatches victory in La Bomba, striking another deadly blow against the Scarren empire. The title of the last episode Bad Timing refers both to the show's cancellation--the cast and crew felt real bitterness towards the SciFi Channel over this--and to the cliff-hanger ending; the crew of Moya have to prevent a Scarren ship finding its way through the worm-hole to Earth. <I>Farscape</I> was perhaps the best ever television space opera and certainly the most sexy, stylish, funny and dramatic; it will be greatly missed. <p> <B>On the DVD:</B> <I>Farscape, Series 4 Part 5</I> presents the shows in 16:9 format with impressively loud Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. The special features include a documentary about the cancellation of <I>Farscape</I>, in which the cast talk about their shock and grief and fans talk about the Save <I>Farscape</I> campaign. There are a couple of extended versions of scenes from these episodes and an extensive blooper reel, much of it hilarious. Also included is an illustrated glossary of terms from the Uncharted Territories and a collection of interesting facts about these last four episodes. --<I>Roz Kaveney</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Beyblade - Vol. 7 [2002]
Release Date: 2005-12-26, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Fred Dibnah - Age Of Steam
Release Date: 2005-09-12, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Professionals - Vol. 4
Release Date: 2004-04-05, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Joe
Release Date: 2004-07-12, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Duel To The Death
Release Date: 2005-04-04, Rating Suitable for 18 years and over,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Jackie Chan - Project A
For people who've discovered Jackie Chan through his international hit <i>Rush Hour</i> and want to learn what his Hong Kong movies are like, <i>Project A</i> is an excellent place to start. Chan plays a sailor in 19th-century Hong Kong; pirates have been terrorizing the seas for months, and all efforts to combat them have been sabotaged by the corrupt chief of police and a criminal gang, who are in cahoots with the pirates. But the plot is hardly the point--a Jackie Chan movie is about astonishingly acrobatic action sequences and breathtaking stunts, and <i>Project A</i> has plenty. Of particular interest is a bicycle chase that is more suspenseful than any car chase you've ever seen. Chan is joined by Sammo Hung as a shifty con man who comes through when the chips are down. <i>Project A</i> also features Yuen Biao, a frequent costar in Chan's movies, who's yet another astounding martial artist. But what separates Jackie Chan movies from other kung fu flicks is his sense of humor; every fight scene is punctuated by something--a clever use of a prop or sudden reversal of your expectations--that will make you bark with laughter. Sometimes it's just so exquisitely choreographed that the entire movie seems to float on a cloud of giddy delight. Jackie Chan is often compared to the classic silent comedians for his grace and timing--he lives up to it. <i>--Bret Fetzer</i>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Care Bears - The Care Bears Family - Vol. 1
Release Date: 2005-01-24, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Ichi The Killer [2003]
Release Date: 2005-10-17, Rating Suitable for 18 years and over,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Care Bears - The Care Bears Family - Vol. 2
Release Date: 2005-12-26, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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£7.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Out Of Town - Vol. 3
Release Date: 2006-01-09, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape: Complete Season 4 (Box Set)
Release Date: 2005-10-10, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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£40.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Dungeons And Dragons - Vol. 2
Release Date: 2005-12-26, Rating Parental Guidance,
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£4.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Millennium Collection - Karaoke 90s Hits [2002]
Release Date: 2004-09-06, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Invisible Man, Series 1 (Box Set 1) [2000]
<I>The Invisible Man</I> first appeared on American TV just a couple of months in advance of Paul Verhoeven's <I>Hollow Man</I> in 2000. But unlike the rather overly serious movie, the idea of this series was to have as much fun with the concept as possible. Thief and con man Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca) is apprehended and offered the choice of either being imprisoned or becoming a guinea pig in a scientific experiment run by his own brother. The result is the successful insertion of a Quicksilver Gland in his head, a device that secretes a substance able to bend light, causing him to become invisible at will. Unfortunately it also starts to send him insane. The mysterious Official and his Agency offer a solution. They can regularly administer an antidote, so long as he agrees to work for them in secret. <p> Thus the series begins to explore the possibilities: Fawkes poses as a child's imaginary friend to get information; he stalks a stalker; and, of course, he does a lot of spying. In the background of the individual stories is a constant build-up of tension as both the audience and Fawkes wonder where the Agency's loyalties lie and what the constant use of the Quicksilver may do to him. At the midway point of the first series, the show adds an even weirder twist when a suspected additional Invisible Man turns out to be Fawkes himself, channelling the memories and violent temperament of the first test subject to have hosted the gland. Unpredictable and engaging, this is a show that deserved to go beyond the mere two years it managed before cancellation. <p> <B>On the DVD:</B> <I>The Invisible Man</I> comes to DVD in a four-disc box set containing the first half of Series 1. Some weblinks and scripts of shows are accessible as DVD-ROM features, but the real score for the DVD's producers is an hour-long interview with cast members Vincent Ventresca, Paul Ben-Victor and Michael McCafferty. Much more is promised for the next box set comprising the second half of the series. --<I>Paul Tonks</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Millionaires' Express
Release Date: 2005-05-16, Rating Suitable for 12 years and over,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Knockabout
Release Date: 2006-01-16, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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£16.99
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Jade's Dance Workout [2002]
As well as dropping two dress sizes since leaving the <I>Big Brother</I> house, Jade Goodey's also dropped the incessant banter that made her so watchable. In <I>Jade's Dance Workout</I>, the Jade who doesn't take herself seriously is seriously presented as a dance-fitness coach. According to the work-out's sell, the <I>Big Brother</I> contestant loathes the gym and managed to lose weight and tone up thanks to dancing. Yet in the interview (featured on the DVD) Jade mentions a personal trainer... and a gym. Not surprisingly she neither looks nor acts the dance part. With four funky guys strutting their fab professional dance bodies, unfortunately Jade is shown up for what she is: inept. <p> Jade aside, an ace soundtrack, great moves and an accessible work-out (featuring a fun 10-minute warm-up, a 30-minute work-out that isn't too demanding and a five-minute toning cool-down) make this a fun way to get moving and master some flash stuff for the dance-floor. In fact, had this been presented by the choreographer himself, <I>Fame Academy</I>'s Kevin Adams, this would have had huge appeal. <p> <B>On the DVD:</B> a so-called interview simply features a few sentences on a list of subjects, without capturing Jade's humour. Most revealing, and certainly the only interesting section of the entire DVD, is the behind-the-scenes feature, which confirms this dance charade is nothing but an ego-boosting job. --<I>Lorna V</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Adventures Of William Tell
Release Date: 2005-12-26, Rating Suitable for 12 years and over,
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£5.99
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Dungeons And Dragons - Vol. 4
Release Date: 2004-09-13, Rating Parental Guidance,
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£7.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Master
Release Date: 2005-03-28, Rating Suitable for 18 years and over,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Bill Oddie - How To Watch Wildlife - Part 1
Release Date: 2006-02-06, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Steady Eddie - Vol. 1
Release Date: 2004-04-05, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Adam Sandler - The Best Of Saturday Night Live
Release Date: 2005-10-17, Rating Suitable for 12 years and over,
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£6.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Out Of Town - Vol. 6
Release Date: 2006-01-09, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Millennium Collection - Karaoke - 70s Hits 80s Hits 90s Hits
Release Date: 2004-09-06, Rating Exempt,
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£19.99
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Chatterhappy Ponies - Vol. 1 [1997]
Release Date: 2006-06-26, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Ong Bak
No computer graphic can ever surpass what a real human body can do--and what the body can do is on spectacular display in <i>Ong-Bak</i>, a Thai action movie starring the lithe and flexible Tony Jaa. When the head is stolen from a holy statue in Jaa's rural village, he goes to Bangkok to get it back. Of course, it just so happens that the thief is connected to a bar where criminal big shots gamble over bare-knuckle brawls, and Jaa is--despite his virtuous efforts--drawn into the game. But that's only the beginning; a chase through the city streets rivals the ingenious acrobatics of Jackie Chan, with Jaa leaping between panes of glass, over a bicycle in motion, and through a wreath of barbed wire. Jaa's fighting prowess has been compared to Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and just about every other martial arts master, but he has an equal degree of charisma as well. He won't win acting awards, but his engaging presence carries the movie. One word of warning: The numerous fights will make you wince as much as gape in astonishment. <i>Ong-Bak</i> follows the action-flick tradition that the hero needs to be as battered as possible before he ultimately triumphs, and the battering is intense. <i>--Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com</i>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP 100 Favourite Fairy Tales And Stories
Release Date: 2004-04-05, Rating Exempt,
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Laurie Johnson's Big Band At The Royal Albert Hall
Release Date: 2005-08-08, Rating Exempt,
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£12.99
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape 1.4 [1999]
An international co-production of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Australia's Channel 9 and Hallmark Entertainment, <I>Farscape</I> is genre television at its most ambitious, inspired both by the cult appeal of <I>Babylon 5</I> and the continuing success of the <I>Star Trek</I> franchise. Making extensive use of CGI, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, <I>Farscape</I> takes a visual leap beyond previous shows. Admittedly, the basic premise may be borrowed from <I>Buck Rogers</I> (American astronaut catapulted to far-flung galaxy populated by strange aliens), while the crew have something of <I>Blake's 7</I> about them (a motley bunch of escaped convicts pursued by a relentless foe), and ideas like the living ship are borrowed from <I>Babylon 5</I>, but the <I>Farscape</I> concept has a freshness that makes it look and feel completely original. The production design is all bio-mechanical curves and the script never takes itself too seriously (fart jokes and double-entendres pop up when you least expect them). It must have been expensive to make, but it certainly looks (and sounds--in Dolby Digital 5.1) as if every penny made it to the screen. In true Buck Rogers style, Ben Browder plays leading man John Crichton as an all-American astronaut, although with a more believable sense of bewilderment; the supporting cast is a mixture of Australian and British actors, mostly disguised under heavy make-up.<p>Box Set 4 includes four episodes, another gallery of conceptual art, and video profiles of everyone's favourite Hynerian Dominar, Rygel, as well as a profile of Moya the living Leviathan transport ship and her pilot. The episodes are: Durka Returns, in which the crew meet the beautiful Chiana for the first time, as well as Rygel's old tormentor, Captain Durka; A Human Reaction, where Crichton finally gets back to Earth but with unfortunate results for the rest of Moya's crew; Through the Looking Glass in which the crew and Moya are thrown into a dimensional schism inhabited by a strange creature; and A Bug's Life, in which an intelligent virus is released on the ship after an encounter with Peacekeepers. --<I>Mark Walker</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Mary Higgins Clark - The Cradle Will Fall
Release Date: 2005-01-17, Rating Suitable for 12 years and over,
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 3 to 6 days
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£6.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Denise Welch - You Can Do It!
Release Date: 2004-07-12, Rating Exempt,
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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£5.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Latino Dance Workout With Nadia [2004]
Release Date: 2004-12-27, Rating Exempt,
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£6.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Farscape 4.4 [1999]
The fourth volume of <I>Farscape</I>'s fourth (and final) series does all those things that the later stages of any season should do: individual episodes play interesting games with how we think television works, while the tension of the overall story arc builds and builds. Of the individual episodes here, Mental as Anything is an ensemble piece for the male members of Moya's crew: D'Argo's back-story gets some sort of resolution and Scorpius puts John Crichton through hell for the best of reasons. Bringing Home the Beacon is rather more fun-- the women of Moya frustrate a Sebacean/Scarren peace treaty--but ends in stark tragedy. In Constellation of Doubt, Moya picks up, and the crew obsessionally watch, a documentary from American television about their recent visit to earth: Crichton gets to see human paranoia and wishful thinking through cold, intelligent alien eyes. Finally, in Prayer, Aeryn suffers terribly at the hands of her Scarren captors and Crichton makes a devil's bargain with Scorpius to save her. By this point the season is building to the surprises of its last episodes: <I>Farscape</I> was about to be cancelled, but it never lost its edge. <p> <B>On the DVDs:</B> <I>Farscape, Series 4 Vol. 4</I> includes a dictionary of alien slang and technical terms with illustrative clips from the show, as well as text files on the villainous Peacekeepers Braca and Grayza. The high point of the extras, though, is an interview with the wonderfully flakey Gigi Edgeley (Chiana) and a lot of deleted scenes from Constellation of Doubt, with footage of Chiana, Aeryn and Noranti interacting with Crichton's family in bizarre and touching ways. --<I>Roz Kaveney</I>
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£11.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Pony Tales - Vol. 1
Release Date: 2004-07-12, Rating Universal, suitable for all,
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£5.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Tipping the Velvet [2002]
Screenwriter Andrew Davies describes <I>Tipping the Velvet</I>, his adaptation of Sarah Waters's acclaimed novel of lesbian love, betrayal and redemption in Victorian England, as <I>Pride and Prejudice</I> with dirty bits. This three-part BBC production chronicles with relish the story of Nan Astley (Rachael Stirling, the ravishing image of her mother, Diana Rigg), barely 18, and certain that life holds more for her than her oyster girl's existence. You'll meet someone who'll have your head spinning and your legs turning to jelly, her sister promises. That someone surprisingly turns out to be gay and bold Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a music-hall entertainer with whom Nan falls instantly, and swooningly, in love. Nan follows her to London, where, as a double act, they become the toast of London, until Kitty's marriage of convenience breaks up the act and Nan's heart. The outcast Nan, decked out in Victor/Victoria duds, becomes a streetwalker, and then tart to the aptly named Diana Leatherby (Anna Chancellor). This affair, too, comes to a bad end as a destitute Nan is deposited back on the streets, where she insinuates herself into the lives of Florence (Jodhi May), a social worker, and her socialist brother. <p> Is Nan too spoiled and stained for love? Will she risk her blossoming relationship with Florence when Kitty inevitably returns to rekindle their affair? Nan's couplings, while tastefully done, do carry what Waters calls a queer erotic charge. They are graphic by BBC standards. But the sterling writing and performances will captivate even the most sensitive viewers, making this groundbreaking mini-series, to quote one character, a delightful evening... a rare treat. <I>--Donald Liebenson</I>
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP First Bible Stories
Release Date: 2005-01-24, Rating Exempt,
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£5.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Invisible Man, Series 1 (Box Set 2) [2000]
<I>The Invisible Man</I> continued its first year in increasingly tense and cryptic fashion. Anti-hero Darien has to keep up his spying gig in order to be fed an antidote to the side effects of the invisibility gland. Unfortunately it isn't working. The clock is ticking all the way to a tense finale, where the Quicksilver insanity threatens to consume him whole. There's lots of fun with the format on the way, of course. Darien encounters a ghost, a sperm thief and a hitman who likes to blind his witnesses. Some grander political backdrop comes to the fore as well, with the Chinese government seeking surreptitiously to obtain the gland. All the while there's a growing sense that the Agency has troubles of its own. In an unprecedented bit of audience participation, viewers were allowed to vote for the resolution of a story entitled Money for Nothing. Fans went for the more interesting option, thankfully, and so an invisible bank raid pays off nicely for everyone. Creating constant conflict throughout the year is the lurking presence of arch-enemy Arnaud. The immediate resolution of that conflict is one of several surprise twists that singled out the show as more than standard TV SF fare. Not even a so-so cameo from <I>Star Trek</I>'s Wil Wheaton could spoil the fun. <p> <B>On the DVD:</B> <I>The Invisible Man</I>'s second box set features even more extras than the first DVD set. Two cast commentaries are frequently comic, though with a constant sense of disappointment the show didn't go further than two series. There are lengthy interviews with the cast, too. But of real interest to fans will be alternate footage previously unseen in the UK. Some FX shots and script pages round out the package. --<I>Paul Tonks</I>
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£17.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Warriors Two
Release Date: 2005-01-24, Rating Suitable for 18 years and over,
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£6.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Coast - Complete BBC TV Series
Release Date: 2005-10-24, Rating Exempt,
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£11.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Heart Of The Dragon
Release Date: 2004-08-30, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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£6.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Cutting It - Complete Series 3
Release Date: 2005-05-23, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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£10.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP The Professionals - Vol. 1
Release Date: 2005-09-26, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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£12.97
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CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Chatterhappy Ponies - Further Adventures Of The Chatterhappy Ponies
Release Date: 2006-06-26, Rating Universal, particularly children,
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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£6.97
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