Comedy > H Comedy > 1975 > 5 GBP to 10 GBP

Advantages: Hilarious episodes; Superb acting by Cleese et al
Disadvantages: Not many extras

In my opinion, Fawlty Towers is one of the funniest sitcoms to have graced our TV screens. The main character is the rather snobbish and aloof Torquay hotelier by the name of Basil Fawlty, played superbly by John Cleese (in his first major role since his Monty Python success), and it is through Basil that most of the laughter comes. His contempt of most of the guests (or 'riff-raff') and his old-fashioned attitudes often lead to hilarious misunderstandings, ...
...actions. Cleese is supported well by Prunella Scales (playing Basil's long-suffering wife Sybil), Connie Booth (as the hotel's maid Polly) and Andrew Sachs (who plays the hapless Spanish waiter Manuel). Despite there only ever being twelve episodes of this great show produced, each one is a timeless classic that is as funny today as it was when first aired. The six episodes on this DVD are: A Touch Of Class - Basil is delighted that a Lord (Melbury) ... Read review

Advantages: Funny, great acting
Disadvantages: Story falls apart towards the end

...film is about two friends, Zack Brown (Seth Rogan) and Miriam Linky (Elizabeth Banks) who find themselves in financial difficulty to the extent where they are unable to pay their bills and their electricity, water and heating has been cut off. Fearing that they would be kicked out of their home, they start to brain storms ways in which they can make money. After having gone to a high school reunion and meeting an actor who makes pornos, Zack comes ...
...not finish making it. Instead Zack and Miri realise that they are in love with each other. So although the ending is weak, it is a happy ending. The movie to begin with was rather funny. For the first 30 minutes I was bursting out laughing. Some of the quotes were so forward, for example, Miri: 'No, don't thank me, just fuck me', they made me burst out laughing. When they started getting into making the porno, the humour started to slow down. The ... Read review

Advantages: beautiful cast, easygoing and crowdpleasing
Disadvantages: dull, dull and far too predictable

Film - What happens in Vegas Stars - Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher Whats it about - Joy (Diaz) has just been dumped rather publicly by her fiancé. Having bought him tickets to Vegas for his birthday, her friend suggests that they use them in a bid to help Joy get over the break up. Meanwhile Jack (Kutcher) is happy-go-lucky bloke who gets fired by his own dad, and decides to make himself better by, you guessed it……..going to Vegas with his best ...
...the best they could with what they were given, however it didn't cover up a really weak script and lack of imagination. The characters were all one dimensional (I can barely even remember either of the best friends) and it was all a bit boring to me by the end. There are much better comedies out there so wouldn't bother with this one unless you happen to be a huge Cameron Diaz or Ashton Kutcher fan. There isn't really much else to say about this ... Read review

Advantages: A good concept but it didn't live up to its potential.
Disadvantages: Where do I start?

...picking up a copy of Be Kind Rewind. I'd only seen the infamous Jack Black in one previous film, Nacho Libre, which was a flop as far as I was concerned. In fact, I only endured the entire film to get my monies worth, having paid an entire penny to watch it using my TV on demand. Unfortunately for me, my memory chose not to remind me of that awful night as a paid my £2 and left the library in anticipation of an amusing evening. And so I climbed ...
...of the World journalist and Be Kind Rewind is perhaps a perfect case in point. The film follows Jerry (Jack Black) who, following a botched attempt to sabotage the local power plant, becomes magnetised. When he next visits his friend Mike (Mos Def) at the local video store, this leads to all the tapes in the shop being erased. Jerry and Mike then come up with the genius idea to film their own remakes of classic films to rent out. And surprisingly, ... Read review

Advantages: Escapist fun - let the spending spree begin!
Disadvantages: Predictable and formulaic plot - but who cares?

...Wild acclaim. But Brewster's heart is in struggling, industrial America, where his scrappy minor-league baseball team of have-a-go heroes can take on the Yankees (and lose). The late lamented John Candy plays an able supporting role as Brewster's larger-than-life sidekick. Add in a saccharine, formulaic love story and it's all a recipe for an absorbing hour and a half of Eighties nostalgia. Sometimes a film doesn't have to be spectacular or hilarious, ...
...good lines and a warm glow at the end of it. This is just the ticket for some recession-era escapism. Go for it and get spending those millions! PS. One reader asked for my verdict on the DVD quality and features. Quite frankly, the extras were unmemorable, consisting of a theatrical trailer and little else. I couldn't even get the 4:3 full frame picture to completely fit my 42 inch Bravia, though that possibly says more about my own technological ... Read review