The original BBC radio adventures of Arthur Dent (an ape-descendant whose anger at the apparently inexplicable destruction of his home planet Earth, situated in an obscure corner of the outer spiral arm of the galaxy, is expressed in frequent irritation at friendly automatic doors and vending machines) and his travelling companions, Ford Prefect (an itinerant towel-carrying hitch-hiker originally from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse), Zaphod Beeblebrox (the notorious ex-Galactic President and patron of Eccentrica Galumbits, the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon Six) and Marvin the Paranoid Android (who's still suffering from that terrible pain in all the diodes down his left side) proved to be such a success for the BBC that its transition to TV was (almost) inevitable. In 1981 several key members of the radio cast made the move to the small screen. Simon Jones' bewildered Arthur Dent remains the central character, shambling around in his dressing gown (a fact easy to forget on radio); Mark Wing-Davey's Zaphod Beeblebrox is the same as his boastful radio persona, even if the second head utterly fails to convince. Unfortunately, newcomers David Dixon (as Ford Prefect) and the irritating Sandra Dickinson (as Trillian) are no match for their radio predecessors. The problem here is not so much the low-budget look as the script itself, which is lovingly faithful to the radio series in a way that Douglas Adams' novels aren't. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a lucid, satirical, occasionally profound, utterly unique comic invention on radio. As such, it has nothing to gain from TV. The script needs no visual elaboration-that's best left to the listener's own imagination. Only the animated renditions of the Guide itself enhance Peter Jones' wonderfully dry narration; otherwise-paradoxically, perhaps-by supplying images the concept is oddly diminished here. On the DVD: A suitably eclectic not to say eccentric collection of extra features makes this a wholly satisfying two-disc set, neatly packaged in a fold-out slipcase. [+]

Quite possibly the nadir of Steven Spielberg's career as a producer, this piece of sentimental junk from 1987 concerns five little spacecraft which arrive on Earth just in time to help out some New Yorkers getting kicked out of a tenement. The script's goo just sticks to the viewer, and the cast looks silly by trying not to be silly. You get the feeling that Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment was pretty much throwing stuff at the wall to see what would hang there, and they came up with this ridiculous thing. -Tom Keogh.

Most people didn't mind Gwyneth Paltrow's English accent in this charming, 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel (which also inspired Clueless). But even if it doesn't sound quite right to you, there are plenty of authentic and wonderful Brit thespians in this film by screenwriter-turned-director Douglas McGrath (co-author of Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway), including Juliet Stevenson (Truly Madly Deeply), Alan Cumming (Buddy), Phyllida Law (Much Ado About Nothing), Ewan McGregor (the Scots star of Trainspotting), and Sophie Thompson, outstanding and finally heartbreaking as the chattering Miss Bates. Paltrow plays Austen's benign busybody, Emma Woodhouse-so busy trying to arrange the lives of others that she is sidestepping her own. McGrath brings a kind of pretty and light touch to the production, his best move the wise delegation of creative authority to the actors themselves. -Tom Keogh Most people didn't mind Gwyneth Paltrow's English accent in this charming 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma. There are also plenty of authentic and wonderful Brit thespians in this film by screenwriter-turned-director Douglas McGrath (co-author of Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway), including Juliet Stevenson (Truly Madly Deeply), Phyllida Law (Much Ado About Nothing), Ewan McGregor and Sophie Thompson who offers an outstanding and finally heartbreaking turn as the chattering Miss Bates. Paltrow plays Austen's benign busybody, Emma Woodhouse-so busy trying to arrange the lives of others that she is sidestepping her own. McGrath brings a kind of pretty and light touch to the production; his best move the wise delegation of creative authority to the actors themselves. -Tom Keogh, Amazon. com Emma Thompson scores a double bull's-eye with this marvellous adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. [+]

This 1953 musical is very much a vehicle for Doris Day, in the title role, as a wild cowgal who can out-shoot and out-sing any boy on the range. When an actress arrives in Deadwood and uses her feminine charms on Jane's secret love, Wild Bill Hickock (Howard Keel), Jane tries to mend her tomboy ways. Not exactly up to the feminist code of honour, this is still energetic and Day is very perky. Of course, one could almost detect a homosexual undercurrent with the cross-dressing Jane, but this was Hollywood in the 1950s, so we best not. Calamity Jane won an Oscar for Best Song-"Secret Love", by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. -Rochelle O'Gorman.

There have been films based on books, video games, theme park rides and even songs, but Johnny English must be the first one based on an advert. Taking its inspiration from the Barclaycard commercials, which starred Rowan Atkinson as a hapless MI6 agent, this full-length film is a cross between a James Bond spoof and Mr Bean. Johnny (a pen-pusher who dreams of a life in her majesty's secret service) is given the mission to protect the crown jewels after a bomb kills all of MI6's existing spies. Unfortunately they are stolen from right under his nose by evil industrialist, Pascal Sauvage (a ridiculously accented John Malkovich) who is intent on seizing the British throne and turning the UK into the biggest prison colony in the world. Thus follows comic set-piece after set-piece, including a hilarious car chase and the obligatory breaking-into-the-evil-genius's-lair sequence, in which English, ably assisted by his much more intelligent subordinate Bough (a brilliantly patient Ben Miller), tries to recover the jewels, stop Sauvage's nefarious scheme, prove to his superiors that he is not completely insane and get the girl, here an Interpol agent played by Natalie Imbruglia. It's a one-joke movie: he's the worst secret agent in the world. Situations and script are more than a trifle cliched, too, and John Malkovich's performance is cringeworthy. But Atkinson's talent for creating a frustrating but ultimately endearing character is firmly set in the British tradition of rooting for the underdog. The result is an entertaining and endearing spoof with some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments and sparks of originality that more than outnumber the groans. -Kristen Bowditch.

If you were to argue Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein ranks among the top-10 funniest movies of all time, nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way that Brooks' previous film Blazing Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks recreated the Frankenstein laboratory using the equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for non-stop comedy. The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It. ) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. [+]

Like a dream, Howl's Moving Castle carries audiences to vistas beyond their imaginations where they experience excitement, adventure, terror, humor, and romance. With domestic box office receipts of over $210 million, Howl passed Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke to become the #3 film in Japanese history, behind his Spirited Away and James Cameron's Titanic. Based on a juvenile novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle marks the first time Miyazaki has adapted another writer's work since Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop-until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine of Spirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment-the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war. The film overflows with eclipsing visuals that range from frightening aerial battles to serene landscapes, and few recent features-animated or live action-offer as much magic as Howl's Moving Castle. [+]

The irrepressible Tigger bounces into the Disney spotlight in The Tigger Movie. While everyone else is busy preparing for winter, Tigger just seems to get in the way until Rabbit suggests that he go and find other Tiggers to play with-but surely "the most wonderful thing about tiggers" is that he's the only one? Tigger sets off to find out. The Tigger Movie may not be a Disney classic, but the interwoven songs add to the fun, and the appeal of AA Milne's original characters remains strong enough to carry the film through a fairly predictable plot. Very young children may find a couple of scenes a little frightening, particularly the exciting avalanche sequence, but by the end of the film Tigger has, in true Disney fashion, been reunited with his friends and learnt the deeper meaning of family-ensuring smiles and a warm feeling all round for the audience. -Helen Baker.

Hot on the heels of winning a British Comedy Award for Best New Entertainment Programme, Al Murray's Happy Hour comes to DVD for the first time. Watch as The Pub Landlord 'interviews' some of his favourite stars from the world of entertainment and showbiz in his own unique way (expect some common sense reasoning). This specially edited version allows you to relive classic moments from the first series including former teen idol Donny Osmond sweetly serenading The Pub Landlord's long dead, stuffed, slightly falling apart dog, Ramrod; our humble publican proving he was never confused dancing cheek-to-cheek with Strictly Come Dancing's Len Goodman and celebrating "mince" most certainly being "off the menu" at John Barrowman's. Other guests in the series included: Shane Warne, Buzz Aldrin, Myleene Klass, Jason Donovan, Emma Bunton, Jodie Kidd, Amanda Holden, Martin Kemp, James Cracknell OBE, Jerry Springer, Major James Hewitt, Jermaine Jackson, Louis Walsh and David Coulthard. "Consistently Brilliant" Ally Ross-The Sun "Murray has reinvented the chat show. light entertainment with brains" Mike Bradley-The Observer.

It's taken a long time for Rowan Atkinson to bring us Mr Bean's Holiday, the sequel to the substantial hit of 1997. But in that time, he's lost none of what made the character so huge in the first place, delivering an effective comedy that's again managed to ignite box offices right across the world. The set-up for Mr Bean's Holiday is in the title: the hapless title character wins a holiday to France, meaning this time it's the French Riviera that's the backdrop for the slapstick humour that has defined the series. And so Mr Bean finds himself in a series of increasingly unlikely situations, causing all manner of havoc in the process. While unlikely to convert anyone who isn't already a fan, Mr Bean's Holiday is nonetheless a comedy that delivers reliable laughs very much in the spirit of what has gone before. Atkinson continues to inhabit the character with great skill, and it's-rightly-his work here that brings the lion's share of the laughs. By most accounts, Mr Bean's Holiday is the swansong for a character that's manage to delight audiences worldwide for over a quarter of a century. And while the film is, truthfully, no classic, at its peak it's a hoot, and offers gentle, enjoyable family entertainment. -Jon Foster.