Week of 28 February
DVD: Stonehenge Apocalypse ? (Stars Misha Collins, Hill Harper, Torri Higginson, Peter Wingfield; £12.99; UK Cert 12; Runtime 87 mins) If you were thinking that this sounds like a made-for-television film produced by SyFy, then you'd be absolutely right. I wonder if the title gave that away? This very original, yet very silly disaster movie is about the revelation of Stonehenge's mysteries. Discovered to be a clock-running machine scheduled to terraform the Earth (essentially restarting life by first destroying it), it's up to former science prodigy-cum-conspiracy-theorising radio host Jacob Glaser (Collins from TV's Supernatural) to lead the investigation into the strange monolithic stones before the world as we know it comes to a sticky end. With volcanic eruptions, questionable CGI, passable acting (sans the horrendous 'British' accents) and an atrocious script, Stonehenge Apocalypse is just another forgettable Saturday night movie from SyFy. Extras: A behind the scenes feature (28:51) and the trailer. — Adam Stephen Kelly
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Week of 21 February
DVD: Clash ??? (Stars Johnny Nguyen, Thanh Van Ngo, Hieu Hien, Hoang Phuc Nguyen, Lam Minh Thang; £12.99; UK Cert 15; Runtime 93 mins) First-time director Le Thanh Son teams up with esteemed stuntman-cum-actor-cum-screenwriter Johnny Nguyen and former-popstar-now-believable-action-diva Thanh Van Ngo to present a brutal cut of martial arts action from Vietnam. With her daughter held captive, a mob boss known as Black Dragon forces Ngo to carry out a number of deadly crimes on his behalf, one of which is to steal a computer hard drive that contains the top secret and extremely valuable codes to the country's satellite defence system. Deciding not to go it alone, she seeks the assistance of Nguyen's character, codenamed Tiger, and together they tear up the road to the hard drive with a combination of punches, kicks and plenty of bullets. But will the sheer value of the hot commodity drive a stake through the heart of their alliance? Channelling a variety of genre styles and auteurs from across the globe, Clash is a high octane thriller loaded with some great action set pieces that just about make the somewhat flimsy storyline flow. Extras: This is a very bare bones release with only the trailer accompanying the main feature. — Adam Stephen Kelly
BLU-RAY: Operation: Endgame ???? (Stars Joe Anderson, Rob Corddry, Ellen Barkin, Odette Yustman, Maggie Q, Zach Galifianakis, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames; £19.99; UK Cert 18; Runtime 78 mins) It's the first day of Barack Obama's run as US President and way down beneath Los Angeles, the Factory, a top secret government organisation that houses Alpha and Omega, two teams of deadly and slightly off-their-rocker assassins who each use code names inspired by tarot cards, are about to find themselves embroiled in a blood-spattered battle royal. Before the seedy secrets of the Bush administration can be discovered by the new occupants of the White House, the Factory and all its records must be destroyed. The countdown to incineration begins and the motley crew of killers soon realise that the world around them is closing in as they have no idea which one of their colleagues will be quick to put a bullet in the back of their head as soon as they turn around. It has a fairly standard plot for an action movie, but what it doesn't lack is a fun factor. With a hilarious performance by Rob Corddry in a film with an all-star cast and a great number of quirky characters, Operation: Endgame is gory, high-octane havoc that boasts a very funny script with a touch of Smokin' Aces and a Tarantino edge. Extras: Behind the Scenes of Operation: Endgame (10:29) and an alternate opening and ending (02:57, 00:28). — Adam Stephen Kelly
BLU-RAY: Rain Man ???? (Stars Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Bonnie Hunt, Jerry Molen; £17.99; UK Cert 15; Runtime 128 mins) Upon his estranged father's death, self-centered, obnoxious wanker Charlie Babbitt (Cruise) learns that he has an autistic brother that he never knew existed. And when the materialistic Charlie learns that their father has left Raymond (Hoffman) £3 million in a trust fund, he comes up with a plan to get his hands on the money by kidnapping his brother and taking him on a road trip. Rain Man won a bunch of Oscars, and it is one of the best things that Hoffman has ever done – it's such a long, long way from the world of the Fockers. And Cruise is somewhat bearable for a change – still, it's not too much of a stretch for him to play a self-centered, obnoxious wanker. The film has some truly memorable scenes – the Las Vegas stuff is brilliant, as are the Who's on First routines – and some genuine warmth in places. It's a classic drama, and it's nice to see it looking so good on Blu-ray. Oh, and the sex scene is hilarious (on several levels). Extras: An audio commentary with director Barry levinson; an audio commentary with writer Barry Morrow; an audio commentary with co-writer Ronald bass; the retrospective featurette from 2004, The Journey of Rain Man (22:07), which has no input at all from Cruise and Hoffman; the documentary Lifting the Fog: A Look Into the Mysteries of Autism (20:13); a deleted scene (2:13); and the theatrical trailer. — Stuart O'Connor
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Week of 14 February
DVD: In Their Sleep ??? (Stars Anne Parillaud, Arthur Dupont, Thierry Fremont, Jean-Hugues Anglade; £15.99; UK cert 18; runtime 84 mins) After a mildly intriguing prologue, In Their Sleep looks like it’s about to head down a road well travelled by dozens of its horror predecessors – literally. Separated from her husband after the death of their teenage son, insomniac Sarah (Parillaud – who cineastes will best remember as Nikita from Luc Besson’s eponymous film) finds herself driving home to an isolated country house on a dark night, having crucially forgotten her mobile phone, when she runs into a young man who claims to be fleeing from a murderous attacker. Fans of the genre may get a sense that what’s to follow is entirely predictable, but while it isn’t entirely original, there are just enough curveballs to keep you mildly gripped throughout the film’s concise runtime. The performances of Parillaud and Fremont bolster its credentials, with the latter just the right side of inscrutable as the mysterious young man. Channelling the tone of Them (Ils) and adding a dash of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games, all in all In Their Sleep is a decent enough debut from Caroline and Eric du Potet. Extras: Just the trailer. — Nick Norton
DVD: Open Season 3 ?? (Stars the voices of Matthew J Munn, Joel McHale, Matthew W Taylor, Fred Stoller, Steve Schirripa, Crispin Glover; £19.99; UK cert U; runtime 74 mins) Have a look at the voice cast for the original Open Season: Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Debra Messing, Billy Connolly, Jon Favreau, Jane Krakowski, Patrick Warburton. All well-know film and TV stars. Now look above at the voice talent for this one ... yup, the only familiar name there is Glover, and when's the last time he did anythng good? Charlie's Angels? This secnd sequel to the decent Open Season has gone straight to DVD in the UK, and it's easy to see why. The script lacks punch, the animation is lazy - it looks flat, which is strange for CGI - and there's really nothing to recommend it. The plot, for what it's worth, sees bear Boog, unable to rustle up enough enough mates for a guys' getaway, slinking off and joining a circus. And his forest friends have to come and rescue him before he's shipped off to Russia. Young kids might like it,. but they'd be the only ones. ON the plus side, it's only 74-minutes long. Extras: A Progression Reel, showing the filmmaking process from storyboards through to layout, animation, lighting and voicing through to the finished scene (1:04), and a Runaway RV game. — Stuart O'Connor
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Week of 7 February
BLU-RAY: The Lovers Guide 3D ??? (Narrated by Gemma Bissix and Jeremy Edwards; Stars Cathy and Nick, Jasmine and Otto, Paula and Christian, Lana and Sebastian, Bea and James; £24.99; UK Cert 18; runtime 65 mins) I can't comment on the 3D aspect of this release, the review copy I received dwelling firmly within the 2D world. What I can vouch for is the sexual content – there's certainly plenty of that going on. And while the sex is certainly explicit, this is really not a release aimed at the "dirty mac" brigade. It's all good, clean educational fun between some very buff, very pretty consenting adults. The film focuses on the chemistry between men and women. It kicks off talking about flirting, then moves on to kissing, caressing & touching, then to masturbation, oral sex, toys and finally to the act itself. It's all nicely shot, and in the best possible taste. One thing that did make me laugh, though, was the warning at the start: "This film may show sex acts which could be illegal in your locality." As they only show sex between men and women – no gays, lesbians, children or animals – I can't for the life of me think of what they could be referring to. Extras: A behind-the-scenes featurette (17:18) and the trailer. — Stuart O'Connor
BLU-RAY: Red and White ?? (Stars Doni Alamsyah, Rahayu Saraswati, Lukman Sardi, Joe Sims, Darius Sinathrya, David John Watton, T. Rifnu Wikana, Rudy Wowor; £19.99; UK Cert 15; Runtime 113 mins) Set during the Indonesian War of Independence in 1947, Red and White is a very human drama that wears the scars of battle (diegetically) and the incompetency of its first-time director. With a crew that includes names who were involved in such action-packed Hollywood hits as The Dark Knight and Saving Private Ryan, the film tells the tale of a band of class-divided Indonesians who must put their personal differences aside to band together and become a guerilla fighting force, in order to survive the onslaught of the one-dimensionally evil Dutch army. It's strong in character but weak in script and direction, with particularly shoddy camerawork and a number of heroic war movie clichés, but its few pros just about shine through if you can get past the slow start. Extras: A 25-minute making-of feature and the trailer. — Adam Stephen Kelly
DVD: The Big Bang ?? (Stars the Voices of Luis Rego, Georges Animel, Perette Pradier, David Lander, Carole Androsky, Marshall Efron; £9.99; UK Cert 18; Runtime 75 mins) What if, somewhere in between Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and My Neighbour Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed a soft sex cartoon... in Belgium? That's what this rather quite bizarre and tongue-in-cheek animated film from 1987 kind of looks like with its strange, robotic characters, creatures and post-apocalyptic setting. After a global nuclear war left only two land masses remaining, one inhabited solely by mutated women (the aptly named Vaginia) and the other a freakish blend of the USA and Russia (the USSSR), a caped superhero with a lightbulb attached to his crotch must rescue a damsel in distress and subsequently save the universe from further destruction, all while yelling “Supershit!”, his apparent equivalent to Homer Simpson's “D'oh!”. It's full of phallic imagery and slightly creepy cartoon sex, and is surprisingly quite funny. Just don't expect to be aroused, only weirded out, by this crazy little movie as it descends into an epic dystopian orgy. Extras: None. — Adam Stephen Kelly
DVD: Titanic 2 ? (Stars Shane Van Dyke, Bruce Davison, Marie Westbrook, Brooke Burns, Michelle Glavan, Carey Van Dyke, D.C. Douglas; £12.99; UK Cert 12; Runtime 82 mins) The latest mockbuster from The Asylum to hit DVD in the UK is a goes-without-saying cash-in on James Cameron's Titanic, a film with a title that perfectly reflects its box office performance. Not quite as epic as that boring old nonsense from 1997, Titanic 2 is fast-paced and littered with disaster. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the original vessel, a new ship has been built – albeit rushed to completion – to voyage from the US to the UK. But as you'd expect, history is destined to repeat itself and a massive tsunami brings about an iceberg that crashes into the ship and everything quickly goes to hell (as well as to the bottom of the ocean). The special effects are as awful as expected, the script is trash can-worthy and the cast all but screen veteran Bruce Davison stink the film up worse than reading “The Asylum Presents” as it begins. Extras: Just a short making-of feature (08:01). — Adam Stephen Kelly
DVD: Sinbad and the Minotaur ? (Stars Manu Bennett, Steven Grives, Jared Robinson, Holly Brisley, Dimitri Baveas, Brian McMurray, Derek Boyer, Lily Brown; £12.99; UK Cert 15; Runtime 90 mins) This haphazard adventure movie takes the classic Arabian hero and drops him in a scenario that's totally devoid of the charm and fun of the Sinbad capers from years gone by. Manu Bennett of Spartacus: Blood and Sand fame takes the reins as the storied treasure hunter as he quests for the golden head of the Colossus of Rhodes on a mysterious island, and, along with screen villain Steve Grives, manages to front a ham-fisted tale with performances that range from downright wooden to over-accentuated drivel. Resembling an extremely cheap and sour TV movie in the same vein as the Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys series from the '90s, its poor, all-too-noticeably synthetic sets and special effects do little to make the film a bearable watch, especially with the unnecessarily bloody violence that has given it a 15 certificate, forcing the film to completely miss what should have been a much younger target audience. Extras: Only the trailer. — Adam Stephen Kelly
DVD: The Absence of Light ? (Stars Tom Savini, Michael Berryman, Tony Todd, David Hess, Caroline Munro; £12.99; UK Cert 15; Runtime 77 mins) With a convoluted plot revolving around political corruption that for some reason collapses into an absolute mess of throwaway sci-fi garbage towards the end, The Absence of Light is the title of an extremely boring, uninteresting and overly ambitious film that was made on a shoestring. Featuring a who's who of name actors – Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), David Hess (Last House on the Left), Tony Todd (Candyman), Tom Savini (Planet Terror) and Caroline Munro (Starcrash) – a great portion of the movie contains scenes shot in convention centre back rooms and hotels. In other words, the crew decided to try their luck asking these horror stars at personal appearances whether or not they'd be interested in shooting brief scenes for the movie. It's a horrible, desperate tactic and this film absolutely abuses it like it does mind-bogglingly awful camerawork, editing, computer effects and terrible actors. Extras: A behind the scenes feature (02:24); deleted scenes (04:14); Let There Be Light: The Making of Absence of Light (13:43); an interview with Caroline Munro (02:51); and FX Secrets (04:48). — Adam Stephen Kelly