Week of 24 October
BLU-RAY: The Faculty ★★★ (Stars Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Harnett, Shawn Hatosy, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Christopher McDonald, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Patrick, Elijah Wood; £22.99; UK cert 15; 99 mins) Made quite early in Robert Rodriguez’s career, The Faculty saw the maverick director working with a larger budget then ever before and from another writer’s script, in this case one from Scream scribe Kevin Williamson. The Faculty borrows quite a lot from Craven’s postmodern slasher: the cast of up and coming young actors, mixed with genre stalwarts and TV stars; the fact that it both sits in a genre whilst offering an ironic commentary on it; the hip in jokes and dialogue. In this case the genre in question is paranoid alien invasion science fiction. Essentially this is a mix of Jack Finney’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers and John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing, only set in a high school. Unlike Scream however, the post modern irony is skin deep ultimately this is really just an enjoyable B movie. Originally released in 1998, some of the CG has dated a little, but Rodriguez keeps it to a minimum and there is also some impressive practical FX work, and a pretty cool monster. This is actually one of the director’s better films, probably because he was working from a finished screenplay for a change. Extras: None – unfortunately, this is a bare bones release. — Stuart Barr
BLU-RAY: Blood Creek ★★½ (Stars Dominic Purcell, Henry Cavill, Michael Fassbinder, Emma Booth; £22.99; UK cert 18; 86 mins) A curious horror film from Joel Schumacher that has been gathering dust at Lionsgate since 2009, the woefully titled Blood Creek is a spirited entry into the Nazi horror tosh sub-genre. In pre-WWII West Virginia the German Wollner family receive a visitor sent by Himmler himself. Professor Richard Worth (Fassbinder, doing great evil Nazi) appears to be a scholar interested in an ancient Viking rune stone discovered on their farm. Of course he is in fact a practitioner of the dark arts seeking to use blood magic to secure the glorious future of the Third Reich. Flash-forward to the present, Evan Marshall (future Man of Steel Cavill) is awoken by the war hero brother (Prison Break's Purcell) he had thought dead. Seems Victor Marshall was abducted and tortured on the farm and he wants to embark on a rip-roaring rampage of revenge. Blood Creek is one of those horror films that while not really good, is still quite entertaining due to not being a straight up genre clone, unleashing some quality bloodshed, and mainly by featuring a great actor, Fassbinder of course, slumming it in the sort of snarling supernatural villain role that he is unlikely to stoop to again. It is also strange to see an A list Hollywood director like Joel Schumacher working with a low budget and a pulpy script. Better than: Outpost. Worse than: The Keep. Extras: Gottenhimmel, only a trailer! — Stuart Barr
DVD: Santa Who? ★★★ (Stars Leslie Nielsen, Steven Eckholdt, Robyn Lively, Max Morrow, Tommy Davidson; £15.99; UK cert U; 92 mins) Santa Who? is the story of TV reporter Peter Albright (Eckholdt) who finds himself having to deal with an amnesiac Santa (Nielsen), who has crash landed in front of his house. Peter is not a fan of Christmas, or commitment, since a bad childhood experience at Xmas, and has a He attempts to exploit the situation by having the man with amnesia, whom he presumes is a vagrant, shown on TV to try and reunite him with his family, and boost Peter’s career. However, when his girlfriend’s son proves that the man is the real Santa, Peter’s outlook begins to change drastically. Santa Who? is a very standard Christmas film, but Nielsen lifts it to an enjoyable, if not predictable family caper, with a typically excellent comedic performance, serving as excellent reminder of how much he is missed. Santa who? has all the hallmarks of the made for television film, but it is still an enjoyable family comedy, with a warm centre. No extras — Tom Mimnagh
DVD: Gotta Catch Santa ★ (Stars William Shatner, Nathan Stephenson, David Berni, Lisa Lennox, Cory Doran; £9.99; UK cert U; 66 mins) Gotta Catch Santa is the animated story of young boy Trevor, who is attempting to prove the existence of Santa Claus to his sceptical friend Veronica, and plans to hold a press conference once he ’catches’ Santa. However, Santa’s apparent nemesis, an icy boulder creature called LeFreeze, also wants to catch Santa, to gain revenge. Inevitably the kids stumble into the quarrel between Santa and LeFreeze, and have to help Santa save the day. Gotta catch Santa is a fairly bog standard animated Christmas film, with few surprises, though one such surprise was the introduction of the character of LeFreeze, as it seems somewhat unnecessary given the dearth of Christmas characters available. William Shatner also seems an odd choice for Santa, not really offering the warmth necessary for the role, making it fee very artificial. Overall it’s a fairly basic children’s Christmas film, good for little ones, but to anyone over the age of 6, this will have zero appeal. No extras — Tom Mimnagh
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Week of 17 October
BLU-RAY: Pulp Fiction ★★★★★ (Stars John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Stoltz; £22.99; UK cert 18; 154 mins)Pulp Fiction blew away the judges at Cannes in 1994; it blew away the box office; and it blew away audiences. It revived John Travolta's flagging career, and cemented Quentin Tarantino's reputation as a filmmaker to be reckoned with. And now this classic ganster pastiche that smartly weaves three separate stories together makes its way to Blu-ray. For the very, very few who've never seen it, Pulp Fiction is the story of hit men Vincent Vega (Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Jackson), who work for mob boss Marsellus Wallace (Rhames), who's married to the lovely Mia (Thurman) and who has paid boxer Butch Coolidge (Willis) to throw his next fight. It may not sound engrossing, but it is - two and a half hours of sharp dialogue, engaging characters and a killer soundtrack. Plus a structure that fully rewards repeat viewing. That's the film ... now what about the Blu-ray? QWell, it looks stunning in its new high-definition 1080P transfer with 5.1 Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio. So it looks and sounds as good as you'd expect. If you don't already have a copy of Pulp Fiction on your shelf, then this is the one to get. Extras: Apart from the remastering of the picture and sound, the only new features are some new interviews filmed this year with cast members Travolta, Jackson, Arquette, Stoltz, Roth and Plummer; plus a critics’ retrospective on the film's place in movie history. The rest of the extras are from previous DVD releases: behind-the-scenes footage; deleted scenes; a featurette called Pulp Fiction: The Facts; a production design featurette; a Siskel & Ebert Tarantino special; Independent Spirit Awards footage; Cannes Film Festival footage; a Tarantino interview from The Charlie Rose Show; still galleries; and a trivia track. — Stuart O'Connor
DVD: The Guardian: Special Edition ★★★(Stars Jenny Seagrove, Dwier Brown, Carey Lowell; £19.99; UK cert 18; 92 mins) Not to be confused with the 2007 Ashton Kutcher-Kevin Costner coastguard drama of the same name, William Friedkin’s The Guardian is very much a horror film. The story follows Phil and Kate, who move to LA and are expecting their first child. However, when their son is born they need a live-in nanny, and after a lengthy search they find Camilla. But all is not what it seems and she hatches a plan to sacrifice their son to a demonic tree once his cells have become "purified". It has to be said that The Guardian has not aged well. Many of the special effects have dated badly, and the film looks very much of its time. It also appears to borrow heavily from other horror classics, especially The Evil Dead (scenes with trees), Cujo (with an unexplained use of possessed coyotes), and Friedkin’s own The Exorcist. However, what it lacks in originality it makes up for in fun and silly horror clichés, right down to the '80s soundtrack and the requisite abrupt ending. It might need watching with a dash or irony due to the ever so slightly far-fetched plot, but there are far worse horror films than The Guardian that have had far more success, and overall it’s surprisingly enjoyable. Extras: Interviews with William Friedkin, Jenny Seagrove and Stephen Volk. — Tom Mimnagh
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Week of 10 October
DVD: The Man With The Severed Head ★★ (Stars Paul Naschy, Sylvia Solar, Olivier Mathot; £19.99; UK cert 18; 86 mins) When a jewellery robbery goes wrong Jack Surnett (Paul Naschy) manages to get shot in the head but doesn't instantly die. His team decide to find a crazy doctor and transplant his brain into the corpse of their gangster nemesis. As Jack gets used to his new body he feels evil urges that push him into insanity and violence resulting in murderous consequences for all concerned. This Spanish B-movie nonsense comes complete with terrible voice over dubbing, awful fashion and some of the shoddiest acting you'll ever see. This bizarre horror film is low on production values but high on concept and will appeal to anyone who enjoys laughing at bad movies, which happens to include me. If you're in the right mood this one can provide a few laughs but nothing more than that. Extras: A 20 minute Paul Naschy featurette showcasing his career, additional erotic scenes (yes, you read that correctly) and a French trailer for the film. — Nick Wheatley
DVD: The Dead List ★★ (Stars Jean Reno, Gaspard Ulliel, Vahina Giocante, Sami Bouajila; £15.99; UK cert 15; 95 mins) Reno will be a familiar face to many, especially those familiar with the film Leon. However, he has never since hit the heights of his breakout role in Luc Bessons’s '90s classic. In fact, despite roles in such major studio releases as Godzilla and The Fifth Element, he has never quite made it in Hollywood. So it’s sad to say that his latest film, The Dead List, is not likely to improve that situation. It is very much a by the numbers affair with Reno playing the Mafia boss trying to get his son to take over the family business, but his son refuses, only to recant this idea on financial grounds, leading to a complicated and action packed chain of events. Essentially, The Dead List is a by-the-numbers French action film, which while at least vaguely entertaining, offers nothing new or exciting and is probably best avoided. No extras — Tom Mimnagh
DVD: Ninja Girl ★★ (Stars Rina Takeda, Mitsuki Koga, Masanori Mimoto; £15.99; UK cert 18; 65 mins) Here we have the story of two clans at war – the Iga and the Kouga ninjas in 16th sentury Japan – and one girl who, after being kidnapped, is destined to be used as a "tool of pleasure" for a the lower ranking members of the Kouga. However, they did not know she was a trained ninja and she escapes and exacts her revenge. Ninja Girl is far from groundbreaking and certainly drags in places. If you’ve seen writer-director Seiji Chiba’s Ninja vs Alien, or anything else he’s put out recently, then you'd best avoid this one. It follows a very similar storyline, but without the gimmick to disguise how weak a film this is. The action sequences are fairly well done, but that’s little consolation for a film that has nothing much else to offer. No extras — Tom Mimnagh
DVD: Huge ★★★★ (Stars Johnny Harris, Noel Clarke, Ralph Brown, Thandie Newton, Michelle Ryan; £12.99; UK cert 15; 78 mins) This is a superb new comedy-drama written and directed by Ben Miller (of Armstrong and Miller fame) and is the sort of working-class, gritty filmmaking that the UK does so well. Kindly skinhead Harris and Hawaiian shirt loving Clarke are thrown together in an unlikely friendship due to their love of and wanting to be stand-up comedians. Like most funny people they’ve also got their problems, struggling with depression and insecurity. Based on Miller’s own stage show which he performed at the Edinburgh Festival in the early 90s, this focuses less on the duos on-stage antics (at first cringingly bad) and more on their relationship and dreams for the future. Harris is good but it’s Clarke that’s the standout, playing against the cool persona he’s carved out for himself with broad comedy and proving he’s one of the best British talents currently working. Highly recommended. No extras — Rich Wilson
DVD: Assassination Games ★★½ (Stars Jean Claude-Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Kevin Chapman; £19.99; UK cert 18; 96 mins) Assassination Games had a very brief and limited screen run in the US before going almost direct to DVD. Director Ernie Barbarash tries his best to make a silk purse from a sow's ear with this cliched, slightly derivitive character piece / revenge tale. Van Damme is Brazil, the seasoned professional assassin, living in isolation and being fed jobs by a middle man. He looks like he's living in a crappy apartment, just like Leon, but wait! A quick tug of the rusty washstand tap and a hidden door swings open into his plush pad. Here he soothes the savage beast of his troubled conscience by playing his violin, and placing his assorted weapons collection in specially constructed hidden compartments. His calm is disturbed by the troubled girl next door, not a pre-teen this time, but a prostitute, badly abused by her pimp. She will be unwittingly used against him later. "People choose their death by how they live their life, " he says to her, opening up for the first time. "Does that help you sleep at night?" she replies. Up against Van Damme is young rival Roland Flint, dedicated to his comatose wife, put in that condition by bad guy Pollo and some corrupt Interpol agents. When they each attempt a hit on Polo at the same time, they are at first enemies, then reluctantly team up against the bad guys. For a low budget feature the look of the film is actually quite impressive. The Rumanian locations (various cobbled- street towns, country houses and villages set below the Carpathian mountains) and harsh sepia-like cinematography set it apart from other cheap thrillers. Van Damme sadly does not execute much of his legendary martial arts prowess of the past. A one on one fight between him and Adkins is short, brutal and scrappy. The action elsewhere, especially the climax, is very well staged, although for a short run time, it does sometimes feel like time drags. It is nice to see Van Damme limbering up for his big screen return in next years The Expendables 2, and Adkins, while never going to set the screen alight with his acting prowess, has a presence and physical capability for meatier action roles. Extras: deleted scenes. — Tim Pelan
DVD: Deep Winter ★★★ (Stars Luke Goss, Eric Lively, Kellan Lutz, Robert Carradine; £9.99; UK cert 12; 122 mins) A paper-thin plot finds movie producer Goss looking to make the ultimate sports video by recruiting a snow boarder and downhill skier (Eric Lively and Kellan Lutz) and having them race down ‘The Meteorite’, one of the world’s most dangerous mountains. There’s also a subplot involving angst and childhood friendship, and Michael Madsen turns up briefly, but in truth any story in Deep Winter exists purely as an excuse to showcase two winter sports, which it does excellently. The photography is stunning, the action spectacular, the stunts suitably extreme, and all the better for being real. A must for anyone who straps boards/skis to their feet, and pretty entertaining for those of us who prefer to ride the couch. No extras — Rich Wilson
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Week of 3 October
DVD: Street Kings 2: Motor City ★★★ (Stars Ray Liotta, Clifton Powell, Kevin Chapman, Shawn Hatosy; £19.99; UK cert 15; 92 mins) It should come as no surprise that the sequel to 2008’s Street Kings starring Keanu Reeves spawned a sequel, and it should be equally unsurprising that the sequel is a straight to DVD release. However, what should be a surprise is it’s actually quite good. Street Kings 2 moves the action to Detroit Michigan, as Ray Liotta plays a grizzled veteran cop who has to team up with a rookie detective (Hatosy) to trace the murder of his former partner, but not everything is as it seems, and the attention turns to within the police department. Street Kings 2 treads familiar ground as its predecessor, dealing with corrupt police, and the film feels a bit like a low budget buddy cop version of Serpico with a violent vigilante twist, and borrowing slightly from Training day at times. But it’s entertaining, and enjoyable, if not ever so slightly predictable, and is fairly slickly made for a straight to DVD film. Extras: Featurettes: Murder scene deconstructions, Creating a convincing Cop story, Motor city setting, and An explosive opening; deleted scenes. — Tom Mimnagh
DVD: Monster Mutt ★★★ (Stars Rhiannon Leigh Wynn, Bart Johnson, Billy Unger, Zack Ward; £9.99; UK cert U; 85 mins) When lovable pooch Max is kidnapped by evil scientists at giant corporation Envigormax to be used as a test subject for their new energy drink it’s down to the two family kids to rescue him. But the trials go badly wrong, and Max is transformed into Monster Mutt, five tons of shaggy-haired energy. Although an awful pop soundtrack and some pretty terrible acting try to derail this, it ends up being a decent family movie with genuine heart, good comedy and a safe happy ending. The effects are bargain basement stuff, but this was of little concern to my nine-year old, who laughed, almost cried, and spent the following day continually asking if we could have a dog. Monster Mutt is pitched at kids, and does it’s job well. I still prefer Digby though. No extras — Rich Wilson
DVD: Exit Speed ★★★ (Stars Desmond Harrington, Fred Ward, Lea Thompson, Alice Greczyn; £12.99; UK cert U; 90 mins) Here’s a genuine surprise, a cracking little thriller packed full of action, suspense and quality stunt-work. A public bus on a lonely highway is continually attacked by a rampaging group of bikers, and when one of the gang is run over and the bus crashes into a disused scrap yard miles from anywhere the passengers are forced to fight back, turning savage and questioning their morals when violence is their only option to survive. The plot is pure hokum, the bike gang straight out of Mad Max, but this is ridiculous entertaining nonsense that never takes its foot off the pedal. Wrong Turn’s Harrington makes a decent hero, and 80s legends Ward and Thompson have a lot of fun. Released in the US in 2009, this has been forgotten about in UK until now, and is deserving of some attention. No extras — Rich Wilson
DVD: Blood Runs Cold ★ (Stars Hanna Oldenburg, Ralf Beck, Elin Hugoson; £9.99; UK cert 18; 78 mins) This Swedish production was shot for an alleged $5,000.00. Despite the tiny budget and filmed on a single digital camera it looks slick, but sadly that’s as good as this one gets. Blood Runs Cold is just so derivative of the slasher genre that it come across like a thousand pictures you’ve seen before. Winona (Hanna Oldenburg) heads out to a deserted cabin near her hometown to escape the pressures of life, and almost immediately she starts to hear odd noises and see strange, frightening shadows in the woods. After visiting a local bar she invites an old boyfriend and others back to the cabin for drinks and the group are subsequently attacked by a figure covered in frost and brandishing an axe. Low budgets can be blamed for much, but they’re no excuse for the pacing and tension this lacks. Worse still, this commits the all-to-frequent crime of the low budget horror movie by treating the audience as fools: Winona hides in the cabin from the killer while a perfectly functional car is outside; the psycho hacks through a door that isn’t even closed. Hard going even with a short running time, this offers absolutely nothing new. No extras — Rich Wilson