Week of 30 March 2009
Manhunt * (Stars Henriette Brusgaard, Jorn Bjorn Fuller Gee, Nini Bull Robsahm, Lasse Valdal; £17.99; UK cert 18) Four Norwegians go camping in the woods. Capture. Escape. A hunting horn. Beartraps. Torture. Evisceration. Checked shirts. Beards. Yep, you guessed it, some rednecks are holding a manhunt. The clue was in the title, I suppose. For no apparent reason this is set in the 1970s. Also for no apparent reason, it is partly filmed in a sort of washed out grey. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that it was made for no apparent reason. Almost entirely unoriginal, gratuitously gory and intellectually bereft, Manhunt is not badly made, it’s just completely pointless. There’s no script to speak of. There’s no reason or even any time to build up any empathy for the victims. And there’s no explanation for the behaviour of the hunters. Overall, it’s best avoided. Half a star for the hot blonde, another half for some faintly tense moments. No extras — Justin Bateman
The Wild Geese: Special Edition *** (Stars Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Hardy Kruger, Stewart Granger, Jack Watson, Winston Nshona, Frank Finlay; £15.99; UK cert 15) They don't make 'em like this any more, and they didn't make many like this back in 1978, either. Here we have a veritable who's who of British acting greats (plus Roger Moore) playing soldiers and blowing things up and get all nasty and sweary. The Wild Geese are a bunch mercenaries – led by Colonel Faulkner (Burton), Lieutenant Fynn (Moore), Rafer Janders (Harris) and Pieter Coetzee (Hardy Kruger) – hired by businessman Sir Edward Matheson (Granger), to rescue an imprisoned African political leader and bring him back to England. Swearier than I thought movies were in the 70s, and pretty violent too, this is an action-packed flick that's worth watching again simply to see how good those acting great were – and Moore wasn't too bad, either. Extras: audio commentary with Moore, producer Euan Lloyd and editor John Glen (who went on to direct five Bond films); a documentary about the life and work of producer Lloyd; news footage of the film's world premiere; a photo gallery; and the trailer. — Stuart O'Connor
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Week of 23 March 2009
Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground * (Stars Ross McCall, Graham McTavish, Nick Holender, Peter O’Meara, Luke Massey, Marina Sirtis, Treva Etienne, Timothy Murphy; £15.99; UK cert 18) No one asked for it, but here it is, the sequel to Green Street. You know the one. Where the hobbit from Lord of the Rings (Elijah Wood) comes to London and gets into football violence, courtesy of West Ham United and their "firm" of hooligans. There’s no sign of Elijah this time around, or any semblance of plot or believable dialogue either. Instead, this woeful film concentrates on what happened after the big fight at the end of the first movie. Namely a bunch of hooligans go to prison, only they’re not really bad people, and have girlfriends who miss them and stuff. Despite all the violence in the film the only real crime is if you pay to watch it – then it’s daylight robbery. Awful. Extras: A 10-minute making of documentary with cast and crew that offers precious little insight, other than that everyone got on quite well. Which is nice. — Robert Hull
The Oblong Box *** (Stars Vincent Price, Alister Williamson, Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Sally Geeson, Hilary Heath, Peter Arne; £15.99; UK cert 15) Aah, they don't make 'em like this any more. A 1969 British gothic shocker based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe. And starring the two of horror's stalwarts, Price and Lee, in their first film together (although they only appear on screen together in one scene). The plot involves a voodoo priest, a disfigured nobleman, his sneaky brother, lots of grave robbing and throat slashing and the odd whore or two thrown in for good measure. Oh, and another great horror staple – burial alive. It's a rather slow-moving tale, with many subplots and a lot of blood (which looks suspiciously like red paint), but it's a tale well told and good value if you're a fan of Poe and gothic horror. No extras — Stuart O'Connor
Amusement * (Stars Keir O’Donnell, Katheryn Winnick, Jessica Lucas, Laura Breckenridge; £19.99; UK cert 18) An attractive young couple driving across the US get into a convoy and before long find themselves kidnapped by a cackling madman. An attractive young woman babysitting for her nephews is attacked by a man in a clown suit and finds herself in a cell being interviewed by the FBI. Or is it? Another attractive young woman goes missing in a run-down mansion inhabited by a deranged killer. Her attractive young friend goes to find her and is captured by the cackling, madman, killer wearing ... yep, you guessed it, an FBI uniform. If this sounds like horror by numbers, that’s because it is. Totally devoid of originality, Amusement manages to tick off just about every horror film cliché in the first fifteen minutes alone. But then, unbelievably, it manages to get worse. The plot, such as it is, is so full of holes you could put it on and call it a string vest. Virtually nothing makes sense and the explanation for the psycho’s behaviour, when it finally arrives, is so flimsy as to be laughable. Except that this is no laughing matter. Sadly, this film is not even so bad it’s funny. If you’re looking for amusement, look elsewhere. Extras: None. Unless you count four trailers for future releases. — Justin Bateman
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman ** (Features Forrest J Ackerman, Ray Bradbury, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Ray Harryhausen, John Landis; £12.99; UK cert E) This feature length documentary on Forest J Ackerman, the world’s first and most famous horror and Sci-Fi collector (who actually coined the term Sci-fi, no less) is illuminating and affectionate. However at 48mins, with no extras, you’re not getting much for your money. No extras — Rhianna Pratchett
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Week of 16 March 2009
Baby Mama (Stars Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin; £15.99; UK cert 12) Comedy starring Fey as Kate Holbrook, a successful single businesswoman who realises in her late 30s that, owing to an unforeseen gynaecological problem, she has left it too late to have a baby. Undaunted, Kate approaches a surrogacy agency run by the formidable Chaffee Bicknell (Weaver), and engages working class girl Angie Ostrowiski (Poehler) to be a surrogate mother. Once she finds out that Angie has become pregnant, Kate throws herself into reading childcare manuals, researching good schools and installing baby equipment in her apartment in between her business engagements - but the course of motherhood never did run smooth and Kate soon finds herself in circumstances way beyond her control. Not reviewed — No Extras
Strawberry & Chocolate *** (Stars Jorge Perugorria, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Francisco Gattorno; £9.99; UK cert 15) When apolitical artist Diego (Perugorria) meets student David (Cruz) at a cafe, he sets about seducing him. But not only is David a homophobe, he is also a staunch communist and deeply suspicious of Diego’s way of life. Initially, David continues to see Diego merely to spy on him but as time goes by he becomes more and more fascinated by his take on life and less bothered by his sexuality. Released in 1994 and subsequently nominated for an Oscar, Strawberry and Chocolate is a hugely controversial film even now in its native Cuba, not least simply for having a gay protagonist. Fifteen years on, some of its power in this regard is likely to be lost on UK audiences for whom such films are somewhat more commonplace. Having said that, it’s a well-constructed film with believable characters, good performances and a rare charm and innocence. There’s quite a lot of Diego and David sitting around drinking tea and talking political ideologies which won’t be everyone’s, well, cup of tea, but the overriding belief that humanity will always overcome prejudice makes it worth a look. No Extras —Justin Bateman
Playing in a Savage Paradise*** / Addo: the African King*** (£4.99 each; UK cert E) Dutch film-maker Hugo van Lawick, who died in 2002, spent decades living among and recording the wildlife of East Africa's verdant plains, accruing eight Emmy's for his documentary work along the way. The spectacular footage in these two releases give a thorough demonstration of why he was so well regarded. Playing in a Savage Paradise is a 50 minute snap-shot of "birth, life and death" among the animals of Tanzania's Serengeti Park, with the emphasis firmly skewed in favour of death; cute and fluffy creatures are munched like squealing, fleshy popcorn throughout, as a plummy-voiced narrator cheerfully describes just how bloody and brutal life can be for the average young herbivorous mammal trying to make a go of things. The narration is likely to be grating for those raised on David Attenborough documentaries; the script is often patronising ("When grooming, a lion's tongue is like a flannel"), and some woeful attempts at humour only serve to detract from van Lawick's stunning camera-work. As one unfortunate wildebeast suffers a particularly gruesome fate the viewer is asked to ponder that "there must be better ways of spending days than being dragged off, half drowned, torn to pieces and then swallowed by a giant reptile." Addo - the African King is essentially a live-action version of The Lion King, following the titular hero from idyllic liony cubhood to brutal adolescence, and ultimately to becoming leader of his own pride and producing scores of mini-Addos to terrorise the Serengeti's beleagured zebra population for years to come. It can occasionally feel a little contrived and sentimental, but it's nevertheless compelling. Extras: Each comes with a substantial "making of" feature. — Adam Boult
War, Inc ** (Stars John Cusack, Ben Kingsley, Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Ackroyd, Sergej Trifunovic, Ned Bellamy; £12.99; UK cert 15) A so-called political satire, which takes big corporations, and their need to run the whole world as an advertising opportunity, as its main target. Unfortunately, despite a talented and diverse cast, there’s a tiredness and a lack of bite to the scenarios, and a predictability to the dialogue that gives the whole movie a complacent, can’t-be-bothered feel. Perhaps the chief culprit is the otherwise excellent John Cusack, whose blend of hangdog expressions and weary delivery siphons off any enthusiasm. Despite being billed as a satire, far too often it veers towards slapstick and loses all credibility in the process. Extras: Just a behind-the-scenes documentary. — Robert Hull
Woman Times Seven ** (Stars Shirley MacLaine, Peter Sellers, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Rossano Brazzi, Vittorio Gassman, Anita Ekberg; £17.99; UK cert 12) Shirley MacLaine won a Golden Globe for her performances in this 1967 oddity. It comprises seven short stories, all starring MacLaine, usually in a different wig, and all about love and/or adultery. It’s an interesting concept although whether it works as a feature film is another matter. Michael Caine doesn’t get a single line in his role and you can’t help wanting to see more of Peter Sellers as he tries to woo MacLaine’s widow. There’s no doubt MacLaine is a talented actress but a lot of the characters she plays are a tad hysterical so there’s a lot of ‘acting’ going on. It also feels a bit dated, which is perhaps understandable more than forty years on but the result is that it’s often hard to feel a lot of empathy for her. It could just be that the sexual and social mores of the day have changed considerably. Even so, it’s not the easiest film to get into and while it has a certain charm, Woman Times Seven is probably for Shirley MacLaine enthusiasts and nostalgists only. No Extras —Justin Bateman
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Week of 9 March 2009
LA Confidential: Special Edition **** (Stars Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Guy Pearce; £15.99; UK cert 15) It's probably a little soon to call this film a classic — it was only made in 1997 — but it's a classic nonetheless. Set in 1950s Hollywood, it's a murder-mystery-thriller that perfectly evokes the era and showcases a superb ensemble cast. It's got everything: corrupt cops, sleazy tabloid editors, glamourous women and a storyline that is gripping from go to whoa. Director Curtis Hanson has created a good, old-fashioned crime potboiler and a film noir, with touches of Hitchcock and old Bogart films all thrown into the mix. Add to that brilliant set design, costumes, lighting and cinematography and you've got a film that stays with you long after the credits have rolled. Extras: The first disc has the film plus an audio commentary with all the main cast members (Spacey, Crowe, Basinger, DeVito, Cromwell, Strathairn, Pearce) plus American film critic Andrew Sarris, costume designer Ruth Myers, director of photography Dante Spinotti, co-producer Brian Helgeland, production designer Jeannine Oppewall and author James Ellroy, who wrote the novel on which the film is based. There are also some trailers and TV ads for the film. The second disc has a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes — Whatever You Desire: Making LA Confidential; Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of LA Confidential; A True Ensemble: The Cast of LA Confidential; LA Confidential: From Book to Screen; Off the Record (interviews with cast and crew); The LA of LA Confidential; and Photo Pitch - director Hanson's original pitch to the studio. Plus there's the rarely-seen pilot for the LA Confidential TV series, which was made in 2003 but never commissioned. It stars Keifer Sutherland, Melissa George, Josh Hopkins, David Conrad and Eric Roberts. — Stuart O'Connor
Pinocchio: 2-disc Platinum Edition ***** (Stars the voices of Mel Blanc, Don Brodie, Walter Catlett, Marion Darlington, Frankie Darro, Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Charles Judels, Jack Mercer, Patricia Page, Christian Rub Evelyn Venable; £19.99; UK cert U) Was Pinocchio always this scary? It's been so long since I've seen it – the last time was about 30-odd years ago, and being just a wee lad at the time I may have blanked it from my mind. Nonetheless, it's still a masterpiece and this newly restored edition is a joy to watch. Based on an 1800s story by Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio is the tale of a wooden puppet who wants nothing more than to be a real boy. When Pinocchio is visited by the Blue Fairy (and can someone please tell me why good fairies are always blondes?), she grants Pinocchio the opportunity to become a real, flesh-and-blood boy, but only if he learns to be brave, honest and unselfish. So with his "conscience" (aka Jiminy Cricket) as his guide, Pinocchio embarks on a series of adventures – encountering some truly terrifying characters along the way, such as the evil carnival owner Stromboli and Monstro the whale. So it's scary, yes; but also delightful and heartwarming, and full of some of Disney's greatest songs – including When You Wish Upon A Star, which for ywars was the theme song of the TV show The Wonderful World of Diesney (whcih I also watched as a kid). Highly recommended, for yougn and old alike. Extras: include the featurette No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio; Geppetto’s Then And Now; live-action reference footage; Pinocchio art & collectable galleries; theatrical trailers; deleted songs; and Pinocchio puzzles. — Stuart O'Connor
Before the Rains **½ (Stars Linus Roache, Jennifer Ehle, Nandita Das; £17.99; UK cert 12) Presented by Merchant Ivory and opening to scenes of nauseating affection between lovers Sajani (Nandita Das Fire, Water) and Moores (Linus Roache Priest), Before the Rains doesn’t exactly scream ‘challenging art house’. But as the English spice baron’s illicit affair with Indian maid Sajani develops, hopelessly romantic images of intertwined hands give way to those of bloodied palms in acclaimed director and cinematographer Santosh Sivan’s metaphor-heavy depiction of national unrest in 1930s India. Witnessing tragic repercussions through the eyes of fellow villager and right hand man to Moore, T.K. (Rahul Bose), we become party to the inner struggle of a man torn between beneficial progress brought by imperial ambition, and his admired master, and a fervent loyalty to native bonds and traditions. Sivan’s depiction of the destructive effects of imperialism both on the idyllic landscape and also the close-knit communities of increasingly nationalist India is beautifully shot, although brimming with achingly obvious symbolism. Before the Rains presents a sumptuous portrait of India on the brink of revolution, bolstered by passionate performances, but suffers as an effect of Merchant Ivory-style melodramatics. Extras: Commentary with Director Santosh Sivan and Linus Roache, Interview with Linus Roache and Director Santosh Sivan, Reflections on Before the Rains by Director Santosh Sivan. — Rebecca Gordon
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Week of 2 March 2009
Burn Notice: Season 1 **** (Stars Jeffrey Donovan, Bruce Campbell, Gabrielle Anwar, Sharon Gless; £29.99; UK cert 15) Take a pinch of James Bond (with just a tiny smidge of Get Smart). Add equal amounts of The A-Team, MacGyver, Danger Man and Rockford Files and you've got Burn Notice — a surprisingly entertaining piece of TV. Michael Westen (Donovan) is a spy — and a pretty good one at that — working for an unnamed branch of the US government (it could be the CIA, the NSA, even the Secret Service — we never find out). Suddenly, after a job in Nigeria goes wrong, Westen finds himself "burned". In the spy world, that means he's fired, cut off from the intelligence community. All his assets are frozen, and nobody wants to have anything to do with him — except his interfering mother (Gless), IRA-trained former girlfriend Fiona (Anwar) and former colleague Sam (Campbell), who's keeping tabs on him for the feds. Westen has to survive on his wits, and finds himself back in his home town of Miami. The series soon becomes part mystery-hunt (as Westen tries to find out who burned him, and why) and part private eye show as he uses his spy skills to help out people in need (for cash, of course). It's a slow burner, but worth sticking with — as the series progresses, it gets better and better. It's fast-paced, easy viewing that's by turns funny, thrilling and just downright good. It's well-written, and has a cast that just oozes chemistry — especially the wonderful Bruce Campbell, who's great in anything he pops up in. Highly recommended, and roll on Season 2. Extras: Scene-specific commentaries on all the epsiodes, a gag reel, audition footage, a "character montage" (just clips of characters saying each others' names), an "action montage" (clips of action scenes), a "girls gone burn notice" montage (clips of all the bikini-clad babes from the series - hey, it's set in Miami), a music video for the Saving Grace theme song, and the trailer. — Stuart O'Connor
100 Feet ** (Stars Famke Janssen , Bobby Cannavale, Ed Westwick, Patricia Charbonneau; £12.99; UK cert 15) After doing time for the self-defence killing of her violent husband, Marnie (Janssen) is let out on house arrest – complete with an ankle bracelet that keeps her within 100 feet of her house. There’s just one problem: angry dead hubby has decided to come back and haunt the place. Written and directed by Eric Red, whose previous credits include Near Dark and Hitcher, 100 Feet starts out well, if rather too slowly, but its tense, stifling atmosphere gives way when it strays that bit too far into the boundaries of silliness. Those inclined towards a bit of pretension could perhaps read it as being evocative of the way in which domestic violence victims are trapped, both physically and emotionally, and the hold their partners have over them. Or you could just see it as a half-decent ghost story. Extras: Just a trailer. — Anne Wollenberg
My Name is Bruce **** (Stars Bruce Campbell, Grace Thorsen, Taylor Sharpe, Ted Raimi, Ellen Sandweiss; £19.99; UK cert 15) And speaking of the great Bruce Campbell, here he is again, playing ... erm, himself. And totally taking the piss out of his on-screen persona, his career so far and B-movies in general. Don't know who Bruce Campbell is? Shame on you! He gained fame playing Ash, the sole survivor of a night of terror in Spider-man director Sam Raimi's first film, the low budget schlock-horror comedy Evil Dead. And now Bruce is returning to his roots as producer, director and star of his own low budget schlock-horror comedy. He plays himself as a drunken, womanising B-grade movie star who keeps churning out turkeys, hates his fans, lives in a trailer and is constantly chased for alimony by his ex-wife. But when an ancient Chinese demon terrorises the small down of Gold Lick, the townsfolk realise that only one man can save them — B-movie star Bruce Campbell. It's safe to say that this film will really only appeal to fans of Campbell — and, happily, I count myself among their number (I even got to meet the great man himself when he was in London to promote the film, and I have to say he's one of the loveliest, most genuine guys I've met in his line of work). My Name is Bruce is certainly very low budget, and as corny as all getout at times. But it's also very funny, and full of the great one-liners that we've come to expect from Campbell. There's also plenty here for fans of his oeuvre, which runs from the Evil Dead films and the brilliant Bubba Ho-tep to lesser-known works such as Man with the Screaming Brain and Alien Apocalypse. Groovy. Extras: Disc One has the film, plus an audio commentary with Campbell and co-producer Mike Richardson. Disc Two has all the rest of the extras, including the featurette Heart of Dorkness: The Making of My Name is Bruce; the featurette Awkward Moments with "Kif" (who, it seems, is actually associate prodcer Craig Sanborn); a featurette called Kif's Corner; the featurette Waxing Philosophical with Bruce; a "making of" featurette called beyond the Cave: The Making of Cavealien 2 (the film being made in the film, and starring Bruce); The Hard Truth, a tabloid-TV style "expose" of the real Bruce Campbell; Love Birds, a featurette about the gay couple in the film; a poster art gallery; a props art gallery; a photo gallery; a trailer for Cavealien 2 ("A movie filled with so much terrible horribleness you'll crap someone else's pants"); and the trailer for My Name is Bruce. — Stuart O'Connor