Week of 8 March 2010
CSI Season 9 **** (Stars William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Laurence Fishburne; £49.99; UK Cert 15) The obvious question with CSI Season 9 is ... £50? FIFTY QUID? Seriously, who’s going to spend half a ton on a show that: a) is on TV every night anyway; and b) will probably be available before Christmas on a two-for-£20 deal? Assuming you do have more money than sense though, what you’ll get for your cash is 24 episodes of quality TV, including the combined CSI investigation into Warrick’s death, and the mid-season departure of Grissom (Petersen) to be replaced by the ever-expanding Laurence Fishburne as Dr Raymond Langston. The fact that the show remains watchable even after such a major change of personnel and, particularly, given the somewhat samey nature of its content is pretty remarkable. In short, it’s quality, and gory, business as usual. Extras: A surprisingly decent bunch of extra bits, from deleted scenes to a couple of episode commentaries, assorted features, a lookback at Grissom’s career, a celebration of the 200th episode, etc. — Neil Davey
Sinking of Japan ** (Stars Kou Shibasaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Mao Daichi, Etsushi Toyokawa; Directed by Shinji Higuchi; written by Masato Kato, from the novel by Sakyo Komatsu; UK cert 15; £15.99) Think Independence Day with earthquakes not aliens, add a dash of Armageddon and you’ve pretty much got the plot of this earnest, occasionally risible disaster movie. An underwater earthquake hits Japan and geological research proves it’s what the Government has feared for years: the first natural disaster in a chain that will see Mount Fuji erupt and Japan sink within a year. You want a big effects action fest: what you get is a wordy, cliché-ridden, overlong drama with occasional scenes of devastation. No extras — Neil Davey
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland *** (Stars Fiona Fullerton, Peter Sellers, Michael Crawford, Dudley Moore, Sir Michael Hordern, Spike Milligan; UK cert U; £7.99) If you’ve recently had to suffer Tim Burton’s painful “reimagining” of Lewis Carroll’s classic, you might appreciate the chance to reacquaint yourself with this rather more charming adaptation from 1972. It’s not great by any stretch of the imagination – it looks very dated, and the songs are pretty hideous – but the pretty 15-year-old debutante Fullerton is a sweet lead, and look at that cast of British legends under the eccentric costumes. Regardless of flaws, it’s certainly closer in tone to Carroll’s creation than Burton’s pile of poo. Mind you, can I make a suggestion here? The Muppet Alice in Wonderland. How bloody perfect would that be? No extras — Neil Davey
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Week of 1 March 2010
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant *** (Blu-ray; Stars Chris Massoglia, John C Reilly, Josh Hutcherson, Jessica Carlson, Michael Cerveris, Salma Hayek, Willem Dafoe, Jane Krakowski; UK cert 12; £19.99) When Tod Browning made his infamous film Freaks back in the early 1930s, he used real sideshow freaks. In 2010, though, everything's CGI – so Cirque du Freak uses proper actors with a little help from their digital backroom pals. Based on a series of kids books, The Vampire's Assistant has been called "an endearingly goofy teen-vampire tale reminiscent of The Goonies or Lost Boys". While nowhere near as good as either, it is a decent enough story. Teenaged Darren (Massoglia) who becomes a "half-vampire" assistant to Larten Crepsley (Reilly) and gets involved in a war between "good" and "bad" vampires. There's plenty of chemistry between Massoglia and Reilly, and it's always great to see Hayek on screen. Terrific fun for kids, and enough to keep parents amused too. Extras: 35 - count 'em, 35! - deleted scenes; a three-part making of called Guide to Becoming a Vampire: Learn Your History: the Development and Casting (9 mins), Find a New Home: Filming the Big Scenes (4 mins), Surround Yourself With Friends: Making the Cirque and its Freaks (6 mins); Tour du Freak, an 18-minute tour of teh circus, including chats with cast and crew; My Scenes, a feature where you can bookmark favourite scenes in the film; D-box, U-Control, and Picture-in-Picture. — Stuart O'Connor