DVD Monthly

The Guys at Funny Or Die present their take on just what differences there are between standard DVD and Blu-ray…

If you enjoyed reading our interview with the talented Malin Akerman in the ‘Hollywood’s Hottest’ section of Issue 107, then take a look below for plenty more from the talented Swede. Malin Akerman stars in 27 Dresses, which is on sale on DVD and Blu-ray now from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Rising star Malin Akerman made her name hanging upside down off a bed – with Ben Stiller on top of her - in The Heartbreak Kid. She was playing a character who in her own words is ‘off her rocker’.

Every man in sight fall for her in the new comedy, 27 Dresses, but she seduces the man her sister  (Katherine Heigl) is in love with - then the two actresses get into some vicious cat-fighting.

“Malin Akerman is one of those very fortunate people who is beautiful and she has such a great sense of comedy, that it is almost shocking to your system,” says director, Anne Fletcher,” because she looks so amazing that you think she shouldn’t be that funny. She completely goes against the grain and I am blown away by her comedic ability and her acting in general. And she is a lovely person. Watching her and Katie on screen is like magic. You talk about chemistry between a man and a woman, their chemistry as sisters is brilliant and they love each other.  They get along so well.”

Known as Hollywood’s new blonde bombshell, the actress looks stunning in a short cream dress, with high heels, her long blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders.   It is inevitable   that there have been   comparisons  to Cameron Diaz. The Swedish model who grew up in Canada  and lives in LA isn’t averse to embarrassing herself, is very funny and   enjoys being  the centre of attention. She spends her time off, belting   out rock songs with her band The PetalStones, though she admits: ‘I can’t sing very well.’  

In her next  film role  she  plays  Silk Spectre in the film version  of the  graphic novel Watchmen.

Married to Italian drummer, Roberto Zincone, the 29 year-old actress  (recently voted the sexiest woman in Sweden), talks about her rebellious teens, her rocketing career, her rock-star aspirations  - and her most excruciating moments – on stage.

Can you talk about 27 Dresses?
I play Tess, Katherine Heigl’s younger sister who always had her own way as a child. She is beautiful and used to getting all the attention. She is manipulative and knows that she can get what she wants. In order to get her man, she just lies.  He is a vegetarian, so she pretends to be a vegetarian too. He loves animals and the outdoors and hiking so she pretends she has the same interests as him, but she really doesn’t. She’s a city girl.  So she tweaks herself to fit in with his way of life. But deep down she is a good person. I would not call her a mean girl, I would call her insensitive and a little naïve, she is very childish and needs to grow up.

How mean is she?
I don’t think she is consciously nasty but Jane (Katherine Heigl) has always facilitated everything in her life and so she doesn’t think twice about asking Jane to do things for her. She will say: ‘do this, do that, cook me some pasta’, Jane has never said no, so Tess just pushes it in a very innocent kind of way. Somebody should be putting their foot down with her but they don’t  – until everything blows up in her life.

She does not seem to be authentic, is she trying to be somebody else?
Yes because she is scared of being herself, she has not had good experiences in the past with men. She meets George and she actually is truly interested in him and wants to impress him. She really wants him to like her, because he is the first true and honest man she has encountered in her life. So she is trying to make herself appealing to him because she likes him so much. Her intention is not coming from a bad or evil place, she is desperate to be accepted. 

So what does she pretend in order to win her man?
He is a vegetarian, so she pretends to be a vegetarian too. He loves animals and the outdoors and hiking so she pretends she has the same interests as him, but she really doesn’t. She is more of a city girl who loves fashion and enjoys dressing up. He owns a company making outdoors and camping wear, so she tweaks herself to fit in with his way of life. I would not call her a mean girl, I would call her insensitive and a little naive and not really aware of what she is doing, I think she is very childish and needs to grow up. 

It sounds like this character is much more fun to play than the traditional, beautiful sweet girlfriend type of role?
I love it. I always enjoy playing a different type of character. I often find that the side characters, the supporting roles are more interesting, because they tend to be quirky and a little bit nuts. I love this role, I think it is great because she is off beat, you do not know what to expect from her. 

How would you describe the appeal of this film?
I think it is a great romantic comedy. It is about romance and falling in love and there are a lot of laughs too. 

Are you romantic?
Very - my husband is an Italian drummer, he’s a wonderful musician from Naples and we got married in Italy in the summer. It was great doing a wedding film because I got so many ideas; it was a perfect subject for me. The wardrobe ladies helped me and I had my wedding dress shipped out. It was interesting getting married at the same time as playing someone getting married. 

Can you talk about working with Katherine?
Katherine is so much fun, I was so pleasantly surprised when I met her, she has   a great sense of humor and she is so cool, we just hit it off right away, that was such a relief, because she was playing my sister. I was really excited and felt right away that I could imagine her as my sister and I would hang out with her in real life. We have become good friends.  She is pretty hilarious and we laugh a lot together. It meant there was a great comfort level right away. Our characters fight a lot and in one scene there’s a lot of throwing of sponges and rags in a hardware store, which was fun – it was like going back to the basics of sisterhood when you are five years old. It is funny because Katherine and I actually went out for dinner the other night and four people randomly came up to us and asked whether we were sisters. So I think that the casting department did a great job. 

Do you have siblings yourself?
I have two younger sisters and   a younger brother. But in this film it is quite different and a little strange because it’s a role reversal for me. I get to be the younger sibling. But I’ve watched the younger ones in my own family and I know just what they’re like and how they can get what they want. In my family, the little one definitely knows how to get her way, because she’s watched the older one not get it. And she tries to do the opposite.   I had to test the waters and   I had to clear the path for them. I did all the hard work and they reap he benefits. 

Have you been a bridesmaid quite often and have you worn some terrible outfits?
You know I’ve only been a bridesmaid once. Only one of my very good girl friends is married. And yes I had to wear a bridesmaid dress, but it wasn’t anything really that bad, it wasn’t close to these bridesmaids’ dresses that Katherine wears in this film.   It was nice although not an outfit that I would wear at any other time. For my wedding, I just asked my bridesmaids to pick something that they liked and maybe would wear again. 

What’s married life like?
I love being married. We got married on The Amalfi coast in Italy – outside in the gardens of a hotel. My father and his father married us, because we don’t go to church and don’t practice any religion. So that was perfect.  We sipped cocktails by the pool and had a nine course Italian dinner, we spent five hours eating. The food was so delicious.  My husband is Italian so he’s a great cook   and he makes amazing pasta dishes, and I do eat them, I don’t diet. 

How does it work – you both have busy careers?
The marriage works brilliantly, we have a two week rule and try not to go longer without seeing each other. But I have to say there’s something about being apart and having our own experiences away from each other  – then getting together – that makes the relationship exciting.    We always have so much to say to each other. Roberto doesn’t worry at all about my career or the way I look.  He’s seen me with guys all over the place and crowds, we go to parties together and he’s not at all possessive We know where we stand in each other’s hearts and we believe in what marriage stands for, it’s a huge commitment. I feel really lucky, because he’s so confident and we truly honestly trust each other 150 percent. I love a man who can make me laugh, he’s very sarcastic and we can be silly and have fun together. 

What’s it like being compared to Cameron Diaz?
It’s so much fun being compared to Cameron Diaz   – she is so successful   and fantastic. People assume that if you’re beautiful you can’t be funny, but   I’ve never depended on my looks, because I was skinny and flat as a board as a teenager and I had braces. Guys always saw me as a friend rather than a hot chick.  For me, it was all about making a fool of myself and making people laugh.  I don’t mind being a dork, being goofy and silly, because that’s in my nature.   I love to   have a good time and I’m not self-conscious.   I don’t think ‘look at me I’m gorgeous’, when I look in the mirror every morning, I just say ‘oh there I am, here we go, another day.’ 

How do you handle all the attention?
When I get dolled up to go out, men definitely turn their heads and a lot of them approach me, which can be flattering or annoying.  I walked into a club one night with a friend and a guy grabbed my arm and said ‘I’m buying you a drink’ and I said ‘no you’re not’. And he wouldn’t let go of my arm and said ‘’Aren’t I good enough for you?’ I just said ‘if you think I’m a bitch, that’s fine, but I don’t want a drink and you are being rude’.

Can you talk about your childhood?
My parents split up when I was six and my father moved back to Sweden, while I stayed in Toronto with my mother. She married again and I have a half brother   and two half sisters. It must have been really difficult for my mother and she worked very hard. She was an aerobics teacher and did a bit of modelling. I don’t really remember how I felt about my parents not being together, I think it’s something you end up suppressing as a child, I do know it was tough   for me because I loved my father very much.  I only got to see him in school breaks, at Christmas and summer. But it was an advantage that they split up when I was very young, so I could get used to it. I think it’s harder emotionally if your parents separate when you’re a teenager. 

What kind of kid were you?
As a kid I hung out with boys.  We would climb trees and throw rocks at cars.  Once when we threw a heavy rock at a cab, the driver got out and chased us and we just ran away as fast as we could, as though our lives depended on it, terrified that we’d get caught. We would run into buildings and play ‘Nicky Nicky Nine Doors’   knocking on apartments and running away before they answered.  There was one more girl in our group, older than me, she would come up with the crazy ideas but wouldn’t carry them out herself, I was always the guinea pig. And of course the guys were always up for anything and would go along with me.

What else did you get up to?
I got caught stealing chocolate   in a store once. The owner     yelled at me ‘never   come back’ and I got really scared. Luckily my mum never found out.There was always trouble lurking around us  though,  lots of dares, and I didn’t want to be called ‘chicken’.  I was with one of my friends when she stole a pizza from a delivery truck; we did a lot of stupid things like that because we were bored.  

Were you a rebel?
I definitely had my rebellious moments like any teenager, drinking quite a bit. I would go to my friend’s house after school, her father had three different drinks cabinets and we would mix anything and everything:  whisky and vodka and peach schnapps and rum – it was just    disgusting.  And we would feel sick and horrible later. We were just experimenting and wanted to know what it was like to be drunk. I remember one time mixing shots and my mother calling and saying ‘ok I’m going to pick you up to go ballet class’ and I turned up at my class completely drunk trying to do plies, feeling so sick. I think my ballet teacher knew exactly what was happening. I was 15 and said ‘I don’t want to do ballet anymore, I’m into partying and boys,’ so I gave up,that was it. 

It sounds like you were a handful for your mother?
I was, I  would call my mother say ‘I’m sleeping at a friend’s place’ but would actually go to a rave till 8 o clock in the morning. I went out partying a lot and   I hung out with the  wrong crowd for a while, who were not into the greatest things, but I never got into any major trouble. They always said ‘we know you’re not going to do anything stupid’. 

You did some modelling, how did that happen?
My mother’s modelling  agent told her I’d be great on camera, so when I was three or four, I did a few television commercials including My Little Pony, but my mother never pushed me, I enjoyed it.  I got out of it when I was 12 because   I just wanted to be a teenager and have fun. My mother was always struggling to pay the bills and at 16   I got back into modelling to earn some money.  I was discovered by Ford Models   and at high school I was ‘The ‘Noxzema Girl’  (for their skin products). 

What are your views on nudity?
I am not embarrassed about taking off my clothes, I don’t have an issue with showing my body. I don’t enjoy it, it’s never comfortable and you are thinking of your family, who are going to see you naked, but I don’t mind if it makes sense for the film. I was born in Sweden and  spent a lot of time there as a kid. It is natural over there and all over Europe, they are much more prudish in America. Doing the sex scenes in The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller was so embarrassing, being upside down with my head hanging off the bed, with Ben perpendicular to me, on top of me. It was the most uncomfortable position you can imagine.  We choreographed all the moves before we got unclothed, but it was still difficult.  At least when you’re acting though, you get lost in the character and what you’re doing. But   then   they call ‘cut’ and you’re sitting there half naked, trying to cover yourself. What do you do? I just said ‘oh hi Ben, how’s your wife?’  

How much do you enjoy singing?
I am by no means a great singer. My voice isn’t that strong.  I had to learn and I’m ok with a lot of practice but get me into a karaoke bar and it’s a disaster. I don’t play any instruments well at all - apart from a few chords on the guitar. I’ve always wanted to learn but I’ve been very lazy. But in 2003 I started singing with my band (The Petal Stones), it just kind of happened, we started playing together. That’s how I met Roberto my husband, we spent a lot of time rehearsing and putting together an album. When you spend six hours a day together, you really  get to know each other.  I don’t think I’m one of those crazy, raunchy ‘hey mother-f…..s’  types. But you do get into character when you get up there on stage, you become a rock star.  We would play in LA clubs: The House of Blues, The Roxy and we did the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, which is a big venue, so that was exciting. Now I’m acting a lot and all the boys are also session players, but we still have the band and want to record more songs. 

I had a very embarrassing moment at one of our biggest shows.  I was wearing a revealing outfit with a see through mesh top and just a bikini top under it. Towards the end of the show a guy got up on stage, took my hand to kiss it and jumped off into the crowd, body surfing the audience. Everyone was going wild and I thought ‘that’s never happened before’. I thought that was quite exciting. Then I got off the stage and Roberto looked at me and shouted: ‘oh my God your boob is hanging out of your top.’  And I looked down and sure enough my bikini top had completely shifted to one side.  So the boys enjoyed that show. 

What music do you like?
I love hard rock, it drives me crazy. I have so many music idols. Fu Fighters are amazing - I love them, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Linkin Park. I grew up on the Doors, Guns and Roses and Led Zeppelin and I still love them. 

How do you spend your money?
I drive my old jeep Cherokee which I am about to change for a hybrid car. I am not very extravagant. I’m going to buy a house and buy some nice furniture, but that’s a good investment.  I’ve been sensible with my money,so far,  I don’t want to spend it all but we go out to nice dinners and I love a nice bottle of wine. 

How fit did you have to be for your new film Watchmen?
I had to do heavy duty training for Watchmen. (My trainers also worked with the cast of the battle movie 300 last year).  It was really hard; I was in so much pain the first week I couldn’t move, although my body is in the best shape it’s ever been. I’ve been doing a lot of fight training to prepare for the big fight scenes.  I hurt my knee doing a kind of spin kick. I’ve had a lot of bruises all over because my outfit is made out of latex and doesn’t have much padding. So when I go for it and hit the guys full force, I do get hurt. But it’s amazing, I feel like I could take on anybody. There is quite a bit of action.  It’s a great, dark thriller, that’s emotional and political with psychological layers. I loved making it.  

27 Dresses is out to buy and rent on DVD & Blu-ray now from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

We’ve got another packed issue for you, full to the brim with new reviews, great features, exclusive interviews, competitions, news and loads more. Plus, there’s also the 32 page mini-magazine, HD Monthly, where you can get your fill of everything hi-def!

Cover:
Iron Man
We take an early look at what’s in store for the DVD release of the mega-hit blockbuster Iron Man, and uncover what Marvel is planning over the next few years, with their audacious ideas for a superhero mash-up in The Avengers. 

Features Include:
Making Grown Men Cry
The 30 greatest movie moments for making even the hardest of tough guys weep like a baby.

Ultimate Fight Club
Who’s the hardest film streetfighter of all time? We’ve set up the ultimate champsionship, where everyone from Bruce Lee to Charles Bronson square off to see who’s the biggest baddass. There are 16 contenders, but there can be only one winner!

Interviews:
George Clooney
Gerard Butler
Jessica Hynes
Dolph Lundgren
Sean Maguire
Amanda Tapping

Reviews:
Leatherheads
Happy-Go-Lucky
Son Of Rambow
The Elephant Man - Special Edition
Lars And The Real Girl
The Neverending Story
Meet The Spartans
Nim’s Island
Chuck - Season 1
Robot Chicken: Star Wars
Gossip Girl - Season 1
Supernatural - Season 3
Stargate: Continuum
And Over 100 More! 
 

PLUS: In Your 32 Page HD Monthly

The Future Is Here - We look at the innovations that are taking HD to new levels, from TVs with Freesat built in, to screens that don’t need wires to connect to your equipment! 
The Godfather On Blu-ray - First News

Reviews Include: 
10,000 BC
All The Boys Love Mandy Lane
Cliffhanger
Diary Of The Dead
Escape From New York
The Fog
Heroes - Season 2
The Orphanage
Son Of Rambow
Terminator 2
Total Recall
Vantage Point 

So make sure you get you copy, either in newsagents or by by purchasing through this link to the Jazz Publishing Magazine Store.

The classic Atlantic City, starring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon (in her first Oscar nominated role) is coming to DVD on July 4th, RRP £12.99, courtesy of Network. And you could win a copy in this great comp.

Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster (The Leopard, Elmer Gantry) turns in one of the best performances of career in this gripping, moving masterpiece by French New Wave director Louis Malle (Damaged). He is Lou, an aging, deluded, small-time crook who scrapes a living running numbers for the mob. In his fantasies, he is a big fish in with the big boys like Al Capone. His life takes an interesting turn when he encounters Dave (Robert Joy – CSI: NY, Land of the Dead), a young cocaine dealer who attempts to sell the wares he stole from some heavyweight gangsters before arriving in Atlantic City. The broad is his attractive, ambitious oyster bar waitress partner, Sally (Susan Sarandon – Thelma & Louise, Speed Racer), eager to learn in order to make way for a better life. But Dave’s actions have inevitable consequences resulting in opportunity for Lou in this transfixing, atmospheric tale about love, honour, drugs and money.

Louis Malle paints a vivid picture of the sad, seedy lives of a group of loners in this tale which won numerous accolades including two BAFTAS (Best Actor and Best Direction) and was nominated for 5 Oscars.

We’ve got five copies of this great movie to give away. All you need to do is click on the button below, answer the question and leave your details! If you need more convincing to enter, check out the clip below!

A huge sigh of relief has enveloped Film4 FrightFest central. The single tickets for our main August 21-25 event have just gone on sale at London’s Odeon West End, literally the last piece of the mammoth organizational jigsaw puzzle in place before turning all our attention to putting on the banner Bank Holiday show. We never expected our consignment of full Weekend Pass tickets to sell out in a record 12 hours. Credit Crunch? What Credit Crunch! Or is it just that people are determined to enjoy themselves now more than ever and be damned?

We knew we had been building an ever-growing committed audience over our past nine-year history. And we knew more by accident than design we had assembled a killer programme line-up. But in our wildest dreams we never expected such a frantic box-office meltdown. That unprecedented demand then became a millstone around our necks. If people subsequently logged on to either our website (www.frightfest.co.uk) or the Odeon’s we couldn’t sell anything other than a few Day Passes due to our set-in-stone July 26 single ticket date because of sponsor and media partnerships.

For the past few weeks we’ve all been fielding desperate pleas for advance tickets to our hottest attractions, MARTYRS, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, BAD BIOLOGY and TOKYO GORE POLICE to name just a few. So it has been quite liberating to finally have the single ticket availability off and running. If fans don’t act fast enough to ensure they see their choice of the hottest genre movies around, the talking points of the future, now they really do have only themselves to blame.

It has been amazing to the four Film4 FrightFest organizers how far we’ve come in terms of world recognition, both to aficionados and industry movers and shakers alike. The roster is always on-trend because all our day jobs are part of the entertainment fabric anyway. We know what’s happening out there and can react accordingly. But for many of our repeat audience it’s the amazing atmosphere, the comfortable camaraderie, the star guests being a part of that experience, and the offbeat extras we always throw into the mix that truly does set Film4 FrightFest apart from other fantasy festivals. That’s what makes our UK wide die-hardcore gear their whole year around the long weekend, booking hotels well in advance, organizing their own quiz, relaxing after hours at the Phoenix Artist Club in Charing Cross Road (our official party HQ) and making it an entire horror holiday package.

It was only recently that Guillermo del Toro gave me another reason for our success. Del Toro really is our undisputed patron saint. He delivered the entire HELLBOY cast at that exciting premiere, he allowed us to be the first festival outside Cannes to showcase PAN”S LABYRINTH, and he came through again with his production of THE ORPHANAGE last year. We also owe him our superb ‘Woodstock of Gore’ description. My latest book is about del Toro’s life and work and in my many weeks of grilling him about everything he’s never spoken about before while in London editing HELLBOY II, he revealed this little gem. Because del Toro knows everybody in genre-land, he told me our past guest directors always say how great and intelligent the audience feedback is during our post-screening Q&A sessions. That aspect had never remotely crossed my mind but its yet another explanation why we are now so firmly entrenched on the movie-going calendar.

We never expected that happening when we launched FrightFest in 2000 at the Prince Charles Cinema. Back then it was an attempt to give London a glimmer of what such veteran fantasy festivals as Sitges, Brussels, Trieste, Toronto and Oporto were doing so brilliantly. It was shocking to us that a major capital city didn’t have anything similar. Slowly but surely our audience and profile expanded as studios and distributors recognised our promotional value until we had to move to the more spacious Odeon West End to cope with demand.

Anyone who thinks mounting such an event is a simple case of calling up film companies and asking for a movie is completely misjudging the way the corporate film industry works. Release dates, ownership of the title in question, sales agent demands, whether another major festival wants it or not, and publicity plans all come into play. We lost two great films this year (DOROTHY, OUTLANDER) because their releases were put back until mid 2009 and the companies involved thought us showing them was far too early and wouldn’t fit in with their PR campaigns. That’s the way the global festival cookie crumbles. 

Who are the four horsemen behind the Film4 FrightFest apocalypse? Well, I’ve been reporting on the genre as critic, broadcaster and book author for 30 years now. That’s great from the FrightFest point of view because I visit sets of films in production that could be viable future choices. A good example of that modus operandi in action is our world premiere of FREAKDOG. I went to Belfast earlier this year to cover the making of director Paddy Breathnach’s latest shocker for my horror magazine outlets. We had shown Breathnach’s SHROOMS in 2007, the FREAKDOG script and cast (Arielle Kebbel, Andrew Lee Potts, MyAnna Buring, Martin Compston) were terrific, so I asked the producers then and there if they would consider Film4 FrightFest as their first test outing. After getting approvals from all concerned, and realising their print delivery date was two days before our preferred Friday evening time slot, they agreed. Result. Steven Sheils’ MUM & DAD followed a similar pattern.

Connection to filmmakers and directors over the years also comes into play I met Adam Gierasch on the Turin set of Dario Argento’s MOTHER OF TEARS, which he co-wrote with partner Jace Anderson. He’d heard great things about Film4 FrightFest from his Hollywood pals Adam (HATCHET) Green and Joe (WRONG TURN 2) Lynch, now perennials on our guest list. Would I consider showing his debut feature as director? While it’s hard to tell friends their beloved projects suck that wasn’t the case with AUTOPSY. I thought it was brilliantly done, beautifully imaginative and guaranteed to make the audience jump throughout. It was in the programme the moment I saw it. 

Paul McEvoy is my partner in title acquisition and intrepid fellow trawler of the Cannes market place. He co-owns The Cinema Store in London’s Upper St Martin’s Lane and his grass roots knowledge of the fan boy psyche is second to none. He has the amazing gift of seeing the value and merit in the no-budget enterprises we get sent as submissions every week. We have often clashed over titles he’s sure will connect in trash zeitgeist ways to the fans. I’m far more unforgiving. But I have to admit he mainly gets it right and the ones he’s championed are usually talking points. Last year’s ZOMBIE DIARIES a good example, it was one of our biggest sellers. This year his forensic aptitude put Johnny Kevorkian’s THE DISAPPERED and Kerry Anne Mullaney’s THE DEAD OUTSIDE on our radar.

Ian Rattray is Film 4 FrightFest’s accountant, day-to-day organiser and tech man. He works as booker of independent cinemas up and down the country, including The Coronet in Notting Hill Gate, meaning he knows everything about the commercial side of the film business, from dealing with the money men to getting the film prints delivered in time. Basically all the boring stuff! He thinks we don’t appreciate him enough, but we do even though we hate actually praising him for making it all happen so smoothly.

Greg Day is our invaluable fourth wheel. His PR knowledge (promoting Columbia Pictures, Channel 4, Five) is second to none and we owe much of our multi-media coverage to him. With Ian he handles sponsorship and branding issues and his suave calmness throughout many diva crises has kept us all grounded. But then his newly formed public relations company Clout does represent the likes of Derren Brown and Joan Rivers so he’s used to it!

It’s precisely this collective professional experience from all four corners of the industry that forms the festival bedrock. Despite our endless hissy fits, the constant moaning, the seismic rows between us (don’t get me started on the screaming match we had earlier in Cannes), the different personality dynamic clearly works. In many ways we’re hard on ourselves, and each other, because we can’t bear the thought of letting anyone down when we finally take the Odeon stage to inaugurate the Film4 FrightFest each year. The thrilled expectancy on the sea of faces, their willingness to succumb to a full five-day stint in total darkness for taboo images, gore galore and nerve-jangling scares is a huge responsibility. One we cannot ever take lightly. The audience trusts us to highlight the movies they must see to get a snapshot of the genre as it currently stands. That’s all that matters in the scheme of things. And why at Film4 FrightFest central we’re now putting the finishing touches to all the many surprises we know will electrify our unique ambience further.

Alan Jones

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED!

With the closure of Tartan Film, Halcyon has taken over the release of Michael Haneke’s powerful English language remake of his own Funny Games. The film stars Naomi Watts and Tim Roth as a couple who are terrorised in their own home by two young men played by Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet. A shocking and haunting piece of cinema, it’s a must see when it arrives on DVD July 28th through Halcyon Pictures. In fact, in our latest issue we called the movie, “a scathing social commentary with a dark sense of humour and a serious message, but it’s also a difficult watch and a film that has split audiences (both this and the original) with its sadistic mind games. Watching the onscreen family’s middle class sanctuary slowly but surely fall apart is literally nauseating in its intensity, and the violence (the worst of which happens off-screen) will have your bowels clenching in horror. This is genuinely scary stuff.”

If that sounds like your sort of movie (and you can watch the trailer below or visit www.funnygamesdvd.com if you need more convincing), Halcyon have teamed up with DVD Monthly for this online comp. The first prize winner will get a copy of the movie and a great DVD player, while five runners up will get the DVD. To enter just click on the icon below, answer the question and leave your details! The competition closes on August 8th, 2008.

All the reviews from DVD Monthly Issue 105, July 2008, are now online. As always, underneath each review you’ve got the chance to write your own thoughts and opinions, and the person who writes the best review each month will get it published in the magazine and win a prize!

Just click here and start reviewing!

Reviews Added On July 22nd, 2008:

REGION 2:
A Man Escaped
Adventures Of A… Taxi Driver/Plumber’s Mate/Private Eye
Alone With Her
Bank Job, The
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead
Black Water
Blonde and Blonder
Boss Of It All, The
Chok-Dee – The Kickboxer
Chrysalis
Cleaner, The
Cloverfield
Dan In Real Life
Deaths Of Ian Stone, The
Deepwater
Definitely, Maybe
Diary Of The Dead
Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector’s Edition Box Set
Diving Bell And The Butterfly, The
Dreamland
Feast Of Love
Freebird
Genghis Khan – To The Ends Of The Earth And Sea
Graveyard, The
Gruesome
Hamburger Hill – 20th Anniversary Edition
I Love Your Work
Identification of A Woman
In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
Intimate Enemies
Jesus Camp
Jumper
King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters, The
L’Avventura
Lassie Box Set
Love Sick
Major Dundee
Mouth To Mouth
Moving McAllister
My Blueberry Nights
National Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets
O, Lucky Man – Special Edition
Paris Lockdown
Picnic At Hanging Rock – Deluxe Edition
Rambo
Saawariya
Small Town Folk
Tread Softly Stranger
Untraceable
Water Horse, The
What Have They Done To Your Daughters?
When Evil Calls

TV:
4400, The – Season 4
Andromeda Strain, The
Berserk – Volume 5:  Requited Desires
Californication – Season 1
Cosby Show, The – Season 1
CSI: Miami – Season 5, Part 1
Doctor Who – Series 4, Volume 1
Dudesons, The – Season 1
Ergo Proxy – Volume 6
FLCL – Volume 2
Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs
Hills, The – Season 1
Ice Road Truckers
Kill Point, The
L Word, The – Season 4
Most Haunted – Series 9
Mysterious Cities Of Gold
Naruto Unleashed – Series 3:2
NCIS – Season 4
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
Oz – Season 5
Peep Show – Series 5
Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares: Momma Cherri’s Soul Food
Royal Rumble 2008
South Park – Season 7
Tales Of Terror
Terry & June – Series 8
Trinity Blood – Volume 6
Triple H – The King Of Kings
Voltron: Defender Of The Universe – Collection 1: Blue Lion
Weeds – Season 3
Wire In The Blood – Series 3 and 4
Witchblade – Collection 1-3

MUSIC:
Albert Collins – Live From Austin, TX
Babyshambles – Oh! What A Lovely Tour
Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown – Live From Austin, TX
Deep Purple – Around The World Live
Down The Tracks – The Music That Influenced Bob Dylan
Johnny Hallyday – Live At Montreux 1988
Love Story
New Order – Live In Glasgow
Radiohead – The Best Of
Roy Buchanan – Live From Austin, TX
Steve Earle – Live From Austin, TX
Steve Miller Band – Live From Chicago
Stranglers, The – On Stage/On Screen
Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard & Ray Price – Last Of The Breed
ZZ Top – Live From Texas

HD:
Anger Management
Bonnie & Clyde – 40th Anniversary Edition
Dragon Wars
I, Robot
In The Valley Of Elah
Jumper
Juno
Korn – Live At Montreux 2004
Saawariya
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Water Horse, The

Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 105 July 2008
(2 votes, average: 9 out of 10)

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You can’t always get what you want…

The Lowdown: Sexually promiscuous bachelor Hank Moody is a best-selling author whose predilection for beautiful women threatens to derail his waning talent. With a teenage daughter, an ex-girlfriend and a bad case of writer’s block all vying for his attention, can Hank resist LA’s many temptations and emerge with his talent intact?

Review: After starring in the wildly successful ‘X-Files’ a decade ago, David Duchovny returns to the medium that made him a star with Californication, a dark comedy with a sexy edge. In the ensuing years, noteworthy film roles have been few and far between for the underrated Duchovny, so it is a genuine pleasure to see him bounce back with something as wickedly enjoyable as Californication.

Duchovny’s character, Hank Moody, coasts through life, hopping from one bed to the next as his talent slowly drains away. When he inadvertently sleeps with the 16-year-old daughter of his ex-girlfriend’s new partner, Hank’s delicate existence goes into tailspin. There may be an endless queue of nubile young things desperate to get Hank in the sack, but nothing can temper the realisation that he is still desperately in love with Karen, the mother of his precocious teenage daughter, Becca. Whether she will let herself fall for his dishevelled charms once more, however, is more difficult to say…

Hank’s cult bestseller, ‘God Hates Us All’, has been hoovered up by the Hollywood machine and turned into a “Tom and Katie” rom-com called ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’. This touch is an effortless skewering of Hollywood’s mind-numbing preoccupation with ‘dumbing things down’ and duly leads to Hank’s crippling writer’s block. He self-medicates with copious amounts of booze and sex, but it’s clear from the outset where his real affections lie.

The self-serving idea that all soulful New York artists sell themselves short by cashing in on their talent and moving to La La Land feels slightly forced at times, but it all makes for good comedy. The deadpan way in which Duchovny conducts himself is very entertaining, and despite Hank’s manifold flaws you can’t help but warm to his sullen character. The cast as a whole rarely hits a bum note, and Natascha McElhone (who stars as Hank’s combative ex-girlfriend Karen) is particularly impressive. Ex-‘Sex In The City’ star Evan Handler (as Hank’s long-suffering agent Charlie) plays the straight man to Hank’s droll funnyman, teeing him up nicely on many occasions. Last but not least, Madeleine Martin (Karen and Hank’s feisty, wise-beyond-her-years daughter Becca) also look set for a bright future.

‘Californication’ creator Tom Kapinos used to write for ‘Dawson’s Creek’, but you shouldn’t let that put you off checking out this offbeat, corrosive little drama. Californication is full to the brim with caustic wit, unrepentant sexuality and a nihilistic disregard for the moral majority. The 12 half-hour episodes, spread across two discs are easy to digest as individual portions or collectively, and offer a welcome bite-sized break from the longer dramas that are so prevalent right now. That said, the special features are pretty weak, with just a three-way audio commentary on the opening episode, and a brisk batch of interviews with the likes of Duchovny, Kapinos, McElhone, Madeline Zima and Evan Handler.

FILM: 8 EXTRAS: 4

DVD Info:
Certificate: 18
Starring: David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin, Madeline Zima
Directed By: Various, 2007
Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 647mins
Price:  £34.99

Special Features:
Episode Selection
Audio Commentary On Episode ‘Pilot’ With David Duchovny, Writer/Creator Tom Kapinos & Director Stephen Hopkins.
Interviews With Cast & Crew

Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 105 July 2008
(No Ratings Yet)

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Wipe-out!

The Lowdown: An entire Utah town is wiped out by a mysterious virus that has been brought to Earth by a returning satellite. A 100% casualty rate is expected, but a search reveals two survivors: a baby and an old man. Can the team of crack scientists find the immunisation/cure before the world is destroyed?

Review: Robert Wise’s science fiction classic, The Andromeda Strain (1971), is a much-loved example of 70s sci-fi at its best. When news of a made-for-TV remake first began to circulate, fans were understandably concerned. Such concerns were well founded as it turns out, as whilst The Andromeda Strain offers three hours of solid (if a little jargon-heavy) entertainment, it warps the original novel/movie into something altogether different…

The whole endeavour has been bankrolled by Scott Free, Ridley and Tony Scott’s production company, ensuring a much needed degree of big-screen gloss. Mini-series kingpin Mikael Salomon does what is expected of him in the director’s chair, but as things plod along you find yourself wishing that Tony Scott himself had wrestled control of the project and turned it into a mindless high-octane romp!

Michael Crichton’s densely plotted thrillers will never go out of fashion, but the subject matter of The Andromeda Strain feels decidedly old hat. Back in 1971, creepy viruses and shadowy government conspiracies may have felt brand spanking new, but now they feel quaintly out of time. Nevertheless, whilst attempts to beef up the storyline may have taken liberties with Crichton’s original material, all of the tweaks have definitely been moulded in Crichton’s distinctive image.

On one hand, devotees of the original movie will doubtless consider this movie a form of sacrilege. On the other hand, newcomers will find its subject matter curiously stale. I’m sure that everyone will agree that The Andromeda Strain mini-series is a satisfying if unimaginative slice of apocalyptic sci-fi…

FILM: 6 EXTRAS: 5

DVD Info:
Certificate: 15
Starring: Benjamin Bratt, Daniel Dae Kim, Christa Miller, Eric McCormack
Directed By: Mikael Salomon, 2008
Distributor: Universal
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 180mins
Price:  £19.99

Special Features:
Scene Selection
‘Terra Incognita: Making The Andromeda Strain’ Featurette
‘Visual Effects Breakdown’ Featurette
Photo & Design Gallery
Audio Commentary With Director Mikael Salomon, Executive-Producer David W. Zucker, Executive-Producer Tom Thayer & Editor Scott Vickrey 

Reviewer: Tim Isaac
Issue 105 July 2008
(No Ratings Yet)

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You’ve just been Reiner’d!

The Lowdown: The South Park kids get up to more crazy antics, including becoming Christian rock stars, discovering Earth is actually a reality show for other planets, becoming Mormons, and even taking up smoking after Rob Reiner launches an anti-tobacco campaign.

Review: Following years with no South Park DVDs at all in the UK, the season releases have come thick and fast over the last few months, with re-releases of Seasons 1-4, and Season 5, 6 and now 7 making their first UK DVD appearances. While all South Park is good, it is true that these middle seasons aren’t as funny and fresh as the earliest instalments, nor as biting as some later episodes. Even so, there’s plenty of entertainment to be had across the 15 episodes of Season 7, with everything from an armed invasion of South Park in order to protect the rights of old people, to the kids venturing to the flappy-headed regions of Canada, to try and retrieve Ike.

It is a shame that unlike some of the earlier seasons, little time and effort has been put into the special features. Whereas Season 1 featured specially filmed skits/introductions by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, this time around you just get commentaries. While these are pretty good, there are moments when it seems the guys have finally run out of things to say about the series. The good thing is that this normally prompts them to talk about whatever else might pop into their heads, and that’s always pretty entertaining. Season 7 may not be South Park’s finest hour, but any visit to the Colorado town is well worth it.

FILM: 7 EXTRAS: 4

DVD Info:
Certificate: 15
Starring: (voices) Trey Parker, Matt Stone
Directed By: Various, 2003
Distributor: Paramount
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Visuals: 4:3 Fullscreen
Running Time: 330 mins
Price: £24.99
Film supplied by: Shine Communications

Special Features:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentaries With Trey Parker And Matt Stone