On DVD November 3rd…
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
DVDs to look out for in the shops from November 3rd…
(Click on the DVD covers to see more info about the release at Amazon.co.uk)
Futurama: Bender’s Game
The Lowdown: With the price of Dark Matter fuel rocketing, the Planet Express crew head off on a dangerous mission that could end Mom’s stranglehold on the market. However Bender has become deranged after playing Dungeons & Dragons, and the crew end up getting diverted into his strange fantasy world.
What We Say: “Although it was always going to be difficult for the new stand-alone straight-to-DVD Futurama films to compete with the TV series, it’s difficult not to have become increasingly disappointed as more of them have come our way. The first, Bender’s Big Score, was pretty fun; The Beast With A Billion Backs was okay but nothing special; while Bender’s Game just seems a little random and not necessarily in a good way. The credits reveal it was written as Part 1 to 4, rather than as a complete film, and that shows in its episodic nature, where for nearly an hour, a movie called Bender’s Game has very little to do with the game being played by Bender.”
Also On Blu-ray.
The Colour Of Magic
The Lowdown: When inept wizard Rincewind (David Jason) is kicked out of Unseen University for failing to grasp basic magic, he is forced to get a job as a tour guide. His first punter is Twoflower (Sean Astin), a naïve insurance salesman, and wacky adventures ensue for the mismatched duo!
What We Say: “David Jason impressed Pratchett fans with his star stint in The Hogfather and, as a vocal admirer of Pratchett’s ‘The Colour Of Magic’ book, it seemed inevitable that he would be picked for the role of inept wizard Rincewind. In fairness, despite his advanced age he acquits himself very well, as does his new cohort Sean Astin. Meanwhile, an ensemble cast featuring Tim Curry, Jeremy Irons and Christopher Lee adds much-needed kudos to the production.”
Also On Blu-ray.
Shine A Light
What We Say: “With a proliferation of impeccable Stones concert DVDs already swamping the market, few would have expected a director of Scorsese’s stature to have a crack at a straight-up no-frills concert film. This, however, is exactly what the aging New Yorker decided to do… The Stones themselves are really showing their age now, and although no one in their right mind would expect anything remotely edgy, the set sometimes feels like a mid-afternoon shindig down at the local recreation centre. Craggy Jagger struts across the stage wearing the kind of sequinned outfit that you would expect your Gran to wear, whilst his trusty sidekicks Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood perch either side of him like cadaverous gargoyles. Their collective talent is still there for all to see, but as a concert film about one of rock’s most incendiary groups, Shine A Light feels dangerously tame.
Also On Blu-ray.
Extras: The Special
The Lowdown: Andy Millman (Gervais) has become a huge star thanks to his TV sitcom, ‘When The Whistle Blows’. However, despite a new hotshot agent and dinner at the fanciest restaurants, Andy’s hunger for fame threatens to completely destroy his life and his friendship with Maggie.
What We Say: “The finale to the two six-part series of the fantastic Extras isn’t so much a sitcom as it is a darkly comedic feature-length drama; a poignant, smart and, yes, touching farewell to Gervais’ London-based fame whore, Andy Millman. Though a scathing but witty indictment of fame and celebrity, Extras primarily ends up as a tale of friendship, proposing the wise dictum that a stupid joke shared with a friend is far more important than all the TV Guide magazine covers in the country.”
Also On Blu-ray.
Robin Hood - Series 2
The Lowdown: Robin Hood and his band of men are still trying to ride Nottingham of poverty by battling the evil Sheriff Of Nottingham. However Robin’s got a lot of trouble, as along with all the usual swashbuckling he needs to do, there’s a traitor in his camp and events may take Marian away from him.
What We Say: “In many ways, Robin Hood has more in common with post-apocalyptic series and movies than it does with the venerable historical drama. Realism is a low priority, with the simple adventure factor revved up instead. It’s a formula that worked right through the first series and does so for most of the second, although as with ‘Doctor Who’, moments have crept in that are so far fetched they seem almost insulting to the audience.”
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Seriously Ultimate Edition
The Lowdown: Sally and her wheelchair bound brother, Franklin, travel with a small group of close friends to their grandfather’s potentially vandalised grave. However, an unscheduled stop at the old homestead leads to a nightmare run-in with a group of cannibalistic rednecks.
What We Say: “Since the arrival of Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece, three and a half decades of horror have delivered far darker and far more graphic genre offerings, though none can touch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in terms of pure, undiluted onscreen lunacy… This ‘Seriously Ultimate Edition’ goes all out in order to live up to its audacious but dubious title, and with over four hours of special features and a restored and remastered version of the film itself, Second Sight’s three-disc set certainly means serious business.”
The Happening
The Lowdown: People are stopping in the streets and moments later finding any way they can to kill themselves. As the bizarre events spread from New York across the Northeast of the US, teacher Elliot Moore and his wife try to escape Philadelphia, but will they be safe out in the backwoods, especially when it starts to appear it may be nature itself that’s attacking?
What We Say: “For a start, Mark Wahlberg seems to be bidding here for the title of most gormless lead actor in history. To be honest it isn’t all his fault, as he’s given some of the most ludicrous dialogue imaginable, all based around a dodgy central premise that is so badly handled that I was trying to work out whether the whole film was meant to be a comedy or not. I don’t think it is, but even now I’m not entirely sure. While nature can be scary, just showing a shot of a tree, or having wind that magically knows when gusting would be a bad idea, doesn’t create tension on its own.”
Also On Blu-ray.
ON BLU-RAY:
Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2
The Lowdown: Quentin Tarantino’s two-part rip-roaring rampage of revenge focuses on ‘The Bride’ (Uma Thurman), a deadly ex-member of an assassination squad who sets out on a bloody path of vengeance across the globe, looking for those who killed her family and left her for dead.
What We Say: “The Blu-ray’s colour palette is tremendously rich, with one particular exterior shot of Vernita Green’s suburban home absolutely flooring us with its vibrancy. The colours provide standout visual moments throughout, from Elle Driver’s red umbrella to the interior of the ‘Pussy Wagon’, though compared to these bursts of brightness, the anime section from the first film comes across as rather dull. A little bit of grain is evident on occasion, though the flashback scenes in the second volume do deliver the grainy picture on purpose.”
Also available as a Blu-ray double pack.
For full reviews of many of these titles and over 100 more, don’t forget to buy your copy of Issue 110 of DVD Monthly, available now from all good newsagents or by clicking here.
