On DVD November 24th…
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
DVDs to look out for in the shops from November 24th…
(Click on the DVD covers to see more info about the release at Amazon.co.uk)
Mamma Mia!
The Lowdown: Sophie Sheridan is about to marry the man of her dreams on an idyllic Greek island, on which she lives with her mother Donna (Meryl Streep). Knowing that her real father is one of three possible ex-boyfriends of Donna’s, Sophie invites all three potential fathers to her wedding in the hopes that her real dad can give her away.
What We Say: “Blindingly bright and cheerful, Mamma Mia! is a high-energy adaptation of the stage musical of the same name, in which a flimsy plot about a Greek island wedding provides Benny Andersson and co. with an excuse to showcase a greatest hits selection from Abba’s back catalogue… Mamma Mia! doesn’t have a pretentious bone in its body, and the film never tries to be anything other than light-hearted fare with a toe-tapping sense of fun. Indeed, the film will break you if you dare enter its bright and breezy world, and by the time the cast unleash a double whammy of show-stopping tunes as the credits roll, you’ll find that the film has burrowed under your skin like some kind of all-singing, all-dancing tick.”
ALSO ON BLU-RAY
AND IN A DVD GIFT SET
Wall-E
The Lowdown: With Earth no longer capable of sustaining life, humans now live aboard a spaceship orbiting the planet while a robot named WALL•E spends each day compacting litter into building blocks. When a new robot named EVE arrives, WALL•E is whisked away on an adventure that could see humanity thrive again.
What We Say: “In essence, WALL•E should be little more than a mushy, sentimental story, which thinly veils a message about the damage we’re doing to the planet. Thanks to some pristine animation, brilliantly kooky characters (the best of them being the titular droid himself) and some hilarious observational gags (such as the human’s laziness causing them to evolve with smaller skeletons that can’t support their own weight), the film stands out as one of Pixar’s best.”
ALSO ON BLU-RAY
AND IN AN AMAZON EXCLUSIVE DVD EDITION WITH A WALL-E SLINKY
The X-Files: I Want To Believe
The Lowdown: An FBI agent has gone missing and Special Agent Whitney has enlisted the help of a psychic priest to help crack the case. Scully, now working as a physician, has left her former life behind, though the FBI seeks her assistance in this increasingly strange case, and they also require the help of her former partner, the disgraced agent Mulder.
What We Say: “I Want To Believe was apparently conceived as a stand-alone thriller, and maybe the film would work best for complete newcomers; as a plodding but well-performed psychological thriller in the vein of say, The Silence Of The Lambs. However, for ‘X-Files’ fans, this feels like too little too late, and while it’s great to see Mulder and Scully back together, I Want To Believe comes across like an average and overlong episode from the TV series and, if anything, that iconic theme tune only made us crave those classic small screen instalments from ‘The X-Files’ golden age.”
ALSO ON BLU-RAY
AND IN A SINGLE DISC EDITION WITH A FREE POSTER
Fred Claus
The Lowdown: Fred Claus has always resented his do-gooder little brother, who grew up to become the world famous Santa Claus. However, when adult Fred needs to be bailed out of jail, he must call upon his brother who offers him the bail money if Fred agrees to do a work stint at the North Pole.
What We Say: “A terrific cast are shoved out in the cold with very little to do as Vince Vaughn is left to hold the bag (or Christmas sack), and while the movie occasionally strikes gold (Vince getting chased down by an bunch of angry Santas and getting beaten up by bodyguard elves), the comic tone is generally way off. Failing to take full advantage of the potentially humorous sibling rivalry, the film all too often reaches predictable lows, with Vaughn teaching do-gooder elves how to party, get the girl etc.”
ALSO ON BLU-RAY
Merlin - Volume 1
The Lowdown: Arriving in Camelot to work as the apprentice of the court physician, a young wizard named Merlin has to keep his magical abilities hidden from the tyrannical King, Uther Pendragon. Keeping his powers secret becomes exponentially difficult when he’s assigned as the servant of the King’s arrogant son, Arthur.
What We Say: “While the notion of following a legendary figure in his early years is by no means an original concept, production company Shine has delivered its new interpretation with impeccable set design and, for the most part, some superb special effects. With a plethora of well-known Brit stars lending their talents to these iconic characters as well as competent stints from newcomers Colin Morgan and Bradley James, it’s a well-crafted series that’s sure to amuse most of the family.”
The Sopranos - Deluxe Box Set
The Lowdown: Being a renowned and feared capo in the New Jersey mob as well as a loving husband and father, Tony Soprano leads two very different lives. As he struggles to keep one part separate from the other, Tony discovers that being the quintessential ‘family’ man isn’t going to be easy.
What We Say: “Featuring all six seasons stuffed into a lavish package, The Sopranos – The Complete Series is likely to have established fans fuming at having already shelled out on the separate box sets. With another two discs rammed to the rafters with more bonus booty, the set even trumps the 28-disc ‘Complete Collection’ set that was released when the series finally bowed out last year. Exclusive loot bundled onto those two extra discs includes the two superb ‘Supper With The Sopranos’ features, in which we get to join the cast and crew for a pair of dinners as they all discuss the show while revealing some neat bits of trivia here and there.”
Seed
The Lowdown: American law states that if a prisoner sentenced to execution can survive three jolts, they can walk free. Unfortunately a malfunctioning chair means that notorious murderer Max Seed survives. Unprepared to let him walk, Seed’s unconscious body is buried anyway. It’s a sound plan, as long as he doesn’t escape.
What We Say: “Over the past few years Uwe Boll’s name has become synonymous with films so crap that they should be sealed in concrete and dumped in the North Sea. It’s not much of a surprise then that reactions to Seed have been less than positive. However, while the film is unmistakeably bad, it’s still far preferable than enduring most of his other movies and a darn sight better than a lot of what passes for horror nowadays. The fact that it’s spent some unwarranted time on the Bottom 100 list on IMDb can only really be attributed to the worldwide aversion to Boll based on his earlier “efforts”. Surprisingly though, Seed does have just enough moments to make it stick in your mind.”
