DVD Review - June 15

By Damon Smith

New to rent on DVD/Blu-ray

Zero Dark Thirty (Cert 15, 157 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Thriller/Action, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler, Edgar Ramirez, Jennifer Ehle, Joel Edgerton, Reda Kateb, James Gandolfini, Mark Duplass, Tushaar Mehra.

Two years after the devastation of September 11, ballsy CIA officer Maya (Jessica Chastain) accepts a posting to Islamabad under Station Chief Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler). Maya initially causes friction with colleagues Jessica (Jennifer Ehle), Larry (Edgar Ramirez) and Steve (Mark Duplass). Over the next eight years, Maya dedicates her life to every scrap of intelligence which might lead to Osama bin Laden. Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti (Tushaar Mehra), who reportedly operates as bin Laden's personal courier, becomes her focus and the CIA tracks him to a heavily guarded compound in Abbottabad. Maya is certain she has found bin Laden but her superiors are cautious. "A lot of my friends have died to do this. I believe I was spared so I could finish the job," she argues defiantly. Taking its title from the time Navy SEALs stormed the compound in Pakistan, Zero Dark Thirty is a breathtaking dramatisation replayed through the eyes of Chastain's tenacious operative. It is a mesmerising central performance, revealing chinks of sadness and vulnerability beneath Maya's armour as she spearheads the biggest manhunt in American history. Bigelow orchestrates action sequences with brio, letting loose the dogs of modern warfare. During the climatic raid, shot partly through night-vision goggles, the knot of tension in our stomachs tightens with each passing minute, until we're holding our breath, even though we know this page in history was written in the early hours of May 2, 2011.

Rating: ****

Lincoln (Cert 12, 148 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Drama, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Gordon Joseph-Levitt, David Strathairn, Lee Pace, Michael Stuhlbarg, James Spader, Hal Holbrook.

January 1865. Two months have passed since the re-election of Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis): the American Civil War rages on for a fourth year and the president's thoughts turn to the highly contentious slavery bill. Secretary Of State William H Seward (David Strathairn) counsels against the motion, given the current make-up of the House of Representatives. However, Lincoln is adamant the Bill must be passed before the end of the war and he enlists William N Bilbo (James Spader) and Colonel Robert Latham (John Hawkes) to procure votes. Inside the House, fervent abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones) riles the Democrat opposition led by Fernando Wood (Lee Pace). Meanwhile, the president contends with the mood swings of his emotionally fragile wife (Sally Field). Lincoln artfully tears a page from history to immortalise the efforts of the 16th president of the United States to abolish slavery during a period of deep division. Oscar winner Day-Lewis leads the terrific ensemble cast in style, internalising his statesman's maelstrom of emotions. The physical transformation is startling, but our eyes are constantly drawn to him because of that quiet intensity in a sea of brow-beaters. Tony Kushner's eloquent script condenses the final months of the president's life into an elegiac portrait of a husband, whose courage in the eye of a political storm tested his resolve and his marriage. The ebb and flow of dialogue is exquisite, and potentially dense philosophies are distilled into digestible exposition so it's easy to follow the cut and thrust of arguments on both sides of the political divide.

Rating: ****

A Good Day to Die Hard (Cert 15, 93 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Action/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Legacy Collection DVD Box Set £24.99/Blu-ray £24.99/Legacy Collection Blu-ray Box Set £44.99)

Starring: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Sergei Kolesnikov, Radivoje Bukvic, Yuliya Snigir, Cole Hauser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

John McClane (Bruce Willis) travels to Moscow to visit his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney), who has been arrested for murder. No sooner has John strutted into Moscow than terrorists blow up the courthouse with the intention of kidnapping high-profile prisoner Yuri Komarov (Sebastian Koch), who holds vital information that could bring down corrupt Russian politician Viktor Chagarin (Sergei Kolesnikov). As the dust settles, McClane sees his son lead Komarov to safety with gun-toting assassins in hot pursuit. John gives chase in the first of several implausible action sequences, and learns that Jack is a CIA hotshot on a top-secret mission to protect Komarov and his dossier of evidence. So John takes up arms alongside his boy, sprinting through gaping plot holes that lead to a ridiculous revelation about the theft of weapons-grade uranium from Chernobyl. A Good Day To Die Hard is a high-speed tour down Memory McClane that cynically exploits our nostalgia for one of modern cinema's most tenacious action heroes. There's no palpable screen chemistry between Willis and Courtney, which undermines the inevitable reconciliation of their characters. Pithy one-liners are noticeably thin on the ground. There's no art, creativity or invention in John Moore's overblown sequel; no subtlety or emotion, even with the strained father-son relationship at the heart of Skip Woods's shambolic script. There's just outrageous set pieces which defy the laws of physics and Willis delivering his Yippee-ki-yay catchphrase with weariness we share by the end credits. A five-disc set comprising the original Die Hard and four sequels is also available.

Rating: **

Also released

Angel of Death (Cert 15, 89 mins, Studio Canal, Thriller/Action, also available to buy DVD £15.99 - see below)

Blood (Cert 15, 88 mins, Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment, Thriller, also available to buy DVD/Blu-ray £15.99 - see below)

Pawn (Cert 15, 85 mins, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Thriller, also available to buy DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £15.99 - see below)

New to buy on DVD/Blu-ray

House of Cards - The Complete First Season (Cert 18, 463 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, DVD £29.99/Blu-ray £39.99, Drama/Thriller)

Based on Michael Dobbs's novel and the subsequent BBC TV adaptation, this acclaimed US political drama stars Kevin Spacey as diabolical Democrat and Majority House Whip Francis Underwood, who is denied a high-profile promotion to Secretary Of State and wreaks revenge on the people who dared to deny him his destiny. Armed with a full arsenal of embarrassing political secrets, which he can use to blackmail his way to the White House, Francis plots and schemes with aplomb, drawing his wife Claire (Robin Wright) and ambitious reporter Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) into his meticulously woven web of lies.

Blood (Cert 15, 88 mins, Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment, DVD/Blu-ray £15.99, Thriller)

Joe (Paul Bettany) and his brother Chrissie (Stephen Graham) are police detectives who have always lived in the shadow of their father, Lenny (Brian Cox) - a giant of a man who once ran the department and became a cornerstone of the local community. Sadly, Lenny is in the early stages of dementia and is slowly slipping away from his two boys, who are still desperate to prove themselves in the old man's vacant eyes. Joe and Chrissie are assigned to investigate a crime they perpetrated and have to tread carefully to avoid tripping each other up in front of their tenacious colleague Robert (Mark Strong). Fractures appear in the brothers' relationship and fear and paranoia gradually turn Joe and Chrissie against each other in a hard-fought battle for acceptance and survival.

Boss - Season One (Cert 15, 431 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, DVD £ £24.99, Drama)

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a career-driven mayor in this compelling eight-part political drama. Chicago Mayor Tom Kane (Grammer) is diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disorder that will slowly rob him of the ability to carry out his duties and then to communicate with the people he loves. Tom chooses to conceal his condition and to plough all of his energies into his work. Aided by new advisers Mona Fredricks (Sanaa Lathan) and Ian Todd (Jonathan Groff), Tom sets out to eradicate corruption from Chicago and to establish his legacy. The two-disc set includes the episodes Listen, Reflex, Swallow, Slip, Remembered, Spit, Stasis and Choose.

Angel of Death (Cert 15, 89 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £15.99, Thriller/Action)

Renegade cop Elijah Kane (Steven Seagal) continues to hunt arch-villain The Ghost in two more episodes of the US TV drama True Justice, which are repackaged as a single feature-length instalment for British viewers. Kane and his trusted team - Johnny Garcia (Jesse Hutch), Mark Simms (Lochlyn Munro) and Sarah Montgomery (Sarah Lind) - receive information about terrorists who have come into possession of two suitcases containing nuclear bombs. If the devices fall into the wrong hands, the consequences would be unimaginable. The team races into action, spurred on by fresh intelligence that The Ghost is attempting to lay his hands on the suitcases.

Beyond the Hills (Cert 12, 153 mins, Artificial Eye, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama)

Shortlisted as Romania's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2013 Academy Awards, Beyond The Hills traces the fortunes of two orphaned girls. From an early age, Alina (Cristina Flutur) and Voichita (Cosmina Stratan) are dealt terrible hands in life but the two friends overcome many of the obstacles that lie in their paths. Voichita finds sanctuary in an Orthodox convent, while Alina, who is tormented by voices in her head that some in the convent would condemn as demonic possession, yearns to escape Romania and head for the supposed freedoms of Germany. Based on Tatiana Niculescu Bran's non-fiction novels Deadly Confession and Judges' Book, the two women wrestle with their fears and desires until fate deals them one final, devastating blow.

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo - Series 1 (Cert E, 240 mins, Go Entertain, DVD £19.99, Special Interest)

All 10 episodes of the reality TV sensation which follows seven-year-old child beauty pageant hopeful Alana Thompson, aka Honey Boo Boo, and her family in their hometown of McIntyre, Georgia. Cameras capture Alana, her parents Mike and June, and three older sisters Jessica, Anna and Lauryn as they scrimp and save to survive while primping and preening Honey Boo Boo for her moments in the spotlight. The three-disc set includes the instalments This Is My Crazy Family, Gonna Be a Glitz Pig, She Oooo'd Herself, I'm Sassified, What Is A Door Nut?, A Bunch Of Wedgies, Shh! It's A Wig, Time For A Sketti!, Ah-choo! and It Is What It Is.

Michael H., Profession: Director (Cert 18, 88 mins, Artificial Eye, DVD £15.99, Documentary)

At the 2013 Oscars, Austrian director Michael Haneke was feted for his heartbreaking drama Amour, which collected the statuette for Best Film In A Foreign Language. Yves Montmayeur's timely documentary examines the rise of the film-maker over the past 25 years, the impact of his work and his relationship with his actors. Michael H., Profession: Director weaves together revealing, previously unseen footage and interviews with Isabelle Huppert, Juliette Binoche, Emmanuelle Riva and many of his on-screen collaborators.

Diaz - Don't Clean Up This Blood (Cert 15, 116 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £15.99, Drama/Thriller)

Director Daniele Vicari recreates events surrounding the end of the 2001 G8 summit, culminating in the police raid of the Arnando Diaz School in Genoa, where activists and journalists were sheltering from the violence. Local authorities give the police free reign to deal with protesters in whatever way they see fit to maintain law and order on the city streets. Michelangelo Fournier (Claudio Santamaria) and the riot police under his command instigate a brutal night-time raid, targeting journalists, including Lorenzo Guadagnucci (Elio Germano), who are horrified by the heavy-handed tactics.

Teen Wolf - The Complete Season Two (Cert 15, 706 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, DVD £24.99/Complete Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Box Set £34.99, Drama/Romance)

Another 12 episodes of the supernatural drama based on the 1985 Michael J Fox film of the same name. This series, hunky werewolf Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) continues to keep his true identity a secret from his classmates at Beacon Hills High School. He dates the object of his affections, Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), behind the backs of their parents but young love is threatened by the arrival of a lizard-like monster known as a Kanima. A six-disc box set comprising all 24 episodes from the two series is also available.

Pawn (Cert 15, 85 mins, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £15.99, Thriller)

Derrick (Michael Chiklis) is the leader of a three-strong team of gun men who are hired to storm a diner associated with the mob and the retrieve incriminating records which reveal almost every pay-off in the city. Unfortunately for Derrick and his boys, the gangsters respond swiftly to a threat on their turf and the robbery becomes a hostage situation at frightening speed. Diner waitress Bonnie (Jessica Szohr) and hunky ex-con Nick (Sean Faris) are caught in the crossfire and must steel their courage to survive the ensuing firefight in David A Armstrong's thriller co-starring Ray Liotta and Forest Whitaker.

Chasing Ice (Cert E, 78 mins, Dogwoof Digital, DVD £14.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Documentary)

The world around us is changing at an alarming rate. Thanks to climate change, the world's glaciers are melting quicker than anyone predicted, forcing governments to embolden their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Documentary film-maker Jeff Orlowski shadows National Geographic photographer James Balog as he travels across the Arctic, employing state-of-the-art time-lapse cameras to capture a visual record of the glaciers and the impact on the environment, condensing months and years of erosions and melting into just a few seconds of startling imagery. While debate rages about the best form of environmental defence, Balog travels by canoe, dog sled and helicopter across continents to complete his mission and gather the shocking evidence.

For Love's Sake (Cert 15, 133 mins, Third Window Films, DVD £14.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Musical/Comedy/Romance)

Ai (Emi Takei) is a student at the prestigious Aobadai High School who is stunned when bad boy Makoto (Satoshi Tsumabuki) arrives at the top-notch facility. Some time ago, Ai scarred Makoto in a skiing accident and now she fears that this permanent mark has somehow stunted his ability to forge human connections. Before Ai has a chance to throw an emotional lifeline to Makoto, he is thrown out of Aobadai and transferred to the rougher Hanazono High, where Yuki Takahara (Ito Ono) and his gang rule the corridors and classrooms. Thus Ai must embark on a perilous journey to win Makoto's heart in an offbeat Japanese musical comedy directed by Takashi Miike.

The Wicked (Cert 18, 100 mins, 101 Films, DVD/Blu-ray £15.99, Horror/Thriller)

The children of Summerset have grown up on stories of an evil witch who lives in the nearby woods and feasts on naughty little children in order to stay young. When seven-year-old Amanda (Caitlin Carmichael) is apparently abducted from her bedroom, rumours swirl through the local community, apparently laying the blame with the myth. Zach (Justin Deeley) and his friends venture into the woods to find the house which supposedly belongs to the witch. Zach's brother Max (Devon Werkheiser) and Sammy (Diana Hopper) gatecrash the expedition just before a malevolent force is unleashed in the woods and the youngsters come face to face with real evil.

Dream On (Cert 15, 95 mins, TLA Releasing, DVD £15.99, Drama/Romance)

A shy teenager falls in love with another boy in writer-director Lloyd Eyre-Morgan's adaptation of his own stage play set in 1986. Paul (Bradley Cross) and his mother Denise (Janet Bamford) leave behind Rochdale for a Welsh campsite, where the young man is drawn to cocksure rebel George (Joe Gosling). Friendship blossoms into attraction and Paul and George plan to run away together but first they must come out to their parents. In George's case, this means facing the fists and bile of his old man.

The Men Who Built America (Cert E, 360 mins, Go Entertain, DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99, Documentary)

Originally broadcast on the History Channel, this four-part mini-series explores the lives and legacies of Henry Ford, John D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt, five men whose ambition and vast fortunes fuelled the growth of American business in the 19th and 20th century, transforming the country into an industrial powerhouse.

The Great Escape (Cert PG, 113 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £17.99, War/Action/Thriller)

Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson and James Coburn headline this 50th anniversary re-release of John Sturges's seminal wartime adventure, chronicling the valiant efforts of Allied soldiers to escape from the maximum security Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp. Under the nose of Kommandant Oberst von Luger (Hannes Messemer) and his troops, RAF Squadron leader Roger Bartlett (Attenborough) and the other men complete the simultaneous excavation of three tunnels codenamed Tom, Dick and Harry, which will convey 250 prisoners past the guards and hopefully to freedom. However, the plan doesn't unfold smoothly and terrible sacrifices must be made to ensure some of the men might evade their captors.

DVD retail top 10

1 (-) Les Miserables

2 (2) Django Unchained

3 (3) Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred

4 (-) Wreck-It Ralph

5 (8) Fast & Furious 1-5 Box Set

6 (6) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

7 (-) Breaking Bad - Season 5

8 (4) Quartet

9 (-) Game Of Thrones - Season 1

10 (-) Dexter - Season 7

Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk

DVD rental top 10

1 (1) Argo

2 (2) The Impossible

3 (3) Jack Reacher

4 (4) Quartet

5 (5) Alex Cross

6 (6) Seven Psychopaths

7 (7) Silver Linings Playbook

8 (8) Skyfall

9 (9) Taken 2

10 (10) Anna Karenina

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com

Film streaming top 10

1 (1) Bad Teacher

2 (2) Despicable Me

3 (4) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

4 (3) Just Go With It

5 (8) Paul

6 (5) The Ugly Duckling And Me

7 (6) Rampage

8 (7) Matilda

9 (-) Hanna

10 (-) Code Name: Geronimo - The Hunt For Osama Bin Laden

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com