DVD Review - August 3

By Damon Smith

New to rent on DVD/Blu-ray

DVD of the week

Side Effects (Cert 15, 101 mins, Entertainment One, Thriller/Romance, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £19.99)

Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Vinessa Shaw.

Mousey office worker Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is crippled with anxiety about the impending release of her jailbird husband, Martin (Channing Tatum), who has served four years for insider trading. "Every afternoon, it's like this poisonous fog bank rolling in on my mind," Emily explains to top psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), who prescribes a new medication called Ablixa to calm Emily's nerves. Soon after, in a drug-induced haze, the wife commits an unspeakable act and as the media swarms, attention turns to Jonathan's culpability for supplying the pills. Faced with the prospect of losing his medical licence, Jonathan investigates Ablixa, aided by Emily's former shrink, Dr Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Touted as Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh's final project in the director's chair, Side Effects is a lean psychological thriller about our reliance on prescription medication to smooth every emotional wrinkle. The film is built on the rock-solid foundations of Scott Z Burns's script, which repeatedly pulls the rug from under us just as we begin to think we know what is going on. Plot strands become deliciously tangled and there's undeniable pleasure watching the characters try in vain to wriggle free from the complex web of lies. Law plays his role as a pawn in a deadly game with restraint, while Mara delivers another mesmerising performance after her Oscar nomination for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Soderbergh's cool direction oozes style, navigating the hairpin plot twists with aplomb, leaving characters' fates hanging in the balance so we're never entirely sure if anyone will emerge from the melee unscathed.

Rating: ****

Released

The Host (Cert 12, 129 mins, Entertainment In Video, Sci-Fi/Thriller/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, William Hurt, Diane Kruger, Chandler Canterbury.

In the distant future, mankind is an endangered species on Earth. Parasitic aliens called Souls have overrun the planet, inhabiting the bodies of humans and suppressing the spirit and personality of the host creature. Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) and her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) have managed to avoid capture, hiding out in caves with the other survivors of the invasion including hunky Jared Howe (Max Irons) and her uncle Jeb (William Hurt). During a search for food, Melanie is captured by a pack of Souls and a parasite called Wanderer takes over her body. Cast out into the wilderness, Wanderer is eventually discovered by Jeb (William Hurt), who takes the unpopular decision to invite his possessed niece into the human stronghold, alien parasite and all. Surrounded by human suffering, Wanderer is deeply moved by the plight of the indigenous species and makes bold and selfless choices that could have dire consequences, especially with a tenacious Seeker (Diane Kruger) hot on her trail. Adapted from Stephenie Meyer's adult sci-fi novel, The Host will undoubtedly appeal to Twi-hards, still in mourning over last year's brutal conclusion to The Twilight Saga. Writer-direct Andrew Niccol aims for a thoughtful tone for the frenzied battle between vampires and werewolves, using voiceover to realize the internal battle between Melanie and Wanderer. The pacing is pedestrian and a central ménage a trois is underpowered but Ronan is solid in the lead role, evoking both the wonder and sadness of an alien observer, who witnesses the fear and hostility of humans close-up.

Rating: ***

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Cert 15, 98 mins, Warner Home Video, Comedy/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £22.99)

Starring: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini, Mason Cook, Luke Vanek.

As a boy, Burt Wonderstone (Mason Cook) and his friend and fellow misfit, Anton Marvelton (Luke Vanek), attempted to win friends using a magic set promoted by old-school illusionist Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). Thirty years later, Burt (Steve Carell) and Anton (Steve Buscemi) are the velvet-suited kings of illusion in Las Vegas, playing to packed crowds at the Bally hotel and casino run by Doug Munny (James Gandolfini). A high-profile media stunt goes wrong and Anton abandons showbusiness for charity work while Burt falls on hard times, his overinflated ego bruised by the rise of cocksure street magician, Steve Gray (Steve Carrey). When Munny announces a talent search to find a world-class act to headline his new hotel, Burt woos back Anton and prepares an ambitious new trick aided by glamorous assistant Jane (Olivia Wilde). Director Don Scardino promises to astound us with his comedy of feuding magicians, featuring cheeky nods to Siegfried & Roy and David Blaine, plus a cameo from David Copperfield. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone waves its wand in the right direction but the writing is incredibly poor. The script spends far too long painting Burt as a selfish, arrogant oaf and leaves scant time to redeem him and earn back our affections in the spectacular finale. Screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein fail to conjure any abracatastic one-liners for the furious war of words between their lusciously lacquered Las Vegas showmen. Scardino shuffles his deck of A-list cards including Carell, Carrey and Arkin but repeatedly deals us a bum hand.

Rating: **

Welcome To The Punch (Cert 12, 109 mins, Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment, Thriller/Action/Romance, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £19.99)

Starring: James McAvoy, Mark Strong, Andrea Riseborough, David Morrissey, Peter Mullan, Johnny Harris, Daniel Mays, Daniel Kaluuya, Natasha Little, Elyes Gabel.

Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy) is an inexperienced yet ambitious detective, who attempts to single-handedly take down notorious criminal Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong). Disobeying orders, Max chases after Jacob without any back-up and is shot in the leg. Three years later, the gung-ho battle-scarred detective is gifted a chance at redemption. Jacob's son Ruan Sternwood (Elyes Gabel) is arrested at an airport in connection with a bungled heist, and shortly after he calls his father for help. At the hospital, Max and his long-suffering partner, Sarah Hawks (Andrea Riseborough), wait patiently for Jacob to make his move. Hunter and hunted orbit one another, unaware they are being drawn into a deeper conspiracy involving a hired killer (Johnny Harris) and a spin doctor (Natasha Little). Set amid the glimmering skyscrapers, strip-lit office blocks and swish riverside apartments of Canary Wharf, Welcome To The Punch is an engrossing if somewhat underpowered thriller, hung on a serpentine plot that cocks a snook at the political establishment. McAvoy and Strong are both solid in highly physical roles, allowing the tears to flow in quieter moments tinged with tragedy and heartache. Riseborough is woefully short-changed but makes the most of her limited screen time. Harry Escott's urgent score creates a brisk tempo for the action sequences, including the opening heist and a four-way nightclub shoot-out. Writer-director Eran Creevy's script arms the characters with snappy one-liners that have become a staple of the genre - "The decision's bad"; "And so's your attitude!" - but he settles most arguments with a fist- or gunfight. Preferably both.

Rating: ***

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green (Cert U, 100 mins, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Fantasy/Drama, also available to buy DVD £10.99)

Starring: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams, Odeya Rush, David Morse, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dianne Wiest, Ron Livingston, Lois Smith, M Emmet Walsh.

Jim Green (Joel Edgerton) and his wife Cindy (Jennifer Garner) live in the North Carolina town of Stanleyville, which is proudly known as the pencil capital of the world. More than anything, Jim and Cindy want a child but they are unable to conceive. So one night, they decide to write down the characteristics of their perfect child and then bury the box containing these pieces of paper in their back garden. A freak thunder storm leads to the blossoming of a boy called Timothy (CJ Adams), who has plant leaves growing out of his legs. The boy is especially drawn to a girl called Joni (Odeya Rush), who possesses an infectious lust for life. Their tender friendship plays out as Jim and Cindy learn more about Timothy and the reason he has taken root in their humdrum lives. The Odd Life Of Timothy Green is a heartfelt and occasionally cloying fable that asks you to buy into its fantastical premise without any intention of tethering the underlying themes of parenthood and selflessness to reality. Writer-director Peter Hedges wrings copious tears from his cast, and us, courtesy of a stellar performance from young actor Adams in the title role. Characters are well drawn and colourfully embodied by the strong supporting cast, including Edgerton and Garner as parents who think their dreams have been answered with a miracle. As long as you accept Hedges's version of events, his film possesses undeniable sweetness and charm. Once you probe the kinks in the script, the spell is quickly broken.

Rating: ***

Also released

The Hardy Bucks Movie (Cert 15, 85 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Comedy, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 - see below)

Java Heat (Cert 15, 99 mins, Metrodome Distribution, Action/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £15.99 - see below)

A Late Quartet (Cert 15, 101 mins, Artificial Eye, Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 - see below)

The Paperboy (Cert 15, 102 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Drama/Thriller/Comedy, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £21.99 - see below)

Shootout At Wadala (Cert 18, 167 mins, Eros International, Thriller, also available to buy DVD £12.99 - see below)

Small Apartments (Cert 15, 92 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Comedy/Drama, also available to buy DVD £15.99 - see below)

New to buy on DVD/Blu-ray

Luther - Series 3 (Cert 15, 240 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £19.99/Series 1-3 DVD Box Set £29.99, Thriller)

Idris Elba returns to the blood-soaked fray as DCI John Luther in four episodes of the grim and disturbing BBC crime drama co-starring Michael Smiley and Sienna Guillory. This series, Luther continues to be haunted by memories of his wife Zoe (Indira Varma) and his demons, setting him up for a spectacular fall from grace. The hunt for a fetishistic killer ends sooner than expected when Luther is suddenly and unexpectedly transferred to another case. His sense of unease intensifies when he learns that former colleague Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and her boss DSU George Stark (David O'Hara) at the anti corruption unit are on a personal crusade to bring him down. A six-disc set comprising all three series is also available.

Murder On The Homefront (Cert 15, 91 mins, Universal/Playback, DVD £19.99, Drama/Thriller)

Based loosely on the diaries of Molly Lefebure, Murder On The Homefront is a two-part crime drama set during the Blitz, which recently broadcast on ITV1. Dr Lennox Collins (Patrick Kennedy) is a rising star in the field of pathology, whose adoption of the latest cutting edge developments in forensics often puts him at odds with his superiors and the bobbies on the beat. The ritualistic murders of several young women lead the police to a prime suspect but Collins is convinced that they have the wrong person so he joins forces with reporter Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant) to identify the real killer through the appliance of science.

A Late Quartet (Cert 15, 101 mins, Artificial Eye, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama/Romance)

A terrific cast including Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener hits all the right notes in Yaron Zilberman's slow-burning drama about ageing cellist Peter (Walken), who is diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson's disease and elects to retire gracefully from the classical string quartet that has been his surrogate family for 25 years. This impending loss creates friction between emotionally distant lead violinist Daniel (Mark Ivanir), second violinist (Seymour Hoffman) and his violist wife Juliette (Keener) in the run-up to a farewell performance of Beethoven's mighty String Quartet No 14, which should be performed non-stop - a test of physical endurance that may now be too great for Peter. Zilberman's intelligent script dissects the relationships, exposing petty jealousies at their core. Walken's heartbreaking turn contrasts sharply with the bitterness of Seymour Hoffman's philandering boor, who doesn't appreciate the riches in his life until he has virtually thrown them away. Musical sequences, which required the actors to learn to play their instruments, are spellbinding.

The Paperboy (Cert 15, 102 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £21.99, Drama/Thriller/Comedy)

Lee Daniels's eagerly awaited follow up to the Oscar nominated domestic abuse drama, Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire, is one hot, sweaty mess that will sharply divide audiences. Based on Pete Dexter's 1995 novel, The Paperboy is a trashy portrait of 1969 swampy, small-town Florida, where newspaper journalist Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) returns to blow open the case of death row inmate Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack), who is accused of murdering a local sheriff. Ward's younger brother Jack (Zac Efron), media colleague Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo) and Wetter's hilariously trashy fiancee, Charlotte Bless (a scene-stealing turn from Nicole Kidman) help and hinder the investigation as Ward wrestles with his own demons. Daniels's film veers wildly from murder mystery to sex comedy, including an unforgettable scene in which a sizzling Kidman urinates on Efron to ease the pain of a jellyfish sting. If there is method in the film's spiralling madness, it's not always easy to see but if you surrender to The Paperboy, and resign yourself to taking a shower afterwards to wash off the grime and sleaze, it delivers queasy and lurid treats, and a fair few shocks to boot.

Spy - Series 2 (Cert 12, 248 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £9.99/Series 1 & 2 DVD Box Set £19.99, Comedy)

Divorced father Tim (Darren Boyd) shows his mettle as the most unlikely MI5 agent in another 10 episodes of the award-winning British sitcom broadcast on Sky1. Under the aegis of an enigmatic handler called The Examiner (Robert Lindsay), Tim attempts to impress his new bosses by taking on various dangerous assignments. Closer to home, he continues to battle for custody of his hyper-intelligent son Marcus (Jude Wright) and to impress his pretty colleague Caitlin (Rebekah Staton). A two-disc set comprising both series is also available.

The Hardy Bucks Movie (Cert 15, 85 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Comedy)

The Irish mockumentary TV comedy makes the transition to the big screen, directed by Mike Cockayne. Eddie (Martin Maloney) is desperate to escape his dull life in Castletown for the summer and that sense of frustration is exacerbated when his arch enemy The Viper (Chris Tordoff) secures two tickets for an Ireland match at Euro 2012. So The Viper heads off to the football championships and soon after, Salmon (Michael Salmon) inherits some money and Eddie senses an opportunity for all the lads to enjoy a memorable excursion on the continent. Eddie, Salmon and the rest of the gang - Buzz (Owen Colgan), Frenchtoast (Peter Cassidy) and The Boo (Tom Kilgallon) - jump into a campervan and head for the tournament, hoping to snag tickets when they arrive. En route to Poland, they encounter colourful characters and mechanical failure.

Java Heat (Cert 15, 99 mins, Metrodome Distribution, DVD £15.99, Action/Thriller)

A former US officer witnesses an atrocity abroad and is drawn into a massive conspiracy in Conor Allyn's action-packed thriller. Jake Travers (Kellan Lutz) once served with pride in the US Marines. During a trip to Java, Indonesia, he witnesses a suicide bombing that results in carnage and becomes unwittingly embroiled in the subsequent police investigation led by Detective Hashim (Ario Bayu). They discover that a sultan's daughter (Atiqah Hasiholan), who was listed as a victim of the bombing, has in fact been kidnapped by international jewel thief Malik (Mickey Rourke). The abduction has been carried out with assistance from local terrorist Achmed (Mike Muliadro). Jake agrees to help Hashim rescue the kidnapped woman and bring down Malik's criminal network.

Shootout At Wadala (Cert 18, 167 mins, Eros International, DVD £12.99, Thriller)

Based on the book Dongri To Dubai by Hussain Zaidi, Sanjay Gupta's crime thriller is the follow-up to Shootout At Lokhandwala, which chronicled a real-life battle between the police of Mumbai and men on the wrong side of the law. Spanning two decades between the late 1960s and early 1980s, Shooting At Wadala focuses on gangster Manya Surve (John Abraham), who masterminds a series of daring robberies that cause intense embarrassment to the authorities. His reign of terror is brought to a premature end when he is shot dead in 1982 by specialist police officer Afaque Baghraan (Anil Kapoor) and his partner Raja Tambat (Ronit Roy).

Small Apartments (Cert 15, 92 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, DVD £15.99, Comedy/Drama)

Chris Millis adapts his own novella for the big screen, directed by Jonas Akerlund. Franklin Franklin (Matt Lucas) is a hairless eccentric who lives alone in an apartment complex with various other oddballs and misfits. His neighbours include drug addict Tommy Balls (Johnny Knoxville) and Simone (Juno Temple), who Franklin watches intently with his binoculars. During an argument about the rent, Franklin accidentally kills his landlord Mr Olivetti (Peter Stormare) and then attempts to cover up the crime by taking the lifeless body back to Mr Olivetti's house and staging a suicide, which includes setting the landlord on fire. The hare-brained plan descends into chaos as fire investigator Burt Walnut (Billy Crystal) scents foul play and sets out to catch Mr Olivetti's killer.

The Comedian (Cert 15, 75 mins, Trinity Filmed Entertainment, DVD £15.99, Drama/Romance)

British writer-director Tom Shkolnik makes an assured debut with a low-budget character study about an aspiring stand-up attempting to make his mark on the hugely competitive comedy circuit. Developed through improvisation between the cast, The Comedian centres on thirty-something call centre worker Ben (Edward Hogg), who is desperate to escape his head-set and channel his creative energy into his comedy sets. Disgruntlement at work feeds into Ben's on-stage antics and his downbeat, angry brand of humour fails to curry favour with heckling punters. A fledgling romance with a handsome artist called Nathan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) might just be the tonic he needs, except Ben also feels a physical attraction to his flatmate Elisa (Elisa Lasowski).

California Solo (Cert 15, 90 mins, Soda Pictures, DVD £15.99, Drama/Romance)

Lachlan MacAldonich (Robert Carlyle) used to play guitar in the successful Britpop band The Cranks but he has turned his back on music and now lives on the outskirts of Los Angeles, happily whiling away the days working on a farm. In the wake of a drink-driving charge, Lachlan faces the threat of deportation unless he can prove that leaving America will cause hardship to a blood relative. So he hurriedly re-establishes contact with his ex-wife Catherine (Kathleen Wilhoite) and attempts to build bridges with his estranged daughter Arianwen (Savannah Lathem).

Le Pont Du Nord (Cert 12, 128 mins, Eureka Entertainment, DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama)

A re-issue of Jacques Rivette's acclaimed 1981 mystery drama centred on ex-con Marie (Bulle Ogier), who has an understandable aversion to enclosed spaces after her time behind bars for bank robbery. By chance, she encounters a deeply superstitious woman called Baptiste (Pascale Ogier), and they strike up a deep, philosophical conversation, in which they imagine Paris as a giant board game on which their lives play out. A mysterious figure called Max (Jean-Francois Stevenin) strikes fear into Marie and Baptiste and the two women embark on a madcap adventure around the French capital.

DVD retail top 10

1 (2) Luther: Series 1-2 Box Set

2 (1) Despicable Me

3 (3) Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred

4 (6) Les Misérables

5 (8) Dexter - Season 7

6 (-) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

7 (10) Game of Thrones - Season 2

8 (-) G.I. Joe: Retaliation

9 (-) Wreck-It Ralph

10 (-) Life of Pi

Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk

DVD rental top 10

1 (1) Life of Pi

2 (-) Parker

3 (-) Les Miserables

4 (7) Oz the Great and Powerful

5 (2) Django Unchained

6 (-) Safe Haven

7 (-) Arbitrage

8 (4) The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

9 (5) Flight

10 (-) Robot and Frank

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com

Film streaming top 10

1 (4) Scooby Doo

2 (7) Barbie - Princess Charm School

3 (3) Scooby Doo 2 - Monsters Unleashed

4 (5) Dumb and Dumber

5 (2) Hall Pass

6 (-) Due Date

7 (-) Cars 2

8 (6) How to Rob a Bank

9 (-) Taking Lives

10 (-) Yogi Bear

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com