DVD Review - October 19

By Damon Smith

New to rent on DVD/Blu-ray

DVD of the week

Behind The Candelabra (Cert 15, 118 mins, Entertainment One, Drama/Romance/Comedy, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £19.99)

Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, Debbie Reynolds, Cheyenne Jackson.

Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) meets choreographer Bob Black (Scott Bakula) in a gay bar and the two head to Las Vegas to enjoy a sold-out performance by Liberace (Michael Douglas). Dazzled by the pianist, Scott abandons rural Wisconsin for the bright lights of the big city, where he is taken under Liberace's wing and encouraged to explore his sexuality. "I want to be everything to you, Scott: father, brother, lover, best friend. Everything!" the musician squeals. Their relationship deepens and Liberace incorporates Scott into his act as an on-stage chauffeur and assistant. However, the pressures of fame weigh heavily on Scott and the relationship flounders. Based on Thorson's autobiography, Behind The Candelabra is a handsome biopic which trades biting wit, romance and heartbreak to lay bare the emotional bonds between Scott and his famous partner. Richard LaGravenese's script unfolds in chronological order, peppered with tart one-liners ("After cooking and sex, I think shopping is the reason to get up every day"), gifted largely to Douglas, whose tour de force portrayal exposes the tormented showman behind the fur-lined and sequin-bedecked myth. Damon has the less showy and more difficult role and he rises to the occasion magnificently, barely puckering his glossed lips when Liberace glimpses himself on The Johnny Carson Show and caterwauls: "Oh my Christ, I look like my father. In drag!". The white hot glow of Douglas's performance distracts from the sluggish pacing of the film's final third and the broad sketching of peripheral characters. The glitz and glamour of Steven Soderbergh's film are intoxicating.

Rating: ****

Released

After Earth (Cert 12, 100 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Sci-Fi/Action/Drama, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99/Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray £27.99)

Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Zoe Isabella Kravitz, Sophie Okonedo.

One thousand years after cataclysmic events that almost snuffed out mankind, Earth is a devastated wasteland overrun by alien killing machines called The Ursa, which track humans by scenting pheromones excreted by fear. General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) from The Ranger Corps, harnesses a phenomenon called "ghosting", which allows him to walk among the invaders undetected and slaughter them without mercy. Cypher's son Kitai (Jaden Smith) trains to become a member of The Ranger Corps but the youngster is passionate and reckless, and his application is ultimately rejected. So Cypher's wife Faia (Sophie Okonedo) implores her husband to bond with his son during a final mission before retirement. A freak asteroid storm badly damages their spaceship, which crash-lands on Earth. Cypher and his boy are the sole survivors but the General is critically injured so Kitai must retrieve a rescue beacon to alert HQ to their dire predicament. After Earth is a rites-of-passage story which combines elements of I Am Legend and Independence Day with a deeply human story of a soldier struggling to connect with his grief-stricken child. That central relationship is the glue which holds M Night Shyamalan's film together, when other elements including overblown action sequences threaten to tear the picture apart. A menagerie of computer-generated apes, big cats and birds of prey, which hunt Kitai on futuristic Earth, are shockingly unrealistic. There are some lovely, tender moments in Shyamalan's script, co-written by Gary Whitta, but the blitzkrieg of digital effects overwhelms that fragile and sometimes heartbreaking humanity.

Rating: ***

The Big Wedding (Cert 15, 89 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Comedy/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £21.99)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Ben Barnes, Amanda Seyfried, Katherine Heigl, Topher Grace, Patricia Rae, Ana Ayora, Robin Williams.

Alejandro Griffin (Ben Barnes), the Colombian-born adopted son of Don (Robert De Niro) and Ellie (Diane Keaton), is poised to say "I do" to his pretty sweetheart, Missy O'Connor (Amanda Seyfried). As the big day beckons, Alejandro has a huge favour to ask his adoptive parents, who are now divorced: he needs them to pretend that they are still married so that his biological mother, a devout Catholic called Madonna (Patricia Rae) who is flying in specially for the wedding, won't be offended. Don, who now lives with Bebe (Susan Sarandon), and Ellie reluctantly agree to go along with the charade, as do the couple's grown-up children, Lyla (Katherine Heigl) and Jared (Topher Grace), who have their own relationship woes. Once Madonna arrives at the celebrations with her sexually voracious daughter Nuria (Ana Ayora) in tow, one little white lie stacks atop another. Based on the 2006 French farce Mon Frere Se Marie, The Big Wedding is a frothy confection that squanders the on-screen talent. Keaton, De Niro and Sarandon are powerless to polish the dialogue into sparkling gems, while Heigl's character embarks on an emotional rollercoaster that should have us choking back tears by the finale. Even Robin Williams is out of sorts as the presiding holy man, who tells Don and Ellie, "Just because you're divorced doesn't mean you're legally obliged to hate each other." Splashes of adult humour, mainly revolving around impromptu sexual acts, attempt to convince us that the Griffins are exciting, spontaneous people but writer-director Justin Zackham's crams the aisles with broad stereotypes instead.

Rating: **

Also released

ATM (Cert 15, 86 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Horror/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 - see below)

Breakout (Cert 15, 88 mins, Sony Picture Home Entertainment, Action/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £12.99 - see below)

Spike Island (Cert 15, 105 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Drama, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 - see below)

Summer In February (Cert 15, 101 mins, Metrodome Distribution, Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £19.99 - see below)

V/H/S 2 (Cert 18, 95 mins, Koch Media, Horror/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £15.99 - see below)

New to buy on DVD/Blu-ray

Modern Family - The Complete Fourth Season (Cert 12, 493 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, DVD £27.99/Seasons 1-4 DVD Box Set £49.99/Blu-ray £38.99/Seasons 1-4 Blu-ray Box Set £59.99)

The family that stays together argues, bickers and eventually makes up in 24 episodes of the Emmy award-winning mockumentary, chronicling the ups and downs of a multicultural Los Angeles family centred around Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill) and his two children. This series, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and her pregnancy cause ructions, her ex-husband Javier (Benjamin Bratt) introduces a new fiancee (Paget Brewster) to the clan and teenager Haley (Sarah Hyland) sets herself up for a harsh rebuke from her parents when she is arrested for under-aged drinking. A 14-disc box set comprising all 96 episodes so far is also available.

New Tricks - Series Ten (Cert 15, 588 mins, Acorn Media UK, DVD £24.99, Drama/Thriller)

Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman) and her team at the Unsolved Crime And Open Case Squad - Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman), Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) and Steve McAndrew (Denis Lawson) - solve some of their final cases in 10 episodes of the enduringly popular BBC1 crime drama. This series, Brian's days are numbered when he assaults an old work colleague and he is eventually replaced by Danny Griffin (Nicholas Lyndhurst). And when Sandra is drawn back to people linked to her very first case, she makes a momentous decision that leads to the appointment of DCI Sasha Miller (Tamzin Outhwaite) as the new box of UCOS. The three-disc box set includes The Rock: Parts One And Two, The Sins Of The Father, The Little Brother, Cry Me A River, Into The Woods, Things Can Only Get Better, The One That Got Away, Roots And Wild Justice.

Spike Island (Cert 15, 105 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama)

Director Mat Whitecross relives a seminal moment in British music history in this warm-hearted coming of age story. The year is 1990 and the Manchester music scene is thriving, giving birth to influential bands like The Charlatans, New Order and Inspiral Carpets. Tits (Elliott Tittensor) and best mate Dodge (Nico Mirallegro) are singer and guitarist in a Manchester four-piece band called Shadowcaster, along with bassist Little Gaz (Adam Long) and drummer Zippy (Jordan Murphy). They rehearse with a fifth friend, Penfold (Oliver Heald), and all five lads are massive fans of Ian Brown. When The Stone Roses announce the biggest concert of their career on Spike Island, Tits and Dodge resolve to snag tickets for the gig and find a way to get a copy of their demo tape to their musical idols. However, the concert is sold out and the only way to get to the era-defining concert is by cramming into a "borrowed" florist's van.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet (Cert U, 94 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £19.99, Sci-Fi/Drama)

The Cybermen and the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) make their first appearances in this four-part adventure from 1966, including a missing final episode, which has been recreated using animation. The timelord (William Hartnell) and his companions Ben (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills) arrive at the South Pole in 1986 just as scientists involved in the latest space mission discover that a new planet is approaching Earth's atmosphere. The Doctor reveals that this planet is Mondas and his dire predictions come true when the inhabitants, the Cybermen, invade the polar base, determined to wipe out mankind.

Summer In February (Cert 15, 101 mins, Metrodome Distribution, DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama/Romance)

Adapted from Jonathan Smith's novel of the same name, Summer In February chronicles a self-destructive love triangle in an artists' colony in the picturesque Cornwall estate of Lamorna. Joey Carter-Wood (Max Deacon) invites his emotionally fragile sister Florence (Emily Browning) to join him on the coast, where she is welcomed with open arms into a vibrant community headed by equine painter AJ Munnings (Dominic Cooper), impressionist painter Laura Knight (Hattie Morahan) and her husband Harold (Shaun Dingwall). Florence falls under the spell of Captain Gilbert Evans (Dan Stevens), handsome veteran of the Boer War, and he prepares to go down on bended knee to ask for her hand in marriage. Even Florence and Joey's demanding father (Nicholas Farrell) is impressed by Gilbert, so it is a match made in heaven. Unexpectedly, AJ sweeps Florence off her feet and makes her his wife. Emotions churn as the First World War looms large and poor Florence is torn between the two men in this sombre historical drama directed by Christopher Menaul.

The Mentalist - The Complete Fifth Season (Cert 15, 913 mins, Warner Home Video, DVD £39.99/Seasons 1-5 DVD Box Set £59.99, Drama/Thriller)

Tensions explode between the FBI and the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the capture of an associate of criminal mastermind Red John, arch-nemesis of former psychic medium Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), in 22 episodes of the Golden Globe-nominated US drama. The two teams must put their differences tone side to solve a double murder. Relations between Jane and agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) are repeatedly tested, nevermore so than when Red John plays a diabolical game that harks back to Jane's past. A 25-disc box set comprising all five series is also available.

Burn Notice - Complete Season Six (Cert 15, 770 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, DVD £24.99, Drama/Action)

Four-disc set comprising 18 episodes of the FX Channel's action-packed spy saga as a blacklisted former spy, who is drawn back into a world of espionage and intrigue. In this series, Michael's ex-girlfriend and former IRA operative Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) languishes in prison and he must somehow break her out. However, Michael also faces the daunting task of capturing his nemesis Anson Fullerton (Jere Burns) before more innocent lives are lost.

The Wicker Man: The Final Cut (Cert 15, 83 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £24.99/Blu-ray £29.99, Horror/Thriller)

Banish those bad memories of the disastrous 2006 remake starring Nicolas Cage as Robin Hardy's seminal 1973 horror returns to the big screen for a limited time. Severely cut upon its initial release, this 40th anniversary edition was overseen by the director and lovingly restores the film to its former, spine-chilling glory. Inexperienced police officer, Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward), travels to a remote Scottish island to locate a missing child and stumbles upon a close-knit community under the control of Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), who are devoted to strange Pagan practices. Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento and Ingrid Pitt co-star.

90210 - The Final Season (Cert 12, 880 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, DVD £34.99, Drama/Romance)

The end is nigh for Annie (Shenae Grimes) and her brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds) in the fifth series of the glossy teen soap, inspired by Beverly Hills 90210. In these concluding episodes, Dixon comes to terms with being in a wheelchair and worries that friends and family will treat him differently, Silver (Jessica Stroup) tries for a baby, and Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) and Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) embark on a momentous coastal road trip. The five-disc set includes all 22 instalments.

V/H/S 2 (Cert 18, 95 mins, Koch Media, DVD £15.99, Horror/Thriller)

Released in January this year, the original V/H/S was an anthology of horror shorts, all loosely linked by the plot device of a rare videotape full of graphic and apparently genuine recordings of death and misery. In the sequel, two private investigators are hired to locate a missing student and they discover a collection of videotapes in his apartment. Watching the cassettes, the detectives witness another collection of murderous and diabolical antics directed by Jason Eisener, Gareth Evans, Gregg Hale, Eduardo Sanchez, Timo Tjahjanto and Adam Wingard.

Breakout (Cert 15, 88 mins, Sony Picture Home Entertainment, DVD £12.99, Action/Thriller)

Brendan Fraser, Dominic Purcell and Ethan Suplee star in Damian Lee's action thriller about a pair of crooks, who meet their match in a fiercely protective father. Criminal double-act Tommy (Purcell) and Kenny (Suplee) commit murder and are convinced that a brother and sister, who are on a camping trip, are witnesses to the heinous crime. So Tommy and Kenny track the youngsters, intent on eliminating the only people who can put them behind bars. Unfortunately for the two killers, the kids' father Jack Damson (Fraser), breaks out of prison to protect his brood and Jack will stop at nothing to keep his son and daughter safe, even if that means another protected spell behind bars.

Pieta (Cert 18, 104 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £19.99, Drama/Thriller)

South Korean director Kim Ki-duk won the coveted Golden Lion at the 2012 Venice Film Festival for this drama, which mixes the filmmaker's trademark violence with religious symbolism. Lee Kang-do (Lee Jung-jin) works as an enforcer for sadistic loan sharks, who demand their debtors pay back their arrears with exorbitant interest rates. If debtors fail to meet the agreed deadline, Kang-do doles out physical punishment - the agreed penalty for late payments. During another soulless day of intimidation, Kang-do meets a middle-aged woman called Jang Mi-sun (Jo Min-su), who claims to be his long-lost mother. At first, Kang-do is sceptical of her story but Mi-sun follows him around as he attempts to do his job and her unerring love begins to have a profound effect on the enforcer.

ATM (Cert 15, 86 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Horror/Thriller)

Three office workers receive an unwanted Christmas present in David Brooks's blood-soaked horror. Following a festive office party, nice guy David (Brian Geraghty) offers his colleague Emily (Alice Eve) a ride home. He also agrees to help out another co-worker Corey (Josh Peck) reach a nearby cash dispenser but when the three workers enter the ATM booth, they become aware of a menacing hooded figure in the car park. When this stranger murders a passing dog walker, David, Emily and Corey are stranded without their mobile phones or any obvious means of escape. As the seconds tick down and the sadistic psychopath continues to circle the booth, the three workmates must make tough choices to stand even the faintest chance of surviving the night.

Like Someone In Love (Cert 12, 110 mins, New Waver Films, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama/Romance)

Award-winning Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami immerses himself in Japanese culture for this delicately observed drama, which earned critical kudos when it premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Akiko (Rin Takanashi) is a sociology student in Tokyo, who is struggling to pay her tuition and make ends meet. So at night, she earns decent money as a high class prostitute, catering to the whims and fancies of older men. One night, she turns up for an appointment and discovers her client is her former university professor, Takashi (Tadashi Okuno). He doesn't appear to be interested in sexual relations with Akiko but would prefer to treat her as a wife to keep his home in order. Over the course of two days, Akiko and Takashi come to an understanding that lays the groundwork for a surprisingly tender and fulfilling relationship.

Being Me The Head Of The Machine Gun Woman (Cert 15, 73 mins, Clear Vision, DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £15.99, Thriller/Action)

Scrawny DJ Santiago Fernandez (Matias Oviedo) is minding his own business in the toilet of a club owned by South American kingpin Che Longana (Jorge Alis) when he overhears a heated conversation between the crime lord and his goons, putting a 300 million pesa price on the head of old flame turned assassin, La Mujer Metralleta (Fernanda Urrejola). When Santiago is discovered cowering in the cubicle, Longana prepares to put a bullet in the DJ's head, so on the spur of the moment, the young man pretends to be acquainted with La Mujer Metralleta and states he can bring her in and claim the bounty. Gifted 24 hours to make good on his impossible promise, Santiago races against time to meet the elusive gun woman and find a way out of his predicament.

Sushi Girl (Cert 18, 96 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £15.99, Thriller)

Fish (Noah Hathaway) was involved in a diamond heist but refused to give up the location of the stolen gems or the identities of the other robbers before he was sentenced to six years behind bars. So while Fish served his time in prison, the rest of the gang - Crow (Mark Hamill), Duke (Tony Todd), Francis (James Duval) and Max (Andy Mackenzie) - waited nervously for his release to enjoy their cut of the diamonds. When Fish is finally released, Duke reunites the gang by throwing a celebratory meal of sushi served on the naked body of an apparently catatonic girl (Cortney Palm). The mood quickly sours when Fish tells Crow, Duke, Francis and Max that he doesn't know what happened to the missing stones and the rest of the gang retaliates with bloodletting and torture.

The Conspiracy (Cert 15, 84 mins, Arrow Films, DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £14.99, Horror/Thriller)

Aaron (Aaron Poole) and Jim (James Gilbert) are filmmakers, who are in the process of making a documentary about conspiracy theories. They interview renowned conspiracy theorist Terrance (Alan C Peterson) on camera and his wild accusations cast doubt on his mental stability. When Terrance disappears without trace, Aaron and Jim stumble upon information about a secret retreat where powerful men gather to share information that shapes global politics. The filmmakers infiltrate this shadowy society called The Tarsus Club with terrifying consequences.

Snowmen (Cert PG, 82 mins, Arrow Films, DVD £7.99, Family/Comedy/Drama)

Ray Liotta co-stars in Robert Kirbyson's heart-warming comedy drama for the whole family. Billy Kirkfield (Bobby Coleman) is a young boy, who has been battling cancer but fears he doesn't have long to live. Aided by his best friends Lucas (Christian Martyn) and Howard (Bobb'e J Thompson), Billy decides to set a new Guinness World Record for the most snowmen built in 24 hours. This hare-brained feat, which Billy believes will be his legacy when he dies, unites the community and strengthens the bond between the youngster and his father Reggie (Liotta).

Smiley (Cert 15, 88 mins, Signature Entertainment, DVD £14.99/Blu-ray £17.99, Horror/Thriller)

Michael J Gallagher directs and co-writes this teen slasher, which puts a 21st-century spin on a legendary bogeyman a la Candyman. College student Ashley (Caitlin Gerard) is fascinated by the urban legend of a disfigured serial killer called Smiley (Michael Traynor), who can apparently be summoned through the medium of internet chatrooms. So Ashley attempts the summoning technique and her unspoken fears are confirmed when she senses that Smiley may indeed be stalking her in the real world.

Spiders (Cert 15, 88 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, DVD £15.99/3D Blu-ray £49.99, Sci-Fi/Horror/Thriller)

Arachnophobes take cover as mutant spiders attack mankind in Tibor Takacs's low budget B Movie. An abandoned Russian space station plummets back to Earth, bringing with it a cargo of killer critters. The wreckage impacts the New York subway, unleashing the monstrous queen spider and her army of voracious, eight-legged soldiers upon the unsuspecting public. Transit supervisor Jason Cole (Patrick Muldoon) races against time to save his daughter Emily (Sydney Sweeney) and halt the invasion.

The Pervert's Guide To Ideology (Cert 15, 136 mins, 4DVD, DVD £19.99, Documentary)

In her follow-up to The Pervert's Guide To Cinema, director Sophie Fiennes reunites with philosopher Slavoj Zizek to explore the subject of ideology through the medium of the moving image. By considering the dreams that shape our collective beliefs and practices, the film uses iconic moments on the big screen to explore the ideologies that drive modern society and relate these famous scenes to historic and contemporary events.

Let My People Go! (Cert 15, 94 mins, TLA Releasing, DVD £14.99, Comedy/Drama/Romance)

Ruben (Nicolas Maury) lives with his Finnish lover Teemu (Jarkko Niemi) in a lakeside cabin far from the pressures of his Jewish family in Paris. Outrageous misfortune leaves Ruben homeless and he is forced to return to the French capital to spend Passover with his family including his lothario father, Nathan (Jean-Francois Stevenin). In no time at all, Ruben's world spins hilariously out of control as he struggles to cope with his loved ones while fending off repeated amorous advances from an older man, Maurice (Jean-Luc Bideau).

Out In The Dark (Cert 15, 96 mins, Network, DVD £17.99, Drama/Romance)

Set against the backdrop of political conflict in modern day Israel, Out In The Dark is a touching drama about forbidden love and the sacrifices we all make to chase our dreams. Nimr (Nicholas Jacob) is a Palestinian graduate student, who is forced to hide his homosexuality from his conservative family and loved ones. In a nightclub, he meets Israeli lawyer Roy (Michael Aloni) and the spark of attraction between the two men is instant. They fall head over heels in love and spend increasing amounts of time together. However, the harsh reality of Nimr's situation casts a shadow over the relationship and he dreams of moving to America to continue his studies there. Nimr's discomfort intensifies when his brother becomes heavily involved in a violent extremist group and the student realises that he faces an agonising choice between a future with Roy or a future free from oppression on foreign soil.

DVD retail top 10

1 (2) Breaking Bad - Season 1-4

2 (4) Breaking Bad - Season 1

3 (1) Homeland - Season 2

4 (5) Breaking Bad - Season 5

5 (3) Iron Man 3 Fast & Furious 6

6 (-) The Walking Dead - Season 3

7 (6) Star Trek Into Darkness

8 (8) Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred

9 (-) Monster High: 13 Wishes

10 (-) Bones - Season 8

Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk

DVD rental top 10

1 (1) Jack The Giant Slayer

2 (2) Identity Thief

3 (3) Iron Man 3

4 (4) Cloud Atlas

5 (5) Olympus Has Fallen

6 (6) Star Trek: Into Darkness

7 (7) Mud

8 (8) Lincoln

9 (9) A Good Day To Die Hard

10 (10) Zero Dark Thirty

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com

Film streaming top 10

1 (1) Friends with Benefits

2 (2) The Princes And The Frog

3 (3) The Smurfs

4 (5) The Sweeney

5 (4) X-Men - First Class

6 (8) Barbie - Princess Charm School

7 (-) The Perks of Being a Wallflower

8 (9) Alice in Wonderland

9 (7) Arthur

10 (-) Tinker bell

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com