DVD Review - February 22

By Damon Smith

New to rent on DVD/Blu-ray

DVD of the week

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (Cert U, 95 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Animation/Comedy/Action/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Two-Disc Collection DVD £24.99/Blu-ray £24.99/3D Blu-ray £29.99)

Featuring the voices of: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Benjamin Bratt, Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, James Caan, Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, Neil Patrick Harris.

Inventor Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) excitedly goes to work for his idol, Chester V (Will Forte), CEO of Live Corp in San Franjose. Unfortunately, a demonstration of Flint's new invention misfires so Chester V offers him a shot at redemption by embarking on a top-secret mission back to Swallow Falls. It transpires that the FLDSMDFR, which transformed water into delicious treats in the first film, has continued to produce gargantuan foodstuffs including Bacon Cheese Spiders. Should these edible predators reach the mainland, the consequences would be terrifying. So Flint voyages home with his meteorologist girlfriend, Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), and father Tim (James Caan) plus a few old friends while Chester V and his orangutan assistant Barb (Kristen Schaal) monitor progress from Live Corp HQ. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 is a lively sequel that boasts some decent laughs and a flimsy plot that doesn't tarry too long on logic. Vocal performances are as energetic as the rollicking action sequences. The three scriptwriters are clearly big fans of Steven Spielberg's 1993 box office behemoth Jurassic Park. The scene in which Sam Neill and the children attempt to out run a herd of Gallimimus is created here with a stampede of food-animal hybrids called Bananostriches. The iconic image of ripples on the surface of a glass of water heralding the arrival of T-Rex becomes the rippling fat of a supporting character's generously proportioned belly. Thankfully, some of the computer-animated wildlife is friendly, including Shrimpanzees, Buffaloafs and Watermelophants. It gives a whole new meaning to playing with your food. A two-disc DVD comprising the original film and sequel is also available.

Rating: ***

Released

Blue Jasmine (Cert 12, 98 mins, Warner Home Video, Drama/Comedy/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £22.99)

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Michael Stuhlbarg.

Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) and her businessman husband, Hal (Alec Baldwin), enjoy a privileged life in New York. The society wife has little time for her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) or then-brother-in-law Augie (Andrew Dice Clay), who foolishly invest their lottery winnings in one of Hal's bogus property investment schemes. When Hal is exposed as a crook, all of Jasmine's assets are seized and she is forced to head to San Francisco and move into divorcee Ginger's modest apartment. The sister's new boyfriend Chili (Bobby Cannavale) and rival suitor Al (Louis C.K.) fail to impress snooty Jasmine, who is compelled to seek "menial work" as a secretary in the office of dentist Dr Flicker (Michael Stuhlbarg). Then Jasmine meets a handsome diplomat called Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), who has excellent prospects. "It might be an inflated ego but I think I'd make a good congressman," he beams, heralding a turnaround in fortunes for the self-obsessed heroine. Distinguished by Blanchett's raw and bleakly funny performance which is virtually guaranteed this year's Oscar, Blue Jasmine is one of Woody Allen's best films on US soil for some time. The statuesque Australian actress is in almost every frame, delivering zinging dialogue with split-second timing and plenty of tears. The script is studded with pithy turns of phrase - "Never trust doctors, they put both my parents in early graves" - most of which are gifted to the leading lady as she expertly conveys her character's downfall at her own manicured hands. Hawkins offers strong support as a sibling who has always lived in Jasmine's finely tailored shadow.

Rating: ***

Machete Kills (Cert 15, 108 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Action/Comedy/Thriller/Romance/Sci-Fi, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Limited Edition Steelbook DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £22.99)

Starring: Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Amber Heard, Demian Bichir, Charlie Sheen, Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba, Lady Gaga, Mel Gibson.

US President Rathcock (Charlie Sheen) grants Mexican superspy Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo) citizenship in exchange for hunting down an emotionally unstable terrorist called Marcos Mendez (Demian Bichir). This mad man intends to launch a stolen nuclear missile into the beating heart of Washington D.C.. Machete's assigned handler is a sassy undercover agent, who passes herself off as a busty beauty queen called Miss San Antonio (Amber Heard). Machete wields his namesake without mercy as he cuts a swathe through Mendez's henchmen, unmasking the mastermind of the diabolical plot: an arms manufacturer called Luther Voz (Mel Gibson). Thankfully, Machete can always rely on his feisty sidekick with an eye patch, Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), and her underground band of brothers for back-up. Machete Kills puts the tat in Mex-ploitation, the frankenword coined by writer-director Robert Rodriguez to encapsulate his Latin-flavoured homage to exploitation films of the 1970s and 1980s. The blood-soaked sequel outstays its welcome well before Gibson enters the fray as a deranged Blofeld-style villain intent on establishing a new world order. Trejo barely registers emotion, even rage, as he slices, dices and decapitates the supporting cast while Lady Gaga makes her big screen acting debut as an elusive assassin. Kyle Ward's script repeatedly looks for shock value in every outlandish set-up. Consequently, one henchman is sucked into the blades of a helicopter by his own intestines and another group of underlings is eviscerated into glistening entrails by the outboard motor of an airborne speedboat. Anything can, and does, happen in Rodriguez's anarchic caper, and on the whole, the gratuitous bloodshed and high-velocity hijinks are dull and repetitive.

Rating: **

Closed Circuit (Cert 15, 96 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Thriller/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99)

Starring: Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciaran Hinds, Riz Ahmed, Anne-Marie Duff, Kenneth Cranham, Denis Moschitto, Julia Stiles, Jim Broadbent.

An explosion in London's bustling Borough Market shocks the nation. Only one suspect, Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto), is captured alive and he prepares to stand trial for his alleged crimes. The Attorney General (Jim Broadbent) announces that some of the evidence is classified and cannot be seen by the accused or his legal team. So Special Advocate Claudia Simmons-Howe (Rebecca Hall), a government-approved defence lawyer, is appointed to review this sensitive information and argue for its full disclosure. From the moment she opens the secret files, Claudia must not communicate with Farroukh or his defence attorney, Martin Rose (Eric Bana), who happens to be her old flame. With Claudia under constant surveillance by a shadowy MI5 agent (Riz Ahmed), Martin pieces together the truth himself. In the process, he uncovers a grand conspiracy that draws him back to Claudia and jeopardises both their lives. Closed Circuit feels curiously familiar, uncovering corruption and skulduggery within the corridors of power in Westminster. Australian actor Bana lacks charisma and his British accent frequently returns to the southern hemisphere. On-screen chemistry with Hall, who is solid in an underwritten role, barely simmers let alone boils. Broadbent chews scenery while Julia Stiles is wasted as a nosy New York Times reporter, who has access to a staggering amount of classified information yet refuses to publish allegations as the truth without evidence. Steven Knight's script gets bogged down in legalese and crucially, the pacing is pedestrian, without any noticeable hairpin twists or turns to get the pulse racing once action moves into the courtroom.

Rating: **

The Fifth Estate (Cert 15, 128 mins, Entertainment One, Drama/Thriller/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99)

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Carice van Houten, Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, David Thewlis, Peter Capaldi, Dan Stevens, Moritz Bleibtreu.

London, July 2010. In the offices of The Guardian, editor Alan Rusbridger (Peter Capaldi), Deputy Ian Katz (Dan Stevens) and reporter Nick Davies (David Thewlis) are poised to publish their front page story about the Bradley Manning leaks in tandem with The New York Times and Der Spiegel. The film rewinds two years to sketch the relationship between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and computer wizard Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Bruhl), who meet at a conference and embark on their quest to expose corruption within the upper echelons of power. Julian demands absolutely loyalty, which puts intolerable strain on Daniel's relationship with his girlfriend, Birgitta (Carice van Houten). Meanwhile, Deputy Undersecretary Of State, Sarah Shaw (Laura Linney), becomes increasingly concerned by the power wielded by WikiLeaks. Based in part on Daniel Domscheit-Berg's unflattering book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange At The World's Most Dangerous Website, The Fifth Estate repeatedly sticks the knife into Assange, like when one character tartly quips, "Only someone so obsessed with his own secrets could have come up with a way to publish everyone else's". Every character except for Assange abides by a moral compass through thick and thin, including the British media, painting the world as black and white. We don't need WikiLeaks to tell us that's an illusion. On screen, the white-haired Australian founder treats everyone, particularly nice guy Daniel, with lip-curling disdain which forces us to question why the two men would continue to work together when one is painted as a monster.

Rating: **

Also released

Cold Comes The Night (Cert 15, 90 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Thriller, also available to buy DVD £12.99 - see below)

It's A Lot (Cert 15, 96 mins, Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment, Comedy/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £17.99 - see below)

Reef 2: High Tide (Cert U, 80 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, Animation/Family/Drama, also available to buy DVD £12.99 - see below)

Rurouni Kenshin (Cert 15, 134 mins, Warner Home Video, Action/Drama, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £22.99 - see below)

New to buy on DVD/Blu-ray

Game Of Thrones - The Complete Third Season (Cert 18, 600 mins, Warner Home Video/HBO, DVD £39.99/The Complete First, Second And Third Seasons DVD Box Set £64.99/Blu-ray £49.99/The Complete First, Second And Third Seasons Blu-ray Box Set £79.99, Fantasy/Action/Romance)

Feuds continue to rage between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in 10 intrigue-laden episodes of the epic fantasy drama based on the bestselling novel series A Song Of Ice And Fire by George RR Martin. This series, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Sansa (Sophie Turner) walk down the aisle but the wedding night does not unfold as the groom intends, Thoros (Paul Kaye) and Beric (Richard Dormer) plan to ransom Arya (Maisie Williams) to her brother and Gilly (Hannah Murray) and Sam are attacked by a White Walker. A 15-disc box set comprising all three series is also available.

Benidorm - The Complete Series Six (Cert 15, 378 mins, 2entertain, DVD £19.99/All Inclusive DVD Box Set £49.99, Comedy)

Joan Collins, Matthew Kelly, Philip Olivier, Nicholas Burns, The Krankies and Rustie Lee slather on the sun cream as special guests of the all-inclusive Solana resort in seven episodes of ITV1's award-winning comedy. This series, manager Joyce Temple-Savage (Sherrie Hewson) celebrates winning a four-star rating for the resort and busily prepares for the summer season. Garveys returns en masse but Mick (Steve Pemberton) takes the blame when a bag of tanning pills belonging to Madge (Sheila Reid) is mistaken for drugs at customs. A 13-disc box set comprising all six series plus the one-off specials is also available.

Barbie: The Pearl Princess (Cert U, 74 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, DVD £10.99, Animation/Children)

The latest feature-length animation based on the popular doll stars Barbie (voiced by Kelly Sheridan) as a mermaid called Lumina, who has always dreamt of being a princess. In the majestic mer-kingdom, Lumina is blessed with a magical power that makes pearls glow, which comes in very handy as she helps her friends to prepare for the impending Royal Ball. This talent also unlocks Lumina's true destiny and she embarks on a perilous quest to save the realm from destruction aided by her best friend, a pink seahorse called Kuda. Zeke Norton's film includes the songs Mermaid Party! and Light Up The World. The DVD is packaged with a pink hair braid so young viewers can look like Lumina.

Yonderland - Series One (Cert PG, 240 mins, Universal/Playback, DVD £19.99, Comedy)

A mother is anointed saviour of a magical realm in this fantasy comedy from the creators of CBBC's Horrible Histories. Debbie Maddox (Martha Howe-Douglas) is stunned when an elf turns up at her door and insists that she accompany him to the enchanted land of Yonderland. Reluctantly, Debbie agrees and she meets with the Elders, who reveal that the mother is the Chosen One, destined to lead the forces of good against the evil Negatus (Simon Farnaby).

Perception - The Complete First Season (Cert 15, 406 mins, Warner Home Video, DVD £16.99, Drama/Thriller)

Eric McCormack takes on a very different role to the hit comedy Will & Grace in these opening 10 episodes of the US crime drama. Professor of neuroscience Dr Daniel Pierce (McCormack) suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, which has produced an imaginary best friend called Natalie Vincent (Kelly Rowan). Together, Daniel and his invisible sidekick help his ex-student, FBI Special Agent Kate Moretti (Rachael Leigh Cook), to solve crimes that have baffled the bureau.

Rurouni Kenshin (Cert 15, 134 mins, Warner Home Video, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £22.99, Action/Drama)

Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Rurouni Kenshin is a live-action adventure about a fearsome swordsman, who atones for the blood on his hands by protecting the weak and vulnerable in their hour of need. After a brutal skirmish, renowned assassin Hitokiri Battousai (Takeru Satoh) turns his back on the slaughter and reinvents himself as Himura Kenshin. He arrives in Japan many years later and meets Kamiya Kaoru (Emi Takei), who has taken over her father's Kendo dojo. The two become close and Himura also befriends a plucky street fighter called Sagara Sanosuke (Munetaka Aoki). Meanwhile, an undercover cop is slain and evidence suggests that the elusive Battousai was the perpetrator. Lead detective Saito Hajime (Yosuke Eguchi) is not convinced and he points the finger of suspicion instead at a cruel yet powerful businessman called Takeda Kanryu (Teruyuki Kagawa), who has friends in very high places.

Scandal - The Complete Second Season (Cert 15, 961 mins, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, DVD £29.99, Drama/Thriller/Romance)

The past torments people in the present in 22 episodes of the gripping political thriller from the creator of Grey's Anatomy. This series, former White House Director of Communications Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) might need the services of her own crisis management firm when long buried secrets relating to her and hacker Huck Finn (Guillermo Diaz) come to light. Meanwhile, lawyer Harrison Wright (Columbus Short) and investigator Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) are stunned when the true identity of new employee Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes) is finally exposed.

Reef 2: High Tide (Cert U, 80 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, DVD £12.99, Animation/Family/Drama)

Mark AZ Dippe and Taedong Park direct this computer-animated sequel, which continues the adventures of a brave little fish called Pi (voiced by Drake Bell) and his friends on the reef. A year has passed since Pi defeated villainous shark Troy (Donal Logue), and the fish with the big heart has raised a family with his pink soul mate Cordelia (Busy Philipps). Alas, Troy escapes from a Navy research facility and swims back to the reef, determined to exact revenge on Pi. The shark and his posse arrive at low tide so cannot carry out their plan until the water rises. This gives Pi time to concoct an elaborate scheme to recapture Troy and protect his friends and neighbours from harm. Meanwhile, Troy sends a spy, a fish called Ronny (Jamie Kennedy), to the reef to disrupt Pi's carefully laid plans. Ronny persuades the fish to stage a talent show, which will draw human visitors to the reef and they in turn will get rid of the sharks.

Nothing Left To Fear (Cert 15, 96 mins, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Horror/Thriller)

Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash downs his instrument to produce this horror directed by Anthony Leonardi III. Dan (James Tupper) and his wife Wendy (Anne Heche) relocate their children to the remote town of Stull in Kansas, where Dan is due to replace the outgoing pastor and take charge of the congregation. Eldest daughter Rebecca (Rebekah Brandes) suffers troubling hallucinations while her sister Mary (Jennifer Stone) endures even more horrific phenomena. Dan and Wendy race against time to unearth the previous pastor's dark past and save their brood from the grasp of malevolent forces.

Jadoo (Cert 12, 91 mins, Metrodome Distribution, DVD £12.99, Comedy/Drama/Romance)

Raja (Harish Patel) and his brother Jagi (Kulvinder Ghir) are incredibly talented chefs but they fall out in spectacular style and literally rip up their family's cherished recipe book. One sibling gets the starters while the other gets the main courses and they set up rival restaurants on opposite sides of the same road in Leicester. Neither brother is willing to swallow his pride for the sake of reuniting the two halves of the cookbook and ensure the legacy lives on. Raja's daughter Shalini (Amara Karan), who is a lawyer based in London, returns home to inform her old man and uncle that she is getting married to a man from a different ethnic background. She wants Raja and Jagi to attend the wedding and expects them to bury the hatchet for her big day - though not in each other. Tensions escalate when a new restaurant owner tries to put the brothers out of business, forcing Raja and Jagi to consider reconciliation.

Dead Drop (Cert 15, 85 mins, Signature Entertainment, DVD £14.99/Blu-ray £17.99, Thriller/Action)

Luke Goss headlines R Ellis Frazier's straight-to-DVD action thriller about a secret agent, who overcomes overwhelming odds to bring down a criminal fraternity. Undercover CIA operative Michael Shaughnessy (Goss) infiltrates the empire of Mexican drug lord Santiago (Nestor Carbonell). Unfortunately, his cover is blown and Santiago throws Michael out of a plane without a parachute. Miraculously, the CIA agent survives the fall but suffers crippling memory loss. Against the commands of his superiors, Michael infiltrates Santiago's crime ring a second time and as he edges closer to his prey, the undercover operative's fractured memories are slowly repaired.

Cold Comes The Night (Cert 15, 90 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, DVD £12.99, Thriller)

Tze Chun writes and directs this serpentine thriller about a single mother called Chloe (Alice Eve), who is struggling to make ends meet as proprietor of a highway motel. Under the watchful eye of local cop Billy (Logan Marshall-Green), she turns a blind eye to prostitution and vice on the premises. A bad situation spirals out of control when career criminal Topo (Bryan Cranston), who is almost blind, kidnaps Chloe and her young daughter Sophia (Ursula Parker) and forces them to become his eyes so he can take back the cash that Billy has stolen from him. Quick-thinking Chloe engineers a deal that will secure a bright future for her daughter but as she becomes Topo's willing accomplice, the resourceful mother is woefully unprepared for the crosses and double-crosses that lay ahead.

Seduced And Abandoned (Cert 15, 96 mins, Soda Pictures, DVD £17.99, Documentary)

Originally made for US cable channel HBO, Seduced And Abandoned is a revealing insight into the film industry, shot over 10 days in May 2012 as director James Toback and actor Alec Baldwin descend on the Cannes Film Festival to secure funding for an erotically charged drama set in the Middle East and inspired by Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango In Paris. As Toback and Baldwin pitch their idea to studio executives, producers, sales agents and billionaires, they also take a trip down memory lane, recalling favourite anecdotes from their years in a business which values profit ahead of artistic invention. Contributors include Bertolucci, James Caan, Neve Campbell, Jessica Chastain, screenwriter Diablo Cody, Francis Ford Coppola, Ryan Gosling, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Diane Kruger, Roman Polanski, Brett Ratner and Martin Scorsese.

It's A Lot (Cert 15, 96 mins, Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £17.99, Comedy/Drama/Romance)

A young man from a wealthy background is led astray during his time in the inner city in this urban comedy co-directed by Darwood Grace and lead actor Femi Oyeniran. Nice guy Shawn (Oyeniran) yearns for a change of surroundings so he abandons the trappings of privilege to attend his cousin's college, where drugs, violence and sex are prevalent. Shawn crashes his father's car and has to raise the necessary funds to pay for expensive repairs but to find so much cash in a short space of time might require the young man to bend the rules, perhaps even break them, for the first time in his life.

Cloned (Cert 15, 90 mins, Warwick Films, DVD £10.99, Sci-Fi/Thriller/Romance)

Gregory Orr writes and directs this teen-friendly sci-fi thriller about three friends, who face the ultimate enemy: themselves. Craig (Alexander Nifong), Derek (J Mallory McCree) and Tracy (Stella Maeve) are enjoying a camping trip on Brewster Island when a storm hits with devastating force. The young people seek refuge in a seemingly abandoned house, which is warm and has running water. Unwittingly, Craig, Derek and Tracy have wandered into a top-secret experimental cloning facility. Soon, they come face to face with doppelgangers, who seem extremely friendly. However, these clones are not what they seem and the three friends must battle the odds to stay alive.

How To Survive A Plague (Cert E, 110 mins, Peccadillo Pictures, DVD £12.99, Documentary)

During the 1980s and 1990s, Aids was seen as a death sentence. A lack of understanding about the virus cultivated widespread prejudice and fear, fuelled by alarmist headlines. During this time of great uncertainty and emotional outpouring, a group of young people, many of them HIV-positive men, infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and identified promising new drugs in the battle against Aids. Faced with their own mortality, these activists pushed forward experimental trials, determined to make the virus a manageable condition. Documentary filmmaker David France celebrates these unsung heroes in this fascinating film, which combines never-before-seen archival footage of the era with present-day interviews to sketch the extraordinary triumphs and heartbreaking failures of young people, who risked everything to take on Washington and the medical establishment.

Klown: The Movie (Cert 18, 93 mins, Arrow Films, DVD £12.99, Comedy/Drama)

Inspired by the popular Danish TV show, Klown: The Movie is an offbeat comedy directed by Mikkel Norgaard in which lead actors Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen play fictionalised versions of themselves. In this feature-length instalment, Frank kidnaps his pregnant girlfriend's 12-year-old nephew in a dim-witted attempt to prove his parenting skills. Rather than enjoy some quality time together, Frank decides to take the boy on a canoeing weekend with his sex-crazed pal Casper, opening the youngster's eyes to a world of debauchery and regret.

DVD retail top 10

1 (-) About Time

2 (1) Rush

3 (3) Sherlock - Complete Series 3

4 (2) Sunshine On Leith

5 (4) Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred

6 (-) Captain Phillips

7 (10) Vicky Pattison's 7 Day Slim

8 (6) Davina - Fit in 15

9 (7) Breaking Bad - Season 5

10 (-) Breaking Bad - Season 4

Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk

DVD rental top 10

1 (1) The World's End

2 (2) The Wolverine

3 (3) The Great Gatsby

4 (4) The Heat

5 (5) Elysium

6 (6) Pacific Rim

7 (7) Rush

8 (8) Despicable Me 2

9 (9) The Internship

10 (10) The Frozen Ground

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com

Film streaming top 10

1 (-) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

2 (-) Bullet to the Head

3 (3) Blood Glacier

4 (1) Space Jam

5 (2) Son of Rambow

6 (4) Awaydays

7 (6) ClassIn Time

8 (-) The Brothers Grimm

9 (-) Thomas and Friends - Blue Mountain

10 (-) Liar's Autobiography

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com