DVD Review - January 24

DVD OF THE WEEK

What We Did On Our Holiday (Cert 12, 95 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Comedy/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99 or on-demand from various streaming services)

Starring: David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, Ben Miller, Amelia Bullmore, Billy Connolly, Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge, Harriet Turnbull, Celia Imrie.

Gordie McLeod (Billy Connolly) is poised to celebrate his 75th birthday in the Scottish Highlands. His self-obsessed son Gavin (Ben Miller) is hosting a lavish party to impress the neighbours and hopefully secure the captaincy of the local golf club. Gavin's long-suffering and neurotic wife Margaret (Amelia Bullmore) remains in the background, occasionally exploding with pent-up rage. As the party beckons, Gavin's less successful brother Doug (David Tennant) and his wife Abi (Rosamund Pike) arrive with their three children: 11-year-old Lottie (Emilia Jones), six-year-old Mickey (Bobby Smalldridge), who is obsessed with Vikings, and five-year-old Jess (Harriet Turnbull). The birthday celebrations are unexpectedly thrown into disarray and a media scrum descends on the family's doorsteps along with an interfering Social Services officer called Agnes (Celia Imrie), who casts doubt on Doug and Abi's ability to nurture their dysfunctional brood. What We Did On Our Holiday is a rip-roaring family road trip laced with absurdity that touches the heart and tickles the funny bone. Writer-directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, creators of hit TV comedy Outnumbered, adopt the same improvisational formula here. The younger cast scene-steal with aplomb, explaining why a bout of car sickness is a source of joy ("It's like being a fountain!") and succinctly distilling the anguish and betrayal of parental infidelity into a single throwaway line: "Dad had an affair with a Paralympic athlete with one foot." Aside from the laughs, the script lays bare the petty jealousies and deep-rooted fears within the central family, while dealing with serious issues through the unblinkered eyes of the three tykes.

Rating: ****

RELEASED

The Boxtrolls (Cert PG, 92 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Animation/Fantasy/Drama/Comedy, also available to buy DVD £19.99/3D Blu-ray £24.99/Three Film Laika Collection DVD Box Set £26.99 or on-demand from various streaming services)

Featuring the voices of: Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, Dee Bradley Baker, Toni Collette, Simon Pegg.

One dark night, a Boxtroll called Fish (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) kidnaps the infant son of an inventor (Simon Pegg) from the Victorian-era city of Cheesebridge and spirits away the child to an underground lair. This shocking act plays into the grubby hands of pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Sir Ben Kingsley). He strikes a deal with Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris) and the other noblemen of Cheesebridge to earn a place at the cheese-tasting top table in exchange for slaying every Boxtroll. Many years later, abducted boy Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) ventures above ground with the Boxtrolls and encounters Lord Portley-Rind's snooty daughter, Winnie (Elle Fanning). She initially believes the horror stories about Boxtrolls devouring children - "Eat me. I'm sure I'm delicious!" - but once Winnie learns the truth about Eggs' past, she agrees to help vanquish Snatcher and his snivelling henchmen Mr Trout (Nick Frost), Mr Pickles (Richard Ayoade) and Mr Gristle (Tracy Morgan). Based on the novel Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls is a rollicking stop-motion animated romp from the makers of Coraline and ParaNorman that proves weird can be truly wonderful. The meticulous detail of the moveable figures and miniature sets is impressive, and co-directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi corral a vast team of animators to produce thrilling chases and quieter moments of ribald humour. With faint echoes of Raymond Briggs' Fungus The Bogeyman, Irena Brignull and Adam Pava's script is laden with verbal and visual gags, striking a gently mischievous tone throughout. A three-disc set comprising Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls is also available.

Rating: ****

The Equalizer (Cert 15, 132 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Action/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99/Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook £27.99 or on-demand from various streaming services)

Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Haley Bennett, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, David Meunier, Johnny Skourtis.

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has turned his back on his past as a covert government operative and has fashioned an unremarkable life in suburbia, where he nurses memories of his dead wife. By day, he earns a decent wage in a Home Mart warehouse and mentors another employee, Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis), through his security guard's exam. By night, McCall works his way through a list of 100 books everyone should read while enjoying a coffee at his local diner, where he befriends a sassy prostitute called Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz). When she ends up in hospital, battered and bruised at the hands of her controlling Russian pimp Slavi (David Meunier), McCall exacts revenge. Justice seemingly prevails. Unfortunately, Slavi and his goons are a link in a bigger chain controlled by the Russian Mafia and they dispatch sadistic fixer Teddy (Marton Csokas) to track down McCall. Nostalgic memories of Edward Woodward's refined approach to crime-fighting in the TV version of The Equalizer are blown to smithereens by this brutish, big-screen rendering. In a dizzying opening fight sequence, Washington impales a corkscrew in one henchman's noggin and repeatedly pummels a couple more as if he was tenderising a large slab of steak. The queasy dance of death reaches a hilarious and frenetic crescendo with drills and sledgehammers in the hardware warehouse. Once the first drop of blood is spilt, director Antoine Fuqua seizes every opportunity for wanton carnage, to the point that it seems like nothing short of a nuclear explosion will halt McCall in his tracks.

Rating: **

Draft Day (Cert 15, 107 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99 or on-demand from various streaming services)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Chadwick Boseman, Denis Leary, Frank Langella, Tom Welling, Sam Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, Josh Pence, Arian Foster, Patrick St Esprit.

Sonny Weaver Jr (Kevin Costner), general manager of the Cleveland Browns, prepares for the annual college football draft a week after the death of his father. He draws strength from the Browns' lawyer Ali Parker (Jennifer Garner), who is pregnant with their first child - good news Sonny has kept from his acid-tongued mother (Ellen Burstyn). The Browns have seventh pick in the draft but Tom Michaels (Patrick St Esprit), general manager of the Seattle Seahawks who have first pick, agrees to sell that prime spot in exchange for Weaver's first round picks for the next three years. Team owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella) pressurises Sonny to take the deal so the Browns can select fancied quarterback, Bo Callahan (Josh Pence). Head coach Vince Penn (Denis Leary) is furious because he won't get his choice, running back Ray Jennings (Arian Foster). As the clock ticks down to the Browns' first pick, Sonny faces a battle of head versus heart to placate fans and his staff. Draft Day is solid and undemanding entertainment, entwining soap opera plot strands around a fictionalised running of the highpoint of every college football player's season. Costner doesn't break sweat while co-stars scream and shout, not least Langella as the publicity-hungry head honcho, who expects to get his way. Scriptwriters Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman keep the tone light and don't saturate the screen with sporting terminology so British viewers, who prefer their football played by 11 men without helmets, can digest various twists and turns. The romantic subplot with Garner lightly simmers but never comes close to the boil.

Rating: ***

Also released

Honeymoon (Cert 15, 87 mins, Arrow Films, Horror/Thriller/Romance, also available to buy DVD £14.99/Blu-ray £15.99 or on-demand from various streaming services - see below)

Jimi: All Is By My Side (Cert 15, 118 mins, Curzon Film World, Drama/Musical/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 or on-demand from various streaming services - see below)

Think Like A Man Too (Cert 15, 106 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Comedy/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99 or on-demand from various streaming services - see below)

Wish I Was Here (Cert 15, 107 mins, Koch Media Ltd, Comedy/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99 or on-demand from various streaming services - see below)

NEW TO BUY ON DVD/BLU-RAY

Miranda: The Finale (Cert 12, 60 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £12.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Comedy/Romance)

Miranda Hart bids a tearful farewell to her on-screen alter ego in these two episodes, which were broadcast on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, featuring guest appearances from Gary Barlow, Heather Small and Liza Tarbuck. Gary (Tom Ellis) and Mike (Bohdan Poraj) propose to Miranda and she must decide between her two suitors to give her mother (Patricia Hodge) the long-awaited dream wedding. Best friend Stevie (Sarah Hadland) helps Miranda to make the most important decision of her life, but the course of sitcom love never did run smooth.

Doctor Who: Last Christmas (Cert 12, 58 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £15.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Sci-Fi/Drama)

Drawing inspiration from the films Aliens and Inception, this year's festive instalment of the long-running BBC sci-fi drama finds the Time Lord (Peter Capaldi) and trusty companion Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) stranded at a remote Arctic military base, where they are stalked by monstrous extra-terrestrial beings. Trapped inside the icy compound, the doctor and Clara are delighted when North Pole resident Santa Claus (Nick Frost) seemingly comes to their aid.

The Americans - The Complete Second Season (Cert 15, 575 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, DVD £29.99/Blu-ray £34.99, Thriller/Romance)

Paranoia runs rampant in another 13 episodes of the award-winning drama set during the early 1980s when the Cold War between Russia and America was at its height. This series, Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) and his wife Elizabeth (Keri Russell), two KGB spies living in suburbia as a cover to gather intelligence for Mother Russia, continue their assignment including a rendezvous with fellow spies Emmett and Leanne Connors (Jeremy Davidson, Natalie Gold). The subsequent murder of the Connors, supposedly at the hands of rogue naval officer Andrew Larrick (Lee Tergesen), has far-reaching consequences for the Jennings and their covert activities.

The Wrong Mans - Series Two (Cert 15, 120 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £19.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Comedy/Thriller/Action)

Matthew Baynton and James Corden reprise their roles as hapless Bracknell council workers Sam and Phil in another four instalments of the award-winning comedy. This series, Sam and Phil attempt to lay low on a witness protection program in Texas. When Phil's physically and emotionally fragile mother Linda (Dawn French) suffers a heart attack, the duo resolves to find a way home back in time for Christmas. The daredevil scheme brings the pals into contact with sadistic Mexican drug lord Carlos Espinosa (Raoul Trujillo) and a gang of white supremacists. The DVD includes the episodes X-Mans, White Mans, Action Mans and Wise Mans.

Think Like A Man Too (Cert 15, 106 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, DVD £19.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Comedy/Drama/Romance)

In this sequel to Tim Story's 2012 comedy Think Like A Man, which was based on a book by Steve Harvey, a group of male friends face various temptations when they fly to Las Vegas for a wedding. Michael (Terrence Jenkins) and Candace (Regina Hall) prepare to tie the knot in the Nevada desert and they welcome their family and friends to the gambling capital for the nuptials. Cedric (Kevin Hart) arrives without his wife Gail (Wendy Williams) in tow, while Zeke (Romany Malco) and Mya (Meagan Good) must face painful reminders of his womanising past. Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara) and Kristen (Gabrielle Union) continue to try to get pregnant, and Bennett (Gary Owen) and Tish (Wendy McLendon-Covey) search for a spark to rekindle their desire and prevent their marriage from stagnating. The men and women spend a day apart with the bride and groom, and secrets from the past resurface, forcing some of the couples to make painful decisions about staying together.

Honeymoon (Cert 15, 87 mins, Arrow Films, DVD £14.99/Blu-ray £15.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Horror/Thriller/Romance)

Newlyweds go down to the woods and get a nasty surprise in Leigh Janiak's horror thriller. Paul (Harry Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie) set off on a romantic honeymoon to a rustic cabin. They head to a nearby restaurant for a meal and are shocked when the owner, Will (Ben Huber), angrily asks them to leave. It transpires that Will is Bea's childhood friend but this does not explain his reaction to seeing her for the first time in years. Wedded bliss becomes a nightmare when Bea goes missing and Paul finds her naked and disoriented in the woods. She claims that she has been sleepwalking due to stress and assures Paul that she will be fine. Over time, Bea's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and Paul suspects something unspeakable happened to his bride on the night she vanished.

Wish I Was Here (Cert 15, 107 mins, Koch Media Ltd, DVD £15.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Comedy/Drama/Romance)

Proud Jewish patriarch Gabe Bloom (Mandy Patinkin) has seen his two sons Aidan (Braff) and Noah (Josh Gad) gravitate away from their faith and fall short of their potential. Aidan is now a struggling actor, who clings onto his dreams of fame and fortune, while his long-suffering wife Sarah (Kate Hudson) pays the bills from her unedifying job with the Los Angeles Water Department. Their children Grace (Joey King) and Tucker (Pierce Gagnon) attend a private school and Gabe has paid the tuition fees, hopeful that the next generation will appreciate the Jewish culture and its traditions. When Gabe is diagnosed with cancer, Aidan realises he will have to home school Grace and Tucker because they cannot afford the school fees. As he embraces his new-found responsibility as a font of wisdom, Aidan learns afresh the joys of being a husband and parent.

Violette (Cert 15, 108 mins, Soda Pictures, DVD £17.99, Drama/Romance)

Martin Provost's biographical drama, set predominantly in the aftermath of the Second World War, charts the strong emotional bond between two women, who changed the course of French literature. Violette Leduc (Emmanuelle Devos) is born out of wedlock in 1907 and grows up impoverished and unloved. She lives with Maurice Sachs (Olivier Py), who nurtures Violette's passion for writing. In post-war Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Violette meets Simone de Beauvoir (Sandrine Kiberlain) and develops a crush on the intellectual, lavishing the object of her affections with flowers and - trustingly - a copy of her debut book. In return, Simone introduces Violette to the upper echelons of French culture and to icons including Jean Genet (Jacques Bonaffe). Subsequently, Violette's memoir La Batarde becomes a bestseller, allowing her to fulfil her dream of making a comfortable living from her writing.

Concerning Violence (Cert E, 89 mins, Dogwoof DVD, DVD £15.99, Documentary)

Swedish director Goran Olsson, who made the 2011 documentary The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, once again draws on a wealth of previously unseen 16mm footage to chronicle the decolonization of Africa from multiple perspectives. Subtitled Nine Scenes From The Anti-Imperialistic Self-Defense and narrated by singer Lauryn Hill, the film includes an interview with a young President Mugabe of Zimbabwe, rousing footage of a miner's strike in Liberia and the story of a wounded fighter in need of medical assistance in the jungle of Guinea-Bissau.

Jimi: All Is By My Side (Cert 15, 118 mins, Curzon Film World, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Drama/Musical/Romance)

Unable to secure the musical rights from Jimi Hendrix's estate for this biopic, writer-director John Ridley, who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for 12 Years A Slave, focuses on the 12-month period from 1966 to 1967, before the showman cemented his place in the musical firmament. The film begins with Keith Richards' girlfriend, Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), discovering Hendrix (Andre Benjamin) playing backup guitar at the Cheetah Club in New York. She introduces Hendrix to Chas Chandler (Andrew Buckley), who becomes his manager. As a band forms around Hendrix, including bass player Noel Redding (Oliver Bennett) and drummer Mitch Mitchell (Tom Dunlea), the frontman begins a turbulent relationship with Kathy Etchingham (Hayley Atwell) that jeopardises his ascent before it has begun.

The Circle (Cert 15, 101 mins, Matchbox Films, DVD £15.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Drama/Romance)

Selected as Switzerland's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, The Circle is a fascinating docudrama about the titular gay magazine and men's club in 1940s and 1950s Zurich. At the time, homosexuality was illegal in neighbouring Germany but in Switzerland, gay men met behind closed doors and were covertly connected by a trilingual magazine full of entertaining editorial and drawings of the naked male form. The intrigue surrounding the magazine's publication and several brutal murders in the gay community provide a vibrant backdrop to the real-life romance of school teacher Ernst Ostertag and drag performer Robi Rapp, who met at a costume ball in 1956 and became the first Swiss same-sex couple to register as partners. Their love story is dramatised by actors Matthias Hungerbuehler and Sven Schelker, intercut with moving interviews with the real Ostertag and Rapp.