Week of 29 June 2009
Doctor Who: Planet Of The Dead *** (Stars David Tennant, Michelle Ryan, Noma Dumezweni, Lee Evans; £12.99; UK cert PG) It's the beginning of the end for Tennant's Doctor with this first of four "specials" – which aired in the UK at Easter – that's replacing the usual 13-part series this year. Former EastEnders and Bionic Woman star Ryan is a beautiful, mysterious international jewel thief who joins the Doctor on an equally mysterious bus ride – to another planet. A desert planet (Dubai was the filming location) where the Doctor and the passengers have to repair the bus and return through the wormhole that got them there before they are eaten by an impending swarm of metal flying stingrays. As Doctor Who specials go, this is not all that special – certainly not in the same league as some of the Christmas specials. As always, Tennant's performance in the title role is first rate, as are the special effects and the production values. Plus, it's great to see UNIT back again. But the whole thing just feels a little bit too padded out; they didn't really make enough of the wonderful desert location; and Ryan, although lovely to look at, is just that little bit wooden. Plus I really, really hope that this is the first and last time we see that awful annoying Evans character, Malcolm. Extras: Just the behind-the-scenes Doctor Who Confidential. — Stuart O'Connor
I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer * (Stars Stacey Edmonds, Doug Turner, Az Jackson, David Gambin; £12.99; UK cert 18) A moustachioed madman is bumping off his ex-schoolmates using a variety of deadly cricket paraphernalia. As you might be able to guess this is an Australian horror comedy flick, and while the basic gag is quite an amusing conceit on its own, it’s not enough to sustain its 80-minute running time. The methods of dispatch are quite inventive (a protective box from hell being the wince-inducing highlight) but the script and acting are by and large so poor that it’s impossible for the directors to create any kind of tension whatsoever. There is a hilariously gratuitous shower scene (a homage to Brian De Palma’s Dressed To Kill, according to the commentary) but that’s about the funniest thing in this very low-budget exploitation-style slasher. Sort of entertaining, but only because it’s so very, very bad. Extras *** Directors’ commentary; Bloody FX, Making Runs; Shower Scene Uncut. — Justin Bateman
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Week of 22 June 2009
The Unborn *½ (Stars Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Meagan Good, Cam Gigandet, Idris Elba, Jane Alexander; £19.99; UK cert 15) As a writer, David Goyer has some glowing credits to his name including screenplays for Dark City, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. But he’s had less success as a director, given the lukewarm impact Blade: Trinity made, and The Unborn won’t do much to change that. College student Casey (Odette Yustman) is suffering from nightmares in which a creepy little boy turns into an even freakier eyeless dog. Then the child she babysits starts relaying strange warnings that “some people are doorways” and “Jumby wants to be born”. It seems Casey had a twin who died, as did her grandmother. Apparently twins are more susceptible to possession than anyone else and a dybbuk, or malicious spirit, tried to possess granny’s brother during World War II, a dybbuk being the dislocated soul of a dead person according to Jewish folklore. The dybbuk is still trying to find a way into the living realm, perhaps out of anger at being saddled with a name as stupid as Jumby. It’s up to a rabbi, played by Gary Oldman, to exorcise it/him, although it takes a dog with an upside-down head to convince him. Stop laughing. Twins, undead children, Nazi experiments, Jewish folklore, weird visions, scary mirrors – it’s an odd combination and it doesn’t work. The Unborn is packed full of grisly images and effects, but its apparent attempts to be some kind of Jewish take on The Exorcist fail miserably. It also neglects to adhere to its own logic, or Jumby wouldn’t have waited half a century to start bothering people. Extras: Six and a half minutes of deleted scenes, and that’s it. — Anne Wollenberg
Bigga Than Ben ***½ (Stars Ben Barnes, Andre Chadov; £15.99; UK cert 15) Spiker and Cobakka are a pair of young Russians, self-described “Moscow scum”, who descend on London like modern day Dick Whittingtons in a bid to wring as much cash as they can from “the world’s fourth largest economy.” Seeking advice from charismatic junky Artash, they soon learn the best ways to shoplift, forge paperwork, rip off banks and trade dodgy mobiles, as well as the most convenient places to spend their illicit gains on drink and drugs. Subtitled “A Russian’s Guide to Ripping Off London” (and based on a Russian novel of the same name), Bigga than Ben is sure to infuriate the average Daily Mail reader as it demonstrates exactly how immigrants with no work permits can game the system and pick up easy money. For the most part it’s good fun, brimming with energy and humour, and while it does lag towards the end, and suffers from some awkward pacing, all-in-all it’s a stylish romp that’s quite unlike anything else around. Extras: Just a making of documentary. — Adam Boult
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Week of 15 June 2009
Ghostbusters **** (Blu-ray; Stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson; £19.99; UK cert PG) Timed to coincide wth the release of Ghostbusters: The Video Game (which is effectively the third movie in the series, it's great to see the original make its way to Blu-ray, 25 years after it first hit cinema screens. Classed a horror-comedy - but way more funny than scary - Ghostbusters, for those born in this milennium, tells the story of three paranormal scientists who, when kicked out of their university, set up a ghost-busting service. And their timing couldn't be better, as there are a whole host of weird paranormal occurences across New York. Ghostbusters is, without doubt, a true comedy classic that has stood the test of time - I mean, who hasn't heard of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? The digitally remastered version looks great on Blu-ray, too - but, it must be said, some of the special effects don't look too special - such as the demon dog chasing Rick Mranis, or the "ugly little spud" Slimer. Hey, it was made 25 years ago - we've come a long way with CGI since then. But surely the effects could have tweaked during the digital remastering? Just wondering ... Extras: Oodles and oodles. First up is Slimer Mode - what Sony calls "a picture-in-picture graphical viewing experience", with behind-the-scenes discussions of making the movie that appear in a corner of the screen while watching the film. There's also a filmmakers' commentary with Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis and Joe Medjuck; a featurette about resurrecting Ecto-1; a 1984 featurette on the making of the film; interviews with cast and crew; a featurette on the film's special effects; 10 deleted scenes; image galleries; and a preview of the videogame. — Stuart O'Connor
Goal III: Taking on the World *½ (Stars Kuno Becker, JJ Feild, Leo Gregory, Nick Moran, Tamar Hassan, Kasia Smutniak, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney; £15.99; UK cert 12) Seriously; yep, this film "franchise" has made it to a hat-trick (d’you see what we did there?!) of movies. Quite how, and just who’s still watching, is anyone’s guess, but Santiago (Becker) has followed his football dream all the way, and now faces former team-mates and rivals in the biggest soccer-ball competition in the world – yes we’re at the World Cup finals in Germany. It looks glossy enough (director Andrew Morahan has plenty of experience shooting pop promos) but storywise it’s very obvious that the final whistle is nigh. Extras: Oodles of interviews with cast and crew and a commentary from director Morahan and writer-producer Mike Jefferies. — Robert Hull
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Week of 8 June 2009
Dead Girl **** (Stars Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan, Candice Accola, Jenny Spain; £19.99; UK cert 18) When two high school dropouts - JT (Segan) and Rickie (Fernandez) - discover a naked, seemingly dead, woman (Spain) chained up in the basement of an abandoned local asylum, they’re understandably a little shocked. This is compounded even further when they discover that she’s not dead at all; in fact, she can’t die and she’s their little secret. As JT’s depraved desires flourish, Rickie is repelled, disgusted and yet fascinated by their discovery, whilst also pining for his teen crush JoAnn (Accola) who’s snuggling up to the local jock. As with so many secrets it doesn’t stay hidden for long and the deadgirl soon become carnal entertainment for the local losers and JT’s and Rickie’s friendship begins to fray. While it’s well shot and well acted, Dead Girl doesn’t set out to be a comfortable film to watch. It’s reliance on the psychological meltdown of the scenario, rather than on gore (although there is some) is a smart move. And there’s something chillingly realistic about the way it portrays the all too easy decent of human morals, especially during the turbulent teenage years. There’s no doubt that some will certainly find the film’s subject matter repellent, misogynistic, even (although in that vein you could argue that it’s equally guilty of misandry too.) But surely it is precisely through art that the more uncomfortable aspects of our species should be explored? Whilst this is a dark journey, it never feels like the directors are doing it for gratuitous kicks. Like Rickie, it leaves you both repelled and fascinated. And somewhat in need of a shower. No extras — Rhianna Pratchett
Elephant Diaries: Series 2 *** (Stars Jonathan Scott, Michaela Strachan; £14.67; UK Cert: E) Jonathan Scott and Michaeal Strachan return for a second series of the Elephant Diaries. The series follows the work of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust as they rescue and rehabilitate orphaned elephants in Africa before returning them to the wild. The series catches up with elephants featured previously to see how they have survived in the wild and also shows how the elephants that were rescued last series have progressed. Watching Elephant Diaries you can't help but be amazed by the grandeur and humanity of the elephants on display in this series, and if you're not touched by the fates of these marvellous creatures and the amazing work of their rescuers then you must be slighty dead inside. Extras: Unknown Africa (3x30 mins) — Phil Wheat
The Incredible Human Journey **½ (Stars Dr Alice Roberts; £19.99; UK cert PG) It’s encouraging to discover the BBC still takes its remit as a public service broadcaster seriously, and indeed The Incredible Human Journey does furnish viewers with some interesting facts about the origins of mankind. It also underlines the prevailing belief that these facts should be delivered by young, attractive and slightly kooky ‘experts’. Roberts is an engaging presenter, as she explores how one small tribe of African men and women ended up colonising the rest of the world. But a reliance on shots of sweeping vistas often masks the lack of truly revelatory information being imparted, and – no doubt like the tribal subjects of the series – the show looks decidedly heavy legged towards the end of each hour-long episode. No extras — Miriam Brent
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Week of 1 June 2009
Terminator 2: Skynet Edition ***** (Blu-ray; Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton; £24.99; UK cert 15) Big Arnie is back, as he promised in the 1984 original – but here we have a sequel that actually, for a change, improves on the original. It's one of the greatest action films ever, and high on the list of my favourite films of all time. It's a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, never letting up for a minute. The plot sees Schwarzenegger reprising his role as a killing machine from the future. But this time, instead of being sent back to kill Sarah Connor (Hamilton), the mother of the future saviour of mankind in a war against the machines, is actually the good guy, programmed to save John (Furlong) himself from the new T-1000 series liquid metal terminator (Patrick). The performences all round are perfect, particularly Patrick as the evil cyborg. Spectacular stunts, groundbreaking (for the time) special effects that still look good today, humour and bucketloads of action make this a must-own film on Blu-ray (the newly-remasterd print is simply gorgeous to look at). Extras: There are two versions of the film – the theatrical version, and the special edition (about half an hour longer); two audio commentaries – one from 1993 with 26 members of the cast and production crew, and the other from 2003 with writer William Wisher and director James Cameron; several interactive modes, that only work in the special edition; several teasers and trailers; deleted scenes; and "Skynet Access" for internet-enabled Blu-ray players. — Stuart O'Connor
Shallow Grave ***** (Blu-ray; Stars Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, Keith Allen, Ken Stott, Colin McCredie, Peter Mullan, Leonard O'Malley, Frances Low, John Bett, Kenneth Bryans; £21.99; UK cert 18) Wunderkind Danny Boyle's brilliant first film gets a Blu-ray release. Three young Edinburgh flatmates (Fox, Eccleston and McGregor) advertise for a fourth person to share their apartment. They end up with a mysterious bloke (Allen) who one night dies in his bed of a drug overdose, leaving £1m in cash in a suitcase under his bed. The threesome agree to dispose of the corpse and keep the money. Bad move – because not long after, the rightful owners come looking for it. Shallow Grave is a film about trust, friendship and greed. Oh, and how best to dispose of a dead body and hide £1m in cash. Extras: an audio commentary with director Danny Boyle; Digging Your Own Grave, a BBC documentary about the film; an interview with Boyle; and a Mark Kermode interview with McGregor. — Stuart O'Connor
Trainspotting: Ultimate Collector's Edition ***** (Blu-ray; Stars Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly MacDonald, Peter Mullan, James Cosmo, Susan Vidler; £21.99; 18) I chose to watch this on a fucking big television. Danny Boyle's second film was a worldwide hit - thanks in no small part to stonkingly good performances from McGregor and Carlyle in particular, plus a killer soundtrack. It's also been credited with starting a renaissance in British filmmaking. Renton (McGregor), Spud (Bremner) and Sick Boy (Miller) are a trio of heroin addicts living the life in Edinburgh, along with their psychotic friend Begbie (Carlyle). Renton is a drug addict by choice, rejecting a society that he sees as sick and twisted - yet he and his mates are even more sick and twisted, doing anything they can to get money for their next fix. It's a film that is, by turns, hilarious and shocking. It doesn't glorify drug use in any way, yet it cleverly mimics ther drug high to draw the audience into that world. It's shocking, deeply pervasive yet energetic and thoroughly entertaining. It's probably the best film that Boyle is ever likely to make. Choose it. Extras: an audio commentary; a 40-minute featurette called Memories of Trainspotting, with Danny Boyle, Andrew Macdonald, John Hodge, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Kelly Macdonald and Robert Carlyle; deleted scenes; The Look of the Film Then and Now; The Sound of the Film Then and Now; The Beginning; an archive Interview with author Irvine Welsh, who wrote the book on which the film is based; Behind The Needle; Danny Boyle on Trainspotting; Ewan McGregor on Trainspotting; Cannes Snapshot; Cannes Vox Pops; trailers and a picture gallery. — Stuart O'Connor