Week of 27 October 2008
My Name Is Earl: Season 3 *** (Stars Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez, Eddie Steeples, Alyssa Milano; £34.99; UK cert 12) At the end of Season 2, our favourite piece of trailer trash Earl Hickey (Lee) had been banged up for robbery and assault. Which ex-wife Joy (Pressley) had actually done, but Earl confessed to a crime he didn't commit so Joy didn't have to go to prison and leave her two sons motherless. Welcome to My Name Is 28301-016. The first half of this season sees Earl coming to terms with life behind bars, and brother Randy (Suplee) coming to terms with life without Earl. Inside, Earl soon becomes a negotiator for the warden, helping smooth things over with the inmates to get time off his sentence. And Randy finds life on the outside so difficult without his smarter brother that he gets a job as a prison guard so he can be close to Earl. Once released, Earl is hit by a car and ends up in a coma. And while in said coma, he thinks he's living life in a conventional American sitcom (laugh track and all) — and married to the gorgeous Billie (Milano). The creators of My Name Is Earl certainly tried going in a few different directions this season, and not all of them work. And there's not enough Catalina (Velazquez) for my liking. After an excellent first 2 seasons, it's strange to see it take a (slight) dip in quality for the third (and the good news is that it's firmly back on track in Season 4). But My Name Is Earl is still one of the funniest, sweetest shows on TV today and definitely not to be missed. Extras include deleted scenes, a couple of featurettes (Those Guys From Those Episodes and Under The Shell) and a gag reel (with, sadly, all the shits and fucks bleeped out). — Stuart O'Connor
Flood (Stars Robert Carlyle, Jessalyn Gilsig, Tom Courtenay, David Suchet, Martin Ball, Nathalie Boltt, Nigel Planer, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer; £19.99; UK cert 12) There's a rather nasty storm, and Britain is flooded. And, err, that's about it. An awful made-for-TV 2-parter with an awful script, awful acting and not-too awful special effects (I think they spent more money on the CGI than they did on actors or writers). Carlyle should know better than to do shit like this ... and his Cockney accent is worse than the one Ewan McGregor put on for Cassandra's Dream. Extras: interviews with cast and crew. — Stuart O'Connor
John Pilger: Behind The Façade **** (£29.99; UK cert E) There can’t be many “newsmen” that can justify a box set of their collective works? And there’s surely only one who’s onto his fourth? In a world where proper journalism is a dying art, John Pilger is number one (in a field of one), an intelligent presence probing the world’s most serious issues — democracy, globalisation, foreign dictatorships, etc — and making them accessible to the layman, without patronising the informed. Behind The Façade brings together 12 of Pilger’s documentaries on three DVDs, from 1975’s To Know Us Is To Love Us to 2001’s The New Rulers of the World. There are gaps in the collection, but most of these have already been filled by the previous four box sets. And if you have missed them and need some intelligent, thought-provoking television to watch, there’s always box set number five, Heroes, a 16-disc set covering 1970-2007. No extras — Neil Davey
While She Was Out **½ (Stars Kim Basinger, Luis Chavez, Erika-Shaye Gair, Luke Gair, Lukas Haas, Jennifer Kitchen, Katie Messina, Craig Sheffer, Ari Solomon, Jamie Starr; £15.99; UK cert 18) Remember Welcome Back, Kotter? Remember their classic putdown, "Up your nose with a rubber hose"? Well, how about "up your nose with a tyre iron"? It's certainly a novel way to despatch an assailant, and Basinger puts her tyre iron and other tools to good use in this low-budget, so-so thriller that was produced by Guillermo Del Toro. Basinger plays a suburban housewife who lives in a gated community with an abusive husband and two kids. On Christmas Eve she heads to the mall to pick up some last-minute items. On the way out she encounters a gang of teenaged thugs who promptly shoot the mall's parking area security guard and set off after her ... with the aim of raping then killing her. Somehow they all end up in the woods and this then becomes a survivalist-horror, with lovely Kimmy going Rambo on their arses. Much like the recent Eden Lake was a documentary about the modern British teenager, this is a doco about the modern American teen - the difference is that they use guns while the British thugs use knives. Basinger's performance as the meek and mild housewife who finds the strength within to survive against the odds is believable enough, even if some of the incidents do seem a little but too far-fetched. No extras — Stuart O'Connor
Paul Merton in China **** (Stars Paul Merton and billions of Chinese people; £24.99; UK cert 12) Michael Palin may have been the first to do the celebrity travel documentary, but Paul Merton does it funnier. The comedian — probably best known in the UK for the TV shows Room 101 and Have I Got News For you — spent six weeks travelling through China in 2007. He visits the usual major cities — Beijing and Shanhai among them — but also heads out into the countryside to see the real China, where he seems much more at home rather than in the big, westernised cities. Merton certainly brings his dry wit to these four episodes, but manages to be informative as well as fun. The best bit is where he meets the farmer who builds actual working robots out of scrap metal. No extras — Stuart O'Connor
Fonejacker: Season 2 *** (Stars Kayvan Novak; £19.99; UK cert 15) Phone pranks. They’re not big, they’re not clever yet, in the hands of Novak – he in the balaclava on the front of this doovde – they are frequently very, very funny. It’s doubtful (even if you have a lovely loocde tuv) that you’d want to sit through 180 minutes of them in one hit – hell, it’s often hard work doing one 30-minute episode – but as something to dip into here and there, Fonejacker can be pant-threatening, the mouse calls in particular. These see Novak calling assorted people – such as pest control companies – as a squeaky-voiced mouse seeking advice on how to remove cheese from a mousetrap or wondering how to humanely trap humans. Utterly childish, but stupidly amusing. Extras: commentaries, an interview with Novak, deleted clips. — Neil Davey
________________________________________________________________________
Week of 20 October 2008
The Unit: Season 3 *** (Stars Dennis Haysbert, Audrey Marie Anderson, Regina Taylor, Max Martini, Robert Patrick, Abby Brammell, Michael Irby, Scott Foley; £39.99; UK cert 15) While it’s possible to argue that the world of TV needs another military gang show drama like it needs a hole in the head, the credentials and quality of the writing and performances in The Unit have seen it succeed where others falter. Created by revered playwright David Mamet and boasting stars of the calibre of Dennis Haysbert (24) and Robert Patrick (T2, TV’s The X-Files) it’s sharper, faster and leaner than many of its counterparts. Season 3 builds on the plotlines and character arcs of its predecessor and sees the special forces team engaged in covert ops in Panama, Iraq and Ivory Coast. Typically the season concludes at a tense, pivotal moment with Jonas (Haysbert) conflicting by the prospect of betraying an old friend. Extras: Deleted scenes and a Writers’ Roundtable: a discussion of all three seasons of the show. — Robert Hull
Transylvania 6-5000 * (Stars Jeff Goldblum, Joseph Bologna, Ed Begley Jr, Carol Kane, John Byner, Geena Davis, Norman Fell; £12.99; UK cert PG) Unavailable for, well, ever on DVD, Transylvania 6-5000 is finally released on DVD. Hands up who’s been waiting? Exactly. Even if you have been waiting, you’re in for a major disappointment. This horror-comedy might come from Mel Brooks collaborator Rudy de Luca and star the likes of Goldblum, Begley Jr, Jeffrey Jones, Michael ‘Kramer’ Richards, Davis and Kane but it’s truly, truly awful. The direction is amateurish yet still somehow 10 times better than the script. The key cast do their best but some films just weren’t made for rediscovery. This would be top of that list. Extras: An audio commentary from De Luca and visual consultant Steve Haberman, but you’ll be pushed to get through the film once, let alone watch it again with the commentary. — Neil Davey
Creepshow 3 * (Stars Stephanie Pettee, AJ Bowen, Karen Agnes, Emmett McGuire, Kris Allen, Michael Madrid, Ben Pronsky; £12.99; UK cert 15) In 1982, there came a little anthology film called Creepshow, from the creative geniuses George Romero and Stephen King. Based on the famous EC horror comics of the 1950s, it was both funny AND scary. There was a so-so sequel in 1987, but it wasn't until 2006 that this thrd instalment came along. None of the original team were involved, and it shows - this is a stinker of the first order. It look slike it was made for TV, and a cut-rate, late-night cable channel at that. It gollows a similar structure to the previous outings, with five slightly interconnecting stories. In the first, Alice, a teenage girl has some problems with her dad's new universal remote; in The Radio, a security guard buys a radio that starts telling him what to do; the third, Rachel The Call Girl, sees a man hire a hooker who is actually a serial killer; in Professor Dayton's Wife, a teacher invites his two best former students to meet his fiancée — but the students suspect she is a robot; and in Haunted Dog, a nasty doctor causes the death of a homeless man by giving him a dodgy hot dog. None of the stories is scary, nor funny. Just bad, bad, bad. Don't waste your time or money. Extras: just a making-of featurette. — Stuart O'Connor
Boston Legal: Season 4 **** (Stars James Spader, Candice Bergen, William Shatner, Rene Auberjonois, Christian Clemenson, John Larroquette, Tara Summers; £34.99; UK cert 15) David Kelley has created some great TV shows over the years — Doogie Howser MD, LA Law, Picket Fences and Chicago hope, to name four of the best. He also did Ally McBeal, which is probably his best know and most successful series, but certainly not a favourite of mine. Now we have Boston Legal — a sort-of sequel to The Practice, which ran from 1997-2004, but which I never watched. And I have to confess to being a latecomer to Boston Legal — I saw the occasional episode in the first season, but it's not until this Season 4 release that I have watched an entire series of the show. Now I'm hooked. It has all the hallmarks of classic David Kelley — smart writing, quirky characters, a blend of comedy and drama, and a lack of fear when confronting complex and often controversial topics. This season a few of those that they touch on are AIDS, teaching abstinence, abortions, big oil, gays in the army, cross dressing, cloned meat, cockfighting, the environment and euthenasia. It's a show with a great deal of humour and a lot of heart. And its biggest asset is surely Shatner as loopy partner Denny Crane. Is this his best role since Star Trek's James T Kirk? Extras: just a featurette on this season's new cast members. — Stuart O'Connor
________________________________________________________________________
Week of 13 October 2008
Zombie Strippers ** (Blu-ray; Stars Jenna Jameson, Robert Englund, Roxy Saint, Joey Medina, Shamron Moore, Penny Drake, Jennifer Holland; £24.99; UK cert 18) Another week, another zombie release (they really are flavour of the month, aren't they). And yes, it's another zombie flick with strippers in it. But this time, instead of fighting the zombies, the strippers are the zombies. And the joke here is that while zombies are usually brainless (apart from the ones they love to eat), the zombified strippers have actually got some smarts. Sony had this slated for a UK theatrical release in September, but pulled it at the last minute to go straight to DVD and Blu-ray, and it's easy to see why - Zombie Strippers is pure Z-grade hokum. It's porn star Jenna Jameson's first "mainstream" film, and as such she's the only stripper of the bunch who actually gets all of her kit off. And there's barely a "natural" breast on show anywhere. Co-starring Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, this is mediocre entertainment that relies way too much on its CGI effects, fake boobs and lame gags. Extras include an audio comentary (with Englund, Jameson, writer/director Jay Lee and actor Joey Medina), deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette (in which some of the actors claim their characters were named after philosophers!), a featurette about the make-up effects, and trailers. — Stuart O'Connor
Teeth *** (Stars Jess Weixler, John Hensley & Josh Pais; £15.99; UK cert 18) When a film is so upfront and outlandish as Teeth is, you've got to give the filmmakers a bit of respect. Yes, it's daft, nonsensical and even stupid at times but everyone involved is well aware of the fact and, rather than trying to swim upstream and deny the ludicrousness, everyone seems utterly content to revel in the madness that naturally stems from a film about a girl with fangs in her muff - or as the film more eloquently puts it, Vagina Dentata. Well aside from the abscess-forming plot and the levels of gore and shagging that naturally go hand in hand with the situation, the film boasts some genuinely funny moments and some bloody good performances. In all, it's a good dose of grisly fun… as long as you aren't squeamish of course. Cool DVD cover, too. Extras include an audio commentary, featurette, deleted scenes and trailers. — Jordan Brown
Hark At Barker *** (Stars Ronnie Barker, David Jason; £19.99; UK cert PG) Six Dates With Barker *** (Stars Ronnie Barker; £14.99, UK cert PG) Here’s a comedy curiosity: two very early Ronnie Barker series that haven’t been seen for around 40 years. Hark At Barker is a sketch–based show where Lord Rustless (Barker, obviously) pontificates on assorted subjects, backed up by themed sketches featuring Barker – and a very young David Jason – in various roles. The chemistry between the two was obvious – Porridge and of course Open All Hours proved that – but even with the likes of Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Eric Idle and Barker writing, this series hasn’t exactly dated well. The same is true of Six Dates with Barker, six longer-form comedies written by the likes of John Cleese, Spike Milligan and Barker again. Fans of the Two Ronnies will recognise one of them – the Phantom Raspberry Blower – which was remade as a weekly serial for that particular show. Certainly one for comedy completists and fitfully worthwhile for the rest of the world. No extras — Neil Davey
Babylon **** (Stars Brinsley Forde, Karl Howman, Trevor Laird; £12.99, UK cert 15) Issued on only a limited release in 1980 and since then available only on blurry bootlegs, the realist musical drama Babylon is one of those rare genuine missing cult classics worthy of loving restoration and reissue. Aswad member and former Double-Decker Brinsley Forde takes the lead as the vividly arresting put upon reggae toaster Blue in a gritty, beautifully shot and street-smart scripted clash of cultures tale between rival underground soundsystems, generations and, most strikingly, races. It's been called the reggae Quadrophenia, not least because both shared a writer in Martin Stellman, and the kinship of the two films is backed up by a supporting cast that includes Mel Smith, Karl Howman (Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush) and Trevor Laird (Quadrophenia). But it's the stark portrayal of racism about to boil over in pre-gentrification and pre-riots (just) Brixton that strikes home - a coming of age tale where the intensity of the music matches the intensity of the times as they were. Extras: an audio commentary by cast and crew, and a Q&A from a BFI screening. — Katrina Dixon
The Guard Post *** (Kyoo-Hwan Choi, Ho-jin Chun. Byeong-Cheol Do, Cho Hyun-Jae; £12.99; UK cert 18) From Su-Chang Kong, director of Korean shocker R-Point, comes this horror/drama/chiller/war film. Set in the border between North and South Korea, the film is set around a mysterious massacre at the guard post. When Army HQ order a cover-up of the unexplained bloodbath the investigating team find themselves in a race against time to uncover the truth, and escape with their lives. It's a bit excessively confusing for what is really a simple premise, but it's atmospheric, creepy and generally enjoyable. Extras: three behind the scenes docs (one standard, the others based on set and SFX design) plus a storyboard, and the obligatory trailers. — Michael Edwards
Family Guy: The Best of Stewie Griffin & Family Guy: The Best Of Peter Griffin *** (£12.99 each, UK cert 15) For the Family Guy fan, these two mini-compilations are about as necessary as a dog basket for Brian, but before anyone wants to dispatch them into the cash-in pile, it's worth considering that these are a great introduction for the newcomer. Of course they're not the best moments of either character - no one's ever going to agree on that. These are though, each neat little bundles of special moments: Stewie as the Californian tan king who goes too far and ends up ballroom dancing with Brian, or so in love with Lois that she ends up banging his head with the tumble-dryer lid; Peter as a high school Fonz, the leader of his own country and sporting his bondage outfit (not at the same time, I have to point out). On top of four episodes in each DVD, there's the obligatory overload of violence, swearwords and outbreaks of showtunes, as well a sharp jab at the comparatively flabby Simpsons tucked away for good measure. The only question that remains: when's the best of Brian Griffin coming out? No extras — Katrina Dixon
Smallville: Season 7 **** (Stars Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk, John Glover, Erica Durance, Laura Vandervoort, Aaron Ashmore, James Marsters; £49.99; UK cert 15) Yay! At last they get rid of that bland, boring Lana (Kreuk). She might be lovely to look at, but MAN she's a dull character! Sadly, it's also the final season with Lex (Rosenbaum) - although he finally does get one-up on father Lionel (Glover). Yes, this is the final season for both those characters. And it's also the last season with show creators Miles Millar and Al Gough. But the highlight of the season is the arrival of Clark's hot blonde Kryptonian cousin, Kara (Vandervoort). Who can fly and stuff. So, overall, how is this season? Fortunately, they've left the Lana-Lex-Clark love triangle behind in season 6, and they get on with a bit more action and stuff. The main story arc involves a mysterious group — of which Lionel Luthor is a part — called Veritas, which is seeking someone called the Traveller". Who, if you hadn't already guessed, is Clark (Welling). And Lex gets ever closer to learning Clark's secret, while finally descending into the true eveil that we know and love him for. Bizarro Clark returns, as does evil Kryptonian Brainiac. But the best part of this season is, of course, the lovely Kara (I've always had a soft spot for Supergirl). And speaking of Supergirl, Helen Slater — who played the lead in that godawful 1984 movie — pops up as Lara, Clarks biological mother. It's still a little bit too teen soap at times, and Welling still plays the Man of Steel a little like the Man of Wood, but Smallville is a guilty pleasure — and, for the most part, a lot of fun. Extras include deleted scenes, audio commentaries, and four featurettes — Supergirl: the Last Daughter of Krypton; Kimmy on Jimmy; the animated Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton; and the comic strip Smallville Visions. — Stuart O'Connor
The Tudors: Season 2 **** (Stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Natalie Dormer, Jeremy Northam, Henry Cavill, Maria Doyle Kennedy; £29.99; UK cert 15) More raunchy goings on from the early days in the reign of King Hery VIII - here played in the much more slimline model of Rhys-Meyers (those who remember the 1970 mini-series starring Keith Michell will know what I mean). Sam Neill's Cardinal Wolsey is dead (eaten by a dinosaur perhaps?) but Northam's Thomas More is still around ... for a while. The plot of the second season deals mainly with Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn (Dormer) and his courtship of Jane Seymour (Anita Briem). As with the excellent film The Other Boleyn Girl, the creators of The Tudors play free and fast with history, but who really cares when it's this much fun - especially when Peter O'Toole plays a Pope? Extras: Just three featurettes: To Capture a King; To Play a Pope; and Love and Passion in Tudor Times. — Stuart O'Connor
________________________________________________________________________
Week of 6 October 2008
Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! ** (Stars Jessica Barton, Hollie Winnard, Lyanna Tumaneng, Sean Harriman, Anthony Headen, Tiffany Shepis, Juliet Reeves, Landon Ashworth; £12.99; UK cert 18) "I am tired of these motherfucking zombies in this motherfucking strip club," bellows the big black pimp. Yup, this low-budget flick — also know as Zombies vs Strippers — definitely exists in a post-Snakes on a Plane world. A medical experiment gone wrong results in a horde of zombies (most of them whores) terrorising the staff and patrons of a strip joint, The Grindhouse. Carnage ensues. Some nice ideas, with lots of pretty girls and plenty of nods to zombie classics and conventions, but it's let down by poor acting and shoddy special effects. And it's nowhere near as funny as it thinks it is. And can someone please explain to me why Americans always hang out in strip clubs where the girls don't take their clothes off? Weird. Extras: A blooper reel, a making-of featurette and the theatrical trailer. — Stuart O'Connor
Two & A Half Men Season 4 **** (Stars Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Angus T Jones, Holland Taylor, Conchata Ferrell; £24.99; UK cert 12) Two & A Half Men is, frankly, one of the most consistent comedies out there. It might not be terribly original, or Curb Your Enthusiasm clever, but if you want tight entertainment that will make you laugh out loud several times in every 22 minute chunk, there’s few things to match it. As you’re no doubt aware, it focuses on the hedonistic Charlie (Sheen) forced to compromise on his lifestyle with the arrival of his brother Alan (Cryer) and nephew Jake (Jones). In Season Four, Jake discovers girls, one of several plot devices that the writers squeeze every ounce of comedy from. You can’t watch without wondering how big the series could have been here in the UK if, say, Channel 4 had grabbed it rather than Five. The cast might not be as pretty as the bunch in Friends, but the writing frequently hits those sorts of heights. If you’ve not dipped into it before, do it now: Two & A Half Men is approaching classic sitcom status. Extras: A gag reel, a handful of entertaining documentaries / features. — Neil Davey
King Lear ** (Stars Ian McKellen, Frances Barber, Monica Dolan, Romola Garai, William Gaunt, Jonathan Hyde, Sylvester McCoy); £19.99; UK cert 12) An intriguing hotpotch of contradictions: this version of the recent West End stage production of Shakespeare’s magnificent, powerful play has been shot in high definition at Pinewood Studios by director Trevor Nunn. It’s available on DVD now, will be screened by Channel 4 on Christmas Day, and will be on offer in a Blu-ray version on 26 December. Why? Stage and screen acting are so obviously different skills, so why put the play in this strange worst-of-both-worlds scenario. High definition and Blu-ray are admirable technologies but what can they deliver a stage production, except showing up shortcomings of the set or giving the audience a — potentially unwanted — look at the craggy visage of Ian McKellen in the title role? It’s a competent interpretation, with very strong performances from a cast immersed in the best of the bard, but it invariably lacks thethrill of live performance or the panache of filmic storytelling. Extras: an interview with Sir Ian McKellen. — Robert Hull
Reeker 2: No Mans Land — The Rise of Reeker *** (Stars Michael Muhney, Ben Gunther, Robert Pine, Mircea Monroe, Valerie Cruz, Wilmer Calderon, Desmond Askew, Stephen Martines; £15.99; UK cert 18) Unusually for a sequel (to an almost-unseen film) and a film with a triple-barrelled title, this Reeker doesn't stink too much at all. A group of people at a Death Valley diner — including the local sheriff and a gang of casino robbers — find themselves caught between life and death, pursued by a very smelly killer. The acting is OK, the deaths suitably gory (with decent-enough effects) and the twist at the end is not too bad at all. Extras: A commentary by writer/director Dave Payne, a making-of featurette and a script-to-storyboard featurette. — Stuart O'Connor
The Simpsons: Season 11 *** (Stars the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Phil Hartman, Mel Gibson, Lucy Lawless, Dick Clark, Tim Robbins, John Goodman, Parker Posey, Britney Spears; £39.99; UK cert 12) A lot of people think that this is the season (from WAAAAAAY back in the year 2000!) that saw The Simpsons start the slide to mediocrity. While it's not the show's greatest season ever, it's far from the worst. There are still some terrific episodes — the Mel Gibson-starring Beyond Blunderdome, a great Treehouse of Horror, Missionary: Impossible (Homer becomes a missionary on an island in the South Pacific) and Behind the Laughter, a fake behind-the-scenes look at the show. There are also some other classic moments: the death of Ned's wife, Maude; Homer as a hated food critic; Apu and Manjula have octuplets; the despicable Christmas toy Funzo; and the Simpsons house-sitting for Mr Burns. Yes, there's still lots of laughs among the 22 episodes here, but not as many as in years gone by. Is The Simpsons less funny than it used to be, or have we just got so used to it being on TV that we take it for granted? Who knows. One thing that IS missing from Season 11 is a Sideshow Bob episode. Like the Treehouse of Horror, he does need to pop in for a visit at least once a year. Extras: As always with a Simpsons collection, there's a massive array of extras, including an introduction by creator Matt Groening, commentary tracks on every episode, deleted scenes, original sketches and featurettes. — Stuart O'Connor
The Tommy Cooper Collection (£49.99) / Cooper (£14.99) **** (Stars Tommy Cooper — but hey you probably guessed that — plus guests ranging from Acker Bilk to ABBA; UK cert PG) The bad news? These specials are looking very dated. The good news? They’re still pant-threateningly hilarious. Tommy Cooper is a legend and for very good reason: the man is a comic genius as these releases — particularly the five-disc Tommy Cooper Collection — show. In isolation, the magic tricks are chaotic and the jokes lame. In Cooper’s hands though, they’re comedy gold. Anyone who lived through the 1970s will already have seen the three one-hour ITV specials that make up the bulk of this release. Hell, anyone who lived through the 1970s will already have seen the specials about 87 times, so often did ITV repeat them. Looking at the quality of their schedules now though, you can’t help but wish they’d put these on a permanent loop on some digital channel. As cures for depression go, this is £50 well spent. No extras — Neil Davey
We Can Be Heroes ***** (Stars Chris Lilley, Jennifer Byrne, Maria Angelico, Ferdinand Hoang, Tracey Mathers; £19.99; UK cert 15) Each year, thousands of citizens are nominated for Australian of the Year — an award for the person who has "made a significant contribution, demonstrated excellence in their field or are inspirational role models for their commnity" — and the honour is presented on Australia Day, January 26. This mockumentary series follows the everyday lives of five of those nominees: former Brisbane police officer Phil; physics student and aspiring Melbourne actor Ricky; Sydney schoolgirl Ja'mie; outback farmboy Daniel; and disabled Perth mother Pat. All five are played by the brilliant Chris Lilley, who also wrote the series. Yes, the same Chris Lilley who did the recent Summer Heights High (also out on DVD today). This show preceeded that one (WCBH was made in 2005), and for my money is the superior of the two — its observations are sharper, and much more well observed. Oh, and it's also very, very funny and quite un-PC. It has to be said that Lilley is one of the brightest talents to come out of Australia in a long, long time. Extras include deleted scenes and outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, audition tapes and a trailer for Summer Heights High. — Stuart O'Connor
Female Agents *** (Stars Sophie Marceau, Julie Depardieu, Marie Gillian, Deborah Francois); £19.99; UK cert 15) This Word War II drama – based on true events – is a cut above your usual nancy-cigarette smoking and jackboot shenanigans, boasting a strong female cast, excellent period detail and creative, though not too flashy, direction from Jean-Paul Salomé. Shame on those who allowed it to be christened Female Agents, when its original French title, Les Femmes de l’ombre is unequivocally cooler. Sophie Marceau’s Louise Desfontaine and her brother Pierre (Julien Boisselier) are French resistance fighters working for Churchill’s SOE (Special Operations Executive) and must stop the Nazis getting their hands on a geologist who’s researching the locations for the D-Day landings. Dirty Dozen style they recruit a team of, yes, female agents, (the usual ragtag ensemble of religious nut, prostitute showgirl etc), to embark on a quite possibly suicidal mission to ensure the Allies’ success. While there’s nothing exceptional or groundbreaking on display there’s great satisfaction to be had from a good story well told. No extras — Robert Hull
Moonlighting: Seasons 1 and 2 **** (Stars Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, James Karen, Rebecca Stanley, Eva Marie Saint, Tim Robbins, Whoopi Goldberg, Orson Welles, Judd Nelson; £29.99; UK cert 12) Ever hear of a guy named Bruce Willis? Of course you have. But do you know how he got his start, how he became one of the biggest (and baldest) stars in Hollywood today? Well, here you have the first two seasons of the mid-80s TV series that set his rise to the top in motion. Wealthy former model Maddie Hayes (Shepherd) is sent almost bankrupt after her business manager takes off with all her money. She still has a few rundown business, including a loss-making detective agency run by the charming, smartarsed bigmouth David Addison (Willis). She wants to shut the agency and cut her losses, but somehow Addison convinces her to become his partner and help run the agency. And thus began one of the most popular partnerships ever seen on TV. It was also, I believe, the start of the "dramedy" genre. Moonlighting took the well-known formula of the TV detective show and turned it on its head. With its mix of lighthearted fun and romance, and decent dramatic storylines, Moonlighting was a hit around the world. The romantic tension between the two main characters, as well as their bantering and bickering (the show was famous for its sharp dialogue), also helped to keep audiences tuning in week after week. And as we all now know, Willis went on to have a huge big-screen career; Shepherd went on to Cybill. Extras: Just three featurettes that reminesce about the show: Not Just a Day Job — The Story of Moonlighting Part One; Inside the Blue Moon Detective Agency — The Story of Moonlighting Part Two; and The Moonlighting Phenomenon. — Stuart O'Connor
Star Wars Prequel Trilogy *** (Stars Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L Jackson; £29.99; UK cert 12) After keeping everyone waiting for what feels like donkey's years, the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy finally arrives on DVD in its own swanky boxset. Before you get too excited and run after your piggy bank with a hammer feverishly clutched in your white-knuckled fist, there's not a new extra in sight. Instead, this is merely the normal two-discers stuck in a crappy box. Making matters worse, the artwork for the box has been made to match the recent incarnation of the original trilogy on DVD. It means that if (like every other Star Wars fan) you got the first Star Wars boxset to be released, this won't exactly sit nicely at its side. He's a pain in the arse, that Lucas bloke. Extras: Commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes etc — the same stuff that is on the separate releases. — Jordan Brown
Felon *** (Blu-ray; Stars Stephen Dorff, Marisol Nichols, Vincent Miller, Anne Archer, Larnell Stovall, Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard, Johnny Lewis; £24.99; UK cert 15) Decent, all-American family man Wade Porter (Dorff) gets banged up for three years after he accidentally kills a guy who broke into his house. He struggles to adjust to harsh, nasty prison life, until he's put in a cell with John Smith (Kilmer), a killer serving a life sentence. Anyone who has seen the TV show Oz will know what comes next — prison bashings and abuse, both by other prisoners and the guards. It's a decent enough prison potboiler with good performances from its main cast (although Kilmer's goatee looks a mite ridiculous) and a sense of tension throughout that you can almost taste. But tell me: does anyone else think Stephen Dorff looks awfully like Kiefer Sutherland? Extras: Just a making-of featurette. — Stuart O'Connor
Days of Darkness *** (Stars Travis Brorsen, Roshelle Pattison, John Lee Ames, Bryan Rasmussen, Tom Eplin, Sabrina Gennarino; £12.99; UK cert 18) More zombies, but this time minus the strippers and with a twist: zombies cause by alien body-snatchers. Young couple Steve (Brorsen) and Mimi (Pattison) are camping out when a comet passes the Earth. On their way back to town, they suddenly come across ... yep, you guessed it — flesh-eating zombies! They end up in a compound in the hills with a bunch of relatively normal survivors ... plus a porn star and a religious nut. Together they have to work out just what has happened, and find a way to survive. The film has a touch of Romero's original Day of the Dead, but the script is not nearly as clever. And some of the acting leaves a LOT to be desired. But it's an entertaining enough zombiefest for fans of the genre, if a little slow moving and light on the gore. Extras: nothing but the trailer. — Stuart O'Connor