DVD and Blu-ray

UK DVD & Blu-ray Releases: February 27th 2012 0 1297

Thoughts On Film - DVD Blu-ray releases Feb 27th

Pick of the Week

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Writers: Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear, Lion Shriver (novel)

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly, Jasper Newell, Rock Duer, Ashley Gerasimovich

Based on the million-selling Orange Prize winning novel by Lionel Shriver and directed by acclaimed film-maker Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin is an emotional thriller starring Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller. Eva (Tilda Swinton) puts her ambitions and career aside to give birth to Kevin. The relationship between mother and son is difficult from the very first years. When Kevin is 15, he does something irrational and unforgivable in the eyes of the community. Eva grapples with her own feelings of grief and responsibility. Did she ever love her son? And how much of what Kevin did was her fault?

This is Lynne Ramsay’s first film since Morvern Callar in 2002, a long time for such a great talent to be away (part of the reason for her absence was her failed attempt to adapt The Lovely Bones novel). However, the wait was well worth it as We Need To Talk About Kevin is an utter masterpiece of a film, masterfully directed with amazing performances, particularly from lead Tilda Swinton (both her and the film as a whole was disgracefully snubbed by the Oscars). A unique and powerful exploration of the nature vs. nurture debate, and an absolute must-own.

Extras include:

  • Interview with cast and crew
  • Trailer

We Need To Talk About Kevin DVD

Other Releases

In Time – A classic case of a film having an amazing concept that doesn’t really follow through with it, this is perfectly passable entertainment. However, when it comes from director Andrew Niccol, who made things like Gattaca, Lord of War and The Truman Show (the latter as a writer), this can’t help but be a disappointment. Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried have very little chemistry together, which kind of makes it hard to care for their growing relationship amidst all the running around. You won’t really regret watching it but will probably be left wanting more.

Extras include:

  • ‘The Minutes’ Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)
  • Deleted and extended scenes (10x)

In Time DVD

The Three Musketeers – Where to even begin with this one… This blockbuster take on Alexandre Dumas’ classic adventure tale bastardizes the whole thing, adding in airships, headache-inducing one-liners and terrible acting (to name just a few wrong-doings).  Both ridiculous and boring (a feat in and of itself to accomplish both simultaneously), this is a shining example of what’s wrong with Hollywood blockbusters these days. There are certainly worse films out – there are a couple of enjoyable touches to be found here and there – but this certainly one you should avoid.

(Extras info unavailable)

The Three Musketeers DVD

Paranormal Activity 3 – The first film in this franchise is still the best simply because the idea was still fresh then but this third installment offers a lot of fun scares, bringing it back from the lacklustre (to say the least) second film. However,it does lose its way in the last 20-30 mins when it tries to explain the back-story and just ends up confusing things for the worse. If you’ve seen any of the previous films you pretty much know what you’re in for with the third one, but it does have some of the best scares of the series so far.

Extras include:

  • Scare Montage
  • ‘Dennis’ commercial

Paranormal Activity 3 DVD

Sleeping Beauty – I haven’t had a chance to see this one yet but the film split audiences upon its release, some praising its boldness and the performance of Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), while others thought it exploitative and pretentious. A divisive film that inspires discussion is far better than a safe one which you immediately forget though, right?

(Extras info unavailable)

 

Sleeping Beauty DVD

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Which of these releases will you be spending your money on (if any)?

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I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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DVD Review: Demons 1 & 2 0 2673

Demons 1 and 2 DVD

After more than a quarter of a century since the release of both Demons and its sequel Demons 2 (or Demoni and Demoni 2 to use the original Italian-language names) they have finally been released on special edition DVD and Blu-ray. Fully restored and remastered straight from the original prints the releases are available via Arrow Video, who make it their mission to highlight and celebrate cult films by giving them special home releases.

MOVIES

For those who are fans of the films already then this is your chance to experience them in a far superior format – with dramatically improved picture and sound. By nature of the time and budget of when they were made then they didn’t look pristine to begin with, but you’ll be glad to hear the restoration is very good, or as good as you can get from such movies.

The first Demons is the superior of the two mainly because of its killer premise: A group of people are invited by a mysterious masked stranger to a special movie screening. They think they are safe sitting in their seats because, after all, it’s just movie, right? Wrong. Suddenly all hell breaks loose when the world of the demons on-screen becomes a reality within the cinema when one of the patron gets infected and transforms into one of the monsters. The survivors of the initial onslaught then have to battle the demons and try to escape to the building which unbeknownst to them has been barricaded.

I smell a remake…

Demons screenshot

Demons definitely sits as part of the schlocky horror movies the ’80s was famous for, with all the hammy acting and ridiculousness that goes along with that. But where Demons stands head and shoulders above a lot of other similar movies is in the make-up effects and the sheer sense of “hyper-terror” it conveys. Created by Sergio Stivaletti, the make-up effects – with the exception of a few details here and there – are truly fantastic in their goriness and absolutely stand the test of time. They’re the kind of effects that are horrifying but at the same time you can’t help but stare at them – whether it be a man getting his throat ripped open or one of the demons grotesquely transforming, it’s hard not to be mesmerized by the craftsmanship on display.

The plot of Demons 2 switches from the cinema to a simple apartment building (much less of a hook), and this time the world of the demons transcends out of a regular TV screen and into the normal lives of an unsuspecting group of residents and party-goers.

Demons 2 isn’t quite at the level of the first one, suffering from a more generic storyline, and if anything the ridiculousness hurts the film where it didn’t the first time around. However, the impressive make-up effects are still to be found here and this time around things are stepped up a notch in that department. One sequence in particular involves a demon climbing out of the TV as a mesmerized woman stares on and it’s quite a sight to behold, let me tell you. Apparently it was done with practical effects and if that’s true then it’s even more impressive because of how much it emulates CGI.

demons 2

EXTRAS

The main attraction for fans of the movies with this release, out with actually watching the movies themselves, is the fact that you get a comic book entitled Demons 3, a different format sequel/prequel to the first two movies.

It is the 16th Century, the time of the plague in Southern France. Amid the carnage, a new evil is starting to take form and only Nostradamus can see it. Are his horrifying visions of the future signs of what will come to pass? Can he stop the demons from taking over the world? Demons 3 is an all-new epic tale of demonic decapitation written by Stefan Hutchinson and Barry Keating, with artwork by Jeff Zornow and Peter Fielding.

As an extra bonus on top of the Demons 3 comic you also get interchangeable cover artwork for both movies which is a nice touch for the avid collectors out there.

Demons DVD Extra Features

  • Audio recollections of director Lamberto Bava, Special Make-Up Creations Artist Sergio Stivaletti and Journalist Loris Curci
  • Audio recollections of the cast and crew, a brand new commentary [2011]
  • Dario’s Demon Days: Producer Dario Argento discusses the inception of Demons
  • Defining an Era in Music: Composer Claudio Simonetti on the Demons Soundtrack
  • Luigi Cozzi’s Top Italian Terrors: Cozzi discusses the highpoints of Spaghetti Splatter

Demons 2 DVD Extra Features

  • The audio recollections of director Lamberto Bava, Mechanical Creations & Transformation Artist Sergio Stivaletti and Journalist Loris Curci
  • Creating Creature Carnage: Extensive Interview with makeup man Sergio Stivaletti
  • Bava to Bava: Luigi Cozzi tracks the history of the Italian horror film; from Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava to the end of the golden age with Michele Soavi and Lamberto Bava as well as considering recent Italian horror films.

The interviews are mainly your generic talking heads style with footage spliced in between. While the various related folks discussing the movies in retrospect is interesting, it nonetheless would have been nice to get some more in-depth making of stuff, particular in relation to the special make-up effects. To be fair such footage may not even exist but something more than just talking heads interviews would have added a bit more to an otherwise great double release.

Demons 1 and 2 DVD

As a double-bill of over-the-top ’80s horror you’d be hard pressed to find a more fun schlocky ride. Whether you’re a long-time fan looking to revisit or you’re a newcomer looking to experience them for the first time, this re-release offers the best possible opportunity while adding some solid extras to back it up.

Demons & Demons 2 are available now separately on DVD and Blu-ray as well as part of a Steelbook combo pack. Order from Amazon.

Booked Out DVD Review 1 2295

MOVIE

From first time writer/director Bryan O’Neil we have Booked Out, a ridiculously charming and loveable little film about human connection, the lasting effect an event can have on someone and the general quirks of everyday life.

Nowhere are those quirks manifested more than in Ailidh (Mirren Burke), an artist who loves taking Polaroid photographs of her neighbours. One of the people she spies on his Jacob (Rollo Weeks), a young man who keeps visiting a mysterious and seemingly disturbed woman across the hall from her. Ailidh tries to get close to Jacob and all the while the two of them help an upstairs neighbour, Mrs Nicholls, to cope with the death of her husband.

Bolstered by a terrific, upbeat original score by Derek Yau and Mark West, Booked Out is quirky and off-beat but in an honest way. Its charm comes inherently from its characters and the witty script, moving effortlessly from delightful small-talk and small adventures – such as when Ailidh and Jacob go to a fancy dress party as “animals that doesn’t exist” – to actually being about something deeply real.

The latter aspect comes in two forms; Jacob dealing with a girl, Jacqueline, we don’t really know much about who doesn’t say much and appears both absent and clingy at the same time (achieved by an enigmatic performance from Claire Garvey), and the two leads helping out the lovable but troubled Mrs. Nicholls (played wonderfully by Sylvia Syms) who still believes her husband is alive. One scene in particular personifies the nature of the film as a whole in which Jacob has to speak French (the little of it he knows anyway) to an empty armchair which Mrs Nicholls believes her husband is sitting in. Ailidh keeps up this charade because she has a fondness for her upstairs neighbour, while Jacob seems to do it out of politeness more than anything else.

The two leads are great to watch together, Weeks’ awkwardness and shyness as Jacob off-set by the burst of energy and the ray of sunshine that is Burke’s Ailidh (Burke’s first feature performance here definitely makes her one to watch for the future).Their opposing natures which are somehow perfectly matched evokes Harold and Maude – whether that was international or not, that’s how it comes across.

The cinematography by Jordan Cushing gives the film a Summery feel for the most part, only changing to a dimmer, bleaker view whenever Jacob goes to visit Jacqueline or in some scenes with Mrs Nicholls. In this way we have a “mood stone” effect where the look and feel matches the tone of the scene at hand.

Although it takes a little while to find its feet, once it starts to mingle together its quirkiness with genuine heart, scratching away at the surface of what we assume is going on from the start, Booked Out really works. Sure to be one of the most charming indie movies of 2012, this is the type of intimate, funny and subtly involving film that gives the British film industry a good name.

EXTRAS

The DVD doesn’t exactly contain an exhaustive amount of special features, however there’s enough there to add to the experience of the film. Along with the usual audio commentary (with the director and Director of Photography) and trailer, we also have a series of short interviews with the cast including Mirren Burke, Rollo Weeks, Claire Garvey and Sylvia Syms, though it would have been nice to have one with writer/director Bryan O’Neil himself as well. There’s also some deleted scenes (with optional commentary with O’Neil) adding up to around 18 minutes – one scene in particular entitled “Treacle seduces Bookwork-man” I actually felt could have stayed in the film.

[youtube id=”g6fTaaoL3Vo” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Booked Out is out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on March 12th.