DVD INCOMING

The Departed (R1, 2-disc Special Edition, Warner Bros) and A Blade in the Dark/Macabre (R0, Double Feature Edition, Anchor Bay) arrived from DVD Pacific yesterday. I haven't had time to take a look at either of the discs yet but I intend to sit down and watch The Departed this week. I was delighted Martin Scorsese, one of my favourite living directors, received his much belated Oscar for Best Director. Having not seen Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong crime thriller upon which The Departed is based, I can approach to this film without any preconceived ideas of how or to what degree this American remake is better or worse than the source material. I'll post my thoughts at some point in the future.

I ordered A Blade in the Dark and Macabre primarily to bring my order at DVD Pacific close to my preferred £18 spend (£18 is the sum total in British pounds sterling that you can import goods for from outside the EU without having to incur HM Customs chargers. This figure rises to approx £32 if you can get the package to be identified as a gift). However, A Blade in the Dark has been on my 'too watch' list for some time and being a massive Mario Bava fan, I am keen to see how his offspring's efforts compare. More comments on these Lamberto Bava features to follow.