CHILDREN OF MEN ****

UK/USA: Alfonso Cuarón, 2006

Format: SD DVD
Region: 2 (UK)
DVD Distributor: Universal Pictures


I watched this film last night with the girlfriend. Both of us were gripped and enthralled from start to finish. The real stand-out aspects for me were Clive Owen giving a genuinely accomplished performance and best of all the superb cinematography. Yes, the film is quite dark in places and very drab colour scheme wise but that frayed urban feel really captures the current zeitgeist of defeat and despair inherent to late-capitalist society.

The hand-held camera aesthetic, often over done in the hands of a less capable director and crew, was masterfully handled especially in the long continuous shot inside the building in the refugee slum. I also felt that whilst bordering on the over-stated the momentary halt brought to the bloodletting between the "terrorists" and the army by the sight of Owen and Key bringing out the crying baby summed up visually the films thematic core. That of human life, whatever its ethnicity, is something to be valued and treated with respect. A lesson history tells us we've yet to learn and inevitably never will as our supposed civilised society flounders from one bloody conflict to another. One only has to reflect on our own growing tendency in Britain to shoot, stab and murder our own neighbours in both city and countryside.

On a negative note though I did find the ending a little too abrupt and it highlighted my main criticism of the film over all. Whilst Director Alfonso Cuarón may wish to bring the background to the foreground and really tell the story through images I felt this technique contributed to a lack of depth being given to the main characters. However, this is just a personal response as I was moved by the film (the isolated school scene in particular) and could have even been moved to tears I suspect if the characters had engaged my sympathy to a greater degree by the film allowing me to get to know them better.

Oh well, guess I’ll have to buy the original novel by PD James...

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(*) BLADE RUNNER: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT *****

USA: Ridley Scott, 1982 - (Director's Cut released in 1992)

Format: Channel Five Television Broadcast (VHS)
Region: N/A
DVD Distributor: N/A

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(*) THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN ***½

UK: Terence Fisher, 1957

Format: SD DVD
Region: 2 (UK)
DVD Distributor: Warner Bros

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(*) DRESSED TO KILL ***½

USA: Brian De Palma, 1980

Format: SD DVD
Region: 2 (UK)
DVD Distributor: MGM

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TWIN PEAKS TUESDAY!

Okay, okay... I know today is Wednesday but somehow I overlooked the fact Twin Peaks: The Second Season was officially released on DVD yesterday!

Twin Peaks aired from 1990 to 1991 and was created by the highly distinctive director David Lynch and Mark Frost (writer of Hill Street Blues and other hit TV shows fame). Twin Peaks proved to be both a critical and popular success before unceremoniously being cancelled at the close of this its second season.

The other work commitments David Lynch took on during this period meant he had less and less time to supervise the show. A uniquely personal vision to David Lynch and enhanced by his collaboration with Mark Frost, Twin Peaks was destined to stutter and shake under the weight of its growing reputation and the broad and unwieldy nature of the television series format. Hiring different directors to deliver scripts increasingly produced by larger and more disparate sets of writers/producers inevitably saw the creative vision diluted and obscured. Ultimately, David Lynch conceded the series had reached its zenith in terms of its TV incarnation and there have been no more seasons of the show. The director, himself, returned to the setting and characters of Twin Peaks, for many fans his greatest achievement, in his controversial and often derided 1992 feature Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Whilst perhaps not tying up the multitude of plot strands begun by the television series and unmistakably bleaker in its outlook, the film does succeed in providing an illuminating counter point to Twin Peaks the TV series. Recently voted the ninth best television drama ever by critics and TV industry professionals in the UK - for Channel 4's 50 Greatest TV Drama list show - no small feat for an American drama, Twin Peaks remains a landmark in television history and a richly textured work of art.

This 6-disc set is region 1 encoded and NTSC from the US. The distributor label is Paramount rather than Artisan, who released Twin Peaks: The First Season in the US, and is available from online retailers such as DVD Pacific, Amazon.com and Deep Discount DVD.

This release has been an awful long time in coming with many fans of the groundbreaking television series making do with well worn LP recorded VHS tapes. For myself, I must confess to only having recently sat down and watched the first season in its entirety. Being an admirer of David Lynch, I was expecting to enjoy the show but even so Twin Peaks is a polished gem of a TV series. The episodes encompass a plethora of well written characters and the main plot, to find the killer of Laura Palmer, is in many ways the back story to all the sub-plots brought to the surface in the series. Considering the different directors involved and the fact that this was the first run of the programme the mood and atmosphere is superbly maintained throughout. Of course there is no shortage of the bizarre with numerous 'moody' sequences infused with the intangible sense of the oneiric. However, there are also moments of genuine emotion and comedy; in fact I would say it was Twin Peak's ability to switch fluidly between different genre conventions without losing spectator engagement that is the greatest strength of this highly original concept.

By the way the 4-disc set of the first season is available in UK and PAL, region 2 encoded from the Universal Playback label.Anyway, I certainly intend to pick up Twin Peaks: The Second Season come pay day and would urge any Twin Peaks virgins to seriously consider taking the time to delve into this hugely entertaining and enchanted Lynchian world!

To read some early reviews of the Twin Peaks: The Second Season DVD release head over to DVD Talk, DVD Verdict and DVD Town

THE HILLS HAVE EYES ***

USA: Wes Craven, 1977

Format: SD DVD
Region: 2 (UK)
DVD Distributor: Anchor Bay

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THE PRESTIGE ***½

USA/UK: Christopher Nolan, 2006

Format: DVD+RW Bootleg
Region: 0 (UK)
DVD Distributor: N/A

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TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME ***½

FRANCE/USA: David Lynch, 1992

Format: SD DVD
Region: 2 (UK)
DVD Distributor: Cinema Club

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INFERNAL AFFAIRS ****

HONG KONG: Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak, 2002

Format: SD DVD
Region: 2 (UK)
DVD Distributor: Tartan Video

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A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE ****

GERMANY/USA: David Cronenberg, 2005

Format: Sky Digital Television Broadcast
Region: N/A
DVD Distributor: N/A

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(*) BLUE VELVET ****

USA: David Lynch, 1986

Format: SD DVD
Region: R0 (UK)
DVD Distributor: Sanctuary Visual Entertainment

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THE DEPARTED ***½

USA/HONG KONG: Martin Scorsese, 2006

Format: SD DVD
Region: 1 (USA)
DVD Distributor: Warner Bros

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28 DAYS LATER... - Bitesize Review # 15

28 DAYS LATER... **½

UK: Danny Boyle, 2002.
Format: Original Theatrical Release

Note: My bitesize review was originally published by the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group (5.12.2002) and refers to the theatrical run of the film.

Director Danny Boyle has struggled to match the power and originality of his first two features Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. In his latest effort, 28 Days Later... the protagonist Jim, played by impressive newcomer Cillian Murphy, awakens from a coma to find his London hospital devastated and empty. Outside the capital itself is deserted.

When Jim meets Selena (Naomie Harris) we learn a fatal and highly contagious virus called "Rage" has all but transformed Britain into a post-apocalyptic war zone. The virus locks the infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. After joining up with Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his young daughter Hannah (Megan Burns) the desperate band set off to salvage a future.

28 Days Later... is effectively a contemporary reworking of the zombie movie sub-genre of horror. Writer Alex Garland, author of bestselling novel The Beach, manages to create characters for which the audience feels sympathy and director Boyle employs his repertoire of frenetic action shots with enthusiasm and gusto.

However, one can't help but feel disappointed overall when the film begins so intriguingly only to lose its way later on. Not least in its finale, whereby, a digression into a military run prison facility leaves one feeling they have watched two halves of separate films sewn together with the thread highly visible to all.

THEY - Bitesize Review # 14

THEY ***

USA: Robert Harmon and Rick Bota, 2002.
Format: Original Theatrical Release

Note: My bitesize review was originally published by the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group (28.11.2002) and refers to the theatrical run of the film.

All too often modern horror films consist of inferior imitations of Wes Craven's self-reflexive genre movie Scream. Teen slashers I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend and other such tripe are devoid of quality acting suffer from weak storylines and are simply not scary. Thankfully, They takes a detour from this depressing trend to deliver a slick and disturbing chiller.

Up coming actress Laura Regan (My Little Eye) plays Juliet Lund – an opinionated and prosperous twenty-something studying for a Master's Degree in Psychology. However, Juliet's focused and ordered life begins to unravel after she witnesses the suicide of life-long friend Billy.

Haunted by the deceased's intense ravings about persecution at the hands of an unknown force from his childhood nightmares, Juliet suffers insomnia. Her mental health is further threatened when she too experiences a reoccurrence of the 'Night Terrors' she suffered as a young child.

Convinced the mysterious "They" Billy warned of are now closing in on her, Juliet seeks the advice of child psychiatrist Dr Booth. Recalling the context of Juliet's childhood nightmares, Dr Booth dismisses these episodes as the result of post-traumatic stress originally relating to the death of her father and now resurfaced due to her friend's suicide.

With this rational diagnosis of her symptoms, Juliet tries to return to her normal life. Unfortunately, as her 'Night Terrors' become more violent Juliet finds herself isolated and alone in a fight to save her own sanity.

POSSESSION - Bitesize Review # 13

POSSESSION ***

USA/UK: Neil LaBute, 2002.
Format: Original Theatrical Release

Note: My bitesize review was originally published by the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group (7.11.2002) and refers to the theatrical run of the film.

Adapted from A.S. Byatt's Booker Prize winning novel of the same name, Possession focuses on the efforts of American research assistant Roland Michell (Aaron Eckhart) and qualified academic Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow) to unveil a secret love affair between two 19^th century poets.

The investigation begins with the discovery of love letters written by the esteemed Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam) addressed to lesser-known Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle), a descendent of Maud's.

Recorded in history as a devout and honourable husband, the suggestion Ash could have been involved with Maud's relative is a revelation of such magnitude to rock the literary world. As Roland and Maud piece together the events surrounding this illicit romance their own relationship begins to mirror the passion and anguish of their subjects.

Disappointingly, neither love story smacks of real sexual energy despite the accomplished acting of the cast. In truth the pacing of the film is hampered by the constant cutting between the affair of the past and the potential romance of the present.

This suggests Possession is better as a book than a film. Although the difficult task of cramming all of Byatt's powerful novel into a two-hour film is one that was always going to compromise the rich texture of the story.

In saying that, LaBute's script still contains some resonant observations with regard to the lure and turmoil inherent to love. The fragile romance of the modern couple is restricted by their own personal apprehensions, a stilting confinement not dissimilar to that of the inflexible social mores of their forebears.

RED DRAGON - Bitesize Review # 12

RED DRAGON **½

USA/Germany: Brett Ratner, 2002.
Format: Original Theatrical Release

Note: My bitesize review was originally published by the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group (24.10.2002) and refers to the theatrical run of the film.

Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter has seen the serial killer with a taste for human flesh become modern cinemas most memorable villain. In Red Dragon, Hopkins third and final appearance as Lecter, we are taken back to the very beginning and witness the arrest of the brilliant but psychological disturbed psychiatrist.

Adapted from the first of Thomas Harris' Lecter novels, Red Dragon establishes a storyline very similar to the subsequent The Silence of the Lambs. A sexual serial killer known as the "Tooth Fairy", played by Ralph Fiennes, has killed two entire families leaving the FBI without any firm leads. Incarcerated in a high security prison Lecter becomes a consultant on the case.

Reuniting Lecter with the man responsible for his capture, detective Will Graham, played by Edward Norton, the film echoes the one-on-one sparring between Lecter and Clarice Starling. Unfortunately, the tension and intimacy of those meetings, so key to the success of Silence of the Lambs, are never recaptured and what is left instead is the exaggerated, all too knowing performance of Lecter first displayed by Hopkins in Ridley Scott's Hannibal.

Indeed, it could be suggested Red Dragon is at its most thrilling when Lecter is left to ponder events from within his cell, while the action centres on detective Graham analysing the crime scenes. Graham has a special if not welcome ability to get inside criminal mindset of killers such as the "Tooth Fairy". However, it is unavoidable not to come to the conclusion that we have seen all these narrative elements before – most notably in Michael Mann's original film adaptation of this novel by Thomas Harris, Manhunter – and this is perhaps where Red Dragon disappoints the most.

The former film was a dark and brooding thriller which intelligently handled the motivation behind the "Tooth Fairy" and his frenzied acts of murder. Manhunter also went much further and more assuredly into detective Will Graham's psychological connection with Hannibal Lecter. Such subtlety and menace is never reproduced in Red Dragon with the resulting re-telling of this story being a solid but decidedly average crime thriller.

MY LITTLE EYE - Bitesize Review # 11

MY LITTLE EYE ***

UK/USA/France/Canada: Marc Evans, 2002.
Format: Original Theatrical Release

Note: My bitesize review was originally published by the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group (17.10.2002) and refers to the theatrical run of the film.

The hottest ticket in television at the moment is the reality TV game show. Whether it is Big Brother, Survivor or the latest 'Pop Star' themed karaoke contest, our desire to play the voyeur has developed into an obsession.

This trend is even more pronounced on the internet with a seemingly endless amount of web cam sites dedicated to broadcasting live 24 hours a day, seven days a week regardless of programme content. My Little Eye from British director Marc Evans employs this very modern phenomenon to breathe new life into the classic haunted house horror narrative.

The plot is simplicity itself, five youngsters agree to be confined in an old house, in the middle of nowhere, for six months with the object of winning one million dollars. Cameras are installed in every room with all the action broadcast live on a subscription pay-per-view website.

However, the situation begins to take on sinister dimensions when our young hopefuls are haunted by aspects of their troubled past. This tension is built upon in the film when it is suggested the broadcast company itself, may be instigating a deadly game in an effort to boost ratings or provoke the housemates into leaving and thus forfeiting the prize money.

Disappointingly, this sense of terror is lost when the plot's finale slips into a series of violent killings, showing little of the assured craftsmanship of the film's beginning. The redeeming aspects of My Little Eye can be identified in its authentic look and superb use of sound.

The majority of the film is shot in a manner mimicking the zooming cameras of reality television. This helps to establish an atmosphere of 'being watched' eeriness from the start. The distorted infra-red night sequences are especially effective with the participants' eyes glowing a startling shade of green.

So while My Little Eye isn't without its flaws it does provide a gripping watch for most of its duration. Moreover, the film serves as a chilling verdict on our attraction to the nature of watching and reality television.

ROAD TO PERDITION - Bitesize Review # 10

ROAD TO PERDITION ****

USA: Sam Mendes, 2002.
Format: Original Theatrical Release

Note: My bitesize review was originally published by the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group (10.10.2002) and refers to the theatrical run of the film.

After enjoying immediate success with the multi-Oscar winning American Beauty, the level of expectancy surrounding English director Sam Mendes and his latest project Road to Perdition has been immense.

Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a respected and loyal member of an organised crime family run by John Rooney (Paul Newman). In the past, Sullivan has managed to shelter his wife and two young sons from the violent reality of his life

When Michael Jr witnesses a cold-blooded murder committed by Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig), the young boy's life is put in jeopardy and his trust in his father is put in doubt. A bungled heist kills Sullivan's wife and younger son. Determined to avenge the killing of his family, Sullivan flees with Michael Jr to Chicago.

Although the film is a tale of crime, revenge and gangland violence, it is the relationship between Sullivan and his son Michael Jr that provides much of the depth of the film. Road to Perdition is undoubtedly one of the year's most accomplished pictures and the best thing presently showing at mainstream cinema.

HAMMER TIME!

Recently, I drifted into reverie regarding the horror films I used to watch as a youngster on late night TV and on old beaten up VHS. A particularly striking period of this nostagia trip focused on the much celebrated black and white horror pictures of Universal Studios in the 1930s. However, my thoughts then turned away from the black and white images of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff fickering across my mind's eye. As off over the horizon a garish blur of colour slowly came into view and then it hit me, bright smack in the face... Hammer Film Productions!

I was amazed, I had totally overlooked the exploits of my own nation and the imporant part it played in my formative introduction to the world of horror. "Hammer Horror" was all the rage in the 50s and 60s infusing classic horror texts with new vitality via sumptous color schemes and heaving bossoms. And trust me this seductive hyper-stylized re-imaginging of the familiar monster vehicles was not lost on me as a child. I was transfixed with both fear and facination upon first seeing these films and grew to revel in their almost camp jovality.

Thus, I thought it was high time I revisited those old classic British horror movies that helped to turn me on to the whole genre in my youth. Looking through the (limited) available discs at my preferred online DVD rental site, I've added the following to my delivery list: The Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, The Devil Rides Out, The Nanny and The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires.

I must admit I've yet to see quite of few of these films as my exposure to classic British horror of yesteryear has mainly centred on the numerous Frankenstein and Dracula cycles. Unfortunately, many of my other fondly remembered titles such as The Quatermass Xperiment and Twins of Evil are either "low demand" meaning not available to rent or missing from the listings altogether.

Judging by availability and demand I should be getting The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula, Prince of Darkness in the next batch of 3 DVDs to be delivered. Nonsensically, I've also thrown in Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill on a whim, to make up this Anglo/American horror trio. I used to love the movie and all things De Palma whilst at college and haven't seen it in years

If anyone else out there can point me in the right direction for more "Hammer Horror" titles on DVD I should check out please leave a comment.

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.