Release

DVD weekly: Silent Bob, body swap and torture porn

Matt

23rd January 2012

Here's your weekly instalment of the latest DVD and Blu-ray releases reviewed for your reading pleasure. Although, they're not all reviewed. Some of them aren't even 'viewed'. Enjoy!

Released: Monday 23rd January 2012

Red State (2011) DVD & Blu-ray
Buy the DVD on Amazon for £8.99

Red State

It’s not an enviable time for film blogging fans of Kevin Smith. Regardless of how much you like his old Snootchie Bootchie flicks, the chances are that you have a problem with Jersey Girl, Cop Out, his plan to give up filmmaking in order to concentrate on flooding the internet with a constant stream of podcasts, or his insistence that any critic who gives him a bad review is just ‘out to get him’.

Which brings us to Red State, a horror-tinged film that is not only a marked departure from Smith’s previous comedy efforts, but, in everything from the way it has been filmed to the way it has been financed and distributed, seems designed to make one very important point: Smith IS a talented filmmaker.

The problem is, Red State is a deeply flawed film. Smith’s recognisable filthy-mouthed dialogue soon gives way to overlong preaching and stony-faced stoicism; his sex-mad musings are swapped out for religious-themed horror and brutality; and his brightly lit set-ups replaced with grainy, handheld visceral shots. And while it’s commendable for Smith to be making a film outside of his comfort zone, his inexperience with this genre shows up in every aspect, particularly in the climactic shootout in which all of the key players behave like every gun is just a prop and every bullet is only a blank.

While none of this should be particularly surprising for even the most adamant of Smith fans – he has never been regarded as a great director – it’s unusual for the film to be so lacking in the areas in which Smith is commended: the writing. With quick-fire dialogue sitting uncomfortably alongside monotonous monologues and character viewpoints switching throughout, Red State feels all over the place – presumably a result of Smith having no supervising studio to answer to.

However, the film is by no means a complete loss. While the story and script don’t feel up to scratch, the film is lifted out of complete drudgery by some truly excellent performances, particularly from Michael Parks as antagonist preacher Abin Cooper and Melissa Leo as his most devoted follower. John Goodman also pops up playing John Goodman, which might not seem like much of a stretch but a bit of John Goodman can help any film.

So the overall result isn’t necessarily an outright terrible film, but it is certainly a disappointing one. Having bought previously bought into Smith’s own hype machine, I badly wanted this film to be everything he said it would be: an exciting departure, a gritty shockfest, an intelligent think-piece on faith...but it only managed to achieve B-movie horror with better acting than it deserves. And this is coming from someone who likes Jersey Girl, actually enjoyed Cop Out and listens to Smith’s podcasts on a weekly basis. But, maybe you shouldn’t believe me – I’m probably just out to ‘get’ Kevin Smith for some unfeasible reason.

Read the original review
The Change-Up (2011) DVD & Blu-ray
Buy the DVD on Amazon for £10.99

The Change-Up

It’s the 21st century guys – aren’t we a bit beyond body-swap comedies now? C’mon, we all laughed when Fred Savage acted like Judge Reinhold, when Lindsay Lohan pretended to be Jamie Lee Curtis, when Dudley Moore had to play...some kid. There’s a chance, I’m the only one here who remembers that last film. Still, the point stands, some mystical voodoo spell forcing two people to switch lives is the kind of plot device that belongs to the late 80s/early 90s along with canine cop partners and hitting a dead guy in the nuts.

And yet, here we are with a film that, although apparently dated story-wise, at least stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds, surely two of the most likeable leads you can have in a modern comedy, no matter how funny the actual film ends up being. Basically, what I’m saying is, I haven’t seen this film but I’ve seen Arrested Development and Definitely Maybe, so I think this could be really good.

Oh wait, shit. I’ve also seen Hancock and Green Lantern. I clearly haven’t thought this through.

Read the original review for some actual, useful opinions
The Debt (2010) DVD & Blu-ray
Buy the DVD on Amazon for £12.99

The Debt

The cover of this film would have you believe that Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington go around on a spy mission together, shooting baddies and generally just being ‘covert’. As it happens though, this is a taut, tense thriller spanning two timeframes as Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciarán Hinds reminisce about a spy mission that they were involved in back in 1965, only then they looked like Jessica Chastain, Martin Csokas and Worthington respectively. This proves beyond all doubt that aging is a bitch.

With Mirren's on-screen daughter launching a book that tells the story of the fateful mission, Dame Helen herself recalls the events and therein we have a narrative framework that presents an intriguing dichotomy between how the events are recorded in the public eye and how they actually unfolded.

As you might expect from the roll call of respected actors (and Sam Worthington), this is very much a film of dramatic performances rather than shootouts and quips. As the younger trio of spies plot to capture a Nazi war criminal, tensions - both heated and sexual – boil up into an engrossing tale of precision scheming, conflict and a particularly awkward love triangle.

Unfortunately, at times the story falls flat. An adherence to realism and the monotony experienced by the characters as they remain locked in their hideout results in a script that dulls at points when it could use some much-needed impact.

Still, a thankfully heart-pumping climax makes up for a lot in a film that, while sorely lacking in excitement, draws you in enough to stay glued throughout, even during a rather predictable twist ending.
Melancholia (2011) DVD & Blu-ray
Buy the DVD on Amazon for £8.99

Melancholia

In other news, Lars Von Trier continues to make provocative/offensive, arty/pretentious films starring A-listers/people that should know better. Whatever your thoughts on Von Trier’s previous works, Melancholia probably won’t change your mind, as it offers surrealism mixed with thought-provoking ruminations on the nature of existence. Or, y’know, a load of old wank. Like I say, it really depends on how you feel about Von Trier’s work.

In terms of his body of work, Melancholia – dubbed Lars And The Surreal Girl by, unfortunately, no one - is perhaps one of his more accessible efforts. Telling some pretence of a story in which Kirsten Dunst is the world’s most miserable bride – probably because another planet is set to collide with Earth and not, as some might think, because she has undergone some kind genital torture a la Antichrist – the film also boasts Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt and Skarsgårds, both Alexander and Stellan. It may or may not also feature a talking crack fox.

Basically, see this is you like fucked up films, or if you want to impress people by making them think that you like fucked up films.
30 Minutes Or Less (2011) DVD & Blu-ray
Buy the DVD on Amazon for £8.99

30 Minutes Or Less

What with Four Lions and now this silly fare from the director of Zombieland, it seems that the 'bomb-com' might be an emerging comedy genre among the usual date movies and Will Ferrell flicks. In this film, the explosive device in question gets strapped to loser pizza delivery guy Jesse Eisenberg as he is forced to rob a bank or else get blown to smithereens.

Many of the LOLs are provided by Danny McBride who gives a familiar profanity-laden performance as the hapless douche making the threats. His aggressive arrogance schtick is as funny here as it is in, say, Eastbound And Down, but it is also the perfect example of that doubt you get when you realise that a comedy actor you like may only have one brand of talent.

Offering more light-hearted laughs is Park And Recreation's Aziz Ansari who, it has to be said, seems disproportionately hysterical compared to his onscreen companions. As funny as his delivery and one-liners are, he ranks somewhere between Community's Señor Chang and The Hangover's Mr Chow on the Ken Jeong scale of inappropriate zaniness.

But of course, the film’s success as an entertaining comedy rests squarely on its lead and, thankfully, Eisenberg once again proves that he has natural talent for providing the funnies. The Social Network may have proved that he has a serious acting career ahead of him, but low-brow comedies like this one are clearly bread and butter for the young star.

Alas, the film as a whole just doesn’t stand apart from others in the same vein. Jesse Eisenberg plays Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride plays Danny McBride and Aziz Ansari plays...well, you get the idea. Throw all the actors together in a silly scenario for 83 minutes and you get an elongated episode of easy entertainment and not much more. Seriously - 83 minutes. I've had longer showers. And funnier ones too.

Read the original review
Hostel: Part III (2011) DVD & Blu-ray
Buy the DVD on Amazon for £8.99

Hostel: Part III

Whereas the Final Destination franchise offered a surprisingly worthy latest instalment this year, torture porn suckfest Hostel has succumbed to the black hole of straight-to-DVD releases. And with this film it's easy to see why.

Despite a mildly clever opening scene, the script soon delves into the ridiculous, expecting us to believe that the designer torture witnessed in scummy locations in Eastern Europe has now escalated to elite Las Vegas casino clubs in which specialist members place bets on the outcome of such physical horrors.

Or so the basic premise will have you believe. In truth, while this is the main set-up, there's actually very little of this kind action shown. While some sequels ramp up the action/horror/gore at every opportunity, Hostel: Part III seems to have forgotten that people will only watch it for one thing: to see gruesome, unthinkable bodily harm. Instead, we get treated to 20 minutes of bad acting and worse exposition between each few-and-far-between money-shot moment.

I'm not saying that the film should have ladled on blood and torture just for the sake of it, but it should at least have had the courtesy to realise that it was a terrible, worthless B-movie idea of a sequel cash-grab, and at least tried to entertain it's audience in the easiest way possible. With this effort, it really seems like they just don't make shitty bargain bin horror films like they used to.
Also out this week

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Blu-ray
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger Blu-ray
Dark Star Blu-ray
Malcolm X Blu-ray
Roger Dodger Blu-ray
Shark Night DVD & Blu-ray

More:  DVD Weekly
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